The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde (2000)

Vande Velde starts by deconstructing the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale and points out what a weird and sort of stupid tale it is. Then she proceeds to write six new versions of the tale that twist the story in some new and interesting way. Very well told.  Vande Velde is also an Adored Author.

Vivian Vande Velde - Adored Author

Vivian Vande Velde writes funny and spooky stories and novels for children and teens.  Some of her best collections include Being Dead: Seven stories that are all wonderful and range from gently creepy to out-and-out horror. One story made me gasp aloud. The stories are definitely dark, but very good.  All Hallow's Eve, wonderfully weird Halloween short stories by the mistress of horror and humor for young adults. Some of the stories are genuinely chilling, some are lighter and funny, but all are delightful.  Two of her best YA novels include Heir Apparent, where a girl gets trapped in a virtual reality game and has to replay the game until she can win and escape, and Now You See It.  Wendy finds a pair of sunglasses on her front lawn and finds that she can see things beyond the normal world, including a doorway to another world, where she meets a variety of interesting characters including one of her own ancestors.  See also The Rumpelstiltskin Problem and Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird under Fairy Tales Retold.

Why is My Mother Getting a Tattoo? by Jancee Dunn (2009)

Subtitled And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had to Ask, this is a collection of essays on family and friends that are laugh out loud funny, and poignant. I suspect that Jancee and I might be the same person, which of course, just makes me love her more.  See also her hilarious memoir But Enough About Me.

Family Acts by Louise Shaffer (2007)

Story of an opera house and the family that manages the theater from the mid-1800s to the present day, when two women, unknown to each other, inherit the opera house. An interesting look at theatrical life, and backstage life, as well.

Windfallen by Jojo Moyes (2003)

Although the cover and title seem very pedestrian, this novel is surprisingly delightful.  A sprawling family history centers around an unusual house and its inhabitants on the British coast. Amazing characters and complex relationships. Very Maeve Binchy-like, and that's high praise.

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (1988)

Retelling of Sleeping Beauty set partially in Germany during the Holocaust. Almost unbearably poignant.  Part of the amazing fairy tale retelling series put out by Tor books and created by Terri Windling.

The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne (2005)

British novel about a slightly posh, unemployable girl who sets up her own temp agency for the purpose of providing fake girlfriends, help for men who need help (hair, clothing, etc.), sort of a "posh Mary Poppins in silk stockings."  Delightful and funny.  Followed by a couple of sequels.

Places in the Dark by Thomas H. Cook (2000)

Thomas H. Cook writes spooky, haunting mysteries mostly involving a secret in the past.  This one is a an excellent mystery about a man searching for a woman involved in the death of his brother. Beautifully told, poetically described and almost cinematic in its dreamy, Sixth Sensian tone.  See also Breakheart Hill, another excellent mystery by Cook, this one about a country doctor haunted by the death of his childhood crush. Very evocative, unfolds slowly, but quite compelling.

A Wolf At the Door: and other Retold Fairy Tales by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (2000)

Science fiction and fantasy authors including Jane Yolen, Kathe Koja, and Gregory Maguire retell thirteen fairy tales and add their own particular spin.  Irreverent and a bit darker than you'd think--especially since it's a collection shelved in the children's collection.  Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling are the masters (mistresses?) of fairy tale retellings.

A Room With a View by E. M. Forster (1908)

How can you not love a book with a chapter titled "The Reverend Arthur Beebe, the Reverend Cuthbert Eager, Mr. Emerson, Miss Eleanor Lavish, Miss Charlotte Bartlett, and Miss Lucy Honeychurch Drive Out in Carriages to See a View; Italians Drive Them."  In this 1908 novel, a young British woman is transformed by Italy. Lovely and witty and romantic.  Sigh. Made into a perfectly marvelous Merchant-Ivory movie, which I completely credit with introducing me to opera.