The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

If you want to experience reading James in a shorter version than The Golden Bowl, this is the place to start. This novella is just under a 100 pages and demonstrates very well James' psychological style. It is supposedly a ghost story involving a governess and her two charges. A young woman is hired to be a governess for two orphaned children on a remote estate. She is hired with the proviso that she not bother the children's guardian, their uncle, with any problems or even questions. He wants nothing to do with the children. The young woman arrives at the estate and at first everything seems fine, in fact, more than fine. The girl is living at the estate and is lovely. The boy arrives not too much later under a dark cloud. He has been sent away from the boarding school where he was for unspecified problems. There is also a housekeeper who has been a witness to the previous governess and testifies to her poor character and her subsequent death. It's also suggested that the previous governess has a very unwholesome relationship with a male servant , who has also expired, and that the two of them practiced inappropriate if not downright evil conduct with the two children. The new governess begins to experience hauntings by the deceased governess and servant. No one elso ever sees the "ghosts", although it's implied that the children see them yet refuse to admit that they do. This has lead some critics to point out that the story is really about the governess' hallucinations or hysteria. I think I take the position that it really is just a ghost story but one where very little happens because everything, including the reader, becomes internalized. The reader plays a very large role in making this story scary since details are skimpy and one must imagine the horrors. I think that's one of the most important points to the story. The Turn of the Screw refers to ratcheting it up a bit more or one more turn. It's an interesting exercise but ultimately disappointing if your looking for a ripping good yarn because there's never an explanation of what's really going on.

Hound of the Baskervilles and A Study in Scarlet by A. Conan Doyle

I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and have read these in the very distant past but this reading was out loud to my daughter (who is 13). I'd forgotten how well-written they are and very entertaining. These are both novellas but much longer than the usual short story form the Holmes stories take, probably around 150 pages. Of course, The Hound of the Baskervilles is very famous, having been made into movies and TV shows repeatedly. In fact, we have been watching Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes made in the 80's rerun on PBS. The Hound is very suspenseful and atmospheric, taking place out on the godforsaken moors with the remains of prehistoric dwellings. It concerns the mysterious death of a wealthy lord and the subsequent heir who comes from America to take over the title and holdings. The Baskerville hound refers to an ancient curse that the family will be pursued by a hound from hell for past wrong-doings. Holmes and Watson get involved when strange and potentially dangerous things start happening to the new Lord Baskerville. I won't give away the plot but there are several red herrings and the evildoer is finally unmasked and suffers a horrible fate. It's really a great yarn and very well written. There is interesting commentary on the moor and swamp within it that add a creepy, dark and stormy tone to the story. My daughter, who would probably not read this on her own mostly because of the 19th century writing, was quite engaged.

Similar comments on A Study in Scarlet as on The Hound. A Study in Scarlet has a little bit of a slow start but then moves into the backstory of the Mormons settling in Utah. I'd completely forgotten about that whole angle and it was fascinating. Holmes and Watson must get to the bottom of a couple of bizarre murders in London. It turns out that they cannot be solved until they discover the history of abuse in Utah that gives rise to the revenge killings. It is an interesting twist to the tale that grabs the reader. Again, my daughter quite enjoyed it.