Roald Dahl

Today is the 25th anniversary of Roald Dahl's death. Dahl is loved world-wide for his quirky children's stories like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Mathilda and The Witches. I love those too, but I think once I discovered his adult short stories things were never the same.

There is a copy of The Roald Dahl Omnibus: Perfect Bedtime Stories for Sleepless Nights on the nightstand in our guest bedroom. I absolutely love the stories collected here. They are the perfect mix of macabre, disgust and humor. If you weren't sleepy before you read them, I don't think this book will help you fall asleep any quicker.

There are so many good stories here, but some of my favorites include:

Lamb to the Slaughter: a housewife kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb and then serves it to the detectives investigating his death.

The Wish: a young boy must walk across a large carpet where he believes the red spots are burning coals and the black spots are poisonous snakes. If he makes it across he'll get a puppy for his birthday. Believe me, it's intense.

The Great Switcheroo: two married men decide to sneak into the other man's bed to see if their wives can tell the difference.

The Landlady: a gentle old woman who murders her tenants kind of thing.

Poison: a poisonous snake crawls into bed with a man.

Some of the stories are horrifying and others are merely disturbing. They're definitely not for children, but you're going to love them all.

If you're a fan of Dahl, you should check out the t shirts on RedBubble. There are some great quotes taken from Willy Wonka.

"If she's a lady, I'm a Vermicious Knid"

"The suspense is terrible... I hope it will last"

Slugworth's Unique Confections

Please read a Dahl short story in his memory today.