The boys were in my friend Lindsay's wedding in November, and as a thank you gift to them, she gave them the first seven books in Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events series.
I decided to read them, and I'm totally hooked. I just ordered the final six in the series, and am going to order the Unofficial Biography of Lemony Snicket, as well as The Beatrice Letters, and Snicket's Christmas and Hannukah books (one of which is titled The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming. How can I resist a title like that???)
These books are hilariously funny and engaging. Written roughly for the 5th grade market, they're still plenty of fun for grownups, and they're so ... UNHAPPY! And they just wallow in it! They're fantastic! If you haven't read them, DO SO!
They beat Harry Potter to death with his own broomstick.