Forget everything you know about ghost stories. '續子不語' (which roughly means 'More of What the Master Would Not Discuss') isn't about building terror. It's a collection of over 700 short anecdotes that Yuan Mei, a retired scholar, gathered from friends, servants, and travelers. The 'plot' is simply life in 18th century China, but with all the weird parts left in. You'll read about a mirror that shows a person's true fate, a righteous ghost who serves as a judge, and household items that suddenly develop minds of their own.

Why You Should Read It

This book is a delight because it's so matter-of-fact. Yuan Mei reports these bizarre events like a news journalist, not a horror writer. There's no over-the-top drama. The magic is in the details—how a ghost might be annoyed by bad calligraphy, or how a spirit animal just wants a fair deal. It shows a world where the boundary between our reality and another one was very thin, and people had to negotiate with it every day. You get a real sense of the fears, hopes, and humor of ordinary people from a completely different time.

Final Verdict

Perfect for anyone who loves folklore, history, or just a good strange tale. If you enjoy shows about unsolved mysteries or have ever wondered what people truly believed before modern science, you'll find this book utterly absorbing. It's not a novel, so don't read it straight through. Dip into a few stories each night. You'll start seeing the world a little differently—wondering what stories our own time will leave behind.