I read this collection one story a night over a couple of months, which is definitely the way to tackle it. While I can't say I loved every story in the collection, the compounded effect on my emotions was that of a rolling snowball that starts small, and by the bottom of the hill ends up taller than I am. Twice-Told Tales is...definitely taller than I am. And not just because I'm doubled over from the emotional gut punches.

The stories that didn't make my favorites lists tended to be more allegorical, sort of over-the-top moralizing fairy tales. Surprisingly (to me), I most loved the contemplative, observational slice-of life essays, particularly "Chippings with a Chisel" and "Foot-Prints on the Sand." I also enjoyed the (unexpected?) turns to humor in "A Rill from the Town Pump", "Mr. Higgenbotham's Catastrophe", and "David Swan". As a perennial fan of the gothic and macabre, I appreciated the hightened emotions and deft storytelling in "The Minister's Black Veil", "The Wedding Knell", "Lady Eleanore's Mantle", "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment," and "Peter Goldthwaite's Treasure". Finally, the twists in "The Three-Fold Destiny" brought the collection to a fitting close.

Most of all, I appreciated recognizing the seeds of writerly obsession for Hawthorne's later novels. Definitely recommend this collection for sipping and savoring.