I’m usually fairly reluctant to recommend books.

Some of that must stem from my time working in bookstores, where I was called on to make 20 or 30 recommendations every day. As any bookstore clerk will tell you, that’s a painstaking, often unpleasant procedure that involves prompting the customer for clues as to what they like to read, authors they have enjoyed in the past, and so forth. The answers you receive are usually pretty vague and not very helpful, especially if the customer is shopping for a casual friend or distant family member.

“And what kinds of books does your Uncle Edgar like?”

“I’m not sure. I saw him reading something when I was over there at Christmas. I don’t remember the title, but I think it had a green cover.”

Part of it, too, is a general reluctance to tell someone else what they should be doing with their precious, probably far-too-short reading time. When I was younger I didn’t have a problem forcing my literary tastes on others. These days, it feels a bit presumptuous. In the end, I’m just glad to see people reading. I honestly don’t care what they read.

Funny, then, that I find myself recommending books all over the place lately. Not long ago, over at the olsonandsilva site, I offered a rave for The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Today I’m going to recommend that you check out Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale.

I’ve seen some mixed reviews on this one, and I’ll admit that I had mixed feelings myself at first, partially because I was slow to warm to the main characters, partially because I was skeptical that Setterfield’s premise would be able to pay off in equal measure to the build-up she was giving it.

I can happily say that I was wrong all the way around.

Though I wanted to strangle the narrator on several occasions, she ultimately affected me quite deeply. Her power over me grew as the pages turned, as did the emotional impact of the book itself, which left me feeling just the way I want to feel when I finish a novel — a wreck in all the right ways, physically drained, mentally agitated, a bit teary-eyed and utterly satisfied.

Did Setterfield pay off? No question about it.

Looking back at my praise for Shadow of the Wind, I sense a theme. Like that book, The Thirteenth Tale is a dark sort of tribute to literature and the power of stories to enthrall, enrapture, carry you away, heal you, perhaps even keep you alive. In particular, it’s a salute to gothic literature, including well-loved classics such as Jane Eyre, a book that just happens to play a key role in Setterfield’s novel. It’s also got fog-swept moors, a once-great home fallen into decrepitude, unspeakable family secrets, truths kept hidden and truths unknown. And yes, it even has a ghost.

I don’t want to tell you what to read or anything, but …umm … you really ought to give this one a try.