I've just finished reading The Lost Happy Ending, a beautiful picture book by UK poet, Carol Ann Duffy with illustrations by Jane Ray. It's about a little girl who collects Endings and releases them every night into the "violet evening air". When a (very) nasty witch steals a sack of happy endings, every bedtime story ends on a bad note: Hansel and Gretel are trapped in the ginger-bread house and Snow White dies. I won't spoil the ending...
The illustrations are rich, colourful and vibrant...but, like original fairytales (before Disney got hold of them) it's on the darker side of happy.

I've also started re-reading Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris. I rarely re-read books but this guy's experience as a Macy's elf is priceless.