The Wide Window begins with the Baudelaire children being escorted, once again, to a distant relative's home -- this time, it is to Aunt Josephine's, their second cousin's sister-in-law. Their new guardian lives on the shores of Lake Lachrymose and is afraid of everything. She won't cook because the gas oven might explode. She won't use door knobs because she might bruise her hand. She won't use the phone because she's afraid of being electrocuted. The children are (understandably) unhappy and miss Dr. Montgomery (their guardian in the second book). Shortly after their arrival at Lake Lachrymose, Count Olaf shows up, yet again, with yet another plan to steal the children and get his hands on their fortune. While the series is formulaic, the narrator is so engaging that these are still fun to read. Here's a bit:

...although Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire were about to experience events that would be both exciting and memorable, they would not be exciting and memorable like having your fortune told or going to a rodeo. Their adventure would be exciting and memorable like being chased by a werewolf through a field of thorny bushes at midnight with nobody around to help you.