Why Does Every Literary Novel Have to Be Described As 'Sensual' Nowadays?

Someone put Reese's Pieces in the reception candy bowl. Why would they do that? Of course I'm going to eat them all. Of COURSE.

As I typed that, I accidentally swallowed one whole. Not really a choking hazard, but not pleasant.

SO. Halloween! The day we're supposed to be all into scary things, only I do not like being scared, so boo to that. I'm very Let's Meditate on Happy, Good Things and Not Force Our Minds into Dark Places, which I guess could be an excuse for being a total wuss, but it's a BIBLICAL excuse, so bam (that's Philippians 4:8, for you heathens).

Let's see, candy, scary things, what Halloweenish thing hasn't been covered so far? Oh yeah -- VICTORIAN LESBIAN GHOST NOVELS.

Sarah Waters is the ultimate in respected ladies-loving-ladies authors, because her stuff is awesome. I usually like it because it takes place in Victorian times, and therefore has ladies bein' all "Oh, my stays seem to be a bit tight; would you loosen them for me, Other Lady? I fear I shall swoon." *cue sexual tension*

Affinity is about two 1870s ladies, one of whom is a 29-year-old spinster who lives with her mother and has to deal with her former paramour (also a lady. gasp!) being married to her brother. Oh, and she's a bit unstable. But way smart.

Because she's a Lady of Leisure, and been having some mental problems, her friend is all "Why don't you visit ladies at the lady prison down the road!" And she says "Spiffy" and does so. Where, of course, she meets the OTHER main lady, a medium who's been imprisoned for weirdness (also fraud and assault).

Shenanigans and mindgames ensue. I felt distinctly off-kilter throughout the book, because if you've read any other Waters, you know she likes to be all tricksy, so it's difficult to trust things. Especially since it's like "Wait, was that a ghost? Or some kind of illusion? Are we going at this with the view that ghosts can be real or are we all Francis-Bacon-let's-scientific-method-this-shit?"

I recommend pretty much any Sarah Waters novel, so yeah, read this and be like "I'm learning about the Spiritualist movement!" Plus 'Victorian lesbian ghost novel' piques almost anyone's interest. Oh yeah, I should mention there isn't a lot of lady action. What there is (which is basically nothing) they classify as "thinly veiled erotica." I DISAGREE. The most erotic scene is when they write stuff down while sitting next to each other. And that's all that happens. I demand more heavy breathing and corsets. More!

This cover has more erotic imagery
than the entire book

The Help! I Haven't Read The Help readalong starts tomorrow. And by 'starts' I mean I'm going to do a beginning post, but one isn't supposed to have read any of it yet. For those who haven't found a copy...I mean, I'm of COURSE not recommending this, but...there're PDFs out there, people.