Book 16-20: 2011

16. The Aspern Papers
By: Henry James
Genre: Literary fiction, novella
Three words: No ghosts, children
Yup, the first Henry James story I've ever read that wasn't about ghosts, children, or some combination of both. I was inspired by Berendt's book and the similarities between this story and that of Exra Pound's mistress, detailed in the book. The entire experience was strongly connected to Berendt's book; they made excellent companion pieces. Other than that...well, it was Henry James. You either like him or you don't. As a Victorianist, I do.

17. Tender Morsels
By: Margo Lanagan
Genre: YA
Three words: Bear sexual assault
I heard about this book on SmarthBitches. Bitch magazine posted a list of "100 Young Adult Books for the Feminist Reader." Tender Morsels was included and then removed "because of the way that the book validates (by failing to critique or discuss) characters who use rape as an act of vengeance." Now I have read this book and I can't see that it has a particularly strong feminist message or that it in any way validates rape. Rape happens in this book: rape, incest, and some particularly disturbing bear sexual assault. It is a very warped retelling of the Snow White and Rose Red fairytale. I don't find it empowering for women because the main character of the story is a perpetual victim and only ever able to escape the cycle of victimhood by living vicariously through her daughters. While she does survive her many ordeals, and that is certainly a triumph in itself, she is never able to create a life of her own. That being said, what a silly nonreason to remove this book from the list, which is what all the hullabaloo was about in the first place.

18. Darkest Mercy
By: Melissa Marr
Genre: YA
Three words: Fairy series ends
Yay, this series is over! Yes, I couldn't stop reading it, but it just kept dragging on and on, and I couldn't really enjoy it anymore either. It was kind of like LOST in that way. Except without any brainteasing whatsoever and all loose ends neatly tied. Anyway, it's over now.

19. Lord Perfect
By: Loretta Chase
Genre: Romance
Three words: Super boring romance
This book was incredibly boring. I was hoping it would hold up to the giddy magic of Last Night's Scandal, being that it details the intial meeting of the two main characters of that book. It took me many weeks to slog through the book, stopping in between to read other books. I only finished it, truly, because I wanted to add it to my count. So I'm off romances again, for awhile.

20. A Very Long Engagement
By: Sebastien Japrisot
Genre: Literary Fiction, Book club selection
Three words: So it goes
No one else from book club really liked this one; it was like Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five meets romance, detective story, and epistolary novel in a dark, French bar for a drink. Just like Vonnegut's novel repeats the refrain "and so it goes," this repeats "that's the way of the world" and it develops a horrifying picture of war and its aftermath. The book opens with five soldiers accused of self-mutilation and dumped over enemy lines instead of being executed. Years later, Mathilde, the wheelchair bound fiancee of one of the soldiers, tries to piece together the events before, during, and after and if any of the soldiers possibly survived.