Sarah waters describes her work as 'lesbo historical romps,' but while her meticulously-researched, erotic stories of mystery, thrills and the occult do an amazing job of "teasing out lesbian stories from parts of history that are regarded as quite heterosexual," as she puts it, she's far more than a "queer writer" - rather, she's an amazing storyteller who happens to paint lesbian characters unusually well. Influenced by the gothic chills of Wilkie Collins and Henry James, Waters' writing is engrossing and page-turning, but always deft, skillful, intelligent. To call her novels thinking women's beach reads maybe does them a disservice, but at the same time, what could be better for a long weekend of uninterrupted reading? Her latest, The Little Stranger, takes us inside the crumbling estate and crumbling family of the Ayres; the result is both ghost story and family drama. It's a bit of a departure for Waters, as it features a male narrator and more of a country-house-mystery set-up. We can't wait, but If, like us, you're at the mercy of libraries and paperbacks, start with her earlier catalogue:

Tipping the Velvet: Nancy Astley is an oyster-shucker in her parents' restauarant in a Victorian seaside village. She falls in love with a male impersonator and travels to London, where her ups and downs include a music-hall career, a stint as a male prostitute and the kept woman of a wealthy and eccentric lesbian noblewoman, observing the upheaval of the country's history along the way.

Affinity: An indolent, neurotic noblewoman in Victorian London, Margaret Prior becomes a volunteer at Millbank Prison. She begins a romance with the enigmatic prisoner Selina Dawes, behind bars for impersonating a medium, but seemingly possessed of supernatural powers. The novel tells the backstory of both women, blurring the line between real and magic, madness and sanity.

Fingersmith: Sue Trinder, an orphan raised by a band of thieves, is recruited by a con artist to help him ensnare a mysterious heiress, marry her, take her money and imprison her in a madhouse. Sue goes undercover as a maid in the heiress Maud's house, but the two women fall in love. This one's a thriller - a page-turner in the true sense - that must be read rather than spoiled.

Night Watch is told from four perspectives: Kay, an androgynous ambulance driver; writer Helen and her lover Julia; Viv, dating a married man; Duncan, an enigmatic ex-con living with a mysterious protectot. Through their eyes and their intricate interlocking narratives, we see the grim reality of Blitz London and its aftermath.

Sarah Waters.com [Official Site]
Sarah Waters: 'Is There A Poltergeist Within Me?' [Independent]
Sarah Waters Interview [YouTube]
Sarah Waters On "Little Stranger," Identity, And Lesbian Fiction [AfterEllen]

Miss Marple was reportedly Agatha Christie's favorite creation — based partially upon her grandmother - and it's said that the author conjured her iconic gentlewoman detective when a director changed a character in a Christie adaptation from a genteel spinster to a beautiful young ingenue. Christie clearly wanted someone different to get her due — and made sure that she did, in twelve novels over 40 years. Miss Marple made her debut in a 1927 issue of The Royal Magazine , and in 1930 got her first starring vehicle with Murder at the Vicarage.

Jane Marple is, to the casual observer, the prototypical British spinster, a tweed-sporting, genteel old lady who's spent her life in the village of St. Mary Mead, devoting herself to her garden, her knitting, and local gossip. And that's the whole point of the character: she is destined to be underestimated. What people dismiss as a tiresome busybody (in early incarnations) and, later, as a muddle-headed woman past her prime, is in fact sharp and intuitive, unafraid of violence and uncowed by authority figures. What people dismiss as a limited life experience in a small village has in fact given Miss Marple an unusual insight into the human condition, and her long memory for village trivia often provides invaluable in cracking cases that baffle the pros.

Writes Kate Mosse on the character's appeal,

Educated and knowledgeable, moral and clear-sighted, Jane Marple is solitary but happy in her own company; she is independent but with a circle of devoted admirers - her nephew, Raymond West, and his wife; old friends such as Dolly Bantry; in later years, grateful clients and, first introduced in The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side, a live-in companion, Cherry. Miss Marple is a certain sort of English Everywoman, enduring and timeless.

While Marple's status in pop-culture is unquestioned (just check out Facebook) and her many dramatic incarnations have won even more fans, the character is also of literary significance: not only was she a benchmark in mystery fiction - the Underestimated Amateur, if you will — but she was an interesting flip of the familiar gentleman detective trope. The appeal of the novels is obvious, and there's nothing more comforting than returning to the timeless Saint Mary Mead — but as much as anything, Miss Marple is
a testament to the importance of never underestimating — and how useful it can be when people do.

Dial M for Marple [TimesUK]

Related: Old Maids And Spinsters: The Best Female Role Models A Teen Girl Can Have

Carol, the youngest of four children, says it was helping type mother Mary's novels that inspired her own career. "That's really what got me into [writing], because I'd talk to her about the characters and the plot...It was great for me to learn about how to write." As to the inherent tension of writing in the same genre, Carol says, "Oh, we wouldn't steal from each other. We actually fax each other pages as we're working on our separate books, just to get feedback." Adds Mary, "You need fresh eyes you can count on to say, 'That's fine. What are you worried about?'" [NPR]

• Meanwhile, why are pandas so beloved (don't ask Jessica!) and are they China's "most powerful secret weapon?" Ominous-sounding. • Rumormill: sources say that Alec Baldwin attempted to have a battle of wits with his 30 Rock co-star Tina Fey. We will say it is a lie because even Alec isn't that dumb to mess with the sharp-tongued Fey. • Want to get a "sexy bustline?" Use Easy Curves, a weird stick that will instantly perk up your pair! • A person on Yahoo Answers asks "what is a meat curtain?" and a delightful sleuth named "Bill Cosby" informs us that it means "a womens [sic] vulva and the things don't match means a persons [sic] hair is dyed because their pubes are a different colour." Mystery solved! • Apparently Obama's win means black people have "no more excuses" about the system being designed to prevent black progress? This was written by the woman who started the Marry Your Baby Daddy Day.• Rumor has it that the now-folded Playgirl Magazine has yet to pay off any of their outstanding invoices from their last issue.• Despite the fact that the New York Times reports that cosmetic surgery is declining, the Wall Street Journal reports that Botox is doing great during the recession. • True romance: an overweight Indiana couple got weight-loss surgery on the same day last week.• Shocking: binge drinking makes you less of a sex stallion between the sheets.• Not since JFK, Jr. has there been a male child in the White House, is it because girls make vigorous campaigning easier for their political parents?•

I have always thought this was the most genuinely threatening insult I've ever heard, even though I've never heard it since and am not sure whether it had a larger meaning. I briefly tried to make it the latest "Don't tase me, bro!" but it was hard to work into conversation, and when addressed to a man could come off as positively lascivious. I reproduce it here in classic America's Most Wanted style, hoping you or someone you know has information. Or, you know, a really bizarre insult.