halloween lists, new fielding

In honor of Halloween, some guy is listing the ten scariest novels. Really, it should just be called: Ten Scary Novels, leaving the superlative out. We’re not particularly terrified. Bonus points for selecting the John Gray book, though.

Helen Fielding’s new book, Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination, is only barely mentioned in this article, as the author spends most of his time talking about Bridget Jones’ Diary, then adds:

Being funny is never as easy as it looks and very few women novelists find it possible at all. Almost every week a novel is published by a woman, for women, that we are assured will make us laugh out loud and at which one barely smiles. How many women novelists are capable of high comedy? Jane Austen. Helen Fielding. Who else? Nancy Mitford? Anita Loos? Certainly not the current crop of writers marketed under the title of Chick Lit.

It’s the “women novelists” part I’m finding hard to swallow. Anyhow, I’m thankful for the clarification that the zygomatic muscles aren’t connected to the vagina.