For Reading in the Bath

This collection of coyly perverse short tales, first published in 1888, brings a lighthearted take to the erotic genre. Featuring a cast of delightfully ostentatious Parisians (mostly comprised of flirtatious Valentin and the potential lovers he courts), each story pretends to admire the rigid chastity expected of the era while gleefully mocking it with tongue-in-cheek humor and lustful imagery. In “The Good Resolution,” a young woman practices a speech to chide her suitor for asking a married, proper woman to his bachelor abode... all while she dons revealing and easily removed lingerie. “The Duel” pits Marietta and Marianne in a duel to the death to see who will have the heart of their shared lover; instead, they discover their desire for each other. The brief stories are a bit tiring to read in quick succession, but the collection is clearly meant to be picked up, briefly indulged in, and put back down until the mood strikes again. This coquettishly sexy and delightfully suggestive book will be a playful addition to any bedside table. (Apr.)