Little Thoughts About Books and Stuff

So my plan is, each Monday to update anyone who reads this on what I'm currently reading and what I may have finished in the last week. This was a slooooow reading period for me. So my last post was on the 15th and as you can see below, I finished the book I was reading 2 weeks ago and 1 other book. Currently Reading: Title : Necessary Trouble : Americans in Revolt Author : Sarah Jaffe Date Started : Aug. 15 Note : Book 3 for the 2017 NYPL Reading Challenge Title : The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue Author : Mackenzi Lee Date Started : Aug. 27 Currently Listening: Title : Atlas Shrugged Author : Ayn Rand Narrator : Christopher Hurt Date Started : Aug. 23 Note : I tried to listen to this a few years ago and it was dragging. I've started again and found that it's a great listen when I'm playing World of Warcraft. Finished Reading: Title : Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen Author : Fay Weldon Date Finished : Aug. 21 Star...

It's been like 2 weeks since I posted one, so this week's post is going to be a bit longer. Currently Reading: Title : The House on Mango Street Author : Sandra Cisneros Date Started : August 7 Title : Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen Author : Fay Weldon Date Started : August 3 Note : Austen in August hosted by Roof Beam Reader, Jane Austen Challenge Finished Reading: Title : Have You Seen Marie? Author : Sandra Cisneros Date Finished : August 7 Stars : 4 Title : Wired Author : Julie Garwood Date Finished : August 7 Stars : 3 Comments : Buchanan-Renard #13 Title : The Godfather Author : Mario Puzo Date Finished : August 6 Stars : 5 Comments : Honestly this book and movie are one of the only times you'll hear me say that I love both equally. The movie is such a good representation of the book and the story is just great. Title : The Second Bakery Attack Author : Haruki Murakami Date Finished : August 3 Stars : 2 Comments : ...

When I was deciding to come back to the blog I was looking through all the blogging memes that the blogs I read follow. I had done Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 a handful of times, but over at  Mixed Book Bag , JC merged them together and I really like that idea.  So borrowing from her I'm going to start linking up to both Book Beginnings on Friday from  Rose City Reader  and The Friday 56 with  Freda's Voice . So Adam over at Roof Beam Reader is hosting year 5 of Austen in August. So this month I'll be feature books I'm either reading or want to feature for Austen in August. This week the book Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen   by Jane Austen  caught my eye. It Begins:   Letter One The City of Invention Cairns, Australia, October My dear Alice,  It was good to get your letter. I am a long way from home here; almost in exile. And you ask me for advice, which is warming, and makes me believe I mu...

Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way through Great Books by Cara Nicoletti My rating: 4 of 5 stars Cara Nicoletti loves food, you could say it's in her blood. She comes from a family of butchers and is herself a butcher and a baker. As much as she loves food, Cara also loves books.  She's been an avid reader since childhood. As she reads, she finds that in books as in life a lot of things happen around food.  This book takes a look back at some of her favorite books and the food found between the pages.  Each book is paired with Cara's version of food based on or inspired by the book. The books/recipes are broken up into three sections: Childhood, Adolescence and College Years, Adulthood. Since it is currently August and I participate in Austen in August (run by Roof Beam Reader) I'm going to focus on the two Jane Austen novels that appear in this book. Pride & Prejudice  White Garlic Soup As any reader of the novel knows and as Nicoletti points out,...

This is one of my favorite reading events each year! I'll be posting most of my updates over at  CNJ - JASNA . Reading list: Longbourn  by Jo Baker (BCD) Mansfield Park  by Jane Austen The List Lovers Guide to Jane Austen  by Joan Strasbaugh Mr. Knightly's Diary  by Amanda Grange Cassandra & Jane  by Jill Pitkeathley - DNF A Darcy Christma s by Various Authors Reviews: Austen in August Mini-Reviews - List Lovers and A Darcy Christmas Austen in August Mini-Reviews - The other books

Longbourn  by Jo Baker (BCD) (4 of 5 stars) I will admit that I couldn't wait to finish listening and picked up the book at work and read the last few chapters at lunch.  I really liked how the novel was set during the time of P&P but it wasn't just a retelling.  It was a whole new story and I cared more about what was going on Sarah, Mrs. Hill and James than I did with the parts that reflected the events of P&P.   The novel is in three volumes and the third one was the hardest for me to get through.  It was like when a show you love ends a season on a cliffhanger and when it comes back it doesn't pick right back up.  The third volume covered a lot of background information and eventually caught back up with the ending of volume 2 (that's when I started to get desperate to be in the car).  I highly recommend this book! Mansfield Park  by Jane Austen (4 of 5 stars) I took my time in my rereading of MP. It was my first time reread...

The List Lover's Guide to Jane Austen by Joan Strasbaugh My rating: 4 of 5 stars It's really just a book of lists. I really enjoyed it and think it's a great resource to have on hand. I can already tell I'll be using it as a reference for writing blog posts in the future over at CNJ JASNA . A Darcy Christmas by Sharon Lathan My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars This includes three novellas by three authors. Mr. Darcy's Christmas Carol  by Carolyn Eberhart. -3 Stars This novella changes the end of P&P so Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth don't get married alongside Bingley and Jane.  Then it follows the basic plot of A Christmas Carol.  It was an okay story. Honestly the reason this got 3 instead of 2 stars was because there was a brief visit with Anne and Frederick! Christmas Present by Amanda Grange. -4 Stars This was the only story to stick closely to the characters of P&P.  In this one it's about a year after the end of the novel and som...

This is one of my favorite reading events each year! I'll be posting most of my updates over at CNJ - JASNA . Reading list: Longbourn by Jo Baker (BCD) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen The List Lovers Guide to Jane Austen by Joan Strasbaugh Mr. Knightly's Diary by Amanda Grange Cassandra & Jane by Jill Pitkeathley Darcy Christma s by Various Authors

I know this is a bit late, but August turned out to be a lot more than I could deal with, and I never got the chance to finish reviewing and wrapping up the reading event. I finished two books: Pirates and Prejudice by Kara Louise My rating: 4 of 5 stars Among the Janeites: A Journey Through the World of Jane Austen Fandom by Deborah Yaffe My rating: 5 of 5 stars I only got to review the one book, but I'll be reviewing Among the Janeites soon (hopefully).

Pirates and Prejudice by Kara Louise My rating: 4 of 5 stars When I fist saw this book I got excited.  The first thought that crossed through my head was "OMG please, please, please let it be a cross between Pride and Prejudice and The Princess Bride ."  If that wasn't your first thought take a moment and think about. Okay done thinking? Good! If you have a similar imagination to mine, then this book pretty much lived up to your imagination.  Instead of being captured by pirates, Darcy is mistaken for a pirate. He can prove he's not the dread pirate but the officials need his help to capture his pirate double.  Now you might be asking how distinguished Mr. Darcy was mistaken for  pirate. Darcy really let himself go after Elizabeth turned him down. It is while he is disguised that he is reunited with Elizabeth, who has been on the Isles of Scilly with her father visiting his sick sister.  On their return trip to England a bad storm hits, their b...

Austen in August Reading Event hosted by  Roof Beam Reader I have a lot going on in August so I'm not going to push myself. I plan on reading two books, both by author Kara Louise August is also the month of CNJ JASNA 's yearly Box Hill Picnic. The Box Hill Picnic is one of the most famous scenes in Emma.  We enjoy gathering together and having a strawberry dessert.  This year in honor of 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice we are picking our favorite passages from the novel. I'll have my favorite passage posted a few days before our meeting. What's your favorite passage or quote from Pride and Prejudice?

Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star by Heather Lynn Rigaud My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars At the start of August I mentioned in a guest post at Roof BeamReaders that I consider myself to be an “In betweener” when it comes to the reading of Jane Austen inspired books.  I like my books to be believable in the realm of Jane Austen’s World.  I’ve read, but not really enjoyed, some of the modern adaptations of her books (they average about 3 of 5 stars).  That being said, this book came way out of left field for me! To start, I was pulled in by the cover first and the premise second.  Darcy as a rock star?  I can read that! Darcy or Will as his friends call him is a guitar virtuoso.  He lives music.  He started a band, Slurry, with his cousin Richard Fitzwilliam (drums) and his college friend Charles Bingley (guitar and vocals).  They are a huge hit, but like any rock band they come with a bad boy reputation.   They need a n...

Love is a Battlefield by Tamara Morgan My rating: 3 of 5 stars It was a really cute read, but I don't know if it impressed me enough to have me keep reading the series.  I originally decided to read it when I saw that Kate is a member of a Jane Austen Regency Reenactment Society (JARRS) and I just love Jane Austen (JASNA member!) That being said there was just something about the story that didn't work for me and I can't even really put my finger on what it was, but there was just "something".  I feel like the problems the characters kept facing could have easily been solved with simple conversations, I tend to like when things are harder to solve and they really have to work at overcoming their problems. The Jane Austen Guide to Life: Thoughtful Lessons for the Modern Woman by Lori  Smith My rating: 3 of 5 stars As with any interpretation of an author's work, Lori Smith uses what we know about Jane from her letters and those of her family to a...

This review contains spoilers! The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine My rating: 3 of 5 stars I'll admit, I cheated. Since I was listening to this, I sought out reviews with spoilers so I could see where the story was heading because the first disc interested me, but I didn't know if I wanted to keep listening.  After reading the review with spoilers, I kept listening and I'm happy I did, this was a refreshing adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. I'll also admit that Sense and Sensibility is my least favorite Jane Austen work, I've read it once and will probably never force myself to read it again.  So when I saw in the spoiler reviews that the plot doesn't perfectly follow Jane's tale, I knew it would be worth my time to finish listening to this story. The ages of the characters bothered me at the beginning of the story, but as the story went on I found that it worked with the direction of the plot.  I liked Annie and Miranda more tha...