Death Comes to Pemberley

Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James.
Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. 291 pgs.

Guess what Santa Mom and Dad gave me for Christmas?  That's right, the New York Times bestselling book, Death Comes to Pemberley by renowned author PD James.

First, the plot:  A murder occurs on the eve of Lady Anne's ball at Pemberley.  At the heart of the murder:  Lydia, Wickham and Captain Denny. Cue mystery to solve; GO!

Ok, so here's the thing: As I write this blog entry this book sits at #12 on the New York Times Bestseller List.  It was #11 last week.  And has been on the list for the last 13 weeks--since it was released.  And here's my thought.  It was good, but I'm not sure it was that good.  I think it's selling like hotcakes because of its author.  Which isn't a bad thing, but it's not the best piece of JA fanfic to come across one's desk.

It's not that I'm an expert or anything.  Or that I have this extremely amazing memory for P&P, but I was distracted at the beginning of the book.  PD James spends quite a bit of time introducing the characters, plot and their nuances to us.  Her exposition is a lengthy twelve pages long.  And I felt like some of it was, well, wrong.  Obviously, there are things to make up with one's own imagination, and I can't put my finger on it exactly (esp. because I write this entry at least 2 weeks after I finished it.  Please blame work/kids/life.).  And maybe it is something as simple as the voice with which James wrote.  The exposition is written as an omniscient narrator, from the view of Meryton's female residents collective thoughts on the the Bennet daughters marriages. Maybe it just didn't sit quite right with me.  I'm not sure.

Once I was past the introduction and on to the novel, it was more enjoyable and a great little mystery.  Albeit, one that was a bit obvious and for that I was a bit disappointed.  (I guess I like a bit more "Oh my gosh! No Way!" plot to my mysteries.) Nevertheless, I did enjoy it and give it 3 Bonnets--with pretty ribbon.

Prom and Prejudice

Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg. Scholastic, 2011. 231pgs.


Think Pride and Prejudice at an elitist girls school named Longbourn Academy.  What's the most important thing in their lives?  Not getting married, but going to the prom.

Lizzie is a scholarship student who befriends her roommate Jane.  Jane is excited because Charles Bingley is returning after a semester abroad. At a mixer of students from Longbourn and also Pemberley Academy, Lizzie meets Charles and his friend, Will Darcy.  Mix in the usual Darcy pride, some prejudice of a poor and outcast Lizzie and well, it's pretty much the same P&P we all know and love, but in modern teen time.  Mrs. Gardiner is Lizzie's piano teacher.  Charlotte is another scholarship student and Lizzie's only other friend. Wick is a student who Darcy doesn't get along with and tempts Lizzie with lies about Darcy.

If a teen picks this up and has never read the original, I doubt that they'd get all of the name similarities or the plot resemblance.  But alll in all, a very cute version of Pride and Prejudice for the teenage crowd.

Dancing With Mr. Darcy

Dancing With Mr. Darcy: Stories Inspired by Jane Austen and Chawton House. Edited by Sarah Waters Harper, 2010. 245 pgs.

This collection of stories represent the finalists in the Jane Austen Short Story Competition held by Chawton House Library.

While I enjoyed this collection, I found it not as quick of a read as the previous two collections of short stories blogged about earlier (Jane Austen Made Me Do It and Pemberley Variations).  I found a lot of the stories hard to get through and I can't quite pinpoint why.  To that end, I am annoyed at myself.  But try as I might, I simply can only think that so many of the stories were rather lackluster.  The winning entry in the contest--"Jane Austen Over the Styx" by Victoria Owens--
was by far the best one and was the gold star among them. Jane Austen finds herself in the "infernal regions" and must answer to the "court of the dead."  There she finds many of her characters quite upset with her, saying that she willfully portrayed them as "a snob, a scold or a harpy."  The sentence:  Her books will live on, but letters written to her brother Frank are to burned upon his death and thus, no one else will delight in their "wisdom and shrewdness." Again, a great twist to what really happened to Jane's letters.  Again, a bit feeling like Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series.  But nevertheless, too cruel a fate indeed.

Jane Austen Made Me Do It

Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature's Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart.  Edited by Laurel Ann Nattress.  Ballantine Books, 2011. 445 pgs.

First, I would like to point out that every time I sit down at the computer to write a blog entry these days, a certain infant starts to cry.  Nay, scream.  Screams a lot.  And I am not kidding--every single time I open up Blogger.  Without fail.  No wonder my blog entries feel disjointed and I can hardly find a place to begin writing.

Second, a sincere thank you to Laurel Ann Nattress at Austenprose and her publisher, Balllantine Books.  Laurel Ann sent a request out for folks to review her book in late summer, early fall.  I replied with a, "Sure thing, I'd be honored."  I needed to finish another book or two before I picked this one up, and then it was all I could do just to waddle into work during the month of October.  And then there was the fact that every time I picked up this book to read, I read about one paragraph and had to put it down due to fussy baby or neglected three year old.  Le sigh.  Life has simply not  been conducive to reading in my world lately.  Nevertheless, I persevered.  It just took me 2 months.  And what's sad is that is the only book I read in that time.

Jane Austen Made Me Do It contains 22 delightful Jane Austen inspired original stories from noted authors Stephanie Barron, Lauren Willig, Diana Birchall and Laurie Viera Rigler to name a few.  It also holds the winning entry in the Jane Austen Made Me Do It contest that was hosted by Pemberley.com.
Some of the stories are continuations of Jane Austen's original works, some are variations of her novels, some are modern day twists to them and some simply invoke the spirit of Jane Austen.

I could review each and every story, but that's not my style.  Here's a quick lowdown on my favorites and why they are my favorites in this collection.

• "Jane Austen's Nightmare" by Syrie James:  Jane has a nightmare that she is walking the streets of Bath and appearing before her are her beloved characters from her various novels.  And many of them are not happy.  Not happy indeed!  Marianne thinks herself "ridiculous and pathetic."  Elinor and Fanny too "perfect."  You get the idea.  I like this whole characters coming to life bit.  I like that they are a bit ticked off at Dear Jane.  I like that Emma gives Jane a quick warning that the others are looking for her. I like that they speak of "that other book."  (P&P?)  Ultimately, Jane wakes up and is quite inspired to write another novel, but this time with characters not quite perfect etc.
• "Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss" by Jo Beverley:  Widow Elinor Carsholt lives in the village of Chawton in Ivy Cottage that is tucked into a corner of Sir Nicholas Danver's estate.  Elinor and her family still have two weeks left of mourning for the late Mr. Carsholt.  Elinor wonders if Sir Nicholas has eyes for her oldest daughter, Amy.  But Sir Nicholas has eyes for the widow. I like that it was a simple story about a widow who thinks she has no chance at finding love again.  I liked that the characters met Jane & Cassandra and exchanged a brief but telling encounter regarding mistletoe.
• "The Love Letter" by Brenna Aubrey (Winner of the JAMMDI Short Story Contest):  Dr. Mark Hinton opens an envelope addressed in his handwriting.  Its contents:  a fragment from some unidentified book.  Rather than study for his medical boards, he discovers the book and gets caught up in a love story of his own.  I loved this story.  It was a beautiful, modern twist on Persuasion. Sigh...
• "Intolerable Stupidity" by Laurie Viera Rigler:  Meet two lawyers and their clients:  The defendants: Fritz Williams & numerous defendants or authors of "so-called literary works" and the prosecution, Tawny Wolfson & Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Darcy.  The court:  The Court of Intolerable Stupidity with Judge Lady Catherine De Burgh.  I loved the vision of Darcy transforming before the court into various modes as others see him, albeit continually drenched with water.  (Think: P&P '95 and the diving into the pond scene.)  Both "Intolerable Stupidity" and "Jane Austen's Nightmarre" remind me of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series.  Quite funny and delightful.

I really enjoy this collection of short stories and am only disappointed that it took me so long to get to it and read it.  And as such, let me also acknowledge that all views in this post are that of my own and that I was not paid to write a complimentary review.  It really was a delightful read.  

A Pemberley Medley

A Pemberley Medley by Abigail Reynolds
Interdial Press, 2011.  210 pgs.

Warning: What follows are several blog entries about books of short stories.  It appears that in the last several months that's all my attention span could handle.  So, if short stories are not your thing, tough. :)

First, let it be known that I'm a big Abigail Reynolds fan.  Ms. Reynolds writes great Jane Austen fanfic and she's from my home state, so she's a mid-western woman with great taste.

A Pemberley Medley contains five short Darcy and Elizabeth P&P variation stories.  Really, these stories are like so many of Ms. Reynolds other P&P variations. One little twist in the plot that changes a certain part of chain of events in Darcy and Elizabeth's story. In one, Elizabeth actually heeds Charlotte Lucas Collins' remarks that Darcy has feelings for Elizabeth.  In another, Georgiana tries to find out which Herfordshire woman broke Darcy's heart by attending Mr. Bingley's wedding without Darcy in attendance.  But I will fully admit, the story "The Most Natural Thing: A Novella in 3 Parts" was my favorite simply because it cast Mr. Collins as the villain.  Need I say more?

5 Bonnets just for that lovely plot twist alone!

Kate DiCamillo: Master Storyteller

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick Press, 2009. 201 pgs.

Confession time:  I have had this book, ahem, a library book, sitting on my shelf since last summer.  I think I may have grabbed it from school as a summer read and didn't get to it then.  I managed to pick it up this winter and devoured it in about a day.  (It's really a one sitting book, but in my world right now, I am lucky to read a simple paragraph in about an hour.  I read, folks, but I read a lot of Mo Willems, Margaret & H.A. Rey and Richard Scarry.  That is my world right now.)

The Magician's Elephant is about a young orphan boy, Peter, who goes to a fortune teller to ask one simple question.  Is his sister still alive?  The answer:  "She lives."  When Peter presses further to find out where she is, the fortune teller gives Peter a cryptic answer, "You must follow the elephant."  And so Peter's quest for his sister begins, and we learn about the mysterious elephant that a magician brought forth instead of a bouquet of lilies.

The genius of Kate DiCamillo never ceases to amaze me. Her prose is so simple and true.  The voice that she writes with speaks to us in a gentle, yet unassuming manner.  I love it!  This book, with its sense of nostalgia, sparkles with love.  'Nuff said.

Regarding another Dicamillo story:  It should be known that my hubby appreciates Kate DiCamillo's writing, too.  We did, after all, read The Tale of Despereaux out loud to one another.  I did, also, drag him to a book event at the U of MN in grad school where Ms. DiCamillo spoke and read aloud the first chapter of Despereaux.  (I cannot recall if this was just before or just after her winning the Newbery Award for Despereaux.)

Late this last summer or early fall, I found that hubby started to read our not quite 3 yr. old Despereaux.  I think that it was on a bookshelf downstairs and one of the two of them saw it while playing downstairs and somehow they started it together.  I was truly amazed that she'd sit still for the story (it does have rather short chapters, though). Kate mesmerized her with delicious soupy storytelling and we read the entire book in the next month or two during bedtime stories!  Even last night, she pointed to it on her bookshelf and said, "We read Despereaux, but we're not going to read it tonight."  I said, "Maybe again in a while (meaning several months or so in my mind)."  She replied, "Yep, I like Despereaux."

Yep kiddo, I liked it too.  Kudos to Kate.

Friday's Child

Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer
Sourcebooks Landmark, 2008 (org. 1944), 223 pgs.

I am a newbie to the world of Georgette Heyer.  See first blog post about her book The Grand Sophy here.  This summer (I told you, dear readers, I've had a stack of neglected books to blog about!) I picked up another Heyer book to read--Friday's Child.

Quick plot summary: Lord Sheringham (Sherry) has just been denied the hand of Miss Milbourne.  He's upset and vows to marry the next woman he sees.  That woman happens to be Miss Hero Wantage, a childhood friend.  He takes her to London and marries her.  Scrapes and mishaps abound as the two navigate marriage and society together.

And now here's the honest truth.  I'm not sure how I feel about Heyer after reading another one of her novels.  I felt like I was reading the same plot as I did with The Grand Sophy and it left me bored. (Which, by the way, is simply not ok when one is at the lake on summer vacation.)  I had to pick up Friday's Child several times after putting it down for a couple of weeks and try again.  Once I got into it, I enjoyed it but still, the same plot--silly girl heroine, serious or sometimes equally as silly hero, numerous misunderstandings and hijinks, and then end up declaring they love one another.  And there it is.  Same thing.  Both times.

So I ask, is there a Heyer Regency romance that doesn't follow this prescribed plot sequence?  To be fair, isn't this plot repetitiveness the same in so many novels by the same author or similar genres?  (See previous post about dystopian science fiction.)  Could the same be said for Jane Austen? (Insert audible GASP here!  I may have just written blasphemy!)  Just throwing the idea out there.  Isn't that why kids like series books so much?  (Much to this librarian's chagrin at times, but who am I to judge?  In my parents' basement there resides a crate of about 100 Babysitter Club books by Ann M. Martin from my elementary school days.)  I guess what I'm saying is that the jury is still out for me on whether I'll read more Heyer or not.

Dystopian Novels = Cold Hard Cash

In the last several years, one of the biggest trends in young adult literature is that of the dystopian novel. (If you're lost the definition is: "a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression,disease, and overcrowding." From dictionary.com) When I talk with the students at my middle school, I say something like this, "Think the future and something horrible has happened and the human race is just trying to survive.  Add some teenagers.  Some romance.  Some good adventure or race to survive and that's the gist of the dystopian novel."  Oh, and they tend to be series books.  Or trilogies.  

The Hunger Games (and its subsequent books) is one of the most popular dystopian trilogies from the last several years.  The movie for the 1st book comes out March 23rd. (EEEE! Squeallll!--Yup, it really was that good.  And the author helped write the screenplay and approves, so I'm hopeful for the movie.)

 Another series that my students love is Matched by Ally Condie.  The second book just came out and is called Crossed.  It's on my to read list (I haven't read it because I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy it or just snag it from the library.)


The series I just completed that my students have also been crazed about this school year is The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner.  And it's this series that I want to talk about today.  You know how when you read a book (or in this case a series) and it just leave you sort of annoyed or unsatisfied?  That's my problem with this one and I need some others to read it so we can talk about it.  (Hint, hint dear readers.)   I just finished the last book and it's just got me irritated. 

Here's the low down on the plot:  Teenager Thomas wakes up in what is called The Glade. He has no memories of before he woke up. He is surrounded by other teenage boys.  Only boys.  They live in The Glade and it is surrounded by walls, and in turn a maze.  During the day, the doors to the maze open and certain boys (called Runners) go out and try to figure out a way out of the maze and thus, hopefully, out of The Glade.  At night the doors close.  If you are still in the maze at night, a creature called a Griever appears in the maze and comes after you.  The next day it's lather, rinse, repeat, except that the maze has changed.  The walls have moved.  This is the standard pattern of The Glade and the maze until a teenage girl appears.  Things are about to change. The only thing she remembers is that WICKED is good.


Long story short, without trying to spoil too many of the plot points of the trilogy, the maze is run by an organization called WICKED which stands for "World in catastrophe, killzone experiment department."  WICKED hopes that the teens hold the secret to a cure for a disease called The Flare that is killing humans around the world.


Ok, and if I talk about more than that right now, I will completely give away the plot. 

But here's the deal, Mr. Dashner.  I expected more.  I really did.  I expected a little more conclusion.  None of this "It's a trilogy, but it's probably not because my publisher thinks we can push a few more books out of it and make some dough." The Maze Runner leaves you hanging.  That was to be expected.  The Scorch Trials.  Yep, still left you hanging.  Again, to be expected and in a good way.  But seriously?  The Death Cure (what claims to be the conclusion) isn't much of one in my opinion.  Great story but did it really end?  It never really ties things up nice and neat and I'm thoroughly annoyed by that.  Suzanne Collins (author of The Hunger Games trilogy) took a lot of flack for tidying up the plot in the last book of the series, but it's what readers wanted.  But here....sheer annoyance. Someone read it, so we can talk about it ok? 


Epilogue:  After writing this blog post, I found Dashner's website and found that a PREQUEL to the series is out sometime this fall, called The Kill Order.  See!  I knew it!  There is soooo going to be another book in the series besides the prequel.  I smell a fourth book and I smell money.  There's also rumor of a movie deal...

The Phantom of Pemberley

The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Murder Mystery by Regina Jeffers

Ulysses Press, 2010. 416 pgs.

The Basics:  An impending visit from Mrs. Wickham, an impromptu visit from Lady Catherine and Cousin Anne, a harsh winter storm that brings some travellers to Pemberley and add a strange ghost that seems to be haunting the halls of Pemberley and Darcy and Elizabeth get some unwanted craziness in their lives.




There is suspense, the dynamic duo of Darcy and Elizabeth and a maturing Georgiana.  The book is  a fun romp at Pemberley.  But now I'm going to get a little picky.  Of course the strange ghost or shadow man that keeps haunting Pemberley is Wickham.  Duh!  While a fun read, I found the plot a bit tedious and frankly, obvious.  Yep, strange travelling companion with Mrs. Wickham is somehow related to mysterious murders.  Yep, Wickham and the usual greedy lust that he breeds.  And, yes, I guessed the plot twist at the end (which I won't tell you, but it is a good one.)  I just found the book to be a bit too predictable for my tastses.





3 Bonnets.

HP Alternate Ending

DH shared this one with me and I can't help but share it here.  It is the HISHE (How It Should Have Ended) for the Harry Potter series.  While I do not agree with all of the blog/video, it couldn't agree more with the Time Turner thoughts.  Where the heck is it?  Come on J.K!?!  Come on editors!  Read the blog for some description or just watch the video for kicks.  Enjoy.

Only Mr. Darcy Will Do

Only Mr. Darcy Will Do by Kara Louise
Sourcebooks Landmark, 2011. 353 pgs.

Ahem, I have realized that I have another book to add to the mix of lost time.  I could have sworn I did a blog entry on this book, but alas, I did not. Let me clarify, it was not because this book was forgettable that I forgot to write about it....Darn pregnancy brain.  Let me also acknowledge that I read this sometime mid-winter and some of the minor plot details have started to escape me. Forgive me if I miss something or get something incorrect.

Kara Louise takes us on the "what if Mr. Bennet died before Elizabeth and Darcy could get things figured out" plotline in this lovely novel.  Mr. Bennet dies, Elizabeth becomes a governess for the Willstones and much to her surprise discovers that they are acquaintances of the Bingleys and Darcys.  Long story short, they are invited to Pemberley for a visit (Elizabeth included) and Darcy does what he can to catch Elizabeth's fancy despite Mrs. Willstones sister's (Rosalyn) obvious interest in Darcy and Mrs. Willstones obvious objections when she notices the attention that Darcy pays a simple governess.

I enjoyed this novel because it showed Darcy putting to use the second chance he receives in becoming (re)acquainted with Elizabeth.  He is persistent in regards to Elizabeth and oblivious to the fact that Rosalyn admires him.  Elizabeth being invited to Pemberley as a governess was a nice twist to the P&P plot.  It is not far fetched and the feelings of the characters realistic.  The Willstones were a bit cold to Elizabeth but it was due to their recognition that Elizabeth and Rosalyn were rivals for Darcy's attentions.  This story worked for me and was another quick light read.

4 Bonnets.

Jane Goes Batty

Jane Goes Batty by Micheal Thomas Ford
Ballantine, 2011. 295 pgs.

We're moving on into the time when I was coming out of hardly awake stage here.  I am pretty sure I read Jane Goes Batty sometime in May (Or was it June?).  Well, either way, it was a true delight.  Really. For someone NOT particularly enamored with Twilight or the whole vampire thing, I can say that these books are just great.  Sure, they might not be "high" literature, but they contain a wit and sparkle that I, personally, think other Vampire fiction lacks (and other mash-ups for that matter as well).

To pick up where Jane Bites Back left off, Jane Goes Batty, starts with well, Jane going a bit batty!  Jane Fairfax's (aka Jane Austen) world is topsy turvy and out of control.  Her best-selling novel, Constance, is being made into a movie right in her hometown, she's still getting 'How To Be a Vampire" lessons from Lord Byron, and she keeps dodging her boyfriend Walter's hints at getting married.  Add that Walter's Jewish mother arrives in town, there's a camera crew following Jane around for DVD extras and that "Our Gloomy Friend" (aka vampire Charlotte Bronte) is still out there and Jane can hardly keep her fangs in check.

Hilarity ensues and laugh out loud moments populate this book.  Really and truly.  Micheal Thomas Ford's talent at witty storytelling shines through in this series.  He's creative and here's what I love--I didn't get bored at all!

Again 5 out of 5 bonnets!  Bravo!  (And did I mention that a 3rd in the series comes out Feb. 2011?  Jane Vows Vengeance!)

Jane Austen Ruined My Life

Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
Guideposts, 2009. 270 pgs.

Here's yet another piece of JA Fanfic that I read during that "I just lost 3 months of my life" timespan.  Hmmm....Here goes:

Emma Douglas' life is falling apart:  her husband cheated on her and then helped create a scandal at the college where she taught.  Needless to say, her tenure track, let alone is position, at the college is gone.  She escapes to Britain to find some inspiration in Austen's England and to find some of Austen's missing letters.  A recluse named Mrs. Parrot claims to have some of these letters and sets Emma on a quest to find more of them.  Add an old friend and love interest, Adam, to Emma's time in England and she truly starts to believe that Jane Austen really did ruin her life.

This book fell sort for me.  I was kind of bored with it and I can't quite put my finger on it.  This is the author's earlier book (I'd already read Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart) and I think that might be the problem.  Or rather that the two books are very similar, not connected per se, but similar in terms of the secret society of ladies protecting Jane's letters and/or manuscripts.  I think that the plots blended together too much for me and I was hoping for more.  Had I read this novel first, I think I would have liked it more, but then would have not like Mr. Darcy as much.  At least that's my hunch.  It also might be that the main character, Emma, was a bit of a whiner, complainer, "whoa is me" type and it just got downright old for me.  I simply wanted something new and fresh.

2 Bonnets.

The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy

The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen
Sourcebooks Landmark, 2011.  381 pgs.

First, let me take a breath and pause and be honest.  I, ahem, read this book sometime this winter/spring.  I'm not sure quite when it was.  Ahem.  It was sometime during the "Oh, sweet goodness, I keep falling asleep trying to read just one page before I go to bed." phase of the 1st trimester.  (That is, when I actually attempted reading and didn't just fall asleep at 7pm.)

So, the details are a bit fuzzy.  I'm sorry.  That's just how it is right now.  Either way, let's give this a go...

In The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth makes friends with Cousin Anne De Burgh during her visit to Rosings.  Anne, being the clever one that she is, gets that Darcy and Elizabeth are 1. attracted to one another and 2. that something has happened to be Darcy out of spirits.  Insert a little matchmaking (Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match.  Find me a find.  Catch me a catch....) with Georgiana's wild imagination and a bit of cleverness, mixed with Bingley's older brothers and the book is a fun romp into another what might have been in Darcy and Elizabeth's courtship.

Overall, an enjoyable read.  There was a bit about Darcy helping out an old mistress of his get reestablished after returning from the continent, that felt a bit forced to me.  Like it was just thrown in there for the sake of another plotline, but overall it was some quality Austen Fanfic.

4 Bonnets.

Jane Bites Back by Micheal Thomas Ford

Jane Bites Back by Micheal Thomas Ford
Ballantine Books, 2010.  299 pgs.

 Ok, so I meant to write this post prior to February 1st.  Why, you might ask?  Because SQUEEEEEEEAAAALLLLLLL--the sequel to Jane Bites Back, Jane Goes Batty came out!  By the loud squeal, you can surmise my thoughts about Jane Bites Back.  :)

Here's the plot:  Jane Austen is 'alive' and well.  'Cept she's a vampire.  She owns a bookstore in upstate New York and has a trusty assistant named Lucy.  She's not a big fan of the whole drinking blood thing.  She only doesn't it when she needs to and doesn't kill.  She's been continually revising and attempted to publish the manuscript that she was working on when she 'died'. And finally--a publisher accepts the novel and suddenly Jane is in the limelight, trying to hide her real identity.

This book works, and not because I am a big fan of the mashup genre--vampires, zombies, werewolves--Oh My!   Because the thing is, I'm truly not the biggest fan of them.  But this book worked for me.  Here's why:

• It's funny.  I was laughing out loud while reading it and that's a rare treat.  
• There are other literary characters in it that add to the hijinks (Lord Byran, Chartlotte Bronte).  If you have read Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair, I'm thinking you can appreciate this one, too. 
• She's a got a sassy assistant, Lucy, who orders literary finger puppets for the bookstore and takes the whole vampire thing in stride, but gets a little crazed at her actually being Jane Austen--"You. Are. Jane. Austen....Your Jane freaking Austen!"
• And Lucy is just one of the many lovable characters in the novel!

So, with that, I SQUEEEEAAALLLL again! I have a bit of dough left on a B&N gift card that would make it feel like I was getting Jane Goes Batty for half price (as if I need an excuse to buy a book, but it helps, right?).  Hmmm, maybe that wasn't a squeal but a squeak, like a bat squeak....Hmmm.  I'm batty for Jane Bites Back.

5 Bonnets out of 5.

Mr. Darcy's Obsession by Abigail Reynolds

Mr. Darcy's Obsession by Abigail Reynolds
2010 Sourcebooks Landmark, 348 pgs.

Let's start the ball rolling with an acknowledgment: Santa was good to Jane and I at Christmastime.  I reaped in JaneRewards and I am now swimming in all good things Jane.  (Ok, so I might have one book from last Christmas that I just started...Please no judgments.) 

Mr. Darcy's Obsession is another of Abigail Reynolds Pride and Prejudice Variations books.  They take the P&P storyline and answer the 'what if' question.  Examples: What if after Elizabeth's refusal at Hunsford, Darcy wouldn't take no for an answer (To Conquer Mr. Darcy/Impulse and Initiative)?  What if Darcy proposed, Elizabeth wasn't listening as they walked and he kissed her, someone saw and she's forced to marry him even though he is the last person she wants to marry (The Last Man in the World)?

In Mr. Darcy's Obsession:  Before Darcy has a chance to propose Elizabeth is called home because her father is sick.  Mr. Bennet passes away Jane is forces to marry a local milliner and Elizabeth goes to live with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.  Fast forward about 2 years.  Darcy can't get Elizabeth out of his mind--he's obsessed.  He hears from Bingley, who has news that Elizabeth lives in London.  Darcy's sunk.  He goes through some covert efforts to be able to catch a glimpse of her, including hiring a local street urchin, a spitfire of a lad named Charlie.  Darcy discovers Elizabeth takes daily walks in Moorsfield park and 'accidentally' runs into her one day.  They walk together and renew their acquaintance and begin to fall in love with one another, each believing the other couldn't possibly feel the same way.

Mr. Darcy's Obsession was a light, quick read.  What I enjoy about Ms. Reynolds' work is that she is able to capture Jane Austen's style with ease.  As a reader, I am drawn in quite quickly and it feels as if the characters are just picking up right where they left off (in whatever part of the P&P story Reynolds starts her own story).  Darcy feels like, well, Darcy.  Elizabeth, feels like, well, Elizabeth.  (Ok, for Elizabeth it's most of the time, sometimes she is a little clueless and at various points in the P&P variations I've wanted to give her a whap on the back of her head, but otherwise...)  Overall, a delightful read that offers another path to falling in love for Darcy and Elizabeth.

5 Bonnets out of 5.

Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

In late September, I had the honor of attending an author visit for the all school read at one of the high schools in my school district.  The author was Patrick Ness.  The book, the first in the Chaos Walking trilogy--The Knife of Never Letting Go.  I was a poor visitor--I had just started the book and had not finished it.  But shortly after hearing him talk at one of the almost all school assemblies (I think they had him do 2 or 3 talks because not everyone fit into the auditorium) and having the privilege to have lunch with him with the other school media specialists, I gobbled up not just the KoNLG, but the entire Chaos Walking trilogy!!  My husband and I even jockeyed for who got to read the book because we both had our own bookmarks in the books.  (Btw, husband won!  I gave in and he finished before me.)

For a fast-paced science fiction read that will make you think--read this series!  Here's the premise for The Knife of Never Letting Go direct from the author's website:

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown.


But Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in a constant, overwhelming, never-ending Noise. There is no privacy. There are no secrets.


Or are there?


Just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd unexpectedly stumbles upon a spot of complete silence.


Which is impossible.


Prentisstown has been lying to him.


And now he's going to have to run...

This series is about information overload and how the humans on this alien planet deal with the information overload.    One of the main characters describes it this way, "That's what New World is.  Informayshun, all the time, never stopping, whether you want it or not. The Spackle knew it, evolved to live with it, but we weren't equipped for it.  Not even close.  And too much infromayshun becomes just Noise.  And it never, never stops."

New world is a place where lies and truths are garbled together in Noise, and Todd must decipher what is what:  "It's a fantasy, a lie, but the lies of men are as vivid as their truths and I can see every bit of it."  The Noise grabs you--literally as a text feature that jumps off of the page. Who said what?

It's a coming of age story, a love story, a story of survival, with some aliens (Spackle) thrown in who have their own story.  It is a whirlwind of activity and you won't stop until you put it down.

Of note:  The Knife of Never Letting Go won the Guardian Award in 2008 (Comparable to the US's Newbery, this award is for British authors with works published in the UK.)  It was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2009 (Comparable to being a Newbery Honor Book, this award is also for an outstanding children's or YA book published and is sponsored by the equivalent of the US's ALA).The Ask and the Answer (Book 2 in Chaos Walking) was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal last year.   In other words--high acclaim.  Worth a read! :)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

For Christmas 2009 I received a copy of Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  I had never read it before.  It was one of those titles that, as a librarian, I knew it should have read.  Knew that I should read--someday.  One that I remember friends reading in junior high and high school.  It's on so many all-time great reading lists, I felt like I must have been missing something.

If you know me, you know that sometimes my reading pile gets a bit out of control and unfortunately this lovely work got lost in the shuffle during 2010.  I finally picked it up in September and then decided I should find an audio CD of it for fear I would never finish it. So, at long last, I listened to Betty Smith's classic tale of childhood. (And, ahem, I did finish listening to it prior to Thanksgiving, but blogging about it, got lost in the shuffle, too.)

Two key thoughts struck me from reading this book.

1. It is one of the most beautifully written pieces of prose that I have ever read.  In my copy of the book, author Anna Quindlen answers the question "What is the book about?" by stating in the foreward: "The best anyone can say is that it is a story about what it means to be human." It is eloquent and real.  Descriptions feel so vivid that the world of pre-WWI Brooklyn lives.  Its smells and sounds, its dirt, its harsh realities--they are alive in Smith's writing.  Quindlen also notes, "There is little need for embellishment in these stories; their strength is in the simple universal emotion they evoke." And that must be something of what struck me.  The story so simple, but Smith's writing pulls you in so dramatically that you can't help but laugh and cry and feel the Nolan family's struggles.

2.  However.   Can you guess what I'm going to pick at?  And really I'm just picking at the stereotype, not the writing.  Yep, that darned librarian stereotype.  The book begins and ends with Francie visiting the local library; Francie being determined to read each and every titles in the library starting in alphabetical order by title.  Here is her interaction with the librarian at the beginning of the story:

She stood the desk a long time before the librarian deigned to attend to her. "Yes?" inquired that lady pettishly.  "This book. I want it....She took the card, stamped it, pushed it down a slot in the desk.  She stamped Francie's card and pushed it at her.  Francie picked it up but she did not go away.

"Yes?" The librarian did not bother to look up.

"Could you recommend a good book for a girl?" 

 "How old?"

 "She is eleven."

Each week Francie made the same request and each week the librarian asked the same question.  A name on a card meant nothing to her and since she never looked into a child's face, she never did get to know the little girl who took a book out every day and two on Saturday. A smile would have meant a lot to Francie and friendly comment would have made her so happy.  She loved the library and was anxious to worship the lady in charge.  But the librarian had other things on her mind.  She hated children anyhow.  

And the librarian goes on to recommend one of the same two books she recommends each time Francie asks this question. 

Oh, how this scene made my blood boil! Had I not been in the car listening to it, I could have chucked the book across the room! Ah, but that is the tried and true stereotype.  And the book was published in 1943.  And I should be a bit more forgiving.  But it irritated me and made me sad.  Mostly it made me sad because I am a children's librarian and each and every day I work hard to defeat this stereotype and connect kids to books.  That is my rant today.  Sigh...

Discovering Georgette Heyer

I stumbled upon author Georgette Heyer about a year ago as I was perusing my usual Janeite blogs.  As I was completely at a loss as to who Ms. Heyer was at the time, I was intrigued and took one of the blog's book recommendations and went with it--or rather it sat.  Dustily.  On my nightstand for something close to 6 or 9 months.  Sigh.  (Forgive me, Georgette?  Forgive me all other books sitting on said pile for what feels like eons as I repeat readings of Go, Do Go rather than your pages?) 

First, who was Georgette Heyer?  A prolific author (1902-1974) who published Regency romances, detective fiction and historical fiction novels that numbered fifty-six novels during her lifetime!  Her writing is witty, her characters a bit outlandish.  Both of which make her writing style memorable to a reader. A simple example is the title of this book, my first read of a Heyer romance--The Grand Sophy.  Not just Sophy, but the grand Sophy a girl who gets her nose into every other character's business and gets away with it during a time when she probably shouldn't have. Did I mention how everyone adores her?  At one point, one of her gentleman friends calls her "The Grand Sophy" as if nothing can compare to the incredible Sophy Stanton-Lacy.  Thus, a prime example of Heyer's delightful character's and writing style. (Also of note to some readers might be that Heyer's romance novels also of the family friendly romance category.)

Here is the description of the plot for The Grand Sophy (Ahem, from Amazon. I don't have it in me to write my own right now. And it is cleverly done. :)).

"Sophy sets everything right for her desperate family in one of Georgette Heyer's most popular Regency romances. When Lady Ombersley agrees to take in her young niece, no one expects Sophy, who sweeps in and immediately takes the ton by storm. Sophy discovers that her aunt's family is in desperate need of her talent for setting everything right: Ceclia is in love with a poet, Charles has tyrannical tendencies that are being aggravated by his grim fiancee, her uncle is of no use at all, and the younger children are in desperate need of some fun and freedom. By the time she's done, Sophy has commandeered Charles's horses, his household, and finally, his heart."

I was prompted to pick up Heyer's book when I did because Laurel Ann at Austenprose was hosting a Celebrating Heyer month (August) and I followed along to some extent.  One of the guest blogger's noted this about Heyer, "Jane Austen seldom described her world in detail, but Georgette Heyer more than filled in those gaps." (Vic @ Jane Austen's World on Austenprose)  I thought this quote rather summed up my intrigue into Heyer's books.  Sophy is over the top fun.  It took me about 25-50 pages to get into Heyer's writing style. I'm not sure if it was me trying to read at night as school was getting into swing or if her sentence structure slowed me down at first. I also found myself writing down phrases and other colloquialisms that I needed to look up.  I was prepared for this step, having read that Heyer, even though she wrote in the 20th Century, she wrote historically accurate plots that included correct colloquialisms from the Regency time.  This style is quite different than Jane Austen, who did not use many of these colloquialisms in her writing.  And while different than Jane Austen, it was quite delightful--as a lover of all things JA or even simply just Regency or Georgian, I ate it up.  I know enough of my history to follow the historical accuracies and I relish the details that allow one to look into that time and into everyday life.  (Wow.  Think I just summed up why I was an English major, too.)

So, long-winded story short, I discovered Georgette Heyer and am looking forward to reading more books by her.  And much to my delight, I won a Heyer romance from the Austenprose celebration in August.  I am excited to try Friday's Child sometime soon.  :) That and I've discovered my next piece of non-fiction reading:  Georgette Heyer’s Regency World: The definitive guide for all fans of Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen, and the glittering Regency period, by Jennifer Kloeste. :) 

Abigail Reynolds' Books (Everything Austen Challenge)

One of my Everything Austen II items was to figure out what the scoop was with Abigail Reynold's Pride and Prejudice variations series.  Why is this such a big deal?  First, Ms. Reynold's books are pretty good and I've enjoyed them but...Second, her books have been self published and now they have been picked up by Sourcebooks and republished.  Under new titles.  It's next to impossible to figure out if you've read one of the books or not.  (Ok, admittedly, reading the synopsis helps some but if you read P&P variations or continuations of any kind, you know quite well--they all run together after a certain point!) So, I took a dive into Ms. Reynold's blog and found her blog post detailing the books. (Posted after I added this mission to my EAII list.)  Here's the lowdown:

The Man Who Loved Pride & Prejudice = Pemberley by the Sea (I read this one 3/09.)

To Conquer Mr. Darcy (August 2010) = Impulse & Initiative (I read this one 3/09, too.)

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World = The Last Man in the World (I read this one 2/10.)

What Would Mr. Darcy Do? (Coming Spring 2011) = From Lambton to Longbourn (I read this one 1/10.) 

She also adds,  "For the sake of completeness, there is also the unpublished POD book The Rule of Reason = Alternative version of Impulse & Initiative which is only available at lulu.com. Without Reserve and By Force of Instinct will eventually be released with new titles, but I don't yet know what they are." 

I'd also posted a comment on the blog post where Ms. Reynolds details these changes, asking about changes to the books.  Realizing that sometimes (often?) publishers ask authors to revise when they are picked up by publishing houses rather than the self-publishes editions.  Here is her response:

"So far there are no major edits planned for Without Reserve or By Force of Instinct. From Lambton to Longbourn has a new beginning and may have a couple of added scenes depending on the publication schedule (i.e. I'd like to add more but they may not let me). It's scheduled to come out Spring 2011 under the title What Would Mr. Darcy Do?, but I'm hoping that it'll be bumped back a bit in favor of the new Pemberley Variation I'm writing, since I'd rather do a new release than a re-release. I'll keep you posted!"


So here's what I've got to add to my reading list (which, essentially, was the purpose of me adding this to my EAII list).  The jury is still out to see if I'll pick up the "new" versions to look for new bits/edits.

Mr. Darcy's Obsession (New October 2010)
Without Reserve
By Force of Instinct