Jane Austen: A Few of My Favorite Things.

**I originally posted this in 2017 to mark the 199th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death. I think I was confused about the date since last year–2018–is the 200th anniversary. Anyway, my favorite things haven’t  changed. 😎

This past Tuesday –July 18th– was the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death at the age of 41. And there have been “think pieces”  about her contributions to literature, and tributes to Jane all over the internet. So, of course, I want to add my own thoughts about Jane Austen to the deluge.

But rather than try to write authoritatively on Jane Austen and her contribution to literature, I’m instead listing my favorite books, movie/TV adaptations, and stuff that I’ve collected over the years.

So, here are  a few of my favorite Austen things.

Jane Austen Mug from The Unemployed Philosophers Guild. See the photo above for my actual mug. As I took the photo that mug had coffee in it. I love this mug so much. It’s covered in fabulous quotes from Austen’s novels. And drinking my coffee and reading the sharp and beloved words of Jane is always a good way to start the day.

And, from Out of Print, this lovely tote bag.  It’s just so pretty. And they have this P&P print on a t-shirt as well. 

 

 

 

 

My favorite TV adaptation of Pride & Prejudice.  There are many out there, it is true. In my opinion there is only one adaptation worth watching( this one) and only one Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth) and Lizzie Bennet (Jennifer Ehle). And I will fight you about this.

 

 

 

My favorite movie adaptation is  Sense & Sensibility. I think this may have more to do with Emma Thompson and the late Alan Rickman. I re-watched this over the weekend and it is so good.

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite Jane Austen novel: Persuasion. It’s all about regrets. The regret that Anne feels for rejecting Captain Wentworth. The Musgove’s regret that Anne didn’t marry Charles. He married Anne’s sister Mary-a snob-who makes them all miserable. As a middle aged person I have many regrets too, and I think that’s why I love this novel and the way Austen explores the characters regrets. And this cover on this edition from Penguin Classiscs. Love it. (By the way, the BBC 1995 adaptation of this novel is a close runners up for favorite movie adaptation.)

My favorite book about a Jane Austen’s novel: Bitch in a Bonnet: Reclaiming Jane Austen from the Stiffs, the Snobs, the Simps and the Saps, volume 1 by Robert Rodi. This book explores the critical eye that Jane Austen cast on the world in which she lived.

 

 

 

And my favorite Jane Austen adjacent novel is Longbourn. I’m not a fan of novels based on classic novels like The Wizard of Oz. (I really disliked Wicked. A lot. Its one of those books I threw across the room before I finished it.) But this particular novel is one of my favorite reads of 2014.  

 

 

 

 

And finally, here are some links to two of my favorite Jane Austen think pieces published across the internet the last week or two:

This article from The Atlantic was originally published in August 2014 and came up in my Facebook feed over the weekend. It tackles an issue that is evident from the first line of Austen’s most famous novel, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Wealth is important in Austen’s novels.

And this essay published this week on the web site Literary Hub  makes a point I’ve long argued. Mrs. Bennet maybe a foolish woman, but she isn’t wrong to worry, fuss, and plot marriages for her five daughters.

Are you a fan of Jane Austen? Do you agree with my favorites? Or do you disagree most vehemently? Let me know in the comments below.

The Friday 56: #100

It’s time for  Friday 56!  It’s a book meme hosted by Freda at Freda’s Voice. Be sure to visit her blog if you would like to participate.

From Freda’s Voice The Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader  (If you have to improvise, that’s okay.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post in the Linky at Friday 56. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple!

Here is my contribution:

“Nonsense. Any man with eyes can see you’re a diamond of the first water.”

‘A diamond in the rough, perhaps,” she quipped. “And apparently, only blind men live around here.”

Ah, yes. The goal of every Regency miss is to be declared a diamond of the first water.

I won this book from #GoodReadGiveaways back in April, but it will not be released until the end of July 2019. I’ll post my review when we get a bit closer to the release date.  What do you think? Will you rush out to buy it then? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Reading.

 

 

The Friday 56, #99

It’s time for  Friday 56!  It’s a book meme hosted by Freda at Freda’s Voice. Be sure to visit her blog if you would like to participate.

From Freda’s Voice The Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader  (If you have to improvise, that’s okay.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post in the Linky at Friday 56. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple!

Here is my contribution:

 

“Rude,” Sarah murmurs, but she doesn’t fight him when he catches her behind the knees and lifts her into his arms. Shit. Watch and learn, Ryan Gosling. This man didn’t need to wade into a lake to melt fair lady’s heart.

For clarification, I mean Sarah’s heart, not mine.

So, what do you think? Would you read this book? Have any of you read this? What do you think of it?  I know it’s a part of Reese’s Book Club, and I think she plans on making this a movie, so I imagine a lot of people have read it and like it. I read it and like it; it’s fine. I think it is very similar to Normal People by Sally Rooney and One Day by David Nicholls, but more lighthearted. And that’s fine. I guess I’m saying that it’s, you know, fine. Tell me what you think in the comments below. Do you think it’s……fine?

Happy Reading!

Quickie Review: Daisy Jones & The Six

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Published: March 2019, Ballantine Books, Hard Back

Length: 368 pages

Genre: Fiction

Source: #BookoftheMonthclub #Botm

Stars: 4.5 Stars

 

Summary:

Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now….

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of  the biggest bands of the seventies.

I’m dating myself, but this book is a perfect summer read for a child of the’70’s & 80’s. If you are at all familiar with the music of the those years, you know about those legendary singers and bands. The breakups of the bands and the romantic pairs in the bands. Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles, The Mamas and the Papas, and Fleetwood Mac.  There is just all kinds of turmoil that makes a good story. I’m surprised that there isn’t more fiction out there. (If you know of any novels or books about those years, let me know in the comments below.) The legendary stories of that turmoil seems to be the inspiration behind this story, especially the wild ride of Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. Their story is recounted in an old episode of Behind the Music. I wonder if  it is available out on the internet somewhere? If you can find let me know me know, because I would watch it! And this book tells a story that wouldn’t be out of place as a gossipy old episode of Behind the Music and that is probably why I love this book so damn much.

Like:

Where to begin. The behind the scenes interview style of the story. I love a “spilling the tea” story and this one delivers; gossipy tales are my jam. But the thing I like best is the women of the story: Daisy, Karen Karen, and Camila. The women take control of their stories and don’t let the men take control of them.  This says it all:

I had no interest in being somebody else’s muse.

I am not the muse.

I am the somebody.

End of fucking story.

My favorite quote from the entire book. It is to be the mission statement of this story. Three strong women telling their stories with no apology. And really, their stories and points of view are the most interesting.

Not so much:

I really can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this story. the only thing I can think of is first person and I’m not usually a fan of first person narration. But this book wouldn’t be as good without it.

What I’ll remember :

The no bullshit, own herself with no apologies Daisy Jones and Karen Karen. Both have plans and career goals and refuse to let the gender expectations of the men in their lives to control them. It’s awesome.

Would I recommend?

Yes! Go buy this book right now and read it. Don’t wait another minute. Then come back here so we can talk about it.

You know, this book just seems to beg for a playlist to listen to while reading (or writing a review of) Daisy Jones & The Six. If you use Spotify, there is a Daisy Jones playlist, just do a search for it. If I were to put together a list it would have the entire Rumors album, a bunch of Linda Ronstadt. I just don’t think I listen to enough Linda Ronstadt, to tell the truth.

So, have you read Daisy Jones & The Six? What do you think? And so you have any suggestions for my playlist? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Reading!

 

The Friday 56, #98

It’s time for  Friday 56!  It’s a book meme hosted by Freda at Freda’s Voice. Be sure to visit her blog if you would like to participate.

From Freda’s Voice The Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader  (If you have to improvise, that’s okay.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post in the Linky at Friday 56. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple!

I came by this book via #BookoftheMonth.

Here is my contribution:

It is easy to copy anything these days, and most books exist in endless multiples; a single book no longer has the preciousness it had when books came to life through a cumbersome, labored process. So burning one ordinary book should have been easy for me. But it wasn’t, not at all. I couldn’t even choose a book to burn. First I thought I could burn a book I didn’t like, but that seemed to aggressive, as if I were delighting in a sort of execution.

Woo boy! What do you think of that passage? Are intrigued? I read this in April, and I love it. Such a good book. If you are looking for a book about books and libraries that’s nonfiction, well this one might be for you. I highly recommend it. Have you read this? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below.

And here is a link to the LA Public Library’s Instagram page. There lots of pictures of the glorious architecture of this building.

Happy Reading!

The Friday 56, #97

It’s time for  Friday 56!  It’s a book meme hosted by Freda at Freda’s Voice. Be sure to visit her blog if you would like to participate.

From Freda’s Voice The Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader  (If you have to improvise, that’s okay.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post in the Linky at Friday 56. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple!

Here is my contribution:

This book came to me via #BookoftheMonth book box.

From page 56:

They all erupted in laughter. Connell closed his locker and walked out of the room carrying his schoolbag limply in his right hand. He heard the others calling after him, but he didn’t turn around. When he got to the bathroom he locked himself in a cubicle. The yellow walls bore down on him and his face was slick with sweat. He kept thinking of himself saying to Marianne in bed: I love you. It was terrifying, like watching himself committing a terrible crime on CCTV. And soon she would be in school, putting her books in her bag, smiling to herself, never knowing anything. You’re a nice person and everyone likes you. He took one deep uncomfortable breath and then threw up.

I read this book in one sitting back in April. And it is so good. I plan on writing a review & posting it soon. Have you read it? It’s been everywhere lately and the overall consensus seems to be positive. Have you read and what did you think? Is the love for this book justified? Let me know what you think in the comments below, and be sure to leave a link to your Friday 56 while you’re here.

Happy reading!

May 2019 Wrap-Up

Monthly Wrap-Up

Favorite Book:

Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean

How was your May? It looks like I need to add reading more diverse authors to my June to do list. I did read one of my #GoodReadsGiveaways. I’ve got three more to read and review in June. The review for it will be coming soon. Overall it was a good month and I read a lot of books.

Did you read a lot of books? Let me know all about your bookish month in the comments below. Look out June, here I come. Happy Reading, y’all!