Pride and Prejudice Appreciation Post

Hey, everyone! Today, in 1813, a novel written by "A Lady" called Pride and Prejudice was published by Thomas Egerton of London.  This novel would go onto be Jane Austen's most successful novel (to say the least) and one of the most successful English novels of all time.

YAY!!!

Personally, I have loved Jane Austen since I first read P&P in seventh grade. I think it really molded by reading tastes fro then on out.  If you haven't read this book yet, today is a great day to start it. it's timeless for a reason! 

If you're not the reading type (or simply don't have time), I have a few adaptions to recommend you! 

Firstly, you could watch the Pride and Prejudice movie with Keira Knightley as Lizzie Bennet. 

Or you could watch the BBC miniseries adaptation with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. 

Or you can start The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which is a modern take on the novel, a web series on Youtube. It's still running, so you would get your Austen fix every week! 

Another reason this novel is so timeless are the quotes! I love quotes and this book has some great ones! 


"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man  in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymous  A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” 

I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.

Also, check out some of these awesome covers! I love seeing fun covers of older books, like P&P. 

From Penguin. I love Penguin covers!

Random House UK

And one from B&N. Love the simplicity!

And another from Penguin

So in short, you should definitely read Pride and Prejudice because not only is it a good story, but it is also timeless. 

Have you read P&P? Did you love it? Would you marry Mr. Darcy? Let me know in the comments! 

WWW Wednesday #2

WWW Wednesday is a meme created by Should Be Reading. To play along, simply answer these questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you just finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

 What are you currently reading? 
I just started Alice in Charge by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, part of her Alice series. I probably won't review this one, but after reading this one and the next one in the series, I may do a post on the series overall. 


What did you just finish reading?
Last night I finished two books, I finished Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen at a reasonable time then I started and finished Past Perfect by Leila Sales at the wee hours of the morning. The visit to Northanger was lovely, and a review for Past Perfect will be up either later today or tomorrow. 


What do you think you'll read next? 
As I stated last week, I often don' know what I'm going to read next even after I have finished a book. However, since I have recently started Katesbookclub's Summer Reading, I will probably read one of those books next. You can find that list of books here. 


What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books? Share in the comments!

Midnight in Austenland Review

Okay, so I know I said I didn't want to review parts of series, especially since I didn't review the first on this series. However, this book isn't exactly a sequel to Austenland  and I have much to say about it.


Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale begins with an introduction to our heroine Charolette Constance Kinder, a divorcee with two children. After drowning herself in her work, she decides to take a vacation to England. After reading Jane Austen, she decides she would like a Jane Austen vacation. She then decides on Pembrook Park, which offers a unique vacation experience. Visitors dress in Regency era garb and are entertained and wooed by actors hired to play gentlemen that resemble the men in Jane Austen's books. They are assigned a woman to woo, offering a marriage proposal at the end of the two weeks. When Charolette arrives, she is unsure where the role ends and reality begins. There is a mystery at Pembrook Park,  but is it just a story or is it a real live mystery? How much are the actors hiding? Charolette discovers all this and more.

If you haven't read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, this book might not make a lot of sense at times. There are a lot of references to Northanger, and having read it will amplify the experience of reading this book. But don't let that stop you from reading it. However, while having read Northanger will amplify the reading experience it will also make it suck for the last hundred pages.

There are two mysteries in this novel- one that is just a story and one that is straight out of a Nancy Drew novel. They are both interesting, but I felt the first mystery was tied up a little too quickly in order to make way for the second one. It was also a little anti-climatic. However, the second mystery completely took over the entire plot. Personally I left the second mystery was a bit much, and the longer it was prolonged, the more I was thinking, "Please stop. This is enough. This is one of the Gothic novels I was warned about." The romance aspect also got a little ridiculous at times. However, in typical Austen fashion, all the characters lived happily ever after, except for the villain.

While I preferred Austenland, this book was not bad by any stretch of the imagination.  The characters were believable, there were some old and new faces. It actually made me want to read Austenland again, so I can see what was new and what was already there. If you like Jane Austen and/or a mysteries, you will likely enjoy this book.

The Darcys Give a Ball by Elizabeth Newark Review

My first review!

This book is a spin-off Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice. For those of you who haven't read P&P, you should go put it on hold at your local library and read it. It's excellent.

This book takes place well after the events of Jane Austen's novel. Elizabeth and Darcy have had children and they have entered into society as have Jane and Bingley's children, Charolette and Mr. Collins' children, and every other characters children. It also references other works by Jane Austen. The Darcys decided to give a ball for all the children to enjoy. Betrothals and dancing ensues.

This book probably won't be on any list of great literature, though Austen spin off is? It's a quick read and is cute. There's less a focus on Darcy and Elizabeth and more focus on their children and the other children. Charolette does get quite a bit of attention, though. The plot mostly consists of the ball, characters are fairly static, but they're cute. Overall, if you're looking for something with depth, go reread Jane Austen. But if you're looking for something cute and light to read with a happy ending, then look no further.