Curiosity has led to some interesting reads in the past. In this case it was combination of an author I’ve heard to be unique and witty (Janet Mullany), writing about a subject I’m sick to death of (vampires), set in an overdone era (Regency), starring a heroine that made me think “oh good gracious me”…
I collect Jane Austen sequels. There are a lot out there, and honest to tell, very few are well-written enough to warrant reviewing in a non-Austen context. However, sometimes I stumble across a gem, and this is what happened with Monica Fairview’s The Other Mr. Darcy. The novel starts on the wedding day of Pride…
Normally, I am all for leaving classic works alone and have been known to frown severely when they are mucked about with. However, I do admire sheer audacity, so when I heard about a book entitled Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I gave my sedate self a vacation and just dived into it. Gentle readers…
What would happen if you could suddenly appear in one of your favorite novels? That’s the interesting premise of Seducing Mr. Darcy, a mix of chick lit, time travel, and alternate reality. Unfortunately, a weak hero left me with mixed feelings about the book. Flip, our heroine, is a research ornithologist at a university in…
Within the space of a month, two chick lit novels appeared in which a modern young woman with Mr. Darcy as her romantic ideal goes on a trip to England inspired by Jane Austen’s novels and is made to test her ideals. Having enjoyed Austenland by Shannon Hale, I turned to Me and Mr. Darcy…
When I first read about Shannon Hale’s Austenland, I was intrigued: An American travels to an English holiday resort where one can completely immerse oneself in the world of the Regency for a number of weeks. Being very fond of dressing up myself, and having some experience in Medieval-type role-playing, I was wholly in favor…
I confess, I’m a Janeite. My copy of Pride and Prejudice has seen better days, and I’ve watched the mini-series with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth many times. I enjoyed the movie with Keira Knighley and bought it for my DVD collection and just recently I watched the Elizabeth Garvey and David Rintoul min-series from…
How well you enjoy this read is largely dependent on how you shop. Do you buy the brand names or the cheaper store brands? Do you try to duplicate the gourmet recipes of cooking shows using similar ingredients, like dry basil instead of fresh? If you do, you’ll find this an amazing story, just the…