Tag Archives: jane austen

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer To Be Read List

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toptentuesdayIt feels nice to be making these lists again :) This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is our summer reading lists! I have a diverse line-up for the months ahead, including science fiction, some classics, young adult reads, and a rereading of some childhood favorites!

The MartianThe Martian by Andy Weir – I read so many phenomenal reviews for this book last year, and after seeing the recent trailer for the movie adaptation coming out in October, my husband and I both want to read this sci-fi adventure.

Harry PotterHarry Potter Series (1-3) by J.K. Rowling – My husband, who rarely reads, recently voiced interest in reading one of my all-time favorite series. We started Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone last week

senseandsensibilitySense and Sensibility by Jane Austen – For Austen in August this year I’m finally going to reread the first Austen novel I ever read. I also really want to watch the 1995 movie version again!

Jane Austen Book ClubThe Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler – Another book I’ve lined up for Austen in August. I absolutely adore the movie adaptation of this book, so I can’t wait to finally dive into the original version! I’m expecting it to be very different, but I hope to still enjoy it.

The Boy Most Likely To

The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick – I’ve talked about my excitement for this spin-off before, but it’s finally almost here!

Jurassic ParkJurassic Park by Michael Crichton – This novel has been on my Classic Club list for a couple of years now, but since seeing the movie Jurassic World this past weekend, I really want to experience the book that created the franchise! I hear that it’s quite different from the films.

The Mysterious IslandThe Mysterious Island by Jules Verne – Every July for the past two years I have read a Jules Verne book to personally celebrate Bastille Day (the national holiday of France). This year I’ve picked The Mysterious Island to read!

War and PeaceWar and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – I started participating in a War and Peace Read-Along earlier this year, but I unexpectedly had to drop out halfway through. I’m hoping to finish this chunkster sometime this summer.

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Books!

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toptentuesday

Whew! I took an unexpected week off from blogging and I think it did me a lot of good. I’m going through some personal things at the moment, some of which I’m hoping to post about tomorrow on my late February wrap-up.

But for now, let me ease back into blogging with my favorite meme, Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish)! This week’s topic is about our favorite books. For a long time now I’ve had a very stable Top 5, so for today I had to decide on my top 6-10, which was hard! I almost cheated…

Top Ten Favorite Books

AoGG Pride and Prejudice janeeyre Persuasion Harry Potter

attachments IMG_2049 tokillamockingbird littlewomen Hamlet

Anne of Green Gables is my all-time favorite book, but Anne of the Island should be on this list, too! I only left it out to make room for some others. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and Persuasion are so close I could easily switch them around. Yes, my favorite Harry Potter book is the last! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows made me feel all the feels, and I thought it was the perfect ending to a favorite series. The rest of the books on this list probably don’t belong in that order, but I haven’t given it much thought before now. Those would be my next favorites, though. Attachments is my favorite book from this decade, so far. Short Straw Bride is my favorite historical novel. What else can I say to justify To Kill a Mockingbird‘s place in my heart and on this list? Little Women is another book that makes me feel so deeply! And Hamlet has always been, and most likely always will be, my favorite Shakespearean play (and favorite play in general, for that matter), no matter how cliché it sounds :)

There you have it: my ten favorite books! Do you like any of my favorites? And what are your most beloved reads??

Top Ten Tuesday: Romance Novels

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toptentuesday

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about what we like and dislike in romance novels. I actually wish there was another term for “romance novel,” because it automatically brings to my mind those old Harlequin paperbacks with Fabio-esque characters on the cover. In reality, the romance genre is very wide and varied, and they don’t all feature Fabio.

What I Like in Romance Novels:

  1. Hilarious and often embarrassing situations.
    Yes, I love laughing out loud, but I also love the aftermath of embarrassing situations when characters make amends and you find out how likable they really are :)
    Fiance muchado
  2. Pride-and-Prejudice-types of romances.
    Lizzie and Darcy’s relationship is classic, and I don’t care how often I see it repeated in other romances. If it’s done well, there’s a high probability that I’m going to love it.
    NorthandSouth AoGG
  3. Unrequited love and tragic situations.
    I don’t care how sad these types of books are, I love unrequited love stories (especially if it’s no longer unrequited at the end). I also feel the same way about tragic books, when a fictional couple faces a dramatic conflict and they have to recover from it. I learn a lot of lessons from those types of novels.
    senseandsensibility janeeyre
  4. Letters! (or emails or text messages)
    I think Jane Austen said it best: “Let us never underestimate the power of a well-written letter.”
    attachments meanttobe Persuasion
  5. Character growth.
    I always enjoy a story with deep and well-developed characters. One of my biggest bookish pet peeves is trying to suffer through a novel, especially a romance, when the characters are utterly flat and unmotivated. (these books definitely show great character growth!)
    lastbestkiss sisterhoodeverlasting
  6. Deep themes and serious issues.
    I love books that make me feel those deeper emotions. When it comes to romantic books, I really enjoy the ones that deal with sad, and even dark issues unrelated to the central romance. Also, maybe I just like books that move me to tears because that means it’s some pretty powerful writing.
    secondchancesummer mara dyer Redeeming Love

What I Dislike in Romance Novels:

  1. CHEESINESS.
    I can handle one or two clichés, but a whole book full of them? Not so much.
  2. Explicit descriptions and foul language.
    Nope. I don’t finish any book, from any genre, that is overtly explicit/graphic or that includes too much foul language. Nothing turns me off quicker than seeing a dozen curse words splattered across a single paragraph, especially when they’re the weirdest and rarest ones I’ve ever heard. If an author can put THAT much creativity into which curse words their characters spew, surely they can come up with some less abusive vocabulary? (ok, rant is over–see, I told you it bothers me!)
  3. Unrealistic characters, plot lines, or dialogue.
    If it’s unbelievable, it’ll be unenjoyable for me too.
  4. Characters who are obsessed with their significant others.
    I’m talking New Moon Edward and Bella obsessed. I don’t want to read books where characters mope around and don’t know how to survive when their significant other leaves them or is gone for one day. It’s pathetic, dangerous, and in the case of Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, just plain creepy.

What’s your favorite romance novel? Do you share any of my pet peeves or favorite motifs when it comes to romances?

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick

Posted in Book Reviews, New Adult, Novels by

IMG_0063

“I think that you wouldn’t believe the problems that can be resolved just by people taking the time to talk to one another.”

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick
Published June 24, 2014 by Touchstone
New Adult/Re-adaptation/Romance
Format: Hardcover; 400 pages
Also By These Authors: The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet (pub. 2015)
                                                     Goodreads | Amazon
                                                     My Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

I have slowly been making it through the library haul I brought home in early December. I seriously overestimated the amount of time I would have to read once I started working full-time.

But I have finally made it through this stack of library checkouts (I only DNF one; I hate not finishing a book and I only do it if it’s at least 75% unenjoyable) and I am happy to say that The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet lived up to my expectations!

Synopsis

Based on the Emmy Award winning YouTube series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.Twenty four year old grad student Lizzie Bennet is saddled with student loan debt and still living at home along with her two sisters, beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. When she records her reflections on life for her thesis project and posts them on YouTube, she has no idea The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will soon take on a life of their own, turning the Bennet sisters into internet celebrities seemingly overnight.

Featuring plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and new readers alike, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the web series phenomenon that captivated a generation and reimagines the Pride and Prejudice story like never before.

Thoughts:

If you are not familiar with the YouTube sensation The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, stop reading and watch this video (seriously, the rest of this post won’t make sense if you don’t).

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/KisuGP2lcPs” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>

At first I thought it was a little strange to make a diary based off a YouTube series that’s based off a book, but there were some incentives to reading this diary, namely the extra scenes that we only get to see Lizzie & co. re-enact via costume theater on her vlog (which was a fantastic element to the show, don’t get me wrong). My favorite of these bonus scenes is the San Francisco tour date Lizzie went on with Gigi and Darcy. We don’t hear anything about that on the show so it was fun getting to swoon a bit over the awkward cuteness that is “Dizzie”.

My least favorite of these scenes involved Jane. I don’t want to go into full detail because there was definitely an element of surprise to it (this particular event isn’t even whispered about on camera, so it’s obviously a very private matter). It shocked me a bit because it felt very un-Jane like. Jane, to me, is in the same category as Eleanor Dashwood and Fanny Price (and we could even include Jane Eyre for her personal moral convictions), and I had a hard time picturing this “shock” happening to Jane Bennet. I know I’m being extremely vague–has anyone else read this book and felt the same way that I did about Jane’s “secret”?

I didn’t have time to watch all of the episodes along with reading their corresponding diary entries, but I think it would be fun to do if you’re in the mood for a LBD rewatch. I did watch a handful of my favorite episodes towards the end of the book when the plot started to thicken. This is my favorite episode, although Episode 83 – “Corporate Interview” is a very close second.

Read This Book If…:

…you have already watched (and loved!) The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Or if you are going to watch and read the diary together. The diary will only be enjoyable if you’re familiar with the YouTube episodes.
…you love Jane Austen retellings!
…you enjoy epistolary reads–each entry is pretty short so it makes for good reading if you don’t have time to sit and read for long periods of time.
…you want a book that makes you feel warm and fuzzy (seriously, you’ll want to hug your sisters, mothers, and best friends after finishing this book).

“People look different when you know their secrets. And they look differently at you.”

Final Musings

There’s nothing like reading this book to get you in the mood for a Lizzie Bennet Diaries marathon! I also know that Ashley Clements, a.k.a. Lizzie B herself, narrated the audiobook. It was already easy to hear in my head all of the different characters reading their lines, but I would love to hear Lizzie do her costume theater interpretations of Darcy, Ms. De Bourgh, and of course Mrs. Bennet.

Back to the Classics 2014 Wrap-Up Post!

Posted in Back to the Classics, Book Reviews, Classics, Novels by

classics2014I did it!! I read 10 classics from various authors, countries, and time periods in 12 months! (To be honest, a big chunk of those books were read this month *procrastinator*).

This was such a fun challenge, and I’m earnestly considering doing the Back to the Classics 2015 challenge next year, although I still have a little time to decide :)

Here is my wrap-up post listing all of my reviews for this challenge:

Required Categories:

Optional Categories:

I thoroughly enjoyed every one of these books (except for maybe Wuthering Heights), but if I had to rank my Top 3 it would be: North and South, Little Women, and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Thank you to Books and Chocolate for hosting this challenge!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Are you up for next year’s Back to the Classics Challenge?

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I’d Wish Could Have Their Own Book

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toptentuesdayThis was such a hard post to write! I have no idea why, but I spent so much time wracking my brain trying to think of characters I’d want to see more of. I even had to ask my husband for suggestions ;) But I could only come up with nine! So you’ll have to give me suggestions for a tenth one…

Characters I Wish Could Have Their Own Book (or Spin-Off):

Sloane from Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson – Firstly, I loved this book. It’s probably the second best book I’ve read all year (the first being Rainbow Rowell’s Attachments). Right after I finished it, though, I started thinking about how cool it would to read a sequel or a companion novel told through Sloane’s POV. We don’t see much of Sloane in the book, but we do get to see how interesting and conflicted she is. I would love to know what happens with her after the book ends.

Little John from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle – This book is actually told through the 3rd person, but it obviously follows Robin Hood’s adventures, and the adventures of his Merry Men after they join the gang. I’ve always had a soft spot for Little John, and I’d like to see what could become of him after the band goes their separate ways.

Captain Wentworth from Persuasion by Jane Austen – I know there are already books from his POV, but I haven’t read any yet. I really want to though!

Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling – I know I’m not the only one who’d love to read about Neville’s adventures after Hogwarts. I feel like his story was only just starting to begin when Deathly Hallows ended.

Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling – Another HP character for this list (she’s also my favorite). I’d love to have a story told from Ginny’s POV during her 6th year at Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were off hunting horcruxes but we know Ginny was fighting off Death Eaters with the remainder of Dumbledore’s Army. There’s so much potential for a companion novel here!

Bailey from Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares – This happens to be my favorite book from the entire Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. I loved how the Sisterhood’s stories were resolved, but I think it would be wonderful to know what happens to the next generation. It would be kind of fitting with the original origin of the Sisterhood.

Haymitch Abernathy from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – I would love to read a prequel to The Hunger Games when we get to discover all of Haymitch’s back story. A lot of it was shortly covered in Catching Fire, but I want more!!!

Lucien from Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson – Another one of Morgan Matson’s characters for this list! She has awesome characters. Lucien is a very minor character, but he was so sweet and interesting! If you’ve read the book you know how his story is kind of just cut off, and I’d like to know what happens after his weekend with Amy and Roger.

Flynn Rider from Tangled – I can’t tell if I’d want to see a sequel with more of Flynn’s adventures or if I’d want to see one that involves his and Rapunzel’s (future) children. But I know there is plenty of potential for a Tangled sequel…Disney’s just making us wait =P (to be fair they did give us the Happily Ever After short)

Ok, which character would YOU like to see have his/her own sequel? Books, television, movies…which fictional character would you like to see more of?

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Places I Want To Visit

Posted in Events & Read-Alongs, Novels by

toptentuesday

One of my favorite types of books to read are the ones where the setting becomes a character in the story. I just love flipping through a book that makes me want to walk through the setting and experience it all first-hand. Sometimes I end up not really caring for the book that much, but the setting can be presented in such a way that I don’t even care; just let me visit!

Top Ten Places Books Have Made Me Want To Visit:

London – Honestly, who hasn’t wanted to visit London because of a book they read or a movie they saw? London is the setting for so many stories over so many different time periods, the city itself has become timeless. I believe you can make London the setting for nearly any genre (except for maybe Westerns) and it would work. The book that made me want to visit London so badly was Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill. She does a fantastic job making London an actual character that I could practically imagine myself walking around a city I’ve never visited. Can’t wait to actually go there one day!!

Bath

Bath – I’m just going to cut right to it. Jane Austen makes me want to visit Bath. Even though Jane hated living in Bath, her final two novels, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, are set there. I would love to visit this city and tour each of the areas Austen mentions in her novel. And then I would pretend to be Anne Elliot chasing down Captain Wentworth in front of The Royal Crescent ;)

New York City – I feel the same way about NYC that I do about London: it’s timeless. I love reading stories and watching movies that take place in the City. The one that’s popping up in my head at the moment is the movie You’ve Got Mail. We get to see all the seasons, but I love what Meg Ryan says: “Don’t you love New York in the fall?”

neverland

Neverland – I don’t know what I love most about Peter Pan’s Neverland: the waterfalls, the mermaid lagoon, the Lost Boys’s tree house… I would be totally content living there forever. Each time I visit Disneyworld/Disneyland I just want to ride Peter Pan’s Flight all day.

North Carolina – This is the current place Matt and I are looking to relocate to. Even though I visited multiple times when I was younger, the reason I want to live there now is because last Christmas I read at least 3 or 4 Nicholas Sparks novels. But hey! That state is gorgeous, whether you like Sparks novels or not (I happen to like them).

montana

The 1800s American West- Along with Nicholas Sparks novels I also have a soft spot for Historical Fiction novels that take place in the American West. I love everything about them & the west. When I was a sophomore in high school I visited Colorado for two weeks and fell in love. I’m trying to convince my husband to look for jobs there, but at least he’s on board with North Carolina ^

Omaha – Ok, I’ve never visited Omaha, or any other place in the Midwest, and I don’t really know what would be attractive about Nebraska, but the reason I want to visit is because of every single Rainbow Rowell novel. The way she talks about her city makes me want to go there and visit all of the places her characters have visited.

sherwood

Sherwood Forest & Nottingham – I have a huge literary crush on Robin Hood. Everyone who knows me in real life knows this. I want to marry Robin Hood, but even more than that I want to be him. Can’t you just see me walking down this pathway with Little John, singing “Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly what a day!”?

Washington State – Okay, I’m slightly embarrassed to admit the reason why I’d like to visit Washington…it’s because of Twilight. I’m not a fan of the books, even though I went through that period freshman year of college, but I really did like the setting of the series. I wouldn’t necessarily want to live in a place where it rains nearly every day, but I would like to visit Washington and maybe go camping there.

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island – This should come as no surprise to any of you who regularly read my blog. Anne Shirley’s beloved Prince Edward Island is the place I want to visit more than any other in the whole world. Every time I read or watching Anne of Green Gables I immediately imagine myself walking along next to Anne as she braves the Haunted Wood or strolls down Lover’s Lane and especially when her and Diana visit Miss Lavendar! *sigh* I’m hoping to finally visit next year. Each summer in Charlottetown they host “Anne of Green Gables–The Musical”, and I WANT TO SEE IT SO BADLY!!! Until then I’ll just keep the soundtrack on my playlist ;)

What are some places–fictional or real–that you have wanted to visit because of a specific book you read? Would you like to visit any of the places on my list?

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

Posted in Book Reviews, Fiction, Novels by

dearmrknightley

“What do you know about me, Mr. Knightley? Really know? No matter what Father John told you or sent you, you can’t know it all. No one does. I alone carry it each and every day. And no matter how many characters I hide behind, how much work I bury myself beneath, my past still pushes me every day and haunts me every night.”

 

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
Published Nov 2013 by Thomas Nelson
Adult Fiction-Romance
Format: e-book; 328 pages
Also From This Author: Lizzy & Jane
Goodreads | Amazon
My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Samantha Moore survived years of darkness in the foster care system by hiding behind her favorite characters in literature. After college, she receives an extraordinary opportunity: the anonymous “Mr. Knightley” offers her a full scholarship to earn her graduate degree at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. The sole condition is that Sam write to Mr. Knightley regularly to keep him updated on her progress.

As Sam’s true identity begins to reveal itself through her letters, her heart begins to soften to those around her–a damaged teenager and fellow foster care kid, her classmates and professors at Medill, and most powerfully, successful novelist Alex Powell. But just as Sam finally begins to trust, she learns that Alex has secrets of his own–secrets that make it impossible for Sam to hide behind either her characters or her letters.

Thoughts:

Dear Mr. Knightley is one of those novels that takes a little while to get into, but once you reach that point, it’s really hard to put the book down.

For me, there were two reasons I wasn’t fully invested from the beginning: the epistolary style and the e-book format. I was given this novel by the publisher in exchange for a review, but the e-book they sent me was so bad, and I’m not referring to the context of the story at all. The e-book was FULL of punctuation errors that would have normally caused me to not finish the book. So I highly recommend reading this book in print format, to avoid any e-book errors, but also because this story is told almost entirely through letters. It took some time for me to get used to Samantha’s letters, but fortunately she is a reliable narrator, one you start to root for after uncovering her past.

Samantha’s story is intriguing, especially when we finally get to see into her past. Because she’s writing these letters to an anonymous stranger, she doesn’t just jump into her painful back story. We have to wait a little while, just like all of the other characters, before she opens up to us. But once she finally does become vulnerable her story becomes so much more interesting. Before that moment the story is rather fluffy and sappy (especially with all of the classic literature quotes she throws in during daily conversations), but afterwards you start to understand how she uses these characters to hide behind because she’s too afraid to get hurt by others.

“I still fear judgement. Most days I feel cast off, dirty, and not worthy. Won’t others feel the same way about me?”

Which brings me to the secondary characters. To be honest, I was much more invested in their stories than in Sam’s, especially Kyle’s and the Muirs’s. Kyle is the wayward teenager who shares Sam’s foster system tragedy. Sam takes him under her wing when he’s abrasive and short-tempered and by the end you really just want to hug him. I loved how his character development panned out. The Muirs are a lovable older couple that bring warmth and comfort into the novel and into Sam’s life.

Dear Mr. Knightley surprised me because it was so much more than just an Austen-inspired novel. The themes cut much deeper: allowing oneself to be vulnerable after being hurt emotionally and physically, child rights & the pitfalls of the foster care system, and helping out others even in the midst of personal struggles and tribulations.

Read This If…:

…you enjoy books that surprise you
…you like reading books that talk about deep and painful things
…you sympathize with characters who stay pure and kindhearted in an ugly world
…you love a love story!

Final Musings:

I really enjoyed Dear Mr. Knightley because it surprised me with its deeper & unexpected plot points. This story made my heart break at times and my face light up in a smile at others. Please give this novel a chance! It’s much more than an Austen-inspired light read :)

“All this is a part of us. God, bad, and ugly, Sam, this is our story.”

Top Ten (Thurs)day: Summer Reads

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toptentuesdayThis post was meant for Tuesday, but I have been pretty busy this week between my job wrapping up, taking a day trip to Lyon (fun!), and watching 3 matches of the World Cup every night, so Top Ten Tuesday has become Top Ten Thursday for me this week :)

Top Ten Books on my Summer TBR List:

 Here are the books that I’ve already started and hope to finish this summer :)

robinhoodThe Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle – I have always been a big Robin Hood fan, I even dressed up as Robin Hood once for a British-themed costume party, and last month we went and saw a Robin Hood musical that’s touring France at the moment (it was really cool!). So since then I’ve been on a bit of a Robin Hood kick and I’m in the process of reading Howard Pyle’s version of my favorite legend :)

littlemenLittle Men by Louisa May Alcott – I read Little Women last month (review still on the way) and loved it! I knew the story since I grew up watching the 1994 film version, but the book was so much better. So after I finished it I started reading the sequel, Little Men, but I’m still in the beginning chapters. The reason for that is because I started the book below…

lesmisLes Misérables by Victor Hugo – About a month and a half ago I posted on Twitter about how Les Misérables was a book that had been on my TBR/Classics Club list for a while, but because it intimidated me so much I had been procrastinating on reading it. Well, someone else had been feeling a little similar to me, and so we decided to read it together this month :) I really had been wanting to read it in French, but this book is massive, and I am maybe 2% finished with it right now. We’ll see if I can persevere in le français, or if I’ll have to switch to English.

Books I want to start this summer! (Click on the titles for the Goodreads links)

heartandsoulHeart & Soul by Lee Strauss – Lee Strauss (sometimes Elle Strauss) is one of my favorite contemporary YA authors. I’ve read two of her other series, Clockwise (a YA time traveling series) and Perception (a YA futuristic sci-fi series), and loved them both. So last week when I saw she was giving out ARC copies of her new novel, Heart & Soul, in exchange for reviews, I jumped on board :) I hope to be reading this one within the next couple of days so check back for my thoughts!

ifistayIf I Stay by Gayle Forman – I recently saw the trailer for this upcoming book-made-film and instantly became intrigued. It looks like a major tear jerker, but I love stories that make me cry (it’s a powerful emotion) so I can’t wait to delve into this one.

secondchancesummerSecond Chance Summer by Morgan Matson – I’m in an online book club, and last week we read Morgan Matson’s most recent book Since You’ve Been Gone, and I fell in love with her writing style. That book had me laughing, sighing, and even holding back tears. So now her other novels Second Chance Summer and Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour are now on my TBR list, SCS being a hopeful summer read since, you know, summer is in the title ;)

openroadsummerOpen Road Summer by Emery Lord – Another book with the word summer in the title, this book seems similar to Since You’ve Been Gone, and I’ve heard some good things about it, so I’m excited about reading it for myself. I’m thinking a Kindle download to keep me occupied on our 8 hour drive to the west of France next month.

journeyJourney to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne – Two French novels on my Summer TBR list! I plan on reading this one next month. For those of you who actually know me, you know that I have a lot of national pride for my two countries. I am glued to the television watching the Olympics and now the World Cup, cheering on the U.S. and France, and for both national holidays I like to celebrate by doing American and French things. Last year for Bastille Day I read Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days to celebrate. This year, my husband and I are going to read Journey to the Center of the Earth (hopefully in French!). We both love Verne’s novels, and the fact that my husband likes to read his books really says something since Matt doesn’t really like to read anything ;)

senseandsensibilitySense and Sensibility by Jane Austen –  I put this book on my previous Top Ten Tuesday post about Spring Reads, but I didn’t get a chance to read it. I read Northanger Abbey instead, since that was the only Austen novel I still hadn’t read. I haven’t picked up Sense and Sensibility since high school, though, so I think I’ll be reading it later this month when all the Austen in August events reappear :) In any case, every season is a good season to read Jane Austen.

northandsouthNorth and South by Elizabeth Gaskell – I read this book for my Victorian Lit class in college, but after watching the miniseries a couple of years ago, I’ve been wanting to reread it (and then rewatch the miniseries because it’s so good). Also, knowing me, if I read any Jane Austen novel, I’ll immediately be stuck in a Regency/Victorian reading pit (a pit of lace and ribbons and chivalry, that is), and I’ll be looking for some more classic female masterpieces to read.

What are some books on your Summer To-Be-Read list? Do you have any other suggestions for my list?

25 Things: A Regency Themed Movie Marathon

Posted in 25 Things by

25thyearLast month, as a way to celebrate my 25th birthday, I made a bucket list of things I want to accomplish or experience before I turn 26. I call it my list of “25 Things For My 25th Year,” and recently I was able to cross off the first completed activity!

PandP#9: Have a Movie Marathon
This was probably the easiest thing on my list to cross off, but it was also one of the things I have been most wanting to do for a while. A couple of Saturdays ago, three of my friends and I got together for a light afternoon luncheon followed by a nonstop viewing of all 6 episodes of the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice. It was lovely, mainly because it was so nice to relax and enjoy each other’s company. I love watching any Jane Austen adaptation on my own, but it’s much more enjoyable to watch it with friends who are fellow Janeites :)

For our lunch we had typical afternoon tea types of dishes: cucumber sandwiches, tuna salad and toast, quiche, a vegetable platter, scones (red berry and chocolate chip), and sugar cookies.

Lunch

Even though it was a beautiful spring afternoon, it was nice staying inside, snacking on tea and scones while laughing over Mr. Collins’s ridiculous manners and swooning over the quaint English countryside.

mrcollins1

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No, Mr. Collins…

I wouldn’t mind having another movie marathon later this year! Maybe something more action related, like Star Wars or Harry Potter :) Have you had a movie marathon with friends? I’d love to hear about it!