The next in line of my string of Pride and Prejudice related books that I need to post about was a wonderful read. This one is by one of my very favorite Pride and Prejudice 'variation' authors - Abigail Reynolds.

Ms. Reynolds has written several Pride and Prejudice variations - which means she takes the story and changes the timeline, an event or the timing of an event. All of them are good and well worth your time to read if you are interested in that sort of thing.

In this particular variation, when Elizabeth Bennet finds out that Lydia has run away with Wickham, she and Mr. Darcy are much more open about their feelings for one another rather than assuming that they cannot go on from there. Instead of automatically assuming that Mr. Darcy would never have anything to do with her now that Lydia has disgraced her family, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have a precious few minutes to talk - and it takes the story in a wholly different direction.

Granted, the climax and angst of the original story is very altered - and that is fine. This was a very light and fun read - very romantic and full of fun little trysts (all almost perfectly innocent) between Mr. Darcy and Lizzy Bennet. This book focuses almost entirely on Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet and the broader cast of characters is greatly reduced.

Favorite line...

Mr. Darcy has just asked for Lizzy's hand in marriage and had gotten quite a hard time from Mr. Bennet over it. So, Mr. Darcy asks Mr. Bennet why he gave him such an ordeal while he gave his consent very easily to Mr. Bingley when he asked for Jane's hand. Mr. Bennet replies...

"Very well, if you wish to know, when Jane brings home a puppy dog, I pat it's head. When Lizzy brings me a full-grown wolf, I handle it differently."

Abigail Reynolds is a wonderful writer and if you are interested, you can check out her website via this link: Abigail Reynolds.

When I first saw this book on Amazon, my first thought was - Oh! That looks like a lot of fun. The possibilities are endless....

Little did I know that I truly would have been better off if I had lit my $14.00 on fire and saved myself the time I spent reading this book. Actually, I did not read *all* of it - I just could not take anymore.

The following is from the back cover:

Your name: Elizabeth Bennet. Your mission: to marry both prudently and for love, avoiding family scandal. Equipped with only your sharp wit, natural good sense, and tolerable beauty, you must navigate you way through a variety of decisions that will determine your own romantic (and finanacial) fate. Ever wonder what would happen if Elizabeth accepted Mr. Darcy's proposal the first time around? Or ran from his arms into those of Persuasion's Captain Wentworth? Now is your chance to find out."

In hindsight, what was I thinking?

Basically, as you 'travel' through this book, you are supposed to pick up 'points' that will show how successful you are at accomplishing the above 'mission'. Alright - but that seems a bit ludicrious to me so I chose not to keep score - I just picked which action I would do next as I went along. I got bored with this little game very quickly because, basically, if you do not follow just what Elizabeth Bennet chooses to do in the original novel, you fail. I was expecting some funny or clever reworkings of the original story, but alas....I was sorely disappointed.

My final word - don't even bother. If you must bother, send me a message and I will send my copy to you. I would be glad to be rid of it.

Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field

This was a super fast reading book. The reason? It was nauseatingly predictable. Perhaps it is because I have overloaded myself with the essence of this story or perhaps because the author of this book just basically followed the storyline of Jane Austen's original work - and did not really deviate from it at all.

The one thing that always bothers me is that in just about every single Pride and Prejudice rewrite, variation or continuation, the 'Lizzy' character is always made out to be something that she is not. For example, the 'Lizzy' in this rendering is called Jasmin - or Jazz for short. She is a journalist who goes to audition for a play - and we can all guess who the producer of the play is going to be - and, predictably, she gives an auditorium shattering performance. I understand that somehow she has to find her way into proximity with the 'Darcy' character, but please. A bit more imagination!

All in all, it gets a 'Meh' from me. It was not terrible, but it was not *very good* either. A definite 'check out at the Library' book.

I was tagged for a meme by the lovely Shauna at The Coffee Stop. So here are the rules:

1. Grab the book you are currently reading and turn to p. 123

2. Go to the 5th sentence

3. Post the next 3 sentences

4. Tell the name of the book and author

5. Tag 5 others

So, here goes.....

"I don't get it," he says. "If this is all true, why didn't the kid tell the cops when the asked him where he was as the time of the murder? Why didn't he show then the sign-in log?"

This is a teeny tiny excerpt from the book Big Boned by Meg Cabot. I have never read one of her books but I was in Costco the the other day and it looked interesting, so I bought it.



Hmmm.....now, I tag Sharon, Karollynn, and anyone else who would like to participate!

Well, the first thing I have to say about this book is - you take a gamble when you buy books, even when they are at the recommendation of a friend. I gambled - and lost my $12.99 with this little purchase.

My friend - who meant well, I know, said this was a great read - really funny and informative. In truth, I found it to be just the opposite. If you are looking for a book about how to be an 'extreme eater' and push yourself toward the 'Hollywood' view of body types and weight loss, this book is a great place to start. It is basically a thesis, written in coarse and vulgar language, about the sins of people who eat sugar and meat. It is meant to be funny and irreverant, but comes off as insulting and extreme.

In the view of the writers of this little literary jewel, you are a horrible person not fit to live if you eat meat - of any sort - and would dare to let sugar pass your lips. The explainations of why you should not eat meat are anchored in extreme vegan rhetoric and are far from indisputable fact.

In short, I am sorry I wasted my money and corrupted my mind with this drabble. The book is far more toxic than any food that I eat! So I say, eat those M&Ms - just don't eat a whole one pound bag!

Am on temporary hiatus until I can finish this book. Nothing else will get done anyway.....

I personally do not visit the Austenfans site, but I promised to pass this along for all the Jane fans out there. I actually read this book and thought it was okay. You can find my review in the archives. Have a great day!

Attention Austenfans:

Have you visited www.austenfans.com yet? If not, make sure that you check it out today! Austenfans is a website dedicated to conversation and community comprised of all things Jane Austen.Right now, registered members at Austenfans.com have exclusive access to content and video clips from the filming of the Jane Austen Book Club (2007). The movie is being released tomorrow (9/21) in select U.S. cities and nationwide on October 5th.Registration is free and it gives you the chance to be one of the first to see clips from the movie before it comes out!If you need some extra Jane in your life, make sure to also take a look at the many continuations housed in the Jane Austen Sequels section of Austenfans.com. Also, please feel free to pass this message along to anyone you know who is a Jane Austen fanatic!

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Me and Mr. Darcy

I just finished reading this book last night. It was one of those books that you pick up and then cannot put down again. The reason? It was funny! Yeah, so the Darcy character is a little off and the storyline is a bit predictable, but it was so funny that I could not stop reading. Did not want to stop reading it actually. Who can resist a heroine of a book who goes to a ball and ends up getting stoned and then meets up with Mr. Darcy - who is totally floored by the fact that she says the word sh*t in front of him. Yes, this book is that unorthodox - and funny!

The basic premise of the book is that Emily, our main character, in order to avoid going on a trip to Mexico with her party happy best friend, decides to go to the UK on a Jane Austen country book tour. Upon arrival, she discovers that it is her, a woman in her late twenties, one sloppy Brisith journalist and a bunch of old ladies. The book is written in the first person and that is what makes it so darn funny.

Here is a small excerpt:

Quote taken from Me & Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter C. 2007 Ch. 16 p. 163

Looking down at me, his brooding eyes meet mine. "Perhaps you would care to join me?"
Gosh, could he get more adorable? "That sounds great." I smile.
As I slip my arm through his I feel a delicious tingle all the way to my
groin. I don't know if it's pheromones or good old-fashioned lust, but,
God, he is hot.

In the end, there is something slightly amiss with this book. I believe it has to do with the Darcy character. He is a bit flat and sort of blah. You will have to read it to see just what I mean. Perhaps this way of characterizing Darcy is on purpose. Not sure. This book is such a departure from the other Darcy driven books I have read that I am not totally sure to be quite honest. A good light read none the less.

Friday Fave!

This week's catagory is:

Bookstore!

My favorite book retailer is Amazon.com for online and Barnes and Noble for actual book shopping.

I mostly order things I want from Amazon though. I can order used books if I want to and I don't have to trek to the bookstore, get hit for all kinds of things by my children, only to come out disappointed because my local store did not have what I wanted.

Happy weekend All!

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I have actually managed to read these two books in the past six weeks. I am so impressed with myself! To top it off, I totally swiped this Frazy gizmo from my buddy Meg. Thanks Meg!!

I love Pride and Prejudice and really enjoy reading sequels and rewrites. As some of you know, my friend Sharon Lathan has recently published a Pride and Prejudice sequel. She and I are both fans of the above authors and I highly recommend both books.

Pemberley By The Sea is a modern retelling of the Pride and Prejudice tale written by Abigail Reynolds. Ms. Reynolds is a master of Pride and Prejudice rewrites and this one is no different. The only hiccup for me was the gang connections one of the main characters has. I did not totally buy that bit of storyline. Aside from that - this book is perfect!

Pemberley's Promise is a Regency era retelling of the Pride and Prejudice tale. In this story, author Kara Louise tells us how Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet meet enroute to America on a ship. Mr. Darcy is dashing as ever and the character of Elizabeth is right on in this book. A wonderful read!

So I do not need to tell most of you that I am a Jane Austen fan. I am a fan. Not a Jane Austen expert and I most certainly am not a 'Janite'. In my observation, "Janite" is a synonym for a person who thinks they have the duty and right to tell others what is and is not suitable material to carry on Jane Austen's legacy. They are snobbish elitists and I detest that in any human.

Enough about the Janites. I could launch into a lengthy post about them, but that would be a bore for all of you and raise my bloodpressure.

As a Jane Austen fan, I often seek out sequels to her works. By far the most popular vehicle for sequels is Pride and Prejudice. There are literally dozens of adaptations and sequels to Pride and Prejudice and now I am proud to say that there is another one!

My friend Sharon Lathan has just published her first book: Two Shall Become One: Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Sharon began writing her book and posting it chapter by chapter on her website. It started as an internet based fanfic - or fan written fictional story - and is now available as a bound volume. I cannot tell you how excited I was to receive this story in bound form. I have fallen in love with Sharon's characterization of Mr. Darcy and his new bride Elizabeth. This version is a rarity in the world of Austen sequels. Sharon is not trying to be Jane Austen. She has taken the main characters and made them her own - keeping them true to character while making them more easily related to by a modern reader.

Already, the internet trolls and Austen wanna be's have found Sharon's published book and started with the bashing. Their primary criticism is that there are too many sex scenes in this book. Let me be clear here. First of all, Sharon has written her story with class and dignity. This is hardly bodice ripper smut. Secondly, this is the story of a newly married couple. What were you doing when you were newly married? There is nothing new under the sun. Honeymoon periods did not suddenly appear along with the invention of birth control and the Sexual Revolution. Get a clue people!

Having said that, the author herself, has rated this book "Teen", so if you have a daughter or son interested in reading this book, give it a scan your own self before giving it to them. Parent to parent, I would wish for you to tell me before I gave this book to my daughter, son, niece or nephew. Though - I doubt boys would be interested *at all*, but you never know!

Sharon's book is available at lulu.com and also at Amazon.com. Check it out and expect more to come from my dear friend Sharon!

Book cover image taken from http://darcysaga.bravehost.com/ and is property of Sharon Lathan