Mr. Bennet's Library 101+ Books Showing 1,901-1,950 of 2,613

[J. W.]

Lenora...well done...moving on up. Yeah!!!

[Eliza]

J. W. wrote: "J. W. 's Reading Challenge 2016 [continued]

147) Infamous Relations: A Pride And Prejudice "What If?" Tale 5-stars
148) Mr. Darcy Makes Advances 2.5-stars
149) [boo..."

I'm pretty sure most of us will be trying to catch up with you! :-) I've got some of these on my list and am looking forward to them.

[J. W.]

Me??? Thanks for the compliment. However, I'm following the others...Sheila, Debbie...you know those guys that live in the stratosphere.

[Eliza]

J. W. wrote: "Me??? Thanks for the compliment. However, I'm following the others...Sheila, Debbie...you know those guys that live in the stratosphere."

Haha, so very true. I thought I was doing stellar with my 114 for the year so far, but that's child's play in comparison! Of course, it just means all of you that are ahead of me can alert me to the ones I need to skip, so I suppose there are advantages....

[Sheila]

Hey, pat yourselves on the back - those numbers are nothing to sneeze at...well done, truly well done.

[Debbie]

Not a contest, ladies! As long as you're enjoying the books you're reading, it's all good!

[J. W.]

Hey...Eliza...those numbers got you into Mr. Bennet's Library. From there, every book over 101+ is gravy or icing on the cake. Use either example. You qualify. Woohoo!!! We root each other on and every book read is a success.

[Lenora]

152 The Liberation of Miss de Bourgh: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

This was a cute read,

[Eliza]

Debbie wrote: "Not a contest, ladies! As long as you're enjoying the books you're reading, it's all good!"

What can I say? I like a little healthy competition...even when there isn't actually a competition! ;-) It is nice to have someone ahead so I've got a gauge of what's physically possible. I look forward to the time when I can consistently read 200+ books per year. That sounds amazing, particularly considering only a couple of years ago I was hitting about 20 per year. This challenge and community has definitely encouraged me to read more. Or maybe it's just that it introduced me to so many awesome books that the reading part came naturally....

[J. W.]

Eliza, I think that is the key...we encourage each other and we see books we might not otherwise know of and can read them or add them to our TBR list. I've had access to more books than I've read in years because y'all have either given me glowing reviews or a caveat where I should beware. It doesn't get any better than that.

[Sheila]

I also like the fact that we get recommendations for long and short books as well as unpublished ones we may never have come across without this site.

[Eliza]

Sheila wrote: "I also like the fact that we get recommendations for long and short books as well as unpublished ones we may never have come across without this site."

Definitely! I barely knew where to start before finding this group, even though I'd blindly found a couple of books on my own to whet my appetite.

[ladymurmur]

Debbie - Congratulations on your grandson!

It is exciting and enjoyable seeing all the recommendations for more Austenesque fiction. I may only be on the Caroline Bingley level for JAFF read this year, but my total titles read for the year are solidly in Mr. Bennet's territory (180 at the moment). The lot of you are filling my Austenesque to-read list with so many intriguing titles!

[Sheila]

Wow, congratulations on 180 books read. Once I hit 101 I counted other subgenre books in my total. There are not many but I do add them in now that I reached my goal.

[ladymurmur]

Thanks, Sheila! I've always been an avid reader, across many genres, but didn't really know how much I read until I started tracking titles here on goodreads.

[J. W.]

180 woohoo!!! Glad to hear it...welcome ladymurmur!!!

[Lenora]

153 Renewed Hope: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

Good story. More of the background charectors are front and centered. And I really like Caroline Bingley in the stor

[Sophia]

Lenora wrote: "153 Renewed Hope: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

Good story. More of the background charectors are front and centered. And I really like Caroline Bingley in the stor"

I love it when the minor characters get some strong page time, too. I look forward to this series when I get the chance.

Yay, another one down, Lenora! :)

[Mary]

180 books,Ladymurmur?? Wow!!! Seriously impressive!!

[Lenora]

154 And Then Love: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Prequel

This is sort of a prequel to p&p the only charecters either there or mentioned are darcy, and the bingleys. But i really got drawn in and the story line was believable.

[ladymurmur]

Mary wrote: "180 books,Ladymurmur?? Wow!!! Seriously impressive!!"

Reading is my comfort and favorite indulgence. And when I can't sleep, reading is the best way for me to get rest, instead of tossing and turning. And maybe sometimes I might stay up reading just one more chapter, instead of going to sleep. :-)

[Mary]

Ladymurmur-I think we're all similar and agree with what you've said!!
Books are non-judgemental,a great stress reliever and are just a fantastic way to relax. Finding oneself lost within the covers of a book,in that 'the world could end and I wouldn't be aware of it' way is simply heaven on earth!

[Sheila]

And we can live through the characters...oh, so dreamily an escape from the real world.

[Teresa]

It's fantastic to be able to converse with people who love books as much as I do!! I have loved reading since I could first string words together. My mother said I couldn't wait to be able to read my bedtime stories to myself. You'd be surprised how many people don't understand this. Any friends I've had have actually been non readers which is surprising. I'm so glad to have found you all. You've kept me going through some tough times. And now that's enough of the saccharine chat. (I'm actually not like that at all normally).

[J. W.]

No kidding Sheila, we can walk the meadows, fields and woods with Elizabeth. We can sit quietly in the drawing room, parlor or sitting room with Jane and stitch on a piece of needlework or read. We can have tea in a quiet parlor with Charlotte and breath a sigh of relief as she reflects on the joys of having her own home. And if we please, we can sit quietly in the music room and listen as Georgiana plays a soothing melody for us. On and on we can reflect and enjoy our time with our characters. I didn't even comment on the men of Jane Austen. My goodness, let's not go there. Or maybe we should...such heroes...be still my heart.

[J. W.]

Teresa, we are here for you dear. Yes ma'am, we'll be there. Even if we have to walk three miles and get six inches deep in mud on our petticoats...we'll be there.

[Teresa]

Love it J W!!:):)

[J. W.]

:~)
Broken nose emoji in case you were not sure. Not me of course...I am fine....not to worry.

[Sheila]

Oh, but to gaze on a handsome face, a pleasing figure and join in pleasant conversation - a few witticisms and having to hide a smirk as Caroline does not perceive the set down! And then to gaze across the room and raise an eyebrow at Mr. Darcy whose mouth turns up slightly at the corners and he turns his profile towards the window so as to divert Caro's attention away from his mien.

[J. W.]

OMG!!! Sheila...you are a poet...love it. [as I pat my chest over my heart gently and blow out a breath I did not know I was holding]

[Sheila]

Can we not all manage a sentence or two after dwelling within this pleasant world day upon day?

[J. W.]

Yep...poet...I didn't know it.

[Debbie]

Oh, I really like this string of comments! And I fully agree with you all! My friends (and my husband) are musicians or golfers. There are a handful who are readers, but when they ask me what book I'm reading and I describe JAFF to them, they look at me as though I grew an extra head! They're all into the latest Stephen King or John Grisham novel rather than Pride and Prejudice.

[Sophia]

Debbie wrote: "Oh, I really like this string of comments! And I fully agree with you all! My friends (and my husband) are musicians or golfers. There are a handful who are readers, but when they ask me what book ..."

Exactly why I love having this group on GR. No looks at me like I'm nuts when I talk about romances and Austenesque. ;)

[ladymurmur]

Debbie wrote: "Oh, I really like this string of comments! And I fully agree with you all! My friends (and my husband) are musicians or golfers. There are a handful who are readers, but when they ask me what book ..."

I am fortunate to have a spouse and many friends who are all avid readers. Our genre preferences are quite varied (I'm the only one who actively reads JAFF) but there's enough overlap that we can share recommendations. Yet one more reason that I'm delighted to have found this group.

[Mary]

What Sophia had created here is a home away from home,where we all call in when passing,to bid each other a good morning,share a cuppa in the afternoon and retire early to the library for a little light reading,amongst esteemed company!! Loved the flow of conversation....it never fails to put a smile on my face!

[Ceri]

I know very few people who read, let alone have such good taste in reading material as me! And this is why I am glad I have you, because it's so nice to get book recommendations from people with similar taste, and to be able to enthuse about a book with other people who might also enjoy it <3

[J. W.]

Love you guys!!!!!

[Sheila]

And when we are able to communicate across the depth and breadth of oceans and mountains I smile thinking of how JA would be so pleased with the excellent company found in people who are well read and able to converse as to their opinions.

[Mary]

And so say all of us,Sheila!! Yes,it's simply amazing that we can all share opinions despite the fact that we are thousands of miles away,on different continents and in totally different time zones.What our dearest Jane would think of it is anyone's guess! But wherever she is,I'd like to think that she's looking down on us with a slightly intriguing smile on her face!

[J. W.]

Well said Mary!!

[Debbie]

Uh-huh, uh-huh!

[Lenora]

I love this group. Like everyone else most of my friends are like Mr. Bingley, wouldn't be caught dead with a book, but I constantly have a book. I take my kimble everywhere.

[ladymurmur]

Lenora wrote: "I love this group. Like everyone else most of my friends are like Mr. Bingley, wouldn't be caught dead with a book, but I constantly have a book. I take my kimble everywhere."

I'm right there with you, Lenora! My kindle is with me constantly - has a special place in my purse. Was an avid reader BK (before kindle), but my reading volume has almost doubled since. There's always something to read next if I finish a book, or if I just need something different for a while.

The first time we packed for a trip after getting our kindles, both my husband and I looked at each other and asked "what am I forgetting??" because we both had so much space left in our suitcases. We were so accustomed to saving space for books!

[Mary]

'....saving space for books...'!! My kinda people!!

[Debbie]

I'm adding to my stack of books again:

190. Two Pride and Prejudice Variations: The Wager & Not Romantic - 5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

191. Particular Intentions - 3.5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

[Lenora]

155 Sufficient Encouragement: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

[Mary]

155??? Wow!! Well done!

[J. W.]

Debbie...approaching that big number!!

Lenora...blasting away!!!

[Sheila]

Debbie doesn't post her non-JAFF books read whereas after I reach my goal I post everything. So Congratulations to Debbie.

Well Done, Lenora.