Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Challenge 2018 discussion
General
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Introductions
Glad you could join, Dana! One of the nice things about this group is that authors are welcome and not just readers. So relax and have a ball!
Hi, my name is Tarissa.Confession: I've NEVER read a Jane Austen book before.
Please don't throw me out!!! :)
This past year I read a couple of Austen rewrites, where the authors recreated the stories in a 1930s Great Depression era -- which is such an interesting idea, really. Those books are:
Emmeline by Sarah Holman
Suit and Suitability by Kelsey Bryant
And I loved them well enough (there's even more in the series, if you're interested) ...
BUT it's now time that I read the real thing! So it's all going down in 2018. Finally.
I'm choosing to join Level One: Charlotte Heywood: 1-5 books. I'm such a newbie at Austen, I better start small. :)
Welcome Tarissa... No we won't throw you out because you have not read the originals... not today anyway. Kidding. I looked at your profile and see that you do like to read. I also noticed you like WWl books. Let me introduce you to the works of Ginger Monette:Darcy's Hope: Beauty from Ashes: A WWI Pride & Prejudice Variation and the second book
Darcy's Hope at Donwell Abbey: A WWI Pride & Prejudice Variation.
You can look at the reviews here on GoodReads and they will give you an idea of how powerful a story this is. It uses the character names from Pride and Prejudice.
Austen's work has been used in so many ways: re-imagined, reinvented, prequel, sequel, side-story, variations, set in every era, from western to the future. Yep, her work was spectacular.
When you read the original... go slow. The first time isn't always magic as her writing is of another time and era... and yet, it reaches into you and touches your emotions and feelings. She speaks to each of us in different ways. Everyone has a favorite. I read P&P [Pride and Prejudice] every year. Her wording and phrases are magic and a lot of what you read and many movies are Austen inspired.
Again, welcome and enjoy reading the news feeds and jump in when you feel comfortable with the group. We don't bite. Well, we might nibble a bit... but only in fun. Welcome and have a great new year reading Austen.
So beautifully put,Jeanne! Welcome Tarissa! 😊🎉
Mod
Confession: I've NEVER read a Jane Austen book before.
Please don't throw me out!!! :)
This past year I read a couple of Austen rewrites, where the authors recreated the ..."
Ah, dear lady, you have found the right group to support your, as now, new addiction. We will help foster and cultivate it. LOL
I love your goal of reading through the original works and discovering more Austenesque. Cheering you on as you work to conquer Charlotte Heywood level, Tarissa!
Tarissa wrote: "Hi, my name is Tarissa.Confession: I've NEVER read a Jane Austen book before.
Please don't throw me out!!! :)
This past year I read a couple of Austen rewrites, where the authors recreated the ..."
Welcome! Enjoy!!
Mod
Hey, hey, Monica! Breaks are good and help you recharge and go at it even more fervently. So glad to have another of our veteran group members back. :) Ohh, sounds like you had some big reading numbers. Congrats. And wowsers, ten years. I think you've been reading JAFF the longest of all the people I know who read it. So many wonderful books, I'm sure.
Yay for working on the Catherine Morland challenge and for finishing your handy spreadsheet. Welcome back for another year.
Welcome back Monica... We look forward to traveling with you through the reading levels. Any and all books read are a good thing. Whether it is 1 or 500, we are all here to cheer you on.
Hi all! I'm Mary,I love to read JAFF and I usually read Pride & Prejudice once a year. Looking forward to a year of book recommendations,fun and friendship.........the basis for this group and all it holds dear!
Hi everyone, I'm from France near Paris.I'm 59 years old, living with my Mr Darcy, a mother of 4 grown-ups and a grand-mother of a cute little girl. Except for one, my children are living abroad or other part of the wold like Tahiti, Houston/Texas and Vienna/Austria.
I'm fond of Jane Austen's work and love a good JAFF. I'm not posting many reviews as I know my English is far from perfect, but I will try this year to write more of them as I aim to improve my English. Feel free to correct me.
I'm looking forward to sharing with you our JAFF's books and reading your reviews.
My goal is Fanny Price.
Oh, and I have another passion: sewing. This year I'm working on the wedding gown of my future Austrian daughter in law.
I wish you all a happy reading new year.
Tlotem wrote: " This year I'm working on the wedding gown of my future Austrian daughter in law.."Wow! What a great skill, you have a lucky daughter in law - do post some picks here when it's done, if you like, it would be wonderful to see it!
Mod
Looking forward to a year of book recommendations,fun and friendship.........the basis for this group and all..."
Happy New Year, Mary! So glad to have you return for the fun group and reading. :)
Mod
I'm 59 years old, living with my Mr Darcy, a mother of 4 grown-ups and a grand-mother of a cute little girl. Except for one, my children are living abroad o..."
Bonjour, Tlotem! So glad you could be with us. We'll love getting wedding dress updates along with challenge updates along the way to Fanny Price level. Tricky keeping in touch with family across so many time zones. :)
Lovely goal to improve your English through writing reviews. I already think you have a splendid grasp of the language.
Happy New Year!
Hi guys. This is Teresa back again. Hope I do better than last year. Didn't reach my goal.
Wow! Lots of updates here. Welcome back to everyone. Tlotem... congratulations on getting a new DIL [daughter-in-law]. Yes, we want to see pictures if you care to share. Mary, my dear, what would this group be without you??? You know, you are always welcome.
Teresa, you made it... welcome back. We are glad to see you lovely poppy pic. No worries on that goal from last year. Remember the past... wait... someone has already said that. Now who could that have been?? See... Austen has a comment for every situation. Welcome to the new year and NEW goal.
Here is to the old gang and the new members to this group. Welcome and have a great year reading Jane Austen Fan Fiction, better known as JAFF. Woohoo!
Nick wrote: "Tlotem wrote: " This year I'm working on the wedding gown of my future Austrian daughter in law.."Wow! What a great skill, you have a lucky daughter in law - do post some picks here when it's don..."
Thank you Nick, she is a very sweet girl. Is it possible to post pictures here? Otherwise I have an Instagram account below the name couture_in_love but I won't post pictures of the dress before the wedding on Instagram as my son is following my feed.
Sophia wrote: "Tlotem wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm from France near Paris.I'm 59 years old, living with my Mr Darcy, a mother of 4 grown-ups and a grand-mother of a cute little girl. Except for one, my children are ..."
Thank you Sophia for welcoming me, I will try my best to follow
J. W. wrote: "Wow! Lots of updates here. Welcome back to everyone. Tlotem... congratulations on getting a new DIL [daughter-in-law]. Yes, we want to see pictures if you care to share. Mary, my dear, what would..."
Hi Jeanne. My new DIL is such a sweet girl, I'm lucky. I don't know where you can post pictures on goodreads!
Mod
Super to have you back again and ready for the new challenge, Teresa. Last year was a tough one for you. Rooting for you this year. :)
Oh, I forgot about the groom seeing the gown. No... that will not do. Anyway... after the wedding you could make it your profile pic for a month and switch back. That would be a sneaky way to post. One of our other friends has a gown as her pic. It is beautiful. Anyway, congratulations on the new addition to the family.
Tlotem wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm from France near Paris.I'm 59 years old, living with my Mr Darcy, a mother of 4 grown-ups and a grand-mother of a cute little girl. Except for one, my children are living abroad o..."
Welcome!! Happy reading!
Sophia wrote: "Teresa wrote: "Hi guys. This is Teresa back again. Hope I do better than last year. Didn't reach my goal."Super to have you back again and ready for the new challenge, Teresa. Last year was a tou..."
Thanks Sophia. Looking forward to all the reads to come.
Kirk wrote: "Tlotem wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm from France near Paris.I'm 59 years old, living with my Mr Darcy, a mother of 4 grown-ups and a grand-mother of a cute little girl. Except for one, my children are ..."
Thank you Kirk, hello
J. W. wrote: "Welcome Tarissa... No we won't throw you out because you have not read the originals... not today anyway. Kidding. I looked at your profile and see that you do like to read. I also noticed you like..."J.W., I really appreciate your heartfelt welcome. I'm getting so excited to read the authentic Austen novels. Also, thanks for your book recommendations -- I'm checking them out now.
Hello all! I'm a huge Austen fan and have, in the passed month or so, friended some people on Goodreads for their JAFF reviews and they all wound up being members of this group! Who knew?? So, I figured I was already sharing reviews with them and may as well join in the fun officially!
Thanks for having this group again Sophia. I am hoping to be able to keep up this year reading, posting, and reviewing. My back surgery in July was successful. Still having PT and just went back to work in mid-December. My hubby introduced me to Jane Austen about 7 years ago and I have been hooked ever since.
I am happy to be back. I am entering on the George Knightly Level but hoping to reach the Fanny Price Level.
Hello Nicole, I didn't think I had seen you before in the comment feeds. We welcome you and are so glad you have decided to join us. I hope you have a great year reading JAFF [Jane Austen Fan Fiction] and find many recommendations that you enjoy. Have a great 2018 and welcome.
Deborah, I am so glad you are better. We have missed hearing from you. Can't wait to see what you are reading.
Great to have you here for the Austenesque feeding frenzy, Nicole!And Deborah, delighted to have you back (and with a renewed back!). I am probably facing major back surgery this year (postponed from last year) and am happy to hear success stories! It's a scary thing to face.
Mod
What a wonderful way to find our group, Nicole! So glad a love of Austen and the stories based on her books drew you to us. You sound like 'our kind of people'. LOL Welcome and make yourself at home. :)
Mod
Oh splendid, Debbie! So glad you are doing better health wise and yes, absolutely are we glad to welcome back a veteran groupee. :) I know you're just like the rest of us and have a pile to read and share about, but I imagine you also have to get back into the swing of things after the surgery.
Glad you're back, dear Deborah! :)
Welcome Nicole, and welcome back Debbie! So glad to hear your back surgery went OK.
Nicole wrote: "Hello all! I'm a huge Austen fan and have, in the passed month or so, friended some people on Goodreads for their JAFF reviews and they all wound up being members of this group! Who knew?? So, I fi..."Hi, Nicole! Adding my voice to the chorus welcoming you to the group. Glad you already have friends here, and hopefully you'll find plenty of new ones, too. (Unless we scare you away with our insanity!)
Tarissa wrote: "Hi, my name is Tarissa.Confession: I've NEVER read a Jane Austen book before.
Please don't throw me out!!! :)
This past year I read a couple of Austen rewrites, where the authors recreated the ..."
Ah, Tarissa! We'll try to be gentle with you, my dear. You may be overwhelmed with all the suggestions you read here, but there is no pressure to read anything... just encouragement to meet the goals you set for yourself. We do let our enthusiasm carry us away sometimes, so feel free to ignore such shenanigans when they pop up. It's lovely to have you here among us.
Gee, I didn't realize I'd let so many days go by without checking here. Lots of old friends I haven't greeted! Let's see, I see Tiotem, and Mary, and Teresa, and Debbie (so glad to read that your back surgery went well!), and Monica. I know there are others I haven't personally greeted, but it's wonderful to see every one of you with us again for 2018. Happy reading, everybody!
Hi everyone, my name is Juliet and I’m new here :) Really happy to have stumbled upon this group and I am eager to read more Austen inspired books and sequels! I became a Jane Austen fan after seeing Sense & Sensibility when I was a little girl. That will always be one of my favorite films of all time! I didn’t read all of her novels until high school and college though. I’d like to start out at the Marianne Dashwood level, but I’m hoping to make it up to Anne Elliot. Excited to see what everyone else is reading this year!
Welcome to our madness Juliet. So glad you decided to join our group. You will find a wide variety of reading choices on these feeds. So sit back and enjoy the fun as we blaze through the JAFF [Jane Austen Fan Fiction] genre.
Welcome, Juliet! We will be pleased to get to know you, to help you find wonderful Austenesque books, and cheer you on to meet your reading goal. Feel free to comment here whenever and wherever the spirit moves you, and generally someone will respond. Just expect the unexpected around here. Some of us get a bit silly sometimes. You have been warned!
Mod
Ahhh, the lovely Marianne and Eleanor. I can see why that hooked you in. Hey, and Marianne level is a great place to start. Cheering you right up to shaking hands with Anne level, too.
Thank you J.W., Debbie, and Sophia for the warm welcome! It seems like a very fun group and I know I'll find some great recommendations here :)
Juliet,welcome to our comfy reading corner where you'll find recommendations aplenty!😊
Debbie wrote: "Nicole wrote: "Hello all! I'm a huge Austen fan and have, in the passed month or so, friended some people on Goodreads for their JAFF reviews and they all wound up being members of this group! Who ..."I don't think that's possible Debbie!! I could never get scared away from fellow Austen lovers! I can get pretty scary about Jane Austen myself! Lol!
Dana wrote: "Hi all! I'm Dana.. am a full time teacher (deaf and hard of hearing) ... and a secondary career as an inspirational romance author. I have written 3 P&P variation novellas, but find I am much more comfortable writing romantic suspense. Plus, I decided that I didn't want to turn JAFF into a job instead of a pleasure."Dana, I meant to reply to this post some time ago. Better late than never, right? Anyway, I wanted to say that I find your personal description very interesting! I'm deaf myself (raised in a deaf classroom within a regular school, then was fully mainstreamed in 8th grade). I'm also a TOD, like you, though I've stayed at home with my kids for the last 14 years since my son was born. As a SAHM, I have no idea how you work, parent your kids, and write books, but kudos to you! I looked at the list of your books, and was a bit confused about the JAFF offerings. Are they completely independent of each other? A series which should be read in order? My TBR pile is nuts and I don't plow through many books, unfortunately. But I thought I'd put one of your JAFF and/or LIS books on my list. What do you recommend? I'm strictly a clean reader, but I get the impression that your JAFF would likely be clean.
Marlene wrote: "Dana wrote: "Hi all! I'm Dana.. am a full time teacher (deaf and hard of hearing) ... and a secondary career as an inspirational romance author. I have written 3 P&P variation novellas, but find I ..."I'm in the middle of a "deaf Darcy" story right now -- he lost his hearing as a baby in a bout with brain fever.
So appalling the way he was treated as an idiot by society in general, although his parents and his Fitzwilliam relations found him schooling for the deaf and he was taught estate management as he would have been without the disability.
Very good story and totally clean so far (70%)
Of Time Gone By
I really liked that one! I wrote a review on that one. Tried to get in touch with the author to no avail. 😟
Marlene wrote: "I really liked that one! I wrote a review on that one. Tried to get in touch with the author to no avail. 😟"Just finished it -- a long story! Going with 5 Stars.
I read your review -- great job. Your knowledge of the subject brought out a lot of points I never would have considered. Thanks for sharing that!
It has been a while since the author has posted. I hope she(?) is still writing -- a very good writer. I want to read more of her stories.
Where did you find this story? Intriguing as I have never come across this theme before...
Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Challenge 2018
Books mentioned in this topic
Of Time Gone By (other topics)Darcy's Hope: Beauty from Ashes: A WWI Pride & Prejudice Variation (other topics)
Darcy's Hope at Donwell Abbey: A WWI Pride & Prejudice Variation (other topics)
Suit and Suitability (other topics)
Emmeline (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Elizabeth von Arnim (other topics)Frances Burney (other topics)
Maria Edgeworth (other topics)
I ..."
Welcome, Dana. Yes, you do indeed have many brands in the fire so we are glad you discovered our group to share in your JAFF love. I adore suspenses and mysteries, too. Oh yes, you will discover lots of book ideas to add to your stack. :) If you are like the rest of us, you'll add more than you take off the pile. Haha! Enjoy the new challenge year. :)