Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2015 discussion
Introduce Yourself & Announce Challenge Level
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Ahnya
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Jan 17, 2015 08:15AM
I agree with Ceri and Sophia, if reviewing takes away from the experience don't bother. I don't think about a review as I read. It does take away from the story for me, and I like to really get into my books. I usually try to write a review the day after I finish a book, so I can mull it over a bit. I know my reviews are not that great compared to others, but I don't mind. I mostly write them for me, so that when I am asked about a book I can remember what I thought. I was having a hard time keeping track, and a librarian friend suggested it. I hope I am getting better the more I do it.
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Ahnya wrote: "I agree with Ceri and Sophia, if reviewing takes away from the experience don't bother. I don't think about a review as I read. It does take away from the story for me, and I like to really get in..."Thank you, Ahnya. That's a great idea about it being a note to yourself.
Hi Everyone! I'm Candy! I live in California. You can find me at my blog, So little time... or on twitter @CandyM037. I've been reading JAFF for about 6 or 7 years now. I'm relatively new to Jane Austen, as I hadn't read any of her books until I watched the 2005 Pride and Prejudice and Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility movies.I'm going to do Level Three Anne Elliot. You can read my blog post here: http://candy-m.blogspot.com/2015/01/a...
I love to read modern, early American and Regency romance novels. I also love to read Dystopian/post-Apocalyptic novels, too!
Great to meet everyone! Good luck with your challenges!
Mod
You're like a JAFF queen with that many years under your belt. ;) Love reading your reviews and visiting your blog. Dystopian is a newer interest for me too and I have always been keen for Historical Romance of any era.
Good luck with Anne level!
Yippee! Candy is here. I'm excited to see your reading choices for 2015.
Hello everyone! I'm Anne :) I've only started reading JAFF recently, so I haven't read that many Austen-related books, but so far I like it a lot. I've read 5/6 of Austen's novels (haven't gotten to Northanger Abbey yet) and my favourite was Emma. I've seen many of the Austen movies out there and Sense & Sensibility 2008 is my favourite. I like to read a variety of books, but tend to keep to the historical romance genre. I read a lot of Regency romance, and have recently really gotten into Civil War fiction. For this challenge I'll start with the Caroline Bingley level and try to read 5 Austen-related books this year, then if I do good, I'll update it :)
What a pleasure to meet you, Anne. Welcome to the group. It sounds like we enjoy the same type of reading. My goal has changed and I am trying to review as I read. We shall see how that works. Do you have an idea which 5 books you are thinking of reading?
Mod
That's a great start for the challenge with the Caroline level and working your way up.
So glad to see you here, Anne! :) Good luck with Caroline Bingley!! ;)
I never saw you as a Caroline Bingley, Anne! Good to see you here :)
Decided to go completely mad and aim for the Mr. Bennet level - that way I will have a reason/excuse to buy more books.I have just finished 'This Terrible Love by AnnL' from a writing forum - does anyone know the complete name of this author?
I just finished reading and reviewing my 21st book since January 1st. Many were novellas so were quick reads. I'm finding that I am NOT a lover of this short story format. Enough about that.I am now in the Catherine Moreland range, aren't I? I will have to look. My TBR pile is looking much more manageable. Goal #1. On to goal #2 - Mr. Bennet
Monica wrote: "Go Joy, go! So, last night I started reading Pride, Prejudice and Secrets, in which Elizabeth falls ill, and this morning I wake up with a head cold! Coincidence? Hmm *narrows eyes at CP Odom* lol"OH MY GOODNESS! Did anyone propose to you last night while you were in your head cold fog, Monica? If Darcy or Captain George Fitzwilliam show up and ask you anything - just nod, OK?
(Hope you are better soon.)
Mod
Mod
Too funny, but seriously hope you feel better, Monica.
Monica wrote: "So, last night I started reading Pride, Prejudice and Secrets, in which Elizabeth falls ill, and this morning I wake up with a head cold! Coincidence? Hmm *narrows eyes at CP Odom* lol"lol!! I just won that book in a giveaway, I'm very excited to read it. It has had heaps of good reviews on the blog tour!
I'm getting behind on my goal because I keep getting sidetracked by really good unpublished stories on A Happy Assembly. I've been reading heaps but unfortunately none of the stories count towards this goal as they aren't published!
Joy wrote: "What a pleasure to meet you, Anne. Welcome to the group. It sounds like we enjoy the same type of reading. My goal has changed and I am trying to review as I read. We shall see how that works. Do y..."Pleasure to meet you too, Joy! :) I am glad we have the same reading tastes. I am hoping to get to "Falling for Mr. Darcy" by KaraLynne Mackrory, "Colonel's Brandon's Diary" by Amanda Grange, "Northanger Abbey" by Jane herself, and I'm not sure what else! I'm planning on starting Falling for Mr. Darcy after my current read. :)
Sophia, Maria, Ceri, it's so good to see you ladies here too :D Thank you all and good luck with your challenges as well!
Hi everybody! I'm Sarah and I'm going to do the Caroline Bingley challenge but I'm going to make it hard and nerdy. I'm going to read three books Jane Austen read, and two books written about Jane Austen and her work.Camilla
Samuel Johnson, SelectedEssays
The Mysteries of Udolpho
Jane Austen
The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen
I've been paging through the Cambridge Companion since I got it at Christmas and it's got some really great insights which explain why we cannot give up after JA's six novels, but must continue to read and write about her characters.
Mod
Glad to have you join up. Oh yes, you are planning a vigorous challenge, but I think you will be the wealthier for it. Best of luck conquering the Caro level!
Sarah wrote: "Hi everybody! I'm Sarah and I'm going to do the Caroline Bingley challenge but I'm going to make it hard and nerdy. I'm going to read three books Jane Austen read, and two books written about Jane ..."I love hard and nerdy. Best of wishes on your selections. They ought to take up the year.
Sarah wrote: "Hi everybody! I'm Sarah and I'm going to do the Caroline Bingley challenge but I'm going to make it hard and nerdy. I'm going to read three books Jane Austen read, and two books written about Jane ..."Joy wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Hi everybody! I'm Sarah and I'm going to do the Caroline Bingley challenge but I'm going to make it hard and nerdy. I'm going to read three books Jane Austen read, and two books writt..."
Sarah - You will soon realize that I am a good reader, however, I am NOT good with technology. I accidentally left a comment for you on Sophia's thread. I just wanted you to know that I appreciated your friend request and that I am happy to have another friend to share recommendations with. Sorry about the confusion Sophia and Sarah. Ding-dong!
Ceri, that was very nice of you to say so. I try to live up to my name and some days it is harder than others. I'm just happy my Mom didn't name me Angel or I really would have been in trouble, wouldn't I?
Anne wrote: "Hello everyone! I'm Anne :) I've only started reading JAFF recently, so I haven't read that many Austen-related books, but so far I like it a lot. I've read 5/6 of Austen's novels (haven't gotten t..."Joy wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Hi everybody! I'm Sarah and I'm going to do the Caroline Bingley challenge but I'm going to make it hard and nerdy. I'm going to read three books Jane Austen read, and two books writt..."
Hi Anne!
Candy wrote: "Hi Everyone! I'm Candy! I live in California. You can find me at my blog, So little time... or on twitter @CandyM037. I've been reading JAFF for about 6 or 7 years now. I'm relatively new to Jane A..."Hey Candy!
Sarah wrote: "Hi everybody! I'm Sarah and I'm going to do the Caroline Bingley challenge but I'm going to make it hard and nerdy. I'm going to read three books Jane Austen read, and two books written about Jane ..."Hi Sarah!
A bad habit has developed in my reading and I'm wondering if I am alone in this. My whole purpose in doing this challenge was to clear my TBR pile. However, I find myself rereading some of my favorites so I can review them AND buying new titles to slip to the top of my pile. I've read and reviewed 25 books and few of them are from 2014 and before. So, I've decided to get tough with myself. My goal is to not add to my reading pile before I can knock it down a bit. I'm wondering how this is going to work. Any ideas?
I don't think I could limit myself from adding to my Austenesque TBR so I won't be much help I'm afraid! Maybe just commit to doing an Austenesque challenge every year so you can keep adding :)
Mod
But like Brenda, I am definitely not the one for strict discipline with books, Joy. Haha!
I keep a list of how much I spend so I know the value of books I have sitting there and I try to read more money's worth than I spend each month! That is as close as I get to not buying new ones, just keeping the ratio of TBR read higher than new books. My list also keeps me from rereading too much as the value doesn't go down with a reread, but sometimes you need to reread, I think, revisit old 'friends' :)
That's a good idea, Ceri. I think it would shock me in a bad way to know just how much I've spent. I agree, Sophia, that I am just not capable of passing up the good deals and have little self-control in this area like Brenda. It's so nice to know that I'm not alone.
My "TBR pile" is mostly just a list on GR though and I don't normally buy the book until I'm almost ready to read it. The exceptions are the kindle freebies and the books I caught on sale. I do have a few of those to get through though!
Mod
Good luck on your challenge!
Hi everyone. I'm Tamra and I live in Florida. I fell in love with Jane Austen in high school. I read my first variation in college and have been hooked since. I've passed on my love of Jane Austen to two of my daughters and I'm hopeful my 3rd daughter will grow into an Austen fan. When my oldest had to read Pride & Prejudice for school, she was struggling with understanding the language and complained it was "SOOOOO Boring...". I had to quickly rectify that! We laid in my bed and read it aloud together so I could explain what was happening. She was so into P&P, she didn't want to wait for me so she ended up reading the rest on her own. My girls can quote both P&P movies as I always have them on. I love both P&P movie versions and I find when I'm reading an Austenesque book sometimes I picture Darcy as colin Firth while other times he's Mathew MacFadyen. I joined goodreads to keep track of all the JAFF books I've read so I wouldn't accidentally read a book again. I found out about this group from some of my goodreads friends.
I'm going to go for the Catherine Morland level. I've read 11 Austenesque books so far. I just finished Pride, Prejudice & Secrets, which I really loved. I'm going to read another C.P. Odom book next.
Mod
I love that you took the time to instill the love of reading and Jane Austen with your girls. Welcome, welcome! Good luck with Catherin Morland!
Hi, everyone! I signed up for this by clicking a box a while back, but couldn't recall the name of the group. Luckily, Sophia sent out a group message today, and I guess it was the first one since I signed up. I'm not well, so I haven't been able to read as much as I did a few years ago when I started reading JAFF, and most of that reading was on the forums. I chose Caroline Bingley as an attainable goal. As Lydia would say, what a good joke: I have enough orange lace to do a gown and bonnet for my "Thrift Shop Regency Costume Experiment" blog, and Encyclopedia Sue teased me about being Caroline!
I also think it's all I can manage, since I'm reading a completed story on AHA, following 4, and beta-ing (line editing) a 6th that's currently posting and will be published in a few months (save room on your lists for An Unwavering Trust by Leslie Diamond!), and procrastinating on final edits on my own finished novel!
I have 65 books in my Kindle's High Priority "Unread" Collection, most of which are JAFF. I already had a few novels prioritized:
1) A Father's Sins by J. Dawn King
2) The Persuasion of Jane Austen by Shannon Winslow
(Skip a couple non-JAFF)
3) Arendgast by Rachel Berman (I have to buy this yet--66!)
4) Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match by Marilyn Brant
(Skip another non-JAFF and a couple nonfiction)
5) Pride and Prejudice: the Scenes Jane Austen Never Wrote by the Austen Variations gang
Of course, by the time I get through these, Abigail R. will have a new one and the Lisa Pliscou one I'm pre-ordering in hard copy for the illustrations will be out! 69!
Mod
Not a problem on needing to balance life with reading so Caro away. Look forward to seeing these books coming out.
You've got some real lovelies on your reading pile. Enjoy!
And welcome!
Sophia wrote: "Share...what challenge level you are tackling ..."Late start to this party for me ! Just discovered you today via Ceri's button in her blog sidebar :) But happily joining in at the Anne level #3 ... now off to add some books read to the shelf and taking some to read off the shelf :)
Mod
Well, I am shocked I did not see this group sooner! But, I have many, many JAFF books already under my belt for this year, so I am pretty sure I can reach the Mr. Bennet level even joining this late. I love JAFF and pretty much follow all the places I can find it. I look forward to talking to all of you!
Hi Barbara! Looking forward to seeing what you're reading, always space for more books on the TBR list :)
Mod
We do a lot of chattering about JAFF and other Austen- related stories here as we work the challenge so you are very welcome.
Hi my name is Tina and I live in North Carolina. I have been addicted to JAFF for the last two years at least. I plan to do the Marianne Dashwood challenge every month for JAFF anyways. I'll probably end up reading way more books than that.
Mod
Glad to have another lover of JAFF with us. Starting with Marianne sounds good. Look forward to seeing what you get read.
Hi. I'm Lisa from Kansas. I am going to do the Caroline Bingley challenge for now since I'm starting 1/2 through the year. I look forward to connecting with people who read some of the same stuff I do. I read all kinds of genres. It depends what strikes me that moment.
Mod
That's a good plan to start with the Caro level.
Definitely a fun place to connect with other Austenesque lovers. Feel free to poke about and comment where you would like.
Yay, another mood reader! Good luck on the challenge!
Hi, everyone! Thanks, Ceri, for inviting me to this wonderful group! I realised today that I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Joana Starnes, I live in the UK, I fell in love with Jane Austen's novels in my teens and with JAFF from the moment I discovered it existed. I've spent many happy hours at the 'Republic of Pemberley' and 'Derbyshire Writers' Guild', long before the time of e-books and self-publishing.
My reading these days is terribly erratic. Sometimes I devour 5 books in a week and other times I get so caught up in writing, editing and/or the 'day job' that I don't make much of a dent in my huge TBR list. I'm hoping that one day I might get to read all the second-hand books I bought over the years, but there's little chance of that because I keep adding more and more books to my kindle.
It's great to be here, with lots and lots of old friends and hopefully making new ones. So wonderful to chat to people who like the same things!
Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2015
Books mentioned in this topic
Pemberley's Promise (other topics)Yours Forevermore, Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (other topics)
Mr. Darcy's Refuge: A Pride & Prejudice Variation (other topics)
Il diario di Mr. Darcy (other topics)
Elinor & Marianne (other topics)
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