Sunday Salon: A Challenge Wrap Up & Reading?

With some sadness, I post knowing that I head back to work on Monday. (Although, I get fun visits from past students who wander home from college!) This break has been really nice, and while busy, I was able to do a lot of good things around my new house to put things in order. In fact, Thanksgiving night I put up my Christmas tree and decorated the house. It looks so nice! I actually don't know why I didn't do it sooner.

On this Sunday, I have lots of good intentions (now that the house is cleaned and all the errands have been taken care of) to do a little cooking for next week, grade a few reports, and to sit back and read a bit.


I still haven't finished a book yet, but would like to carve out several hours in the afternoon to finish White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner, and possibly dig into a few others I have kicking around here. I'm crossing my fingers that strange things don't pop up to throw the day off, as is normal!

As mentioned in my last post, I finished the Everything Austen Challenge. It was a fun challenge, and I have to say, the easiest based on the types of books I tend to read! It was funny that I hadn't noticed how many "Austen-esque" books I tend to read, but boy did this challenge show me. :) Below is a quick run down of what I read:

1. Darcy and Anne by Judith Brocklehurst (7/24)
   
2. The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview (9/29)
3. Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard (11/4)
4. Willoughby's Return by Jane Odiwe (11/11)
5. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler (11/27)
6. Pride and Prejudice by THE Jane Austen (11/27)

I actually have several more Austen genre novels coming up, so I could add to my list here! Thankfully though, I have managed to complete my first ever reading challenge. Thanks to Stephanie at Stephanie's Written Word for this great challenge!

Also, don't forget to stop in to enter for my giveaway of a hardback copy of Sherman Alexie's newest, War Dances!

What are you going to be reading today, to wrap up this last week?

Double Review: Everything Austen Wrap-Up Double Feature

Happy day after Thanksgiving! I have much to be thankful for this year, and all year round. I had a great visit and houseful with my aunt & uncle's family in from Idaho. We had a great time the night before Thanksgiving eating lasagna (because the food HAS TO be vastly different from what we were about to pig out on), playing games, and chatting all night. It was a really nice time. That next day they headed to their son's house, and I headed to another aunt and uncle's home. It was a leisurely day, and delightful as such!

As for my reading, wow, has it suffered in the last week! It's okay, because I've had many great and wonderful things going on, but it still feels strange to not have read a single book in the past week! I'll be remedying that over the next several days, as I pick through a stack of over 24 books I have checked out for just this occasion. I did, earlier this month, finish the Everything Austen Challenge. This challenge made me realize that I'm quite an Austen aficionado. :) I still have several more books coming up that would fit this challenge. For my final two picks for the challenge, I read Jane Austen's most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, and also Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler.

What is there to say about Pride and Prejudice that hasn't been said in a million different ways, by a million different devoted fans and readers? I'll resist giving a synopsis of this most famous novel, not only by Austen, but also by just about any author. There really is something that we readers love about Elizabeth Bennett, with her spunky ability to zing a proud Mr. Darcy, and the brooding compassion and love demonstrated by Mr. Darcy for Elizabeth. We love this novel. I really think that our love and appreciation for Mr. Darcy comes from an observation made by Anne in the series Anne of Green Gables when she remarks that it's not that we want a man that is bad, but could, but chooses not to be. It's somewhere in the fact that they KNOW about the badness, but show you their fortitude not to embrace it. While I think that the book takes awhile to get into completely, the plot builds in such a way that you get sucked in and have to keep reading...even if you already know what's going to happen. (For more information, see: Pride and Prejudice.)

I also read this book on my Kindle, which satisfies my 5th in the E-Book Reader Challenge.

Synopsis: In this second novel by Laurie Viera Rigler (not a follow up to Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict), we travel forward in time, not back to the Victorian Era. In Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict we find that Jane Mansfield has woken in our modern times as L.A. girl Courtney Stone. Not only must she navigate the fact that she is a completely different person, but also that she is in a time period where people can randomly talk through a handheld device, watch stories acted out in a box with a glass screen, and travel at excessive speeds in a metal object not pulled by horses! It all might seem overwhelming and is, when Jane learns that she has broken up with a scoundrel fiance, and is being comforted by a "friend" who her supposed friends also dislike. What's a girl to do?

Review: Out of the two books written by Rigler, this version was actually my favorite. I listened to this book on CD, and have to say that this was another audio book that I would actually recommend. I thought that the acting and reading voices were believable and engaging. Besides liking the audio version of this story, I also just really liked the story. Although time travel stories are getting old (at least in my opinion), I liked Jane Mansfield, and I wanted to see her happy and settled in our modern day. In the end, isn't that what's most important in a story, that you care about the characters? Overall, I really did enjoy the escape factor of this story. I may not read this over and over again, but it was a fun escape and a fun way to wrap up the challenge. (For more information, see: Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict.)

***These complete the Everything Austen Challenge. Pride and Prejudice was my own copy, and Rigler's audio book was checked out from the library.

Review: Willoughby's Return by Jane Odiwe

Here it is midweek, and I feel like I was just staring down the week on Sunday night! Where do the days fly off to, and how can I keep up? When I head off to school in the mornings, I always sigh and pray for the day to go smoothly and find me back home again soon. It's not that I don't enjoy teaching, because I do, but it is work (with teens no less)! So here I am, amazed that we have almost tackled yet another work week.

This week I wanted to review another great Jane Austen sequel that was just released on the first of this month, by Jane Odiwe, Willoughby's Return. Although I've often reviewed Pride and Prejudice sequels and remakes, this particular novel takes a second look at Sense and Sensibility and allows us to consider "what if" in following the Dashwoods out of those final pages of Austen's original novel.

Synopsis: In this sequel to Sense and Sensibility we find Marianne Dashwood Brandon married to Colonel Brandon, and now turning her sights on matchmaking for her younger sister Margaret. Although Marianne dearly loves her husband, the Colonel often leaves to take care of his young charge (a young child fathered by his first love's daughter & none other than Willoughby), which leaves Marianne feeling insecure about her relationship. As she frequently watches as the Colonel, rather honorably, takes off to care for his charge, Marianne secretly wonders if he does so out of a continued love that he can't quite get over.

To complicate things further, Willoughby returns, only to stir up old feelings that Marianne thought she'd stamped out. Both characters are married, but it soon becomes apparent that there is unfinished business, and Marianne must decide if her love and relationship with the Colonel trumps that of her first love. Besides, isn't he also still harboring feelings for his first love?

Review: Let me begin by saying that I really did enjoy this novel. I did, however, have a pretty emotional response to the story. Having "loved and lost" in a pretty intense way myself, I hated the thought that this first love might haunt you throughout your days. This wasn't the only reason for my response. I also felt that Marianne and the Colonel kept dancing around the subject of their insecurities. Maybe it's a modern concept, but a simple conversation or two might have proved invaluable in clearing the air on their relationship and how they felt; passages of a romantic nature (not graphic or even stated at all) did not mend the initial problem, and left me feeling anxious for all that went unsaid between the two. Let me not mention how dastardly Willoughby appears in this story as well. While dashing, the fact that he could overlook a wife of his own, to once again reconsider Marianne, even after crushing and humiliating her, was frustrating. Why should Marianne even give him a second glance? Oh, but am I bringing up more of what I would do in this situation, with my fantasies of slamming a door in my own first real love's face...nah...right?

The only real quibble I have with the story came in the narration. The style was in keeping with the time, but watching as the story switched back and forth from Marianne to Margaret was sometimes confusing and I sometimes had to backtrack to see who I was following. Because of the impact Willoughby was having on the story, each time it switched to Margaret, I really felt like skimming forward. It's not that Margaret was an insignificant element to the story, but just now what I was wanting to learn more about. This is a good story and entertaining follow up to Sense and Sensibility, and one that allows the reader to explore the "what if" factor of a love lost.

This is my fourth of six in the Everything Austen Challenge. Also, for more information about the novel, see:Willoughby's Return.

***This review based off of an Advanced Release Copy sent to me by Sourcebooks.

Review: Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard

Thanks for humoring me in my last post. I couldn't help but find it funny. We're over our midweek hump, and I'm eager and excited for the next two days to come and go. At school we're reading Oedipus the King in my junior classes, and we're finishing up "The Knight's Tale" and Beowulf in my AP classes. They've both been great pieces to teach, and have given me a little "umph" factor in my motivation as a teacher. I love it when I see students engage with a text, and rather than simply say, "This is boring," or, "Why are we reading this," they follow along and even ask questions. It's just really a great feeling.

Okay, enough about that! In my own time, I'm reading great "kick-back-and-relax" escape reads. Mandy Hubbard's novel, Prada and Prejudice just happens to be one that I read over the readathon that was a cute little, relaxing read.

Synopsis: In this YA novel, 15 year old Callie begins the story on a school trip to the UK. Feeling a sense of insecurity over her social position, Callie believes that if she were to buy an expensive pair of real Prada high heels, that she might gain the respect and attention of the popular girls she is traveling with. This is all thwarted when she trips in her new Pradas on the sidewalk outside the store and wakes in the Regency period. Callie wanders up to a home, and is mistaken as a much awaited visitor who is also going to be coming from America. Callie takes on this person's identity so that she has somewhere to stay, and so she can figure out how she came to this crazy place! While there she comes to learn that she is staying in the home of a very handsome duke, who she feels is too big for his britches. For Callie, it becomes a challenge to survive without humiliating herself and the people she is staying with, all while trying to figure out why she's there and if she can get back to her tour group!

Review: I read this for the 24-Hour Readathon. This was a great choice, as it was a light read, and I could get through it pretty quickly. I suppose the engagement-factor was high. Callie did drive me crazy a bit, with her incessant need to fit in, but as a high school teacher I can acknowledge that these insecurities are pretty normal. I did enjoy Callie's mishaps and slip of the tongue in the Regency time, but felt that she had only just become comfortable with her life there when everything changed. The ending was a bit predictable, but the story was cute, and the characters and relationships were constructed well enough to be engaging. Overall, I'd say that it's a cute, fast read for anyone who ever wished they could slip back in time to the Regency period!

This book also counts as another for my participation in the Everything Austen Challenge. This is my 3rd of 6 completed.

For more information, see: Prada and Prejudice.

Review: The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview

Thank you again to Sourcebooks for the wonderful opportunity of reading The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview. Having recently read a book about Anne de Bourgh, Darcy and Anne by Judith Brocklehurst, I was a bit surprised to find another book told from another "fringe" character to the original Jane Austen novel. If you haven't noticed, I tend to be quite a sucker for any story that surrounds an Austen theme, so I was game for yet another. This also qualifies as my second in the "Everything Austen Challenge," for which I'm still re-reading the original Pride and Prejudice, after which, I plan on watching the BBC version of the film. This novel just made for a fun prelude to all my other Austen endeavors!

Synopsis: On the day of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy's wedding to Elizabeth Bennett, Caroline Bingley collapsed in tears in a nearby room. To her horror and dismay, she was not alone, and finds that a rather handsome man was seated in the room and had witnessed her tears. One year later, this embarrassing moment is brought to her attention when the man reenters her life. She learns that not only does this man know of her heartbreak over losing Mr. Darcy, but that he is said heartbreaker's cousin, Robert Darcy, from the United States.

Thrown together by their families, and a tragedy that has befallen Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam, the two travel with Charles and Jane to Pemberley. Along the way, Caroline and Robert become friends, and Caroline is able to allow Robert to be her protectorate along the way. The question then becomes if a man from Boston, and an upper-class British woman, at a time when the two countries are at war, can find enough in common to really be friends and understand one another? The other question is whether or not Caroline can see Robert as anything more than yet another man who has come along to make her pursuit of an eligible man to marry more difficult?

Review: While many of us have preconceived ideas about the snobbery and catty nature that the classic Caroline Bingley portrayed in Austen's original novel, Fairview chooses to show a more developed and complex Bingley. I will admit that I have never been much of a Caroline fan, in fact, I quite relished the fact that Elizabeth could say to her, "Nah, nah, nuh-nah, nah" after marrying Darcy, so I struggled to warm up to this character. However, after you see the weaknesses and hurt behind Caroline's prickly behavior of Austen's novel, it becomes much easier to empathise with her. In fact, at one point Jane Bingley asks Caroline if she is happy, to which she responds,

It is true I have not been as cheerful as I am used to. With so many marriages taking place, I suppose, I have been considering my single state more than usual. (151)

These lines made me smile, and even chuckle a little, as anyone who is single and has been exposed to a flurry of weddings can readily understand Caroline's expression here. As the reader, however, you not only feel for her losses, but also want to see her understood, happy, and content. To this, Robert Darcy seems like a perfect hero to come sweeping in, but things just can't be that simple. Differences in culture, ideals, and propriety put these two characters at odds, even if their friendship seems to continue to build. The greatest saving grace to their friendship and relationship, Robert's gallantry.

Although I was frequently distracted by the number of times sentences started with conjunctions (yes, I'm one of those), I enjoyed this clean and charming read. The writing was still very charming, and kept a tone and style that felt indicative of the time period. I do think that this is an easy read to escape into, and not distracting away from a purist's love of the original telling of Pride and Prejudice.

For more information see: The Other Mr. Darcy: Did you know Mr. Darcy had an American cousin?.

This also completes my second in the Everything Austen Challenge.

Review: Darcy and Anne by Judith Brocklehurst

On September 1st, the novel Darcy and Anne will be released for sale. I'm jumping the gun a little in my review, but felt that in light of the Everything Austen Challenge going on, that this might be a fun, short little option for those involved.

Synopsis: What happened to Anne de Bourgh after Darcy married Elizabeth? How did his marriage change the relationship between Anne and her mother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh? In this sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Judith Brocklehurst picks up the story by examining Anne's life. For once we get a view into Anne's mind and can see how she felt about Darcy (wasn't interested in him either), and how she feels about her mother's incessant pressures on her to marry titled or wealthy men.

Review: This is an extremely short little novel, and one that is easy to fall into. I have read several other books that have included Anne and who she became after Darcy's marriage, but I really enjoyed reading a book with her as the focus. In a way, it was another side story that rather than tread on any details about Darcy and Elizabeth, focused on Anne and her desires. The one drawback for me, and this could really be seen as quite a positive note to the writer's story, I felt that the ending was a bit rushed. There seemed to me to be a lot of build up to the action presented in the last quarter of the book, and I would have liked a bit more explanation for things that happened between Anne, her mother, and the other characters involved. Overall though, I think it was a sweet little novel, and would be a great, quick read for the Everything Austen Challenge, or just for a clean, fun, light afternoon read.

Remember this for your shopping list! It comes out on September 1, 2009.

For more information: Darcy and Anne: It is a truth universally acknowledged that Lady Catherine will never find a husband for Anne...

Everything Austen Challenge: Winner of the Hawaiian Bookmark

To launch my participation in the Everything Austen Challenge being run by Stephanie's Written Word, I hosted a quick giveaway. Here in Hawaii, I discovered these great wood bookmarks that I've fallen in love with! Well, since I have a few that I've purchased, I thought it would be fun to give one away.

Four people guess the picture correctly. It is from the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, when Darcy hands Lizzy into the carriage after her stay while caring for her sister Jane. I love this picture, and it's my screen saver. :) I swear, almost every time I used my laptop to run PowerPoint presentations at school, my students would say, "What's that?!?" Then I'd have to admit to my obsession with all things Austen!

Anyway, I digress! Heidenkind (Tasha), Jemima, Melissa, and Stephanie each guessed it correctly. I drew numbers through random.org, and the winner is:

Heidenkind

Congrats! I'll be emailing you for your mailing address!

Rejuvenate & Renew Challenge Update: 7/6 to 7/12 and a Giveaway!

No new, real progress for me this week. I have been happily trying to find my way back into reading after HOURS a day working on the online classes I teach. Thankfully, I have finished a few books this week, and am feeling a bit more chipper about life again. :) Hopefully, I can finish my second book in the challenge, soon!

On another note, I would like to announce a giveaway associated with the challenge. Some of you might recall that I'm an avid fan of Bravo's hit show, "The Real Housewives of _______" (fill in blank w/ location). Yes, I've watched them all, and yes, I can tell you about any and all of these ladies (and a few husbands/boyfriends). I'm in good company being hooked on this show, as Anderson Cooper has admitted to his own love of the show, so I feel much better! Having said that, one of my favorite "housewives," Bethenny Frankel (of "The Real Housewives of New York City"), is a chef and writer who put out a new book about dieting, Naturally Thin. As part of the challenge, I have one signed copy of her book to give away at the conclusion of the challenge on September 1st.

To enter the giveaway:

1. Join the challenge! There is a small handful of us working on this, but I'd like to limit the giveaway to those who participated with me. So, if you would like to join in, check out the Rejuvenate & Renew Challenge for more information.
2. Read at least one book for the challenge, and then review it with a link here to share it with the rest of us! We're reading three, but if you can even get through one, that would be great!

That's it! I've got her signed copy with me here in Hawaii, and unless something horrible happens in the transport back to the mainland (please no!), then I will do the drawing on September 1st!

For more information about Frankel's book see: Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting

***One last reminder. Don't forget to stop by and make a guess as to the origin of the Jane Austen film clip I've included in my Everything Austen Challenge introductory post. I'll be drawing one winner on 7/10 to win the cutest wooden Hawaiian bookmark. I buy them at the gift shop in Waimea Valley, which is this awesome natural and archeaological site. They are awesome, and I thought I'd share one for fun. Aloha!

Everything Austen Challenge & a Quick Giveaway

I haven't been myself these past two days, so I didn't get this post up in time, but have been excited to announce that I'm joining the "Everything Austen Challenge" over at Stephanie's Written Word. Here are the details, in short:

The details! The Everything Austen Challenge will run for six months (July 1, 2009 – January 1, 2010)! All you need to do is pick out what six Austen-themed things you want to finish to complete the challenge.

She goes on to list a myriad of Austen items you might choose for your list, so here are the Austen-related things I've decided on:

1. Re-read Pride and Prejudice (on my Kindle...since it's been about 10 years since I read the original!)
2. The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy
3. The Other Mr. Darcy
4. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre
5. What Would Jane Austen Do
6. Re-Watch the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice

***A FEW OTHER AUSTEN OPTIONS: Just as a side note, at the beginning of the week, I posted a "condensed review" of two books coming out in September. Neither of these books appeared on Stephanie's original list, so I might recommend them to any that are involved in this challenge. You can see my post under "Release Dates: Jane Austen Sequels and Period Pieces." I also reviewed Sharon Lathan's extremely romantic sequel to Pride and Prejudice, Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, which I adored for all it's romantic possibilities. Please put aside your own prejudices against sequels and give it a try! Last of all, I reviewed a romance novel, Seducing Mr. Darcy, which you can follow the hyperlink to read my review. I must be a real sucker for all things Austen, because while it was definitely a "romance" in all the best ways, I laughed my way through the novel and give it two thumbs up for entertainment. So, here are a few additional options to try out! (If you click on my Pride and Prejudice label, I think there might even be a couple I've missed, but I've listed some that stand out to me as especially good or memorable, in my opinion.)

I can't wait to get started! If you'd like to join, please visit Stephanie's Written Word (linked above) to participate. Also, in anticipation of the 4th of July, let me wish everyone the very best holiday!


This picture is the background on mylaptop. Can you tell where this comes from? Leave me a comment, letting me know where it comes from (be specific), and I'll draw one comment on July 10th to win a pretty little bookmark from Waimea Park here in Hawaii (I've fallen in LOVE with these bookmarks...they are wood & super flat). Please include your email address so I can contact you after the drawing! Twitter the giveaway, and come back to let me know and I'll add you in for another entry.