Tag Archives: Jane Austen

Emma, Wild, Phantom Tollbooth, Under the Skin

American Literature, British Literature March 29, 2015 Superfast Reader

I keep getting fed up with books and not finishing them. What is wrong with me? Two recent give-ups were The Buried Giant and The Book of Strange New Things. The former I dropped because it just go so boring, and the latter I dropped because the Christian missionary main characters didn’t ring true for me and my brain got tired from arguing with the book. I didn’t quite finish Wild by Cheryl Strayed, which was this month’s pick for book club. I meant to…

Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker by Emma Hox

British Literature April 15, 2010 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: A retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a crucial plot element changed. Review: I tried to read Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker, I really did, but from the first sentence the writing was so clumsy and prosaic that I just couldn’t go on past the first few pages. And I admire Pride and Prejudice as much as the next person, but it’s not such a beloved of mine that I feel like I need some fan fiction. Come to think of it, fan fiction isn’t really…

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

American Literature February 1, 2010 Superfast Reader 5 Comments

Synopsis: Sent to Oxford to present at a Jane Austen conference on behalf of her sister, an unemployed young woman pretends to be a pediatrician to impress a handsome bachelor and makes the acquaintance of a dotty old woman claiming to have the manuscript of Austen’s first draft of Pride and Prejudice. Review: Before I get into my review of Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart, I need to make a confession. The book’s editor–who also receives a heartfelt dedication from the author–is a good friend…

Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Patillo

American Literature March 9, 2009 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: Jane Austen scholar Emma hunts Austen’s lost love letters in the hopes of restoring her besmirched academic name and to prove to the world that Austen was wrong about happy endings. Review: I came to Jane Austen relatively late in life. We were assigned Pride and Prejudice as summer reading in ninth grade. Honestly? It bored me to tears. For this sole reason I eschewed majoring in English in college in favor of a theater/American Studies combo just so that I could avoid British…

Favorite Author Meme

On Reading June 4, 2008 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Heather at Errant Dreams came up with a wonderful meme–enjoy & consider yourself tagged! * Answer the questions as you see fit. Although theyâ€™re all phrased to ask about a singular author, feel free to respond with multiples, or even a list. * Where possible & convenient (you donâ€™t have to go as crazy as I did!), include a link here or there to an authorâ€™s website, your review of one of their books, or a review that inspired you to try the author(s), so…

May I Introduce… (Booking Through Thursday)

On Reading January 10, 2008 Superfast Reader 7 Comments

How did you come across your favorite author(s)? Recommended by a friend? Stumbled across at a bookstore? A book given to you as a gift? Was it love at first sight? Or did the love affair evolve over a long acquaintance? You can find my favorite authors listed in the first sidebar column. Here’s a rundown of how I met them all: CS Lewis–My father read the Chronicles of Narnia to me when was a little girl. For my 6th birthday, I had a cake…

100 Most Influential Books by Women

On Reading December 17, 2007 Superfast Reader 11 Comments

Via BookGal–I’ve bolded the ones I’ve read. 1. Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind 2. Anne Rice, Interview With the Vampire 3. Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse 4. Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway 5. Virginia Woolf, The Waves 6. Virginia Woolf, Orlando 7. Djuna Barnes, Nightwood 8. Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth 9. Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence 10. Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome 11. Radclyffe Hall, The Well of Loneliness 12. Nadine Gordimer, Burger’s Daughter 13. Harriette Simpson Arnow, The Dollmaker 14. Margaret Atwood,…

Story vs. Language

On Reading July 30, 2007 Superfast Reader 6 Comments

From my shared items (available in the top left corner of the blog, as well as by RSS), I thought I’d highlight this post from the Guardian. It opens:

Austenland by Shannon Hale

American Literature June 2, 2007 Superfast Reader 9 Comments

Synopsis: When her great-aunt bequeaths her a trip to a role-playing resort called Austenland, Jane must discover whether playing dress-up in Regency clothes can cure her of her Colin Firth obsession and help her find real love, once and for all.

The Books of My Life

On Reading May 24, 2007 Superfast Reader 10 Comments

Here’s another meme (HT Poodlerat) that’s been going around that I’m finally able to do. Last night’s book read was an incredibly tedious memoir. Thanks for sharing! A book that made you cry: A book that seems to make a lot of my lists: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. A book that scared you: Hostage to the Devil by Malachi Martin. It’s five accounts of supposedly true possession and exorcism accounts, and it scared me so bad that I read it twice then…

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i read all the books