The End of Austen In August (2013)

The end of Austen In August has come.  I meant to read and watch so much more.  There's always next year.  I really enjoyed sharing the love for Jane Austen with so many people.  I've found a few more blogs to stalk follow.  I hope everyone else had a great time too.  

Here is what I read:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel

Emma

Here is what I watched:

Clueless

I think I might continue reading Austen related works for a while. I really wanted to read Dawn of the Dreadfuls after PPZ:TGN, but I thought I should read one actual book by Jane Austen for Austen in August.  Emma was fantastic and Clueless was the perfect followup.

Thanks to Adam at Roof Beam Reader for hosting this fun event.  What was your favourite Austen in August  book or movie this month?

A to Z Book Survey

I saw the A to Z Book Survey at What Red Read, who saw it at Sarah Says Read, who got it from The Perpetual Page Turner, the survey creator. I've done two A to Z type surveys in the past.  One was AmaZing Books: From A to Z, listing favourite books beginning with each letter of the alphabet.  The other was Authors From A – Z, Almost, a list of favourite authors with last names starting with each letter of the alphabet. Am I joining a bandwagon? Or do I just like any excuse to list things?

Authors you've read the most books from:  Stephen King, followed closely by J.K. Rowling (I’ve read everything Rowling has written, including The Causal Vacancy and The Cuckoo’s Calling).  *Goodreads was very helpful with this.

Best sequel ever: I am reading/have read quite a few series.  Who had the best sequel?  To hopefully make this easier, I’m sticking to the second book in a series… Even thought it's been a while, I think the best sequel might actually be The Vampire Lestat from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles.

Currently reading: Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood.  It’s a re-read in preparation to read the final book, Maddaddam.

Drink of choice while reading:  Water or Tea.

Ereader or physical book: Yes.

Fictional character that you probably would have dated in high school:  Peeta (The Hunger Games) maybe?  He bakes!

Glad you gave this book a chance: Falling Kingdoms, by Morgan Rhodes and The Crystal Shard, by R.A. Salvatore.

Hidden gem book: I’m going to echo Red a bit on this one.  Kindred, by Octavia Butler.  Read it.  Also, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston.

Important moment in your reading life: I think I'm copying Red again... My blog. I love sharing what I'm reading and other bookish and life things with everyone.

Just finished: All the Wrong Questions #1: Who Could It Be At This Hour?, by Lemony Snicket

Kind of books you won't read: I’ll read almost anything.  I tend to steer away from Romance/Erotica, but never say never.

Longest book you read: Goodreads says…. Under the Dome, by Stephen King!  That was my guess too.

Major book hangover because of: Most recently, I would say Their Eyes Were Watching God, maybe Villette, by Charlotte Brontë.

Number of bookcases you own: 5 and they’re bursting at the seams.  I need at least one more, if not two.

One book you've read multiple times: I don’t re-read a lot, but I’m trying to do that more.  The most recent book I've re-read was Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Preferred place to read: Bed or the rocking chair next to the window in the living room.

Quote that inspires you: “The writer who breeds more words than he needs is making a chore for the reader who reads." - Dr. Seuss

Reading regret: I get distracted, especially if I'm ereading, because I have a tablet, not a dedicated reader, so I get little notifications and popups talking to me all the time.

Series you started and need to finish: I read too many series and I need to finish more of them.  Probably the two that have lurked the longest are The Legend of Drizzt, by R.A. Salvatore and The Vampire Chronicles, by Anne Rice.

Three of your all-time favorite books: The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling and Kindred, by Octavia Butler

Unapologetic fangirl for: Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, R.A. Salvatore, Khaled Hoseinni, J.K. Rowling and there are too many to name....

Very excited for this release: I was very excited for Maddaddam, by Margaret Atwood, but I just got my copy yesterday (yay!)  Tied for second, Allegiant, by Veronica Roth and Champion, by Marie Lu.

Worst bookish habit: Allow me to quote Red this time: "Feeling the need to finish a book even if I'm not liking it. I need to learn to let go"

X marks the spot! start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book: The Sweet Hereafter, by Russell Banks.  I've had the book for a LONG time and haven't read it.  It's because I know what happens and I might cry.

Your last bookish purchase: On Saturday I bought Alif the Unseen, by G. Willow Wilson and Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut.

Zzz-snatcher: Most recently I'd say The Cuckoo's Calling.

Wahoo!  I really enjoy doing these things.

Who Could It Be At This Hour?

Who Could It Be At This Hour? is the first book in Lemony Snicket's newest series, All The Wrong Questions. The book is wonderfully fun. It's short, interesting and quirky. If your familiar with Snicket's series A Series Of Unfortunate Events, you'll see the same distinct writing style.  Who Could It Be At This Hour? follows Lemony Snicket's apprenticeship after his "unusual education."  I'm assuming this apprenticeship is for the VFD (if you've read Unfortunate Events, you'll know what I mean).  His chaperone is abysmal.  How she ever became a member of the organization I don't understand.  She's so annoyingly shortsighted.  There's also something strange about the innkeeper.... and the phone.... and the coffee shop.

Why do the adults not listen to children?  They're not even that young.  12 or 13 seems like a pretty good age where someone can explain what is going on. Also, Stew's parents are awful, so blind and so like other parents I've seen. I love Snicket's characters, especially the girls. Moxie and Ellington were fabulous, though different. I also loved brothers Pip and Squeak (nicknames). They were smart and fun.

The illustrations are super cute.  They're interesting and I think they really add depth to the story.  Snicket's illustrator is Seth, a different one from his last series and from his other books.  I really enjoyed this distinct style and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with for the next book.

My only minor complaint about Who Could It Be At This Hour? is that the story is left hanging, by a lot.  Not just a little.  I know it's the first of four volumes, but I still wish there was a little more conclusion in the ending.  I don't feel like enough questions were answered, though the series is called All The Wrong Questions, so what could I expect?  One thing the conclusion definitely did was made me eager for the second book, When Did You See Her Last? (clearly a "wrong question").  I have to know what happens.  I imagine I am already sucked into this world the same way I was with Unfortunate Events. If Snicket keeps publishing books with clever stories and mysteries that need solving, I'll keep reading them.

(You know, I really should read something by Daniel Handler.  I've only ever read the Snicket books... Though I've only read Sophie Kinsella and not Madeline Wickham too.  Maybe my brain can't made the crossover...)

Clueless

This is going to be spoilery because I can't compare Emma and Clueless without talking about the characters and plot.

After reading Emma, the urge to watch Clueless was irrsistable.  I couldn't help it.  Clueless came out while I was a teenager.  I've always watch this movie with some nostalgia.  The fashion reminds me so much of high school.  I didn't live in nearly as high end a neighbourhood as Cher and her friends, but the knee stockings, the bare midriffs, and plaid were all popular.  The guys wore baggy pants with their underwear showing (which seems to not have actually gone out of style... yikes!); the flannel shirts, the greasy hair were everyday wear.  I could see Cher's point, girls were supposed to find this attractive?  Grunge was the it thing. The cell phones!  Kids with cell phones and pagers!  I knew kids like that.  Honestly, why did they need both? Watching Clueless always makes me happy.

This was the first time, however, that I've watched Clueless since reading Emma.  I didn't know for years that Clueless was based on Austen's novel.  When I found out, I was surprised and I wanted to read the book... but I didn't... for a really long time.  This summer, I decided to sign up for Roof Beam Reader's Austen in August event and thought that it would be the perfect time to read Emma and re-watch Clueless (though I've probably seen it at least once a year since it came out).

Cher is an amazing interpretation of Emma.  Cher is upper class, vain and beautiful.  She also learns and grows.  Tai is a great version of Harriet Smith.  I had so much fun matching up the characters.  I loved Christian's story and how it differs from Frank Churchill.  The scene with Cher and Elton is a great modernization of what happened to Emma and Mr. Elton; Mr. Elton would have definitely left Emma behind. Amber, I watched the movie thinking, hey, she reminds me of Mrs. Elton... and that's because she is Mrs Elton.  I liked the choice to make Amber part of the entire movie instead of just bringing her in after Cher rejects Elton.  Josh was an interesting version of Knightly.  I didn't think they were as similar as some of the other characters, but Josh did play the more serious, mature gentleman to vain Cher, as Knightly did with Emma.  Cher's father is the opposite of Mr. Woodhouse in personality.  In both though, the daughter worries about her father's help and it is her duty to take care of him.

I think having such an affinity for the movie enhanced my reading of Emma.  I also think that watching Clueless after reading Emma made me appreciate the characters and events of the movie more.  It was a new perspective for an old favourite.  Read Emma, watch Clueless.  They are loads of fun and worth every minute.

Random List: Books I Probably Wouldn't Have Read If Not For Required Reading

Inspired by a post I saw on a blog I can't remember (sorry), I decided to create this little list.  I was then reminded I hadn't finished it when I saw The Broke and The Bookish's A Cocktail and Conversation. I decided to post some of my favourite books that were required reading.  I'm not saying I would have never read these books, but way back in my school days, I probably wouldn't have picked them up by choice.  These required books, from both high school and university have stayed with me over the years.  They have led me to favourite authors and enriched my reading life.

1. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

2. Coming Through Slaughter, by Michael Ondaatje

3. A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal, by William Wordsworth (I know it's a poem, but I had to include it.)

4. The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath

5. The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham

6. Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare

7. David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens

8. Kindred, by Octavia Butler

9. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

10. Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder

I decided to stick with ten, a nice round number.  I should mention though, that I would never have read Ethel Wilson, Edith Wharton, Henry James or Thomas Hardy without required reading... and probably a whole slew of other fantastic authors.  I know required reading is often dreaded, but so many times I didn't need to worry.

Emma

Emma was so clueless! Emma is the story of Emma Woodhouse, a very vain girl who basically thinks herself better than everyone else. She assumes that she is smarter, higher class and more clever. She fancies herself a matchmaker, which takes her on an interesting adventure through the lives of her friends and family. I can see why someone decided to make a modern interpretation of Emma. Emma is vain, but endearing. Jane Austen fills her novel full of drama and distinct personalities. It is all seen through Emma, but the personalities of the other characters shine through (wasn't Mrs. Elton insufferable?!). Emma takes a journey and I think she becomes a better person. 

I was excited and enthralled by Emma.  It's pretty close to becoming my favourite Austen...  I often found myself talking to Emma or rolling my eyes at her. I connected with her even though she was not always sympathetic.  I really enjoyed her cluelessness. I called all the matches, even the ones that didn't relate to Clueless, but I was an outsider looking in.  Emma saw what she wanted, used her ideas of society and propriety and wishful thinking.

After reading Sarah's guest post on Roof Beam Reader (the host of Austen In August), I've been thinking about marriage in Austen's novels and in Austen's time.  You really did not want to be an unmarried woman. Except for maybe Emma, if the women in the novel did not get married or have some other man to take care of them, what would become of them?  Become a governess?  A low-paying job with little respect (which I don't understand, wouldn't you want the person taking care of your children to feel some sort of attachment to them?  If you didn't respect or pay them well, how well would they teach your children?).  Look at what happened to the Dashwoods in Sense and Sensibility. In Pride and Prejudice Mrs. Bennet's overly-eager behaviour regarding marrying off her daughters can be understandable if they would be left destitute otherwise.  I suppose that was another time.  At least now, a woman can make a living (almost as much money as a man, but that's another topic) and not worry about being homeless if she doesn't marry.  (For more, read Sarah's post.)

Was "Jane" a common name in Jane Austen's time?  Or does it signify something in the characters who bare the author's name. Jane Bennet, was a quiet, lovely girl and so was Jane Fairfax (I really liked and felt sorry for Jane Fairfax for most of the novel). After difficulties and misunderstandings, they find love, though not front and centre like Lizzy and Emma.

Emma certainly left me thinking more than I expect it would.  I knew I would like Emma, I just didn't know how much I would love it..... Now I have to watch Clueless! 

Title 7/60 for The Classics Club.

Austen in August is hosted by Adam at Roof Beam Reader.

I Will Be Reading....

4!

4 was the number of the Classics Club Spin.  That means, from the list I posted on Thursday, I will be reading The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.  It was a late addition to the list and honestly, I can't tell you what it's about right now.  I just remember thinking Ethan Frome was a great book and wanting to read more by Wharton.  I know The House of Mirth isn't nearly as long as my last Spin book, which I did not finish on time.  I'm looking forward to reading a book that's been sitting on my shelf for years and hopefully I'll finish it before October 1st.  

(Can I tell you a secret?  I was honestly hoping for Cat's Cradle.)

The Spin Will Be Spun Again!

I liked the Classics Club Spin last time, so I'm joining in again.  I find it encourages me to keep at my classics list and helps me not fall behind. The Spin is spinning for the 3rd time.  It's easy to participate.  All you have to do is list 20 books, make sure they're numbered, and on Monday a number will be randomly generated.  Then you have to (try to) read that book by October 1st.

The Club suggests a way to make the Spin more interesting and challenging, by choosing five books for each of these categories: Hesitant, Excited, Neutral, Free Choice - Re-reads, ancients, favourite authors, etc.  I couldn't really get five for each category.  Primarily because though I'm hesitant and excited about some reads, I'm not really neutral about any of them.  So, I decided to make up my own categories.  For my Classics Club list, I didn't choose all novels.  I have a lot of different types of classics, plays, poetry, children's books, etc.  I made up four of my own categories and then chose five titles for each.  Here are my 20 books below.

Novels

1. Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood

2. Animal Farm, by George Orwell

3. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut

4. The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton

5. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Brontë

Short Stories / Novellas

6. Sherlock Holmes: A Study In Scarlett, by Arthur Conan Doyle

7. The Big and The Little, by Isaac Asimov

8. Dracula's Guest, by Bram Stoker

9. The Weapons Shop, by A.E. van Vogt

10. The Man Who Loved Islands, by D.H. Lawrence

Poetry / Theatre

11. Lyrical Ballads, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge & William Wordsworth

12. Lady Lazarus, by Sylvia Plath

13. Queen Mab, by Percy Bysshe Shelley

14. Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmund Rostand

15. Macbeth, by William Shakespeare

Children’s / Young Adult / Juvenilia

16. Tales of Angria, by Charlotte Brontë

17. Grimm's Fairy Stories, by Jacob Grimm & Wilhelm Grimm

18. The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

19. The Cat In The Hat, by Dr. Seuss

20. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter

That's my spin list!  Honestly, I'd be excited to read any of these options, though I'm also hesitant about a few of them.  There's only on re-read on the entire list!  I did not do that on purpose.  I chose each title based on category.  There are some very short options and other very long ones that might be a challenge to read by October 1st.  We'll see what number comes up.

I'm Excited About Maddaddam

I decided to Storify why I'm excited about Maddaddam.  I've just been thinking about it the past day or two....



Are you excited to read Atwood's new novel?

City of Fallen Angels

Really? Really, Cassandra Clare?  That's how you're going to end the book?  I don't know how I feel about this ending. Usually, even when reading books in series, I like to feel that the novel is complete.  Maybe if the last chapter was titled something else, not quite "Epilogue", but I don't know... Maybe I'm feeling like this because it is a major cliffhanger.  I suppose the main part of the story line completed itself well.  City of Fallen Angels was definitely a good start to the second half of Clare's The Mortal Instruments series.

Really, I couldn't put down Fallen Angels. I think the reason I enjoyed it was the focus on Simon. I enjoyed Jordan and I loved Izzy.  Maia has become a more interesting character.  Yes, Jace and Clary are the "stars" of the series, but putting Simon as a focal point was a great change.  He's going through so many things.  Not just regular vampire things, but the other things that make him unique.  By giving the secondary characters more time in the forefront, I think Clare was making sure her readers didn't get bored.  I certainly didn't. - Also, communication kids, it's important. I'm just sayin'. -

I'm very glad that I read Clockwork Angel first.  Magnus really connected both books and they're connected in other ways too.  Just knowing what a "Subjugate" is before Izzy mentions it was nice. Though it is going to be difficult, I'm glad that I decided to alternate the books in the two series.  I think it'll make the reading experience more interesting. So, while I'm eager to see what happens in City of Lost Souls, the next Cassandra Clare book I'll be reading is Clockwork Prince.  You know... maybe I'm warming up a bit to the ending... but I don't know how I really feel.  Maybe it'll be couple days before I know.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel

I loved the novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  I was excited to read the graphic novel after I discovered there was one.  I was given it as a gift.... Then, it was left on my shelf to collect dust for, well, two or three years.  Yikes!

In June, a sign-up post went up for Austen in August from The Room Beam Reader.  Austen!?  In August?! The perfect push for me to tackle an Austen novel or two that I haven't read yet and maybe read one of the inspired/reimagined works I have sitting around.  That brought me back to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel. The excitement I had when I first received the book came back to me. I had to restrain myself for over a month from picking it up right away.  Now, I remembered it was there.  I couldn't help but look at it on my shelf. When August finally arrived, I grabbed the book and devoured it.

I can't believe I waited so long to read PPZ: The Graphic Novel.  It was fantastic.  It brought back all the feelings I had when I first read the novel, with the interesting addition of the artwork.  I'm not completely sure how I feel about the art.  The Graphic Novel was done in black and white.  I've never before read a graphic novel that was black and white.  I thought with all the zombies and fighting, some colour would be nice.  I did, however, enjoy the black and white when it came to expressing the emotions of the characters, like Lizzy and Darcy when angry, filled with telling black shading.  Maybe they chose no colour because there would be too much blood or it would come off too gory and lose that Jane Austen "quality".  I'm not sure.  The lack of colour didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book, it was just something I'm left thinking about.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel has put me in two kinds of moods. One, I want to finish the series.  Steve Hockensmith wrote a prequel, which I own and a sequel, which I do not.  I'd love to read the story of how the Bennet sisters received their training and I'd like to know if the zombies were ever vanquished.  The other mood has me looking to pick up my next Austen in August pick, Emma. Though Emma will definitely come before the zombie books, seeing as I think I should read some actual Austen for Austen in August.  If you're looking for a fun, quick spin-off Jane Austen to read, I would definitely recommend trying Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel, especially if you are also a zombie fan.

Classics Club - August Meme

I don't usually do the Classics Club monthly meme questions.  This month, however, the Classics Club asks:  Do you read forewords/notes that precede many classics?  Does it help you or hurt you in your enjoyment/understanding of the work?

I have blogged about this topic many times before.  Introductions have ruined the story for me. It all depends on the book, I suppose. Here's a collection of what I've written on the topic:

I actually only posted this the first time a few weeks ago, on July 20th.  What do you think of introductions?

Tommy

On Saturday, my Hubby took me to see Tommy in Stratford.  He was very excited to see it.  I was... interested.  I've never seen a play in Stratford.  I knew of Tommy, that it was a famous, well-loved musical that has played everywhere.  I knew it was a "rock opera".  That was it.  I had no idea about the plot, unlike a lot of other musicals I've heard of but haven't seen.  When I asked the Hubby about it, he said it was about a guy who was really good at pinball.  What?  Really? Umm, okay...  But no.  That's not what it's about.  Tommy is so much more.  It begins during World War II.  It progresses through the 1950s.  Tommy is traumatized and then we watch him grow up.  The things that happen to this kid are insane.  The only outlet for him is pinball and he's a pinball wizard, so I suppose that's the part my Hubby thought was enough to tell me.

Tommy is based on an album of the same name by The Who.  It was classified as a rock opera.  The musical's plot is based on the story of the album  It has also been made into a movie. After reading more about Tommy since watching it, I've discovered that the movie made some plot changes from the album and musical.  I don't know if I'd like it the same, but I'd have to see to find out.  I find myself interested in listening to the original album, something I would not have picked up had I never seen the musical.

Tommy is an amazing story.  I'm glad that my Hubby took me to see it.  It doesn't matter if you don't know anything about it, Tommy is worth it.

How To Talk To Girls At Parties, by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman's journal

I had never read Neil Gaiman before How To Talk To Girls At Parties, a short story I saw come up while I was reading about his new novel The Ocean At The End of The Lane. The only experience I really had with Gaiman's work was the Doctor Who episode he wrote, The Doctor's Wife (which was amazing.)

I'm not sure what I think about How to Talk to Girls at Parties.  Sometimes I felt like there were two different stories happening.  The first story was about the boys and going to parties to meet girls. Simple enough.  The other story was about these strange girls and what they were luring boys into.  There was this vibe the whole time I was reading the story, as though something was about to jump out of the closet.  It was an interesting tension.  I kept wondering if one or both the boys were going to die.

The story had some interesting quotes, things said by the girls Enn (the narrator) was talking to:

"But knowledge is there, in the meat," she said, "and I am resolved to learn from it."

"If you want. I am a poem, or I am a pattern, or a race of people whose world was swallowed by the sea."

"We knew that it would soon be over, and so we put it all into a poem, to tell the universe who we were, and why we were here, and what we said and did and thought and dreamed and yearned for. We wrapped our dreams in words and patterned the words so that they would live forever, unforgettable. Then we sent the poem as a pattern of flux, to wait in the heart of a star, beaming out its message in pulses and bursts and fuzzes across the electromagnetic spectrum, until the time when, on worlds a thousand sun systems distant, the pattern would be decoded and read, and it would become a poem once again."

Doesn't it sound like they might eat (or do some other awful thing to) Enn or his more confident friend Vic? Something happened to Vic, while Enn was talking with those girls.  I wish I knew what.

I also thought Enn's own narration was intriguing.

"Understand me, all the girls at that party, in the twilight, were lovely; they all had perfect faces but, more important than that, they had whatever strangeness of proportion, of oddness or humanity it is that makes a beauty something more than a shop window dummy."

"It's the strangest thing about poetry -- you can tell it's poetry, even if you don't speak the language."

If you haven't read Gaiman, this might be a good introduction. From this story and from what I've read about him (and from the Doctor Who episode), there is a definite strangeness to what he writes.  I might just read more of it.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.

The Cuckoo's Calling

The Cuckoo's Calling was fantastic...  I don't have a great track record with mystery novels.  I've read a few and not liked them.  Honestly, the only ones I can recall liking are the books I've read by Agatha Christie and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, but I've read others, a couple that were well-reviewed, that bloggers have loved and I haven't liked them.  So, even though I was very excited to read a book by Robert Galbraith, I went into it a bit nervous.

Cormoran Strike, the private detective, was unique, interesting and felt very real.  I loved Robin, assistant extraordinaire.  Even their first meeting was unexpected.  They were fleshed-out characters, not just shells through which we follow the mystery.  Their lives and histories play into how they handle the case.  Everything about the plot, from beginning to end, had me engaged and excited.  I never wanted to put the book down. The end was also a great surprise.  I thought it was one of two other people.  Strike was right, the person who did it was "bat-shit insane".  I'm excited to read more Cormoran Strike novels. I'm glad that this was just the first.  I'm also wondering if the "lucky suit" will make another appearance.

I could keep going on and on about the amazing plot, multi-faceted characters, but I think I'd give away the plot.  The Cuckoo's Calling surpassed my expectations.  I'm glad that I read it and I've already started recommending it to everyone.  

....Of course I know who Robert Galbraith is, I'm just, you know, going with it....

Austen In August

Austen in August starts today!  From the host, Adam, at Roof Beam Reader: “This event was inspired by a Twitter conversation that took place between three founders of The Classics Club. Last year was a huge success, and I am hopeful that this year will be another knock-out!” You can still sign up if you head over to Roof Beam Reader.  The goal is to read as many of Jane Austen’s novels as you want during the month of August, as well as Austen-related works, like biographies or re-imaginings.

Over the years I have read from Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion.  I have also read a few related works: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, and Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.  I have also watched: Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, The Jane Austen Book Club, Bride and Prejudice, and Clueless.  So, while I haven’t read and watched everything (I’ve never seen any version of Pride and Prejudice – Shh…don’t tell anyone), I do have a healthy love for Austen.

What I plan to read this month is Emma.  I might read one of Austen’s other works; I’m thinking maybe Northanger Abbey or Lady Susan, but maybe not.  I’ve decided that I want to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel.  The Hubby bought it for me shortly after I read the novel and I never got around to reading it.  This August seems like a good time.  I’ve also been thinking about reading Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict.  I was excited when I picked it up after having read and enjoyed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.  I don’t know why I never got around to it either; I’m not guaranteeing I’m going to read it this month.  Whether or not I read the other books, I’m excited for Emma and the PPZ Graphic Novel.

If you’re on Twitter, check out what’s happening with #AustenInAugustRBR .