Welcome to Litsy!

My last read of #AustenianAugust & the perfect non-fiction follow-up to the novel Miss Austen. It provided historical context & clarification around Jane & Cassandra‘s lives, temperaments, & unbreakable bond.

Examining Jane‘s life specifically through the lens of her various residences & her want for a sense of “home,” this also had me itching to reread Austen‘s works to look for that longing reflected in her heroines. A project for next August.

Kicked off my annual celebration of #AustenianAugust with the latest addition to Claudia Gray‘s Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney mystery series. I loved that this one featured several side characters from Pride & Prejudice.

A would-be-murder mystery, Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney are summoned to discover who is attempting to take Lady Catherine‘s life (because such things will not be borne).

Finished #AustenianAugust with one of Jane‘s earliest works. Her fierce wit (and cheeky humor) are on full display throughout this novella, comprised of letters detailing the exploits of the beautiful-charming-and-utterly-despicable titular character. Enjoyed it immensely, but am very glad Austen‘s longer works were centered on more likable characters.

First read of #AustenianAugust was this modern, Muslim retelling of Pride & Prejudice.

Really enjoyed it for both the elements that made the story familiar and all the twists that made it new and fresh. Also, drank a lot of chai as I read in solidarity with the characters…‘twas delicious.

A story as quiet and quaint as the small village in which it is set, where Jane Austen once lived and finished her last three novels. While the book is really about the small group of devoted Austen fans who form the titular society in the years following WWII — their lives, traumas, loves, and victories — it is also full of tiny references to Austen‘s characters and personal history, which will delight any Austen-loving reader. #austenianaugust

What fun this one was — the author‘s own enjoyment at her tongue-in-cheek narration is evident. Also, Henry Tilney is a charming word nerd and is now one of my favorite characters of Austen‘s creation. #austenianaugust

Definitely the weakest of Austen novels that I have read — with a lead character more strictly sympthetic than actually likable. While I can appreciate the aim of having a heroine triumph through decency rather than design, Fanny‘s “goodness” is too tied to a narrow and antiquated moral code to be anything other than problematic when examined by a modern reader. #austenianaugust

Anne Elliot, while much more serious and subdued than the more famously beloved Austenian leading ladies of Elizabeth and Emma, is still engaging in her own way, through steady tenderness and a generous nature. I thoroughly enjoyed her story, even if understanding why it‘s not held with the same popular regard as some other Austen novels. #austenianaugust