There are a lot of Mr. Darcy novels out there. Hundreds, in fact. Some are retellings of his side of Pride and Prejudice. Others continue his life at Pemberley after his marriage to Elizabeth Bennet, but, a new Mr. Darcy novel released today has an entirely new twist! Please join us today in welcoming author... Continue Reading →
A Jane Austen Inspired Valentine’s Day Giveaway with Bingley’s Teas
We drank tea again yesterday with the Tilsons, & met the Smiths. I find all these little parties very pleasant. -- Letter from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra 1811 Tea was at the center of social gatherings during Jane Austen’s time. Today, we enjoy tea everyday too, but the varieties and blends available would... Continue Reading →
April Lady, by Georgette Heyer – A Review
From the desk of by Laura A. Wallace: Georgette Heyer's April Lady is the last re-issue by Sourcebooks of Heyer's novels. (The very last is Pistols for Two, a collection of short stories.) Originally published in 1957, it is comfortably set within the Regency period that she had made her own. The setting is London,... Continue Reading →
Quotes honoring Pride and Prejudice’s 199th Birthday!
I could not let this day pass without wishing Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice a happy 199th birthday. Written between October 1796 and August 1797, Pride and Prejudice was first entitled First Impression and would not premiere on the printed page until after many revisions and another sixteen years. Publisher Thomas Egerton of Whitehall... Continue Reading →
A Summer in Europe, by Marilyn Brant – A Review
Guest review by Shelley DeWees – The Uprising “A chorus of Happy Birthday roused her into greater awareness of the rest of the group. Her aunt, who’d managed to light candles on a big, chocolate, sprinkle-covered birthday cake, came forward in song and demanded Gwen’s attention. She thought about her wish: to be happy, secure,... Continue Reading →
Rosedale in Love, by Lev Raphael – A Review
In honor of Edith Wharton's 150th birthday yesterday, Kimberly Denny-Ryder has generously shared her review of this new novel inspired by Wharton's The House of Mirth. The Gilded Age of America is one of my favorite time periods to read about. Â This is probably due to the fact that I grew up near NYC and... Continue Reading →
Hello Wharton Abbey: In Celebration of Edith Wharton’s 150th Birthday: Her Novels and Their Legacy, by Lev Raphael
“True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision.” – Edith Wharton Edith Wharton, Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, designer, and taste-setter of her time was born 150 years ago today. Huzzah! Renowned for her novels: The House of Mirth (1905), Ethan Frome (1911), The Age of Innocence (1920),... Continue Reading →
On Rereading by Patricia Meyer Spacks – A Review
From the desk of Aia A. Hussein: Not too long ago, I picked up my old and battered copy of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and reread the novel. It was my third reading. I was pretty confident that I would stop reading after the first few chapters, thinking that I only wanted a small dose... Continue Reading →
Follow Friday: Secrets of the Manor House on PBS this Sunday
Ever wonder what really went on behind the stately walls of a British manor house like Downton Abbey? If so, be sure to catch the premiere of Secrets of the Manor House being aired before the third episode of Downton Abbey Season Two on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 on many PBS stations (check local listings).... Continue Reading →
Mr. Darcy’s Letter: A Pride & Prejudice Variation, by Abigail Reynolds – A Review
From the desk of Christina Boyd: In this latest self-published offering from the Pride & Prejudice variation author, Abigail Reynolds’s, Mr. Darcy’s Letter responds to the query: What might have happened had Elizabeth Bennet never accepted Mr. Darcy’s letter that defended his actions in separating his friend from her sister and acquitted him of any... Continue Reading →
A Crimson Warning (Lady Emily Series #6), by Tasha Alexander – A Review
Guest review by Kimberly Denny-Ryder Jane Austen spoiled us. She wrote novels about amazing women who oftentimes bucked society’s norms. Nowadays, it’s difficult to find heroines like Elizabeth Bennet that have us rooting for them page after page. Luckily, author Tasha Alexander decided to gift the world with a tenacious woman Austen herself would be... Continue Reading →
Forbidden, by Syrie James and Ryan M. James – A Review
From the desk of Christina Boyd: Look out, Alyson Noel. Make way, Becca Fitzpatrick. Heads up, Lauren Kate. There is a spectacular new Young Adult (YA) writing team on the horizon! Forbidden, authored by a mother and son writing team is their debut supernatural novel chocked full of intrigue, romance and humor. But whyever is... Continue Reading →