I gave up. Full confession. I tried, I really did. I even broke down and got an audio version to listen to during my commute to and from work. But I just couldn’t take it. I think it in part an effect of this little reading challenge project I set for myself. This was the fourth Jane Austen book in as many months for me. … Continue reading Jane Austen Read All-a-long Book 4: Emma
This is a “two-gasp” Jane Austen novel. While reading it, I gasped twice. Jane Austen has this way of suddenly throwing her reader for a loop with just a tiny slip of narrative so affecting it makes this reader gasp out loud. She is a master of plotting. My gasping came during the novel’s first half. First when young Fanny Price is forgotten by her … Continue reading Jane Austen Read All A-long: Mansfield Park
This is at least the third time I’ve read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, maybe the fourth. So I can’t really say it’s a “New Favorite Book” but I can say that it certainly holds up to re-reading. So that’s what I’m going to discuss here, the pleasures and perils of re-reading. There are some books that can be correctly understood in completely different fashions each time you read … Continue reading New Favorite Book/Old Favorite Book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
How is everyone doing so far? I should be completing Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice late this evening or tomorrow night. My reading time has been limited this week by the start of school. As the old prostitute said, it’s not the work, it’s the commute. Mine was made worse when the district I work for decided to start school later. Something about improved learning for high … Continue reading Jane Austen Read A-Long: Pride and Prejudice
I spent this past week, the last of my summer vacation, at the Center for the Book in San Francisco taking a four-course intensive book binding class. We learned how to make the four bindings shown in the picture here; Coptic, flat-back case, limp paper and rounded back case. I’ve been making my own books for many years now, following the directions in various how-to … Continue reading Making Books with Jane Austen
Two impressions: One, I’m surprised by just how much Jane Austen can shock me through effective plotting. I suspect that most of her fans will list her prose, her sense of humour and her characterization as the reasons why they love her, but she’s very good with plotting, too. There was a point in the final part of Sense and Sensibility that had me gasping in shock. … Continue reading Jane Austen Read All-a-long: Sense and Sensibility
Today marks the official start of the Jane Austen Read All A-long with Ms. Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility. For the remainder of 2017, I’ll be reading one Janes Austen novel a month covering all six of her completed works. There are some unfinished/unpublished bits that look intriguing, but will not be an official part of the Jane Austen Read All A-long. Several other … Continue reading Sense and Sensibility Starts the Jane Austen Read All A-long
My new reading glasses finally arrived this week. I’m still getting used to them; my old pair broke several months ago so I’ve been leaning my head way back while wearing my progressives for some time now. It’s still a bit odd to be reading with my held held upright. If you don’t know what I mean you’re probably under 50. One day you’ll understand. … Continue reading Sunday Ramble: Various Books, Various Destinations, and Jane Austen
A few weeks ago I asked if anyone would be interested in reading all six of Jane Austen’s novels as a sort of read-a-long. I’ve been thinking about doing this for a few months, collecting paperback editions of all six novels. Since I stick to used paperbacks and insist on editions with cool covers, it’s taken a few months to come up with all six, … Continue reading Announcing The First, and Probably Only, Jane Austen Read All A-long
C.J. and I visited Los Angeles this past week to see the James Kerry Marshall retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the same show we saw last summer in Chicago. We’ve become big fans of Mr. Marshall’s work. It was a mad-cap three-day trip–drive down, day in L.A. and drive home–but we managed to visit three bookstores while we were there. We stayed in … Continue reading Sunday Ramble: Travels, Art and Jane Austen Challenge
In just a few hours, Roof Beam Readers Austen in August Reading Challenge will come to an end. I’m very pleased to say I made it to the last page of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice late last night. I’ll have this review posted before sunset today, so I make it under the deadline. Huzzah. This is my third, maybe my fourth, time reading Pride and Prejudice. … Continue reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
May Contain Spoilers 