Jane Austen Made Me Do It Edited by Laurel Ann Nattress

Jane Austen Made Me Do It is a delightful collection of short stories inspired by Jane Austen, edited by Laurel Ann Nattress author of one of my favorite blogs, Austenprose. The collection is authored by many of my favorite Austenesque authors including Monica Fairview, Stephanie Barron, Syrie James, Amanda Grange, Beth Patillo, Jane Odiwe, Carrie Bebris, Jane Rubino, Caitlen Rubino-Bradway and many others. Also included were a couple authors that I enjoy, but hadn’t considered Austenesque – including Diane Meier and Adriana Trigiani.


I am a big fan of short stories in general. I love this form of fiction and actually miss reading short stories in English and literature courses. I have been rereading some of my favorites recently for The Classics Circuit. I feel that the short story is often a powerful vehicle to focus on ideas that can be lost in a longer story.

Jane Austen Made Me Do It is the perfect combination of my favorite genre, authors, and form of fiction. I read and enjoyed the entire book. I looked forward to each evening (and lunch time) when I could sit down and see what new adventure was in store. I thought each story was excellent with not a bad one in the bunch. I always LOVED the diversity of the story. They covered all of Austen’s novels and Austen’s life, were set in modern day or in the 19th century, were continuations or focuses on different characters, or entirely new works of fiction. Truthfully I love Pride and Prejudice, but I loved to see Austen’s other masterpieces celebrated.

I think the best way for me to give credit to all of these wonderful stories is for me to give a brief two-second review/summary of each story. Here goes . . .

Introduction – I loved the introduction and learning the history of Laurel Ann’s love affair with Austen. It was interesting and very relatable! It was also inspiring to see how she took her passion and her blog to new levels at being able to put an entire book together. I think this is every book blogger’s dream come true.

Jane Austen’s Nightmare by Syrie James – I loved this story. Jane Austen is having a nightmare where she is in hated Bath being accosted by her creations. She is inspired by her dream to create her final masterpiece

I especially loved Marianne’s speech, “ In every scene throughout the entire, horrid novel, you presented me as the most selfish and most self-involved creature on the face of the earth. I was always waxing rhapsodic about poetry or dead leaves, harshly critiquing somebody or something, or crying my eyes out in the depths of despair! Could you not have given me even one scene where I might have behaved with equanimity?”

Waiting by Jane Odiwe – Captain Wentworth is talking to Sir Walter Elliot about seeing Anne’s hand in marriage. Anne is waiting and reflecting on when she first met Captain Wentworth eight years before and became engaged. I thought this story was perfect. It seemed like it could have been an extra chapter at the end of Persuasion. Persuasion is tied with Pride and Prejudice as my favorite Austen novel and I love reading more about my favorite characters.

A Night at Northanger by Lauren Willig – Cate works on the show Ghost Trekkers, where she helps keep up the charade that the crew is finding scary ghosts at various locations around England. Ghost Trekkers is visiting Northanger Abbey, where unexpectedly, Cate finds herself discovering real ghosts . . . a delightful story and very seasonal at this time of year.

Jane and the Gentleman Rogue by Stephanie Barron – This is a short story Jane Austen Mystery. I love Barron’s Jane Austen Mysteries and really need to catch up with the series (why didn’t I join the challenge this year)? This mystery involves Lord Harold, my favorite Austen love, fighting a duel. Very intriguing and romantic.

Faux Jane by F.J. Meier – F.J. Meier is the pseudonym for the husband and wife writing team, Frank Delaney and Diane Meier. Meier’s A Season of Second Chances was in my top ten favorite books of 2010. Faux Jane introduces a delightful couple, Charles and Nora. They help to uncover a mystery involving a fake signed first edition copy of Pride and Prejudice. I want to read more about Charles and Nora; they reminded me of Nick and Nora Charles from The Think Man movies. With their names, I wonder if that was intentional . . . They were a fun, quirky couple in this story.

Nothing Less Than Fairy-Land by Monica Fairview – This was one of my favorite stories in the collection. Monica Fairview is my favorite Austenesque author with her novel, The Other Mr. Darcy my favorite of this genre. In this story, Fairview writes about what happens after Emma and Mr. Knightley’s honeymoon when they return home and move in with Mr. Woodhouse. Fairview captured each character perfectly and really made me think about how moving in with her crabby old father-in-law right after your honeymoon might not be anyone’s dream come true. A true gem of a story.

Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane by Adriana Trigiani – Trigiani writes as letter as a modern day Jane Austen to her niece Anna upon her engagement to Declan. A great celebration of letter writing and the wit of Austen.

Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss by Jo Beverley – I need to check out Beverley’s novels, I really enjoyed this story. I have a soft spot in my heart for regency Christmas stories and novels and what could be better than one set in Chawton with an appearance by Jane Austen herself? Elinor Carsholt is a young widow with young daughters celebrating her first Christmas without her husband. After her husband’s untimely death, she found herself in straightened circumstances. Fortunately her neighbor, Sir Nicolas has helped to create a magical Christmas for the family.

When Only a Darcy Will Do by Beth Patillo – This story was another of my favorites (I had a lot in this book – as I said, they were all good stories!). Elizabeth is studying in London, but is low on funds. To help supplement her income, she dresses in regency garb and holds Jane Austen tours of London. Unfortunately, she does not get much business until one day a man dressed as Mr. Darcy shows up for the tour. A great unique story and oh-so romantic!

Heard of You by Margaret C. Sullivan – Another fantastic story about Persuasion. Captain Wentworth tells his new bride Anne the story of how Admiral Croft and his sister Sophie became a couple. This story also read like it could have been an additional chapter of Persuasion. It was a wonderful story and I loved learning the background of these characters.

The Ghostwriter by Elizabeth Aston – The Ghostwriter is another great story for the season. Sara’s boyfriend Charles has left her leaving her a gift of a locket that once belonged to Jane Austen. The ghost of Austen shows up because of the locket and gives Sara advice on writing and love. I loved the ending!

Mr. Bennet Meets His Match by Amanda Grange – I love Grange’s “Diary” series about Austen’s novels as seen through the eyes of the various heroes. In this story, Grange gives the back-story of how Mr. and Mrs. Bennet first became a couple. Another perfect story, I especially loved when the Collins family came for a visit.

I loved this quote from this story, “She had not provided him with a son and heir, but she had provided him with a handsome number of daughters and she had unwittingly provided him with a great deal of entertainment as well.”

Jane Austen, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! By Janet Mullany – This excellent story is a unique one in which an English teacher (Julie Morton) in 1964 England teaches some of her pupils how to love Sense and Sensibility using their love of the Beatles. I enjoyed it!

Letters to Lydia by Maya Slater – This story had a great premise and I really enjoyed it. It is a series of letters written by Maria Lucas to Lydia. It becomes obvious that Maria had much more to do with the events of Pride and Prejudice than one knew. It all makes perfect sense and was a new way for me to think about P&P.

The Mysterious Closet: A Tale by Myretta Robens – Cathy Fullerton is staying at a gothic abbey in a mysterious and creepy suite where she meets a ghost by the name of Henry. Or is he a ghost? Another great tale for the season.

Jane Austen’s Cat by Diana Birchall – Jane Austen is visiting with her nieces Anna and Caroline and tells them great stories involving her characters and life . . . if they were cats. A touching story.

Me and Mr. Darcy, Again by Alexandra Potter – A great continuation of Me and Mr. Darcy. Emily is having problems with her boyfriend Spike, but is helped along the path of love by Mr. Darcy.

What Would Austen Do? by Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway – Another one of my favorite stories. Austen is a 14-year old boy who learns how to “country dance” and a bit about love over his summer. A superb story. I was excited to read that they are developing it into a full length novel. I want to read it!

The Riding Habit by Pamela Aidan – Mr. Darcy wants to teach Elizabeth how to ride, but they encounter problems along the way. Another great story.

The Love Letter by Brenna Aubrey – I can see why this story won the Jane Austen Made Me Do It short story contest. It was another one of my favorites. Dr. Mark Hinton receives a mysterious page from a book in the mail, and discovers it is from Austen’s novel Persuasion. He learns more about the novel and also meets his old love Justine again.

The Chase by Carrie Bebris – This was another exceptional story about Jane Austen’s brother Frank and his adventures in the royal navy. I am ready to read a book about Frank now!

Intolerable Stupidity by Laurie Viera Rigler– Austenesque authors are on trial for making the Darcys lives intolerable with Lady Catherine serving as judge.

A great mix of stories overall! To learn how Laurel Ann Nattress put the collection together, stop by this Saturday October 22nd for a guest blog and a chance to win a copy of the Jane Austen Made Me Do It.

Book Source: Review Copy sent by Laurel Ann Nattress and Random House. Thank-you!

A Darcy Christmas by Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan, and Carolyn Eberhart

A Darcy Christmas is a Christmas collection of stories by Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan, and Carolyn Eberhart involving our favorite Austen hero, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. I will review and summarize each story separately for a deeper look into the book.

The first story is “Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Carol” by Carolyn Eberhart. After helping out Lydia Bennet, Mr. Darcy never proposed to Elizabeth in this take on the tale. Christmas has come and the spirits of Christmas past, present, and future visit Mr. Darcy to show him the error of his proud ways and what life will be like without Elizabeth. I thought this was a great and inventive combination of Pride and Prejudice with the holiday classic A Christmas Carol. I especially liked how Scrooge gets a special guest appearance at the end of the story. Carolyn Eberhart is a debut author and I look forward to reading future works by her!

The second story is “Christmas Present” by Amanda Grange. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are happily married and are expecting their first child. Jane and Mr. Bingley have moved nearby and have just had their first child, a son. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth visit the Bingleys to celebrate Christmas with them and the Bennet family. Much hilarity also ensues when Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins make a guest appearance. Christmas Present was a great story and Amanda Grange did an excellent job of bringing all of my favorite P&P characters back to life in a way true to the original novel.

The final story is “A Darcy Christmas” by Sharon Lathan. “A Darcy Christmas” is a great concept. Each chapter in the story is a different stage in Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship from before their marriage, to newlyweds, to the birth and growth of their children. I liked the concept, but didn’t really like the actual stories. They moved very slowly. Some were great and others were lackluster. While I had read the first two stories in this book quite fast, I seemed to get stuck on this story.

Overall A Darcy Christmas was a very enjoyable holiday book that will get you in the spirit with your favorite Pride and Prejudice characters.

A Darcy Christmas is my twelfth item in the Everything Austen Challenge II.

Book Source: Advance Review Copy from Sourcebooks. Thank-you!

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange

I love Jane Austen, Mr. Darcy, and vampires, therefore the book Mr. Darcy, Vampyre seemed tailor made for me. This novel starts on the day of the wedding of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. After their wedding, a change in plans is made and Lizzy finds herself headed to Europe for a continental honeymoon instead of the planned vacation at the Lake District. The Darcys’ find many adventures in Europe and Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy’s extended family. Elizabeth begins to wonder if something is not quite right about Mr. Darcy, especially after he fails to visit their bedchamber every night.

While the story started off vintage regency romance, it quickly turned into a gothic thriller that would be the dream of Catherine Morland of Northanger Abbey. Indeed, the book is dedicated to Miss Morland, which gave me an occasion to smile.

I really enjoyed the book at first, as it continued on though, I found it rather lackluster. While I know Elizabeth would be adventurous, I really don’t think she would go along with getting chased through the Alps by angry villagers without asking more questions. Mr. Darcy never fulfilling his marriage obligations would also be a sore point.

Overall, I really enjoyed the first part of the novel with getting to see the Bennet family and the double wedding. The gothic story found in the rest of the book was okay, but I was underwhelmed. I enjoy the “Diary” series by Amanda Grange much better. I would really like to see a P&P sequel from Ms. Grange that does not involve vampyres.

This is item number 10 in my Everything Austen Challenge List.

I enjoyed the passion that Darcy and Elizabeth had for each other, and this is my favorite quote from the book.

Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth:

“I love you to distraction. I thought I would go mad, being with you every day but never able to touch you. If only you knew how I longed to do this, to feel your skin, to run my fingers through your hair and over your face, to feel you, touch you, be with you. . . but I couldn’t, I couldn’t.”

Edmund Bertram’s Diary by Amanda Grange

Edmund Bertram’s Diary is item number six for my Everything Austen Challenge list. I am complete with the original challenge number and will be continuing on for the X2 Challenge!

I am now on a Mansfield Park kick. I am currently listening to the audiobook version of Mansfield Park and just finished up the novel Edmund Bertram’s Diary by Amanda Grange. I have enjoyed Grange’s previous diary installments and found this novel to also be enjoyable.

The novel starts when Edmund is a young man and his young cousin Fanny Price has first come to live with the Bertram family at Mansfield Park. Edmund has a great friendship with his fun loving brother Tom, but grows to have a deeper friendship based on mutual understanding and love of learning with Fanny. When Henry and Mary Crawford move to the neighborhood, Edmund finds himself falling in love with the captivating Mary Crawford. Over time he discovers that Mary considers wealth above all things and does not have the morals that he finds very important. He then begins to think about Fanny in a different light.

As with other Grange diaries, I enjoyed reading things from Edmund’s perspective. I do wish the diary would have contained more information beyond the ending of Mansfield Park. The story really seems like the love story of Edmund and Mary with Fanny as a surprise replacement at the end. It would have been nice to have the end section and their love expanded a bit more.

Amanda Grange Interview Currently in Progress . . .

Bitten by Books is currently hosting a live interview with Amanda Grange about her new book, Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. I'm really excited to read this book when it comes out. Please join the interview here to learn more about this exciting book! You have until midnight tomorrow night to ask questions and enter to win a chance to win a copy of the book!

Mr. Knightley’s Diary by Amanda Grange

Mr. Knightley’s Diary has been on my “to read” list for quite awhile so I was very happy to finally read it as the fourth item for my Everything Austen Challenge.

Mr. Knightley’s Diary is a retelling of the story of Emma from Mr. Knightley’s point of view. The timeline was roughly the same as of Emma, from Mr. Weston and Miss Taylor’s wedding to the wedding of Mr. Knightley and Emma. As I have recently written a summary of Emma on this blog, I only have one addition. I love how Mr. Knightley agrees to live with his father-in-law in order to marry Emma. If that is not a sacrifice, I don't know what is! There are not too many of us in this day and age that would agree to live with your ailing in-laws in order to marry your spouse.

What did I like about this book? My favorite part was reading about Mr. Knightley’s denial of his love for Emma. I especially liked how he kept telling his friend how he was looking for a spouse, but no woman could measure up to Emma . . . yet he still didn’t see it as love for Emma at first. It was pretty funny. I also liked the added subplot (SPOILER ALERT) of the romance between Miss Bates and Mr. Longridge. It was a very nice addition to the story. (SPOILER END) It was also great that the story was extended to include a brief description of Emma’s wedding.

The only negatives I had were that the word “saucy” was used way too much. It was funny at first that Mr. Knightley was always talking about Emma’s “saucy” looks, but after awhile it got old. It also would have been nice to extend the story more to include more information before and after the events of Emma. I really like how Captain Wentworth’s Diary did this.

Overall it was an enjoyable read, especially for the fans of Emma. I will continue on my all things Emma trek by re-watching Emma (1996) hopefully this weekend. I will also continue on my Amanda Grange kick by reading Edmund Bertram’s Diary sometime in the next month!

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre Competition!

Amanda Grange is hosting a competition for a giveaway of a signed copy of Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. I am VERY excited about this. I am currently reading and enjoying Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and I can't wait to see what Mr. Darcy will be like as a vampire. This book sounds like the combination of two of my favorite things - anything Austen and vampires!

Amanda Grange has written previous Austen inspired novels that I have enjoyed in the past including Captain Wentworth's Diary and Mr. Darcy's Diary. I have Mr. Knightley's Diary waiting on my nightstand for when I catch up on my book club books! I am very excited about Ms. Grange's latest work. She has proven herself to be an engaging author on Austen subjects in the past, and I can't wait for this new supernatural twist!

Maternity Leave Book Review

I keep putting this quick review of the books I read during maternity leave off as I read A LOT of books during maternity leave and keep on reading a lot. I spend a lot of time nursing the baby at odd times and read a book to keep myself awake or for something to do besides watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with my two year old. So here I go . . . . a quick review of my reads.

Slave by Mende Nazer and Damien Lewis. I borrowed this book from my friend Elina. It was an eye-opening true live tale of a young girl torn from her family in Africa and forced into a life of servitude in Africa and also in Great Britian. I was and still am VERY disturbed that slavery still exists in our world today. We need to do something about this as a resident of the world! I recommend this book for everyone to broaden your world view.

Hard Eight, To the Nines, Ten Big Ones, and Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich. I read these four light and fluffy reads over the past couple of months. Stephanie Plum's adventures continue to keep me entertained and laughing. I thought Hard Eight was a bit weak, but loved the other three. I'm getting distressed that I only have three books left in the series to read!


The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir. The Lady Elizabeth is a fantastic historical novel about Queen Elizabeth I. I liked the perspective of the book as it was about her very early years, which are mostly ignored in novels for her later queenly years. A must read if you are a historical fiction fan that loves the Tudor era.


My Lady Ludlow and Other Stories by Elizabeth Gaskell. If you read Cranford, you will notice that there are many characters and tales missing that were in the PBS miniseries. This book contains the missing links. "My Lady Ludlow" and "Doctor Harrison's confessions" contain the missing characters. I enjoyed this book of stories. Gaskell is a great Victorian author who really gets the detail of living in a small country village.


People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. I read this book for my Kewaunee Library June book club pick. It's a great book for fans of The DaVinci Code and books in general. It is the story of a sacred Jewish text that was rescued in Sarajevo during the war in the 1990's. The book restorer finds several "clues" in the book of the journey it has taken over the past 500 years. There are several stories then for each clue and the books journey. It was VERY interesting. I only wish the stories could have been longer. This is one of the best books I have read this year.


The Notebook and The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. I reread The Notebook for my Mom's Club June book club pick. It's a good book, but I actually think I like the movie better. I feel that it was Sparks' first novel and not as well written as some of his later books. The Wedding is a follow-up to The Notebook and is one of the most romantic books I've ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a romantic tale.

Real People, Real Prescense by Cardinal William Keeler. This book is full of short stories about the Eucharist and how different people in a Catholic community feel about it. I enjoyed it. It gave me a lot to think about and helped me on my faith journey.

Push Not the River and Against a Crimson Sky by James Conroyd Martin. My mother-in-law loaned me these books and I highly enjoyed them. They are a must for those who love historical fiction as I do. The fantastic thing about these books is that they are set in Poland during the late eighteenth century. I know nothing about Poland and it was great to read a book not set in England or France. Push Not the River is based on Lady Anna Maria's diary, which is amazing considering all that she goes through. It is a great book. Against a Crimson Sky is a bit weaker as it is not based on a diary, but on Martin's imaginings of what could have been. He delves too much into the history to the detriment of the story.


The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale. After reading a couple of great reviews of this books, we chose it for our July Kewaunee library book club pick. This doesn't happen often, but the reviews of the book were actually better than the book itself. While the muder mystery was horrifying and interesting to read about, the book too often delved into tedious details that I didn't care about. Maybe I was spoiled by great non-fiction reads such as The Devil in the White City, but this book was not a good read.


Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson. This novel was my Lakeshore Mom's Club book club pick for July. It is one of Ellen's favorite novels so she chose it. Half of the moms loved it, while the other half hated it. I liked it, but had some details in it that annoyed me. Sam is actually the grandma writing letters to her granddaugher Jennifer about her illicit affair with the man of her dreams. Jennifer reads the letters while Sam is in the hospital and falls in love with her dying friend Brenden. The lovers and haters of this book disagreed about happy vs sad endings. Should an ending be happy if it is unrealistic? Interesting discussion. My bones were the details. The Badger Ferry didn't play movies and have many of it amenties until the 1990's, but riders find these things on the ferry in the 1970's. I loved the Wisconsin setting and the romantic get aways to Copper Harbor Michigan.

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. Another good love story from Sparks. I enjoyed that the novel was about people my age and dealt with change after 9/11. The ending was sad, but good. The overall plot is about a young man that is in the military. Back on leave he falls in love with a young college girl. He makes plans with her for when he gets out of the military, but it all changes after he reenlists after 9/11. It's a good story, but have a box of kleenex hand.

I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle. This comic novel is about a dorky valedictorian's confession of love for popular Beth Cooper and the night of hilarity that follows. It was entertaining, but not the best book I've read. I thougtht the language and sex was a bit much for a young adult novel (I had to read adult novels for that as a teen), so I must be getting old

The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman. This novel is two stories, one is a modern day story of a woman searching for herself and the clues to the mystery of what happened to an English merchant's daughter, Celia, hundreds of years before. Celia was thought to be shipwrecked, but was really kidnapped and taken as part of the Sultan's harem. The second story is about Celia and her love Paul as he searches for her. I loved Celia and Paul's story, but was bored by the modern day scholar. Her love story was not engaging. The ending of Paul and Celia's story was bittersweet and a bit of a let down. Overall an interesting novel, but not the best I've read.

The Dirty Girls Social Club and Dirty Girls on Top by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. I read a good review of Dirty Girls on Top in Entertainment Weekly and figured I would check out the first book it was based on before I read it. The premise is chick lit from a Latina perspective. While I did enjoy the Latina perspective, as chick lit it was mediocre. While I did enjoy The Dirty Girls Social Club, I found Dirty Girls on Top to be a disappointing sequel. Mostly it was because I liked the ending of book 1, but Valdes-Rodriguez felt the need to undo all of the happy endings to start off book two. I found it unbelievable that a wife would go back to a murdering husband, and I couldn't feel sympathy for Usnavys and her cheating on a perfect husband. I'd read book 1, but skip book 2.

Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot. This is the third book in the Queen of Babble series. It is a light hearted chick lit novel about Lizzie Nicols and her trials in NYC. I like her spunk and independence. I really like how she is always able to work for her dreams. On the romantic side though, I must say I was disappointed. What the heck happened with Luke? I don't know - anyone else out there that has read the series and would like to discuss.

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner. I have read this book previously, but reread it as it is my Mom's Club book club pick for August. Weiner is one of my favorite authors. Her chick lit has a great depth to it. I love the secondary characters and the relationships between sisters. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it.

In the Company of Secrets and Whispers Along the Rails by Judith Miller. I received these two books from my MIL for my birthday. They are Christian romance novels set in the late 1800's in Pullman, Illinois. I loved the historical aspect of them. The story was very good and kept me interested. I just wish I had the third book so I could see how it ends. Perhaps I'll have to hint around to my MIL that it would make a good Christmas present.

Love the One You're With by Emily Griffin. This novel was about a woman with a perfect husband who suddenly meets up with her long lost love. They had broken up for good reasons, but suddenly she finds herself wondering if she made a mistake. I thought this book was rather slow and it annoyed me as SHE HAD THE PERFECT HUSBAND. It was okay over all - I'd rather read any of Weiner's novels than this book.

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. This book was recommended to me by my friend Corinna. Kathy and I decided to pick it for our August Kewaunee Library book club pick. The book had an interesting premise. The author, Barbara Ehrenreich, lived in three different locations across the country and tried to live on a minimum wage job. She had a lot of difficulty, especially in securing a place to live. It was interesting as I had never thought about people living in hotels and whatnot. I thought that Barbara was a bit condecending to people who do work lower wage jobs. She tried to show the hardships they had to face, but she also seemed to think she was better than they were. It should make for a good discussion at our meeting!

Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger. My MIL loaned me this book. It was a great mystery/love story set in Northern Minnesota and in Thunder Bay, Canada. A retired police officer is asked by a family friend (Henry) to find the son he feels exists that would now be a 70 something year old man. The story of Henry and his lost love Maria Lima takes up the middle of the book and was also wonderful. I really enjoyed this book.

Somewhere in Time by Richard Matheson. I have loved the movie Somewhere in Time my entire life, but have never read the book until now. The book is back out in print as Matheson is also the author of I Am Legend. This book is the ultimate in describing a passionate love that can make a man will himself through time to be with his love. I really liked how the book made you question though whether Richard truly traveled through time or whether it was caused by his brain tumor. I like how the movie was set in Mackinac Island rather than the California of the novel. It was a good fantasy novel.

Captain Wentworth's Diary by Amanda Grange. Grange tackled one of my favorite Jane Austen heros, Captain Wentworth. I loved how this book described Anne and Captain Wentworth's first romance prior to the start of Austen's novel. Wentworth was a bit more of a "player" than I would have imagined him to be, but it all changes when he falls in love with Anne. This is a great book for any Jane Austen fan.

Well, I've been working on this "quick" summary for a week and a half now so it's time to post! I kept reading more books which added to me not being able to finish it! :-)

Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange

I actually read Mr. Darcy's Diary on the ferry this past weekend and really enjoyed it. If you are going to read any of the new Austen spin-offs, I'd recommend this book over reading Austenland (see review below).

Mr. Darcy's Diary is Pride and Prejudice retold from Mr. Darcy's perspective. The novel fills in some of the gaps of what Mr. Darcy was doing when not on center stage in Pride and Prejudice and also gives his prespective on events. Most satisfying of all, it gives a glimpse at the end of married life for the Darcys - and it was wonderful!!

While nothing can compare to the original novel, this book was very enjoyable - I recommend it for Jane Austen fans out there. I read on Austenblog that Amanda Grange has also written Mr. Knightly's Diary and Captain Wentworth's Diary. They are already published in the U.K. - I can't wait until they come to the U.S.!