Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I read Pride and Prejudice over the Christmas holiday in a final celebration of the bicentennial of the publication of the book.  Unfortunately I didn’t get my review posted in the bicentennial year, but this still works . . . hopefully.  I am not going to write a full depth review on a synopsis of the story, as I have reviewed the story overall in previous years.

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books of all time and it is always a joy to reread a well-loved book.  Who cannot help to love the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy?  Austen’s ironic humor in the book and her wonderful characters are sheer perfection. I loved rereading many of my favorite passages and quotes.

 To celebrate the bicentennial, I purchased a new copy of Pride and Prejudice.  It was one of the Penguin Classics newer cool retro hardcover versions complete with a ribbon bookmark (Pictured above).   My paperback copy of Pride and Prejudice is starting to fall apart so it was a good time for an update.  The update had a new introduction by Vivien Jones at the start and the original Penguin Classics Introduction by Tony Tanner at the end.  It also included various notes on meanings of different phrases in the text that was noted with numbers that were referenced in the back of the book (notes).  I found the ribbon quite helpful for looking everything up as I went through.  I also enjoyed both introductions, although as with most introductions, I wouldn’t actually read it unless I had read the novel.  Otherwise, the author ruins the plot of the book for you, or you don’t understand half of the references as you haven’t read the book yet!

Overall, if you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice – what are you waiting for?   And if you are looking for a new copy, this hard cover has a nice price, classy cover, and great references.

Book Source:  I purchased this book on Amazon.com

The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things by Paula Byrne

Title: The Real Jane Austen:  A Life in Small Things
Author: Paula Byrne
Read by: Kate Reading
Publisher: HarperAudio
Length: 13 hours and 31 minutes
Source: MP3 Audio through Wisconsin Public Library Consortium – Overdrive on my Droid

The Real Jane Austen:  A Life in Small Things is one of the best biographies of Jane Austen that I have ever read.  Instead of a biographical narrative of the slight details we know of Austen’s life from her birth, various moves, and death, Paula Byrne instead explores themes from Austen’s life.  She takes an object in Austen’s life and details the latest research on this object or topic and how it relates to Austen’s novels.  It was wonderful.  It gave such good background that I had never heard before on Austen.  It also really showed that instead of being the sheltered woman that never really got out much, that Austen was a well-traveled woman for her time with a naughty sense of humor.  She also had extensive family beyond her immediate family that helped to influence her work.

I listened to an MP3 Audio version of this book through the library and it was a wonderful book to listen to while I worked on chores.  I’ve listened to books narrated by Kate Reading before and she does an excellent job and is a joy to listen too.  Another wonderful aspect of this book is that while I slowly listened to it, I also read other Austen inspired novels.  This book gave me a great understanding of different aspects of Austen’s novels that I didn’t have before.  I would recommend it as a “must-read” for anyone that loves Austen, and also a book of interest for anyone that would like to learn more about the history of early nineteenth century England.

Fantastic Mr. Fox and Other Animal Stories by Roald Dahl

Title: Fantastic Mr. Fox & Other Animal Stories
Author: Roald Dahl

Read by: Chris O’Dowd, Geoffrey Palmer, Stephen Fry, and Hugh Laurie
Publisher: Penguin Audio

Length: Approximately 3 hours (3 CDs)
Source: Penguin Audio Review Copy – Thank-you!

After we had to turn off Charlie and the Glass Elevator, we decided to listen to Fantastic Mr. Fox & Other Animal Stories.  The kids found Fantastic Mr. Fox so riveting that they were still awake at 10 PM listening to it (well past their bed time) as we drove to Michigan for Thanksgiving.  We had to turn it off to get them to sleep, which is usually not a problem on long car trips.  We finished up the other animal stories when traveled to Minnesota for Christmas.  The kids loved those stories as well.  They included Esio Trot, The Enormous Crocodile, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me.

In Fantastic Mr. Fox, Mr. Fox has to protect his family from the three mean farmers that are out to get him.  In Esio Trot, Mr. Hoppy is in love with Mrs. Silver, but she only loves her tortoise.  He comes up with an innovative way to get into her affections.    The Enormous Crocodile is a mean guy that likes to eat little boys and girls, but his neighboring animals get the better of him.  The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me are part of the Ladderless Window-Cleaning Company which have great adventures of their own.

Penelope (3-years old) and Daniel’s (5-years old) favorite story was Fantastic Mr. Fox, while Kile’s (7-years old) was The Enormous Crocodile.  It was definitely an audiobook for all of the family to enjoy.  The kids liked it so much they requested it rather than watching their TV in the car.  Penguin also has wonderful narrators for the book and great sound effects.  We really love these Roald Dahl audiobooks Penguin has been releasing.  They are fantastic and something for the entire family to enjoy while on the road.  I highly recommend them, especially Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl

Title: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Author: Roald Dahl

Read by: Douglas Hodge
Publisher: Penguin Audio

Length: Approximately 3.5 hours (3 CDs)
Source: Penguin Audio Review Copy – Thank-you!

After listening to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this past summer, both my 7 and 5 year old sons were very excited to start Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.  It starts right where Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ended.  Charlie, his entire family, and Willy Wonka are flying through the sky in a glass elevator when they blast into space and discover the world’s first space hotel.  The space hotel is ready to open soon, but Charlie and his crew discover that there are vermicious knids already living in the hotel.   Will Charlie, Willy Wonka, and his family make it safely back to earth?

My seven year old and five year old sons (and three year old daughter) had mixed reactions to this audiobook.  My seven year old son loved it and couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.  My five-year old son and three year old daughter were freaked out by the vermicious knids.  We had to turn it off while traveling at night, but luckily they would listen to it by day with convincing by my husband, Kile, and me.  Douglas Hodge as the narrator was enthusiastic and had a fantastic English accent.  He also narrated Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  The audiobook also featured numerous sound effects and great music that definitely added to the entire audiobook experience. 

Overall, my family enjoyed this audiobook, although I would say it works best for slightly older kids (perhaps 7 and older) because of the intense sequences that occur out in space.

The Christmas He Loved Her by Juliana Stone

I have gotten VERY behind on my reviews and have several audiobooks and books from December that I need to review and catch up with on my blog.  Please bear with me as I slowly work on catching up. I love Christmas romance novels and was happy to be able to review The Christmas He Loved Her by Juliana Stone for Sourcebooks.  While I finished the novel a week before Christmas, with my semester ending and the holidays, I sadly did not get a post up about it until now.  I apologize!

Jake Edwards has returned to the small town of Crystal Lake for the holidays.  He is a veteran that lost his twin brother in Afghanistan.  Unable to deal with the pain, he has roamed around the US until finally making his way back home.  Also at home is his brother’s widow, Raine.  Jake and Raine find themselves attracted to one another, but also very much annoyed by one another as well.  Will they be able to work through the pain and come to terms with the past and their feelings?

Honestly the story in The Christmas He Loved Her was pretty good, but I found it slightly depressing for a Christmas novel.  I also was slightly weirded out by a twin brother dating his brother’s widow.  I know it’s not technically wrong, but I just couldn’t feel the romance as I would have if Raine wouldn’t have been married to Jake’s twin brother. That being said, I did like the story and I think I actually would have liked to read it better not at Christmas.

Overall, The Christmas He Loved Her was a satisfying romance story, but not one I would read again at Christmas.

Book Source:  Review Copy from Sourcebooks – Thanks!!