Austenesque Lovers TBR Challenge 2019 discussion

Share what you are comfortable about yourself and what challenge level you are tackling. Ideas for sharing might include: where you're from, how you came to admire JA's books or Austenesque books in the JA world, how big your TBR pile is, favorite JA story or character, etc

Howdy, everyone!

I am Sophia the group moderator and have one of the most dangerous towering TBR pile that threatens to bury me. I do this challenge to stay just a nudge away from it tottering over on me. But, as many people know, I add more than I remove so I must not take my safety from being buried under books that seriously.

I am thrilled each year to be part of this group of upbeat and kind folks where we can share our nutty craze about Jane Austen, her books, and books written about her and her novels.

I became a Janeite at the age of eight before I even knew what that meant when my mother read aloud with me Pride & Prejudice for the first time. I went on to read the other six novellas and Lady Susan by the time I was twelve (yes, you are right to assume that Lady Susan had me scratching my head at that age).

I discovered JAFF and Austenesque books existed about ten years ago by picking up an Amanda Grange, Mr. Tilney's Diary, at Costco of all places. I have been enthralled ever since.

My favorite Austen novel is Persuasion followed by Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey, but, that being said, I enjoy all of them and many of her juvenilia, non-fic letters and prayers and plays. Austen makes me smirk and smile and occasionally swoon (I'm looking at you Wentworth and your letter).

I am going to begin at Catherine Morland level this year.
Wishing you all well on the challenge.

Sophia wrote: "Howdy, everyone!

I am Sophia the group moderator and have one of the most dangerous towering TBR pile that threatens to bury me. I do this challenge to stay just a nudge away from it tottering ove..."
Great intro!!!!

Very excited to see this wonderful group continue! Sophia, you are the best! Thank you for doing this for us.

My name is Talia and I am happy to be a JAFF fan. JAFF books are my main reading material. I used to only read classic books but we moved to a place that had mysteries as the focus in our library so I ended up reading many. My first JAFF book was in this library. It must have been in the "new" book section. I probably liked the cover and decided to give it a go. It was one of the Pam Aiden books. Loved it! I promptly got the other two and went on from there.

JAFF has kind of taken over all my free time. My daughter could quote passages from P & P at 8 yrs old. My husband has grown Mr D's sideburns which sadly he has had to cut for a job. These are all good things! Sadly, when we moved this summer, I had to destash 3/4 of my library which I gave to the local library. Hoping it helps raise funds. I have less room for more books so trying to only buy the ones I love, love, love to add to what I have but I am already out of room. I need to become more discerning. :)!

Anyway, glad to be part of the group for another year. Sorry that I have been so silent but the move took it all out of me. This next year will be another year of transition and uncertainty for my family so I probably will be quieter than I would like to be. I will be cheering everyone on though!

I LOVE this group! If I'm online, GoodReads--and this GR group specifically--is where I've been spending most of my time since I found it in late 2015. I started reading JAFF in 2011, though I discovered Jane Austen (well, I discovered Pride and Prejudice, to be exact) several decades earlier.

I'm a 64-year-old who's been happily married to a great guy, Kurt, for 41 years. I'm currently enjoying my retirement and all the time it gives me to read obsessively. I also sing in a concert choir and in a 5-member doo wop group. My son, daughter-in-law and 2-year-old grandson live in St. Augustine, Florida which, happily, is close enough to where my husband and I live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, that we're able to drive there to visit every couple of months.

Although I'd be delighted to make it to Mr. Darcy's Library again this year, I'm going to have to spend more time on the business end of my doo wop group because the current leader is stepping down. I'm not taking his job, but the rest of us are divvying up the various things he previously did himself--he's always been ridiculously bad at delegating to others what he can do on his own and, not surprisingly, he burned himself out. Not sure yet how much my new responsibilities will eat into my reading time, so I'll be happy to earn a spot in Colonel Brandon's Library with a goal of 175 JAFF books.

As always, thank you, Sophia, for being such an attentive and responsive moderator! You've built a great climate here for discussion and camaraderie to thrive.

So glad that Talia and Debbie are back.

No worries to both of you if real life keeps you busier this year. Read what you can and stop by when you have the time.

Wishing you strength through the move and transition, Talia.

Oys, the extra responsibilities will be taxing, but hopefully you and the others will keep your Doo Wop group going smoothly, Debbie.

Hi everyone :)
Thank you Sophia, for continuing my favourite past time, online.
I am 45 years old, Norwegian, married to Mr Darcy (or Atle as he is called in real life) for 13 years and I have 4 children (24, 12, 9 and 7). As they all have special needs, I read to escape into the fairy tale world that Austen created. Keeps me sane, haha, or sort of ;)
My goal for 2019 will be Mr Darcy's library of 200+ books.

Love that you count on books for sanity, Vaarin!

Can't disagree with that one. Neat how you have your own Mr. Darcy and family to keep you busy. I married a Mr. Tilney/Colonel Brandon mash up to keep me on my toes. LOL

Woohoo! Cheering you on to shaking hands with Mr. Darcy this year. :)

Hey, hi Cathy! I definitely can relate to obsessing on Harry Potter. Lost count of how many times I read the books in that series! It's interesting that you recognize the influence Jane Austen had on marriage. I'm convinced that her books had an impact on reducing the convention of arranged marriages in Western society. And I'm always impressed with people who manage to juggle school and/or work with life and still read a bunch of books--took me until retirement to really indulge that desire.

Vaarin wrote: "Hi everyone :)
Thank you Sophia, for continuing my favourite past time, online.
I am 45 years old, Norwegian, married to Mr Darcy (or Atle as he is called in real life) for 13 years and I have 4 ch..."

Wonderful to see you back, Elin! I agree on books as great therapy to stay sane-- I figure it's a MUCH better addiction than drugs or alcohol!

Talia wrote: "Very excited to see this wonderful group continue! Sophia, you are the best! Thank you for doing this for us.

My name is Talia and I am happy to be a JAFF fan. JAFF books are my main reading mater..."

Sad that you had to say good-bye to so many books when you moved. My husband and I downsized four years ago, and I lost most of my personal library, too. Kindle books have been a huge blessing-- that's pretty much all I read now because there's just no space to put any print copies. Best wishes on your year of transition. Always love to hear from you whenever you're able to comment!

Hi everyone I am back!!!!!!! Pride and prejudice has been one of my favorite books since the 60's, back when I was a teenager.I also obsesse(?) over all things tolkien, and harry potter. I always set my goal at around 150 jaff books then after that I will add in my nonjaff reads for total count because I so love Mr. Darcy's library. This is a great group and I won't give it up for anything.

Cathy wrote: "Hi everyone, my name is Cathy and I am 25 years old. I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time in January of 2018 after a friend insisted that I watch the BBC show and all the movie adaptations..."

Whew, yes, I can obsess about my fandoms, too. I have Jane Eyre, North & South, Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, and more to join my Austen cravings. :)

So glad you can return and join the challenge. Wishing you well with the challenge and grad school, Cathy. Tough but rewarding field of study/career. :)
Cheering you on to conquer Catherine Morland.

Lenora wrote: "Hi everyone I am back!!!!!!! Pride and prejudice has been one of my favorite books since the 60's, back when I was a teenager.I also obsesse(?) over all things tolkien, and harry potter. I always s..."

Woohoo! Lenora is back. Tolkien! That's another obsession with me. :) It looks like it was love at first sight with P&P for you. Cheering you on to shaking hands with Mr. Darcy in his library this year. :)

Hi again friends and many thanks to Sophia for hosting this group for another year. It's a lovely place to 'meet' familiar names and faces.

I'm of a similar vintage (and I use that word deliberately as we most assuredly improve with age, don't we?) to Debbie, being 63 and married for 41 wonderful years to my best friend, who's more a combination of Bingley and Knightley than a Darcy. I'm the one more likely to be found standing around in a stupid manner (or words to that effect) at social gatherings. We live in the spa town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire close to the glorious scenery of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks and not too far from the historic city of York.

When I'm not reading Austenesque fiction, lurking here or on the blogs, I work two to three days a week as a pharmacist. It's a job I still enjoy, even though it's changed beyond recognition in the 41 years I've been qualified. My other reading interests are sci-fi, fantasy and I also rather enjoy a good mystery tale from time to time. If any work can combine more than one of those elements (such as Maria Grace's Dragons, Jennifer Joy's Meryton Mysteries and some of Regina Jeffers novels) then I'm well pleased!

As I've rather unexpectedly managed to reach the heady heights of Colonel Brandon's Library in 2018, I'll aim for there again in 2019, provided that thing called Real Life doesn't throw us any curve balls, as it's done recently. Obviously, I'd love to make it to Pemberley one day, but that seems rather unlikely right now.

Happy reading for 2019 to you all xxx

Anji wrote: "Hi again friends and many thanks to Sophia for hosting this group for another year. It's a lovely place to 'meet' familiar names and faces.

I'm of a similar vintage (and I use that word deliberat..."

You definitely are blessed with a picturesque home setting and I love when you are able to share pictures. Now, your mister sounds like a fantastic blend of personality. :)

Yay for aiming high with Colonel Brandon level. We'll hope for an even-keeled year for work and reading. :)

Hi everyone! My name is Torrie and this is aalll new to me. I've always wanted to get into Jane Austen. I grabbed a few of her books up with free Kindle classics. But for some reason....I can't seem to get caught up. But I'm thinking if I have some fans behind me, I'll either fall in love or realize this fandom just isn't for me lol. I am a Harry Potter nerd and literary fiction reader. Currently reading 1984, Station Eleven and listening to This Will Be My Undoing.

I work in logistics, have 3 adult children, 3 ginger boy cats and a puppy I adore.

I will be starting at the Charlotte Heywood level. Loosen the reading muscles just a bit. Hi everyone! Hope to enjoy reading with you!

Oh, goodie! LOVE when a newbie joins us! Welcome, Torrie! You'll find lots for suggestions for the best Jane Austen Fan Fiction here. Always best to start with books by the "lady" herself. Many of us read Pride and Prejudice and one or two others of the Big Six once a year. If you read through the others introducing themselves here, you'll see several Potter-heads in the group-- including me! Looking forward to going to see Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald when it comes out!

Don't want to ignore anyone...Wonderful to see old friends rejoining. Hi, Elin, Lenora and Anji!!

Torrie wrote: "Hi everyone! My name is Torrie and this is aalll new to me. I've always wanted to get into Jane Austen. I grabbed a few of her books up with free Kindle classics. But for some reason....I can't see..."

Yay, Torrie!
So glad you could find our group and give Jane Austen a go. Look for the humor and you'll find it in her books. Hope you end up becoming a fan. :) Cheering you on through Charlotte Heywood level. :)

Thanks so much for the welcomes! I read an article on Book Riot listing all of the books in order and bought a set on my Kindle. So I am all set to go! And I’m seeing Crimes of Grindlewald tomorrow, I have a Hufflepuff shirt and everything!

Love it! (Go, Griffindor!)

Hello, I’m J.W. and I am a JAFF [Jane Austen Fan Fiction] addict. I love reading variations, sequels, prequels, side stories, reimagining, paranormal, and alternate universe stories that portray Austen’s characters. I joined GoodReads in 2016 and have had a blast ever since. It is great seeing familiar names return in the 2019 Austenesque challenge. I am also happy to see new names for the new year. Welcome to our party. I hope you have a great experience in the Austenesque Challenge levels and enjoy reading the news feeds. We have a lot of fun sharing reviews, recommendations, and viewpoints. This is a safe place.

J. W. wrote: "Hello, I’m J.W. and I am a JAFF [Jane Austen Fan Fiction] addict. I love reading variations, sequels, prequels, side stories, reimagining, paranormal, and alternate universe stories that portray Au..."

You are definitely a vibrant member of the party, Jeane. So glad you are back for another year. :)

Thanks, Sophia, we are glad to see you as our moderator again. You're the best.

My name is Megan and I'm a thirty something special education teacher from Southern California. I started reading JAFF almost 20 years ago during my senior year of high school. Back then the only websites were BOI and DWG. I recently picked it up again after reading a couple of published books. By far, my favorites are steamy moderns or anything with a lot of angst. Looking forward to a lot of fun reading this coming year.

Hello Megan. You are most welcome to our party. There are lots of JAFF enthusiasts here and we are always excited to find fellow lovers of Austen's work. The downside to being a member is seeing all the fabulous books everyone is reading. Your TBR [To-Be-Read] pile will grow exponentially. It is just the curse of belonging. But then, you get to tempt us. Enjoy and again, welcome.

Splendid to have you join us, Megan! Sounds like you're a long time fan. :) I'm sure you'll find plenty of fun reads to keep you distracted from this group. :)

So happy you're becoming part of our group, Megan! Can't believe you were reading JAFF 20 years ago-- didn't know it was a "thing" that far back. That's more than twice as long as I've been reading it! Saw your Question, and you may have already discovered that we have a special section here devoted exclusively to unpublished JAFF. Sounds as though you'll have plenty of suggestions to add. Welcome!

Thanks for the welcome! It's been absolutely amazing watching the growth of JAFF. I read Paula Aiden's books back when it was on the DWG. My main regret is that didn't find a way of capitalizing on it back in the day.

J. W. wrote: "Hello, I’m J.W. and I am a JAFF [Jane Austen Fan Fiction] addict. I love reading variations, sequels, prequels, side stories, reimagining, paranormal, and alternate universe stories that portray Au..."

Thank you so much! I listen to a lot of book podcasts and they're always mentioning reimaginings of Jane Austen and fanfics and they all sound so lovely. But I need the original text! I'm glad I joined this group because what's kept me from finishing in the past is not having someone to help me with the language or explain some of the books to me. I'm an avid reader but Jane Austen intimidates me.

So fun to see new and familiar faces here, welcome. The more the merrier!

Welcome Torrie and don't be intimidated. Austen wouldn't want that. You can follow our news-feeds and read the reviews and sometimes that will answer your questions. If you still aren't sure about something... simply ask. There is always someone in the group that can answer your questions.

There are lots of authors that are members here and we have some pretty smart people in this group. We occasionally have group reads in one of the other discussion groups [ex: Jane Austen Group] where we will take an Austen book and discuss the various motivations of her characters, or what Austen was trying to say, etc. You get to decide how involved you want to be in GoodReads. Here's hoping you have a blast in Austenesque.

Hi there, returning champions and newbies alike! My name is Abigail and I have been a member of these Austenesque Challenge groups from the start, though I can’t claim to read anywhere near the JAFF that many members do. I can’t say that I’ll read any more in the genre next year than I did this, but the company is so wonderful in this group that I have to sign up again!

I live in the San Francisco Bay area right now and have been a Jane Austen fanatic since someone gave me a copy of the complete novels in one volume when I was thirteen (blessings rain down upon their head). I wrote my undergraduate thesis on The Watsons and always wanted to write a completion but am too lazy and stupid to get it done. I did publish a Jane Austen dictionary in the 1980s (well, that dates me, doesn’t it?) and a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice in 2014.

I like offbeat JAFF with a more academic and old-fashioned bent—love period stories with impeccable Austen diction and modern-day stories without any sex, go figure! I look forward to hanging out with everyone next year!

Splendid! So glad to have you back with us, Abigail. Five books or five hundred reads for 2019, we will take you. :)

I would definitely plunk down my money if/when you do write that The Watsons sequel. In the meantime, I'll enjoy your modern retelling. And, don't forget your whimsical Sanditon/P&P mash-up in Sunkissed anthology either. :)

Welcome back, Abigail. We love hearing your input and smart repartee. You are a wise woman. We're glad you are returning to Austenesque. The place wouldn't be the same without you.

{blushes} Thank you, ladies, for the undeserved compliments!

No, Abigail. Definitely deserved! Delighted so get to hang with you here again in 2019.

Hi Everyone!!! My name is Danielle and I am currently living in the Dominican Republic and work as an ESL teacher part-time and I am a volunteer sign language teacher full time here. I am studying for the LSAT in June so this group and the challenge will help me to keep a balance and not overlook the benefits of taking mental break.

I love love love Jane Austen, she was so shrewd but yet she wrote in a way that people who are only surface readers (those who never look beyond the very obvious) would miss the genius in her writing. For those who are deep readers, who realize there is so much more below the surface, we get to the pleasure of discovering a treasure trove.

I am looking forward to hearing about all the gems you all find!

Welcome, Danielle. You have found a safe place where Jane Austen rules and we are but her humble servants. You will find a lot to distract you from RL [real life] hassles and a great place to decompress. There are many gems in the JAFF [Jane-Austen-Fan-Fiction] selections and we also run into a few duds. No worries. Just follow our news-feeds and you will soon see just how much we love our Jane.

There are many authors who participate in this group so don't be surprised if you have a few sightings from our Austen Authors. It is pretty amazing when they comment. We love our Austen Authors. Again, welcome and jump in when you feel comfortable commenting.

So glad you're joining us, Danielle! You expressed EXACTLY what I love about Jane Austen's books. Pure genius!! And you will find plenty of gems here -- too many to be able to read in a year!

Welcome, Danielle! You have a lot on your plate and are wise to seek the occasional decompression read!

Warm welcome, Danielle!

I am so glad you chose our group as your place to de-stress between work and studies. Ah yes, Miss Jane truly did write cleverly about people and their lives. :)

J. W. wrote: "Welcome, Danielle. You have found a safe place where Jane Austen rules and we are but her humble servants. You will find a lot to distract you from RL [real life] hassles and a great place to decom..."

I always enjoy the insight from authors. It is something truly unique to Austen Authors (love the site) where readers can interact and get to know their favorite authors. :-)

Sophia wrote: "Warm welcome, Danielle!

I am so glad you chose our group as your place to de-stress between work and studies. Ah yes, Miss Jane truly did write cleverly about people and their lives. :)"

Thanks Sophia! I often refer to your reviews before buying books...you and Meredith from Austenesque Reviews. :-)

Abigail wrote: "Welcome, Danielle! You have a lot on your plate and are wise to seek the occasional decompression read!"

Thanks Abigail! I gotta get my fill before it gets to the point where I can read nothing that is not school related. :-)

Welcome to our group Danielle. Hopefully, this group can help you balance your work/pleasure. I love JA for the same reasons as you, all the things that she makes me feel, that is hidden between the lines.

Hello Again!

I became aware of Jane Austen in one form or another when I was 11 or 12. I started reading JAFF when this group was first formed I think in 2015 when it was recommended to me. I have been enjoying it ever since.

I am setting no goals for reading in 2019. I had way too many curves thrown into my schedule in 2018, so I have decided I will enjoy reading in 2019 with no pressure.

That being said I created a sub challenge for myself in 2018 that I will continue. I am reading books that have been on my TBR the longest, and that I already own. I pulled out all my books that I own and have not read (not including Kindle) and was shocked how large the pile is.

I look forward to reading with you all in the coming year.

Ahnya wrote: "Hello Again!

I became aware of Jane Austen in one form or another when I was 11 or 12. I started reading JAFF when this group was first formed I think in 2015 when it was recommended to me. I have..."

Clearing the book shelves is definitely a worthy challenge. Yay! So glad you're back with us, Ahnya. Hopefully not so many curves and more smooth roads will come your way. :)

Ahnya wrote: "Hello Again!

I became aware of Jane Austen in one form or another when I was 11 or 12. I started reading JAFF when this group was first formed I think in 2015 when it was recommended to me. I have..."

Oh, good approach, Ahnya! It took me a while to realize it's not the goal that made me stressed; it was ME! So I set fairly low goals for myself, just enough to keep me moving but not so much that I feel pressure to stay on a super-high pace. And reading books you already have without adding new ones is a sure way to cut down on that towering TBR pile. Welcome back and happy reading to you!