Austen Lovers TBR Challenge 2021 discussion

“A fondness for reading, properly directed, must be an education in itself.” Mansfield Park


Please post updates in separate comments. Books and book cover links may be utilized by clicking the 'add book/author' link above the comment box.

Ready to begin 2021 counting books
86 87
88 1st read Jan 1.2021... 89
90 Beth Kesler narration of Persuasion
91 92 93

Great picks, writer! I loved both of those.

Writer, are those for 2021 or for 2020? Either way - good progress.

Sheila wrote: "Writer, are those for 2021 or for 2020? Either way - good progress."
Thankyou Sheila..and Happy New Year of Austenesque Reading !
As this challenge began Dec 5th, they fall into both .. yay!
https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/...

Fanny Price was never one of my favored heroines, but we will be taking tea for the next 25 books ;)

Sam wrote: "Fanny Price was never one of my favored heroines, but we will be taking tea for the next 25 books ;)"

Even if you can't love you, respecting her is very good indeed. Or at least not starting another "Fanny" war! :)

Kirk wrote: "Sam wrote: "Fanny Price was never one of my favored heroines, but we will be taking tea for the next 25 books ;)"

Even if you can't love you, respecting her is very good indeed. Or at least not st..."

Ha!

Here we go!

76. Baby Blue Eyes 3.75
77. Darcy's Christmas Wish: A Pride and Prejudice Variation 3
78. Mr. Darcy's Christmas Miracle : A Pride & Prejudice Variation 3
79. End Game Non-Jaff 4
80. A Sister's Sacrifice 4
81. A Life Worth Choosing: A Jane Austen "Pride and Prejudice" Variation 5
82. All That This Entails 5
83. Infamous Relations: A Pride And Prejudice "What If?" Tale 4
84. Darcy Sails After Her: A Pride and Prejudice Variation 4
85. Unintended: A Pride and Prejudice Accident 4
86. Love and Other Machines: A Pride and Prejudice Regency Novella 4
87. Love & Betrayal: A Pride & Prejudice Continuation 4
88. Well Played Non-Jaff 3
89. Mr. Darcy's Most Reckless Kiss: A Pride & Prejudice Variation 2
90. A Pemberley Wonderland: A Darcy and Elizabeth Pride and Prejudice Variation 4
91. Lovers' Meeting: A Pride and Prejudice Variation 3
92. Expectations & Apologies 4
93. The Last Agent Non-Jaff 4
94. Matching Pemberley: A Pride & Prejudice Novella Variation 4
95. Cassandra 5
96. The Duchess of Devonshire 3.5
97. The Duke of Derbyshire 4
98. Forget Me Not, Elizabeth 4.5
99. Mrs Bennet Is Dead! - Charlotte's Gambit 4
100. Confessions of the Scandalous Mrs. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation 3

Annnnd... Bamm!

Fantastic progress.

Sheila wrote: "Fantastic progress."

Thank you

You are welcome.

Good lord, Sam, hitting the century mark! I hope the second jab went better.

Sam wrote: "Here we go!

76. Baby Blue Eyes 3.75
77. Darcy's Christmas Wish: A Pride and Prejudice Variation 3
78. [book:Mr. Darcy's Christmas Miracle : A Pride & Prejudice Vari..."
Delightful!!!!!

Hey Abigail, I didn't get it. still too much inflammation in my body, between my back and the nerves being inflamed. Drs upped my meds and said it will be a while to clear this up.
So I was way too nervous to chance it.

Kirk- Why thank you, thank you very much. :)

Sorry to hear it, Sam! I know that with some allergic reactions they aren’t letting you get the second shot, so you probably made the right decision in any case.

Sweet baby, Sam! You're doing great.

Love seeing all the higher ratings, too.
Saw your post to Abigail about your health. Wishing you well.

Sam wrote: "Hey Abigail, I didn't get it. still too much inflammation in my body, between my back and the nerves being inflamed. Drs upped my meds and said it will be a while to clear this up.
So I was way too..."

Sam, so sorry to hear that! I just said a prayer for you. I hope you get better at a faster rate than expected.

Sam wrote: "Hey Abigail, I didn't get it. still too much inflammation in my body, between my back and the nerves being inflamed. Drs upped my meds and said it will be a while to clear this up.
So I was way too..."

Sam, I have added you to my prayer list also. I am worried about the second Moderna vaccine as so many people have 2 days of flu-like symptoms.

Thank you all so much. They are still trying to adjust the meds, which don't seem to have really kicked in yet.

Sheila, while I know some people have had reactions, especially with the 2nd jab, most seniors I have heard of, including my parents, have not. There is some tiredness, so tlc might be called for.

Two days of flu-like symptoms is actually a GOOD thing when it comes to the vaccine! That is a signal that the person’s immune system is activated and creating antibodies, to confer strong immunity. What you need to understand is that all the symptoms you associate with coming down with the flu—fatigue, aches, chills—are not caused by the flu bug itself, they are caused by your immune system’s response to the bug.

Thank you for clarification.

I did my bit for Herd Immunity yesterday.

I got the Pfizer vaccine and so far just a little arm soreness although I did fall asleep twice while listening to the last 20 pages of an ARC copy of Dangerous Magic ... so it might have had more effect than I think! I don't consider that the book was at fault for my sleepiness.

That’s great Rose that you got the vaccine. Both of my parents have received the first dose of the Moderna. Only side effects were a sore arm the next day that lasted only for one day. My girlfriend got the Pfizer vaccine and she said not only did she have a sore arm but was extremely tired with the first dose. On the second dose she was extremely tired and nauseous for three days. Hang in there!! I don’t know when I will be getting a shot😢. They way I look at the vaccine is some protection is better than nothing and the side effects from getting Covid-19 are really bad and long lasting!

76 The Unexpected Heiress: A Pride and Prejudice Variation 5
77 The Duke of Derbyshire 5
78 Letters From Three Engagements by LaCorelli
fanfiction.net/s/13831080/1/


I believe Kirk and Sam must have rockets attached to their feet or there is no coffee available in their areas because they are drinking it all. Congrats to everyone

You’re no slouch yourself, Lenora! Racking up those five-star reads!

Thank You Abigail but I only work part time and I go everywhere with my kindle I guess I am more like Mary Bennet than I thought.

Glad to see how much you loved The Unexpected Heiress, Lenora.

Lenora wrote: "76 The Unexpected Heiress: A Pride and Prejudice Variation 5
77 The Duke of Derbyshire 5
78 Letters From Three Engagements by LaCorelli
fanfiction.net/s/13831080/1/..."
Great!! I'm way way back...no rockets this year. Been drinking coffee milk as is proper for a Rhode Island born person. :)

You hit the nail on the head, Lenora. My tablet goes everywhere with me. Plus, - and I can't speak for Kirk - I am not working at all at the moment.
Rather be reading than zoning out in front of bad tv or movies.

The unexpected heiress is next on my list!

Hi, glad to be here and earlier than I expected. Gives me hope to try for Darcy's library. Keeping my fingers crossed. Here's the first installment of books.
76. Unpleasant scenes might arise https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7339946/... 4 stars
77. The Masquerade Ball - Brigid Huey https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 4 stars
78. All Hallows eve - Jan Hahn https://merytonpress.com/all-hallows-... 4 stars
79. The Pemberley ravens - Kelly Miller https://merytonpress.com/the-pemberle... 4 stars
80. The haunting of Longbourn- CP Odom https://merytonpress.com/the-haunting... 5 stars. An amusing mashup of Jane Austen and Agatha Christie. Even when the story is left somewhat hanging I had to give it full points, because how can I do anything else when all 3 of my most favourite characters are to be found in a single story?
81. Alias Thomas Bennet https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... 2 stars
82. A slice of life https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13149846... 5+ stars. This author is a great writer. This story specifically was deliberately written in a disjointed manner. In spite of which, or because of it, it was such a good read. You could feel every nuances, every thought and feeling of the characters in your heart. Loved it.
83. Elizabeth and the hiding gentleman https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13538500... 5+ stars.
Very good story. The interactions between Darcy and Elizabeth are extremely well written. I finished the story in one sitting and with a huge smile on my face throughout.
84. The Christmas trade https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13751901... 5 stars. A very cute and adorable holiday story with a proposal to negate all Hunsford proposals to boot.
85. Recovered and restored https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12086434... 3 stars.

Ooh more good ones! Feel like I hit a treasure trove with some on your list.

abmom wrote: "Hi, glad to be here and earlier than I expected. Gives me hope to try for Darcy's library. Keeping my fingers crossed. Here's the first installment of books.
76. Unpleasant scenes might arise https..."

Excellent progress. Congratualions.

Nicely done, abmom!

Looks like you found several good JAFF stories this go around.

abmom wrote: "Hi, glad to be here and earlier than I expected. Gives me hope to try for Darcy's library. Keeping my fingers crossed. Here's the first installment of books.
76. Unpleasant scenes might arise https..."
Great!

Many of my recent reads are very good short stories and novellas which definitely helped my progress.

Hi everyone, I have a request. I recently came across a book with the summary where Elizabeth is Anne de Bourgh's companion and Sir Lewis is alive and lecherous. So, lady Catherine asks for Darcy's help to protect Elizabeth. But I forgot the name of the book and the author. Can someone help me?

This one has a lecherous de Bourgh but E is not a companion to AdB as I remember it. She is just visiting Charlotte at the parsonage.

Love and Libertine

Thanks wosedwew. I think this is it. May be I was misremembering the summary.

86. Where love resides https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13794983... 5 stars
87. Childhood impressions https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2530127/... 4 stars
88. Fitz, Fitzwilliam focus https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13812218... 4 stars
89. It all might have been different https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13805792/0 5 stars. This is a number of what if scenario short stories and most of them are very good.
90. The fall https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11298190... 4 stars. The premise was good and the writing could've been better. When I was reading this I was stuck with a thought. In the original PnP, both Darcy and Elizabeth make mistakes and regret their actions. But in many of the fan fictions, Elizabeth is portrayed as such a flawless character that we see Darcy and everyone who meets her worshipping the land she walks on. I don't think that was how Austen saw her or wanted her readers to see her. But many of the authors take the insult of Elizabeth by Darcy a bit too seriously and make him grovel (I don't dispute he does need to do it a bit) like he is a despicable character and bestowing Elizabeth on him is a great favour to him and forget marrying him is a great boon to Elizabeth and her family too. Sorry for the rant. Don't get me wrong. Both Darcy and Elizabeth are two of my most favourite characters but I'm aware of their flaws too. One sided perfections are a bit hard to swallow.

abmom wrote: "86. Where love resides https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13794983... 5 stars
87. Childhood impressions https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2530127/... 4 stars
88. Fitz, Fitzwilliam focus https://www.fanfi..."

Agreed! There are many variation retellings in which Elizabeth's smile is stunningly bright, her charm captivates every man that meets her-especially in the Ton and her accomplishments leave audiences worshiping her performance. Ugh! Borriiing..!!!
This was definitely not JA's Elizabeth. They both had flaws, which their eyes are opened to and the is how they meet each other halfway to make a great couple in love.

Great insight, Abmom! You’re right, it’s their mutual willingness to work on themselves and change their minds that makes them a believable couple. No goddesses on pedestals here!

Here, here, abmom! I'm not a fan of the one-sided character growth, either.

Way to go on more books off your list.

abmom wrote: "86. Where love resides https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13794983... 5 stars
87. Childhood impressions https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2530127/... 4 stars
88. Fitz, Fitzwilliam focus https://www.fanfi..."

Excellent progress, abmom. I agree that both characters were only all to real humans. None of us is perfect. Both admitted their faults and made some changes in canon.

I'm willing to accept a "perfect" character when the story is event-driven rather than character-driven. Meaning - I know that the character isn't, in fact, perfect, but that character's imperfections aren't the focus of the tale. Think of Anne Elliot, Fanny Price, and Elinor Dashwood. They are pretty "flawless" characters, but the focus on those stories is conflict driven by circumstances, not by character flaws. I'm probably over-simplifying. But if a story is good, I'm willing to give it its premise, and will even accept fairy tales about a perfect princess. :-) I know that we're all sinners, and the author knows it too. That's just not the story they want to tell, sometimes.

Just thinking out loud. :-)

And that doesn't mean that I don't think that there are times when it doesn't work, and that one dimensional characters are just bleh. :-) But I'm OK with it sometimes.

I take your point, and it’s a good one, though I would push back on Fanny Price being one of the flawless characters. The last time I read MP I was very struck by the constant conflict she was facing inside—she has major demons of anger and jealousy, and earns my admiration by never yielding to those temptations, but always fighting them to a standstill.

Good point, Marlene.
It is fiction at the end of the day. However, it can come down to the author's execution sometimes when it comes to their character and what the reader is anticipating when they pick up the book. I suppose if most of the story feels fairytale-ish (which I don't mind either) then I can believe in perfect princesses for the purpose of the story, but if everything else in the story seems based closer to reality with the exception of one character? Probably not. That said, I can put up with a princess character if the rest of the book is sensational.

@Abigail Yes! to your description of Fanny.

Abigail, I would that you're right that Fanny's internal feelings do cause character-created story conflict.

However, I think that her success at continuing to do the right thing makes her a "perfect" character, in that she's not a flawed character.

What we feel inside is separate from our behavior, and therefore I still feel the same way about Fanny to a certain extent, but you're right about Fanny. (I do have to put in a disclaimer that I haven't read MP recently enough to say that Fanny is 100% successful with 100% confidence, though.)

It's what we do with those feelings that count. Do we embrace the difficult emotions, nursing them along, until they fester and turn into negative behavior? Or do we recognize the feeling, make a conscious decision to behave properly regardless, and ultimately move on from the feeling? I would say that a character successful at these things is an impressive character indeed.

Sophia, interesting that you're okay with a perfect princess sometimes, even though you are a writer. And Abagail, it's interesting that you too have a writer's cap and take the opposite stance.

You guys make me think. Lots of love to all of you!