Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2017 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

I'll start the ball rolling.

Howdy, all, I'm Sophia. I'm from the States. I grew up in California and currently live in Michigan.

I was introduced to Jane Austen at the age of eight when my mother gave me all six completed novels for my birthday and we started reading them together as my nightly bedtime story. My love grew from there. My favorite of her novels is Persuasion and I'm quirky so my second fav is Mansfield Park. I adore all her works that I've read and happily discovered Austenesque and JAFF about five years ago.

I'm challenging myself to read at least two books a month toward the challenge and I hope to make a significant dent in my reading pile as a result (don't eyeroll me people who know I can't resist buying and borrowing more). :) I'll be starting at Anne Elliot Level.

Good luck, all!

Kirk from Boston. I refer to myself as a member of the Austen class of '95. Saw three of the adaptations and then read all six. Finishing that, I found some limited JAFF(The Third Sister) right after. Team Marianne level...lol not challenging myself.

I'm Suzan and I have been reading Austen and everything related since 2009. Yeah, I was nearly 50 years old when I first read Northanger Abbey and was hooked. Since then, I became an Austenesque author, with unpublished works on AHA and DWG and two published novels (one a bestseller) and a story in a published anthology. I also study Regency history and costuming and best practises in writing fiction, and I beta edit for several authors, meaning I've had significant input into 8 published novels by others.

I'm ill, and a few years ago, my ability to concentrate was so poor I could barely read 10 books a year, so last year I aimed for 25 Austenesque and hit 61 total books, of which most were Austen-related. I admit about half a dozen of them weren't completely read since they weren't good enough to keep my attention, but that's factored into my plans. This year, I'm aiming for Emma Woodhouse.

Please excuse me if I write with few contractions. It's because I write Regency and got into the habit. I don't talk that way!

I love the Austenesque world because of the huge number of virtual friends I've made. I've met a good dozen of them, and even attended the wedding of my plot beta in NOLA, quite a long distance from my home on Vancouver Island. I look forward to meeting more people as new authors, readers, and reviewers join our happy groups!

Splendid to see Kirk and Suzan again.

Good luck for the new year of reading (and writing). ;)

Abigail from the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve been an Austen addict since age 13, and wrote my undergraduate thesis on The Watsons—way back in the 1970s. I’m a writer as well as reader of Austenesque fiction (well, I wrote one Austenesque novel but am not planning to do any more). When I had a major surgery about nine years ago, a dear friend sent me a whole box of Austenesques to read during my recovery! Now I’m an unrepentant fan of other people’s reinterpretations of the classic novels. Looking forward to moving on with this wonderful group! Thank you, Sophia, for creating this space for us.

And the marvelous Abigail is returning. Yay!

I feel like Lydia and her 'whole camp of soldiers' bit when you said a whole box of Austenesques. ;)

Well, of course I'm back for another year in this wonderful group!

I don't remember exactly when I first read Pride and Prejudice, but it's been a few decades- long before the 1995 miniseries came out- and it instantly became my favorite book. I've read Austen's other works, but I always come back to P&P for periodic re-reads, which isn't true of the others. I discovered JAFF in 2011 and have been voraciously reading all the P&P variations I can, which is a rather large number because I'm mostly retired.

My other major hobby is music, so if I'm not reading, I'm probably rehearsing or performing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

...Or golfing with my husband.

...Or visiting Charleston to see our son and brand new grandson.

Hoping to make it to Mr. Bennet's library again. Not sure I'll be reading quite as many in 2017 as I have in 2016, though, so I'm not aiming for Mr Darcy's library. You never know, though!

Hey hey, it's Debbie!!!!

Looking forward to seeing you go to town on the challenge this year. I won't even chuckle if I see those baby board book Austen stories since I know a grandma must start them young for the cuddle and read moments. ;)

Hi everyone! I'm Anji from Harrogate in Yorkshire.

Sometime during this current academic year I'll be celebrating 50 years since first encountering the works of Jane Austen. I'm exactly not sure when and indeed it may have already happened. All I know is that it was during my first year at secondary school. One Sunday afternoon, the 1940 version of P&P (Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson) was broadcast on TV here in the UK and it fascinated me so much that I checked the book out of my school library the next day.

OK, I know there are many flaws in that film but I'll always have a soft spot for it because otherwise I may never have read a word of Austen. My year never studied her works in English Literature - Dickens, George Elliot, Shakespeare and Keats, yes but no Austen.

I stumbled across the JAFF community just under three years ago now and what a lovely bunch of folk you all are! I've made friends all over the world because of it.

Thanks to Sophia for hosting this party again for 2017. I'm not sure yet which level I'll be aiming for but will pop in there and say hi once I've decided.

Hi, love reading JAFF but I'm probably not going to be that vocal. Just love reading everyone's views and it helps with my TBR list. Hope this is ok and also I'm going big and trying for Mr Bennet.

Lol might be just a little much but I'm hoping to get to about 100 books. :)

I'm Gabriella from Lecce, in the South-East of Italy (just at the bottom of the heel). It's my third Challenge, anc each time I lingered in the Cahterine Morland Level, but I'm afraid I won't outdo myself in 2017... I'll start from Anne Elliot Level this year, too. ;)

Hi,
I'm Elisabetta from Modena and I'll star from Anne Elliot level (like in 2016).

I am an English female who has runaway to live in rural Canada with her Scottish author husband. According to GR I have read nearly 580 books in 2016 - a record for me - of these 160 were for the 2016 challenge (plus about another 30 which are not on GRs). So I will be aim for the Mr Bennet level again having still over 100 unread books on my tablet.
My favourite genre is actually mysteries and when combined with JAFF makes for heaven.

Virginia: I loved your intro. You hussy, you! Working your way through the canon of British heroes.

Susan: If you ever get tired of living in the wilds of Canada with a writer, do step aside—I’ll take that life!

Georgiana (best name ever) and Elisabetta: it’s great to have the Italian contingent back again!

Anji: Maybe one day you’ll talk me into watching the 1940 P&P again. With no projectiles nearby for me to throw at the screen!

Charlene: This space is as comfy as Sophia’s sofa. We hope you’ll pipe up when you feel so moved! And meanwhile, it’s a wonderful source of delightful new books to read.

Hello GR friends, I am J.W. [Jeanne] Garrett from south central Kentucky. I joined GR last May [if there is blame, you know who you are that invited me] and I have absolutely loved every minute of this marvelous adventure.

I retired at the close of the 2015 school year and have read myself silly every since. I set the most outrageous reading challenge last year [200 books], simply because I didn't know any better. I find, as we approach a new year, that I need to clean house, cook, do laundry [instead of simply buying more underwear] and reintroduce myself to the man that seems to live in this house. I have completely forgotten who he is. He keeps looking at me strangely as though he is wondering who I am. That is not good.

For 2017 I think I will strive for Mr. Bennet's Library and see what happens. If I go over, it will be OK, as I do not wish to feel the push of a challenge that will take away from the pleasure.

I have all the copies of Austen movie adaptions that I can get my hands on. I don't remember when I first read P&P, but after the 'Sleepless in Seattle' movie, where she said she read it yearly, I felt a most wonderful feeling of why not. And... have proceeded to do soever since. On one excursion to the bookstore I ran into Jeffers' 'Darcy's Passion' my first ever JAFF. I read it through 5 times and have been on the hunt for variations ever since.

Well, enough about me. I hope to see you in the discussion groups.

Anji wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Anji from Harrogate in Yorkshire.

Sometime during this current academic year I'll be celebrating 50 years since first encountering the works of Jane Austen. I'm exactly not sure ..."

I adore that old black and white P&P movie adaption, Anji. Like Lizzy, I love to laugh and it was a great romantic comedy. I didn't get to read Austen in school either, bummer.

So glad to see you back with us. :)

Virginia wrote: "Hello!! This is so exciting!

Let's see. I read my first JA novel between my 7th and 8th grade year. I fell in love with Mr. Darcy, who was immediately replaced by Mr. Rochester, and who was then ..."

I have a feeling you have competition in this group for having the biggest fickle book boyfriend/girlfriend heart, Virginia. Woohoo, to a Mr. Knightley at home.

Wishing you well tackling Anne's level. :)

Charlene wrote: "Hi, love reading JAFF but I'm probably not going to be that vocal. Just love reading everyone's views and it helps with my TBR list. Hope this is ok and also I'm going big and trying for Mr Bennet...."

Glad to have you with us, Charlene. My mom always said, still waters run deep. So you get cozy and enjoy our chatty folk and all the books you'll be tempted to snag for your shelf. Cheering for you to hit Mr. Bennet level. :)

Georgiana wrote: "I'm Gabriella from Lecce, in the South-East of Italy (just at the bottom of the heel). It's my third Challenge, anc each time I lingered in the Cahterine Morland Level, but I'm afraid I won't outdo..."

Hiya, Gabriella! So glad to have you back.

Haha, your description of living 'just at the bottom of the heel' reminds me of how people here in Michigan hold up their hands like they're wearing a mitten and point to where they live in the state (I live just below the thumb, LOL).

I know the feeling of hitting the same level each year and no higher. I'll be cheering you on to break to the next level, but I also know that you read so many more wonderful books in general. Best of luck, lady!

Elisabetta wrote: "Hi,
I'm Elisabetta from Modena and I'll star from Anne Elliot level (like in 2016)."

Woohoo! Elisabetta's back. And glad to have your company in the Anne level. Cheering you on, my friend. :)

Susan wrote: "I am an English female who has runaway to live in rural Canada with her Scottish author husband. According to GR I have read nearly 580 books in 2016 - a record for me - of these 160 were for the 2..."

A runaway life sounds so exciting. I'm picturing that cloak and dagger Darcy and Lizzy story that Karen Cox wrote last year, Susan. :)

Wowsers, that was a huginormous feat of reading for 2016. Congrats! And now clean slate for 2017 and the climb to Mr. Bennet's library for you. Go for it!

J. W. wrote: "Hello GR friends, I am J.W. [Jeanne] Garrett from south central Kentucky. I joined GR last May [if there is blame, you know who you are that invited me] and I have absolutely loved every minute of ..."

Haha, great intro!
That sounds like a great plan, Jeanne! A book challenge should always be fun and you got it, balance is the key. :) Enjoy the retired life together.

Look out Mr. Bennet. Here she comes!!!!

Virginia wrote: "Hello!! This is so exciting!

Let's see. I read my first JA novel between my 7th and 8th grade year. I fell in love with Mr. Darcy, who was immediately replaced by Mr. Rochester, and who was then ..."
That part about not disclosing your username for JAFF is like a cliffhanger! I'm dying to know if I know your stories! I'm redhead on most boards.

Hi I'm Teresa from the South of Ireland. I've been reading for as long as I can remember. According to my mother I couldn't wait to be able to read on my own and got frustrated when she had to read the books to me.
I left school early to go working so I was gone before they reached the Austen stage. Strangely the brother who never reads books introduced me to our beloved Jane. I mentioned I'd seen P&P on dvd (the 1980's version) and he said he had the book he'd ''studied'' in school.
What can I say. I saw. I read. I fell in love.
My favourite is Persuasion then Northanger Abbey and then Mansfield Park. Odd I know.
For 2017 I'm hoping to hunt down the variations that are not P&P (I can hear you all gasp now)!
Sorry for the mini biography. Looking forward to the new challenges.

Hello everyone,
I'm Carol and I live in Missouri. Introduced to Jane Austen in 7th &
8th grade. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite. This is my third year joining my fellow readers in our reading levels. I'll do the Mr. Bennet level again this coming year since there are many variations out there to read yet and more to come I'm sure.

Forgot to say I'm going for the Anne Elliot challenge again this year and hoping I might exceed it.

Teresa wrote: "Hi I'm Teresa from the South of Ireland. I've been reading for as long as I can remember. According to my mother I couldn't wait to be able to read on my own and got frustrated when she had to read..."

Yay, Teresa's back. And look at that. I didn't know we shared favorite Austen novels. :) Good for your brother to get your Austen love started Fellow Anne level challenger, here. :)

Carol wrote: "Hello everyone,
I'm Carol and I live in Missouri. Introduced to Jane Austen in 7th &
8th grade. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite. This is my third year joining my fellow readers in our reading le..."

You are so right, Carol. Sooooo many wonderful variations still to read. Three years of challenging and going strong, right. Cheering you on to Mr. Bennet's level.

Hi I'm Jennifer and I was a reluctant Austen reader. I've read P&P and Northanger Abby for two different college courses and really like Austen's style. So I'm looking at reading/listening to her other novels. This group will help push me to do so in 2017.

Jennifer wrote: "Hi I'm Jennifer and I was a reluctant Austen reader. I've read P&P and Northanger Abby for two different college courses and really like Austen's style. So I'm looking at reading/listening to her o..."

Great to have you join us, Jennifer. :) You are so in for a treat with the ones you have left to read. I know how you love your audio so if you can snag any narrated by Juliet Stevenson, she's the best narrator I've heard for Austen's books. It's fun because she got to act the odious Mrs. Elton in one of the Emma movie adaptions. Cheering you on to finish your goal. :)

Jennifer wrote: "Hi I'm Jennifer and I was a reluctant Austen reader. I've read P&P and Northanger Abby for two different college courses and really like Austen's style. So I'm looking at reading/listening to her o..."
Hi Jennifer! You will get a lot of support here, as we are pretty tight with JA here. Best wishes and be sure to join in on the conversations, too! Looking forward to getting to know you.

Hi All. This will be my third year in the Austenesque challenge group and I am so happy to have made friends and found good things to read from this group.

I am 60 years old, married, no children, but a small dog called Mercedes who sits on my lap while I read and play around online.

I was a librarian until I retired in June, so I really love to read. I also love to travel and just got back from almost a month in Europe. I was lucky enough to arrive at the last minute at the Jane Austen Museum and Tea Room in Bath and have a picture of me with the wax figure of Jane.

This year I really want to get some of the books off the list that have been on here the longest. I might have a hard time finding some of them, but I also own some and haven't yet read them! My Austen Fan Fiction bookshelf just hit the 700 number, and I believe I have read at least 500 of those, so I still have a good chunk to tackle in 2017. I am shooting for the top level again this year, but I don't think I will put as much pressure on myself as I did in 2016.

My husband and I are going to Germany in April, so I will likely bore you with those plans. Hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2017!

Glad to have another veteran challenger back, Barb. :)

You paint a cozy picture of your chair, your dog, and relaxing with books or internet. And yes, do share your exciting trip plans for Germany. Neato!

Cheering you on to finish off some of those shelf oldies.

Sophia wrote: "Glad to have another veteran challenger back, Barb. :)

You paint a cozy picture of your chair, your dog, and relaxing with books or internet. And yes, do share your exciting trip plans for Germany..."
Thanks, Sophia! And, thank you once again for moderating this group. You do such a great job!

Ah shucks! :)

Germany in April! Sounds wonderful, Barb!

Debbie wrote: "Germany in April! Sounds wonderful, Barb!"
Thanks, Debbie, although April can be iffy. But, it can't be worse than 20 some gray days in Poland! LOL And, I sure loved Poland regardless. We are going to fit in Prague over Easter, too. Should be fun.

Howdy, everyone, both familiar and new faces! I joined the 2016 group a few months into the year and really enjoyed it, so I'm definitely in for 2017!

I'm Eliza, I'm in my thirties, and I live in Nashville, Tennessee. I started reading Jane Austen in high school when my junior English class required us to pick two books by the same author (from a list) and write an essay comparing and contrasting the books. I picked Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility and loved them both. It was a good 15 years before I ever got around to expanding to her other books, but I read P&P at least once every few years during that time. It has long been one of my top favorite books, with others only encroaching on the top honor of the list because I sometimes actually am in the mood to read other genres--*gasp*. ;-)

I first read Persuasion in 2012 and have since read it almost as many times as P&P. I'd be hard-pressed to choose which of those two is my favorite. It's only been in the last year that I read the last three to finally round out all six Jane books, FINALLY. :-) My order of faves after my top two is roughly: Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Emma. Though I actually haven't read S&S since high school, so it's due for a revisit soon. I'm also a little bit obsessed with Jane Austen movies. As a result, my husband calls any actor in historical costume (regardless of the period) "Mr. Darcy."

I'll be topping out this year around the 150 mark for JAFF (+10 non-JAFF...I really should be a little more diverse, huh?), so I'll be going for Mr. Bennet's Library again for 2017. Can't wait to see what everyone recommends in the coming year!

Barb wrote: "My Austen Fan Fiction bookshelf just hit the 700 number, and I believe I have read at least 500 of those...."

My goodness! Now I know whose shelf I need to be raiding! I'm at just under 350 on my shelf, and thought that was a lot. :-)

Now, that would be a neat school project, Eliza. Thanks for sharing how you came to love Jane Austen. Haha, my husband has vague ideas that any historical drama he's watched with me- because he assumes with my obsession- that its got to be Austen. ;)

Wow, you hit a great high mark for the 2016 challenge. Onward to another big one and Mr. Bennet's Library for the win.

Sophia wrote: "Haha, my husband has vague ideas that any historical drama he's watched with me- because he assumes with my obsession- that its got to be Austen. ;)"

Exactly! Hehe. He tries to pretend he's not watching them, but he totally does.

Yep, I caught him sit up and notice when Colonel Brandon and Willoughby dueled. And he laughed at the scenes with Lydia and Mrs. Bennet. But if asked, he'd pretend he was sleeping in his chair. ;)

Virginia wrote: "Hello!! This is so exciting!

Let's see. I read my first JA novel between my 7th and 8th grade year. I fell in love with Mr. Darcy, who was immediately replaced by Mr. Rochester, and who was then ..."

Team Knightley!!!

Hello. This is repeating what is on my profile but if you have not read that...I am a 70 year old grandmother of 4 who are all under 5 years of age. I was not introduced to any of Jane Austen's books until the 1995 P&P movie was released and I picked up the novel.

I retired in October 2012 and began to write reviews as a hobby and a way to keep my mind active. I then was introduced to Goodreads. I follow other's recommendations from the posts here and on blogs. I have made a number of friends and even met a few when they traveled nearby or in NYC or even in Seattle WA when visiting my oldest/daughter. Love the people in this community. I have visited the Jane Austen Centre in Bath when on a trip to Great Britain in the spring of 2004 with my husband so have a photo of me and "Jane".

Yes, Jeanne, and I can brag that it was one of my better moves as you have been such an asset to this community.

That's a great suggestion, Sheila, to remind everyone to visit each other's GR bio pages and get to know each other better.

So glad to have you back. Love that you've been able to meet several GR friends in real life, too. Agreed that the blogs and posts give so many great recommendations and more opportunities to meet friendly folks.

I am returning for my third year. I have loved the interaction on this blog. Everyone is so nice. I reached a record high reads last year and am hoping to surpass it this year. I am starting on the Emma Woodhouse level, but am hoping to reach 100. We shall see. I live in NY and was introduced to Pride and Prejudice about 7 years ago by my husband. I have a ton of JAFF books on my TBR and add them faster than I can read them.

So tell everyone about your birding activities. I found that so interesting and I am sure others will also...we want to get to know you better. I wouldn't mind more details here or even in a message. Yesterday so much information was exchanged it is blurry in my head.

Sheila wrote: "So tell everyone about your birding activities. I found that so interesting and I am sure others will also...we want to get to know you better. I wouldn't mind more details here or even in a messag..."
I love animals, especially horses, dogs and BIRDS. I birdsit my son's while he is at school. I love camping and history. I am hoping to get to England for Regency Week and to see some of the areas Jane wrote about. The Peak District with all its natural beauty especially intrigues me.

Deborah wrote: "Sheila wrote: "So tell everyone about your birding activities. I found that so interesting and I am sure others will also...we want to get to know you better. I wouldn't mind more details here or e..."

I certainly hope that trip pans out for you. And then that you share photos with us.