Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Challenge 2018 discussion

I thought the first one went well. Doesn't it feel great to get to a book that's been setting on your shelf for so long?
Here we go again!!!

Debuting for this year's challenge, we will be trying something new. Every other month, I will post up a Scavenger Clue (theme) and that will determine what you choose to pull off your shelf (or the library's shelf) to read.
This will be a difficult (but not too difficult) challenge in that your book has to meet two qualifications.
1. It has to match the Scavenger Clue Theme.
2. It has to have been published over 2 years ago.

That's right! We're aiming at those oldies, but goodies that have been left behind to gather dust for the bright and shiny newer releases.
Any format may be admissible.

Your Clue: Something New To You on any of Austen's novels or juvenilia or starring Austen, herself.
I'm defining 'something new' as to mean that it might be a new to you author or narrator, focus on a character you've never seen get to be lead role, a new story trope or element, new to you take on Austen or her books, new to you setting or time period. First time with one of Austen's novels, stories, or other writings. Just... new! :)

And yes, you know me, my response when you're not sure is go with your gut if your book qualifies. This is meant for fun and to get books dusted off your shelf so I'm good with wide interpretations of the rules. LOL

If you're game, leave a comment with your choice by May 1st and then begin reading after the 1st.
As you read or when you complete your read, stop back by and update everyone.
If you run into something in your book that you want to discuss or ask about, sure thing, leave a comment so we can hash it out with you.

This is subject to change, but for now, I'm going with the easy choice of New to Me author with Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale by Rebecca Jamison.

All the ones I can think of that fit the criteria of Austen herself or juvenilia are ones I’ve already read, so I’ll have to put on my thinking cap—may have to go the easy route, an author new to me. A couple of ideas for other readers: Edgar and Emma: A Novel After Jane Austen by Robert Rodi or First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen by Charlie Lovett or The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen: Volume I by Collins Hemingway.

Abigail wrote: "All the ones I can think of that fit the criteria of Austen herself or juvenilia are ones I’ve already read, so I’ll have to put on my thinking cap—may have to go the easy route, an author new to m..."

Good suggestions, Abigail!

The Highbury murders by Victoria Grossack

I'm thinking about something for this month's Scavenger Hunt. First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen could be a good choice, but also Mercy's Embrace: So Rough a Course, with Elizabeth Elliot as heroine should be intriguing. Or maybe one or two of The Personages of Pride & Prejudice Collection by Jennifer Becton. I'll decide in May, depending on the spur of the moment.

Georgiana wrote: "I'm thinking about something for this month's Scavenger Hunt. First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen could be a good choice, but also [book:Mercy's..."

Yes, this is exactly why I left myself the possibility of change. Spur of the moment might see me picking something else up to read. :)

Georgiana wrote: "I'm thinking about something for this month's Scavenger Hunt. First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen could be a good choice, but also Mercy's..."</i>

I read [book:Mercy's Embrace: So Rough a Course last month. I loved it and would highly recommend it. If I remember correctly the Kindle wasn't too much if you don't already own it.

Hi. Although I don't get on here much at all at the moment, just wanted to pop in to post my choice for May's challenge. It's related to the self-imposed alphabet challenge on my YTD tracker. I only own one Austenesque book beginning with the letter Q, which is Queen of the Desert: Pride and Prejudice in the Desert Concludes by Lavinia Angell. But as it's the third of a trilogy, I have to read volumes 1 and 2 first. So, my choice is The Sheik of Araby: Pride and Prejudice in the Desert. The author is a new one for me but I've heard good things about this trilogy, so it's time to get around to it!

Anji wrote: "Hi. Although I don't get on here much at all at the moment, just wanted to pop in to post my choice for May's challenge. It's related to the self-imposed alphabet challenge on my YTD tracker. I onl..."
Happy reading!!

I'm choosing Longbourn . The author is new to me and has been on my tbr pile for a while now.

Patricia wrote: "I'm choosing Longbourn . The author is new to me and has been on my tbr pile for a while now."

Oh good! Look forward to your thoughts on it since I want to read that one eventually. :)

I'm liking it alot so far. so far I'd rate it 4 stars.

Excellent! Hopefully, I'll get started on my book by next week.

Kirk wrote: "The Highbury murders by Victoria Grossack
"
Alas, I can only give this a 2.0 As well as it is written, I can't get over certain events. I have one major request of all JA fan fiction...this book breaks that barrier multiple times. Ugh!!!

what didn't you like about it??

Patricia wrote: "what didn't you like about it??"
It's a huge spoiler... I can add it to a review...

Ah, that's a shame, Kirk. Sorry it had unpleasant elements that made it a disappointment.

I think we all have hot buttons that will just automatically ruin a story, even a well-written one, for us.

At the very least, its read and off the shelf. :)

Sophia wrote: "Ah, that's a shame, Kirk. Sorry it had unpleasant elements that made it a disappointment.

I think we all have hot buttons that will just automatically ruin a story, even a well-written one, for us..."
Yes!

I agree, Kirk, the writing was elegant but I couldn’t get past what she made some characters do.

I'm starting to get that same impression with longbourn now. based on how author portrayed some of Austen's characters I think I'm just going to leave it at 4 stars. otherwise I'd give it 5

Patricia wrote: "I'm starting to get that same impression with longbourn now. based on how author portrayed some of Austen's characters I think I'm just going to leave it at 4 stars. otherwise I'd give it 5"

What a shame! But I get what you're saying.

Ahnya wrote: "I read [book:Mercy's Embrace: So Rough a Course last month. I loved it and would highly recommend it. If I remember correctly the Kindle wasn't too much if you don't already own it. "

Thank you, I had downloaded it when it was a freebie, but I actually own a paperback copy, too. I just don't seem to read paper books, these days, so I benefited of the gift to read it, at last. I began reading it just this morning. I found each character quite disagreeable, by the way! Very faithful to Jane Austen's. :-)

Dusty ** Sneeze ** is right ** cough **

Whew, I dusted off Darcy and Anne

It was originally published in 2007 as 'A Letter from Lady Catherine' and was republished as 'Darcy and Anne' in 2009. I realize Anne as the heroine is not new... the author Judith Brocklehurst is new to me. Since there is no picture on Amazon's author's page... and only one book shown for this author... I assume it is a pen name.

So I am working on two of our challenge points... it is old and a new author for me. ** sneeze ** cough **

Good thing we only do this every other month... it could be bad for my health. LOL!!

J. W. wrote: "Dusty ** Sneeze ** is right ** cough **

Whew, I dusted off Darcy and Anne

It was originally published in 2007 as 'A Letter from Lady Catherine' and was republished as 'Darcy and An..."

What a hoot! Yes!!!! Glad you dusted off another one. I wasn't familiar with this one and it could be fun to get one with Anne as the heroine.

I'm going to read two books of a trilogy that came out in 2015 and 2016, Laughter Through Trials: A Pride and Prejudice Variation and The Laughter of Love: A Pride and Prejudice Variation. I read Her Unforgettable Laugh: A Pride and Prejudice Variation, the first book of this trilogy, ages ago and never kept going. Time to get the other two off my Dusty Shelf!!

Debbie wrote: "I'm going to read two books of a trilogy that came out in 2015 and 2016, Laughter Through Trials: A Pride and Prejudice Variation and [book:The Laughter of Love: A Pride and Prejudi..."

Big challenge then. Go get 'em, Tiger! :)

I went ahead with my original pick- Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale. At first it didn't grab me, but then I started liking it. I was nearly to the middle and starting to get irritated with the heroine, but then she straightened out. End was the strongest section. Won't be a book for everyone as it has strong LDS tenets, but a sweet read overall and the Persuasion story in the contemporary setting was well done.
Glad to have finished it. Feels great getting another one off of my Dusty Shelf. :)

Sophia wrote: "I went ahead with my original pick- Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale. At first it didn't grab me, but then I started liking it. I was nearly to the middle and starting to get irritated..."
Congrats!

J. W. wrote: "Dusty ** Sneeze ** is right ** cough **

Whew, I dusted off Darcy and Anne

It was originally published in 2007 as 'A Letter from Lady Catherine' and was republished as 'Darcy and An..."

Congrats cough sneeze!

** sniff ** thanks

what does lds mean???

Latter Day Saints, as in Church of Latter Day Saints, or Mormon.

J. W. wrote: "Dusty ** Sneeze ** is right ** cough **

Whew, I dusted off Darcy and Anne

It was originally published in 2007 as 'A Letter from Lady Catherine' and was republished as 'Darcy and Anne' in 2009. I realize Anne as the heroine is not new... the author Judith Brocklehurst is new to me. Since there is no picture on Amazon's author's page... and only one book shown for this author... I assume it is a pen name."

Unfortunately, Judith Broklehurst died in 2008, the book you read is posthumous. She wrote Maria of Birkthwaite, a Jane Austen Sequel, too, a sequel to Mansfield Park.
Here's my review of Darcy and Anne. I absolutely loved it!
http://ildiariodellelizzies.blogspot....

I finished my my Dusty Shelf choice The Sheik of Araby: Pride and Prejudice in the Desert by Lavinia Angell last night. Enjoyed it so much and went straight on to Son of the East: Pride and Prejudice in the Desert Continues, which I would have read in one sitting, until I realised it was 1am! Managed to finish it today and have gone straight on to the third and final volume Queen of the Desert: Pride and Prejudice in the Desert Concludes. The latter will also count as my (probably) one and only Q choice in my alphabet challenge.

For those of you who haven't read this trilogy yet, I can heartily recommend it! Definitely a very different premise for one of our favourite love stories, and for me, a most enjoyable one, too.

Georgiana... oh my... thank you for the information on Judith Brocklehurst.

Anji, wow... I will have to consider that trilogy. Thank you.

It's a fantastic trilogy. The climax in the third book is a heart stopper! Great choices for your Dusty Shelf read, Anji!

@Georgiana- That is good background info to know. Thanks! I'm curious about the Mansfield Park sequel.

@Anji Woohoo! You really hit it hard getting three done. I've only read the first one and now you have me eager to finish the trilogy

@Patricia Sorry for the confusion about LDS. I got lazy and didn't write it all out.

Debbie wrote: "It's a fantastic trilogy. The climax in the third book is a heart stopper! Great choices for your Dusty Shelf read, Anji!"

Sounds fantastic, Debbie. I haven't got to the climax of book three yet and probably won't finish it this evening. I want an earlier night tonight!

Patricia, I shelve books as being by LDS authors because I just want to be aware that the author's belief system is different from my more mainstream Christian doctrines. They are very similar, but the LDS church does deviate in some areas. Particularly if I want to recommend the books to my children in the future. I do enjoy the LDS books because they tend to be very clean, and I have not yet read a book with doctrine that I wouldn't want to recommend to my kids. That's probably TMI. 😊. And some readers shelve books as LDS because they ARE members of that church.

I like clean books. I read alot of historical fiction that Christian fiction because I don't have to worry about it.

Patricia wrote: "I like clean books. I read alot of historical fiction that Christian fiction because I don't have to worry about it."

I understand!! I generally want to read Christian historical romance with some other books on occasion. Do you have a favorite Christian author? Mine is Elizabeth Camden. :-)

I hope it's not too late to join this month's hunt! I'd like to read Mrs Darcy's Dilemma, which was written in 2004 and has been on my TBR shelf since March 2013!

It's new to me because although I've read stories featuring the nearly grown up children of Darcy and Elizabeth, I've never read one with the focus being a 40-year-old + Elizabeth.

Victoria wrote: "I hope it's not too late to join this month's hunt! I'd like to read Mrs Darcy's Dilemma, which was written in 2004 and has been on my TBR shelf since March 2013!

It's new to me beca..."

Sure!!! Glad to have you, Victoria. :)

Well, I finished my dusty scavenger hunt book Darcy and Anne 4.5-stars for me. **cough**sneeze**

J. W. wrote: "Well, I finished my dusty scavenger hunt book Darcy and Anne 4.5-stars for me. **cough**sneeze**"

*snicker* Are your eyes red from all that book dust?

Way to go, Jeanne!

I finished Mercy's Embrace: So Rough a Course. It was nice, but now I have to read the other two books in the series to know how this plays out? 😫

Sophia... yes, my eyes are red... my husband thought I was crying over the story. [joke] However, this was a good idea to have a scavenger hunt. Well done... and I enjoyed this as well as getting it off my shelf.

Georgiana wrote: "I finished Mercy's Embrace: So Rough a Course. It was nice, but now I have to read the other two books in the series to know how this plays out? 😫"

Haha! Yes, you'll have to read them all now that you're curious. :)