Austenesque Lovers TBR Challenge 2020 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 like to joke that I'm a member of the Austen class of 1995. S&S 1995 was my first known experience. I saw it three times in the movie theaters. It was love at first sight for Marianne and I :)(Jane Bennet is a very very close 2nd for me).
My favorite cousin purchased P&P 95 and had it on at various holidays. Emma came to the movie theaters in 96. I read them...and then being a bit of a "completeist'...I read the other three big 6 novels. I then found what little Fan Fiction was out there back then! I think "The Third Sister" about Margaret Dashwood was my first.

Team Marianne level!!! :) Laugh at myself....if I reach all the levels I won't be displeased. :) 2018 was off the charts and 2019 has been fairly ave.
Eastern Mass!

Woohoo! Glad to have the Class of '95 well represented, Kirk.

Fun to see how you came to Austen.

Howdy, all!

I'm from Michigan and I have a towering TBR that needs my attention so this challenge is definitely for me. I slip more onto the pile than I actually remove so I think its an eternal pile. Haha!

I came to Austen as a child when my mom bought me a boxed set for my birthday and we read Pride & Prejudice together before moving to Emma and Sense & Sensibility and so on. I settled on Persuasion as my favorite. I adore Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey as my next favs.

Each year, I enjoy this group for old friends who come back and share the challenge and also meeting new friends who find their way here. Feel free to friend me if you'd like to chat books or check out reviews.

My goal this year is to finish Miss Catherine Morland level with 50 books.

Hi, I'm Georgiana from Italy. I came to Austen reading by chance Northanger Abbey (here in Italy we don't read Austen at school) I enjoied it so much that I read all her novels. My favourite novel is Persuasion.
My goal this year is to reach Catherine Morlend level and to read even more (30 books at least!)
But I'll start with my Marianne Dashwood. 😉

Worthy challenge, Georgiana!

Yay to have you back. :) Miss Marianne welcomes you for another visit.

Ok I was abysmal last year with my Austen challenge so I'm going to try harder this time. I'm going for the Marianne Dashwood level and hope I can complete that. I have quite a few non fiction books about Austen I want to read so that should help. It's time for a reread of the novels too. Persuasion is my favorite and then Northanger and Mansfield Park.

A year of new beginnings, Teresa. Cheering you on!

So glad to have you back and ready to conquer Miss Marianne's level. :)

Hi! I'm joining in from rural Pennsylvania. I first read Pride and Prejudice in high school English class. Then we watched the BBC version with Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul. Loved it. I continued to read all the other books and see the movies. When I discovered the variation stories, I was over the moon.

This year, I would like to get farther into Catherine Moreland's library. I'd be happy with 30 books.

Howdy, Dana!

Welcome back. Love that older 1980 BBC version, too.

Great goal to hit 30!

Sophia wrote: "A year of new beginnings, Teresa. Cheering you on!

So glad to have you back and ready to conquer Miss Marianne's level. :)"

Fingers crossed Sophia I'll do better.

Sophia wrote: "Share what you are comfortable about yourself and what challenge level you are tackling..."

Responding to chill Canadian winter temps by embracing the indoor warmth of JA storylines and fav characters.
My challenge? Pursuing George Knightley 😉...

Excellent, writer!

Jane Austen brings cheer to dreary winters. Looking forward to seeing you successful in your pursuit of Mr. Knightley. :)

Glad to have you back.

South-Central-Kentucky reporting for duty. I will strive for Mr. Darcy's Library [of course] this new year. Real Life issues have hindered my commenting and my reading both last year ['18] and this year ['19]. Hopefully, I'll get a reading routine going and get back to reviewing.

I love good conversation [**snicker** couldn't resist] and a joke. Thanks, Kirk. '95 is my favorite P&P movie [Colin Firth-heavy sigh]. I have at least 3 or 4 versions of the P&P DVD. I love reading the comments on GR and seeing what everyone is reading. I look forward to meeting new people in 2020. I want to extend a 'Welcome to GR' to our new members and I hope you have a great experience participating in the different discussion groups.

Yay, my favorite happy group back again! Thank you, Sophia, for "creating positive space" as the old saying went.

I am from the Bay Area and a lifelong Jane Austen fan (well, from the age of thirteen when someone gave me the complete novels in a single volume--blessings on that person's head!). I wrote my undergrad thesis on The Watsons, published a Jane Austen dictionary, and five years ago published a modern-day Austenesque novel. My writing interests have moved on a bit but I still turn to Austenesque novels when in need of something lighthearted and optimistic to read.

Each year I seem to get only to the Catherine Morland level, so that's what I'll strive for again in the new year. Glad to see so many old friends back again!

Checked off the attendance roll and accounted for, Jeanne! :)

So glad to have you returning to liven our group and hopefully draw on us when you need us.

Wishing you well as you ascend clear to Mr. Darcy's library!

Abigail wrote: "Yay, my favorite happy group back again! Thank you, Sophia, for "creating positive space" as the old saying went.

I am from the Bay Area and a lifelong Jane Austen fan (well, from the age of thirt..."

Woohoo! So happy to have our Bay Area correspondent back to lend a bit of dash. Will cheer you on to the heights of Miss Catherine's level.

I'm B-A-A-A-C-K!

Here to represent Nebraska where the West once began or the East petered out. (now we're just Nice!)

I do enjoy this group. Now I will have to leave Pemberley but I hope to return later in the year.

Hi this is Lenora from outside Toledo Ohio checking in and I will be back to this lovely group again. My goal again will be 160 before I add anything not austen. My favorite is P & P but I have read all of her books.

Good morning from the United Arab Emirates! I am an American; living in Dubai; born outside Chicago; married to a Welsh/Irish-man with a permanent home on Lough Corrib in Ireland.

I was so excited to wake up to the message that this group was created for 2020, because I found last year’s group so late in the game.

Having just reached the ripe old age of 50, I honestly can’t remember how long I have loved Jane Austen. It has been a part of who I am for so long. They were always part of our library at home, well worn and well loved by both my mother and myself. My motto has long been: WWJAD

My 2020 goal is: Fanny Price
It fits and she is my favorite character ... in close running with Anne Elliott. Persuasion is my favorite story and I believe her best written, while Fanny Price is my favorite character ... I love her complexity and how she evolves into such an independent woman.

Really excited to be part of the group and looking forward to your recommendations and reviews!

I forgot to say when I joined that I'm representing South East Ireland. They call us the sunny south east. Hmmmm!! Wish someone would tell the weather that:):)

This is Yorkshire checking in!

where you're from - Born and brought up in Leicester, in England's East Midlands, but apart from those first 18 years, plus three years at University in Bradford in West Yorkshire, two years in Nigeria, West Africa and two more years in the beautiful cathedral city of Durham in North East England, I've spent most of my life in the spa town of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, following my marriage 42 years ago to a Yorkshireman.

how you came to admire JA's books - One winter Sunday afternoon, in around 1966/67, I saw the 1940 P&P with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier and have been in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy ever since! The next day, I checked the book out of my school library and the rest is history! I have to confess to being a little disappointed that the archery scene was an invention of the film makers.

or Austenesque books in the JA world - Somehow, I only managed to discover the world of Austenesque fiction just short of six years ago, not long after getting my first Kindle as a birthday pressie from aforementioned husband. Again, the rest is history!

how big your TBR pile is - Don't even go there! I keep thinking that I ought to mention how many new books I've added to my pile when I do my monthly summaries in my YTD tracker. Maybe I will in 2020, though I think it might be quite scary to see the net increase month-by-month!

favorite JA story - Either P&P or Persuasion, depending on my mood.

or character, etc - Amongst the female characters, it's Anne Elliot; there's a lot of her in me. Amongst the males, I have to go for the obvious and choose the gentleman from Derbyshire. After all, I've been in love with him for over fifty years!

wosedwew wrote: "I'm B-A-A-A-C-K!

Here to represent Nebraska where the West once began or the East petered out. (now we're just Nice!)

I do enjoy this group. Now I will have to leave Pemberley but I hope to retu..."

Let's get the party in the library started. Glad to have you back, Rose!

Lenora wrote: "Hi this is Lenora from outside Toledo Ohio checking in and I will be back to this lovely group again. My goal again will be 160 before I add anything not austen. My favorite is P & P but I have rea..."

Woohoo! So glad to see you back, Lenora. I've gotten so many great books from your lists. Cheering you on to 1-6-0.
BTW, love Tony Packo's in Toledo. :)

Heidi wrote: "Good morning from the United Arab Emirates! I am an American; living in Dubai; born outside Chicago; married to a Welsh/Irish-man with a permanent home on Lough Corrib in Ireland.

I was so excite..."

Shazam, Heidi! UAE is a first for us. So glad you looked up the group again at the beginning so you could be with us from the start. Fanny is from my second fav book behind Persuasion so I'll be cheering you on to reach your goal. :)

Teresa wrote: "I forgot to say when I joined that I'm representing South East Ireland. They call us the sunny south east. Hmmmm!! Wish someone would tell the weather that:):)"

LOL, that sunshine must be fleeting in a 'don't blink or you'll miss it' sort of way, Teresa. Yay for the Irish reps!

Anji wrote: "This is Yorkshire checking in!

where you're from - Born and brought up in Leicester, in England's East Midlands, but apart from those first 18 years, plus three years at University in Bradford in..."

Cheers for the Yorkshire gal back with us! So fun to have you back with us, Anji. I learn something new about you- how neat that you spent time in Nigeria.

Love that you came to JA through the old Lawrence Olivier and Greer Garson version. That was a fun movie.

Sophia wrote: "Lenora wrote: "Hi this is Lenora from outside Toledo Ohio checking in and I will be back to this lovely group again. My goal again will be 160 before I add anything not austen. My favorite is P & P..."

thank you Sophia packo's is expanding they are putting one in my kroger's grocery store

Lenora wrote: "Sophia wrote: "Lenora wrote: "Hi this is Lenora from outside Toledo Ohio checking in and I will be back to this lovely group again. My goal again will be 160 before I add anything not austen. My fa..."

Well isn't that something! I guess that's convenient (if you like it, that is). :)

Welcome to 2020! Can't believe it has been 20 years since 2000.

My name is Megan and I'm a JAFF fan from Ventura, CA, which is a small beach town right outside of Santa Barbara. I first discovered Jane Austen my senior year in high school. The same year I discovered JAFF, which was only found on the DWG and Bits of Ivory. I always dumbstruck to see how it has grown over the years.

Happy reading!

Welcome, Megan. I visited a relative in Santa Barbara a few years ago and it was such a beautiful visit. We are so glad to have you join us for a new year with JAFF.

Howdy, Megan!

I know that whole 2-0-2-0 thing is crazy when you stop to think about it. :)
It has been fun seeing the growth of JAFF.

Yay! Glad to have you. :)

Hi all,

Janalyn here. Midwestern girl, hailing from central lL, now living in Iowa City, IA, where I'm an academic librarian.

I had read some JA but didn't go all-in until I saw the 1995 version of Persuasion. P&P and the 1995 mini-series are my favorites but Persuasion has a special place in my heart (expect for the 2007 Persuasion, which I cannot abide.)

Last year, my goal was 125. While I surpassed that, and made it to Pemberley quite comfortably, I'm going to realistically manage my expectations and keep to 125 for 2020.

I hope to do a Jane Austen site's vacation to England in 2020. If anybody has any recommendations for tours/package/etc. please let me know. My friends/family are not Austen fans, if anyone else is looking to tour and avoid single occupancy rates, again, let me know.

Great you can join in 2020, Janalyn! I'm glad you can find some JA community here, since none of your friends and family is similarly inclined.

Janalyn wrote: "Hi all,

Janalyn here. Midwestern girl, hailing from central lL, now living in Iowa City, IA, where I'm an academic librarian.

I had read some JA but didn't go all-in until I saw the 1995 versio..."

Welcome back, Janalyn!

Greetings to Central Illinois. I love the 1995 Persuasion. And, cheering you on for your goal of 125.

Hello all! Wow 2019 went by with a blur!

Joining again from a small town in Utah. Though I have lived here most of my life I don't consider myself a native. I have a bit of a wanderlust heart.

I came to Jane Austen, like a lot of others in the group, by watching the 1995 P&P. I remember thinking I was born in the wrong century. Granted I was a naive teenager and didn't realize that it might not have been that great depending on what class I was born into. In the subsequent years I have managed to read all of Jane Austen's works. Northanger Abbey is my favorite.

I started reading JAFF on the suggestion of my sis-in-law who thought I might like. I am so glad she did.

I am aiming to finish in Marianne Dashwood. We will have to see how it goes. My reading interests are a little diverse, and my husband and I have taken on an extensive research project that is going to take up a lot of my time. He is already nagging at me that I am behind.

I am looking forward to spending 2020 with all of you.

Glad to see you back, Ahnya! I certainly understand how research projects can eat into your JAFF time--that's the case for me as well. But you're smart to plan for recreational reading as well! I look forward to seeing what you pick up.

Yay! Glad to have you back, Ahnya, and marvelously repping UT and Northanger Abbey!

I blame you for my late falling in love with Henry Tilney. :)

LOL, the research project looks big, but I'm glad to have you with us when you get the chance. Cheering you on to take your curtsey to Miss Marianne!

Hi Everyone!!! My name is Danielle and this is my second year joining a JAFF reading group. Last year I had a lot to do with my father because he had a terminal illness so I was not as active as I would have like to have been but I read a lot of what others posted and found a lot of great new books to read. Maybe I should blame you for making my TBR pile grow much bigger and for spending more money at the bookstore??? :-)

I am currently living in the Dominican Republic and work as an ESL teacher part-time for VIPKID and I am a volunteer sign language teacher full time here.

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 great books you all find!

Howdy, Danielle!

Welcome back and yay for a new year of reading (and enabling your TBR pile). :)

Sad to hear your dad is terminally ill, but kudos to you for being there for him and what a great work you're doing in DR with the hearing impaired folks.

You're right about Austen's writings having a little to offer everyone whether light or deeper reading.

I don't think you'll have to wait long to come across a great book from someone's list. :)

Welcome, Danielle! You are among friends. We love to recommend books and love to find new stories. We are shameless as we steal book titles from each other. It is a sickness. There is no antidote other than to just accept the curse. **snicker** We have a lot of fun and MY TBR pile is so huge, I need a spacesuit to reach the top shelf. Yeah, its a sickness. Enjoy.

Well I think we would all agree it is a sickness for which we do not want a cure and are not even looking for...lol

Thanks Sophia! We need a JAFF group visit to the DR! Reading and discussing her on the beach sounds like it should be a group requirement. :-)

I'm gonna do it, I'll join this year.
I was checking periodically the 2019 challenge to find new books. So, thank you to all those 2019 posts!

New to JAFF, didn't think it would appeal to me. But, read some of Elizabeth Adams' books and then fell down the rabbit hole - head first.
Travel a lot for work, and audio books and Kindle are key to that.

Came to JA as a kid via my older sister and mom; who read them. Wasn't really an JA fan until a few years ago when I re-read them as an adult and fully appreciated them. P&P and Northanger Abbey are my current favs.

Hoping to get to 40 books this year.

Currently building my holiday reading list if anyone has some recommendations, or is worth it? Haven't read a collection of shorts yet.

Welcome to the group, Carolyn

Yes -- Yuletide: A Jane Austen-inspired Collection Of Stories is by some of my favorite authors. All short stories; all very well done

Carolyn wrote: "....New to JAFF, didn't think it would appeal to me. But,..."

Yep, I was all against JAFF, I was one of those snobby JA purists who thought any fan fiction was equivalent to blasphemy....lol. Then I was given a book and so I read it out of politeness....and the rest is history. 🙂 The book was called Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature's Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart and it had such a collection of wonderful authors I still read. There are other great collections so let me know and I am happy to share ones I've enjoyed.

Oh and I highly highly recommend the annotated P&P and Northanger Abbey by David Shapard. The Annotated Pride and Prejudice and The Annotated Northanger Abbey. These books have the text on the left with all sorts of amazing details and illustrations in the right so you really understand the time and the story. I have them all and love love love love them!

Carolyn wrote: "I'm gonna do it, I'll join this year.
I was checking periodically the 2019 challenge to find new books. So, thank you to all those 2019 posts!

New to JAFF, didn't think it would appeal to me. But,..."

Welcome Carolyn! Yuletide: A Jane Austen-Inspired Collection of Stories is a great way to start! It's even better as an audiobook. The peformance by Harry Frost is amazing. The other anthologies edited by Christina Boyd are also great: The Darcy Monologues was the first (also performed by Harry Frost on audio), then there's Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen's Rakes & Gentlemen Rogues, Rational Creatures: Stirrings of Feminism in the Hearts of Jane Austen's Fine Ladies, Then Comes Winter (another good one for this time of year) and Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer.

Another seasonal anthology is Christmas Cheer, part of the Holidays with Jane series. As Danielle says, Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature's Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart is another great collection.

Have a wondeful Christmas and I'm sure we're all looking forward to another wondeful year of reading, talking about Austenesque fiction and generally encouraging each other to increase, rather than decrease, our TBR lists, libraries, mountains, planets......you get my drift!

If you get hooked on anthologies, another wonderful one (the theme is in the title) is Rational Creatures.

Hello, everyone! So glad this challenge is around for another year.

This challenge (and JAFF in general) are my reading version of that favorite comfy sweater. Even when I'm not actively reading something Austenesque, I like to come over here and read the forums, see what others are reading and enjoying. There is a grace and civility in this group that has become a safe haven for me in all the craziness going on in the world.

I shall start at the beinning with Miss Charlotte Heywood once more. She was a delightful hostess last year, and I have no doubt will be once more. Happy 2020, all!

ladymurmur wrote: "Hello, everyone! So glad this challenge is around for another year."

Glad to see you back! It's a lovely place to be, as you say.