Austen Lovers TBR Challenge 2021 discussion

While we love our Jane Austen, most of us read a variety of books, topics, genres, etc and we like to share about them with our fifty best reading buddies. Here is a place where you can recommend non-Austenesque books or start a discussion about non-Austenesque books. I do ask you to please remember to be courteous b/c everyone has their own tastes and please limit discussion/recommendation of Non-Austenesque books to here. Thanks!

Currently free with 60% 5* reviews:
The Warrior's Wager https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

im seeing traces of elizabeth and darcy. will be a while before i finish had death in family

Hi, if any of you are fans of historical mysteries please check out Sebastian St.Cyr series b63 C S Harris. They are really well written. Also try India Black series by Carol K Carr, it has a good dose of sarcastic, sassy humour along with mystery and spying.

Patricia, I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts are with you.

Patricia wrote: " im seeing traces of elizabeth and darcy. will be a while before i finish had death in family"

Sorry to hear that. We suffered the loss of my brother about 3 weeks ago so I can empathize with you. May GOD provide you some comfort.

its my dog, it happened so fast he was a support dog with my disability. feel lost without him

Pets are family members so we mourn them too.

That is a huge and scary loss, Patricia! Seems hard to think of replacing him quickly, but it sounds as if you need to do that sooner rather than later.

And to you as well, Sheila, all my sympathies. I lost a brother a few years ago and it made me feel cut off from a whole segment of my history.

Thank you, Abigail. He was diagnosed with Glioblastoma about 3 years ago. So at least he is now not suffering. That brain cancer changed his whole personality.

Oh, that’s a terrible one. I am so sorry, but glad for his release. My brother had pulmonary fibrosis, so he couldn’t get oxygen from his lungs into his bloodstream. Led to panic attacks because he felt as if he couldn’t catch his breath, and then confusion because of insufficient blood flow to the brain. But at least not fierce headaches, which I imagine your brother suffered.

Thank you for your thoughts, Abigail. Jim rarely talked at the end so we don't know how much he was suffering. He and his wife had no children so she is now alone and I worry about her. But she has her sister nearby who suffers from aphasia and lost her husband about 3 months ago so they spend a lot of time together.

abmom wrote: "Hi, if any of you are fans of historical mysteries please check out Sebastian St.Cyr series b63 C S Harris. They are really well written. Also try India Black series by Carol K Carr, it has a good ..."

Love the Sebastian St. Cyr series and I have a couple of the India Black to try them at some point.

Add my deepest sympathies to the others, Patricia. I know you're grieving hard right now.

Sheila wrote, “But she has her sister nearby . . .

As my grandmother always liked to say, “Old age ain’t for sissies!” I just moved to a town where I know nobody and am finding available doctors in short supply, which is worrying me. People are recommending that I drive more than 40 miles for a primary care physician, which seems crazy to me. But my sister-in-law and I are talking about pairing up or at least living close together when she sells her ranch, and that might help.

Oh, I do hope you can find to a way to be closer to your PCP. Mine is about 1 mile from out home.

There’s a hospital only 5 minutes away so I was expecting a cluster of doctors around it. But apparently there aren’t enough for the population and most not taking new patients. I have a few leads.

Sorry to interrupt.. just got today's chirp audio offer of a 2020 pubd regency The Thief of Lanwyn Manor avlbl 4.99 for nxt 31 days

We should apologize for going so far off topic!

Abigail wrote: "We should apologize for going so far off topic!"

I have found this community to be very tolerant of going off topic as readers have a need for support in their lives.

True, and I love y’all for it!

Patricia wrote: " im seeing traces of elizabeth and darcy. will be a while before i finish had death in family"

I'm so sorry to hear that, Patricia. I'm praying for you immediately.

Abigail wrote: "We should apologize for going so far off topic!"

Nah, being real is what keeps this group lively and around for the book talking too.

I am sending warm thoughts and virtual hugs to Patricia and Sheila. I am so sorry for your losses.

Thank you, Elin.

My sincerest condolences to you both. It is never easy losing a loved one, no matter age or species.

Thank you, Sam.

Those that are following the Bridgerton saga... there is a sale, $2.99 on book 4 in that series. With all the interest in Quinn's books, there may be more sales and discounts following.

Romancing Mister Bridgerton

2,305 reviews: 63% 5-stars & 24% 4-stars

Thanks for letting us know, Jeanne.

Q&Q Publishing is having a $0.99 sale for Elizabeth Rasche:

Flirtation & Folly

27 reviews: 49% 5-stars & 51% 4-stars

Cass Grafton has a $0.99 deal:

The Cottage in a Cornish Cove: A heart-warming, feel-good romance

60 reviews: 74% 5-stars & 16% 4-stars

Summer Hanford has a giveaway that includes Amazon gift cards [$10, $5, $5] and her new book 'The False Lady' which comes out on Valentine's Day.

https://summerhanford.com/?ks_giveawa...

i just began reading the mystery of Mrs Christie. highly recommend if you like mysteries and agatha Christie. I'll post goodreads book link in a bit

edited to add book

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

I have read some of hers and I do enjoy mysteries.

Sheila wrote: "I have read some of hers and I do enjoy mysteries."

ive read poirot and seen alot of the poirot series with david suchet. I think I had to read And Then There Were None in high school.

Give this author a try. I read Carnegie's Maid and enjoyed it. :)

I watched many of the Hercule Poirot shows on TV. Loved all of his. I do like mysteries.

I am a great fan of Christie. I love her books. And I enjoyed Carnegie's maid. But I didn't like The other Einstein by thecsame author because I thought she took too much literal liberties with Einstein's scientific career without much facts to backup her claims. Even though I understand that historical fiction will have fictitious accounts, I don't like them reversing history without adequate information. But the author does have a good writing style and an ability to bring characters to life.

yeah i tried reading Einstein book and couldn't get into it

Countdown deal: $0.99 on book 2 of Beauty and the Beast inspired stories: 6-days:

When the Mask Slips

only 2 reviews at this time: both 5-stars

Hi, Friends! Not sure this is the appropriate place to post this, but if you're at all interested in fantasy novels with great characters, a compelling romance, and a good dash of political intrigue, Subversive is available for free today and tomorrow on Amazon. I was the beta/first reader for this book, and I loved all three of the books in this series!

Perfect place to post it, Christina.

And, I concur. Great trilogy.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I picked it up.

Currently reading (group read in another corner of Goodreads) Miss Marjoribanks (pronounced “Marchbanks”) by Mrs. Oliphant. It was published in 1865 or so but the feel is very similar to a Regency novel. The titular lady is often compared to Emma Woodhouse, and in general it is a very deft drawing-room comedy. Recommended!

Abigail wrote: "Currently reading (group read in another corner of Goodreads) Miss Marjoribanks (pronounced “Marchbanks”) by Mrs. Oliphant. It was published in 1865 or so but the feel is very similar..."

Abigail, thanks for the rec! That sounds like fun. Added to my TBR.

Abigail wrote: "Currently reading (group read in another corner of Goodreads) Miss Marjoribanks (pronounced “Marchbanks”) by Mrs. Oliphant. It was published in 1865 or so but the feel is very similar..."

Looks like it's part of a series! Have you read the earlier ones?

$0.99 deal for those fans of Christine Feehan, she has reissued book 1 in her Carpathian series. The blurb stated that there were 100 never before seen pages.

Dark Prince

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Prince-Au...

Note to those who have not read this series or this author: it is dark: vampires: and violence that is not to be taken lightly. Also violence and the treatment of women. I read most of the series years ago [hardback] and eventually abandoned it due to the increasing violence. Take note of this caveat. I'm not kidding.

$1.99 deal:

Gentleman Jim

FREE Simon the Coldheart by Georgette Heyer

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RXL6D14?...

This is one of her non-Regency historicals. :)

For all the Regency fans, you should try Blackmoore https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
And Edenbrooke https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1.... Very well written books.

For Regency paranormal fans, I can heartily recommend Half a Soul. There's an evil faery who steals "half a soul" from a young girl named Dora but is interrupted before he can take her completely. She's left without any strong emotions or passion. Years later, her cousin Vanessa, who remains her champion, learns of a great magician, Sir Sorcier, in the employ of the Prince Regent. Since he can perform three impossible things before breakfast, Vanessa believes he can restore the rest of Dora's soul.

Along with a great story, it has a really interesting commentary on the plight of the poorest in London at the time while most of the elite pretended they didn't exist. Clean content.