Austenesque Lovers TBR Challenge 2022 discussion

Austen Gold Group Read is a two part activity that will wrap up our year of activities and hopefully give readers more books to consider while fitting in one last book for the year.

Time to award your GOLD winners!
The first section of the challenge is easy. LIST your favorite Austenesque books read during 2022. Release year does not matter and try to keep it under ten. Make sure both title and author are listed because we definitely want others to peruse and maybe find their next favorite, too. You're welcome to share why the book made your list, if you like. Leave your lists any time between now and the end of the year though, preferably, by Dec 1st.

Read another GOLD Winner!
Once you leave your list, peruse the other lists and choose to read a book from someone else's list that you think sounds good. Even better if it's already on your own TBR pile. If you don't spot one from another list that you already have access to, try choosing one from your own list that you know a group member has given a five-star rating.

Because it's the holiday season, feel free to start reading early. Happy Reading, fellow challengers!

I’m afraid there wasn’t much true Austenesque fiction that floated my boat this year, so I need to stretch the category.

1. Truly Austenesque: The Emma Project by Sonali Dev, the last {*waah!*} of her series reinterpreting Austen’s novels in a modern American immigrant context.
2. About Jane Austen: The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things by Paula Byrne. It illuminates countless aspects of Austen’s novels through a biographical lens.
3. Written by an Austen contemporary: Belinda by Maria Edgeworth, about half of which is light and bright and sparkling with an antiheroine much like Mary Crawford. The other half is a slog.
4. A reread of my very favorite Georgette Heyer novel, The Unknown Ajax.
5. Another reread, one of my favorite novels ever, focused on the familiar theme of a woman finding herself (though what she finds is surprising): Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner. Penetrating social satire written in elegant language reminiscent of Austen. Really you have to read it. No romance, though, at least not in any traditional sense of attraction between two people.

Abigail wrote: "I’m afraid there wasn’t much true Austenesque fiction that floated my boat this year, so I need to stretch the category.

1. Truly Austenesque: The Emma Project by Sonali Dev, the l..."

No worries, Abigail! I love seeing what made your list. Love The Unknown Ajax. :)

Yay!! This seems so much fun!!!

I read 4 Austens:

Persuasion
Lady Susan
Northanger Abbey
Sense and Sensibility

and my 4 star Austenesques:

North and South
An Assembly Such as This
The Murder of Mr. Wickham
Tea with Jane Austen
Jane Austen: A Life

CindySR wrote: "I read 4 Austens:

Persuasion
Lady Susan
Northanger Abbey
Sense and Sensibility

and my 4 star Austenesques:

North and South
An Assembly Such as This
[book:The Murder o..."

That's a stellar list, Cindy!

Volumes 1 and 3 of Pamela Aidan’s trilogy are still my gold standard of period Austenesque fiction—great choice, Cindy!

Abigail wrote: "Volumes 1 and 3 of Pamela Aidan’s trilogy are still my gold standard of period Austenesque fiction—great choice, Cindy!"
Your review of was great, I'm skipping right to #3 because of it. 😉

Oops, it wasn't you! I was thinking of your review of
Jane Austen: A Life which I added to my list above.

Being Mary Bennet
by J.C. Peterson

Jane Austen's England by Maggie Lane

The Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner (Evie Stone is Fanny Price 2.0!)

Jane and the Year Without a Summer (Jane Austen Mysteries, #14)
Barron, Stephanie

Holidays with Jane gang....Trick or Sweet/Summer of Love

Camp Jane Book Two: Double Trouble for Lizzy: A Jane Austen variation adventure
Andrews, Susan

A Life of Her Own: The Story of Margaret Dashwood
Zomparelli, Wendy

Soooo hard to cut my list down to just 10!!

P&P-fantasy:
A Season of Magic Sarah Courtney

Interwoven - Read this on AHA. Melanie Rachel will be publishing it as some point in the future.


Loved these so much after reading the ARC or KU, I purchased either the paperback or audiobook:
The Marriage Bargain: A Variation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Lucy Marin

Pride Before a Fall Mary Smythe

Field of Dreams: A Pride and Prejudice Variation J. Dawn King

An Unexpected Inheritance: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary Melanie Rachel

Against Every Expectation Paige Badgett

An Affectionate Heart: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Heather Moll

The Luxury of Silence: A Variation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice Susan Adriani


AB, I found listening to this absolutely LOL
The Most Interesting Man in the World: A Pride & Prejudice Variation Jan Ashton

Sorry! As usual I couldn't stick to the upper limit. What to say, too many good books! I still had to omit many others especially some of the good re-reads. But, what can I say? The more, the merrier.

1. The Recovery of Fitzwilliam Darcy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5.... A very different premise and very emotional.
2. Darcy's Labours of Love: A Pride and Prejudice Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... A very sweet romance.
3. Pemberley: Mr. Darcy's Dragon https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.... I enjoyed this entire series (Ok, I haven't yet finished all of them but still).
4. There You Were: A Pride & Prejudice Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 5++ stars. This definitely belongs in the top of the pile. A really beautiful angsty story with a very strong Elizabeth and a really good Darcy.
5. Outnumbered https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14036616... 5 stars This is a short, fun story.
6. Mr. Bennet's Daughter: An Elizabeth and Darcy Story https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... 5+ stars. I loved the relationship between Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth and the improvement this affords to Elizabeth's character.
7. The Matchmaker: A Pride & Prejudice Novella https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 5 stars. A very sweet novella.
8. Fallen https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 5+ stars. Very enjoyable story by one of my favourite authors.
9. The Perfect Gentleman https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 5+ stars. This had a really great Elizabeth you can't help fall in love with. Poor Darcy! How can he resist?
10. A  Wilful Misunderstanding: A Pride & Prejudice Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 5+ stars. It's a Amy d'orazio story. What else do you need to know?
11. Mr. Darcy's Mail-Order Bride: A Pride and Prejudice Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... 5 stars. I'm including this because it was a very different variation of Pride and Prejudice happening in the wild wild west.
12. Darcy's Big Wish https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... 5+ stars. This is a very sweet and different story.
13. Battle of roses https://meryton.com/aha/index.php?/to... 5+ stars. This is a fun story. Elizabeth is related to Darcy through Lady Matlock and decides to help him win his lady love.
14. An Affectionate Heart: A Pride and Prejudice Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5 stars. This was another very touching, angsty and lovely story.
15. A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... 5 stars. Another of Amy's Angsty, Awesome story.
16. The Most Interesting Man in the World: A Pride & Prejudice Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 5 stars. Light hearted version from Bingley's POV.
17. The Birthright https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... 5+ stars. This is a different variation where Wickham owns Pemberley and Darcy is the parson.
18. A Proper Introduction: A Pride & Prejudice Epistolary https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5++ stars. A really enjoyable story made of letters.
19. The Sins of Their Fathers: A Pride & Prejudice Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5 stars. A good touching story.
20. In League with Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Sweet Regency Romp https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5+ stars. A light hearted, smile inducing story.

Sam, I haven't read everyone of your books except one. So, looks like happy reading to me.

Oh wow, that's so nice to hear!

by becky dean

by violet king

by rose fairbanks

by iris lim this spoke to me peronally as someone who is different due to hearing loss.

This was hard to do - I had a list of 15 which I have managed to whittle down to 10. This was the year I discovered modern variations so I had to include a couple of them as I am well and truly converted to the genre now.

I have also included some new entrants to the writer field as well as some old favourites who we know will offer something we want to read.

Nameless: A Pride & Prejudice Variation by Julie Cooper
Headstrong: Book One: Improvise by Melanie Rachel - my first ever modern
An Unexpected Harvest: A Modern Pride and Prejudice Variation by Cat Andrews
Fallen by Jessie Lewis
The Events at Branxbourne by Caitlin Williams
Any Fair Interference by Nan Harrison
A Man of Good Fortune: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice by Ali Scott
The Happiest Couple in the World: A Sequel to Pride & Prejudice by Amy D'Orazio
Disability and Determination: An Elizabeth and Darcy Story by Timothy Underwood
Against Every Expectation by Paige Padgett

I love the modern ones too, Crafty, almost to the exclusion of period stories! The period stories often put me off with their errors in language and modes. But the modern ones have to focus on character and theme, and have to adapt the action to modern circumstances, so (to me) more thought goes into them.

I think I am moving in that direction Abigail. I definitely still enjoy the period stories but I need them to offer something different. Not sensational with abductions and FMS all over the place but something more subtle. I've tried to select period ones in my list for the year which are a little different.

Some of the ways in which the writers of modern variations adapt the original are very cunning. I thought that the way Rachel John adapted the Lydia/Wickham issue in Engaging Mr Darcy was inspired. I've just started Lucky 13 by Cat Gardiner.

I’ve never read Cat Gardiner’s books but have heard they’re really good! As for the period ones, I am still attracted to the ones involving magic (just because magic is so thorough a contrast to Austen’s reality-based world that it gives me a giggle), and I’m always intrigued by the stories told from the male point of view. Back-stories of secondary characters also sometimes work for me.

BTW, what I wrote was “mores,” not “modes,” damn SpellCheck’s eyes.

1. A Stronger Impulse: A Variation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice by Julie Cooper
2. Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley
3. The Grail: The Saving of Elizabeth Darcy by Don Jacobson
4. Harriet: A Jane Austen Variation by Alice McVeigh
5. Kiss Me Good Night, Major Darcy by Georgina Young-Ellis
6. The Watsons by John Coates
7. William Price and the Thrush by Sarah J Waldock
8. Maria Bertram's Daughter: A Mansfield Park Sequel Lucy Knight
9. The Luxury of Silence: A Variation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice by Susan Adriani
10. Georgiana Darcy's Diary: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continued by Anne Elliot

and, honorable mention to Mrs. Wickham by Sarah Page for making me cheer on Lydia

I loved Mrs Wickham - something a little bit different.

Craftyhj wrote: "I loved Mrs Wickham - something a little bit different."

Yes, it was. A fun distraction.

I'm going with

CindySR wrote: "I'm going with

"

Crossing my fingers you like it, Cindy!

I was going to list some of what you already did but no point in repeats.

Accidental holiday https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Saved from scandal https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

A repellent prospect https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Mr darcy to the rescue https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Christmas miracle at longbourn https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Pride and proposals https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

An excellent walker https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Win, lose or darcy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

Wild goose chase https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Step lively Mr darcy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

and honorable mentions to Q&Q anthologies https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... and https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

I had many more five star reads this year, didn't even realize how many until I went through my list.

I enjoy looking back to see what made my five-star list. Looks like some good ones, Katja!

I rarely give a book 5 stars unless it really speaks to me or completely entrances me. I only gave 5 stars to two JAFF stories this year.

As Good As A Lord https://meryton.com/aha/index.php?/to...

and

More Than a Pretty Face: A Variation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

I'm dithering between An Affectionate Heart: A Pride and Prejudice Variation and The Events at Branxbourne

Oh, go for An Affectionate Heart!

they are both excellent and angsty

I have toyed between Kiss Me Good Night, Major Darcy and An Unexpected Inheritance: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary.

Having picked up An Unexpected Inheritance: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary in the 99p sale that will be my choice (but hopefully time for the Major too)

I'll start with Season of Magic by Sarah Courtney. Then may be pick from here and there to read as many golden choices as I can.

LOL, maybe I'll have time to read both.

Just finished Lolly Willowes! Interesting read... solid 4 from me. :)

Glad you found it interesting!

I finished my first December gold read with A season of magic by Sarah courtney. And I loved it. I loved the amount of thought the author put into the magical elements as much in others.

OMG, It's December! I need to check out my reading list and the others...

Sam wrote: "OMG, It's December! I need to check out my reading list and the others..."

It really did sneak up on us, didn't it?
Does anyone else use the internet archive website? It's the only place I could find a copy of Coates' version of The Watsons. Not even my library consortium had it and I didn't want to purchase.

Got my first 2 in -
Audiobook- Pride before a fall
paperback- Against every expectation

and I am in the middle of The marriage bargain audiobook

I got pretty sick in the middle of the John Coates The Watsons so even though it was only about 300 pages it seemed much longer. It was good, and the best character was sister Penelope! Someone needs to write a whole book about her.

oh thanks for reminding me Sam. I finished mine last week - An Unexpected Inheritance: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary by Melanie Rachel. I really enjoyed it.

For once I had time to enjoy some Austen gold! I chose The Luxury of Silence: A Variation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice by Susan Adriani. I enjoyed many elements of the book, not least the friendly interactions between Darcy and Elizabeth in the first half, but in the end it was only a three-star read for me. Reviewed here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Finished listening to the Marriage Bargain and that concludes all 3 of my picks for this December challenge.

My December Gold read list.

1. A Season of Magic https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5+ stars.
2. Kiss Me Good Night, Major Darcy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 4 stars.
3. Any Fair Interference https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5 stars.
4. Win, Lose, or Darcy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... 4 stars.
5. Disability and Determination: An Elizabeth and Darcy Story https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5+ stars.
6. An Accidental Holiday: A Pride and Prejudice Novella https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5+ stars.
7. The Murder of Mr. Wickham https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 5 stars.
8. Field of Dreams: A Pride and Prejudice Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5 stars.
9. The Happiest Couple in the World: A Sequel to Pride & Prejudice https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5+ stars.
10. A Man of Good Fortune: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 4 stars.
11. A Repellent Prospect: A Pride and Prejudice Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 5++ stars.
12. Against Every Expectation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5 stars.
13. The Luxury of Silence: A Variation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5 stars
14. Step Lively, Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Christmastime Novella https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5 stars.
15. An Unexpected Inheritance: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5+ stars.
16. A Christmas Miracle At Longbourn: A Pride and Prejudice Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... 3 stars.
17. More Than a Pretty Face: A Variation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 3 stars.
18. A Stronger Impulse: A Variation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5++ stars.
19. Matching Pemberley: A Pride & Prejudice Novella Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... 4 stars.
20. An Inducement into Matrimony: A Collection of Romantic Short Stories Inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5+ stars.
21. An Excellent Walker: A Pride and Prejudice Variation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... 5 stars

There really were great books in this month's read. Meet you again next year.(or tomorrow)

*whistles appreciatively* Abmom, you the gal!!!

You remind me. I forgot to drop by and update. I loved The Events at Branxbourne by Caitlin Williams.

Happy New Year, all!