Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Review

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A little background on my relationship with Miss Austen.

I knew of Pride and Prejudice. It is like practically required to have read if you read romance particularly historical romance.

But see I hadn't at least not up until 2010

In 2010 I set out to read it. So I started it. I started. Then I stopped. I started. Then I stopped. I was about 100 pages in when I gave up.

Then I decided to pick up the Penguin Classics version of War and Peace. I had previously tried to read it but again I dropped it. But surprisingly with this edition the prose was clear. It didn't seem so dense and antiquated that I didn't understand it.

So then I thought: Aha! I shall try it with Austen. So I went out and bought all six books...again in the Penguin edition.

And I finished it in about a day. It was nice but I wasn't sure about how I felt about Miss Austen.

So then I tried Persuasion. I liked it but I still didn't love it. It didn't grab me. It was a lovely book to be sure but I wasn't obsessed with the book or the author like I became after I read Jane Eyre.

Fast forward to 2014. For some reason I wanted to read the book of extra stuff I had bought by Austen but I could not for the life of me find that book. So I looked over and I decided I would read one of her mature works. I chose the shortest because I wanted something light.

So I started Northanger Abbey and the most curious thing happened. I liked it. I kept thinking about it. I had recently picked up Vilette but I kept returning to this one.

What I liked the most about this book was that it showed me that teenage girls have not changed much in the past two hundred years though a lot about the world has. I felt I could empathize with Catherine.

What particularly stuck out to me was the peer pressure. Any teen knows that is a big issue. I felt myself getting angry about how much John, James, and Isabella were pushing Catherine. But I understood how she felt.

What also stuck out to me was false friends. I had thought Isabella was a good friend but once I saw how she tried to manipulate Catherine and then her subsequent behavior I realized she wasn't the best friend. I mean I know I have dealt with "friends" like that.

I only give this book four stars because of something I think is specific to Austen's work or perhaps to all the authors writing in that time period. She does a lot of telling and I wanted more showing! The end was nice but I actually wanted to see it. I am after all a reader of this time but the ending left me feeling nice but unsatisfied. But reading this book gave me a new view of Miss Austen's work. She's really funny and I like her insight. I definitely won't dread reading her books anymore.



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Loving Lady Marcia by Kieran Kramer Mini Review

I know it has been awhile since I updated, but that is because the Sims bug bit me sometime in late January and it is just not easing up. But after false starts with my reading, I finally finished one.

Loving Lady Marcia by Kieran Kramer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What can I say about this book?

First off, I was really excited to buy it. I'm sure many children of my generation grew up watching the Brady Bunch, but I wasn't sure how this would translate to literature.

I was worried that Marcia would be...how should I say...perfect? I don't know that's just the vibe that I get from her on the show or maybe I've been sipping too much of Jan's juice, whatever.

This Marcia wasn't perfect, but I couldn't really connect to her like I have with other romance heroines. I really liked Duncan and Joe was such a cutie.

But what I really loved about this book was the humor. Ms. Kramer has a good grip on it, I'd say. I know out of the four books I've read from her, I distinctively remember laughing out loud at least once with each of them. I love that.

I would recommend this book, though it shares some things with the TV series, I think it comes into its own.



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Oh and I think a new banner might be in order? Because really this is so a book blog am I right?

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The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels Mini Review

I am back fair followers! Over December I didn't read as many books as I did in 2011 because I had access to the internet and thus I didn't pay as much attention to my books. I read 86 regular fiction books in 2012, which was just a bit short of my 2011 goal. This year I've set it to 70, so we'll see how 2013 goes reading wise.

Here's my 2nd book of the year:

The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book! I read the third of the series fast, so I was expecting something similar to that. But this one stood out on its own.

I loved the characters especially Puck! Oh my god Puck made me gut laugh so many freaking times like really. And then when Jack does appear, he's as brooding as he is in own book and let me tell you, I quite enjoy a brooding hero, thank you for that Charlotte Bronte.

The end was perfect I think and although Claudia's brother and sister were on the opposing side, I really liked reading about them and I'm glad that Francis came to his senses.

I can't wait to read Puck's story!



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The Housemaid's Scandalous Secret by Helen Dickson Review

Castonbury Park: Scandalous Whispers: The Wicked Lord Montague\The Housemaid's Scandalous Secret by Carole Mortimer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After I saw the ad of this series come up on my feed on Facebook, I knew it had to read them. Even though I've only watched a bit of the first series of Downton Abbey and I haven't seen the original Upstairs/Downstairs TV series, I was enthralled about reading about the lives of both the gentry and the servants.

All through this book, the author kept my attentions with Ross and Lisette's love story. I liked that even though Lisette was his servant, she spoke her mind even when he was being kind of an arse.

I thought the end was perfect.

Review for The Wicked Lord Montague can be found here

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The Wicked Lord Montague by Carole Mortimer Review

The Wicked Lord Montague by Carole Mortimer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been looking forward to reading this series ever since I saw it show up on my Facebook feed. I've never watched the Upstairs Downstairs drama that popularized this type of books, but I've started Downton Abbey and after reading this book, I certainly want to watch both dramas.

Giles throughout the book seemed was pompous and arrogant and he eventually showed his softer side. I thought he seemed to embody what a man of his class would be like in that situation. I thought that added more realism to the story. I don't think I would have bought it if he weren't.

Lily was a great heroine, she stood up for herself, but she could always recognize her feelings for Giles, even though she didn't want them.

The only squabble I had with the book was even though there were good Romani, I thought the reveal with Mrs. Lovell's nephew was a bit...idk I thought it fell to a stereotype. Now I don't know much about the Romani people, but I didn't think it was needed.

I have the second book of the series and I am looking forward to reading it!

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Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right by Kieran Kramer Review

Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right by Kieran Kramer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second book in the Impossible Bachelors series was charming. I didn't love it as much as I loved When Harry Met Molly, but I thought it was a good addition.

Poppy was a likable heroine. I thought the rules of the Spinster Club were understandable and I could totally get behind them. Nicholas was handsome and definitely roguish. He didn't have the boyish charm of Harry, but he seemed more adult if that makes any sense haha.

I did like hearing from Harry again. I wish we could have seen Molly other than the mention of her and Harry at the ball, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless. I will continue to read the rest of the series.

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