Booking some summer reading plans

Glad to be back in the blogging game again and hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend there!

Well, June is bursting out all over with great books and bookish plans for the summer season, some of my own literary online projects I would like to share here today.

One of my big seasonal blog events is Autumn in August, where I watch and discuss movies/TV shows that have that fall feeling, especially during those overheated dog days at the end of summer.

 This year, I thought that this was the perfect time for me to watch the latest adaptation of John Galsworthy’s The Forsyte Saga that aired on PBS a few months ago. 

Simply  titled The Forsytes ,  this series has a stellar cast with the likes of Francesca Annis, Stephen Moyer and Eleanor Tomlinson on board and unlike other versions, is not a one and done deal. This is only Season one, with season two already being filmed and a third season in the works.

I’ve read the massive book(it’s several books and short stories collected in one volume) that this generational tale of a Victorian family dealing with their particular set of secrets and lies is based upon and no, not doing a reread of that right now-my TBR is overflowing as it is!-mainly to enjoy this take on that story on its own terms.

I suspect that the success of The Gilded Age (so excited for Season Four!) helped to bring this fresh look at the Forsytes along and that’s just wonderful, if you ask me. Nothing like a little historical fiction friction to liven up those warm weather days to come:

Speaking of English high drama, I’m also planning to revisit Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park as a duet reading with a similarly themed book(more on that in a moment).

Before I started my book buying break last month, I did treat myself to a new edition of MP, a Penguin Classic Deluxe, to be precise. Since I only have Emma in this particular edition series (a very nice review copy from the publisher) and really like the cover art done for this one, it’s as good an excuse as any for a reread.

Of course, that’s not the only reason for taking another another stroll through Mansfield; Fanny Price is a rather misunderstood heroine in the Austen cannon and while she might not be as lively as Lizzie Bennet or Emma Woodhouse, her quiet strength and steadfast demeanor puts her in good company with such ladies as Elinor Dashwood and my absolute favorite, Anne Eliot.

It is a shame that Fanny doesn’t get many good options when it comes to love(Edmund Bertram is the weakest tea when it comes to Austen leading men). 

Sometimes, I wonder if Fanny could’ve made a go of it with Mr. Rushworth-they did spend time together during that play debacle and while he’s a bit of a doofus, Mr. Rushworth was certainly not a mean guy. Well, perhaps my mind will change in that regard although one thing is for certain here and that is Aunt Norris is the WORST!:

Part of the reason for my MP revisit is that I am catching up on Claudia Gray’s Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney mystery series with my next read being The Rushworth Family Plot.

If you’re not familiar with this series, it takes place in a reality where all of Austen’s characters interact with each other and our amateur sleuths are the eldest  son of Darcy and Elizabeth(Jonathan) and the daughter of Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland (Juliet). The young couple do have romantic feelings for each other yet the nature of their investigations does keep them from getting too involved in that quarter, for the moment…

This time out, Jonathan and Juliet are paying a call on Edmund and Fanny when news of an alarming nature concerning Mr. Rushworth reaches them, not to mention a certain family member coming back into the Bertram’s lives with equally shocking information. Can our detective duo assist in righting these matters or will this family scandal simply never end?

As I said, I do pity Mr. Rushworth a little despite his silliness and simple nature. Of course he would be the target of another sorry scheme but hopefully, some justice will be done for him here. 

I do enjoy this series-a new entry entitled The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield is due out soon-and happy to see Mansfield Park get some more recognition in the reimagining genre:

In the meantime, I have made a good start in Seasons of Reading’s Sci-Fi Summer readathon (The Courtship of Princess Leia is a fun ride so far) yet I am already setting up shop for the next readathon on the schedule.

In August, SOR has the High Summer readathon and my big idea for thst one is to read books that have the word Summer in the title. Yeah, a bit on the nose to be sure but there are two books on my waiting to be read pile that meet that requirement and I just added a new one to my June Book of the Month Club box.

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean actually deals with a family named Storm and yes, their relationships are rocky indeed. We meet Alice first, a school teacher heading back to her family’s island home after the sudden death of her father.

On her way there, she has a brief hookup with a rather handsome stranger named Jack who turns out to be the manager of her late father’s business affairs. Alice, along with her mother and other siblings, have certain tasks to accomplish in order to receive their inheritance and Alice’s main assignment is to stay at the house for one week.

That is truly easier said than done and oddly enough, Jack also being there does make it somewhat more bearable. Can more than one broken bond be mended here or should Alice make the choice that’s really right for her and her alone?

Word of mouth for this book has been great and it does sound like an excellent beach read that should burn down the metaphorical house indeed:

Whatever your summer plans are, do allow yourself to have a little fun. With all of the chaos surrounding us these days, recharging your emotional batteries is important to maintain your spirits. Do what you can reasonably do that is safe, affordable and entertaining but refuse to let others force you into their misery.

That being said, I’m probably going to watch the Tony Awards this weekend, despite their being on a certain negative network. My big reason for is to see the big musical number for The Lost Boys, which is up for several awards including Best Musical.

Yes, THAT Lost Boys, the 1987 summer vampire film featuring the Coreys and Richard Gilmore as a vampire king is a big Broadway show with original songs(guess it was too expensive to get the movie soundtrack rights) and flying vampires on stage! 

I just have to see that live on TV and then avoid that channel like Dracula dodges the sun ! Please forgive me in advance but sometimes, you gotta dive into some whimsy when and where you can: