Pop Culture Princess

Pop Culture Princess
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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Matching into spring with a bountiful book haul

Despite the lingering chill in the air, spring is definitely coming upon us and the best way to get ready for that delightful season is by stacking up a few good books for reading.

My Book of the Month Club selections for this month include a special award winning book, awarded by the readers no less.

Abby Jimenez’s Yours Truly won the Book of the Year award (aka BOTY) from BOMC, voted on by the subscribers and this is my first time getting a BOTY edition, which I find pretty sweet!

While this novel is not a direct sequel to Part of Your World (I wound up getting a BOMC edition of that last month and so far, it’s a great read), one of the supporting characters from that story is in the central spotlight here.

Brianna Ortiz has enough to deal with as it is, with her brother desperately needing a kidney transplant and getting her divorce over and done with without having to handle a potential new rival at work.

As it turns out, Jacob Maddox is not interested in taking that promotion away from anyone; he’s just trying to handle this new job along with his social anxiety that tends to make bad impressions for him.

Brianna is less than thrilled with him but after receiving a letter of apology from Jacob for his rudeness towards her, she’s willing to give him another chance. As the two of them grow closer, they discover that each of them can help the other outside of work in ways neither of them could imagine.

When I finish up with Part of Your World, I fully intend to dive into this engaging tale of romance and emotional growth. Congratulations to Abby Jimenez for this win and I hope that her next book will be another BOMC favorite for all:


I paired that up with A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen, a fantasy novel with Norse mythology and a strong female lead.

Freya has been concealing the fact that she is one of those “blessed by blood” from the gods,destined to be a shield maiden who will fight for the next great king amongst her people for a long time.

However, when her cruel husband learns the truth, he is quick to bring her forth to Snorri, their tribal leader in order to get a divorce. Snorri grants that request and takes Freya as his bride, wanting to be the one who benefits from her intended fate.

He even assigns his firstborn son Bjorn as her personal protector, having no idea how attracted to each other they are. While Freya is still sorting out her place in court and dealing with her feelings for Bjorn, she knows one thing that they do not; a fated person has the final say on what their destiny will or won’t be.

I’ve been wanting to read more fantasy this year so this sounds like a great place to start. The book is the first in a new series and hopefully, I will be able to get the next one in a BOMC edition. Even if that doesn’t work out, having a warrior woman read on hand feels excellently awesome right about now:



Then I went to my local library and picked up the third book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen mystery series by Mia P. Manansala entitled Blackmail and Bibingka.

Bibingka is a traditional  dessert served around the winter holidays as we find coffee shop owner Lily and friends planning for at their growing business along with her aunt’s restaurant in the small town of Shady Palms.

When her cousin Ronnie comes back to town with a new winery ready to set up shop, Lily is naturally suspicious as he’s been known as Mr. Unreliable in more ways than one. However, his mother wants to give him the benefit of the doubt and asks Lily to go with her to meet his new business partners.

That meeting starts off well enough but when the wife of one of Ronnie’s new associates dies from drinking a bottle of wine that Ronnie prepared, it’s up to Lily to use those sleuthing skills of hers to save him from being unjustly punished for murder.

While there are plenty of suspects around, a blackmail demand sent before the killing points toward a past situation that may or may not involve Ronnie. Can Lily solve more than one mystery and still start the holiday season off right?

I do like this series as Manansala has a lively way with describing the food and family relationships that are truly delicious to read. Finding these titles at my library is such a tasty treat indeed:


Also, in pursuit of more fantasy books, I came across The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill by Rowenna  Millet.

Alaine learned about how one could strike a deal with the Fae on the title location from her grandmother , who claims that how her husband was able to get the family farm that she has inherited.

With the farm not doing well and her younger sister Delphine planning to marry a man that will move her to the city, Alaine starts to wonder if that old story was true and if so, can she make such a bargain to improve her own situation in life?

Turns out Delphine has a similar notion as she’s not that confident among the socialite class that she is trying to put a part of these days. As each sister makes her exchange with the Fae folk, the price they truly have to pay is most unexpected indeed.

This does sound interesting (not to mention that the cover is gorgeous!) so I’m willing to give it a go. Rowenna Miller is a new to me author and perhaps I might check out more of her work if the page turning magic clicks with me. It’s truly magical how one good book can lead you to another and another:



It will be nice to have a good full season of spring this year-lately it seems as if spring is a short bridge from winter to summer that keeps getting shorter all the time.
Hopefully, that path will extend out a little further this time around.

In the meanwhile, we have plenty of books ready to bloom on our shelves and before I go, I must mention that I gathered up a few books for future reading projects at a Leap Year sale at Better World Books.

Two of them I’ll talk about later this month but the other two are being set aside for my Meeting of the Marys challenge. Along side Romantic Outlaws(a duel bio about Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley), I will be rereading The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White as well as Shelley’s Frankenstein in a nice Penguin Classic Deluxe Edition.

The other new to me read will be Vindication of the Rights of Women by Wollstonecraft . Considering the state of things regarding women’s rights these days, I have a feeling that this early feminist work will be very relevant in a not so reassuring way.

With any luck, I will be able to start this challenge before the end of spring (need to complete my Jane Journey first!) and enjoy a little compare and contrast with this mother/daugther team , the latter being a most memorable literary diva whose influence still springs forward today:




 

Tuesday, March 05, 2024

My Trilogy Time gets off to a fiery start with Nora Roberts

 

As some of you may know, I have been doing a book challenge for some time now called Series-ous Reading, where I would talk about books in certain genre series such as cozy mystery or historical fiction.

Well, for this year I decided to change things up a bit and try something new that I’m calling Trilogy Time; reading three sets of trilogy novels that each follow a different prompt. Also, this is a seasonal challenge so my blog updates won’t be every single month(which can make this whole thing much easier to enjoy).

So, for the winter/early spring start of this project, my prompt was “Read an author that’s new to you “ and while Nora Roberts is rather well known, I had never tried  her works until now. At the last rummage sale I went to, I impulsively picked up her Irish Born trio and figured that was a good place to set off from.

The first book, Born In Fire,is set in Ireland and introduces us to the Concannon sisters, namely Margaret May,aka Maggie, the oldest daughter whose talents with glass blown sculptures catch the attention of art curator Rogan Sweeney. It’s a passion of hers that was encouraged by her late father and has steadily improved over the years with some local interest but not much more than that until now:



Rogan plans to open a gallery featuring Irish artists and wants Maggie to be under contract with him. She, however, is less than thrilled with anyone trying to control her or her work, even though the money would greatly help out her younger sister Brianna, who runs a bed and breakfast out of her house while taking care of  their angrily demanding mother Maeve.

Eventually, Maggie and Rogan come to terms but their relationship quickly goes beyond business. With both of them sharing a stubborn determination to have their own way in certain situations, this love connection is fraught with issues indeed!

One of the top strengths of Roberts ‘ writing that I noticed right off the bat is her keen sense of characterization; she knows how to create realistic people who make understandable errors and can be compelling without overdoing the drama.

While Rogan annoyed me at times, he eventually became less of a domineering figure as the story went on and Maggie’s stubbornness is not just a quirk- her deep connection to her late father(a rather flawed yet lovable fellow who we briefly met in the introduction) and her mother’s bitter resentment regarding her own life choices being taken out on Maggie go a long way towards adding nuance to the character.

Another good thing here is that supporting players are given subplots that don’t wholly rely on what the main characters do or don’t do(one romantic story line in particular) resolved nicely. 

Granted, some of the man/female dynamics here are a touch dated(the books were written in the 1990s) but not so much that you wince upon reading it, not to mention heated debates about the use of phone answering machines. I never was a fan of those so I’m Team Maggie on that issue:

All in all, Born In Fire was certainly engaging enough that I am reading book two in this trio and looking forward to the third one. For a long time, I was a snob about Nora Roberts and other romance writers but fortunately, maturity and expanding my literary horizons have helped me get over such nonsense.

Nora Roberts seems to be a lovely person who champions the causes of her sister authors and artistic freedom to boot from what I have seen online and I am finally glad to be reading some of her books. I doubt that I’ll be reading all of Roberts as one of my favorite Booktubers (Mara. of BookslikeWhoa ) has been doing but this trilogy is definitely opening that particular door for me.

Born in Fire has certainly kindled a bookish flame that hopefully won’t burn out any time soon:


Meanwhile, I am well into Born In Ice, which focuses on Brianna who has a handsome American writer staying at her B&B for a month. He’s planning on getting some inspiration for his next book and Brianna is his instant muse for sure here!

Having read book one, this second volume is much more relaxed  in its storytelling yet some interesting secrets and lies are popping up that will enhance the plot points and character development along the way.

My next update probably won’t be until I get to Born In Shame, which should be interesting to say the least. Nora Roberts is quite the author that I am pleased to add to my home library collection and to share that pleasure with others is a true bookish bonus:




Friday, March 01, 2024

A warm and cozy wrap up to my Winter’s Respite of reading

Even with Leap Day this year, February was a short month which is probably why my goal for finishing my TBR trio of books for the Winter’s Respite readathon (hosted by Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading) ended up at two and a half books completed.

That’s the story I’m going with, anyway. So, let’s start on a positive note with My Rooomate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine. Set in modern day Chicago, struggling artist Cassie is thrilled to find a roommate situation where the rent is only 200 dollars a month and in a posh neighborhood to boot!

However, her mysterious handsome co-occupant, Frederick J, Fitzwilliam, is an odd one indeed. Despite his old fashioned manners and charming eagerness to accommodate her every need, Cassie can’t help but wonder what his deal is. 

With him keeping night hours and her daylight, most of their interactions are in the form of notes left for each other on the kitchen table, with Frederick’s being very elegantly written as if he used an inkwell and quill.

Things are going along quite nicely until one day, Cassie comes home to find blood bags in the communal fridge and Frederick has some major explaining to do. Turns out he’s a vampire who recently awakened from a magically induced coma that lasted a hundred years. 

His intentions towards her are honorable as Frederick seeks a guide to the new world he’s in now, not to mention a more reliable source than his prankster vampire pal Reginald. Cassie is reluctant at first but ultimately decides to stay.

.While the two of them form a friendship bond, those feelings eventually turn more serious ,especially when some of Frederick’s past comes forth to claim him. Can Cassie save him from a dreadful eternal fate that could doom their love and living arrangements?

I have to say that this book is a charmer with the vibes of a nineties romcom, only far sweeter and mostly more up to date humor. In terms of tension, this story veers closer to Once Bitten than What We Do in the Shadows but overall, a satisfying vampire romance with light and lively energy:


Next, I picked up Bookshops & Bonedust , a prequel to Travis Baldree’s popular Legends & Lattes.

Usually, I am not into prequels but this was a worthy exception to that particular rule. We met a younger version of Viv, the warrior orc from L&L as she’s forced to recover from a serious battle injury in the sleepy seaside town of Murk.

Bored and frustrated, Viv winds up at the local bookstore run by Fern, who is prone to profanity yet has a great knack for selecting the right book for the right customer. As  time goes on, Viv encourages Fern to improve the store and helps clean the place up, adding new furniture and coming up with ideas to help her make an actual profit.

Fern is not her only friend in town but Viv isn’t trying to make any permanent plans as she’s waiting for the band of mercenaries who left her there to return for her. However, the very danger that brought Viv to Murk might still be around and pose a real threat to her new companions in more ways than one…

That’s all I intend to say about the plot because despite it being an early look into a world already established, B&B has some surprising moments of its own. Baldree really has that storytelling magic and I have no doubt that he’ll give us a sequel or two to his big hit yet this one is just a page turning delight that blends reading, found family and high magic into a spell worth being enchanted by:



As for This Spells Love by Kate Robb, I am halfway into the book and will keep going, just at a more leisurely pace.

Our leading lady here is Gemma, who finds herself in an alternate universe after performing a “love cleanse “ spell to get over a breakup. One of the main drawbacks of this new reality is that her best friend Dax doesn’t know her at all and it’s his kiss that set this whole magical event into motion.

With only a month until a reversal spell can be cast, Gemma has to get to know Dax all over again and he to know her without being told about their previous existence. His kiss is vital to reset Gemma’s world but this new start to their relationship has a romantic element that has her reconsider this entire plan but should she?

In my opinion at this point in the story, I say”Yes, you should stay in this particular realm indeed!” Not only is she getting a chance at love with Dax, Gemma owns a beauty shop  that she loves instead of the soul crushing corporate job she held back in the other reality(the retail scenes are very realistically funny) and amazing new friends, some of whom she played matchmaker for and they’re very happy together!

This sounds much better than going back to a world where your up tight ex boyfriend is, if you ask me. Of course, I’m sure that complications will arise as the story moves forward, making these choices tricky. I am certain though that that special kiss destined to change worlds will be worth waiting for:



Well, I do think this was a nice way to start off a new year of reading and much thanks to Michelle Miller for getting the bookish party started off in style! I am already putting books aside for the next readathon, Spring Into Horror, that begins this April. Should be frightening fun for sure!

Reading experiences like this are great, particularly when we’re in the midst of such sad and bad news at the moment. Not that we should ignore what’s going on(far from it!) but a nice break from the ongoing tensions are crucial for coping.

With that in mind, let’s look forward with a spring in our step to match the new season ahead of us and perhaps a song or two in our hearts. Books are magical in that sense, indeed and they can give us everything just as long as we promise to be there:




 

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

A popcorn bucket of Oscar nominated page turners

With the Academy Awards soon to be handed out in a couple of weeks, I thought it was time to highlight some of the nominees as Oscar Night is my SuperBowl!

A good number of the films this year up for honors are based on books and/or graphic novels and while many know about the major league contenders who hold that distinction, for this post, I wanted to focus on a few that might not be as prominently featured.

Granted, American Fiction has been strongly showcased with five nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Jeffrey Wright as Monk Ellison, a well respected writer and college professor who has become increasingly annoyed by the stereotypical novels that have grown undeservedly popular with his intended audience.

Out of frustration, he writes his own mocking version of these books and is unpleasantly surprised when publishers find this work to not only be a potential bestseller, they’re eager to pay him major money and get him a movie deal.

The more he tries to tank the project (including pretending to be an ex-con on the run as his author persona), the more it gets green lit by those self same “enlightened “ people. The time does come when Monk has to decide just how far he can go with this before things get more out of hand.

One of the film’s nominations is for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer/director Cord Jefferson based this movie on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett, which shows how good writing is always timely.

 With recent focus on how race is portrayed by the publishing industry with novels such as The Other Black Girl and Yellow Face, the spot on accuracy of this story from over twenty years ago is eerily adept indeed:


In the Best Live Action Short category, we have both a film with a well known star and based on a lesser known short story by an author best known for children’s books, quite the odd brew there.

Then again, director/writer Wes Anderson is sort of an intellectual Tim Burton type there but even so, his version of Roald Dahl’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is not your usual nominee for this cinematic section.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the title role as an already wealthy man who learns how to see beyond his senses in order to earn more gambling money. However, that talent does more than make him richer financially, causing Henry to take his new found ability to new heights.

Apparently, this mini movie is meant to be the first in a quartet of adaptations of Dahl’s short stories that were written for much older readers. Whether or not it wins on Oscar Night, bringing these smaller works to wider audiences is definitely a win in more ways than one:


Meanwhile in the Best Animated Feature category, we have Nimona, based on the beloved graphic novel by ND Stevenson.

Chloe Grace Moretz voices the title character, a mischievous shapeshifter who declares herself the sidekick to disgraced knight Ballister Boldheart(Riz Amed).

Together, they seek to clear Ballister’s name but even as that evidence comes to light, complications arise that pushes their friendship to a breaking point that may not be repairable. Yet, a greater wrong is out there to be righted and perhaps only the two of them are the perfect partners for that job.

It’s hard to predict a clear winner in this category as the latest Spiderverse movie was excellent but voters might not want to give this series back-to-back awards(they should in my opinion!). Also, many were surprised at The Elementals from Pixar getting a spot here as its reception from audiences and critics was mixed at best.

That does allow for a smaller film to potentially get the Oscar gold and while it may a long shot, Nimona does have a decent chance at least. The fans who loved the original source material would certainly be cheering loudly if that came to pass:


At least Oscar Night should be entertaining this year, even if the already predictable sweep for Oppenheimer happens. That film is fine, I’m sure ,but it checks too many typical boxes on the Oscar checklist for my taste.

I was happy to see America Ferrera get a Best Supporting Actress spot for Barbie(many of the other award shows seemed to be overlooking her performance) and hope that Ryan Gosling performs “I’m Just Ken”, although the Billie Elilish Barbie song is probably going to take the Best Original Song award home. 

No matter who wins what, it is good to know that many of these wonderful silver screen moments started as words on a page in a book. Hopefully next year, we’ll find more great stories in print brought to cinematic glory being honored by the Academy with reader and viewer agreement alike:




 

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Extending my Jane Journey while preparing for a Meeting of Two Marys

Reading challenges for me are a good way of not only diving into subjects that you’ve neglected for awhile but also a solid method for reducing a TBR pile or two.

Another bonus is an excuse to do some rereading with my Jane Journey as a good example. 

Since late last year, I’ve been tackling a trio of Jane Austen themed nonfiction and pairing each book up with an appropriate Jane Austen novel. I’m on the final book in that trio, Jane Austen and the Navy by Brian Southam , and not only finished a reread of Mansfield Park but started sailing with Persuasion yet again.

While Jane Austen and the Navy(pretty interesting read, particularly if you’re into the naval history of the Regency period) is the last stop on this tour, my travels with Jane are too good to end here. So,for my final leg of this journey, I will be visiting the family Dashwood via Sense & Sensibility , fittingly as it’s her first published work.

Part of this reason for this additional reread is the upcoming Hallmark Channel new adaptation of the book, which promises to be a very Elinor focused version and that alone pleases me greatly.

Don’t get me wrong; Marianne’s romantic issues are understandably designed to take center stage and lend much development to her character.

I, however , am much like Elinor in many respects and find her quietly yet just as heartrending emotional experience with love as equally compelling. Hopefully, Elinor will get her small screen spotlight to properly portray her inner resolve:


Yet, I do have plans for my next nonfiction/fiction pairing which I am calling a Meeting of Two Marys.

Those ladies are mother and daughter, neither of whom got to know each other at all. Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley are biographically compared in Charlotte Gordon’s Romantic Outlaws, which looks at their legacies and the influence one had over the other, even from beyond the grave.

I must admit that Mary Shelley is much more familiar to me than her mother, although they both touched upon controversial topics in their writings respectively. While The Vindication of the Rights of Women is a feminist classic, Shelley’s Frankenstein is far better known and resonates strongly with each generation with it’s themes regarding the nature of science, parenting and ethical experimentation.

Nonetheless, I would like to know more about each of them and this compare/contrast should be a good place to start(although Mary Shelley is quite the attraction here):


Now I’m sure you’re thinking “Oh, she’s going to reread Frankenstein “-no, not just yet, folks.

My fictional reread is going to be The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White. The title character is the foster sister of Victor Frankenstein, who is prone to moodiness and solitude and her role is to be of comfort and make him more sociable to the outside world.

When Victor goes off to college, Elizabeth grows concerned about her position in the family and enlists her girlfriend Justine to help her find him and see if Elizabeth can still be of use to him.

Upon discovering his whereabouts, she finds that Victor’s obsession with creating life and conquering death has gotten way out of hand. What lengths will she go to in order to save him from himself and is that even the best thing for her at all?

This is a very engaging take on the Frankenstein mythos and it’s great to see the ever expanding pop culture impact of Shelley’s story come to new life. Should be a nice offset to the duel biography (I will probably reread the original Frankenstein along the way) and to maybe read more of Kiersten White as well:


This mix and matching of nonfiction and fiction has certainly made this TBR clearance all the more fun, that’s for sure.

Speaking of fun, I have been enjoying those Hallmark “Loveuary” Jane Austen inspired movies(Paging Mr. Darcy was the best one so far) but I am a bit worried about the latest one, An American in Austen,  airing this weekend.

Our leading lady finds herself in the bookish realm of Pride and Prejudice, with Mr. Darcy being more interested in her fine eyes than Lizzy Bennet’s, which will not do for many reasons. 

The premise is great but also very similar to the British miniseries Lost in Austen that a good number of Austen fans know of and love quite a bit. Hopefully, this take on the same notion will not suffer too much in comparison and simply be an agreeable time shared by all. We shall see and perhaps these two projects will be a beloved double feature for future Austen binge watching:







Thursday, February 08, 2024

Getting some midwinter warmth from my latest book haul

While the chilly nature of this season can be a downer, one thing that always parks me up is the chance to add a new book to my reading stack. Corny, perhaps, but true nonetheless.

For example, I started February off with a Book of the Month Club box and my main selection was a debut historical fiction by Avery Cunningham, The Mayor of Maxwell Street.

Set in Chicago of 1921, young ambitious reporter Nelly Sawyer is eager to prove her journalistic merits by seeking out the facts about our title character, who is said to be the one running the criminal underworld in the city.

To further her quest, she enlists the aid of speakeasy owner Jay Shorey, whose charms are not lost on her at all. However, what challenges Nelly more are the elements of corruption within the system that Jay seems a little too well connected to.

Coming from a wealthy family, Nelly’s foray into the newspaper business was intended to just merely be a temporary stopover on the road towards a suitable marriage yet as time goes on, her dreams about the future are pointing more in the direction of an independent life with Jay by her side. Can she find the right path for her goals as well as her heart before it gets too late?

This does sound intriguing and discovering a new author is such a treat, especially when they’re expanding upon what we know about the past. A book like this is like diving into an epic miniseries that’s always on tap when it comes to the realms of fact and fiction playing well together:


Meanwhile, I received some book mail that also introduces me to someone I haven’t read previously.
Although in this case, this writer is not a first timer.

Sara Shepard is best known for her series (and popular TV show adaptation) of teen thrillers , Pretty Little Liars, but her upcoming novel Nowhere Like Home takes place amongst adults.

Our leading lady is Lenna, struggling to manage being a new mother with little emotional support from her husband. Running into her old friend Rhiannon from high school, she is relieved to find someone who seems to understand what she’s going through.

Rhiannon is not only happy to lean an ear to her troubles, she even suggests that Lenna join her at a “mommune” where she can get some relaxation and guidance from other women in the same situation. It’s an offer that Lenna doesn’t refuse but all too soon, she may wish that she did.

As I said, Sara Shepard is a new to me author and with that in mind, this ought to be an entertaining read at the very least. The story line here gives me that domestic thriller movie vibes from the late 1990s/early 2000s that packed quite a few punches there, plot and character wise so let’s see how this story cradle is rocked:


Finally, I decided to do a little “shopping my shelves “and discovered a hidden bookish gem of social climbing scandal storytelling.

Upon tuning into the new season of F/X’s Feud, I recalled a novel that dealt with the same subject and quickly searched my various TBR piles to see if that book I paused in was still on hand and thankfully, The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin was readily available.

The swans of the title are the upper class women that Truman Capote befriended, mainly Barbara “Babe” Paley during his literary rise of the mid 1950s and into the sixties/early seventies. 

His witty comments and wickedly gleeful gossip made him very well sorted after for parties and other social events among that crowd yet the trust placed in him by many of the ladies regarding their personal secrets turned out to be a serious mistake.

Eventually, Truman used those hidden insights as material for a book, excepts of which were published in magazines. While names were changed, it was crystal clear just whose dirty laundry was being aired. That unexpected exposure lead to those ties of friendship being broken between Capote and his beloved “swans” but what was the ultimate price to be paid by all involved?

While Feud: Capote vs. the Swans is based on a nonfiction title (Capote’s Women by Lawrence Leamer), Melanie Benjamin’s novel delves into the inner emotional stakes for Babe and Truman, showcasing just how much they felt like soulmates, which made their social severance all the more painful. 

I’m going to keep watching Feud while getting myself reacquainted with this book and hope that others do so as well. No doubt that the nonfiction the show is based on is good but this novel adds a certain nuance that the TV version might not display in the same way:



With the news getting as gloomy as the weather these days, it helps to have a few good books to find comfort in for a while there. Most of my reading is going well, especially my readathon pace and those Jane Austen Hallmark movies are a nice diversion too.

This weekend’s viewing has Love and Jane on the schedule as Alison Sweeney plays a woman getting romantic advice from Our Dear Jane directly. Certainly promises to be popcorn worthy amusement that allows for a proper book suitable for diving into during the commercials(a pastime that I eagerly encourage):



 

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

An inspired Loveuary library of Jane Austen inspired reads

February is fast upon us and so is Valentine’s Day themed entertainment of which the Hallmark channel is abundantly ready to provide.

This year’s slate of romantic movies from Hallmark are all Jane Austen themed (starting with Paging Mr. Darcy this upcoming Saturday) and I thought that this would be a good opportunity to highlight some recent Jane Austen related novels for your reading pleasure.

Since the Hallmark series includes a new adaptation of Sense & Sensibility, author Nikki Payne’s Sex, Lies and Sensibility seems to be an ideal choice. The Dash sisters, Nora and Yanne, are picking up the pieces of their lives following a couple of shocking revelations, one of which involves their late father.

Their best chance at rebuilding a new future is in renovating a rundown inn near the beach in hopes of making a go of it before foreclosure is inevitable. A very eager assistant to this project is Ennis aka Bear Freeman, a local tour guide who thinks that this new business could expand on his own career goals, not to mention that he’s rather fond of Nora and she starts to feel the same.

However, will those secrets of the past get in the way of Nora and Bear’s budding romance or be cast aside for the good of all? This follow-up to Payne’s Pride and Protest is perfectly suited for this season of love(especially since it’s being released on February 13) and with this story being more of an Eleanor focused love story, many S&S fans will be delighted indeed:


For readers like me whose favorite Austen novel is Persuasion, Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin is definitely our cup of storytelling tea.

Our leading lady is Nada Syed, whose dreams of launching an advice app are cut short by a devious business partner and forces her to step back into a job that she hates.

To cheer herself up, Nada joins her friend Haleema at a convention to meet some new people, including Haleema’s fiancé. As it turns out, the fiancé brought his brother Baz, who Nada has known for years but they haven’t spoken since college when their secret relationship broke up bitterly.

Can this long ago romance be revived and if not, should anyone else know about their lovelorn past in the present? Jalaluddin really has a flair for Austen themed stories (Ayesha At Last is such a joy!) and her take on this particular book promises to be just as enchantingly engaging:


Speaking of enchanting, Melinda Taub’s The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch certainly sounds promisingly page turning there.

In this lively take on Pride and Prejudice, Lydia is born with magical powers (her sister Kitty was once an actual cat) that despite her best efforts, often lead her astray. Due to making a bargain with a demon in order to save herself and Kitty, Lydia must endure the dubious charms of Mr. Wickham, whose motives for mischief are sinister in more ways than one.

Despite the disapproval of Mr. Darcy, Lydia is even willing to use her mystical skills for the benefit of his sister Georgiana, suffering under a most dire curse. Can Lydia and her coven of friends set things right that once went wrong or doom them all to shades that would pollute more than Pemberley?

This does sound like fun and I for one enjoy mixing a dose of supernatural elements into a Jane Austen brew of bookish amusement-quite diverting to be sure!:


Normally, I don’t watch the Hallmark Channel very often but this time around, my dial will be tuned into these Austen themed films for my ultimate Valentine treat.

After all, what do we live for but to have something to watch other than sports and to allow our neighbors to enjoy their games on their own while we amuse ourselves in such agreeable company(of course, if you like both, that’s what DVRs are meant for!):