Reaching the high point of my High Summer readathon

Taking part in the Seasons of Reading series of readathons has certainly helped with keeping my TBR piles on balance. Granted, my goals for the current High Summer reading event are pretty modest but I have managed to make a couple of sets of books that were waiting in the wings a bit smaller.

The first book that I completed for this challenge was appropriately titled By The Book, a debut novel from Julia Sonneborn. Our leading lady is Anne Corey, an English professor at Fairfax College who's struggling to gain tenure and hoping to publish her first book.

When it's announced that Adam Martinez is the new president of Fairfax, Anne is thrown for quite the loop. The two of them were a romantic couple during her own college days but she broke up with him due to pressure from her academic advisor as well as her family. While she does her best to maintain a professional relationship with him, Anne does find those old familiar feelings returning, along with tinges of regret.

She does get a bit of welcome distraction from new writer-in-residence Rick Chasen, who has some past history with Adam as well. Yet, Anne still feels attached to Adam in some ways, even discovering that very special copy of Jane Austen's Persuasion that he gave to her so long ago and can not bear to part with.

Yes, this story is a modern take on Persuasion(my favorite Austen novel) but it also adds a few tidbits from Jane Austen's other works such as the name of the college, which is from Emma, and Rick Chasen has much in common with a certain Mr. Wickam.

There's even a hint of Northanger Abbey as Anne's collegiate buddy Larry falls in love with an actor starring in a" based-on-the-hit-YA-series" movie called Jane Vampire,which is Twilight meets Charlotte Bronte. Larry gets Anne to watch that film with him upteen times, really stretching those boundaries of friendship there!

All in all, the book is a fine tribute to Jane Austen that creates plenty of original characters and situations that let the author make her own mark. It's a lovely read that even a non-Austen reader can enjoy and hopefully, will inspire those who haven't to take up Persuasion for the first time:

After that, I picked up Jean Kwok's Girl in Translation, which did make me think of Gilmore Girls at times but Lorelai and Rory never went through half of the hard times that this mother and daughter team did.

Twelve year old Kimberly Chang and her mother were able to emigrate to America just before their homeland of Hong Kong reverted back to Chinese control, with the aid of her Aunt Paula. Their welcome to their new country turned out to be less than inviting as the apartment set up for them is in a nearly abandoned building infested with bugs and mice.

Also, Kimberly's mother has to repay her sister Paula for their passage and has to work at the family garment factory, a job that Kimberly(along with other children of employees) helps out with on a daily basis. Attending school is difficult for Kimberly due to language and cultural barriers but her sharp skills in math and science allow her to get a full scholarship at a prestigious private school that will open doors to her for a future Ivy League education.

As times goes on, Kimberly is torn between focusing solely on her academic goals in order to lift her mother out of poverty and taking part in some of the teenage fun that's all around her. A deeper complication develops as her heart is drawn to Matt, who also works with his mother at Aunt Paula's factory, yet fellow student Kurt has eyes only for Kimberly.

This book is a compelling read, as Kimberly's ups and downs are enriched by the love of her mother and a bond with Annette, her first and only American friend who has no idea just how hard things are for Kimberly. Kwok establishes a solid narrative with Kimberly, creating a voice that's realistic as well as engaging.

Girl in Translation was so good that I wanted to read more, even after turning that last page. Jean Kwok,fortunately, has another novel out called Mambo in Chinatown and I'll find a way to get a hold of that soon. Her writing does dance across the page, so it'll be interesting to read a book of hers that does involve actual fancy footwork:

Just last night, I finished rereading Northanger Abbey and it stuck me that it's been awhile since I fully reread an Austen novel. Well, this country girl meets big city tale was a welcome relief from the heat indeed.

Catherine Morland is a sweet enough heroine but not as well developed as many of the other Austen leading ladies(due to this being an early in her writing career novel that wasn't published until after Austen's death), which does make her a rather believable teenager.

Her shock at the behavior of her new friend Isabella is authentic yet Catherine can not resist thinking the worst of General Tilney, despite her pleasant regard for hid daughter Eleanor and most particular regard for his son Henry, who is such a snarky fellow that might  be unbearable if not for his ability to restrain his mirth with good sense. Do not be angry at me, Tilney fans, I do like him, I do!

What does strike me this time around with Catherine is not only the delightful snark of the narrator who gleefully winks at the Gothic genre that our lead girl is so influenced by, it's the subtle desire of Catherine to wish for a touch of the dark side to embrace her.

While her worst impulse turns out to be mostly harmless(a little snooping at best, followed by an unfortunate conversation), that urge to explore beyond her boundaries is what makes Catherine more than a potential damsel in distress type. She proves herself to be more resilient in unexpected situations than thought possible, even by her parents!  She may be not as lively as an Elizabeth Bennet or an Emma Woodhouse but I dare say that Catherine would be someone that I would love to attend a book club with(and she'd probably adore Twilight!):

At the moment, I'm rereading Val McDermid's version of NA for a little compare and contrast. There are a few library books that I'm catching up with and at least one more book from my pre-selected TBR for this readathon that I will get to before long.

Looking this over, I have been drawn to more Jane Austen related material these days. Perhaps as stress relief and it's also a huge incentive to have word of a new Jane Austen adaptation in the works. Sanditon, an unfinished novel of Austen's, is set for PBS and to be written by the wonderful Andrew Davies, oh such joy!

The only other attempt at adapting this work that I've seen is the Pemberley Digital web series and that was a delight to behold. Well, having a full film version only means more rereading and that should fit into another readathon that my fellow Seasons of Reading companions ought to be thrilled with indeed: