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#DecemberDreams

A favorite #Soarkle quote from the always wise Mrs. Gardiner to Mary Bennet in this Pride and Prejudice adaptation/continuation:

“And anyway, in our house, no-one is obliged to sparkle. Which, I find, makes it far more likely that they might.” ✨

Lovers of Pride and Prejudice will enjoy getting immersed back into the Bennet family‘s life, but this time from Mary‘s perspective. This is a book you‘ll want to savor.

June 29 #BookMoods Set in another century @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I'm not usually into these books as I find the way woman were treated as sad. I would never have survived in this world. These books are so predictable as you know the couple would eventually find their true love. #NSR221 @Nessavamusic This is a Historical Romance

#Pemberlittens What a great continuation to our beloved P&P. Mary is a great character and deserves to have her story told. The author did a great job of immersing us into Austen‘s world. Thank you to @sprainedbrain for allowing me to lead our read through and thank you to those who read along with me! See you all for the next Austen-esque read!

#Pemberlittens Ch.91&92 Mary knows she can‘t marry Ryder when she is in love with Tom so she turns him down - Mrs.B is pissed and leaves in a huff. Mary is so depressed, and to make things worse she runs into Caroline who tells her that Ryder is now going to be rich and can Mary promise she‘ll never marry him? The nerve! At least Mary stands up for herself well. Tomorrow we finish the book and see if Tom finally makes us (er..Mary) stop waiting.

#Pemberlittens Ch.89&90 Well, Ryder comes back and apologizes for his free love no marriage idea. He actually proposes for real, the way a lady deserves. But Mary still loves Tom and doesn‘t accept right away. Her mother is badgering her to accept, no surprise there, but even her aunt says…maybe accept Ryder and be secure. Although I wonder how much money he‘d still get from Lady C de bourgh if he married Mary…either way, big decision for Mary now

#Pemberlittens Ch.79&80 Mary and Tom climb a mountain- literally and figuratively- it seems as though their romance is an uphill struggle and it‘s all self inflicted! Can they get over themselves and the restrictions society imposes upon them in time to save their budding romance and put us readers out of our misery?

#Pemberlittens Ch.73-78 Sorry for being MIA! The Gardiners, Tom & Mary are joined on vacation by none other than Ryder, Caroline 😬 and the Hursts. Their idyllic little party is sadly interrupted by snobbery and of course, Ryder - a competitor for Mary‘s attention. Tom is jealous and instead of simply talking to Mary about his feelings, he gives up. And Mary, instead of declaring herself, gets mad. Gah these two! So frustrating!

#Pemberlittens Ch.71&72 Mary, Tom and the Gardiners are having a spectacular time going around the countryside. Mary and Tom are feeling closer than ever and Mary realizes she‘s in love with him! And she thinks maybe he loves her too! Everything is coming up roses-but wait, there‘s a midnight arrival at the inn. Whoever could that be? 🙄 I think storms are in the forecast.

#Pemberlittens Ch.69&70 The Gardiners leave on their journey to the Lake District and stop in at The Bingleys‘. Mary is at first worried about returning, but Jane greets her warmly and her mother…isn‘t terrible. They continue on their way and stop at an inn to meet up with Tom. Mary and Tom admire the scenery and he says her first name! That‘s a big deal back then! If this was a 90‘s sitcom, the audience would be saying “Oooooooooohhhhhhh!”

#Pemberlittens Ch.67&68 The Gardiners are set to go on their vacation to The Lakes and Mary is very happy to hear Tom is joining them. He writes her a sweet note which proves he hasn‘t forgotten her. But before they can leave, Mary runs into Ryder who talks her into getting ices with him - and proceeds to charm her. I hope Mary doesn‘t get too confused! Stay on the path to Tom, Mary! It‘s what you/we really want! Right?

#Pemberlittens Ch.65&66 - Tom gets a clue that Ryder is interested in Mary, and gets the impression that maybe Mary likes Ryder back! Mary likes Tom but feels good at having Ryder‘s charming attention, and wants to stick it to Caroline. But will Tom stay away now that he thinks Mary isn‘t interested in him? Will Ryder keep pursuing her? Oy, this love stuff is tricky business. Can Mary handle it? Or will she go back to the rational side of life?

#Pemberlittens Ch.63-65 Mary and the Gardiners go to Ryder‘s for dinner and Mary is exiled to the wrong end of the table by the conniving Caroline Bingley. Caroline is determined to keep Mary away from her man (poor Ryder) and goes so far as to warn her off! But our Mary doesn‘t cower-no, she stands up tall and gives it right back to the b—ch! Yay Mary! We‘re so proud of you! Keep it up - but try to go for Tom…that‘s where your heart is happy.

#Pemberlittens Ch.59-62 (I think I‘m caught up now) - on a few fun outings (to Vauxhall Gardens and St.Paul‘s) Mary has run-ins with a new gentlemen, Mr.Hayward‘s friend Mr.Ryder. Ooh I sense a bit of trouble from him, especially since he seems to be Caroline Bingley‘s new target…That woman is just the worst! Can Mary hold her own against this vile shrew? If she keeps seeing Ryder will that jeopardize what she‘s building with Tom?

#Pemberlittens Ch.55-58 Ah Poetry, the language of love! Mary and Tom exchanged books and had some wonderful discussions over their choices. Mary realizes she can feel and has the heart for poetry. And perhaps she has the heart for Tom as well. Romance could be in her future after all. But is Tom just being friendly? Perhaps she should keep her feelings to herself.

#200PnPcovers @CrowCAH @mabell Let‘s see if I can catch up on what were supposed to be daily posts…when #parents were raising gentle ladies, they were accomplished if they could play #music. Another acceptable past time was reading #novels - but not too much and nothing too intellectual! In The Other Bennet Sister Mary much prefers “smart” books and her mother, who reads novels, disapproves.

#Pemberlittens Ch.51-54 As we reach the 1/2 way mark, if anyone wants to be removed from the tag list let me know - I know some of you have finished the book already🙂 Mary decides to accept Lizzy‘s gift of new clothes and she gets to go shopping with Mrs.Gardiner. They have a great time much to her surprise and they meet Mrs.Gardiner‘s cousin‘s son, Thomas Hayward. Dare I say sparks fly between Mary and Tom? Especially at her first dinner party.

This week was long & tiring & the book I wanted to pick up & read was this one. At first I was just a bit ahead of the 2 chapters-a-day pace of the #PemberLittens then suddenly I was WAY ahead & finished last night.

I 💚 Mary Bennet & this book that gave her the attention she deserves. There was a lot of set up, awkward pain for Mary & P&P revisiting to get to her finding herself & path but I was happy with it all. A cozy book to curl up with.

#Pemberlittens -sorry I‘m a bit behind (baby is teething!) Ch.47-50 Mary loves being at the Gardiner‘s, a warm house filled with love. Mrs.Gardiner is wonderful and wants Mary to think better about herself. She also notices how dowdy Mary dresses on purpose and suggests some new clothes - Lizzy offers to pay for them as a way to make amends! But can Mary accept such a gift? Are we about to get our movie makeover moment?

#Pemberlittens Ch.45&46 - Mary decides to visit the Gardiners in London, her aunt and uncle. She is warmly welcomed by the boisterous family and taken on a tour of Gracechurch street near Cheapside where you can buy anything if you have the money! Surprisingly Mary enjoys the crowds and shop windows - but she also had a great companion in Mrs.Gardiner. Perhaps Mary will find a kindred spirit in her friendly aunt.

#Pemberlittens Ch.43&44 - The snotty Lady Catherine de Bourgh arrives, and points out that Mary should be a governess - after all what else has she got going for her? Charlotte encourages this and even goes so far as to tell Mary (finally) that she‘d better leave HER house and let her work on her marriage. Mary needs to find another situation for herself and quick, to avoid the prospect of miserable gainful employment.

#Pemberlittens Ch. 41&42 - Mary has it pointed out to her by Mrs.Hill how it might look that she spends so much time with Mr.Collins in the library so Mary sadly has to put a stop to it. Mr.Collins understands but opens up that maybe he regrets not marrying her instead because they are likeminded scholars and could have been happy. Ugh. Poor Mary - that‘s what she said all along! I‘m surprised she didn‘t pack her bags right away and leave.

#Pemberlittens Ch.37-41 Double Entry today! Mary continues her study of happiness, Mr.Collins finally notices her and the two start studying and discussing and dare I say flirting (for two people who don‘t know how to flirt) - and Charlotte is about to pack Mary‘s bags and show her the door.

#PemberLittens

Yeah, so I read ahead this week because I needed to get Mary & I out of a funk. I‘m now at Chap 57. Whoops! 🤷🏻‍♀️
Anyway, no spoilers but in Chap 55, they have lemon posset after dinner. I adore possets (just citrus juice, heavy cream & sugar simmered together & set in the fridge) & make different variations like tangerine & lime. Lemon is my favorite though, so below I‘m linking to my blog post with Nigel Slater‘s recipe in ⬇️

#Pemberlittens Ch.35&36 Mary as usual tries to understand the world around her. While there should be no reason for the Collins‘ to be unhappy, it seems they are - at least Mr.Collins is. Why? Mary decides to turn to her old friends - her father‘s philosophy books - for answers. Does anyone else wonder how long these visits typically lasted? Was it rude for the mistress of the house to be like-you‘ve been here way too long?

#PemberLittens This morning I read 4 chapters (31-34) which take place 2 years after Mr. Collins proposes to Charlotte & (slight spoiler) after Mr. Bennet dies. I read ahead because I NEEDED someone, anyone to be nice to Mary besides Mrs. Hill. Doesn‘t happen. Mary cycles thru the Bingleys, Darcys & Collins & goes from mistreated by Caroline to feeling awkward & ignored at Pemberley to feeling awkward with Charlotte, now Mistress at Longbourn. ⬇️

#Pemberlittens Ch.31&32 Two years have passed and all the Bennet daughters are married except poor Mary. Mr.Bennet dies and the dreaded entail comes to pass, leaving Mrs.Bennet and Mary homeless. Mrs.Bennet is perfectly happy to stay with Jane forever, but Mary is quietly tortured by the horrid Caroline Bingley who puts the Mean in Mean Girl. When Mary can‘t stand the abuse any longer, she decides to escape to Pemberley, and contemplate her future

#Pemberlittens Ch.29&30 - End of part 1 and Charlotte lands Mr.Collins much to Lizzy and Mrs.Bennet‘s dismay. Charlotte imparts advice: “I caught him because I went for it and really chased him, pride be damned. Also, how can you expect anyone, let alone a man, to like you if you don‘t like yourself?” I hate to say it but she‘s right. Mary sees what her future holds and it is bleak…will she have the courage to change her path?

#Pemberlittens Ch.27&28 - I‘m not trying to be funny with that kitten meme. I genuinely feel sorry for Mary. She tries and tries and keeps getting kicked around. She tries to impress Mr.Collins but the clueless moron still proposes to Lizzy - who of course says no! And Mary is too distracted and distraught to swoop in and make her move. Good thing Charlotte is there - you know, such a good friend keeping Mr.Collins busy and all.

I was frantically reading to get caught up on the chapters I missed last week...and just couldn't stop! Oops! But sorry not sorry, because this was such a wonderful experience. I loved diving into the "what it's?" of Mary's story, and seeing how "happily ever after" treated so many of our favorite characters. Most lovely of all was seeing Mary grow into herself, conquer old foes, and discover the life she was meant to live. #PemberLittens

I haven‘t had much time for memes lately, but the past four chapters (21-24) have me wincing & cringing for our poor Mary. It‘s definitely a “Oh Honey…NO!” moment. 😬

We all know what‘s coming at the Netherfield ball. I almost can‘t look! 🙈😬😱 #PemberLittens

#Pemberlittens Ch.23&24 - Mary is certain she would make the most rational match for Mr.Collins. Despite Mrs.Bennet telling Mary to stay out of her matchmaking schemes (ugh!), Mary decides to take any opportunity she has to try to woo the clueless Mr.Collins. When he doesn‘t react much to their shared tastes in books, Mary thinks music will impress him. We‘ll see if her efforts are successful at the upcoming ball.

#Pemberlittens Ch.21&22 Welcome Mr.Collins! While he gets busy making a fool of himself and being dismissed or made fun of by most of the family, Mary starts to see that perhaps marrying him and securing her future and the finances of her family is the rational thing to do - he can‘t be that bad, can he? And if he is, she can fix him right? So now she just has to catch him - I‘m cringing already.

TGIF! Today‘s Aloha Friday 🌺 work lunch was a “sashimi special” ahi, salmon & hamachi. You know it‘s good when the fish is fresh & the sashimi portion is more than the salad greens.😋

Catching up with my #PemberLittens reads. This is my favorite of the 3 books this month. I am struggling to keep up with Sanditon & North and South & keeping all of the characters straight. But I do need Mary to get some happiness pretty soon.🥺

#Pemberlittens Ch. 19&20 -sorry for late post! We see the true genius matchmaking skills in Mrs.Bennet as she sends Jane out in the rain in hopes she will be forced to stay at Netherfield Park. Her plan works! Poor Jane takes ill and can‘t leave for like 2 weeks. Lizzy goes to check on her, Mary advises against it and Lizzy snaps, and Charlotte hopes Jane makes good use of her time to secure Mr. Bingley. We also find Mary is a closeted romantic.

#Pemberlittens Ch.17&18 At the infamous ball where Bingley takes a shine to Jane and Darcy finds Lizzy barely tolerable, Mary sits with the spinsters and mothers and is approached by Charlotte. In a gloomy mood, Charlotte reflects on her failures of the last decade, particularly in securing a husband, and she indicates that Mary and she have a lot in common. Mary starts to worry that her family‘s rejection will not be all she has to deal with.

#Pemberlittens Ch.15&16 - Have you heard the news? Netherfield Park is let at last!! This occupies the Bennet household - certainly this rich Mr.Bingley will marry one of the girls! But only if Mr.Bennet goes to call on him-which he does eventually. Soon, all talk turns to seeing the new neighbours at the next Meryton Assembly. Mary finally decides she must go, if only to stop herself from becoming a complete recluse-and what‘s so wrong with that?

Mary has discovered Fordyce, and his whole "beauty is deceptive and charm is fleeting" schtick makes her super jazzed. She will turn away from vain fripperies and be a woman of good morals! AND she can earn her father's love by making him a book of her favorite selections; they can bond over the written word! Too bad Mr. B is an utter jackass about Mary's faves, and when she desperately asks him to recommend a book, he totally blows her off. *sob*

#200PnPCovers #dancing @CrowCAH @mabell In The Other Bennet Sister, Mary dances twice with a shopkeeper‘s son and sparks outrage in her mother - to think, dancing so familiarly with someone who works for a living! There were so many rules to follow in society, especially at dances, where the world was watching.

#Pemberlittens Ch.13&14 - Mary reads that novels aren‘t good for the female mind and believes reading should only be about intellectual gain; she craves her father‘s attention and decides to make him a gift of a book with her favourite handwritten passages only to find that he hates the authors she loves; also he adores Lizzy and will probably never look at Mary the same way…really hoping things start to look up for poor Mary soon!

#Pemberlittens Ch.11&12 Poor Mary feels guilty over what happened between her and Mr.Sparrow - she hates that she couldn‘t stand up to her mother and society‘s expectations and go with her heart. But then, the more she thinks about it she realizes that feelings and following her emotions will only bring pain to herself and those around her like Mr.Sparrow:He never would have been hurt if she hadn‘t danced with him in the first place-so sad for her

#Pemberlittens Ch.9&10 - the ball at the Meryton Assembly - what a crush of people! All so eager to dance and eat and have fun - Mary is at first a wallflower, sitting with the spinsters and matrons and feels panic until a nice young man - the oculist‘s son Mr.Sparrow, spends time with her! Mary likes him and is having a wonderful time, and dances with him twice, until she is reminded of what her mother might think…or do…this made me so sad 😞

#Pemberlittens Ch.7&8 - the Bennet girls prepare for the autumn Meryton public ball and Mary is able to get in a dig at Lydia 😄 “Lydia glared from across the table. “Lord, you really are the most annoying prig!” “That may be true,” said Mary, quite calm now. “But at least I shall have the satisfaction of being a prig in a new dress.”” 👏 Also, thank God for Mrs.Hill!

Hoo boy, here come chapters 5 and 6 to make me hate the Bennet parents. The very first thought I had was that Mr. Bennet was the #BeanDad of his day- smug and self-satisfied and totally hands-off as Mary wanders through the library in need of attention and guidance (anyone else remember those galvanizing, bean-centric early days of '21?). But my anger for him soon vanished because in swooped Mrs. Bennet to make things a hell of a lot worse!

Catching up on chapters 3 and 4, when Mary decides to go all in on the piano to distinguish herself. Then Lizzy comes along with her charming, charismatic musical style and makes Mary feel about two inches tall. So onto the next thing- Mary wants to learn! Get this girl a governess! Too bad Mrs. B is not inclined toward book-learnin', and Lydia's outrage at actually having to do something kills that idea. So, regroup- onto her father's library!

#Pemberlittens in Ch.5 and 6 Mary discovers joy in reading and learning but soon realizes she may need glasses to continue her newfound passion - easier said than done in Mrs.Bennet‘s household! Thank goodness for Mr. Bennet in this case.

#Pemberlittens we learn more about Mary in Ch.3 & 4, that she‘s good at playing the piano and is determined to excel at it even if she no longer enjoys it, and that she loves to read and wants to enhance her education. I am grateful to live where/when I have no limitations to what I am able to read and feel so much sympathy to those who are not in the same situation.

#Pemberlittens And so we begin our reading of The Other Bennet Sister with Chapters 1 and 2 which give us a good introduction to the Bennet family and our main character Mary. Poor Mary! I feel so sorry for her! If anyone deserves to have middle child syndrome it‘s her!