Spotted this lovely print, “Affectionately, Jane” at a gallery in Yountville on the weekend and thought of @CrowCAH @LeahBergen and all the awesome #150PnPCoverParty Littens. It‘s all of Austen‘s works with Sanderson, the novel she was working on at her death, open on the top. It was already a spendy weekend, so I resisted the urge to splurge, but someday, maybe.😌

Brilliant. Prescient. Masterful writing. Loved the way the tension and intrigue feel like they‘re on a low simmer throughout. There‘s an effortless, almost invisible complexity to thing and I‘ve been mulling it over the last few days. Like others I found Phuong‘s lack of personhood hard to take but it reveals much about the worldview of these two men and their countries. Some of their best political discussions are conversations about Phuong. 👇

I had no idea what to expect when a friend pressed this on me but it turned out to be unexpectedly captivating. This odd tale of an undiscovered musical genius living a tortured existence in a remote 19th C. German village is a weird mix of the dark and twisty and the darkly comic and is also at times strangely beautiful. Something about the mood (and maybe the weirdness) reminded me of Guy Maddin‘s indie pic The Saddest Music in the World. 💕🎶

#WordNerd Word of the Day. I love using the dictionary function in #SerialReader. Wouldn‘t “Sublunaris” make a great title for something? Or band name? 🤓 #vocabulary

1. Crime and Punishment and The Humans both so different and so good each in their own way and strangely both are about what it means to be human.
2. 3, 2 still with us
3. 🐜
4. Sourdough toast with sugar plum jam. 😋
#friyayintro @jesshowbooks
5. 🖐🏾 @ju.ca.no

Is it weird that this is a pick for me even though I grew to strongly dislike all the characters and didn‘t really give a hoot what happened to any of them? Why a pick, then? The setting, the mood, the atmosphere...the writing. Waugh‘s rich descriptions (not to mention the lush tones of Jeremy Irons‘ narration —he could read me the phone book!) created a time and place that enthralled me. #LitsyClassics #LetterB @Sarah83

Started this #audiobook today for #LitsyClassics #LetterQ Graham Greene is my mom‘s favorite author and so it‘s a goal of mine to try and read more by him. I‘m liking this one so far!

I got me another #SerialReader badge, woot woot! The only Defoe I‘ve read was the tagged book in college. Perhaps he‘ll need to be on my #LitsyClassics list next year.

#150PnPCoverParty Oh how I love #weddings 💕 I haven‘t been to one in forever but my niece is getting married this June and I can‘t wait for her big day!!!! It‘s going to be so much fun, kind of like this amazing posting challenge has been. Thank you so much @CrowCAH and @LeahBergen for hosting. It‘s been so delightful!

#150PnPCoverParty Did you know that the Empire in an #EmpireWaist was Napoleon‘s? According to this blog post I found it was “a reflection of the values of the new French state: simple fabrics and lines were far more egalitarian than complex court dress, their unrestrictive shapes were literally liberating, and the overall look was evocative of ancient Athens, where Democracy was born.” (Link in comments.) @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

#150PnPCoverParty #Transformation My favorite musical growing up. Dating myself here but I put grooves in my parents‘ soundtrack record on “I Could Have Danced All Night”. 😂 @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

#150PnPCovetParty #Elopement @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

#150PnPCoverParty

Lady Catherine is definitely a snob about #carriages (among other things) and quite fond of her barouche landau.

What kind of car do you think she would drive today?

@CrowCAH @LeahBergen

#150PnPCoverParty I‘ve never had the chance to go on on any Jane Austen #tours — maybe someday. But one of my earliest memories is of touring Green Gables as a little kid and I got to go back when my youngest (pictured here) was 9 and I was reading the whole series aloud to her. As you can see she was quite a fan.💕 @LeahBergen @CrowCAH

#friyayintro @jesshowbooks

1. It‘s my daughter‘s 17th bday! How‘s this possible?! Where‘d the time go?! 😲
2. 5‘7”
3. Left 🇨🇦 for Cali (the Bay Area) ~12 years ago, but just moved into San Francisco last October.
4. The tagged book plus Brideshead Revisted on audio. Trying to decide which paper book to bring down from Mount TBR next...
5. I don‘t take a lot of selfies but here‘s one my husband took on the ski lift over the holidays.

My favorite literary #aunt is the formidable Aunt Betsy Trotwood from David Copperfield. Such a strong and good person to have on your side when battling donkeys or any other variety of asses.😜 #150PnPCoverParty @LeahBergen @CrowCAH

Sheet music for #piano playing Jane Austen fans. #150PnPCoverParty @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

I know I‘m in the minority by miles but I had to bail on this one. I loved the start but by the time Harper got to the camp (less than 150 pgs in) I just wasn‘t feeling it anymore and with about 600 pgs still to go I thought it better to do a runner.😬 If it had been shorter I probably would have kept going but for once i didn‘t give in to the sunk cost fallacy, so yay me!🤣

Continuing with another #audiobook for #LitsyClassics #LetterB. Couldn‘t get this on Overdrive but decided it was worth the Audible credit to have Jeremy Irons read it to me 😍 Definitely going to have to rewatch the series when I‘m done. @Sarah83

#LitsyClassics #LetterC Wow. What a book. A little hard to get into at first but then I became so engrossed in the fate of Rodya and the other characters I never wanted to press pause and was so sad to leave them at the end. Part serious philosophical meditation, part crime fiction, thriller, high drama and even quite (darkly) funny. Masterful writing that challenges you to think but also puts you on the edge of your seat! @Sarah83

#150PnPCoverParty #Opinions @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

#150PnPCoverParty #letters THE letter from Persuasion and the cover illustration for Lady Susan, a novel entirely in letters. @LeahBergen @CrowCAH

Now that‘s one #prejudice I can get behind. 😂 #150PnPCoverParty @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

Because a girl has her #pride, dude. I mean seriously, what were you thinking?! 😂 #150PnPCoverParty @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

#150PnPCoverParty While nothing beats Darcy‘s #proposals IMHO, (😛) one of the most satisfying I‘ve recently read is in Agnes Grey. The surf crashing against the bluffs, alone at sunset, a perfect match, what‘s not to like? I also love this cover I came across online and need to track it down now! @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

#friyayintro @jesshowbooks
1. Always have 1 audio, 1 print, and 1 Serial Reader on the go.
2. 9 👠
3. Nuts
4. Gilmore Girls with my girls, Mary Tyler Moore with my mom/sisters
5. Tagging @Zelma @cocomass ICYMI ☺️

#150PnPCoverParty catch up post. And another reason why we #love you Jane.💕

#150PnPCoverParty catch up post for #militia Wickham and Wentworth. The military is about the only thing they have in common.

#150PnPCoverParty #vicar @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

Bravo @BarbaraTheBibliophage who correctly guessed the identity of my blind date book giveaway from the Burlingame Library!! And it‘s perfect to read on a cold night while I wait for my daughter to finish choir practice.

Talk about a Happy Valentines Day! Just happened upon a kiosk on the street from the Burlingame Public Library giving away wrapped books for a Valentines Blind Date with a book! I picked the one pictured with this clue: “A new plague causes people to burst into flame” Can anyone guess what I got?! #librarylove

This is so, so true. And so, so hard to do.

“Imagine! Being not only mortal but also forced to take some of that precious and limited time and read.” ...um, it‘s only one of the best things to do with our limited time.

“By then time they have Read enough books to actually reach a state of knowledge where they can do anything with it, they are dead.” ...my actual worst nightmare.😂😂😂

I absolutely loved this! At first I thought the device of using the alien‘s POV to reveal our human foibles might be too gimmicky and cute but it was not. I found it very sincere and thoughtful and honest and beautiful...oh and funny. Laugh out loud funny! Highly recommend. Thanks @Bookzombie for such a wonderful gift. #MountTBR number 3 so far this year.

#150PnPCoverParty #laugh pt.2...couldn‘t resist sharing this one as well 😂😂😂
@LeahBergen @CrowCAH

#150PnPCoverParty A little Austenite humor that I hope will make you #laugh. 😂 @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

#150PnPCoverParty #eyes @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

#150PnPCoverParty catch up post for #bookreading: an illustration of a circulating library in Austen‘s day. These were private for profit libraries you paid a subscription for but considering books were a lot more expensive it was probably worth it! @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

#150PnPCoverParty #walking I love all the walking scenes in PnP and Austen generally. I‘m a big walker and fan of the outdoors, but ironically this one is one of my favorites. The idea of taking an indoor stroll about the room (and having rooms spacious enough to accommodate it) absolutely delights me.☺️ @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

🎶 Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters...🎶 ...okay wrong #sisters and wrong season, but it certainly would apply to Jane and Elizabeth. #150PnPCoverParty @LeahBergen @CrowCAH

#150PnPCoverParty Forgive my #sniffles...I always cry at weddings. 😪 @LeahBergen @CrowCAH

#150PnPCoverParty #FirstImpressions can be so misleading. Elizabeth is sure that Darcy‘s the bad boy when all along it‘s a certain officer who‘s up to no good.☺️ @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

I was really excited for this as I loved Kindred soooo much, but it didn‘t quite do it for me. Some thrilling moments and an interesting examination of racism, and miscegenation among other things, but the pacing was very uneven due to all the exposition and character set up. The next book in the series might have been much better if Butler hadn‘t sadly died 😢 This makes two books down from #MountTBR this year. Too bad I also bought two books 😳

Bingley doesn‘t succeed in getting Darcy to dance at the first of the #balls, but he certainly gives him a great opportunity to wound Elizabeth‘s pride and show off his prejudice. #150PnPCoverParty @LeahBergen @CrowCAH

#150PnPCoverParty When it comes to #neighbors in Austen, I always think of Emma. She has the most fun with hers.😊 @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

My name is Kristine. I was nameless for a month as I‘m kid # 7 and no one could agree. Then my mom spelled it Christine on the birth certificate, but changed her mind to Kristine shortly afterwards and I‘ve been spelling it that way my whole life. The family all call me Krissy.

#LitsyHandle is KVanRead. One of my nicknames is KVanD, so it makes sense to me 😁

@Chelleo

#150PnPCoverParty My favorite thing about the #Regency is the regency waistline. I would love for it to make a comeback 😊 @LeahBergen @CrowCAH

#150PnPCoverParty #Estates Not my favorite P.D. James, but I did love getting to spend more time at Pemberley. @LeahBergen @CrowCAH

Just discovered #150PnPCoverParty and jumping on the bandwagon or should I say barouche landau?☺️ For #money my first thought was the incredible $5 (and that was $CDN🇨🇦😂) deal I got on this 1981 illustrated complete works. @LeahBergen @CrowCAH

Haven‘t been posting or reading much. But this is why and I‘m okay with that.😎🏝 #beachread