So much happened in Emma while I was in the woods! Most recently Frank Churchill still hasn't arrived to celebrate his father's marriage. Mr. Knightley tears him to shreds while Emma's all, "Lay off, he's sure to be charming!" To be fair, Emma knows a thing or twelve about "tempers to manage" and cuts Frank some slack. After managing her entire family's emotional load just a few chapters ago during the dinner from Hell, her outlook totally tracks.

I'm keeping up with my two chapters a day, even if I'm not keeping up with posting! Taking time out this week for some camping and hiking and time offline, and it's been wonderful. I'm still truly attempting to find good in Emma with every chapter and it's not easy, can't lie. Especially when she's manipulating Harriet into refusing Robert Martin and completely misinterpreting (willfully or not? Let's debate!) the situation with Elton. UGH!

Day 2 and Emma is already testing my commitment to finding the good in her! We did see her tending lovingly to her father once again in these chapters. And she's lonely and isolated and needs a friend, so how nice that she invites Harriet Smith to come hang! Too bad she immediately launches a campaign to shame Harriet about her crush on Mr. Martin, who might not be rich but knows what a woman *really* wants! (A song performed by a shepherd's son.)

Last call to register for the #BetsyTacyConvention2025! We're so excited to have keynote speaker Mara Wilson, lifelong BT fan, join us in Deep Valley! We'll also be welcoming incredible authors Mitali Perkins and Danny Lavery as fellow keynotes. Registration closes soon; link in comments! #BetsyTacy #MaudHartLovelace #DeepValley #BetsyTacyAndTib

I'm really going to try to give Emma the benefit of the doubt this time! Today I'm calling out two things: first, Emma's evident care for her aging, anxious father; the girl has spent all of her teens graciously managing his emotional and mental health. Second, Mrs. Weston, a whole adult, apparently started treating Emma like a bestie when she was 13?! 😬 Not to be all 2025 about this, but I think we can confidently call Emma a parentified child.

Today the #PemberLittens start the Austen work that challenges me most- because while I admire the skilled construction of this world and the way all the action unfolds, I just don't like the central couple. Will this be the re-read that makes me see the light on spoiled, shallow Emma and scolding Knightley? I'm kicking off with a tattered paperback to see me through a rustic camping trip, then switching to a gorgeous Folio edition. Let's begin!

It's been getting more and more chilly here in Michigan, so I'm very happy to take advantage of a sunshine-y day with some reading in the garden! Tirzah Price's latest Austen mystery was slow to start for me, but then suddenly I found I'd read more than 200 pages all at once. 😂 Planning to finish out the day with the final third of a different take on Fanny Price and, let's face it, probably a cocktail at some point. Happy Saturday, friends!

The Mansfield Park influence here was evident at the start, but as the book went on, it fully went its own exciting direction. Two cousins become fast friends when Funke is sent to England from Nigeria to live with her aunt. She navigates a whole new world and encounters blatant racism while both cousins deal with completely dysfunctional family dynamics. The inspiration from Austen shines but the compelling story stands on its own.

I've reviewed each book in this trilogy but as the final month of the #KLBR winds up, I wanted to review the collection as a whole. I mean this with no hyperbole- this was an earth-shaking read. I'm in awe of the balance of the epic scale and the nuanced specificity of the writing, and how it evoked a bygone time and place yet felt so contemporary and fully human in every struggle and relationship. Conquering this chunkster was worth every minute!

#TomKitten might not be sure about this book, but I definitely am: it's a solid pick from me! A bisexual lady vigilante who kills abusive dudes by poisoning pies?! Bakery business-owner by day, misandrist and revenge-seeker by night?! There is literally nothing to not like, including the fact that the story rushes by so quick and breezy while still making you fall for Daisy and her found family and her delicious-sounding pies. A total winner!

Some books stay on my TBR for way too long; I'm so glad I finally read this one! Essie is a 17 year-old raised in the public eye on a reality TV show featuring her deeply religious family. When she gets pregnant, her parents have to devise a way to handle a situation that could ruin everything they've built. I love Essie's intelligence, her strength, and her courage, and the ways in which she delivered herself the life she wanted and deserved.

Perfect day on Lake Michigan with the best of friends and the tagged book, which is a total delight, btw! I already know I'll be reading the whole series. #PureMichigan #CurrentlyReading

I finished Part 3 with unabashed tears streaming down my face and my husband sitting next to me giving me The Look I get when I'm being a little ridiculous. I managed to choke out, "It's futile but beautiful!" and really, I can't give a better encapsulation than that. It ended as it must, as I knew it would, and the novel's great world went on spinning - characters moving forward and a new snow falling. But I'll stay thinking about it for years.

Shots fired!!!! And is Arngjerd wrong? Is Simon more honorable than Erlend? I've just finished Book 3, Part 1 and can't get over how into this I am. #KLBR #DoorstopKristin

#TomKitten and I are completely sucked into Book 3 of Kristin. Life back at Jørundgård is bittersweet, as Kristin grapples with memories of the past and the sometimes stark reality of the present. I hope I can stay fully spoiler-free as I continue to read because this is nothing less than gripping and I can't wait for all of the twists as turns as I come closer to the (sadly) inevitable end. I'm so glad I finally took the plunge on this series!

My introduction to WWII's Operation Mincemeat came via a great #PersephonePick called Operation Heartbreak. Then a few months later, I learned the true story was turned into a musical and I was *obsessed*. Now, some of the musical's superfans have published a book about their own research into the story of Mincemeat's unsung hero, Hester Leggatt. "Finding Hester" is a testament to the power of art and the importance of setting the record straight.

I still love Undset's storytelling and the vivid, historic world she's conjured, but man, life gets real for Kristin FAST in this installment. Political intrigue and deep religious exploration abound, as well as the daily strife of having and raising children (the toll of her many pregnancies is heartbreaking and sobering), parental aging and loss, and the realities of a troubled marriage with an unworthy man. I.E. Erlend is THE WORST, the end.

#PemberLittens! Absolutely nobody asked for this, but they're gonna give us some goods anyway: Olivia Colman and Fiona Shaw! Rhea Norwood as Lydia!!! A Wickham who is way too young to be there!!!!!!! And a plus-size Kitty (Hollie Avery, LFG!) which thrills me. Maybe someday I'll get my biblically accurate plus-size Georgiana Darcy, too; a girl can dream. Link to article in the chat, and hit me, folks: how are you feeling about a new P&P?

This chapter on Mansfield Park's DL commentary on the slave trade seems not only the most plausible of Kelly's claims, but also the most fascinating. Why else, in a novel centered on morality, would Austen have so many references throughout? From the names "Mansfield" and "Norris", which would have obvious connotations for her audience, to repeatedly invoking Cowper, who famously wrote anti-slavery poetry, I feel like the connection is undeniable.

Sunday morning bellini and some musings on Mansfield Park. Though I will never agree with the author that Fanny is as dull as he claims, I appreciate how he contrasts Fanny and Edmund with the Crawfords and draws parallels to the class divides within his own life. He sums up his take with a bit from an Austen letter written the same year MP was published: "Wisdom is better than Wit & in the long run will certainly have the last laugh on her side."

I'll be reading overtime this week to finish Book 2, and just as I'm trying to make some progress, #TomKitten comes along to throw a wrench in the plans. 😂 He may be cute but I did have to shoo him away after I took the picture; the story is too good to stop for long! ##DoorstopKristin #KLBR #CatsOfLitsy

Mansfield is a pick forever! I might rage against the Crawfords, and sure, Edmund isn't fantastic...but Fanny's quiet, unshakable strength brings me back time and time again.

Thanks as always to @Crinoline_Laphroaig for leading us through a whole year of Austen. #PemberLittens #JaneAustenThenAndNow

And it's a mad dash to the book's close! Fanny arrives back home and Edmund pours out the whole sorry story of Mary and then suddenly it's the "wrap it up" chapter?! Everyone gets a satisfying and deserved ending based on their actions and moral character (Maria and Mrs. Norris banished in disgrace, huzzah!) and Fanny is vindicated in every respect (double huzzah!). Long live the girl who's maybe kinda boring but has been GOOD and RIGHT all along!

Now, I don't generally dislike Edmund, but after all the shit that goes down in these two chapters, he comes out with THIS?!:

"How a man who had once loved, could desert you! But yours - your regard was new compared with ---- Fanny, think of me!"

We will NOT be thinking of you or centering you in the midst of this, Edmund, so get out of the way: Fanny has arrived home at Mansfield and is about to be greeted like a long-lost daughter (win!).

Letters are flying! Mary writes to update Fanny on the London social scene, including how FOINE Edmund is looking (I always love how offended Fanny is on his behalf, like, he's more than just a hot piece of ass, Mary!!). Meanwhile Edmund writes to say that he's truly in love with Mary even though she's a shallow gold digger with horrible friends. Finally, Lady B writes in distress- Tom has had a drunken fall and things are not looking good. 😬

Phew, catching up on Mansfield Park today! Fanny is still in Portsmouth and Henry Crawford shows up?! It's her worst nightmare but he acts like a changed man - he's courteous and chivalrous and kind to her sister Susan and Fanny is...maybe enjoying his company! She cringes when introducing him to her rough family, though. Like, she wants him to leave her alone for the *right* reasons, not because her family is a bunch of embarrassing trash people!

The last few days have been tough, no doubt. Losing a pet is such a hard life event. But I'm slowly feeling better and looking for joy in time with #TomKitten and a highly anticipated new edition of a book I love to hate and hate to love. Maybe I'll do a January buddy read of this one; it's too sunny and lovely to dig into now, but seems the perfect thing for very grey days!

I'm so sad to have said goodbye to my favorite reading companion. It was a tough weekend and hard to have him leave us; but I'm so grateful that this sweet, good boy found his way to us and let us love him for many years. This isn't a great picture but he loved to find his way into my lap or by my side when I was settled in with a book and I'm happy to remember our best, cozy times together. 🖤❤️🌈 #ColeCat #CatsOfLitsy

Let's just say that things in Portsmouth are...not great. William gets called away for Boat Stuff so he and Fanny can't spend much time together, and the other siblings are indifferent to her presence. Her mom only loves her boy children and Betsey, and her dad makes me RAGE. Are we seeing Worst Austen Father here? Where does he fall between negligent Mr. Bennet, vain Sir Walter Elliot, and Captain "Could Have Plausibly Murdered My Wife" Tilney?

Another backyard picnic, this time with a fun, kinda dumb beachy read and my #TomKitten nearby. 🖤🩵🩷

Fanny is still a no-go on the whole "marrying a man she detests" front so Sir Thomas decides to send her to Portsmouth so she can see the poverty that awaits her should she not marry rich. And you know, he has a point: Fanny is pretty horrified by the loud, misbehaving kids, her drunk dad, the sullen servants, and the general lack of order. And also by the way they completely disregard the daughter and sister they've not seen for a decade??!

I have to admire Fanny in these two chapters. Everybody's riding her ass about refusing Henry and agreeing among themselves that he will eventually browbeat her into marrying him. But even though our girl cries about it and hates the pressure, she's standing firm and I love to see it! She may be timid and unassuming, but damn it, there's no way she'll spend the rest of her life with a flirtatious, philandering, dishonorable cad!

We are plagued with more chapters focusing on Henry Crawford. This time he proves he has a knack for reading Shakespeare aloud and though she tries to hold strong, Fanny is *into it*. But then he swiftly ruins any progress he made by talking about what kind of preacher he'd be: snobbish, ineffectual, and desperate for adoration. I can't adequately express how much I truly despise this man and how much I love that Fanny sees right through him.

Henry shows up to drop the news that he used his connections to get Fanny's brother promoted and oh, btw, he's totally in love and wants to marry her. She is well and truly flabbergasted and I love the narration of her perspective here: she reflects on his manslut ways (above) and while he's plying her with flowery sentiments, she "considered it all as nonsense." Sir Thomas, though, can't believe she rejected him and ruh-roh...this won't end well.

Edmund leaves for his ordination, and while Fanny is relieved that he's going through with it, Mary Crawford is miserable- but her spirits lift when Henry announces his intention to marry Fanny. Yes, what started as a cruel joke at her expense has somehow morphed into a twisted white knight fantasy in Henry's mind. He laments how "friendless, neglected, forgotten" she is and reflects in self-satisfaction on how he will be her rescuer. Fucking UGH.

Lmao I love Fanny so much. The girl is going to the first party of her entire life and all we get is, "She had hardly ever been in a state so nearly approaching high spirits." Nearly approaching! We stan a self-possessed, stoic queen. ? Honestly, though, it's gonna be a banger of a night: Edmund came in clutch with his own gift so the necklace question is answered, and he engaged her for two dances. What could go wrong? (Answer: Henry Crawford.)

Gather round, folks: Sir Thomas is throwing a ball and everyone's mad excited. Fanny has a dilemma, though: William brought her a cross which she's been wearing on some ribbon, but that imitation bling isn't gonna cut it on the big night. She goes to Mary Crawford for advice and Mary offers her an old chain of her own. But what seems a nice gesture is inappropriate as hell because the chain came from Henry and now Fanny is in a moral gray area!

Let me tell you now of my deep hatred and dripping disdain for Henry Crawford, a vile, manipulative, misogynistic manwhore who is out specifically to sow trouble for his own amusement. In today's chapter, he delightedly announces his plan to win Fanny's affection and then break her heart just because she didn't fawn over him at dinner and he feels entitled to every woman's flattery and attention. I would eat this fucker's heart in the marketplace!

I'll just say it: I despise Mary Crawford. She's entitled, superficial, materialistic, and insincere, and when I read online discourse from her fangirls, I want to claw out my own eyeballs. She's just Caroline Bingley with better jokes, and in today's chapter she continues to be flatly dismissive of Edmund, the man she's supposedly falling for, and says outright that she won't respect him if he's poor. Screw you, Mary, and the harp you rode in on.

Finally get to repost my favorite Austen meme of all time! 😂Sir Thomas is home and he is NOT pleased to discover that the kids have built a whole-ass theatre inside the house. Yates and Henry blow town, the latter making Maria livid beyond belief because isn't this man supposed to be in love with her?! Side note that I love the final moment of the whole affair when Mrs. Norris absconds with the green baize curtain like the scheming magpie she is.

Rehearsals are in full swing and stirring up jealousies like nobody's business! Henry is all over Maria, pissing off both Julia and Mr. Rushworth, and Edmund is falling for Mary more each day, which has Fanny straight-up vexed. She's also in her feelings about Mrs. Grant who took on Cottager's Wife is now loved by everyone while Fanny is increasingly ignored and isolated. But soon none of this will matter because uh-oh...Sir Thomas has returned!

Edmund remains totally disapproving of the whole home am-dram concept, but when Tom suggests bringing in some rando to join the fun, he's absolutely aghast. The impropriety! Tom also tries to get Fanny to join in, but our girl's morals are iron-clad and she refuses. The same cannot be said for Edmund who decides that joining in himself would be the lesser of two evils and in a total weaksauce move, he tries to get Fanny to absolve him. Boy, bye.

Oh my godddd, here we go! Suddenly the gang turns into the most cringe theatre kids ever. As a lifelong member of that circle, I can confirm that the level of drama we see here lives on in every high school theatre club, community theatre troupe, and, yes, some professional companies. We even still have stodgy killjoys like Edmund trying to kill the vibe, largely in the form of vile conservatives defunding the NEA (oops, did I say it out loud?).

Made up a little outdoor picnic in the backyard today with some snacks, an old quilt, my #ColeCat and #DoorstopKristin. Book 2 is off to a great start, and by "great" I mean "absolutely infuriating". Erlend is a useless asshole and his estate is a filthy wreck and Kristin cries herself to sleep most nights, but I am still so bought in to this whole world and can't wait to keep going. #KLBR #CatsOfLitsy

Mary Crawford showing her true colors in today's chapters: she likes Edmund a lot but his job isn't nearly grand or important enough for her and she tries to persuade him out of taking orders, even though he thinks the role of the clergyman is an important one. They're at an impasse and she flies off to play harp, and then in a maddening display of weakness and male blindness, he proceeds to...sing her praises?! Edmund, she may be pretty, but no.

Everyone continues to be terrible! The gang visits Sotherton and:

-Julia sits with Henry and Maria is a pouty asshole about it
-Mary Crawford shoves her foot directly in her mouth by being pointedly bitchy about the clergy
-Henry flirts with (engaged) Maria all day like the manwhore he is
-Fanny's left on her own again and doesn't even get to see the avenue she came for?!

On the bright side (?), I learned about the window-tax (link in comments).

Edmund and Fanny hang out to judge Mary Crawford but ultimately he's like, "but she's super feminine so it's fine" and goes to listen to her play the harp every single day. Then she starts riding Fanny's horse every day, too, and our girl is stuck at home to cut roses and run needless errands. Edmund feels bad and invites her on the Sotherton visit where Fanny and Mary gleefully catch sight of Edmund at the same time, giving real Pam/Karen vibes.

Rushworth is just another in a long line of tacky blowhards with no taste destroying much-loved places of natural beauty. "Ye fallen avenues, once more I mourn your fate unmerited." #PemberLittens #JaneAustenThenAndNow

Man, this book is full of selfish, thoughtless people: sisters Bertram and Norris set Fanny off on an emotional roller coaster about her living situation without giving two shits; nobody cares that she doesn't have a horse, ie access to fresh air and exercise; Sir Thomas heads off for a year to his slave plantation; and Henry Crawford comes out the gate as a feckless, self-centered ass who won't house his own sister. Shades of behavior to come...

And we're off! We open with a portrait of three sisters- one very well-married, one relatively well-married, and one, well...whomp, whomp. Poor Mrs. Price has too many children and not enough income so the eldest girl is pawned off onto wealthy relations. Can I just say, if you're going to rip a child from her home, could you maybe greet her with ANY kind of affection and not just offer a snack?! I don't blame Fanny for breaking down in tears!