Happy New Year - and Happy Blog Birthday

Happy New Year to you all! I hope 2019 is full of good things for you - happy times, good health, good wealth and good reading.

It's not only a New Year, but also a new blog year for me. I posted my first ever blog post back in January 2014, making my blog 5 years old this month. If you want to see any of my past posts they are all accessible via the blog archive menu on the right (desktop site only).

To celebrate my blog's birthday, I will be having a little giveaway, but more of that later :)

Plans for December 2018

My goodness me, another month gone already! I'm in the throes of Christmas preparation, but hope to carve out some reading time, probably late on in the month. I'm also hoping to get time to go to the cinema - there are 3 films I'd like to see (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Crimes of Grindlewald and Wreck it Ralph Breaks the Internet). There is no way I'll manage to see all three, but just one would be good! I also need to fit in wrapping presents, preparing food, and watching many, many, many Christmas films with my children (it's tradition!). I don't have my tree up yet, but here is a gratuitous picture of one of my cats in last year's tree.

I have a very busy month lined up for you on the blog, so I hope you'll be able to join me for some of the posts that I hope to bring you.

Sophie Turner has the third book of her Constant Love series out, A Season Lost. This series follow on from the events of Pride & Prejudice to imagine what might have happened next. You can see my reviews of books 1 - A Constant Love and 2 - A Change of Legacies to get an idea of what they are about. I hope to read this book in January, but Sophie is coming here with a guest post, which I'm really looking forward to.

Maggie Mooha is a new author. She has written a Pride & Prejudice variation, Elizabeth in the New World which has garnered some glowing reviews already. As you can tell from the title Elizabeth ends up travelling further afield from usual, to the Caribbean. This book sounds extremely exciting, I hope my nerves are up to it! I'll be bringing you a guest post of this book, though I hope to read the book later this month.

I'll be welcoming Karen M Cox back to the blog. Karen has been here many times before, and I have always enjoyed her books, which usually take Austen's novels to different eras. Most of her books are Pride & Prejudice-inspired but her latest book, I Could Write a Book, saw Emma transported to 1970s Kentucky. I loved the book, and it's coming out on audio soon, so Karen is due to come here with a post in anticipation of the upcoming release.

You might have read my recent review of Melanie Rachel's Drawing Mr Darcy: Sketching His Character (if you missed it, you can read it here, and if you're quick, enter the giveaway for an ebook). This is book one of a series of two. I plan to bring you a post about book two, Drawing Mr Darcy: A Faithful Portrait.

Finally, I have Abigail Reynolds visiting here as part of her blog tour for her book, Enchanting Mr Darcy. This sounds a little different from Abigail's usual variations, as this one is set in a world where there is magic. I love Abigail's books so I'm really looking forward to her visit and finding out more about the book.

Phew! That's a lot, isn't it! Particularly as I have to fit in all the extra socialising that December brings. I also aim to bring you a pick of the year. I hope you can join me for these posts. Let me know in the comments what you hope to read this month!

Plans for October 2018

Well, we blinked, and September came and went! It's always a very busy month, with the kids going back to school and getting back into the usual routines. My birthday is in September too. I had a lovely day, and went out for afternoon tea :)

Now, let's get on with my plans for October. I have some good visits on the horizon. Firstly, the blog tour for Rational Creatures stops by. This is another anthology from the Quill Ink Collective, following on from The Darcy Monologues and Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen's Rakes and Gentlemen Rogues. This time, the focus is on Austen's ladies. I will be welcoming one of the authors from the anthology, and plan to read the book too.

I also hope to welcome Victoria Kincaid back to the blog with her latest story, a novelette called When Jane Got Angry - Jane in this case being Bennet. I can't imagine it, as she seems so serene, but I am looking forward to learning more about the story.

I'll be welcoming Alice Isakova to the blog for the first time, with her book: Georgiana Darcy: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I haven't read many sequels to Austen's works, so will be interested to see what this author has in store for us.

L L Diamond will be visiting late on in the month with a book with a festive flavour; Unwrapping Mr Darcy. All I know about this book is that it has a Christmas theme and features a black cat!

I'm also hoping to take a look at Melanie Rachel's upcoming Pride & Prejudice variation.

Phew! Busy month! I hope you can join me for these posts. I'd love to know what you've got planned to read this month, and if you've read anything recently that you'd like to recommend. Please let us know in the comments!

Plans for September 2018

It's September! Already! How can this be?!!! Actually, I believe it; the weather is starting to have an autumnal tinge here. My kids are about to go  back to school (and in the case of my elder child, start a new school, eeeeeeeek!). The school holidays have gone pretty well. The extra building work we are having done is still happening, more slowly than I'd like, and this has had an impact on the things we've done over the school holidays. We haven't managed to get away, but I'll definitely try and get in a weekend away at some point. I managed to get some reading time in, hurrah, but not as much as I'd wanted.

Let me tell you about some of the visitors I have lined up for this month, all of whom have books out this month.

I'll be welcoming Lizzy Brandon, whose new book, Recognizing Love is a Pride & Prejudice variation.

The blog tour for Belén Paccagnella's book Obstacles is due to stop by. This book is P&P-inspired, but it's a modernisation set in the world of show jumping.

I will also be welcoming author Amy Hilliges with her Emma modernisation, Emma in the City. It's sort of a cross between Emma and Sex and the City. Amy will be coming by with a guest post and I'll be shairng my review of the book.

As for what I'll be reading, I'm not sure... as you might recall, I have my old friend, the backlog list, so I need to choose something off that, but as autumn is a-coming, I might try and get in a Persuasion-inspired read too.

What do you plan to read this month? Have you read anything good lately that you'd like to tell us about? Please let me know in the comments!

Plans for July 2018

Hello to all of you. Is it hot in your neck of the woods? We've had a bit of a heatwave here in the UK. June was a disastrous month for my reading. Nearly everything I read was on audio, so I listened either while driving, taking a lunchtime walk or while doing chores. The building work we've been having done is coming towards the end, which is obviously a good thing, but it's taken up quite a bit of time and energy. There's still lots of sorting out to be done, and some decorating, along with some more building work, sigh! I am hoping to carve out some reading time this month. I have a huuuuge backlog. I  also have some blog visitors, who I hope you will drop by for. Let me tell you what I have planned.

Firstly, I'll be welcoming Karen M Cox back to the blog. Karen has just released a book which is inspired by Pride & Prejudice rather than an updated version of it. So although there will be themes and characters which have come from P&P, Son of a Preacher Man doesn't follow the same line.

The blog tour for Joana Starnes' new book, The Darcy Legacy will be stopping by for my review. This is a Pride & Prejudice variation with quite a mysterious-sounding blurb. I'm not entirely sure what to expect except that Mrs Bennet has died, leaving Mr Bennet to try and raise his family, and that there are some secrets in the Darcy family.

Brenda Webb will be visiting with her new story, Proof of Love, which is Pride & Prejudice-inspired. This varies from canon, with Darcy and Elizabeth meeting sooner.

Victoria Kincaid is making Mr Darcy to the Rescue available on audio book, and she'll be popping in to visit us. I've read this in ebook format, and very much enjoyed it.

So, what do you have lined up this month? Are there any books that you look forward to reading, or anything good that you'd like to recommend? Let us know in the comments. 

Plans for June 2018

Hello my friends! I hope you haven't forgotten me, because it seems like forever since I've blogged. As you may remember, I have been having building work done. The room is built, but not quite complete. The kitchen cupboards were fitted yesterday, and the kitchen should be fully usable in about a week or so, as we are having solid worktops which take a little longer, as they are made to measure. My house is still in complete chaos, which is very wearing! I am hopeful that the month of June will bring with it some tranquility for my home; I can't wait to get back to normality, and be able to enjoy my new kitchen, which is looking lovely :)

So, on to the plans for the month - firstly, I will be reading The Events at Branxbourne by Caitlin Williams. This has a very mysterious sounding blurb - Elizabeth is unhappily married to SOMEONE OTHER than Mr Darcy. Harrumph! From the sound of the blurb something happens - maybe unsatisfactory hubby dies in veiled circumstances, I'm not sure.

Also, I get to welcome Sue Barr back to the blog, with her new book Catherine which has Kitty Bennet as the heroine. This blurb also has an air of mystery to it, with a character who is a spy...

Later in the month, I hope to feature Austenistan, which is a book of short stories edited by Laaleen Sukhera of the Jane Austen Society of Pakistan. These stories take the themes of Austen's stories to Pakistan and I'm looking forward to seeing how they transfer to another time and culture.

What do you have planned for the month? Let me know in the comment what news you have, what you plan to read and anything you've read lately that we all should know about!

Plans for April 2018

Happy April everybody! Spring is making a slow start in my neck of the woods. I had a very busy March. It was a busy month anyway but my building work started, so that is taking up a lot of my mental energy. My house is a mess, with things being displaced, and we are having to spend time looking at things like tiles and French doors. The actual work seems to be going well so far. We are having a new room built on the back of the house which will be a kitchen diner, once finished, so there's been demolition and the beginnings of a new room. It may look titchy to you, but houses in the UK aren't generally big, so it'll give us a good amount of extra living space. This is the progress so far!

As for reading, the only thing I currently have planned in is Lover's Knot by Jennetta James, which I understand is a P&P-based mystery. The blog tour for this will be stopping by later this week. Hopefully you can drop by then to see what I thought of the book.

I hope to do some other reading too, but I'm not sure which books! I have a huge backlog of books I've committed to read, and aside from that there are other books that I have been wanting to read. My children are on school holiday now, and unlike other holidays this may lead to further reading time as we can't plan much in, as I'm not sure from day to day what is happening with the building work.

Let me know what you've been reading or what you plan to read this month. Is there anything I should prioritise in my TBR list? 

I hope you have a wonderful April!

Plans for March 2018

Hello to all of you, and happy March! They say that if March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb, and hopefully that will be the case. We had quite a bit of chaos here yesterday and today because of heavy snow. We can sometimes go a whole year without seeing snow, and if we do get snow often it doesn't even settle because it'll be quite wet snow, but the snow this week has been powdery and drifting with the cold winds. I went out with my kids to have a snowball fight earlier, and it was like a film, the snow was like icing sugar! This would have been ideal reading weather in other years but due to technology I have been able to work from home and have had no additional reading time!

On a personal level March is a stressful/exciting time because we are due to have building work starting on our home. We have a very standard home for the UK, two reception rooms, tiny kitchen on the ground floor. What we're having done is having a kitchen/dining room built on the back of the house and the existing tiny kitchen will become a utility room. It'll be awesome if all goes to plan, but will take a few months of stress and upheaval to get there. Wish me luck!

So, you are not hear for my weather reports and building updates, but to find out what reading plans I have for the month! Let me tell you about the visitors who are currently planned in. Firstly, I will be welcoming Mark Brownlow, who has written a novel focussing on Mr Bennet, Cake and Courtship.

We'll be taking a look at Ginger Monette's Darcy Saga novels, which are now available in a combined volume. These are set in WW2 and have had wonderful reviews.

I also hope to be welcoming Monica Fairview, with her latest Pride & Prejudice variation, Mysterious Mr Darcy. This sounds very enticing, as there is some sort of mystery about Mr Darcy before he comes to Netherfield and Elizabeth is curious to find out what it could be. I am curious too!

As I've mentioned before, I am part of an Austenesque reading group on Goodreads. It's a lovely group, and if you'd like to join you will be sure of a welcome there. March is the Dusty Shelf Book Scavenger Hunt, where you have to dust off one of the books you've been meaning to read for over two years. The scavenger clue is that it has to be a variation, or feature Miss Austen as a character. Since there is currently snow, I am planning to read Alone With Mr Darcy by Abigail Reynolds which sees Elizabeth and Darcy getting stranded together. Sigh!

What do you plan to read this month? Let us know in the comments!

Plans for February 2018

Why, hello there, reading chums! How was January in your neck of the woods? I gave myself a little blog break for January, because I had some things I needed to get sorted. We are planning to have our home extended (eeeek!) so I was sorting out the financing of all that, along with some other business things. I found myself channeling Miss Bingley...

"How many letters you must have occasion to write in the course of the year! Letters of business, too! How odious I should think them!" 

"It is fortunate, then, that they fall to my lot instead of to yours.

If only Mr Darcy had been there to sort things for me! Ah well.

I didn't have much energy for reading, so what reading I managed was mostly audio, on my commutes and while cleaning. I listened to a book about forming habits (seasonal, New Year's resolution reading!) and I am currently listening to some performances of Agatha Christie Poirot stories, which I'm enjoying very much. I've also been reading an illustrated book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, with my children. Since I've been reading it aloud it's taken quite a few nights but we're nearing the end. We also watched the film of the book, and it underlined for me how great it is if you can read the book as well as watch a film, the details, characters and humour are all so much richer and more detailed in a book. Although this eats into my reading time it's definitely time well-spent. I have the next Harry Potter book, so my next read with them will either be that, or perhaps The Railway Children by E Nesbit. This was a childhood favourite of mine so I am hoping to win them over to it, and I've bought an illustrated version of that too.

So, let me tell you about my plans for February. We will begin with visitors...

Firstly, I am taking part in the blog tour for Amy George's book The Sweetest Ruin, which is a modern P&P story set in Las Vegas. Amy will be sharing an excerpt with us, which I hope you'll enjoy.

I'll also be taking part in the blog tour for Amy D'Orazio's new book, A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity, which comes out on Valentine's day. The blog tour is a little later. I have read lots of Amy's unpublished work, but I'm not sure whether this is something I'll recognise or if it'll be entirely new to me. I really enjoy her writing, and jumped at the chance to review it, but I was taking a bit of risk because the angst levels in her stories range from low angst to 'oh-my-goodness-I-might-keel-over' angst and I don't know where this one comes in on the scale! I have read the blurb and it sounds very enticing... and that's all I'm saying for now, but I will tell you all about it later in the month. The cover reveal is happening over at Just Jane 1813 next week.

As for my reading plans, I have some review books to catch up on from last year, so I'm hoping to get to some of those, and also I'd like to get in some seasonal Valentine's Day reading. What do you have planned for February? Did you read any corkers in January? Let me know in the comments :)

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Plans for November 2017

It's been a gorgeous day here in the UK today, I almost can't believe it is November! It's currently school holidays, which is the reason for me posting so late in the day, I've been doing mum stuff :) November is always a busy month. At some point it will hit me that Christmas is coming and I will put in a flurry of activity! So I'm not sure how much I will be able to read, but I certainly hope to get some reading done. I have some lovely visitors lined up for November, so let me tell you all about them.

First up we have Kara Louise, with her new book, Chance and Circumstance, a Pride & Prejudice variation which sees both Darcy and Jane out of the neighbourhood when Mr Bingley first comes to Meryton... therefore, the lady who catches Bingley's fancy the most is the second-eldest Bennet sister, Miss Elizabeth... This is a book I hope to read this month, and Kara Louise will be coming by to visit.

Elizabeth Adams has re-released Green Card. This book isn't an Austenesque, but it does have a flavour of one, touches here and there. It's a modern marriage of convenience scenario, for the purposes of obtaining a Green Card. She will be bringing a post here to share with you. I haven't read the new version of the book, but I've read it previously, and I enjoyed it. You can read my previous review here.

This month sees the release of the much-anticipated anthology Dangerous to Know - Jane Austen's Rakes and Gentlemen Rogues, which sees a number of wonderful Austenesque authors coming together with short stories featuring the men in Austen that we don't tend to focus on - think Willoughby rather than Brandon, Captain Tilney rather than his delicious brother Henry, etc. These have been brought together by the editor of The Darcy Monologues, Christina Boyd. I am very excited to read this.

Have you ever read North and South? Not the US-set book, but the UK one, featuring southern-born Margaret Hale moving to the industrial North of England in Victorian times. It's a wonderful book and one of my favourites. There are some parallels between P&P and N&S, but there is far less in the way of 'North and South-esque' fiction. Melanie Standford, who wrote the Persuasion-inspired Sway and Clash is back with the N&S-inspired Collide, and she'll be coming here on here blog tour.

I do hope you'll be able to join me for some or all of these! What do you have planned to read in November? Please let me know in the comments.

Plans for October

Happy October everybody! It's feeling autumnal here. Weather wise it's not too bad at the moment, but this mild weather never lasts, before we know it the weather will be all wintry....but on the other hand, that makes it nicer reading weather! September was so, so busy on the blog, and consequently so, so bad in terms of reading. Hopefully I remember how to read, if so, maybe I will fit some in this coming month but I'm really not sure what, I have a huge backlog and have paralysis of choice!

However, I have lots of lovely visitors lined up for October, so we have all this to look forward to...

Planned Reading for September

Happy September! I love September. It's my favourite month. It almost feels like a time when everything is new and we're starting afresh, no doubt due to the fact that the school year here starts in September. My birthday is also in September, so for me it's literally the time a new year begins.

Well, although this post is entitled 'Planned Reading' I'm not sure how much reading I will have time for this month, because I have such a full and busy month planned here with blog visitors! Let me tell you about some of the people I have lined up to visit this month:

Planned Reading for August 2017

It’s school holiday time here in the UK which means that I will be taking some time off work to spend some time shouting at with my children. I always hope for more reading time during the school holidays and usually it doesn’t happen. As ever, it will be one of my aims, along with losing an unrealistic amount of weight and achieving a completely organised home. Never say I am unambitious!

I have a fairly quiet month planned on the blog. Firstly, Karen M. Cox has a ‘sidequel’ out – a companion book to ‘1932’ which is a P&P variation set in the US depression. ‘The Journey Home’ focuses on Georgiana’s story during the same time period. I’ll be bringing you my review of this novella.

Karen has an ‘Emma’-inspired book coming out in September, and in the run up to the blog tour I’ll have the pleasure of hosting her for a post here. I was very excited to hear about this book, because not only is it an ‘Emma’ book, which I’ve read very few of, but it’s neither modern nor Regency, which is another unusual touch.

I will also be welcoming author Meg Kerr. Meg has written a new ‘Pride & Prejudice’ sequel, ‘Devotion’, which focuses on Georgiana. She really is a mystery isn’t she? On the one hand she’s shy, very quiet, seemingly lacking in confidence and on the other she was nearly bold enough to elope with somebody that she must have known to be unsuitable. She is certainly an enigma.

As for my reading plans, I just hope to catch up a bit! I have so much that I’ve planned to read in previous months and didn’t get round to. I might struggle as we are planning some home improvements which takes up time. Wish me luck :) What do you plan to read? Let me know in the comments!

Planned Reading for July 2017

Although it doesn't feel like July at the time of writing, my calendar assures me that it is so. Happy July to you, my friends. In the UK the kids have 3 more weeks in school so we're not in full summer mode yet. So, what do I have planned for July?  First and foremost, as I'm sure you're aware, the middle of this month is the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen, my favourite author. Therefore I hope to have a bit of a Jane-fest, and read some books about her as well as books inspired by her.

Planned Reading for June 2017

Hello my friends! I hope you are well. June is here! I don't know what happened to May but my calendar never lies :) I have two of my favourite authors due to visit in June which I'm very excited about, so I'll tell you about them first of all.

I have Abigail Reynolds visiting with her new book, Conceit & Concealment where the man for whom disguise of every sort is an abhorrence is ... a spy! This is, by all accounts, an angsty read.

Joana Starnes will be joining us too. She has just moved into the world of audio books. I was lucky enough to win a copy of the audio book of 'The Falmouth Connection', which is the one currently available, but more are expected to go live soon.

There are another couple of blog tours which I'm hoping will stop by this month too, but more news of those anon :)

I had a good month in terms of getting lovely books. I was lucky enough to win a copy of 'The Longbourn Letters' by Rose Servitova. We know from P&P that Mr Bennet corresponds with Mr Collins, and actually enjoys it. In this book, we get a take on what these letters could have been like.

My in-laws went to visit Haworth, which, if you're not familiar, is the home of the Bronte family. They very kindly got me a souvenir, 'Tales of Angria' by Charlotte Bronte, which I understand is a very early work of hers.

The last book I got is by Lucy Worsley, who you might well have heard of, as she's done a number of TV programmes. 'Jane Austen at Home' looks at the houses Austen would have been familiar with, and how they may have influenced her works. I picked this one up at a book talk by Ms Worsley that I went to earlier this week, and even waited around to get it signed.

My good month continued with another win. Have you heard of Christie Capps? I'd seen rave reviews from some of my reading chums and wondered about her work. Well, it turns out it's a pseudonym, of another JAFF writer, and I was lucky enough to win two of her ebooks from the reveal post at 'From Pemberley to Milton'.

As for what I plan to read, well, as you probably know, we're fast approaching the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's death, and I'd like to try and read something about her, rather than about her characters.

What do you have planned to read this month? Let me know in the comments!

Planned Reading for May 2017

Hello everybody. It's May! I don't quite know how that happened. Each new month always takes me by surprise, I always seem to feel so busy. I am sure I have told you before but I love the spring. It makes me so happy to see all the plants coming into bloom, and the weather getting warmer. My tree in the back garden has decided that it's springtime too. Most days aren't suitable for outdoor reading yet, but we are getting there. I have still been listening to audio books and am currently listening to 'The Secret Garden'. This was a childhood favourite of mine so I'm enjoying it very much, and it's all about a garden coming alive, which of course is what's happening in the wider world so it's quite seasonal reading.

So, what do I have planned this month? well I will tell you :) I have the potential for some extra reading time this week. I'm staffing a polling station as we have local elections here. Now on the one hand of course I want lots of people to come in and vote, but if there is a quiet period I might be able to get some reading done, which would be good. I'll have to make sure my kindle is charged!

I have a few visitors to the blog planned in for this month. Firstly, Melanie Rachel will be joining me. Melanie wrote 'Courage Rises', which is a P&P continuation, and she has written a further book in the series, 'Courage Requires', which is already getting excellent reviews.

I will also be welcoming Lory Lilian, with her latest P&P variation, 'A Man With Faults'. In 'Pride & Prejudice', Darcy describes himself thus:

"I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too little yielding -- certainly too little for the convenience of the world. I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so soon as I ought, nor their offences against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion once lost is lost for ever."

Lory's novel looks at how a resentful Darcy might react to a plea for help from Elizabeth to find her sister in London. This is another book that is being really well-received so far :)

Late in the month, I'm expecting Sara Marks to drop in. Sara is an author that's new to me. She has written a book called 'Modern Persuasion', which moves Austen's story to the modern day, in the world of publishing. The book is coming out at the end of the month.

Also at the end of the month I am off to a talk. As this year marks the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's death there are some additional events planned. Historian Lucy Worsley is touring to promote her new book, 'Jane Austen at Home', and the tour is coming near enough for me to go. I bought a ticket that includes a copy of the book, which looks pretty gorgeous.

As for what I plan to read, I am hoping to do some catching up on books that people have kindly given me for review. I have unfortunately got quite a stack, both physical and electronic. Whenever people give me books I have every intention of reading them, but if I don't manage to get to them they slip further and further down the pile and then I forget about them, so I'd like to read a few of those.

What do you have planned for May? Is it outdoor reading season for you yet? Have you read anything recently that you'd really recommend? Let us know in the comments :)

Planned Reading for April 2017

Hello to you all! It's starting to feel like springtime here. I love the spring. I have some spring cleaning to do though, which I am not so fond of! Reading-wise, I haven't been feeling it lately, I never seem to have time or mental energy for it. I have been listening to quite a bit in the way of audio books though. I plug my phone into the car and it makes for a very enjoyable commute! I have also been listening to the books while doing housework and on lunchtime walks. The only problem I have is that I don't think I'll be able to listen to anything new, as I am doing something while I'm listening. On a reread your attention doesn't have to be 100%. But even so, I have some JAFF to read so I am thinking that I'll have to avoid JAFF audio books so I don't overlap the stories. It makes it tricky to decide what to listen to.

Last month I listened to 'Cotillion', by Georgette Heyer, and 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen and I'm currently listening to The Grand Sophy' by Heyer. I've read all of these many times so they have been very enjoyable to listen to. Do you have any audio book suggestions for me? I don't have a subscription, but if I can get them relatively cheap on kindle and upgrade to audio they are not too expensive.

I have also had some new acquisitions to add to the bookcase, courtesy of Mother's Day here in the UK. I have a Marvel version of 'Emma'. This is a graphic novel. I previously read a Manga version of 'Emma' so it'll be interesting to see how this compares.

I also have a copy of Paula Byrne's 'The Real Jane Austen; A Life in Small Things'. This is a book about Austen's life, focussing on the small things which may have had significant impact on her writing.

One thing I wanted for my bookcase were some illustrated novels. I was lucky enough to get two. Firstly, an illustrated 'Pride & Prejudice'. This is quite a large book, the same kind of size as an annual. The illustrations inside are copies of Hugh Thomson's 1894 pictures, though they have bee coloured for this version.

The second illustrated book is a vintage one, a 1924 'Sense & Sensibility', also with illustrations by the same author.

So, now onto the reading for this month. Well, aside from all the catching up I have to do on planned reading that I hadn't managed, which is an albatross around my neck that is getting bigger and bigger, I am planning on reading some things which have come to me as part of the perks of blogging. Yes, that's right, books which haven't yet been released. I have two books to read that I'm very excited about.

The first one is called 'The Darcy Monologues', an anthology by some wonderful authors. I have read books by pretty much every contributing author to this anthology, and had many enjoyable reading hours courtesy of them. The stories in the anthology range in era, however, what they all have in common is that they are from Darcy's point of view. I'll share my review with you later this month as part of the blog tour but it's not available to buy until May. There is a fantastic prize package, open internationally which a lucky reader can win so please check back here for that. There is also a prize draw open as part of the cover reveal celebrations which you can enter by joining in the fun at one of the blogs that took part.

The other book I have to read is a story by Kathleen A Flynn called 'The Jane Austen Project' (not to be confused with 'The Austen Project' books, which saw some famous authors like Alexander McCall Smith and Val McDermid create contemporary versions of Jane Austen's works). This book is also available to buy in May. This story sounds very interesting; two researchers are sent back in time to try to get hold of a suspected undiscovered Austen manuscript. Let's hope they can save her letters from Cassandra's destruction too! And take a photo, so we know that our upcoming £10 notes are accurate :)

I noticed something that I wanted to tell US-based readers about; Meryton Press is having a wonderful giveaway for you. Go and take a look (after you finish reading my post of course!).

So, that turned out to be a lot to tell you about! Kudos to you if you made it to the end. Remember, you can still enter to win an e-book of Sophie Turner's P&P variation, 'Mistress' here. Let me know what you're planning on reading in the comments, and if you have any audio book recommendations that won't make me crash my car then let me know those too! Happy reading, my friends!