Happy New Year - Welcome 2022

Hello to all of you. I just wanted to wish all of you a very Happy New Year and hope that 2022 is a good year for you. Usually at this point I'd share my pick of this year's reads but I have had the worst reading year that I've had in a long time :( I've read very few books and reviewed only a tiny fraction of them! So I haven't reviewed enough to make a fair pick from. 

Home Office with Co-worker Cat

I am not sure why I've struggled so badly this year, you would have thought that 2020 would be the worst, with the pandemic starting and all the uncertainty and unknown, but I think that deep down I was expecting things to go back to 'normal' in 2021 and that just hasn't happened. The expected three weeks of homeworking that I started back in March 2020 is looking like the ongoing situation now. At least now I have a separate space to work, as we've made a small home office in the garage. It doesn't look like much but actually it's a really cosy and comfortable space and it's good for me to have a space away from the other parts of the house.

I also started a new job within the same company and this is good for me too, as I am doing different things, dusting off old skills and learning some new ones. I'm in a small team - I already knew three of my team pre-pandemic, but only know the other four people through video meetings, and although it's not the same, they couldn't have been more helpful or welcoming to me, which makes me feel very fortunate.

I feel in a lot of ways that my life has shrunk, as if I don't go anywhere or do anything. It's so much harder in the current climate to do things and go places, and of course it being winter doesn't help. I am trying to go into 2022 looking for positivity and to broaden my horizons again. I hope for a better year in 2022.

So, how was your 2021? I know a lot of you squeezed plenty of reading in, so if you have any recommendations of good books you read in 2021 I'd love to hear about them. Are there any books coming in 2022 that you're really anticipating? Let me know in the comments.

Again, I want to take the opportunity to wish you a happy, safe and fulfilling 2022. I hope the year brings you good things!  

Review of 2020 – My Pick of the Year

Happy New Year to you all! 2020 was really quite a year, wasn’t it! Unprecedented in so many ways. While New Year’s Eve is never an event I look forward to (because deep down I want to go to one of those huge, swanky 1980s parties that you see in films, like the one in When Harry Met Sally) I actually love the New Year itself, as it’s such a time for reflection and hope for the future.

I found 2020 a mixed bag because on the one hand it was very trying; the stress, the worry about one of us potentially catching Covid and becoming really ill, the home-schooling, the isolation, the worry about the potential effect on my kids’ mental health from being away from school for months, all took a burden on my mental energy. Like many people, I spent the majority of the year feeling like a wrung out dishcloth! I also found working at home while the kids were homeworking really difficult, so hard to concentrate! This meant by the end of the day I was pretty much only good for zombie time in front of the television.

On the other hand, I don’t think I have ever had a year when I have spent so much time feeling grateful for what I have – mine and my family’s continued good health, our lovely home, the fact that I have a job which continued to employ me right through the pandemic and allowed me to stay at home, meaning that I didn’t have to send my children to the hub schools for keyworkers. I was so grateful for the company of my family too, that I wasn’t living alone. Although I became sick and tired of walking in my local area, I also appreciated that we have green space close to where we live to walk around. So, although I found 2020 taxing I also found it a very rewarding year in some ways.

However, one way in which 2020 was entirely dreadful was the effect on my reading. If I am stressed I find it difficult to immerse myself in the written word. My audio reading time was cut overnight to pretty much zero as I used to listen on my commute and during solo lunchtime walks in my work lunch hour, and I lost both of those times. I didn’t get anywhere near my modest reading target for 2020. This is something that I need to rectify in 2021, I want to read more this year.

Although I didn’t get anywhere near as much reading done as I wanted, in terms of quality of reading, I was lucky, because the books I did get to read were good ones! So here’s my pick of the year:

First up was Thaw by Anniina Sjöblom. This is a forced marriage scenario which diverges early on from Pride & Prejudice. Here, Elizabeth marries Mr Darcy after a compromise, which was entirely innocent. It’s told in the form of letters from the new Mrs Darcy to various people, and we see her icy relationship with her husband begin to ‘thaw’. I thought this was a wonderfully charming story, and you can read my 5 star review of it here.

My next 5 star read was 1932: Pride & Prejudice Revisited by Karen M Cox. This was the second edition of the book, and it’s had a number of improvements to an already excellent story. This is a P&P inspired story set in 1932 in Kentucky. Mr Darcy is a well-to-do farmer, and the Bennets have moved to the same town, having fallen on hard times. The thing I probably enjoyed most about this story is Mr Darcy, who first manages to delude himself as to his feelings, and then lets his pride get in the way. You can read my full review of the second edition of1932 here.

Miss Austen by Gill Hornby is a story about Jane Austen’s elder sister Cassandra. This lady, as you may know, undertook an editing of the documents left after Austen’s death. In this story we see Cassandra visiting a family connection in order to try and get hold of letters that Jane would have sent some 20 years ago before they are re-discovered. While finding the letters Cassandra looks back at the events laid out in the letters. I absolutely loved this story, and heartily recommend it as a 5 star read. You can read my review of Miss Austen here.

Now for a complete change of scene – modern times in New England! Sanctuary by Cat Andrews is a Pride & Prejudice flavoured modern read rather than adhering closely to the plot of P&P. It tells the story of two people who have been hurt by life in different ways and have moved to an island off the coast of Maine for a fresh start. Elizabeth Bennet moved there to make a new life after the end of an abusive marriage, Will Darcy and his son Jack are making a new start after the death of Jack’s mother. It’s a story in 3 parts. You can see my 5 star review of the first part of Sanctuary here. I read all three books but haven’t posted reviews of part 2 and 3 yet.

The last of my 5 star reads in 2020 was Amy D’Orazio’s A Wilful Misunderstanding which is a Pride & Prejudice variation. Here Elizabeth and Darcy didn’t get off to a bad start, but instead married after a whirlwind romance. When doubts are planted in Darcy’s mind about his wife’s fidelity a rupture is caused between the couple. When they meet again a few years later there is a lot of lost ground to be made up. This is a story with a good pinch of angst which kept me glued to the page! You can read my review of the story here.

Given that my concentration wasn’t up to much in 2020, the anthology Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl made for nice, small reading chunks. This anthology brought together short stories from some of my favourite Austenesque authors, edited by Christina Boyd. They were all inspired by the heroine of P&P. Some explored variations on Austen’s story, others took Elizabeth to another time. You can read my 4½ star review of the anthology here.

I love a forced marriage scenario, and Being Mrs Darcy by Lucy Marin is a fresh take on it. So often Mr Darcy is madly in love and Elizabeth hates him. Here, the couple meet earlier, when Georgiana visits Ramsgate. Impulsively intervening in a twilight meeting of Georgiana and Mr Wickham, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy are strangers, forced to marry. You can read my 4½ star review here.

With Kara Pleasants’ Disenchanted we find ourselves in a Pride & Prejudice variation set in a world where magic exists! I loved how magic was intertwined with several of the events and characters of P&P, and there are also some mysteries to unravel. This was a 4½ star read for me, and you can read my review here.

In another change of scene, The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner takes us to Chawton, Jane Austen’s last home, just after WWII. In this story, a group of otherwise disparate people are brought together by their love of Austen in order to save her home for future generations. This was a story that really drew me in. You can read my 4½ star review of it here. If you choose to read it and like the audio format, please note that the audio of this book is narrated by Richard Armitage!

The last of my pick of the year is A Timely Elopement by Joana Starnes which picks up at Hunsford Parsonage. Mr Darcy is proposing, but just as Elizabeth is about to reply they are interrupted by the news of an elopement and the story takes a turn. This was a lovely story, which took turns that I wasn’t expecting, always refreshing in the a variation of P&P when you have read so many! I rated this as a 4½ star read and you can read my review here.

So, this is my pick of 2020! I recommend each and every one of these books to you if you haven’t had the pleasure of reading them already.

How was your 2020? Please let me know in the comments! If you’d like to recommend one of your 2020 reads to please do! I have a rough idea of some of the books I’d like to read in 2021, but I am always open to suggestions!

Note about comments: If you have any problems adding your comment please contact me and I will add your comment for you :)

Also, if you're on Goodreads and you'd like to join an Austenesque readers' group, Sophia Rose has set up a group for 2021, the Austen Lovers TBR Challenge 2021. It's a lovely, welcoming group, but you will find your to be read list growing rather than shrinking!

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My Pick of the Year 2018

Well the Earth has orbited the Sun another time and we've reached the end of the year. For me, it's been a very busy year in work and at home, with a new job, plus some major building work, which is still not entirely complete (gaaaah!). Unfortunately this has impacted on my mental energy and reading time. I got far less read this year than I'd like, and didn't review everything. However, I still had some good reads, and here is my pick of them.

Pick of the Year - 2017

I hope you've enjoyed the last few weeks, whether you've been celebrating or not. I found 2017 a hard year for lots of reasons. It has been a struggle for me to read this year, which in turn makes everything harder. One area of my reading that has flourished is audio reading. I've really enjoyed listening to audio books while commuting, taking a lunchtime walk or while carrying out housework. This is something I mean to continue in 2018.

Being a stupidly optimistic person I always like to make New Year resolutions :) 2018 is a year when I want to focus on three areas - my physical health, mental health and financial health, so aside from eating more healthily, losing weight and sleeping more I also need to prioritise some reading time for myself. That's the aim and I really need to achieve it. Being a list-maker, I have lists and lists of books I need to read, such as review copies that kind people have provided me with, books I have bought or received as gifts and some freebies that I'd really like to read, so I have plenty to choose from for my upcoming reads. I hope to mix up my reading between those lists and at least make a dent in them.

The flipside of having had such a poor reading year in terms of numbers of books read means that I haven't had to narrow down my picks of the year much! Luckily, although I haven't read much, the books I've read have been corkers! Let's jump right in, shall we!

My Favourite Reads of 2016

Well hello there! I hope you've had a lovely Christmas (if you celebrate it). Jane-on-my-tree hopes you had a good one :)

2016 has been a tricky year for me, reading-wise as I've been constrained by time, however, I read some wonderful books this year. Less five star reads than in previous years, but still some very enjoyable books. I've also read some more audio books than previously. Unfortunately, I haven't reviewed everything I've read, something that I hope to remedy next year, but this is my pick of the bunch, with links to my reviews for a fuller view:

My Favourite Reads of 2014

As is traditional at this time of year I've been looking back over the highlights and I thought I'd share my reading highlights with you. A lot of my reading is Austen-inspired, so here are my top 5 Austenesque and other reads, all of which I'd rate as 5 star reads.

Austenesque (in no particular order!)

The Subsequent Proposal by Joana Starnes - This was my first read of the year and I just loved it! It's a Pride & Prejudice variation but it features characters from Persuasion too. What if Mr Darcy, in the throes of despair, contemplates a comfortable marriage with somebody he respects but doesn't love... and what if that somebody happens to be Miss Anne Elliot, a lady who I cannot hate, and who I know is in love with another?! This is a wonderful, light-hearted read, and I would highly recommend it. Although I've enjoyed all the books I've read by Joana Starnes this one is my favourite.

Haunting Mr Darcy by Karalynne Mackrory - This is a fantastic read too. Here poor Elizabeth returns from Hunsford knowing the mistake in judgement she has made regarding Mr Darcy. Distracted, she gets hit by an out of control carriage and slips into a coma. Elizabeth's subconscious transports her to the source of her distraction and her spirit finds herself tethered to Mr Darcy! Obviously in those times a person could only be in a coma for a very short time before they died, but how will Elizabeth's spirit return to her body? This book was just wonderful and I highly recommend it.

Love at First Slight by J Marie Croft - Pride & Prejudice with a gender swap! Here we find the snobbish Miss Elizabeth Darcy becoming interested in a man from a lower position in society than she'd have expected to settle for, clergyman in training Mr William Bennet. I found this book fascinating, just from the point of view of how the author made various aspects of the story work when the genders of the protagonists were reversed. I also thought it was very interesting how differently I reacted to the characters when the genders were changed, it highlighted some bias in my views that I wasn't previously aware of - it's not often that I will read a book and learn more about myself!

Pride, Prejudice & the Perfect Bet by Marilyn Brant - the only modern Austenesque in my list. This is the follow up to Pride, Prejudice & the Perfect Match. It's unheard of for me to prefer a Jane and Bingley story to a Lizzy (or Beth-Ann in this case!) and Will story, but it happened here. I loved Jane in book 1, she was such a wonderful person and the truest friend that a girl could ever hope for so I was thrilled to read her story. Bing was a great protagonist too, I loved how much character there was under his playboy exterior, and how he taught Jane that she could still be nice without being taken advantage of, which is something I think canon Jane needed to learn too.

The Falmouth Connection by Joana Starnes - In this book we see Elizabeth Bennet leaving Hunsford before Darcy can propose. She goes to Falmouth, to visit a relative of her mother's. It takes some time for poor Darcy to locate her and by this point he has realised that he may have mistaken Elizabeth's affections and he's not sure whether she likes him at all. Added to this he has a number of potential issues in the form of his horrible nemesis, George Wickham, who is working as a steward in the area, a titled and rich rival for Elizabeth's affections, and the horrible suspicion that something fishy is going on and Elizabeth might be in danger. Luckily, Fitzwilliam Darcy doesn't give up easily! This was a really exciting story, we get a sword fight, a delicious romantic interlude in a garden, and some great character development.

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Five non-Austenesque Picks

North and South by Mrs Gaskell - I'd read this one before but I re-read it this year. This is a wonderful Victorian book, telling the tale of a young woman, Margaret, whose family are going to relocate to an industrial town in Northern England. Margaret meets a mill-owner, Mr Thornton, who she sees unfairly as a harsh and uncaring individual. John Thornton has had to be a tough man, he has hard to be, his life has been pretty hard. In these form of these two individuals we can see the lessons that North can learn from South and vice versa. There is quite a bit of social conscience message in this book, and there is a fair amount of misery for poor Margaret to endure, but the romance is deep and beautiful.

Short Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer -This year I discovered the books of Karen Witemeyer and I just love them! They are set in the USA in the later half of the 1800s. Ms Witemeyer is a Christian author but how strong the theme is varies from book to book. What all the ones I've read have had in common is how gripping they are, I didn't want to put them down! My favourite books I've read by her so far have been her books on the Archer Brothers, who have two full-length novels devoted to them, as well as a novella. Short Straw Bride is the book which introduces the four brothers. Their mother died shortly following the birth of baby Neill, and their father died when the boys were still children. This is the old West, which is not a place for the weak or the fainthearted and when the father was dying he made the boys promise to protect their land, worrying that unscrupulous people would cheat the boys of their inheritance, however, the boys have kept their promise too well, scaring off friend and foe alike. When Meredith was a child she ended up on the Archer's land and had an accident to her foot which left her with lasting injuries, but she believes from her experience that the boys are decent people underneath their prickly exteriors, so when she hears of a plot to cheat them she goes to warn them, and ends up in a situation which means that her family end up demanding that one of the Archer brothers marries her. Meredith ends up walking in on the brothers drawing straws to decide who will be the bridegroom which of course is very embarrassing for her, but what she doesn't realise is that the reason they are drawing straws isn't because nobody is willing, but because they all are! Luckily for Meredith one of them is not willing to leave her future up to chance, but they'll all have to work together to ensure a safe and happy future for the Archer clan.

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer - This is the second book relating to the Archer brothers. Here, Crockett has finally been able to leave the family homestead and he is going to try and get a job as a preacher. He is en route to an interview when the train is held up by bandits. These are no ordinary bandits though, they are older than usual, and rather than wanting money they want a preacher... as a birthday present for one of their daughters! Joanna is horrified at what her father has done, but she is determined to do what she can to persuade the preacher to stay, as she wants to cement the future of the community, and she worries about her father's spiritual health too. She thinks Crockett could be just what is needed for everybody, he is a man who practices what he preaches and is a good, honest Christian. Since this is a book where faith is a huge part of the story, the Christian theme is strong in this book, but it's natural when you consider what the storyline is. There is also a very lovely romance and one of the sweetest and nicest heroines you could imagine.

Jane of Lantern Hill by L M Montgomery - I've read a lot of L M Montgomery but this was a new read for me. Jane is a child who doesn't belong. She lives with her mother, aunt and grandmother. Jane's grandmother is in charge and she adores Jane's mother, but it's a selfish, twisted love, and she resents everybody else, particularly poor Jane. Nothing Jane is or does is ever right. Jane's parents haven't lived together for a decade, although they are still married, and her father is a stranger to her. One summer, he demands that Jane visits him during the summer holiday. Poor Jane dreads the visit, but she goes and finds that suddenly she understands who she is and finds a kindred spirit in her delightful father. Jane is encouraged to do things that play to her strengths and her petals unfurl as she becomes the child she always ought to have been, such a beautiful story!

Just to mix it up from all these classics, Christian fiction and wholesomeness I present you with my last choice, which is:

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton - I am not usually a big fan of chick lit, it's sometimes just a bit too silly and fluffy for me, but if it's written with wit and humour then I can really enjoy it and this was one of those instances (although please note that there is both sex and bad language in this book).  Caroline has a dream job and now a dream apartment - the only flies in her ointment are that she is sexually frustrated, and her neighbour keeps her awake entertaining his ladyfriends. Over time Caroline and Simon, aka 'Wallbanger' form a friendship of sorts, a fun relationship full of innuendo and banter, but could the wallbanger ever settle down with one woman and get rid of his 'harem'?

What were your favourite reads of 2014? I've been so lucky with my reads in 2014, I only hope that I have such a nice selection to choose my favourites from next year! Happy reading to you all in 2015!