Monday, May 25, 2009

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

I recently listened to this book during my commute and loved it! Perfect for anyone with a hint of a Jane Austen obsession. Courtney, a 21st century gal and avid Jane Austen fan, wakes up in the body and life of Jane Mansfield, circa 1814 (ie right after P&P was published). As Courtney adapts to life with corsets, men in tights, and no plumbing, she must discover as much as possible about Jane and how they traded lives. This book was very entertaining and fun. Sometimes it was hard to turn off the car when I got home because I wanted to find out what happened next.

Read (Listened): May 2009
Author: Laurie Viera Rigler
Related Books: Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict (a sequel about Jane Mansfield's experience waking up in Courtney's life in the 21st century!)
Just for Fun: check out the author's website! Lots of Jane Austen fun.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Water for Elephants

This book really surprised me. In January, I was getting a pedicure and the woman next to me was reading it. We had a little discussion about books (I was reading Twilight at the time and so we talked about it). Anyway, she had about 10 pages left of this book when her pedicure was done, and I said she should just stay and finish the book (because we all know how hard it is to stop reading with only 10 pages to go!). So she finished the book and left. But less than a minute later, she walked back into the shop, handed the book to me, and said to enjoy. Total stranger just gave me her book. It caught me off guard and was a gesture I won't forget anytime soon! So I finally got around to reading it!

Water for Elephants is about Jacob, a young guy in the 1930s who hops on a circus train, ends up becoming the show's vet and falling in love, with a girl and Rosie the elephant. The story is punctuated with scenes from Jacob's life as an elderly man, looking back on his crazy days in the circus. The story reels you in quickly and is really hard to put down! I learned a lot about the early circus days and what life must have been like. I had no idea what to expect from this book and ended up loving it. I highly recommend!

Read: April 21 - May 3
Length: 330 pages
Next Up: The Other Queen (Philippa Gregory's newest book). I am also on a little Jane Austen kick so I'm re-reading P&P. Then I really want to read her other novels! Has anyone read any Austen besides P&P? Which one should I start with?