Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What are you reading?

Mailbox Monday

is a gathering place for readers to

share the books that came into their house last week 

and explore great book blogs. 

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Hosted this month by

Passages to the Past 

The Truth about Mr. Darcy by Susan Adriani- review copy from Sourcebooks

Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman by Maria Hamilton- review copy from Sourcebooks

** I'm sorry about all of the Austen variation overloads...I'm slightly addicted!! 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and reviewed last week:

Wickham's Diary- 4/10 could've been better

Lost & Found by Shaun Tan- visually powerful 8.5/10

What Would Mr. Darcy Do by Abigail Reynolds- great P&P variation 8/10

Reviews for this week:

My Jane Austen Summer- Tuesday TLC Book Stop

Only Mr. Darcy Will Do- Wednesday

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet- Six Sentence Saturday

On my nightstand:

24 RAT- Have fun everyone!

Hi Everyone!!

I'm not sure that I will be reading all 24 hours today but I will be cheering each of you on in my own way! My son is coming home from Spring Break and chaos will reign in the house. Plus...the sun is shining (FINALLY!) here in Michigan and I may take a walk with the dogs later today. When and if I read more than one book I will update on this post so that for the day I only have one post going!
So with all of that being said here's what my plans are for today:


1)Where are you reading from today?
I'm going to read from my cozy mystery stash today!

2)Three random facts about me…
I'm very OCD about things, I love M&M's in my popcorn, and I like to get up in the wee hours of morning for the solitude!!

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
3

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
No goals...no nothing! I will try to visit blogs as the day allows.

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Just enjoy the day and don't put any pressure on yourself!!

'What Would Mr. Darcy Do?' by Abigail Reynolds

About the book (from the author's website):
(Previously published as From Lambton to Longbourn)
But what if Darcy hadn’t immediately left the inn? What if Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy had chosen to speak their feelings rather than to assume the worst about the other? Jane Austen’s beloved characters are given the opportunity to reach out one last time before they part. While their path forward is still filled with misadventures and misunderstandings it is rich with humor, romance, and sensuality as they learn about each other and the meaning of love.



My Thoughts:
Ahhhhh...what bliss this book was! I loved the little twists that Reynolds put to her Pride & Prejudice variation. It made for an interesting read and she changed the story up just enough to keep my attention. This was certainly a fun way to spend a few hours!! I absolutely loved 'To Conquer Mr. Darcy' that I read last year and one of my favorite aspects of that book was the way the author added some steaminess to Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship. Well, she didn't let me down with this one either!! I really like how she portrays Darcy as a man who worships the woman that he loves...makes my heart swoon a bit!! Now if I could just convince my husband to wear that Mr. Darcy shirt maybe we could re-enact some of those steamy scenes!!!!

Recommend? Absolutely! This one was just fun and original. It took me about two hours to read it and not once did my attention waver. This is one P&P variation that you should add to your list!!

Rating: 8/10

Disclaimer:Thank you to Beena @ Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel

Published: March, 2011

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Pages: 230

Genre: Pride and Prejudice Variation

ISBN: 9781402240935

*Uncorrected Advance Copy

 

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

'Lost & Found' by Shaun Tan

About (from back of book): This book contains 3 stories : A girl finds a bright spot in a dark world. A boy leads a strange, lost creature home. And a group of peaceful creatures cedes their home to cruel invaders.

My Thoughts:

Shaun Tan has created a world that speaks differently to each person who opens up this book. I'm drawn by his quirky and strange images. I have a copy of "The Arrival" on my middle school library shelves and students often like to tell me what they thought the images were about. I love hearing their interpretations and comparing them to mine. I'm just a bit afraid that the first story, The Red Tree, may be one that younger readers may not connect with, but the The Lost Thing and The Rabbits are both stories that are universal. I will certainly be adding this title to my school collection because I can see people, young and old alike, getting lost in his artwork and letting the story take over their imagination.

Recommend? Yes, especially if you've never had the opportunity to see Tan's artwork. Each page is a new adventure and what I love the most is that no two person's experience will be the same!!

The Lost Thing, The Red Tree, and The Rabbits

Disclaimer:Thank you to Amazon Vine Program for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel

Published: March 1, 2011

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages:unnumbered

Genre: Graphic Novel/Picture Book

ISBN: 9780545229241

*Uncorrected Advance Copy

 

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

'Wickham's Diary' by Amanda Grange

About the book: (From Goodreads):
This prequel to Pride and Prejudice begins with George Wickham at age 12, handsome and charming but also acutely aware that his friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is rich, whilst he is poor. His mother encourages him to exercise his charm on the young Georgiana Darcy and Anne de Bourgh in the hopes of establishing a stable of wealthy social connections. At university, Darcy and Wickham grow apart. Wickham is always drinking and wenching, whilst Darcy, who apparently has everything, is looking for something he cannot find. Wickham runs through the money Darcy gives him and then takes up with the scandalous Belle, a woman after Wickham's own greedy, black heart.

My Thoughts:
I have to admit that I was disappointed in this one. No two ways about it. I thought and hoped that the author would develop Wickham's character and really give us (her idea why) the reason why he turned out to be such an abuser of women! Alas, I was wrong. He seems to have just been a bad egg, which he came by honestly enough from his manipulative mother. I'm glad that this one was short ,so I didn't feel too terrible about the time I spent reading it.

Recommend? Only to the die-hard Austen fans out there that feel they must read all of the variations available. I would, however, recommend Mr. Darcy's Diary, which Grange wrote and that I totally loved!!

Rating: 4/10

Please visit Austenesque Reviews for her thoughts on this one!

Disclaimer:Thank you to Beena @ Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel

Published: March, 2011

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Pages: 198

Genre: Pride and Prejudice Variation

ISBN: 9781402251863

*Uncorrected Advance Copy

 

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What are you reading?

Mailbox Monday

is a gathering place for readers to

share the books that came into their house last week 

and explore great book blogs. 

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Hosted this month by

Passages to the Past

Wickedly Charming by Kristine Grayson - review copy from Sourcebooks

Awaken the Highland Warrior by Anita Clenny -review copy from Sourcebooks

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and reviewed last week:

So Much For That by Lionel Shriver- bring boxing gloves to the discussion group! 7.5/10

To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick- STELLAR historical fiction 10/10

The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton- makes me want to runaway to France! 4/5

Reviews for this week:

Wickham's Diary- Tuesday

Lost & Found- BookClub Wednesday

What Would Mr. Darcy Do- Thursday

On my nightstand

Six Sentence Saturday- The Tapestry of Love reviewed

Welcome to Six Sentence Saturday.

Where I try to express my thoughts on recent reads using only 6 sentences!!!!.
At the end of each review I will post a
rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.
Rating scale will be as follows:

5 of Hearts- You must read this book NOW!!
4 of Hearts- A great read, put it on your TBR list.
3 of Hearts- Happy that I read it...a good read.
2 of Hearts- Just O.K but nothing to write home about.
Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)

The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton
My Thoughts:

This is the perfect book to just take your time and savor the words. The story is slow but not in a bad sense, but rather one where you really get the opportunity to know the characters and the inhabitants of the tiny village in the Cevennes Mountains. I would totally recommend before reading The Tapestry of Love that you visit Les Cevennes website. After doing that, envisioning the location, the homes, and even the people who live there makes the story come alive in your mind. Catherine is a woman that I would love to know in real life. She's resilient and learns to depend on herself and embrace life.

Recommend? Absolutely...take your time, make a cup of tea and immerse yourself in this story!

Rating:

Disclaimer:Thank you to Rosy Thornton, the author for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel

Published: 2010

Publisher: Headline Publishing Group

Pages:406 pages of loveliness

Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction with some historical tidbits weaved within the framework

ISBN: 9780755345571

 

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.