The Weekly Roundup – Week 4

So it’s been busy lately, hence the delay in posting my weekly roundup!!

Last week started the planning meetings for Relay for Life.  We had our committee meeting on Monday with our new ACS representative.  It was the first meeting getting the entire committee old and new members together.  We discussed lots of publicity and networking ideas and I feel confident in the direction we’re moving!

Tuesday and Wednesday I accomplished lots of reading.  Todd was at a conference until late night Wednesday night so I had the apartment to myself.  I read three books last week (1 short of my goal) and have already posted up the reviews.  (I finished Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister, A Wolf At the Table, and Pemberley Ranch)

Thursday I started writing a rough draft of the review that was published on Sunday for Austenprose. (Follow here for review)

Friday my co-worker Erin and I dropped off all the food our office collected at a local event called Stuff-A-Bus.  A local radio station collects for local shelters for the holidays and tries to fill buses.  The event has grown to be so large that they now fill tractor trailers and refrigerated trucks! Afterwards I went out for drinks and appetizers with Adam and Todd.  It had been a long week at work and we needed to start the weekend right!  After drinks we headed to where else but Barnes and Noble.  I picked up Sense and Sensibility the graphic novel, Walking Dead volume 1, and Shanghai Girls. (A co-worker of mine also gave me three books to borrow, so once I read those I’ll throw reviews up as well)

Janette came over the following morning after her hair appointment and we proceeded to run errands all day.  We dropped Todd’s car off for new tires and then ran to Target to pick up some odds and ends that we needed.  I got some Christmas shopping done which made me very happy.  Todd and I spent most of the afternoon at Sprint getting new phones and setting up our family plan.  It was exciting. Not.

Sunday was a lazy day.  Woke up late, cleaned up the house a bit, caught up on stuff on the DVR, all that kind of junk.  We went to our friend Jess’s for dinner and had a freaking blast just hanging out and laughing about old stories from our childhoods.  (Jess thanks for dinner again – it was delicious!)

Monday and today I just went to work came home blogged and read.  I’m completing the graphic novel version of Sense and Sensibility tonight and hopefully will finish Walking Dead tomorrow.  Thanksgiving is on Thursday so I’m nervous that this week is the week that will do in my 100 book challenge.  I’m behind 1 book from last week already and am hoping to make up for it this week.

With that I’ll sign off and go back to reading!! 77 down, 23 to go.

Happy Reading, and may I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.

#75 A Review of Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson

 Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson was first published under the title And This Our Life: Chronicles of the Darcy Family, Book 1.  This is the debut novel for C. Allyn Pierson.  Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister takes a different route than other Pride and Prejudice sequels as it is told through the eyes of Georgiana.

 

Georgiana Darcy is an angst filled teenager.  She’s filled with all of the confusing feelings that come with your teenage years; confusion about boys, lack of confidence, extreme self-consciousness.  She’s nervous about her coming out to society in the spring, about meeting her new sisters family, and about boys!

In Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister you get an intimate view into Georgiana’s mind via her diary entries.  You learn why she’s so filled with anxiety and lacks confidence, but also get to know her inner most thoughts and feelings on her first love. 

“Since my rescue by my cousin Fitzwilliam I cannot but feel that I should make up for the way I misjudged him for so many years and, most particularly, for my nasty and spiteful tongue during the past few months.  He truly does feel strongly about somethings, including his duties to his ward.  I wonder how he feels about the girl herself…”

Georgiana is nervous that she’s going to disgrace the family name and fall in love with the wrong sort of gentleman.  Shes worried that her brother and Colonel Fitzwilliam will never approve of anyone for her.  They both still treat her like a child, especially Colonel Fitzwilliam.  Over the course of the novel you travel with Georgiana on her journey into society and into womanhood. 

It was an absolute joy to read this novel.  Georgiana has always been one of those characters that I wished I knew more about.  Austen wrote her so shy, naive, and kind, yet full of romantic notions.  (Her wanting to believe Wickham and run away to be married) I always wished to get to know her better and Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister gave me just such an opportunity.  Pierson stays true to Austen’s original characters which will delight Austen enthusiasts and purists.  The Georgiana that she creates is charming and so easy to relate to!  When reading Georgiana’s feelings on her first ball it’s easy to think back on your first school dance or the first time you danced with someone. While reading Georgiana’s feelings on her first love I had the butterflies in my stomach thinking back to mine.  Pierson is an excellent writer at conveying the thoughts and feelings of the characters she’s writing.

I would have liked to see more with the antagonists in the novel.  They’re introduced for so short a time period that the conflict of the novel feels very short.   

I’ve heard that Ms. Pierson is currently writing another P&P sequel book and I can only hope that it’s as good as this one. (And that it gets released soon!)

5 out of 5 Stars

Other reviews of Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister:

Austenprose

Austenesque Reviews

Diary of an Eccentric

The Weekly Roundup – Week 3

Last week was a so-so week.  There were days I was totally driven to read and others I was so damn lazy.   

I headed over to Barnes and Noble on Wednesday picked up some new books. (YAY!)  I got The Road, Breakfast at Tiffany’s (reviewed here), and Boardwalk Empire.  I finished writing reviews for the books I completed the prior week and got my head back into books.  I completed A Reliable Wife and had my mind BLOWN.  (See my review here for what I mean)

Thursday I read some more of Fifth Avenue 5 A.M.  The book is taking me a while to read because it’s discussing the way Breakfast at Tiffany’s changed women’s views of themselves, and what they could accomplish with their sexuality.  It also gives historical information on how the book came to be and how it was turned into a film.  There are multitudes of facts, thoughts, and ideas discussed that so I’m trying to take my time reading it to fully appreciate it.  It makes many references to the novel version of Tiffany’s so I decided to take a pause with this book and read Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  I figured what better time than now?

Friday Todd and I went to a wedding for our friends Dave and Kate.  Had a great time with all of Todd’s co-workers – it was an all around good evening.  We came home from the wedding and passed out early, as Todd had to head to Atlantic City the following day for a bachelor party.

Saturday got up early and got a ton accomplished before Todd left for AC.  I got two loads of laundry done, read some Breakfast at Tiffany’s, made brownies, and then pasta salad all by 11:30am. My aunts drove my grandma up that afternoon from New Jersey to have lunch and hang out together.  It was nice seeing them and I always enjoy seeing gram.  Adam came over that night and we just hung out, read, and watched some TV.  (Adam and I LOVE watching Law and Order Los Angeles together – we’re addicted) 

Sunday I wrote my blog reviews for A Reliable Wife and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and then started reading my next book Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister. 

Week end I was up to 74 completed books.  This leaves 26 books before December 31st.  I have to read a little over 4 books a week for the next 6 weeks to make it to 100!  I need to read almost two books every two days to complete the challenge for 2010.  OY OY!

I’m off now to go crawl in bed and read some more.  It’s going to be a busy 6 weeks!! Wish me luck!

Happy Reading!!