JaneAusten-itis

I've been a Jane Austen fan for a number of years now, but lately, there seems to be a huge trend in this direction. When the new Pride and Prejudice came out a few years ago, I bonded with many of my residents (I was an RA for 2 years) as we compared the 2005 movie with Colin Firth's much beloved classic version. (Side note: I am secretly so jealous of Keira Knightley. She is just a few months older than I am, and she's already played leading lady to so many gorgeous men. She was 17 when she kissed Orlando Bloom in Pirates!)

Back to the topic at hand:
I remember seeing The Jane Austen Book Club on a library shelf and I knew I had to read it. I wasn't incredibly impressed, and I have made no effort to see last year's movie based on the book. Last summer, my sister and I saw Becoming Jane, which we both loved (and not just because of James McAvoy) ... and I have yet to read that book.

The past few weeks, I've been even more inspired on this trend after having dinner with an old friend. A friend of hers had recommended that she read Mr. Darcy's Diary. My friend loved it. I happened to be in Borders the next day, and I had a coupon and a gift card burning holes in my pocket ... so ... the book leapt into my arms and convinced me that I must buy it. So I did. It started out slowly, and I wondered if I had wisely spent my $15 (before coupon) ... but ... as the story picked up, relating to familiar passages from Pride and Prejudice, I realized I thoroughly enjoyed it. As I was still on my Winter Break, I was able to finish it quickly without many interruptions. I do recommend it ... and I believe that after I re-read Sense and Sensibility, I'll have to pick up Mr. Knightley's Diary.

The day after I finished that book, I went to Target with my mother to pick up some last-minute things before my return to school. Two more books hopped into the cart, and I simply couldn't stop them!

Me & Mr. Darcy looked incredibly promising. A typical American girl (from NYC, as every "typical American girl" has to be from NYC, right? Why not someone from Minnesota or South Carolina?) goes on a tour of Jane Austen's London, and somehow she runs into the real Mr. Darcy from the novel. I suppose I should have guessed from the glaring grammatical error in the title that this book was not for me. As it was, I thought that while parts of the book were original, it obviously mirrored the plot of Pride and Prejudice and was overall not as enjoyable as I had expected it would be.

I started reading the final book, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, this week. I started reading a chapter a night ... but ... lost my self-control to limit myself to only one chapter. I finished reading it last night! Such a wonderful book!!! Written from Miss Austen's own perspective by a Jane Austen scholar, it is a glorious tale of a romance. The fiction in the work is seamlessly interwoven with the facts we know of Miss Austen's life. The writing is exquisite. I'm so glad I saved this book for last, as it was an immensely satisfying read!