Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

 

Title: Northanger Abbey

Author: Jane Austen

I’m in a bit of a conundrum, as it’s perhaps a 3-star book, but Henry Tilney is by all means a thoroughly 5-star fellow… So my 4-stars is an (unsatisfactory, no doubt, to all parties…) attempt at consolidating the two thoughts…

I read this for the Northanger Abbey Read-Along held by Amber Stokes @ Seasons of Humility, and I’m so glad I did! (Of course, I had been quite diligently reading a chapter per day, give or take; but quite failed in drawing it out over the last few days and had to finish early. ;))

My general lack of patience with (read: loathing for) Isabella, Mr. Thorpe, and at points General Tilney, coupled with poor Catherine’s being rather trodden upon in “friendship” with the poisonous lacy cupcake known as Isabella, prevented my specifically “enjoying” most of the story. I can’t really read about characters being used in that way, or about nasty people, without my blood boiling and ending up greatly disliking it. It’s just a kind of story I can’t read, personally. Definitely a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” (Unfortunately, this accounts for most of the book?)

But every instance which involved Mr. Tilney, as well as those parts with him and Catherine and Eleanor Tilney as a trio, were a delight and well worth the reading!

Tilney must rank up there with my favorite of the Austen heroes, methinks, following after Mr. Darcy but for quite different reasons! Henry is a delightful character, I loved his lines of wit and humor, and the part where he was frightening Catherine with his fabricated tales of horror concerning her arrival to the abbey, was hilarious. XD

Henry and Catherine make a sweet pair, and adding in Eleanor, make a very delightful set of companions, whom it would be a joy to hang out with!

The bits that were rather making fun of other books, which was fun, and Tilney (and his sister), make the book worth reading, and I’m quite glad to have (at long last!) read Northanger Abbey. 🙂

Now I need to reread Pride and Prejudice sometime, and I now really hope that Amber Stokes @ Seasons of Humility will hold another readalong for Emma or Mansfield Park someday so I can finally read those too, because I really like this readalong format. 😀

I’m just going to leave you with this fabulous quote from Henry which is further proof of his awesomeness. He and I would get along splendidly. XD

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” — Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

(Hey, he said it, not me. ;))

(I quite apologize if all that comes out of this attempted review is that Tilney is awesome; I’m afraid I’m shallow like that. *cough*)

Genre/Category: Historical Fiction / Romance / Classic

Age Group: YA/Adult?

Published: 1817 (Whew! Nearly 200 years old!)

Pages: 192 pages

Series?: No

When Read: March 1 – 27, 2016

Favorite Character: Henry Tilney, naturally. 😉

Source: Read in a collection of all of Jane Austen’s novels which I found at a library book sale.

Other Notes: Read for the read-along at Seasons of Humility.

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Thanks for reading!

Dream away in those pages . . .

~ The Page Dreamer

 

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Reading Roundup #3: March 2016

Muchly belated, here are the many things I read in March! So much awesome reading. ❤

Here are some mini-reviews for a bunch of them and/or links to my reviews for the ones I reviewed in full… (Covers from Goodreads and all titles link to their pages on Goodreads as wel.) Enjoy! 🙂

1. Blood Ties – Hazel B. West

Reviewed this on my other blog. Friendships and battles and Faerie and modern/medieval Ireland, huzzah!

2. A Spy’s Devotion – Melanie Dickerson

Reviewed this. Lovely Regency romance! Melanie’s amazing at this time period, just like I thought she’d be! 🙂

3. Comet in Moominland – Tove Jansson

Well, strike me pink, that was a rollicking delight of fun and charming oddness! (Especially reading it aloud with British accents, because it did seem to call for it, despite the fact it’s originally Swedish.) I believe it’s quite possible that I’m now thoroughly addicted to the world of the Moomins!

4. Moominsummer Madness – Tove Jansson

Ack, I love it! *huggles book* Snufkin is my FAVORITE EVER! ❤ He’s so awesome and just the best! And what he did about the signs . . . and his twenty-four little woodies — GAAHH SO CUUUUTE!!! ❤ I about died from the adorableness and awesomeness of this. Also, I love Little My. She’s hilarious. XD All in all, great little book! ❤

5. The Exploits of Moominpappa – Tove Jansson

Yet another fun one! I loved getting to read Moominpappa’s memoirs — such escapades, such oddness, such fun! 🙂 Moominpappa has quite a “feel” to his storytelling. It’s great. Also the Joxter was fun — nice to know where Snufkin’s slightly lawless ways originated. 😉 So much fun! And I especially loved how the memoirs would pause occasionally as Moominpappa is interrupted in his reading by Moomintroll, Sniff, and Snufkin, as they ask questions about the story and their various daddies’ adventures. Loved that! And the way that it all came together at the end was marvelous. 😀 The Moomin books are just loads of bizarre whimsical fun.

6. Deep Secret – Diana Wynne Jones

Read this for March Magics. Wow, what a book. o.o It was more adult than any DWJ I’d read before, but still so so good. It takes place almost entirely at a Sci-fi/Fantasy convention which was super fun. XD Also world-hopping and centaurs and just yes. I do mean to write a review, I just haven’t yet…

7. The Beautiful Pretender – Melanie Dickerson

Reviewed this on my other blog. It was AWESOME! But then, it’s a medieval fairy tale romance story mixing Beauty and the Beast and The Princess and the Pea and it’s by Melanie Dickerson, sooo… of course it’s awesome. 😉 Possibly my favorite from her yet!

8. Moominland Midwinter – Tove Jansson

A good wintry tale, another fun Moomin story. 🙂 Little My is the best. XD

9. Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen

I FINALLY read this one! This was for Amber Stoke’s read-along over at Seasons of Humility. Really enjoyed the book on the whole! I could have wished for less of Isabella (UGH I hated her) and more of Henry Tilney, but still. 😉 Maybe I’ll post a more complete review at some point…

10. Dreams and Wishes: Essays on Writing For Children – Susan Cooper

I don’t read a lot of nonfiction but I was excited to read these nonfiction essays by Susan Cooper about writing. While some of them may be on writing “for” children, this collection wasn’t really… It was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I didn’t like/agree with everything, but she did have a lot of good things to say about fantasy and such, so that was fun! Definitely glad I read it.

11. Playing with Fire (Skulduggery Pleasant, #2) – Derek Landy

Another scary, action-packed fantasy tale in modern Dublin with Skulduggery Pleasant the skeleton detective! But most importantly, containing numerous witty lines (by Skulduggery himself, naturally) and lots of humorous banter between him and Valkyrie, because THAT’S what I really read these books for! 😉 I don’t think I liked it quite as much as the first one, but it was gripping and I find myself rather glad that it’s a book instead of a movie because with a book, it’s just the words and imagination; whereas if it was actually on a screen, it would probably be far too scary for me. 😉 And just think of all the dialog I’d miss in that case! o.o Skulduggery continues to be hilarious and awesome, the real reason I’m reading these things. I hope to have more awesome Skulduggery lines in the future… HE’S SO QUOTABLE AND FUNNY AND EPIC. Skulduggery’s the best. ❤

12. Moominvalley in November – Tove Jansson

I was nervous that I wouldn’t like this one at first… but it turned out okay, so I was glad. 🙂 I’m not sure I liked the translator of this one as much? And it starts out rather melancholy and I wasn’t sure if I liked the characters much, but of course they grew on me. I thought it would be sad but it wasn’t. Yay! And of course I love Snufkin! 😉 It was awesome how everyone kept coming to his tent. XD And I really liked Toft too, he’s adorbz. Some of it was a little vague and hard to sort of grasp in your head if you know what I mean? And it definitely feels different than the other ones, probably mostly because the Moomins aren’t there… And kind of more shadowy and melancholy. But I ended up enjoying it more than I thought, and Snufkin in particular (and Toft) make it better of course! 🙂

13. Rising Shadows – Ashley Townsend

Aaaand reviewed this one. So much enjoyable! Will… ❤ Really fun little book.

***

I kind of read a lot in March! It was a good reading month.

Dream away in those pages . . .

~ The Page Dreamer

FYI: Bookish March Things

Warning: this post contains Jane Austen, Magical authors (such as Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett), and Irish warriors in fast cars.

…Say what, now?

Intrigued yet? 😉 What do they all have in common, you ask? The answer is: Delightful bookish things going on in March!

Read on for the stuff going on this month that you need to know about…

Blood Ties Blog Tour

What? The blog tour for Hazel B. West’s new book, Blood Ties, which is the first in a series that perfectly blends a modern Irish setting with a medieval one, with a touch of Faerie in there. Basically epic Irish warriors in a psuedo-medieval modern Irish setting, with fast cars and broadswords and leather jackets. It takes cool things from now and mixes in all the best medieval things. So even if you’re not a big fan of modern books (I’m not, really…), you might still like this. You know you want it… I’ve just started reading it, and am enjoying it muchly! (I’m also a part of the blog tour, as I’ll be reviewing Blood Ties on my other blog, The Road of a Writer, on March 14th, so watch for that!)

Anyways, be sure to check out this blog tour because it’s going to be fun, plus the author is giving away a copy of the book and swag. Because awesomeness. So go enter! Go, go! Check out the things! (Including the book trailer in the first tour post!)

Where? Hazel West’s blog… and elsewhere around the blogosphere

When? Now till March 18th

Blog Tour Schedule (and Giveaway!)

#MarchMagics

March Magics

(formerly Diana Wynne Jones March)

What? I ran across this last year right after it ended, when it was Diana Wynne Jones March, and marked my calendar to make sure to check in on it again this year. Sure enough, it’s back, a whole month of celebrating Diana Wynne Jones’s works, and adding Terry Pratchett’s in there as well (who I’ve yet to read, but want to…). Not sure how involved I’ll be in this, depends on how busy I am, but I’ll definitely be following along with others’ posts, regardless! So, it’s mostly about reading or rereading works by those two authors, and having posts of certain topics and some twitter parties.

Where? We Be Reading

When? All of March! Check out specific days for certain things, and all the details, here:

March Magics Schedule

#NAReadAlong

Northanger Abbey Readalong

What? A read-along of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen — this read-along is said to include weekly discussions and a couple of giveaways as well, and sounds quite fun! I saw this and instantly decide to jump in, since I keep MEANING to read Northanger Abbey and never have… So this sounds like the perfect opportunity. If you’re the same, or just want an excuse to read it again (I know it’s a favorite with many) then hop along over and join!

Where? Seasons of Humility

When? All of March! (Since March conveniently has exactly 31 days, just to accommodate Northanger Abbey’s 31 chapters, naturally.) The read-along dates and other info is below:

Read-Along Info

Do any of those sound interesting? Be sure to check them out! What bookish plans do you have this month? I hope you’ll all have a lovely bookish March! 🙂

Dream away in those pages . . .

~ The Page Dreamer

TTT: Book Categories to Read More Of In 2016

I’m linking up with Top Ten Tuesday (from The Broke and the Bookish) because I love lists and I love books and this weekly meme is all about both. So join in if you like!

Today’s prompt is: Top Ten Resolutions We Have For 2015, which I’m putting a slight twist on.

I want to read more of these ten categories, and I’m listing some books in each category that I want to read soon if I can. (Yes, this makes for over 50, and I’m only scratching the surface… What can I say? There are a lot of books I want to read…)

Here they are, in no particular order. (Also, I’m too tired to link to all the books, but they’re all on my Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/DeborahOCarroll)

Steampunk

I discovered Steampunk last year (I’ve read three so far) and I really want to continue with the genre!

The Mark of the Dragonfly // Airborn // The Locket Thief // Larklight // Leviathan

Heists

I also discovered heists/con-artist-y books last year, and they’re fun to read, just for the cleverness of them. I have some I’d like to read that are contemporary, and some medieval fantasy… a bit of everything.

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident // The Heist // The Thief Lord // The Thief // Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman?

High Fantasy

I really miss medieval/high fantasy. I used to read a lot of it… Most of what I read used to be in this category, but I haven’t in awhile, so I’d like to get back into it.

The Riddle // Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan // In the Hall of the Dragon King // King’s Warrior // Moonblood

Historical Romance

I’m not much of a historical/regency-type romance reader, but I’ve gathered a few that I’d like to get around to. (Especially Georgette Heyer and Melanie Dickerson!)

Northanger Abbey // Wuthering Heights // Mist of Midnight // The Healer’s Apprentice // Devil’s Cub

Mysteries

I do love a good mystery — especially short stories — and don’t read enough of them.

Father Brown (reread) // Double Sin // Sherlock Holmes (reread) // The Red House Mystery (reread) // Lord Peter

Flintlock Fantasy/1700s/Historical Fantasy

This is rather thrown together with a lot of categories, but I love the eighteenth-century setting with muskets and all, and if it has fantasy thrown in, all the better. I’m not real particular about whether it’s set in our world or another, just give me all the muskets and tricorn hats! (Pirates or Highwaymen are, apparently, a plus.)

Thieftaker // Piratica // The Highwayman’s Footsteps // Captain Blood // The Accidental Highwayman

Retellings

I love a good retelling, whether it be of a fairytale, or Robin Hood or Arthurian.

The Ryn {snow white and rose red} // Cruel Beauty {beauty and the beast} // Hood {robin hood} // The Perilous Gard {tam lin} // The Night Dance {arthurian/twelve dancing princesses}

Favorite Authors

Sometimes in a rush for the new, I put off books by authors I already love… even though I’m already fairly certain the books will be fabulous, especially when they’re by authors such as: Diana Wynne Jones, P.G. Wodehouse, Geraldine McCaughrean, Eleanor Cameron.

Julia’s Magic // A Tale of Time City // The Tough Guide to Fantasyland // The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen // The Code of the Woosters

Tolkien (Yes, this is a category in itself.)

As my favorite author, I have several books by or about J.R.R. Tolkien which I’ve not read yet, and I’d like to read some of them soon.

The Maps of Tolkien’s Middle-earth // Sauron Defeated // The Fall of Arthur // The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien // Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Rereads

There are so many good books I’ve read that I miss and want to revisit, or don’t remember. These are just a few…

Westmark {Westmark Trilogy} // The Book of Three {Prydain Chronicles} // The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet {Mushroom Planet series} // The Dark Hills Divide {Land of Elyon} // The Dark is Rising {The Dark is Rising Sequence} // The Gammage Cup // The Chronicles of Narnia // Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter // Mara, Daughter of the Nile // The Lord of the Rings (and the Silmarilion) // By Darkness Hid {Blood of Kings Trilogy}

Bonus

I’d also like to read more non-fiction, more e-books, and a few Star Wars, as well as go to the library more often.

Are there book categories you’d like to read more of?

What are your 2016 bookish resolutions?

~

Dream away in those pages!