Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Sense and Sensability and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters.

Won in a giveaway from Ashley at Ashley's Library.

*** "Ridiculous!"

I love Austen's narrator's voice. In all her novels, I enjoy the gentle irony she writes with as she describes her characters, with all their quirks and eccentricities; their faults and failings. She always stops just short of mocking her characters, and allows you to laugh with her at their pride, selfishness and sillyness.

Winters does not bother stopping short of mockery. He leaps right over the line, heads straight past sillyness and ends up firmly in the territory of the ridiculous.

The "Alteration", an unexplained but often hypothesised about event in history, has caused sea creatures and humans to be at war. It's eat-or-be-eaten! Thus a pleasant beachside party of "tiki dances, crawfish fries and bonfires", swiftly becomes a situation of life and death, as a jellyfish "twice the size of the largest man present", "demonstrating itself to be faster than any creature lacking legs or other apparent means of locomotion ought naturally to be", advance on the party with the intent of consuming whomever it can catch. All the families enjoy a variety of seafood at every meal, and travel by sea has become dangerous indeed! Even a pleasant ramble renders one in danger of attack by giant octopus, if you are unfortunate enough to stumble into the brook!

This book follows the general plot and characterisation of Sense and Sensibility, while adding sea witches, pirates, and a fellow suffering from a cruel affliction, the addition of "a set of long squishy tentacles protruding grotesquely from his face". The difficulties of life in the "altered" Britain has also caused the characters to become adept at defending themselves from murderous sea creatures: says Marianne, "Margaret, we will walk here at least two hours, and if we are set upon by any sort of man-beast with lobster claws, I shall swiftly butcher it with this pickaxe I brought for that purpose".

Winters has also added a bit of steampunk (Victorian science fiction) to the book, by introducing Sub-Marine Station Beta, an undersea city ("the greatest engineering triumph of human history since the Roman aqueducts") where the fashionable set enjoy "undersea pleasure gardens and aquatic exhibition halls".

Did I enjoy this book? Yes I did, but I found that I had to read it in small doses. You have to enjoy silliness to enjoy this book, and occasionally the ridiculous factor got a little too high for me. If you enjoy Austen, it's worth a try.

Not Quite Wrapping up the Everything Austen Challenge

Unfortunately with only a day or two left until the Everything Austen challenge deadline, I am well aware that I'm not going to make it. Everything Austen has been hosted by Stephanie at Stephanie's Written Word, and was designed for all of us Jane Austen fans. The idea was to experience (or re-experience) six Austenish books, movies or the like. Sadly, I have managed only two, Mr Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange and Lost in Austen by Emma Campbell Webster.

Even though the challenge is going to officially end, I'm going to continue on into the New Year. I'll still post reviews, and finish in my own time. Thanks Stephanie, for all your hard work hosting the challenge.

Mr Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange

After much neglect, I'm finally getting back on track with the Everything Austen challenge. Hosted by Stephanie, at Stephanie's Written Word, it requires participants to read, view or "experience" six Austen-related books, films etc by January 1, 2010. So I'd better get my skates on!

My progress so far:

Check out my review post for Lost in Austen  by Emma Campbell Webster here.

And now, a review post for Mr Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange.

This book was pretty much what I expected - a quick enjoyable read, but nothing spectacular. The book consists of a series of diary entries, and faithfully follows the narrative of Pride and Prejudice while also giving us a tantalising glimpse into Darcy and Elizabeth's life after P & P.

I'm not sure that Darcy's voice is true to his character as presented in P & P, but romantics will forgive Grange any licence she has taken in presenting Darcy as a doting brother and a man who is in love with Elizabeth almost from the moment he meets her!

I found the fact that some phrases or passages were quoted verbatim from P & P frustrating. I would have dearly loved Grange to find Darcy's voice to describe the unfolding events rather than using Austen's narrator's ironic voice.

This book is fun for fans.

It's no wonder I'm always behind on my uni reading.

Just could not resist this giveaway that Velvet is hosting at vvb32 reads! The picture at the top (red dress) is the 'mad men me' that I made! Voluptuous, sexy. Underneath is how I have represented Jane Austen in 'mad men form'. Oh, dear, she looks a bit mousy doesn't she!!! What fun!

Challenge Progress

I have signed up for 2 reading challenges: The Sookie Stackhouse reading challenge hosted by Beth Fish Reads and the Everything Austen challenge hosted by Stephanie's Written Word.

So how am I progressing...

The Sookie Stackhouse challenge requires me to read all the books in Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampires series. Here is a list of the books, with links to reviews of the ones I have finished:

Dead Until Dark, I actually posted two non-review reviews on this one!

Living Dead in Dallas

Club Dead

Dead to the World

Dead as a Doornail

Definitely Dead

All Together Dead

From Dead to Worse

Dead and Gone

So far I am at 3/9 for the Sookie Stackhouse challenge.

The Everything Austen challenge requires me to 'experience' (read, watch, listen to...) 6 Austen related books, movies etc.

So far I have only read Lost in Austen by Emma Campbell Webster. So I am 1/6 in the Everything Austen challenge.

I can't wait until I feel just a little bit more 'on top of things' with my uni work, so I can allow myself a treat, and read something for fun!

Lost in Austen - the book

Welcome "Everything Austen" participants!

Lost in Austen by Emma Campbell Webster.

My first thought...disappointing. Sorry!

From the book:

" It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young Austen heroine must be in want of a husband, and you are no exception. Christened Elizabeth Bennet, you are tolerably beautiful and moderately accomplished, with a sharp wit and quick mind. You are the daughter of misguided but well-meaning parents and live with them and your four sisters- Jane, Mary, Kitty and Lydia- in the village of Longbourne, near the town of Meryton. You are of a happy disposition and have hitherto whiled away your years reading, walking and enjoying what limited society Meryton has to offer. A recent event, however, threatens to disturb your tranquility: a man of large fortune has let a nearby manor house. Inconsequential though this change of circumstance appears, it is the first in a long chain of events that will require you to face difficult decisions and impolite dance partners. Equipped with only your wit and natural good sense, your mission is to marry both prudently and for love, eluding undesirable suitors and avoiding family scandals which would almost certainly ruin any hope of a financially advantageous marriage for you or any of your sisters."

Sounds promising doesn't it? That's what I thought too...

Emma Campbell Webster writes with lashings of the irony and humour that Jane Austen fans love. Consider this scene where you are introduced to Mr Collins:

"He has been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Fight Honorable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, whose bounty and beneficence has preferred him to the valuable rectory of the parish of Hunsford in Kent. He begs leave to apologize for being next in the entail of Longbourne estate and being the means of injuring Mr Bennet's amiable daughters, and assures your father of his readiness to make those daughters every possible amends.
You can only guess that he means by marrying one of you.

At least you'd be saved from homelessness. Collect 10 bonus Fortune points.

Your father confesses to you great hopes of finding him ridiculous and there is a mixture of servility and self-importance in his letter which promises well. Mr Collins is punctual to his time and is received with great politeness by the whole family. He is a tall, heavy-looking young man of five and twenty. His air is grave and stately, and his manners are extremely formal. During dinner Mr Collins launches into a panegyric on his patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her sickly daughter, Anne, towards whom he conceives himself peculiarly bound to pay little attentions which he admits to often rehearsing.

You'd rather be homeless than married to Mr Collins. Deduct 10 Fortune points."

Campbell uses the "choose your own adventure" concept to include "diversions" from the storyline of Pride and Prejudice, which introduce characters, and borrow plots from other Austen works. She supplies notes at the end of the book, which detail which novels she is borrowing from or referencing. She also provides plenty of opportunities to test your knowledge of the life and times of Austen's heroines, answering such sticky questions as How many couples face each other when dancing a reel?

Despite these promising signs, Lost in Austen simply couldn't sustain my interest beyond and hour or two. The "choose you own adventure" concept quickly loses its novelty, and it becomes frustrating to lose the flow of the narrative by taking a 'wrong turn'. No matter how wisely I tried to make my decisions, attempting to both follow the plot of P&P and avoid some of Elizabeth's mistakes in the original, I found myself utterly unable to successfully complete my mission. (Marry prudently and for love.) I was an utter failure in Elizabeth's role!

This book may provide a short, pleasant diversion for the Austen addict, but it's not a keeper.

What I'm Reading

Currently reading: the host by Stephenie Meyer and Lost in Austen by Emma Campbell Webster

I know, I know, it's terrible to read more than one book at a time. I never do it! But Lost in Austen was ready to be picked up at the library and I just took a peek...

The subtitle of Lost in Austen is Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure. It's a "choose your own adventure" book! Remember them? I do, I was at school when they first came out, and really captured the imagination of my friends and I. We used to write our own romantic versions on scraps of paper and distribute them during boring classes. We'd write up until an important decision had to be made, then let the reader tick the box that corresponded to their choice. (eg Tick here [ ] if Jessica wears her blue bikini to the pool party and here [ ] if she chooses her pink one piece swimsuit.) The reader would pass back the paper with their decision, then we'd write the next part of the story according to whichever decision they had made! (It's a wonder we learnt anything at school!)

From inside the book:

How to Play

This book is no ordinary book, and should not be read through from beginning to end. It contains many different adventures, and the path you take will depend on the choices you make along the way...your success will also depend on how well you do in the following five categories:your Accomplishments, Intelligence, Confidence, Connections and Fortune (which could mean either luck or money)....In order to increase your chances of marrying well you must try to improve your scores and gain more Connections and Accomplishments...

I found this completely irresistable, and started reading (playing) immediately!

On the "To Be Read" pile: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris - can't wait, can't wait can't wait!!!

Leading in a Culture of Change by Michael Fullan (text for second semester - just arrived in the mail today)

the internet and information skills: a guide for teachers and school librarians by James E. Herring (also for uni)

On reserve at my local library: Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips

Happy reading everyone!

What I'm Reading and Other Assorted Stuff

Currently reading: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen.

You will notice that this book appears on my "Must Read" list on the right hand sidebar of the page, along with a link to the review that inspired me to try it. When I'm finished I intend to write my own review.

So far, I'm really enjoying it. It's had a lot to live up to, reading it as I am directly after Dead Until Dawn by Charlaine Harris. A hard act to follow! It is quite different to Dead Until Dawn, its similarities being the magical elements and the lonely heroine.

Here's a quick snapshot that will warm the heart of any book-loving girl:

"She couldn't believe this was happening. She'd just kicked Jake out after he'd admitted he'd cheated on her.

Dazed, she turned around...and tripped over a book on the floor.

She looked down at it and sighed. She'd half expected this. Whether she liked it or not, books always appeared when she needed them."

Cool, huh?

On the "To Be Read" pile: the host by Stephenie Meyer

This was ready to pick up from my local library on Monday. Again, this is one of the books on my "Must Read" list. You can check out the link to read the review that convinced me to give this a go.

On reserve at my local library: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

I can't wait for this one to become available! Dead Until Dark was such rollicking good fun that I'm hanging out to get my teeth into the next instalment!

So...now onto the other assorted stuff...

Alana (my 11 year old daughter) has just been offered a place at a prestigous selective high school for next year. It's a great opportunity for her, but she's not so sure that she wants to accept the place. At the moment a high school is being built within our very own suburb, only a 20 minute walk away from home. It's due to open for the start of next year, and all Alana's friends are looking forward to going there together. They will be the first group from her primary school that will be able to stay together and go to their very own high school, instead of splitting up and travelling to schools further afield. It makes it a tough decision for Alana. Wish us luck!

My last uni assignment for this semester is "in the mail" as they say. After my disastrous result last time, I'm just going to be super happy to pass!

I'm trying to find a vacancy at a caravan park for my family to take a week away over the Christmas/New Year break. Everything is already booked solid! I'll keep trying...

I bought my sister a copy of the Lost in Austen 2 disc DVD for her birthday. I'm very much hoping we can watch it together sometime, then I can count it towards the Everything Austen challenge!

Challenges, challenges.

I can't help it! I can't resist! I'm signing up for another blog related challenge!

This one is the "Everything Austen" challenge, hosted by Stephanie at Stephanie's Written Word. If you'd like to enter, find out the rules, or just check it out, then click here.

The idea is to experience 6 Austen-related books, movies etc and blog about what you have read/watched. Too tempting for me to resist! I love Austen's books so I would really enjoy re-reading any or all of them. But since this is a challenge, I'd like to branch out a bit!

Stephanie has a helpful list of possible choices, and from them I think I'd like to experience:

Pride, Prejudice and Zombies by Sean Grahame-Smith

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laura Viera Rigler

and Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laura Viera Rigler.

I'm not sure yet what my other 3 choices will be.

In other challenge related news, I'm about halfway through Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, my first Sookie Stackhouse book in the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge.

I don't want to say too much here but...I'm loving it!