Day: September 3, 2008

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Web Round-Up…week of Sept 1

A few more links of Austen interest:

  • Kate Greenaway, children’s illustrator, and her designs on glass in this article from a Masssachusetts online paper…
  • An article by the author  Clive Aslet on his new book titled The English House: the story of a nation at home.
  • Laurel Ann at Austenprose, lately finished her wonderful “Mansfield Park Madness” journey through MP, has switched gears and pens a post on Georgiana Darcy.
  • JASNA announces that Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine is offering a 20% discount to JASNA members.  Click here for information.
  • The Alabama JASNA Chapter offers Austen Music Online (though not updated since 2006) 
  • The BBC Today has posted a quiz titled “Meet Your Match”: (note that you need to be up on British politics, but it was nice to see Austen mentioned….)
    • Are you a quiet, bookish type looking for romance? Ever wondered who your famous perfect partner could be? Look no further – publisher Penguin is launching a dating website for literary types to find fellow bookworms. Take the quiz to find your own famous match.
  • The Significant Pursuit of Renaissance Guy Blog has posted a query to Austen fans:  Who are Jane Austen’s Best Characters?…so head over there and give him an answer…it is a great list…!

And here is an off-topic note, but I cannot resist a mention of my other best favorite author Thomas Hardy (can you have TWO bests??).  The BBC has a new documentary on his life, The Heart of Thomas Hardy, (link to article in the Telegraph), this to coincide with the new production of “Tess”.  And here is a link to his gravesite at the Poets Graves Website.

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Hot off the Presses: Cassandra and Jane

It was with great expectation that I awaited the arrival of a reviewer’s copy of Jill Pitkeathley’s CASSANDRA & JANE: A Jane Austen Novel (Harper-Collins, 2008; published in the UK by Copperfield Books in 2004). As Deb can attest, I have a great regard for Jane’s sister Cassandra – a woman literally kept in the shadows by time and her sister’s posthumous fame.  It was with delight that I handled and read a couple letters penned by Cassandra – then an aging aunt – sent to James-Edward Austen and kept within the Austen-Leigh archive at the Hampshire Record Office.

The publishers have promised a sample chapter; but I’ve yet to see anything up on their website. A link will be posted when one is received, since we all love sample chapters!

I’m in the midst of writing two reviews for JASNA News (on Carrie Bebris’ newest Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mystery, The Matters at Mansfield and Jane Odiwe’s Lydia Bennet’s Story, which now comes in a US edition – both due in stores soon), have been reading the first novels in ELIZABETH PETERS’ Amelia Peabody series (am on book two, having bought a used boxed set of the first four novels), and recently received from a friend the first of the six Lymond Chronicles, The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (originally published in 1961), which she heartily recommends. But Cassandra & Jane heads to the top of the list now that it’s finally here – so I hope to post a review soon.