Pride, Prejudice & Zombies And Flashes of Hilarity

Sometimes you read something so fantastic you have to share it.  This sentence qualifies.
Click here to buy your copy of Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.

I was reading along last night, frankly feeling just a bit bored with Pride, Prejudice & Zombies.  I've read Pride and Prejudice twice in the last five years and I was thinking I'd enjoy the Zombie version more if it had been longer since I'd read the original.  Then I read the chapter from Charlotte Lucas' pointe of view.  The whole chapter was short and sweet and so subtly funny it made me like the whole book more.  With renewed interest, I now look forward to the second half of the book.

Review: Jane Austen's Emma

I give Emma two of five stars because I reserve a one star rating for truly dreadful books like 50 Shades of Gray.  
Emma was not that bad.

 Before she began the novel, Austen wrote, "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like."  Boy, she nailed that one.  Of all the uninteresting drivel... I've read IKEA directions with more compelling characters than the spoiled and manipulated Emma. This book has all the plot action of a flat EKG. I had a hard time getting in to Pride and Prejudice, but once I did I truly enjoyed it. I hoped it might be the same with Emma, so I kept trudging through. (It took more than a month to force myself to read this book.  Highly unusual for me.) Not once can I say I enjoyed this book.  Not once can I say I was charmed by the supposedly charming Emma, that I enjoyed her continued confusion and humiliation, nor did I enjoy any of the other "delightful" characters.  I found them quite flat.  I will not be in a hurry to read more Jane Austen.  

If you still want to read Emma for yourself, you can find it on Amazon:

Today I'm Reading: Jane Austen's Emma

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Today I'm reading Jane Austen's Emma.  I've actually been reading it for a couple of weeks now and I'm really struggling to get in to it.  So far Emma strikes me as a coddled, somewhat empty headed, vain little girl.  The people around her seem to exist only to please her, and I'm bored.  This is the second Austen book I've read, and it took me a while to get into Pride and Prejudice, too.  I eventually loved it so I'm not giving up on Emma yet, but could use some input.  Does Emma ever develop any depth?  Do the people around her become more than props intended to appease her?  In short, does the story improve?  Should I cut my losses and move on to Neil Gaiman's new book Trigger Warning?

Jane Austen: Philosopher

I only recently discovered Jane Austen for myself.  Oh, I knew she was acclaimed and her works were considered must reads, but I'd never gotten around to actually reading her.  Last year I read Pride and Prejudice.  I loved it.  In fact, I immediately downloaded all of her books.  Then I got distracted (I believe it was Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill who led me astray), but my favorite entertainment blog has reminded me again of Ms. Jane Austen.  Their post leads to a blog dedicated to Austen's work and brings back many of the reasons I found Pride and Prejudice wonderful.  The underlying philosophy and unique (for it's time) thought is indeed what elevates her work beyond a dramatic romance.

Read the entertainment blog here, then follow their links to the Austen blog.  It's a lovely way to spend a morning.