Seven Life Lessons from Sense and Sensibility

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1. Dating (or courting if you prefer) is so hard: “The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!”

2. Sometimes shyness is interpreted as rudeness (and visa versa): “I never wish to offend, but I am so foolishly shy, that I often seem negligent, when I am only kept back by my natural awkwardness.”

3. Alone time is important, especially when you’re feeling all the feels: “Eleanor went to her room where she was free to think and be wretched.”

4. Get you a man, who can appreciate the autumn foliage: “It is not everyone,’ said Elinor, ‘who has your passion for dead leaves.”

5. Happiness means different things to different people: “I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way.”

6. Just to reiterate, dating is really really really hard: “If I could but know his heart, everything would become easy.”

7. For god’s sake, listen to your sister when she says it’s going to rain: 

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But for serious, this book has so many important lessons about love and sisters being THE BEST and not living too much in your logical mind or emotional mind. There are so many things about Elinor and Marianne that feel scarily relevant to life now. 

Top Ten Jane Austen Villains

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It’s villain week on Top Ten Tuesday. Even though there are some more obvious book villains, my first thought was of the antagonists in my favorite Jane Austen novels. Some I hate. Some I love to hate. Here are my top ten Jane Austen villains:

  1. Mr. Wickham from Pride and Prejudice 
  2. Caroline Bingley from Pride and Prejudice 
  3. Lady Catherine de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice 
  4. Lucy Steele from Sense and Sensibility 
  5. Mr. Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility 
  6. Mrs. Norris from Mansfield Park 
  7. The Crawford siblings from Mansfield Park 
  8. Mr. and Mrs. Elton from Emma 
  9. The Thorpe siblings from Northanger Abbey 
  10. William Elliot from Persuasion 

Thank to The Broke and the Bookish for hosting this weekly book meme!

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that this blogger will totally, utterly, and completely love anything that has anything to do with Pride and Prejudice. After watching Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle spar as Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in the BCC adapation as an eight-year-old, I was hooked. It can be a modern retelling, a sexy continuation of Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship post marriage, even a very loose adaptation, if it’s related to Pride and Prejudice I will like it. And after watching the adaptation I thought I was least likely to enjoy two days ago at an early showing, I can officially say the streak holds strong. Because even though I do not like zombies or fighting scenes or blood, this movie was SO MUCH FUN!  Continue reading “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”

Marry, Date or Dump: Mr. Darcy

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Happy Monday! Who had a nice holiday weekend? I hope everyone. I rewatched (both) Bridget Jones movies last week and definitely have Darcy on the brain. I thought it’s be fun pick three versions of Mr. Darcy to marry, date, or dump this week. I decided on Mr. Darcy from the book (or traditional movie adaptation if you like!), Mark Darcy from Bridget Jones (sawoon), and William Darcy from The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Let me know who you’d marry, date and dump in the comments!

Continue reading “Marry, Date or Dump: Mr. Darcy”

Marry, Date or Dump: Emma, by Jane Austen

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I will admit that Emma ranks pretty low on my list of favorite Austen novels, although I do really enjoy the film version with Gwyneth Paltrow and Clueless is an all time favorite of mine. I don’t know why I woke up with this book on the brain, but I think it would be fun to think about who you’d marry, who you’d date, and who you’d dump from the book. You can choose whatever characters you want from the novel. Whether you want ladies, male characters, or a mix – I’m very excited to see your choices!  Continue reading “Marry, Date or Dump: Emma, by Jane Austen”

Marry, Date or Dump: Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, and Colonel Fitzwilliam

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I decided to go back to my all-time classic book for marry, date or dump this week. Pride and Prejudice. Yes, you might think that everyone would chose Darcy. But there are actually a lot of secret Bingley fans out there. And I’ve met at least two people who would vehemently argue that Colonel Fitzwilliam is the man for them. I have to admit I was partially inspired by Emery Lord’s new(ish) book The Start of You and Me, which I read last week and features a Jane vs. Lizzy/Bingley vs. Darcy debate that I was a little obsessed with. So anyways, have at it! Of these three characters, tell me in the comments who you would marry, who you would date, and who you would dump.  Continue reading “Marry, Date or Dump: Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, and Colonel Fitzwilliam”

Six Life Lesson from Pride and Prejudice

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Okay, so even though this is one of my all time favorite stories, I’m going to start with the disclaimer that just as we should treat life lesson from Gone With the Wind with a grain of salt, Jane Austen might have known how to write a perfect leading man but I think she still had some figuring out to do about life. But if you want to take away some larger messages from the novel, here are a few:  Continue reading “Six Life Lesson from Pride and Prejudice”

Marry, Date or Dump: The Bennet Sisters

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While it may no longer be a truth universally recognized that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife, it is definitely true that all Jane Austen fans should be rejoicing that the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle BBC Pride and Prejudice mini-series is now available on Amazon Prime. In celebration, I invited you to choose between the gaggle of Bennet sisters for who you would marry, who you would date, and who you would dump. Super excited to see who you pick!  Continue reading “Marry, Date or Dump: The Bennet Sisters”