Northanger Abbey [A Book Review]

It is the Jane Austen buddy bosom novel, a tale which makes you feel juvenile and carefree. Northanger Abbey is a friendly story that makes you feel warm and adventurous. The note  guiding in the beginning  is indicative of the influence of the  reading choice of ‘the day’  on the author’s characterization of Catherine, the lead lady of the story.  Additionally, the preview of the “Advertisement by the authoress, to Northanger Abbey’  says

“And that during that period, places, manners, books, and opinions have undergone considerable changes,”

shows how the publisher is aware that the passage of time has an effect on the reader’s perception of a book concerning its social content. It is interesting to note that at the time Jane Austen penned  Northanger Abbey in 1788-89, Gothic Literature was the popular  reading choice of the day.

There is a school of thought that men only read more sophisticated books however Jane Austen thrashed this belief in Mr. Tilney.  Mr. Tilney is fond of reading and  abreast with the Literacy world ‘sticking’  up for historians. I believe this works out excellently for the story because Jane Austen created an intellectually stimulating hero. Mr. Tilney ‘ nice’ mouth is a result of a mixture of his natural charm and reading. A quality which allowed him to relate to Catherine with such ease, creating a beautiful atmosphere for our heroine to grow fondly of her hero.

A  review written so very long ago and left to nest in The Draft

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Top 5 Books of 2017/ Top 5 Wednesday

Hello Wed- nes- day! For Top 5 Wednesday we dive into a summary of the good good:

December 20th: Top 5 Books of 2017
— I know most people have a longer list than this, or post theirs at different times (like I’ll be waiting until January for example) but if you want to make a list of your absolute faves of the year, now is the time!

I am okay with posting all the books which left me touched, excited and deeply impacted around this time because I am not rushing to read more than the two books that I am currently digging. So far, I see nothing in these two books, which will crawl their way to my Top 2017 Books. Even if I read further than the two books it is okay  that they do not appear on this list, I will simply create a separate post.

Let us dive into it:
P.S I will share part of my reviews

1.When God Says “Wait”: Navigating Life’s Detours and Delays Without Losing Your Faith, Your Friends, or Your Mind by Elizabeth Laing Thompson

I hated and loved this book!

The concept of the novel stood out for me because at that time I needed to understand something more about the noise in my head. I felt the author gave the plan of the novel in the beginning with a thesis statement- “This book is about the journey of waiting, the space between answers, and the decisions we make while we live there. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started.” Oh the English Literature student in me jumped for joy because I had an idea of what was in store. However, little did I know that the author sure break down every inch of the waiting aspect and questioning the doubts and that is when the hate part comes. I felt exposed but yet not judged; all the emotions that I tucked away whilst waiting for the silver lining was right there on the screen. The author words were inspirational and her outlook left me thinking “darn, she read my mind.”

Jane Austen: An Altered View

             

In the period December 2016 to July 2017, I reread all the completed novels of my favourite author Jane Austen (here after dubbed JA). Last year I created a reading challenge, designating each month for a particular theme. I choose December for Jane Austen books because her birthday would be on the 16th, a day I call Jane Austen Day. As you can tell from my July date in my opening, I could not complete my JA challenge in the assigned month thus I continued until Sense and Sensibility ushered the curtains on my JA journey. It is important to note that during my sensuous readathon, I noticed the growth of the Bicentenary Celebrations of JA’s death. I immediately drifted into that ‘huh mode’; Why the joy for the death of the author who gave us the plots and twists that we love?

It took a while to sink in but eventually I had to make myself understand that when many are creating workshops, parties, museum tours, lectures, tea parties, book clubs and all the other fascinating endeavours, people are celebrating JA and her novels.  I have seen an increase in the number of news articles specifically for JA separate from the usual JA dedications. It means that more persons learn of the author’s writings and setting time aside to reread not one novel but her entire collection. It is admirable and I am ecstatic that every time I social media (yes I made it a verb), there is an increase traffic in quiz, blog posts. JA writings are here to stay and I am happy to do my part in keeping her stories alive!

Jane Austen celebrated with first statue in hometown – CNN.com

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/18/europe/jane-austen-statue-unveiled-bicentenary/index.html?sr=fbCNN071817jane-austen-statue-unveiled-bicentenary1039AMStory

6 Feeds Jane Austen Fans Need to Follow Right Now – Verily

https://verilymag.com/2017/07/jane-austen-social-media-feeds-modern-mr-darcy-republic-of-pemberley-200th-anniversary-072017

When Writing A Book Review Goes Wrong

Crying, the only expression my face held back.
I just wanted and needed to cry.
Cry because after spending two days working,
On a book review of Northanger Abbey that cried
My sentiments towards Catherine Morland, Jane Austen
And Henry Tilney I plundered by accidentally cutting those paragraphs instead of copying.
No autocorrect, no instant arrow to reverse on InkPad Notes.
Gone are those words, gone into an imaginary Recycle Bin.

Love (Quote)

“Where the heart is really attached, I know very well how little one can be pleased with the attention of anybody else. Everything is so insipid, so uninteresting, that does not relate to the beloved object!”

Jane Austen
Northanger Abbey

 

     

Feelings

“I cannot think well of a man who sports with any woman’s feelings; and there may often be a great deal more suffered than a stander-by can judge of.”

Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

Lady Susan [Book Review]

It is of my opinion that Lady Susan is on par with some of Jane Austen best work. Maybe the implementation of the epistolary as the literary device for the book suited the dialogue or conversational tone of the story. Could you imagine if the structure used in her other novels was the medium for story telling? Most likely the lively chatter I conceived from the lines would be bland.

Favourite Polarizing Books/ Top 5 Wednesday

Hello book lovers, I greet you in the name of Top 5 Wednesday on this eighteen day of January two thousand and seventeen. Today we look at:

January 18th: Favorite Polarizing Books
–These are books that people either tend to love or hate, with no in between. Pick some of your favorites that fall into this category.

Let us dive into it:

1.Pride and Prejudice by  Jane Austen

The most popular of JA’s stories and  now that I am rereading- after a 2 year pause of her  collection- I suspect it will tied for my least favourite. In addition, my hunch is if I keep on rereading I may end up disliking the premise. It quite ironic I feel this way about the book when Pride and Prejudice 2005 film adaptation is my favourite movie.

2.To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I am really smitten over this story and I suspect it has more to do with the narrator Jem Scout. I believe following the story through her eyes and smart mouth exposed issues of poverty, racism and family relationship in a profound way that perhaps no other narrator could achieve. Previously I was extremely excited about reading Harper Lee other novel but since a few articles showed me that To Kill A Mockingbird came as a result of an editor’s urging to edit an original script. I am very concern that Atticus Finch and Jem Scout would no longer look the same in my eyes. Therefore, I have put off reading ‘Go Set A Watchman.’