Recordpub.com - One for the Books: Revisiting Jane Austen

A couple of years ago I noticed that several books had been published about Jane Austen; her popularity had skyrocketed because of the movie versions of her novels. I recently checked again, and -- Wow! There are more books about her, or "sequels" to her books, or books imitating her style than I can possibly name here. Let's look at just a few.

Two recent "chick lit" novels are set in the present day.

In "According to Jane" by Marilyn Brant, when 16-year-old Ellie Barnett is handed a copy of "Pride and Prejudice" in school, she begins to "hear" Jane Austen speaking to her, giving her advice. Austen becomes her "Personal Spiritual Guide." The story jumps forward and back in time as adult Ellie recalls her love affairs with men -- especially the one Miss Austen disapproves of the most: Sam Blaine, "Mr. Cool," who keeps popping in and out of Ellie's life unexpectedly. The only thing written in Austen style are the thoughts of Jane Austen. But every once in a while we get something like this: "It's a truth universally acknowledged that a young woman in possession of an important date must be in want of a hot outfit." Hmmm. It's light and easy, but Ellie's angst can get annoying. Adult language and situations.

"Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart" by Beth Pattillo will be published in February. Missouri resident Claire Prescott is attending a summer seminar at Oxford University on "Pride and Prejudice" in the place of her pregnant sister, who's the Jane Austen scholar. Claire isn't really an Austen fan; she's just there to present her sister's paper. But she finds herself caught up in a series of dramas. One involves an elderly lady who takes a shine to her and shows her a secret manuscript of Jane Austen's work. (Or is it a hoax?) Another includes a "breathtakingly handsome man" who reminds Claire of Mr. Darcy from "P&P." And her boyfriend from Missouri begins to want some answers. The plot eventually evolves into a syrupy love story, but it's fun to read the "manuscript," which is written in Austen style.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies So, are you telling yourself there are just never enough good horror stories written in the style of Jane Austen? Well, you'd be wrong. "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance -- Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith is one of the strangest things every published. At first, I thought it was a joke, but no. And it has been selling so well that there are now others: "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters," "Mansfield Park and Mummies" and "Emma and the Werewolves." The author takes Austen's original book -- often whole sections, word for word -- and imbues it with a plot line in which zombies are terrorizing the English countryside. The Bennet sisters are cast as talented zombie fighters, and Mr. Darcy admires Elizabeth for her ability to kill the "unmentionables." It's rather gruesome, actually. You have to have a sense of humor for this, but it's an interesting ride! And even my Kindle edition has illustrations.

Oh, we aren't done yet! "Mr. Darcy, Vampyre" by Amanda Grange is written in Austen style and continues the story of "P&P," starting with the wedding of Darcy and Elizabeth. As the two are leaving for their honeymoon, Darcy suddenly changes the couple's plans and decides they will go to Europe to meet his family and friends on the continent. He starts acting very strangely, and she begins to have "a vague sense of unease" because he refuses to touch her. People talk to her about the "old ones" and "our kind," which she takes to mean the socially well-placed. Now, we know from the title what's going on, but poor Elizabeth doesn't find out for a long time. And by the time she does, she's in a heap of danger. But true love triumphs over evil. It's actually rather fun. And it's really not much of a leap to think of Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her daughter, Anne, as vampires!

Then there are the first-person accounts: "The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen" by Syrie James purports to be the lost writings of Miss Austen. The novel is written in Austen style. And "Mr. Darcy's Diary" by Amanda Grange is Darcy's turn to rewrite "P&P" in the first person. I must say, this may be the book in this column that I liked the most. It really did "sound" like his voice.

Pride & Prejudice Marvel Publishing has come out with a beautiful edition of "Pride and Prejudice" as a graphic novel, written by Nancy Butler. This is a perfectly serious work, similar to the old Classic Comics versions of major novels. Originally published as a five-part series, it is now available in one hardback volume. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Oh, there are so many more books about "P&P": "Letters from Pemberley" by Jane Dawkins; "An Assembly Such as This" by Pamela Aidan; The Darcys and the Bingleys" by Marsha Altman; "Pemberley Manor" by Kathryn L. Nelson. And I haven't even started on the titles that follow Austen's other books! This trend doesn't look like it's cooling anytime soon. If you enjoy immersing yourself in the Regency era, these are great tickets to adventure and romance.

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LOCAL BOOK CLUBS:

The Kent Free Library’s book discussion group meets at 6:45 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month in the second floor meeting room at the library.
Previous books discussed include “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville, “The Great Gatsby,” “A Christmas Carol” and “Anna Karenina.”
Members come from Kent, Stow and Rootstown, and everyone is welcome. The discussion is led by librarian Kristin Pool. Any questions should be directed to her at 330-673-4414.

The Book Discussion Group at the Randolph Library meets the first Monday of the month, except August, at 6:30 p.m. in the Randolph Senior Center. The group is open to everyone, and new members are always welcome. The library will stock copies of the books each month. Call the library at 330-325-7003.

Pierce-Streetsboro Library’s Book Discussion Group meets regularly on the second Monday of each month at 6:45 p.m. in the library’s meeting room. New members are always welcome to attend and participate in the discussion. The library is located at 8990 Kirby Lane in Streetsboro, next to the administrative offices of the Streetsboro City Schools. For more information, call the library at 330-626-4458.

The Book Discussion Group at the Mogadore Branch of the Akron-Summit County Library, 144 S. Cleveland Ave., 330-628-9228, meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays to discuss books.
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NCR Book Club looks at A HISTORY OF THE POPES.

http://ncronline.org/node/16174

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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS
By The Associated Press

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown (Doubleday)
2. “I, Alex Cross” by James Patterson (Little, Brown)
3. “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam Adult/Amy Einhorn)
4. “Sizzle” by Julie Garwood (Ballantine Books)
5. “Fired Up” by Jayne Ann Krentz (Putnam Adult)
6. “The Last Song” by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)
7. “The Honor of Spies” by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV (Putnam Adult)
8. “Deeper Than the Dead” by Tami Hoag (Dutton Adult)
9. “Under the Dome” by Stephen King (Scribner)
10. “Altar of Eden” by James Rollins (William Morrow)
11. “Pirate Latitudes” by Michael Crichton (Harper)
12. “U is for Underflow” by Sue Grafton (Putnam Adult)
13. “Ford County: Stories” by John Grisham (Doubleday)
14. “The Girl Who Played With Fire” by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
15. “I, Sniper: A Bob Lee Swagger Novel” by Stephen Hunter (Simon & Schuster)

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. “Have a Little Faith: A True Story” by Mitch Albom (Hyperion)
2. “Going Rogue: An American Life” by Sarah Palin (HarperCollins)
3. “What the Dog Saw” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
4. “SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow)
5. “Stones Into Schools” by Greg Mortenson (Viking)
6. “Open: An Autobiography” by Andre Agassi (Knopf)
7. “True Compass” by Edward M. Kennedy (Twelve)
8. “Arguing With Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government” by Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe (Threshold Editions)
9. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
10. “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (Knopf)
11. “The Imperial Cruise” by James Bradley (Little, Brown)
12. “It’s Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God’s Favor” by Joel Osteen (Free Press)
13. “Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System--and Themselves” by Andrew Ross Sorkin (Viking)
14. “The 4-Hour Workweek Expanded & Updated” by Timothy Ferriss (Crown)
15. “The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean my Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have Fun” by Gretchen Rubin (Harper)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. “Street Game” by Christine Feehan (Jove)
2. “Dear John” by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)
3. “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold (Little, Brown)
4. “The Devil’s Punchbowl” by Greg Iles (Pocket Star)
5. “Plum Spooky” Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s Paperbacks)
6. “Shades of Midnight” by Lara Adrian (Dell)
7. “Vanishing Act” by Fern Michaels (Zebra)
8. “The Man You’ll Marry” by Debbie Macomber (Mira)
9. “Fire and Ice” by Julie Garwood (Ballantine)
10. “Forbidden Falls” by robyn Carr (Mira)
11. “The Associate” by John Grisham (Dell)
12. “Early Dawn” by Catherine Robertson (Signet)
13. “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage)
14. “Cross Country” by James Patterson (Vision)
15. “Black Ops” by W.E.B. Griffin (Jove)

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game” by Michael Lewis (W.W. Norton & Company)
2. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson (Vintage)
3. “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold (Little, Brown)
4. “The Shack” by William P. Young (Windblown Media)
5. “Push” by Sapphire (Vintage)
6. “The Piano Teacher” be Janice Y.K. Lee (Penguin)
7. “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin)
8. “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell (L,B/Back Bay)
9. “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger (Mariner Books)
10. “Dear John” by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)
11. “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein (Harper)
12. “Freakonomics” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (Harper Perennial)
13. “Flat Belly Diet!” by Liz Vaccariello with Cynthia Sass (Rodale Books)
14. “Olive Kitteredge” by Elizabeth Strout (Random House Trade Paperbacks)
15. “Cook This Not That!: Kitchen Survival Guide” by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding (Rodale Books)
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WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLERS
By The Associated Press

FICTION
1. “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown (Doubleday)
2. “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam Adult/Amy Einhorn)
3. “I, Alex Cross” by James Patterson (Little, Brown)
4. “Witch & Wizard” by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet (Little, Brown)
5. “Sizzle” by Julie Garwood (Ballantine Books)
6. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days” by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books)
7. “Deeper Than the Dead” by Tami Hoag (Dutton Books)
8. “Pirate Latitudes” by Michael Crichton (Harper)
9. “U is for Underflow” by Sue Grafton (Putnam Adult)
10. “The Honor of Spies” by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV (Putnam Adult)
11. “Fired Up” by Jayne Ann Krentz (Putnam Adult)
12. “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
13. “Altar of Eden” by James Rollins (William Morrow)
14. “The Last Song” by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)
15. “Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas” by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser (HarperCollins)

NONFICTION
1. “Going Rogue: An American Life” by Sarah Palin (HarperCollins)
2. “Have a Little Faith: A True Story” by Mitch Albom (Hyperion)
3. “What the Dog Saw” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
4. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book” by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books)
5. “Stones Into Schools” by Greg Mortenson (Viking)
6. “SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow)
7. “The Spark: The 28-Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life” by Chris Downie (Hay House)
8. “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (Knopf)
9. “Open: An Autobiography” by Andre Agassi (Knopf)
10. “True Compass” by Edward M. Kennedy (Twelve)
11. “Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government” by Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe (Threshold Editions)
12. “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
13. “Guinness World Records 2010” by Guinness World Records (Guinness)
14. “It’s Your Time” by Joel Osteen (Free Press)
15. “The Imperial Cruise” by James Bradley (Little, Brown)
The Wall Street Journal’s list reflects nationwide sales of hardcover books during the week ended last Saturday at more than 2,500 Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Bookland, Books-a-Million, Books & Co., Bookstar, Bookstop, Borders, Brentano’s, Coles, Coopersmith, Doubleday, Scribners and Waldenbooks stores, as well as sales from online retailers Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
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USA TODAY BEST-SELLERS
By The Associated Press
Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback

1. “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold (Little, Brown) (F-P)
2. “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
3. “Dear John” by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing) (F-P)
4. “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
5. “New Moon” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
6. “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown (Doubleday) (F-H)
7. “I, Alex Cross” by James Patterson (Little Brown) (F-H)
8. “Street Game” by Christine Feehan (Jove) (F-P)
9. “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
10. “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam Adult/Amy Einhorn) (F-H)
11. “Vanishing Act” by Fern Michaels (Zebra) (F-P)
12. “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game” by Michael Lewis (W.W. Norton & Company) (NF-P)
13. “Witch & Wizard” by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet (Little, Brown) (F-H)
14. “Sizzle” by Julie Garwood (Ballantine Books) (F-H)
15. “The Shack” by William P. Young (Windblown Media) (F-P)
16. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days” by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books) (F-H)
17. “Plum Spooky” Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s Paperbacks) (F-P)
18. “Going Rogue: An American Life” by Sarah Palin (HarperCollins) (NF-H)
19. “Precious” by Sapphire (Vintage) (F-P)
20. “Under the Dome” by Stephen King (Scribner) (F-H)
21. “The Man You’ll Marry” by Debbie Macomber (Mira) (F-P)
22. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson (Vintage) (F-P)
23. “Early Dawn” by Catherine Anderson (Signet) (F-P)
24. “Fire and Ice” by Julie Garwood (Ballantine Books) (F-P)
25. “Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1: The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion)
26. “U is for Underflow” by Sue Grafton (Putnam Adult) (F-H)
27. “Pirate Latitudes” by Michael Crichton (Harper) (F-H)
28. “The Last Song” by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing) (F-H)
29. “Have a Little Faith: A True Story” by Mitch Albom (Hyperion) (NF-H)
30. “Deeper Than the Dead” by Tami Hoag (Dutton Adult) (F-H)
31. “The Devil’s Punchbowl” by Greg Iles (Pocket Star) (F-P)
32. “Cook This Not That!: Kitchen Survival Guide” by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding ( Rodale Books) (NF-P)
33. “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage) (F-P)
34. “Tempted” by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (St. Martin’s Press) (F-H)
35. “Shades of Midnight” by Lara Adrian (Dell) (F-P)
36. “Altar of Eden” by James Rollins (William Morrow) (F-H)
37. “Fired Up” by Jayne Ann Krentz (Putnam Adult) (F-H)
38. “Forbidden Falls” by Robyn Carr (Mira) (F-P)
39. “The Piano Teacher: A Novel” by Janice Y. K. Lee (Penguin) (F-P)
40. “The Belly Fat Cure” by Jorge Cruise (Hay House) (NF-P)
41. “What the Dog Saw” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown) (NF-H)
42. “Bed of Roses” by Nora Roberts (Berkley) (F-P)
43. “Amazing Grace” by Sherryl Woods (Mira) (F-P)
44. “Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2: The Sea of Monsters” by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion) (F-P)
45. “Eat This Not That! 2010” by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding (Rodale Press) (NF-P)
46. “Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas” by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser (HarperCollins) (F-H)
47. “SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow) (NF-H)
48. “The Honor of Spies” by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV (Putnam Adult) (F-H)
49. “Blood Sins” by Kay Hooper (Bantam) (F-P)
50. “The Girl Who Played With Fire” by Stieg Larsson (Knopf) (F-H)
Reporting stores include: Amazon.com, B. Dalton Bookseller, Barnes & Noble.com, Barnes & Noble Inc., Books-A-Million and Bookland, Booksamillion.com, Borders Books & Music, Bookstar, Bookstop, Brentano’s, Davis Kidd Booksellers in Nashville, Jackson, Memphis, Tenn., Doubleday Book Shops, Hudson Booksellers, Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Cleveland), Powell’s Books (Portland, Ore.), Powells.com, R.J. Julia Booksellers (Madison, Conn.), Schuler.
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Here are links to other recent One for the Books columns. More links are available on my blog at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/one-for-the-books/

Fun Christmas Reading -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4727452

Palin-Tology -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4718844

Treats for Dog Lovers -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4709611

Current Best-Sellers -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4694861

Picture Books for Ages 4 to 8 -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4684752

All About Food -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4675462

Doctorow, Atwood, Pynchon -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4665676


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Thanks for reading One for the Books. Please let us know what kind of book news you’d like to see on this page. Send e-mail to Books@recordpub.com. Send other mail to Mary Louise Ruehr, Books Editor, Record-Courier, 126 N. Chestnut St. (P.O. Box 1201), Ravenna, OH 44266.

“One for the Books” appears the second and fourth Fridays of the month in the Record-Courier. Extra columns may appear on occasion, especially preceding Christmas and Hanukkah.