Books Read in 2017

And here is the link if you would like to click on any of these 80 titles and find out more about them: Susanne's 2017 Goodreads Booklist. I haven't yet posted all of the reviews from this booklist, but they'll be coming along in weekly batches--I hope! That's the plan, anyway!

Starting all over with a new booklist for 2018,

Happy New Year!! Welcome, 2017!

Updated from the Archives....

As we ring in the New Year of 2017, I thought this lovely poem which floated quietly in my e-mail inbox, courtesy of Poets.org, a few years ago which perfectly expresses the New Year's cliché of "out with the old, in with the new." After all, Tennyson wasn't one for cliches, thank goodness!

2016 has been a rough year for many others besides us. We nearly lost our home. Keith had little to no work for much of the year. I was overworked, trying to keep the family afloat with working from home while homeschooling our youngest. Those of us with genetic mutations (E, T, myself, and likely B) had a very rough year, both physically and emotionally. Our household has been far less than peaceful. And then there's the election and the loss of many talented people this year, both the famous and the "ordinary." (Not that anyone is truly ordinary...)

So we pray for a fresh, new year with a fresh, new outlook, mindset, and love for God and others.

So as we return soon from the rush and exhaustion and joy and pain that make up the Holy Days with a selection from one of my favorite Tennyson poems, one which always brings to mind my beloved Brit Lit professor, Dr. Arthur Seamans, who used to quote this poem in an appropriately ringing voice:

From In Memoriam by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (published 1849)

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

So as we ring out all that was evil, injurious, sad, wrong, unjust, hurtful, grievous, and sinful in 2016, may we welcome all that is brave, true, right, courageous, beautiful, holy, lovely, sacred, and godly in 2017!!

From the Book of Common Prayer 2011:

For Guidance
O GOD, by you the humble are guided in doing right; Your light illumines the darkness for those who trust in you; In our doubts and uncertainties, give us grace to ask what you would have us do, so that the Spirit of Wisdom may save us from all false choices; In your light may we see light, and in your straight path may we not stumble; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Sources: Psalm 26.9; 36.9; John 1.5; Jeremiah 17.7)

May God grant us all a healthy and blessed New Year of 2017 as we strive to follow the example of Christ our Lord as we live, serve, and love in His ways.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! And a Happy Eighth Day of Christmastide as well!!

Praying to follow the Light, this year and always,

Books I Read in 2015

The most erudite of all of the variations of Pride and Prejudice that I read this year, the New York Times Bestseller Longbourn explores Austen's famous novel from the point of view of the Bennets' servants

I've read quite a few books this year...yes, quite a few. According to my Goodreads list, I've read nearly 70 books although the list below includes only 55.

I've been immersing myself in variations and continuations of Austen books, mostly Pride and Prejudice, in preparation for writing my own book in this genre; the oldest Pride and Prejudice "fan fiction" novel here dates back to 1949, long before the term "fan fiction" came into being.

The source of most of these novels is the amazing website Austen Variations which features both short stories and full-on chapter books based on Austen's works, plus historical, literary, and sociological articles on the Regency period and on Austen and her family. It's a treasure-trove for Austen fans.

So here's a graphic of my list: Susanne's Year in Books 2015 on Goodreads

The Bibliophile Mystery series is definitely one of my favorite set of mysteries and features a bookbinder with a penchant for finding dead bodies and piecing together clues....

And here's the list I made on the sidebar of my blog. I think that the Goodreads list is more accurate if there are any discrepancies:

• A Darcy Christmas by Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan, and Carolyn Eberhart (2010)
• A Gentleman's Daughter: Her Choice by Reina M. Williams (2011)
• A Gentleman's Daughter: Her Folly by Reina M. Williams (2013)
• A Wife for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen (2011)
• A Will of Iron by Linda Beutler (2015)
• Alone with Mr. Darcy by Abigail Reynolds (2015)
• An Improper Suitor by Monica Fairview (2008)
• Ardently: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Caitlin Williams (2015)
• Darcy and Elizabeth: Behind Pemberley's Walls (short story) by Mary Lydon Simonsen (2015)
• Darcy and Elizabeth: Lost in Love (short story) by Mary Lydon Simonsen (2015)
• Darcy Chooses by Gianna Thomas (2015)
• Darcy and Elizabeth: A Most Unlikely Couple by Brenda J. Webb (2014)
• Falling for Your Madness by Katharine Grubb (2012)
• Haunting Mr. Darcy by KaraLynne Mackrory (2014)
• Her Royal Spyness (#1) by Rhys Bowen (2007)
• In the Arms of Mr. Darcy (Darcy Saga #4) by Sharon Lathan (2010)
• Lizzy Bennet's Diary by Cassandra Grafton (2014)
• Longbourn by Jo Baker (2013)
• Longbourn to London by Linda Beutler (2014)
• Lord of Glory: A Lenten Devotional on the Names of Christ by Ray Pritchard (2014)
• Loving Mr. Darcy (Darcy Saga #2) by Sharon Lathan (2009)
• Most Truly: A P&P Novella by Reina M. Williams (2013)
• Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy (Darcy Saga #1) by Sharon Lathan (2009)
• Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride by Helen Halstead (2007)
• Mr. Darcy's Persistent Pursuit by Elaine Owen (2014)
• Mr. Darcy's Promise by Jenna Ellsworth (2014)
• Mr. Darcy's Refuge by Abigail Reynolds (2012)
• Mr. Darcy's Secret by Jane Odiwe (2011)
• Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds (2010)
• My Dearest Mr. Darcy (Darcy Saga #3) by Sharon Lathan (2010)
• Only Mr. Darcy Will Do by Kara Louise (2008)
• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (1992)
• Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell (2010)
• Pemberley Shades by D.A. Bonavia-Hunt (1949)
• Pemberley or P&P Continued by Emma Tennant (1993)
• Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier (re-read) (1938)
• Remembrance of the Past by Lory Lilian (2011)
• Ripped from the Pages (Bibliophile Mystery #9) by Kate Carlisle (2015)
• Sketching Mr. Darcy by Lory Lilian (2015)
• So Gradually: A Pride and Prejudice Tale by Jessica Schlenker (2008)
• Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good (Mitford #10) by Jan Karon (2014)
• The Best of Relations by Catherine Bilson (2015)
• The Darcy Cousins by Monica Fairview (2010)
• The Late Scholar (Lord Peter #4) by Jill Paton Walsh (2013)
• The One Year Book of Hymns by Tyndale House (1995)
• The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview (2009)
• The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen (2011)
• The Perfect Match by Lory Lillian (2014)
• The Red Chrysanthemum by Linda Beutler (2013)
• The Tiny Steps by David J.Schmidt (2015)
• The Trouble with Mr. Darcy (Darcy Saga #5) by Sharon Lathan (2010)
• To Refine Like Silver by Jenna Ellsworth (2014)
• Twelfth Night by Shakespeare (1601) (re-read)
• Without Reserve by Abigail Reynolds (2004)
• Yours Forevermore, Darcy by KaraLynne Mackrory (2015)

Wishing you a joyous and healthy 2016,

Films I Watched in 2014

Just as I track the books I read each year, I also jot down the films I watch each year. Here's my list for 2014:

films i've seen in 2014:

• A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
• A Tale of Two Cities (1980 Made for TV)
• A Tale of Two Cities (1989 Masterpiece Theater)
• A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014 in theatres)
• Captain America (2011)
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014-in theatres)
• Captain Blood (1935)
• Death Comes to Pemberley (2013)
• Frozen (2013)
• Ghost Adventures (2007)
• Great Expectations (2012)
• Hamlet (Tennant, 2009)
• Holiday (1938)
• Jane Eyre (1999)
• Jane Eyre (2010)
• Lincoln (2012)
• Mansfield Park (1999)
• Monkey Business (1952)
• Murder on the Home Front (2013)
• Peter's Friends (1992)
• Red Dawn (2012)
• Sense and Sensibility (2008)
• Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)
• Tangled (2010)
• That's Dancing (1985)
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
• The Holiday (2006)
• The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
• The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2013)
• The Monuments Men (2014)
• The Philadelphia Story (1940)
• The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
• Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Just as with the books I read during the year, I also track the films I watch in the sidebar of this blog.

Happy watching!

Books I Read in 2014

For the past fourteen years, I've tracked the books I've read each year, and here is this year's list which includes a great deal of Austen fan fiction:

books i've read in 2014:

·  A Constant Heart by Siri Mitchell (2008)

·  A Plain Death (#1) by Amanda Flower (2012)

·  A Plain Scandal (#2) by Amanda Flower (2013)

·  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (1859)

·  Almost Matched (#1) by A.O. Peart (2013)

·  An Age of Extremes (A History of US Book 8) by Joy Hakim (2003)

·  Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke (2010)

·  Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding (2013)

·  Death on Blackheath by Anne Perry (Pitt #29) (2014)

·  Dorchester Terrace by Anne Perry (2012)

·  Dreaming of Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly (2012)

·  Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson (2009)

·  Feint Art by Hailey Lind (2006)

·  Impulse & Initiative by Abigail Reynolds (2008)

·  Innocence by Elise deSallier (2013)

·  Midnight at Marble Arch by Anne Perry (2013)

·  Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale (2012)

·  Mr. Darcy Forever by Victoria Connelly (2012)

·  Mr. Darcy's Obsession by Abigail Reynolds (2010)

·  North by Northanger (#3) by Carrie Bebris (2006)

·  Passion and Propriety by Elise deSallier (2014)

·  Pride and Prescience (#1) by Carrie Bebris (2004) (re-read)

·  Protection by Elise deSallier (2014)

·  Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers (1930)

·  Suspense and Sensibility (#2) by Carrie Bebris (2005) (re-read)

·  The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History by A. Kenneth Curtis 
         (1991)

· The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh (2010)

· The Book Stops Here (Bibliophile Mystery #8) by Kate Carlisle (2014)

· The Deception at Lyme (#6) by Carrie Bebris (2011)

· The Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie (1949) (re-read)

· The Executive's Decision by Bernadette Marie (2011)

· The Intrigue at Highbury (#5) by Carrie Bebris (2010)

· The Man Who Loved Jane Austen by Sally Smith O'Rourke (2006) (re-read)

· The Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice by Abigail Reynolds (2010)

· The Matters at Mansfield (#4) by Carrie Bebris (2008)

· The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain (1882)

· The Tidings (A Ghost Huntess novella) by Marley Gibson (2012)

· The Truth in Lies by Jeanne McDonald (2013)

· The Victoria Vanishes by Christopher Fowler (2008)

· Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy Sayers and Jill Paton Walsh (1998)

· Treason at Lisson Grove by Anne Perry (2012) (re-read)

· Twelfth Night at Longbourn by Maria Grace (2013)

· Waiting for Rachel by KR Jordan (2013)

· War, Peace, and All That Jazz (A History of US Book 9) by Joy Hakim (2003)

· What Would Mr. Darcy Do? by Abigail Reynolds (2011)

· Wholly Unconnected with Me by Maria Grace (2014)

· You Had Me at Merlot by Marley Gibson (2014)

So as my goal for 2014 was to read 50 novels, I made it to 47 which isn't too awfully terrible considering how crazy-busy my year has been. 

2015? Let's try to read 50 again. Any takers? My running total will be in the sidebar of my blog throughout the year, as usual. 

Happy reading!