Tuesday, January 5, 2010

2010 Jane Austen Challenge

Haley from the Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object is hosting the Jane Austen Challenge, which runs from Jan. 1, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2010.  Although I'll be busy with the Vietnam War Reading Challenge at War Through the Generations, I couldn't let this one pass me by.

Participants can choose one of three levels, and of course, I'm going all the way.  I'm a "Fanatic," which means I'll be reading at least 6 books by Jane Austen and at least 5 re-writes, prequels, sequels, or spoofs by other authors.

I've already compiled a list, though it might change over the course of the year.

Books by Jane Austen

1. Persuasion, which I've never read
2. Northanger Abbey, which I've never read
3. Emma, which I've never read
4. Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon, which I've never read and plan to buy in one volume
5. Sense and Sensibility, which I read in high school and don't really remember
6. Pride and Prejudice, which I've read several times, most recently a decade ago

If I complete these, I will have read all of Austen's novels, having read Mansfield Park in 2008.

Re-writes, Sequels, Spoofs, etc.

1. Mansfield Park Revisited by Joan Aiken
2. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
3. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds
4. Mr. Darcy's Great Escape by Marsha Altman
5. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo
6. Impulse & Initiative by Abigail Reynolds
7. Eliza's Daughter by Joan Aiken
8. Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford

Wish me luck!

12 comments:

Serena said...

Good luck. Looks like you have a great list!

Staci said...

I signed up too!!!

bermudaonion said...

Have fun with this one, Anna!

A Bookshelf Monstrosity said...

Oh, man, this one's gonna be great. I signed up too, of course :)

Molly said...

Good luck :)

I am going to do a challenge like this some year!

Miss Haley said...

welcome to the Challenge! Have fun!!

Keyo said...

i still dont know how u manage to read so many books! hats off to u.
just wanted to drop by and say hi and happy new year to u! :)

Lisa said...

I did the Everything Austen challenge at Stephanie's Written Word this year and managed to complete the challenge without having actually read any of Austen's works. I read a couple of the re-writes and saw several movies. If I weren't already doing so many challenges, I'd add this one for the coming year to make myself get back to Austen herself!

Hazra said...

Whoa! Your list looks really great! I've got Jane Austen on my radar too; I haven't read any of her works except Pride and Prejudice and my friends and I are really determined to change that! Have fun with the challenge!

J.S. Peyton said...

Yay! You're reading "Persuasion!" I love "Persuasion." And I thought "Emma" was pretty fun. Have a great time reading all that lovely Jane Austen!

Mark David said...

I also want to read Pride and Prejudice this year (hopefully as well as Sense and Sensibility, and perhaps even Northanger Abbey). Oh this is an interesting challenge, but I'm afraid to join just yet because I still have LOTS of books I need to finish first.

Speaking of spoofs, have you heard about Mr. Darcy, Vampyre? Bellezza has posted an enticing review in her site.

Anna said...

~Serena: Thanks! I hope to have time for all of them.

~Staci: Great! I'm looking forward to your reviews.

~bermudaonion: Believe me, I will!

~A Bookshelf Monstrocity: Cool! Can't wait to read your reviews.

~Molly: Thanks! I do hope you participate at some point.

~Haleyknitz: Thanks for hosting such a great challenge.

~Keyomi: Happy new year to you, too! Honestly, the long work commute is the only reason I read so much.

~Lisa: Getting back to Austen is one of the reasons I signed up. It's sort of "forcing" me to focus on her work this time. I really had a blast with the Everything Austen challenge, and like you, I completed it without reading Austen herself.

~Hazra: Thanks! Hope you enjoy reading more Austen.

~J.S. Peyton: Glad to hear you loved Persuasion. I can't wait to read it.

~Mark David: I'm looking forward to your thoughts on Austen. I actually read Mr. Darcy, Vampyre over the summer and thought it was okay.