When I saw the half-naked men in promos for gay rom-com Fire Island, I erroneously assumed it was a reality dating show. That placed Fire Island in my mental queue just after finishing Love is Blind Brazil. Meaning moderately high, but not at the top of my To Watch list. But then Sarah told me it was actually a reinterpretation of Pride and Prejudice about a group of friends who vacation stay with their lesbian … Continue reading Movie Review: Fire Island →
Happy Wednesday, y’all! Also, happy Pride! As a bi/pan woman, giving support and hugs (if you want them) to all my fellow queer folk this month especially. It’s been a rough 2022 for LGBTQ+ people and I hope this Pride can be as restorative and healing as it can be celebratory. Please know that you are valued, loved, and treasured. It also wouldn’t be a Links post if I didn’t complain about the New England … Continue reading Links: Upcoming Romance, Darcy, & More →
Tara: This book is so freaking cute, it should be illegal. And luckily, Aarya agrees with me, so we’re talking about it together! Written in the Stars is an opposites attract, fake relationship romance between Darcy Lowell, an actuary, and Elle Jones, an astrologer. Elle is working with Darcy’s brother, Brendon, on a project and he insists on setting them up on a blind date because they’re both single (also, as the founder of the … Continue reading Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur →
Well reader, I was wrong. I read this book up to the 31% mark and figured it was a DNF due to an over-reliance on clichés. However, I started skimming the middle of the book and had to back up and read the whole thing. Jane in Love is a wildly uneven book which I expect will be a love it or hate it book for readers. I enjoyed Jane Austen as a curious and insightful … Continue reading Jane in Love by Rachel Givney →
I always felt a little sorry for Mary Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. It seemed to me that Mary was isolated in a way her other sisters were not; Lizzie and Jane had each other as confidants, and Lydia and Kitty were partners in crime. Mary’s biggest flaw seemed to be a lack of self-awareness that led to awkward social situations, which lacked the malice or selfishness of other character’s actions, especially Lydia’s. In The … Continue reading The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow →
A Jane Austen Tarot Deck by Jacqui Oakley features beautiful art and thoughtful associations between Austen themes and tarot themes. Alas, it claims to be a tarot deck despite only having 53 cards (as opposed to a standard tarot deck’s 78 cards). Had it stuck with being an oracle deck instead of also trying to be a deck for tarot “and gameplay”, I would have been much happier with it. Note: This deck is not … Continue reading A Jane Austen Tarot Deck by Jacqui Oakley →
Tara was kind enough to alert me to the existence of a book about Charlotte Lucas, who is Elizabeth Bennet’s friend in Pride and Prejudice. We had so many feelings about this very strange book, which involves Gothic emotion and SO MUCH SEX, plus at least two flights across the moors, which I can only assume were dutifully wuthering. For those who are rusty on their Austen, here’s the background: Charlotte Lucas agrees to marry … Continue reading Lucas by Elna Holst →
Let’s get this out of the way – Clueless remains the best film adaptation of Emma, the novel by Jane Austen, to date, in terms of capturing the essence of the novel’s title character. Having said that, the current (2020) version offers sumptuous scenery, costuming, and staging, gorgeous cinematography, some adept historical touches, and nuanced acting. I sometimes disagreed with the film’s interpretation of Emma Woodhouse, but never with actress Anya Taylor-Joy’s actual performance, in … Continue reading Movie Review: Emma (2020) →
Jane Austen’s Ghost is a ghost story and a mystery of sorts, with romantic and historical elements. There is a satisfying romance in the middle, and there is a lot of humour, but, as befits a ghost story, there will be parts that make you cry, too. It’s quite a gentle, comforting sort of story to read and comes together in a very satisfying way at the end. I enjoyed it a lot. The story … Continue reading Jane Austen’s Ghost by Jennifer Kloester →
Welcome back to Lightning Reviews! If you’re new here, welcome! This is where we post three, mini reviews of books. The books grouped together may have a theme or, in this case, may be completely different. Today, we have a magical gay romance, a lesbian romance set in Manila, and nonfiction for Jane Austen fans.
The Jane Austen Handbook: Proper Life Skills From Regency England is a guide to Regency life and manners, pitched to the reader who wants something non-academic and focused on the socio-economic class that Austen wrote about most frequently. This is history-lite but it’s fun and interesting. If you’ve read Jane Austen’s novels and want something to fill out the world for you, this is a good starter book. It’s light, with lovely illustrations. I was … Continue reading The Jane Austen Handbook by Margaret C. Sullivan →
