My Love for Jane Austen

Rating: ★★★★/★★★★★ My Jane Austen Summer is debut author Cindy Jones' labour of love which I got to know through Austen Authors blog as she is a regular blogger there. I have been following her publication journey several months back and I am thrilled to be finally able to read her first novel after ten years of hard work, rejections and revisions. The story is about Lily Berry, a twenty-six-year-old Texas woman who is on a downhill following the death of her mother due to illness, the sacking from her job as human resource personnel because her boss caught her reading Northanger Abbey and getting dumped by her boyfriend, Martin. On top of that, her life is turned upside down soon after her mother's funeral when Sue, her father's new and younger girlfriend, decided to move in to live with her father. She endured all the grief, suffering and anguish alone without getting the required professional help advised by her older sister, Karen by reading all of Jane Austen...

The Austenesque scout is happy to let you know about two giveaways this week. Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose is organising a contest for US readers to win a free DVD set of Upstairs Downstairs donated by BBC Video about the new revival of the 1970s hit series. The DVD is released today in US by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment after the conclusion of the third episode shown last Sunday on PBS's Masterpiece Classic. For a chance to win this DVD, leave a comment here mentioning your favourite characters from this new series or what intrigues you about this time period (pre-World War II). Deadline is next Wednesday, 4 May 2011 . The winner will be randomly chosen and announced the next day. Maria Grazia who manages My Jane Austen Book Club has interviewed William Deresievicz in her weekly column talking about Jane Austen with writers of Austen-inspired books. Professor Deresievicz has just released a new book this week called A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Ta...

Sourcebooks Publishing House is sponsoring giveaways through several book blogs to kick-off the royal wedding frenzy of UK's Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton. The prizes are two Georgette Heyer novels but the titles of the novels are a surprise . This giveaway is only open to US and Canadian readers. Check the rules for deadline and how to participate in the contest. They may also offer several ways to earn extra entries. Generally, leave a comment with your email address at the following post: Sourcebooks British Babes and Georgette Heyer Giveaways @ Linda Banche Romance Author Royal Give Away Kickoff – Georgette Heyer Book Give Away @ Laugh Love Write Sourcebooks' Royal Special: Two Book Georgette Heyer #Giveaway! @ Broken Teepee Sourcebooks Royal Giveaways and a Georgette Heyer Giveaway @ So Many Precious Books, So Little Time Sourcebooks is going Royally Mad with Giveaways! @ Book Addict British Babes Book Brigade Celebration and Giveaway!...

The fabulous Sourcebooks publisher has established the British Babes Book Brigade Facebook page dedicated to all fans of its British women authors of many fantastic, best-selling books — from Jane Austen sequels and re-imaginings, to contemporaries and historical fiction. The list includes five Austenesque authors: Jane Odiwe, Monica Fairview, Amanda Grange, Victoria Connelly and Belinda Roberts. Beside this other notable British female writers are Jill Mansell, Elizabeth Chadwick, Helen Hollick, Sarah Bower, Phillipa Ashley. The site gives you unprecedented access to the authors with discussions, extra book content, videos, sneak peaks at new books, online events and loads of gossip. You can participate in giveaways and interact with the authors. In honour of the royal wedding of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Elizabeth Middleton this week, the British Babes Book Brigade is throwing a very royal celebration. Starting Monday, 25 April 2011 they will be doing a giveaway eve...

The Austenesque scout would like to wish all her Christian readers a Happy Easter. In addition there are good news on how to participate and win three giveaways that are offered this week. Jane Odiwe is offering a signed copy of her second novel, Willoughby's Return on her blog in celebration of two hundred years of Sense and Sensibility publication this year. Leave a comment at this post stating your favourite character from Sense and Sensibility . Contest is open to all and ends next Sunday, 1 May 2011 . Vic Sanborn of Jane Austen's World is hosting a DVD giveaway of Upstairs Downstairs in honour of the US premiere on PBS's Masterpiece Classic. In order to win this prize, do leave a comment here mentioning what you like best in the series . You have until next Tuesday, 26 April 2011 at 11.59 pm EST to post your comment. All the best!

The Austenesque book scout would like to spread the good news about delightful new Austenesque titles, Georgette Heyer novels and other book recommendations which will be published by renowned publishers for the upcoming Autumn-Winter 2011 season. Not to be missed is a new companion book for Downton Abbey lovers. Publishers' description are taken from their website and Amazon while book covers are from Barnes & Noble and author's and publisher's website. The list is arranged in chronological order with earliest release dates first. The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen by Dominique Enright Lauded for her eloquence, observation and wry humour, Jane Austen was a novelist who was highly regarded and greatly celebrated in her own time. However, her appeal is as great as ever and her insights remain as fresh and relevant today as when they were first published. This delightful volume offers thematic extracts from fiction and correspondence; featuring quotes from her ce...