Alacrity

Nothing seems interesting enough to mention lately. I would like to offer some book reports though. I should really read fewer novels and more school stuff, but whatever.

1. Valley of the Dolls - Jacqueline Susann- I guess I've been reading too much Austen and Austen-knock offs, this unhappy ending was too distressing. I sobbed at the end of the book, I was so infuriated with it. I would never put up with that cheating bastard, Lyon. Bastard! Good soap opera type reading, but you may want some uppers like the girls in the book to survive it.

2. Jane Fairfax- Joan Aiken- A parallel to Emma, it follows Jane Fairfax's life. Really good. I found so much to love about Jane, except the secret engagement. Frank Churchill is a jerk. I had to reread Emma to see how well it paralleled. It was tough going at first, since the other book had me really disliking Emma, but I rekindled my love of Mr Knightley.

3. Mr Darcy's Daughters- Elizabeth Aston- Pride and Prejudice's sequel, set 20 years later. It seems she wanted to borrow some of P&P's casting with a moralizing sister, two trampy sisters, and the witty, pretty-in-her-own-way sister. The main character is no Elizabeth Bennet, but she's very likeable. At times, the book is a heavy-handed social commentary and is obviously intended to be a sketch of the intricacies of society life for the time. It's nothing Austen would have written, too many references to the bedroom, but it's interesting and a little saucier than you'd expect for an Austen knock off.

4. The Five Minute Marriage - Joan Aiken. Loved this book. Sultry, Darcy-esque Hero (hidden soft side, misunderstood, etc.) Exciting finale, and not too predictable. The heroine is a sort of Jane Fairfax, very likeable and easy to sympathize with.

5. Emma Watson- Joan Aiken- This was the first Aiken book I read, and I didn't like it much, so I didn't hold much hope for her others. I guess she doesn't like her heroine to end up with the parson, so she steered it against the natural flow of Austen's set up. Seriously, what Austen heroine would go for the one-armed naval officer she's barely met instead of the good looking local clergyman?!?

6. Sandition- Jane Austen and Another Lady- I read this a while ago, but since I'm recapping my Austen knock offs, I should mention it. It's a much better completion than Aiken's Emma Watson. This one has a really great climax, just like with Austen's books- I was in a panic thinking that maybe the hero isn't really in love with the heroine, and maybe she'll end up alone. But just as I'm giving up hope, he saves the day and is fabulous. Yay!

Verdict: I think Jane Fairfax is the only must-read for Austen fans, though I really liked the Austen-esque style of the Five Minute Marriage and Sandition.

Completely random aside:
Has anyone else noticed that the lead singer of The Killers is way hot in the Mr Brightside video? The right guy in eye liner... je ne sais quoi.