Northanger Abbey
by Jane Austen

Regency House Party
by Richard E. Grant

So recently I ordered, and await with anticipation the arrival of Jane Austen: Her Life and Letters by William Austen-Leigh; an Emma sequel called Love's Perjuries by Joan Ellen Delman; and because I am always fascinated by food in the regency, and Austen’s attitudes to living and health, I could not resist this gem, The Jane Austen Diet by Brian Kozlowski.

I’ll do a review of each one when I read it, so stay tuned!

Just on a side note, I also nipped over to the DVD section, and ordered a DVD copy of the rather dated reality TV show called Regency House Party. The idea of seeing a non-fictional representation of how Austen and her contemporaries lived back then was just too hard to pass up. And I expect it to answer some enduring questions we all have; I mean, how often DID Lizzy Bennet bathe? And who really emptied those nasty chamber pots? 

Understanding more thoroughly some of those perennial facts of British life, like the class structures which were accepted as the norm, and the importance for women of beauty and breeding to make a good marriage give a more rounded out view of the period and help us to understand the dilemmas of Austen’s (and her contemporaries) female characters particularly. So I have high hopes that the series will be serious in sticking to the social mores and strict hierarchies which dominated the era.              

In the meantime, I would love to hear what your own winter/summer reading list is, depending on where you are in the world, and if you have any favourites you would like to recommend!

Look forward to hearing from other readers and writers!

Love Kate