The Austen Shelf
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A dedcated creator to all things Jane Austen!
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2026: The Year of Writing and More Writing...
Happy New Year!! 2025 is over, which does have me a little down. It was an exciting year, especially for Jane Austen fans as it was Austen's 250th birthday this past December. I had really wished to do more throughout the year to celebrate this but unfortunately found myself with not much time or energy to do that. And maybe that is why I am very excited for this new year.
By The Austen Shelf9 days ago in Writers
Quotes From Sense & Sensibility
Over the summer I reread Sense & Sensibility for the first time. It was the first Jane Austen book that I read many a years ago, before I ever had this blog or any notion of doing something like this. As usual, I collected some of my favourite quotes from the book to share with you.
By The Austen Shelf16 days ago in BookClub
A 250 Year Old Icon
On December 16th it was Jane Austen's birthday! She was born in 1775, making it her 250th birthday and there were many celebrations happening across the globe. If you went to any events, or maybe read one of her books, or watched an adaptation, I'd love to know what you did to celebrate! And if you missed the day it's never too late to crack open that good ol' Pride & Prejudice, or perhaps Persuasion if you're feeling more melancholic, or maybe Emma if you're looking for a good laugh.
By The Austen Shelf22 days ago in BookClub
Everything I Read This Summer...
Summer is over. And I would say this is unfortunate but then that would be a lie. Personally, I love the fall and winter, the summer and I have never really gotten along well. That being said, I did get a lot of reading done this summer and I'm here to tell you (and only you) about everything I read this summer that was by or mentioned Jane Austen, because it was surprisingly a lot.
By The Austen Shelf4 months ago in BookClub
The Modern Day Jane Austen
Last September, I (accidentally) got the honour of being at the world premiere of Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (2025) written and directed by Laura Piani. And finally it is coming to theatres in North America on May 23rd! So I am here today to share some of my thoughts on the movie and to encourage any/all Austen fans or lovers of rom-coms to go see Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.
By The Austen Shelf8 months ago in Humans
Can We Still Relate to Elinor Dashwood Today?
This week I attended a lecture on Sense & Sensibility. It was in preparation of an adapted production being put on at the Stratford Festival this year. There were some points made by both the lecturer and by others in the room that I disagree with and wanted to discuss today.
By The Austen Shelf10 months ago in BookClub
The Best, The Worst, & Everything In Between
2024 in my books could be defined as: a circus in need of a dictionary. But despite all of that I still managed to read 45 books! After last year, when I surpassed my reading goal in June, I said that I was going to try and read bigger (longer) books this year to, in a way, slow myself down. Did I really read bigger books? Not really. Did it slow me down? Also no, not really. But I read some big books, I read some small books; I loved a few books, and hated some others. Without further ado, my 2024 reading wrap-up.
By The Austen Shelf12 months ago in BookClub
Notes On: Confessions Of A Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
Of course I had to read this book. I mean look at me. Just look at me. And was I personally attacked and called out by the book? Yes. And did I LOVE the intense addiction the main character, Courtney, had with Jane Austen (and deeply relate to that)? Also yes.
By The Austen Shelfabout a year ago in BookClub
Nothing Will Top This Pride & Prejudice Reimagining
Remember the last story I wrote about how we didn't need another Pride & Prejudice adaptation? The story has been told time and time again. You may have seen a P&P retelling without even realizing! And while my mind hasn't changed in the past two weeks since last writing - I still think straight from the book to screen adaptations are, at this point, unnecessary - I do think that Pride & Prejudice & Zombies is an exception. Not even an exception! It's magnificent and I'm going to tell you why.
By The Austen Shelfabout a year ago in Humans
Why Adults Should Read More Children's Literature
In this past May and June I was taking a Children's Literature English Class. Because of this, of course, I was reading a variety of kid's books and middle grade books. (If you don't know, middle grade is made for the age range after children's books but before young adult, basically around 8-12 years old). I've always continued reading middle grade, even as I've grown more and more out of the target audience for it, mainly by rereading books that I really enjoyed when I was younger. For the past few years I've read one of my all time favourite books, Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston, over and over because it's just that great. But when I was taking this English class in the spring I read children's books that were new to me and books that are younger than I would usually go back to read, and I think it sparked something in me and made me realize: "Why don't more adults read children's literature and middle grade?"
By The Austen Shelfabout a year ago in BookClub
