During September 2004 the market square in front of the Stamford Arts Centre was used for the village of Meryton in the recent production. Several false fronts were erected to hide buildings of the wrong period and several tons of sand used to hide the tarmac

 © Copyright Nat Bocking and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

One month until the 200th Anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice!  I have a series of countdown posts in mind.

Also if you are inclined there is A Call to Arms to get the Google Doodle to honor this celebration!

Regency clothes for American Girl Dolls!

Source: etsy.com via Evelyn on Pinterest

Regency clothes for American Girl Dolls!

If your family was like mine, certain little girls got a new (or their first) American Girl doll this holiday. What better way to bring her into the Regency fold than to get Regency inspired clothes for their doll.

 Check out DollSizedDesigns on etsy.com for her latest designs.

A Regency Christmas

Source: reginascott.com via Anne on Pinterest

For more on Regency Christmas you can read this wonderful post at author, Regina Scott's blog.

Books, eBooks....and more Books!

I am happy to say we recieved word from Elsa last week that her book is now avaialable in paper back!  You can purchase it from Amazon by going here.  And you can read our book recommendation here and see the cover art for the paperback version here.

Good Intentions by CM Spencer

Set in England during the reign of the Prince Regent, Good Intentions is a rollicking romantic comedy.

Victoria Larke’s insistence that she will not marry a naval officer uproots the family from Portsmouth to Bath. There she becomes part of a love triangle with two desirable young bachelors who happen to be best friends. When it becomes apparent that the gentleman she does not choose still has feelings for her, Victoria decides that she must find him a bride.

 It is the author’s hope that people who delight in Jane Austen’s novels will find similar pleasure in Good Intentions.

You can purchase Good Intentions at Smashwords or Amazon (available as eBook only).

The Affairs of Harriet Walters, Spinster by CM Spencer

Set in England during the reign of the Prince Regent, The Affairs of Harriet Walters, Spinster is a tender romantic comedy.

Harriet Walters, a twenty-six year old spinster, is evicted from her home and sent to live with a persnickety aunt. Resigned to the life of an unpaid companion, fate intervenes and Harriet becomes an heiress. Leaving her small town life for the glittering attractions of London, Harriet chooses an unconventional path to happiness and love.

It is the author’s hope that people who delight in Jane Austen’s novels will find similar pleasure in The Affairs of Harriet Walters, Spinster

You can purchase The Affairs of Harriet Walters, Spinster at Smashwords or Amazon (available as eBook only).

Here are some books that Amazon has slated for 2013 releases (I'm only listing the ones I found interesting!)

Celebrating Pride and Prejudice: 200 Years of Jane Austen's Masterpiece by Susannah Fullerton (Jan 1, 2013)

The Vulgar Question of Money: Heiresses, Materialism, and the Novel of Manners from Jane Austen to Henry James by Elsie B. Michie (Jan 24, 2013)

What Matters in Jane Austen?: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved by John Mullan (Jan 29, 2013) - I'm reading an Advanced Readers Copy of this now and I really like it!

Austensibly Ordinary by Alyssa Goodnight (Jan 29, 2013)

Jane Austen's World: The Life and Times of England's Most Popular Author by Maggie Lane (Feb 5, 2013)

From the Desk of Jane Austen: 100 Postcards by Potter Style (Feb 5, 2013)

A Brief Guide to Jane Austen by Charles Jennings (Feb 5, 2013)

Character and Conflict in Jane Austen's Novels: A Psychological Approach by Bernard J. Paris (Feb 28, 2013)

Pride and Prejudice and Kitties: A Cat-Lover's Romp through Jane Austen's Classic by Jane Austen, Pamela Jane and Deborah Guyol (Apr 1, 2013)

The Jane Austen Miscellany by Lauren Nixon (Apr 1, 2013)

Jane Austen's Guide to Thrift: An Independent Woman's Advice on Living within One's Means by Kathleen Anderson and Susan Jones (Apr 2, 2013)

The List Lover's Guide to Jane Austen by Joan Strasbaugh (Jun 1, 2013)

Chronology of Jane Austen and Her Family by Deirdre Le Faye (Jul 1, 2013)

The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen by Lindsay Ashford (Aug 6, 2013)

Jane Austen's England by Lesley Adkins and Roy Adkins (Aug 15, 2013)

A Call to Arms!

Hello, Fellow Janeites!

I'm mounting a grass roots campaign to ask GOOGLE to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice with a special home page (called a GOOGLE "Doodle") on the exact anniversary of the novel's publication date--January 28, 2013.

Please support the effort by forwarding this email ASAP to:

proposals@google.com

Show them that Janeites around the globe want to celebrate one of the most beloved novels in the English language.

Please forward to interested members and friends everywhere.

Thank you,

Julienne Gehrer
Regional Coordinator, JASNA-KC
Jane Austen Society of North America
www.jasnakc.org

2013 Meeting Dates and Topics

Here is our line up for 2013.  I'm excited about what we have planned I hope you are too!

March 16 - Regency Charades presented by Mark Turner
We're hoping to meet at a library, and are currently working on setting up the meeting.  If you would like to see a glimpse of what's in store you can read Mark's blog.

May 18 - Regency Music
We'll be meeting at Jeri's home for this meeting.  A pianist will be on hand to play some music from the Regency period.

August 17 - Box Hill Picnic
We are hoping to meet at Sayen Gardens in Hamilton.

October 19 - Deborah will be doing a presentation on her book.
We'll have more information as this date gets closer.

December 15 - Jane Austen Birthday Celebration and Book Pollyanna
We'll be meeting at Connie's house for our annual get together.

As always we'll keep you up to date on any changes or additions to our schedule. There is always the chance for a group trip to some interesting location!

As we head into the new year there will be changes to our region.  We have a changing of the guard in officer positions and there will be changes here on the blog.

We have grown in 2012 and we only hope to grow more in 2013!

-Amelia

Jane Austen Birthday Celebration and Book Pollyanna

As always we had a lovely tea and food spread. Our gracious host Deborah made these delicious scones.

After a business meeting we got down to our discussion of Lesley Castle. With the busy holiday season in full swing not everyone got a chance to finish reading the work, but we were still able to talk about the story.  It was noted that you can see the start of some plot lines, character development and Jane's notable wit being formed in this work.  Written in her late teens, Lesley Castle, is a funny story filled with superficial characters and interweaving plot lines.

On Friday I shared on Facebook and Twitter some of my favorite lines from the novella. Here they are again!

"Louisa was naturally ill-tempered and Cunning; but she had been taught to disguise her real Disposition, under the appearance of insinuating Sweetness, by a father who but too well knew, that to be married, would be the only chance she would have of not being starved, and who flattered himself that with such an extroidinary share of personal beauty, joined to a gentleness of Manners, and an engaging address, she might stand a good chance of pleasing some young Man who might afford to marry a girl without a Shilling." - Letter the Third (Lesley Castle)

"During our visit, the Weather being remarkably bad, and our party particularly stupid,..." Letter the Fourth (Lesley Castle)

"She has not a bad face, but there is something so extremely unmajestic in her little diminutive figure, as to render her in comparison with the elegant height of Matilda and Myself, an insignificant Dwarf." - Letter the Fifth (Lesley Castle)

"But here again, I met with nothing but Disappointment and Surprise. Matilda and Margaret Lesley are two great, tall, out of the way, over-grown, girls, just of a proper size to inhabit a Castle almost as large in comparison as themselves. I wish my dear Charlotte that you could but behold these Scotch giants; I am sure they would frighten you out of your wits." - Letter the Sixth (Lesley Castle)

After our discussion we made a sherry toast to Jane for her birthday (we also toasted our out going and in coming officers).

Then we got started on our Book Pollyanna.

• The Turn of the Screw, The Aspern Papers and Two Stories, by Henry James
• Daisy Miller and Washington Square, by Henry James
• Bleak House, by Charles Dickens
• The Children's Book by A. S. Byatt
• A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz
• The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
• Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
• Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope
• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by  Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
•  Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
• The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton
• All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith
• Dearest Cousin Jane  by Jill Pitkeathley
• Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
• How it All Began by Penelope Lively
• Jane-A-Day Journal

 All these books will be added to our LibraryThing list.

To see all the pictures from the event please see our Facebook Page.

Jane Austen’s Roasted Pheasant

Photo from Bite From the Past

On Saturday (12/1) Bite From the Past shared a great holiday recipe Jane Austen's roasted Pheasant or Cornish Game Hens

The gentlemen of Jane Austen’s day were fond of hunting and hunting parties were often rowdy, weeks-long affairs with hunters moving from one grand estate to another. Their wives followed, and often there were huge dinners and dances held in private ballrooms to celebrate-and partake of the day’s catch. 


This recipe, from Cooking with Jane Austen by Kirsten Olsen, is specifically made for pheasant. 


The original recipe reads:
Roast them either drawn or larded, or with a stuffing made with the livers minced, with grated bacon, parsley and scallions shred fine, pepper and salt, and covered with slices of bacon and paper. Serve them with sauce a la Provencal, or any other sauce in the fashionable taste. They may be served also in patty hot or cold, or in a tureen.

For the full recipe please visit the blog post here and for more Jane Austen  recipes from the blog go here.
 

Book Recommendation - Murder Most Austen

Description from Goodreads:

A dedicated Anglophile and Janeite, Elizabeth Parker is hoping the trip to the annual Jane Austen Festival in Bath will distract her from her lack of a job and her uncertain future with her boyfriend, Peter.

On the plane ride to England, she and Aunt Winnie meet Professor Richard Baines, a self-proclaimed expert on all things Austen. His outlandish claims that within each Austen novel there is a sordid secondary story is second only to his odious theory on the true cause of Austen’s death. When Baines is found stabbed to death in his Mr. Darcy costume during the costume ball, it appears that Baines’s theories have finally pushed one Austen fan too far. But Aunt Winnie’s friend becomes the prime suspect, so Aunt Winnie enlists Elizabeth to find the  professor’s real killer. With an ex-wife, a scheming daughter-in-law, and a trophy wife, not to mention a festival’s worth of die-hard Austen fans, there are  no shortage of suspects.

This fourth in Tracy Kiely’s charming series is pure delight. If Bath is the number-one Mecca for Jane Austen fans, Murder Most Austen is the perfect read for those who love some laughs and quick wit with their mystery.

Review:
I received a copy of the book from a representitve from St. Martin Press.

I normally don't read mysteries and those that I do read are not cozys, so this book was way out of my comfort reading zone.  That being said, I enjoyed reading this book.  This is the fourth book in the series, but I didn't feel like I was missing really important background information.  Any of that was included in a way that didn't feel like forced dialogue (you know like radio commercials). 

Like any good mystery there is a murder and a nice handful of suspects.  I couldn't figure out who did it at first but then I slowly started to have my suspicions.  The characters were a little bit over the top, but they worked for the story.  I did like how Elizabeth does get in trouble for investigating, but like any good heroine that doesn't stop her.  The desciption is right, this book does have some great witty moments.

If you are a cozy fan, I really think you should check out this series!

-Amelia

December Newsletter

Our December newsletter has information about our Jane Austen Birthday Celebration and JASNA CT's Summer Camp!

Book Cover Preview from Elsa Solender

Elsa Solender has shared with us her new book cover. This is the cover for the paper back version of Jane Austen in Love which she tells us should be on sale within the next week.  We'll keep you posted on the availability of the book.  Until then check out our recommendation of Jane Austen in Love.

Christmas with Jane Austen @ The Readington Museums

On Sunday, December 2nd, I met up with Jere at the Reading Museums, Bouman-Stickney Farmstead for their holiday celebration themed this year as Christmas with Jane Austen.

There were crafts.  Here are the silhouettes that my mom and I made.  I can't wait to hang them on our tree.

There was dancing.  Jere stepped right up and joined in the fun!

They were cooking a traditional holiday meal on the open hearth.  It smelled wonderful!

They had a recipe for Apees (spiced butter cookies). 

I can't wait to try them out!

To end the day, (for me at least) we took a walk amongst the hedgerows.

For more pictures please see our Facebook Page!