On My Shelf // January 2013

I have been doing a ton of reading lately.  Something about winter makes me just want to curl up on the couch with a blanket, cup of tea, and a good book.  I've decided not to review all of the books here, just a couple.  If I did them all, the post would be way too long.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As part of my 35 by 35 goals, I want to re-read the Harry Potter series. Part of that is because I'm not 100% sure that I ever read them all. I have to say, Chamber of Secrets is not my favorite of the series. I really think that J.K. Rowling hit her stride starting in the next book and then got even better following that.

Georgiana Darcy's Diary: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continued by Anna Elliott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a free book on Amazon (I read it on my Kindle), so I didn't really have high hopes for it. For the most part, I find "sequels" to Pride and Prejudice to be ... well, not good. This was a pleasant surprise. First, the author did not try and write in the tone of Jane Austen. She knew she wouldn't be able to recreate that and didn't even try.

There were some character changes that I didn't like - Caroline and Lady DeBurgh come to mind - but if you don't mind a little deviation from the original, you won't mind too much. The changes make sense in this story, if not in Pride and Prejudice.

All in all, a light, quick read that made me want to pop in the BBC mini-series of P&P for another watch.