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Kayla's Only Heart

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Kayla's Only Heart

Tag Archives: Jane Austen

Winter Reading Getaways

23 Saturday Feb 2019

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in books, The Great American Reader, Uncategorized

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adventure, Beartown, book club, bookish, books, community, England, Fredrik Backman, friendship, Great American Reader, Harry Potter, Hogwarts, J.K. Rowling, Jane Austen, love, Persuasion, reading, Victorian literature, winter

February ends in less than a week, and spring comes soon. As I start to ease out of the winter blues, I have some books lined up for those days spent indoors. They range from atmospheric, character driven novels to classics.

 

Beartown by Fredrik Backman: This weekend I finally have this book beloved in book club circles on my docket. A couple chapters in I already feel immersed in the small forest town that revolves around its hockey team. Backman goes deep into the minds of his characters, and I sense a foreboding event. I anticipate reading how the characters respond to the situation and how they interact with each other. This community offers insight on relationship and organization dynamics.

Persuasion by Jane Austen: Though the novel doesn’t have a wintery setting, it transports you to Victorian England. The story explores social class and mores as well as its expectations for love. Anne has a failed love story in the background, so I look forward to seeing how encountering her lover again shapes her marriage prospects and how Austen’s trademark wit plays into it. I already find myself daydreaming about the cottages and the names as well as my Pride and Prejudice reread for my Great American Reader project.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling: The second installment in the Harry Potter series continues my Great American Reader project as well as my book club community read as we read the series this year. In England again, this time in the beloved Hogwarts castle, the school walls protect the students against the cold and darkness as Voldemort fights to gain power. Hogwarts offers respite from the winter as well as a fantasy adventure rooted in good vs evil. Harry and his friends continue to grow up and face moral dilemmas that make you root for them while wishing you attended Hogwarts too.

Countdown to Valentine’s Day: Not So Clueless Galentines

04 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in Uncategorized

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Clueless, friends, friendship, Galentine, Jane Austen, love, mail, manicure, notes, Valentine, Valentine's Day

Clueless

 

For my Sunday Ritual this week, I’ve added silver and pink glitter to my manicure and watched Clueless. The movie ties into a Galentines theme with its focus on friendships and matchmaking. While we tend to get caught up in the romantic side of love for Valentine’s Day, love between friends counts just as much. Cher and her best friend Deon welcome Ty, the new girl at school, into their inner circle. Together they face the perils of driving lessons, grades and unrequited love. At the end, it’s the girls having a good time together that matters.

My love for love goes back many years. Well before I ever had a Valentine in the traditional sense, I eagerly awaited my favorite holiday so I could give sweet (or cheesy) notes and chocolates to my friends. Even now, my favorite angle of this season revolves around my besties. My email preview of my mail shows me I have another Valentine note arriving soon, so I feel excited to open it. It is a trade for the crafted notes I have outgoing for my friends to receive later this week. As we start a new week, let’s consider a friend who might enjoy a sweet note celebrating friendship’s love.

 

Fun Fact: Clueless has inspiration Jane Austen’s Emma. A Jane Austen novel or screen adaptation works perfectly for Valentine entertainment. Mr. Darcy does reign as a beloved romantic hero.

Book Review: By the Book

30 Saturday Jun 2018

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in books, Uncategorized

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book review, bookish, BookishFirst, books, By the Book, college, college life, dreams, education, Jane Austen, Julia Sonneborn, university

I received an ARC of By the Book by Julia Sonneborn from BookishFirst in exchange for a review.

This book holds appeal for its college setting as well as its Jane Austen inspiration. However, it does not hold the same depth as you would wish a university experience or Austen reading to have. It does provide some light hearted fun though.
Overall, I enjoy Anne Corey as a character. I admire her devotion and her ambition to her career and to those in her inner circle. She has pushed herself through school to teach on a university campus, a long term and highly involved endeavor. Her background encourages me to push forward in my education as well, though the reminder of her school loans looming over her intimidated me. Anne also has the relatability of someone who yearns for love yet doesn’t quite know how to find it or maintain it. The love triangle makes her look like her intelligence isn’t balanced in terms of life and books.

The book flows quickly and serves as a light, fun read. Its surface stays shiny, but it doesn’t go much deeper than that.

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You can't make advances if you don't take chances. These posts share my perspectives of my journey as I step forward, walking in the Light.

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