Book Review: The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah Ladd

Darbury, England, 1814

Amelia Barrett gave her word. Keeping it could cost her everything.

Amelia Barrett, heiress to an estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend's baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word-even to the point of proposing to the child's father-a sea captain she's never met.

When the child vanishes with little more than an ominous ransom note hinting at her whereabouts, Amelia and Graham are driven to test the boundaries of their love for this little one.

Amelia's detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she's forced to examine her soul and face her one weakness: pride.

Graham's strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline. And away from the family he has sworn to love and protect.

Both must learn to have faith and relinquish control so they can embrace the future ahead of them.

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Usually when I’m reading historical fiction set in early 19th Century England, Miss Jane Austen is somehow involved. With The Heiress of Winterwood, I ventured into entirely original territory. Sarah Ladd brings us to the English moors of 1814, with all the aspects of genteel society that we Janeites have come to love.

The Heiress of Winterwood was a delightful story, with characters who were well-drawn and likeable, and with a villain or two who were quite the opposite! Sarah Ladd’s Amelia is as brave and caring as she is beautiful (think Kate Winslet), and Captain Graham Sterling is an excellent romantic lead, with a heart of integrity (a la Hugh Jackman).  Right from the outset, these two are thrust together through unfortunate life events, and the tension not only between them but in their circumstances remains high throughout the novel.  While I wouldn’t consider this a taut thriller, there is rarely a dull moment, and I found my attention fully engaged at all times.

Like most Christian fiction, the novel works into issues of faith throughout the story.  The characters struggle with doubt, surrendering pride and trusting the Lord to see them through some fairly tough moments.  Captain Graham’s struggles in particular were ones with which I would identify.  He endures regret over past mistakes, and he literally has physical scars on his body to remind him of those poor choices.  He also fights with a past tendency to self-medicate.  In his case, he struggles with overindulging in alcohol.  In my case, I struggle with the tendency to self-medicate with food, and I have the extreme stretch marks to prove it.  And while alcoholism and food struggles are not identical, Sarah Ladd’s description of the war going on in his heart were very familiar.  One could “plug in” any Pauline thorn to this situation and relate:

“The ale taunted him.  The old vice knew its strength and mocked his weakness. He had ordered [a drink] for show and would drink in moderation. But his desire was to drink it and as many more that it took to dull the pain of his past and present.” (p.248)

Not only do I struggle with wanting to overindulge each day, but when I see the skin on my body that was ruined due to my poor choices, I have to fight back the tendency to beat myself up about it.  Ladd gives us a comforting thought in this regard, showing us that our scars can be a part of our life story:

“Instead of succumbing to guilt every time you look at that scar, you can be reminded of God’s forgiveness.” (p.251)

This is so true—I have asked for and received God’s forgiveness for those past indiscretions. I can now walk forward in freedom, victory and forgiveness, available to be God’s instrument in the world.

Regardless of philosophy, The Heiress of Winterwood was a sweet, romantic, entertaining novel.  The content is decidedly chaste, definitely written for adults, yet PG in nature.  Curse words are referred to but never printed.  And while I found the plotline to be incredibly predictable, I thoroughly relished these characters and enjoyed going along for the ride.  It seems that this title will be the first in a series, and I certainly hope that I have the opportunity to delve into Sarah Ladd’s world once again.  There is an incredible back story that could be told with Captain Sterling and his deceased wife Katherine, as well as the journey he took in coming to be a man of faith.  It’s my hope that future titles will include a prequel to The Heiress of Winterwood,  as I would love to spend more time with not only the Captain, but also his doomed wife, as their stories seem to hold much promise, even in the past.

Sarah Ladd has written a pleasant, enjoyable title in The Heiress of Winterwood, and I can heartily recommend it to my audience, as well as anyone who enjoys Christian or Regency-era fiction.

Sarah Ladd is celebrating the release of The Heiress of Winterwood
with a Downton Abbey Kindle Prize Pack Giveaway!

 
One winner will receive:

A brand new Kindle Fire

Downton Abbey, seasons 1-3

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 30th. 

Winner will be announced on 5/2/13 {HERE}.

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Click here for more information on The Heiress of Winterwood, Author Sarah Ladd and the entire blog tour schedule!

   In exchange for an honest review, I was given a free copy of this title.


As much as I enjoyed The Heiress of Winterwood, I cannot keep in it my personal library. I simply do not have the shelf space. If you would like my review copy for yourself and are willing to pay the postal costs, please contact me so that we can arrange shipment. I'll remove this paragraph if an agreement has been made with someone. Sorry I couldn't offer this in a free giveaway--I'm really pinching my pennies these days.

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Blog post comments are always relished and appreciated, but if you'd like to enter the Kindle Fire/Downton Abbey contest, be sure to click one of the giveaway links above!

Book Review: Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

From Goodreads.com:

An utterly captivating reinvention of the Rapunzel fairytale weaved together with the scandalous life of one of the tale's first tellers, Charlotte-Rose de la Force.

Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from the court of Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. She is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens...

Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death, sixty-four years later. Called La Strega Bella, Selena is at the centre of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition, retaining her youth and beauty by the blood of young red-haired girls.

After Margherita's father steals a handful of parsley, wintercress and rapunzel from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off unless he and his wife give away their little red-haired girl. And so, when she turns seven, Margherita is locked away in a tower, her hair woven together with the locks of all the girls before her, growing to womanhood under the shadow of La Strega Bella, and dreaming of being rescued...

Three women, three lives, three stories, braided together to create a compelling story of desire, obsession, black magic and the redemptive power of love.

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The tower. The hair. The romance. The magic.  From fairy stories in childhood, to a Disney film, to a recent YA novel, the story of Rapunzel has always held my fascination.  With her expansive tale in Bitter Greens, Kate Forsyth has written an epic, sweeping novel that goes far beyond the standard fairy tale.  It’s the story of three women, the historical figure Charlotte-Rose de la Force, the familiar Margherita (a.k.a. “Rapunzel”) and Selena Leonelli, the witch who imprisons innocent girls in a tower in order to perpetuate her youth.

Set throughout the 16th and 17th century, Bitter Greens begins with the story of Charlotte-Rose de la Force, who will ultimately become known as the author of Persinette, which was eventually adapted by the Grimm brothers to become known as Rapunzel. We see her life as it passes through high society, and on into imprisonment within a convent. While shut away in this dreary existence, she meets a nun who tells her the story of the witch Selena Leonelli, as well as her captive Margherita. Author Kate Forsyth alternates now and again between these three narratives, weaving in and out of time periods and perspectives.

As in the classic tale, the witch imprisons Margherita in a tower, far from society and alone for weeks at a time. The innocent girl is a lovely singer, and has a long braid with which Selena can climb up to visit her on a monthly basis. Through Margherita and some black magic, Leonelli is able to perpetuate her youth as she has for many years. And like the story of old, there comes a day when a handsome young man hears Margherita’s lonely singing, discovering her locked away in the tower.

Bitter Greens is a captivating, emotional tale of love, loss, power, liberation and forgiveness. It isn’t merely about a pretty girl trapped in a tower.  Much time is spent on the story of her captor, Selena, and we come to understand why she has chosen to live such a depraved, warped life.  In fact, it could be estimated that the greatest amount of time is not spent on the main Rapunzel theme, but is spent on Charlotte-Rose and her winding tale through the royal court in France to her banishment.

Kate Forsyth has written such a marvelous work, one that I enjoyed immensely. The richness of the narrative made me relish every opportunity I had to open the book, as the story undulated from storyline to storyline.  The 500 pages turned quickly as I looked forward to the next episode in each woman’s life.  In that sense, it reminded me of Ruins of Lace, another delightful work of historical fiction I read recently.

There are only a couple of things that hold me back from giving a complete, wholehearted approval of the book for all audiences.  There is a significant amount of adult content and language within the novel, especially in regard to Charlotte-Roses's storyline.  Some of it is indeed appropriate.  The world in which these characters live is gritty and at times repulsive. Prostitution was not uncommon. The plague was ravaging many villages. This gave a realism and flavor to the novel that enhanced my experience. It was the reality of the times in which they were living, and they did their best to make their way in the world. However, there were times when the material was racier than I would have preferred.  Also, I wish less time had been spent on Charlotte-Rose and more time spent on Selena and Margherita.  These two characters are the core of the Rapunzel mythos, and I couldn’t get enough of their narratives. Those reservations are offered for those who want to avoid racier content, but I still enthusiastically endorse Bitter Greens.  This is the type of book I'll remember in years to come with fondness.

It’s unfortunate that Bitter Greens seems to be hard to find these days.  I believe it was originally published out of Australia and recently out of the U.K., so you might have to dig a bit to find it if you live elsewhere.  Although that is the case, I would say it’s well worth your search. Bitter Greens is a marvelous tale, full of love, loss, adventure and triumph.  Kate Forsyth has presented us with a literary treasure, one that I hope finds a larger audience as time goes by.

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About the Author

Kate Forsyth is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 books for adults and children , translated into 13 languages. She was recently named in the Top 25 of Australia's Favourite Novelists. Since The Witches of Eileanan was named a Best First Novel by Locus Magazine, Kate has won or been nominated for many awards, including a CYBIL Award in the US. She’s also the only author to win five Aurealis awards in a single year, for her Gypsy Crown series of children's historical novels. Bitter Greens has been called ‘the best fairy tale retelling since Angela Carter’ and ‘an imaginative weaving of magic, fairy tale and history’. A direct descendant of Charlotte Waring, the author of the first book for children ever published in Australia, Kate is currently studying a doctorate in fairy tales at the University of Technology in Sydney, where she lives by the sea, with her husband, three children, and many thousands of books.

Please visit Kate Forsyth's WEBSITE and BLOG for more information.  You can also find her on FACEBOOK and follow her on TWITTER.

Want more Bitter Greens? Check out the virtual tour, sponsored by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours: Tour Schedule: http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/bittergreensvirtualtour/

Twitter Hashtag: #BitterGreensVirtualTour

Options for Purchasing Bitter Greens

The Book Depository: 
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Bitter-Greens-Kate-Forsyth/9780749013622

Amazon.com:

Book Review: AfterLife by Hank Hanegraaff

From the author’s website:

If there was ever a need-to-know book, AfterLife is it. On his daily call-in radio show, the most common questions Hank fields are about the hereafter. For instance, millions are voraciously reading about the near-death experiences of young children. Consumers are desperate for knowledge and reassurance about what comes after life on this earth. Hank Hanegraaff, one of the most remarkable theological minds of the 21st century, explains the marvelous way this physical life connects our past to our eternal future. AfterLife gives readers a clear and concrete understanding about what happens after death to us and to those we love.

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In recent years, the literary market has been flooded with revelatory titles related to heaven and/or near-death experiences (NDE’s).  While this genre has been in existence for decades, it became much more noticeable after Don Piper’s 90 Minutes in Heaven was released in 2004.  And following the mega-bestselling Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo, publishing houses have been rushing to publish almost anything they can get their hands on in relation to this topic.

Along with the aforementioned titles, I’ve also read Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eben Alexander and To Heaven and Back by Dr. Mary Neal. And while I don’t have the theological expertise to dissect all of these NDE-themed books, this latter title I found to be particularly off base when comparing it to the truth of God’s Word. After questioning quite a bit of the worldview that Dr. Mary Neal presents in her book, I began to long for a solid, Bible-based work that could really be trusted by a traditional, conservative Christian like me.

Author Hank Hanegraaff is known for his work as an apologist, answering tough life questions and concerns about the Bible and the Christian worldview.  While he hasn’t had an NDE himself, he does have quite a bit of knowledge when it comes to what the Bible has to say about life, death, heaven, hell and other related topics.  In his latest book AfterLife, Hank addresses many of the concerns that come to mind when thinking about the afterlife.  Here are just a few of the issues he discusses:

• Does hell exist?
• Does heaven?
• Do pets go to heaven?
• Do we float around with wings? 
• How much good work is required for entry?
• Have people been and come back to tell the tale?
• Will there be sex in heaven?
• How old are we there?

After so many subjective testimonies from well-meaning authors, it was refreshing to have these issues addressed while looking through the lens of scripture, not based on anything else.  Hanegraaff’s content is not as sensational or titillating as the other works in this genre, but as I was reading, I had a sense of comfort, knowing what he had to say was Biblical and not based purely on his own experience.

I can say that Hank’s writing, while solid, is very textbook-like, complete with a useful glossary and bibliographical notes.  He communicated truth in every chapter, but I didn’t really feel the sense of wonder and amazement as I did in the previously mentioned titles.  It came off very dry and even sometimes condescending.  He didn’t seem to have a large amount of compassion for what happened in the lives of the other authors.  But I suppose his task is different.  He is not here to entertain, sensationalize or amaze in any way.  He is here to put a spotlight on scripture and ultimately point his readers to Christ, not to any mind-bending story that will knock our socks off.

AfterLife is not the most entertaining book on the hereafter that I’ve read.  But it’s certainly the most Biblically solid one, and the one I trust the most out of all the others on the market. For a Bible-believing Christian who plans to read any of the other NDE-related titles, I’d highly encourage that reader to either read AfterLife immediately before or after taking in the testimony of the others.  This is not to say that everything the other authors have to say is 100% off base, but AfterLife is a solid, Biblical lens with which we can filter the many varying, subjective experiences out there.  And in the end, all truth is God’s truth, and it will line up with His word every time.  Hank Hanegraaff has given us a quality tool with which to do this, so that we can have many of our questions answered as we live on this side of heaven.

Review copy provided by Glass Road Media & Management

About the Author

Hank Hanegraaff, is host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, heard daily throughout the United States and Canada via radio, satellite radio Sirius-XM 131, and the Internet. He’s author of the runaway bestsellers The Prayer of Jesus and The Complete Bible Answer Book—Collector’s Edition. He and his wife, Kathy, are parents to twelve children. www.equip.org

The History Channel's The Bible Promotion and Giveaway

From Executive Producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett comes The Bible — an epic 10-part miniseries retelling stories from the Scriptures for a whole new generation. Breathtaking in scope and scale, The Bible features powerful performances, exotic locales and dazzling visual effects that breathe spectacular life into the dramatic tales of faith and courage from Genesis through Revelation. This historic television event is sure to entertain and inspire the whole family! Where will YOU be 3.3.13?

To celebrate this upcoming event, PartnersHub is hosting a giveaway!  They'll be giving away a copy of one of the official The Bible companion books. (Prize will be chosen randomly from the book titles below!)

• A Story of God and All of Us (HARDCOVER)
• A Story of God and All of Us (REFLECTIONS)
• A Story of God and All of Us (YOUNG READERS)



The contest is open to U.S. entrants only.  To enter, take the Bible Scene Quiz featured in the widget below.  Come back and comment on this post, letting us know what your score was.  (When I took the quiz, the average score was 57%, and my score was 69%.  I contend that I rushed through it, otherwise my score might have been higher!) After leaving your score comment, be sure to include some way of contacting you if you win, such as your email address.  One entrant will be chosen at random. Entries will be accepted until 12:01am EST, March 17, 2013.  The prize will be sent via FedEx or UPS. No P.O. Boxes please. Good luck, and enjoy the series!

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Blogger Note: As I have not seen this series, I cannot confirm the Biblical accuracy of it, so this post is not an endorsement per se. My hope is that in some way, God will be glorified through it, and many will be led to read His word on their own.

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Contest Update:  The contest has now closed.  Congrats to Beth, winner of the giveaway!

Rapunzel Untangled Blog Tour - Book Review and Giveaway

Welcome to the next stop on the Rapunzel Untangled blog tour!  I hope you enjoy my review below, and be sure to enter to win a copy of the ebook in the Rafflecopter form at the end of the post.  Thanks for stopping by!

A Girl Trapped in a Mansion

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A Mysterious Old Woman

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The Boy Who Will Change Everything

From Goodreads.com:

Rapunzel is not your average teenager. 

For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction. But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is. 

Filled with romance, adventure, and mystery, Rapunzel Untangled is one story you won’t want to put down. Discover the true meaning of love and friendship in this modern twist to the classic fairytale. 

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I’m easily taken in by retellings of classic fairy tales. However, once I’m in, the question becomes, will the story hold my attention and be entertaining? And in the case of modern retellings, how far into “modern” sensibilities will the authors take their version? More often than not, writers feel the need to interject plenty of adult material and plot devices that take the subject matter too far from the source. Much of the magic (and my interest) is lost in the name of being edgy or sensual.

Rapunzel Untangled has successfully satisfied this fairy tale lover. Cindy Bennett retains many of the original elements of this classic story in her modernized version. A beautiful girl is trapped in a tower, never allowed to venture forth or cut her hair. Her captor, a woman named Gothel, has kept her alive for all these years, for her own purposes. Rapunzel is discovered by a handsome princely-type, and much drama ensues.

These basic plot points still hold true in Rapunzel Untangled, but a modern twist is added. Our princely character, Fane meets Rapunzel on Facebook of all places! And as seen in the Disney version of the story, Tangled, Rapunzel’s hair has magical qualities, which is discussed in the latter part of the book. Most of the story revolves around Rapunzel’s emerging personality, as she begins to discover the world through meeting Fane, as she realizes that Gothel has kept so much from her over the years. This ultimately leads to a heady conflict at the end, when Rapunzel seemingly must decide between the man she has come to love and the freedom she so greatly desires and deserves.

Rapunzel Untangled was a fun, sweet read. It certainly has its romantic elements, but author Cindy Bennett keeps things decidedly PG-rated. There is a bit of black magic involved with Mrs. Gothel and it does get a bit dark in spots, but Bennett could have made it so much darker and sinister than she did. I was expecting much worse actually, and was grateful that things stayed as tame as they did.

As mentioned, many of the original fairy tale elements were retained in this version, but I felt that a clichéd tone was avoided. And although we do expect a happy ending, Cindy was able to write in a way that kept me guessing, despite my suspicions. The concluding chapters were particularly riveting, with earth-shaking moments for the characters and their world.

If you enjoy fairy tale retreads or are looking for a fun, romantic read for your teen daughter, I would highly recommend Rapunzel Untangled. Cindy Bennett has done a fabulous job with this fable, bringing my interest to some of her other similarly-themed works, such as Beautiful Beast, Red and the Wolf and Snow White. Her work is light and magical, entertaining and alive with wonder. I’m pleased to have discovered this author and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

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About the Author

Cindy C Bennett was born and raised in beautiful Salt Lake City, growing up in the shadows of the majestic Rocky Mountains. She and her husband - who happens to be her high-school sweetheart - raised two sons and two daughters. She's now blessed with two daughters-in-law as well. She developed a love of writing in high school when a teacher introduced her to the joys of escaping reality for ten minutes each day in writing. When she's not writing, reading, or answering emails (notice there's no mention of cleaning, cooking, or anything remotely domestic), she can often be found riding her Harley through the beautiful canyons near her home. (Yes, she rides a Harley.)

You can find Cindy at:  Blog    Facebook    Twitter    Goodreads

          

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review - Searching for Captain Wentworth by Jane Odiwe

When aspiring writer, Sophie Elliot, receives the keys to the family townhouse in Bath, it's an invitation she can’t turn down, especially when she learns that she will be living next door to the house her favourite author, Jane Austen, lived in. But, the neglected house is harbouring more than the antiquated furniture and nesting mice, though initially Sophie tries to dismiss the haunting visions of a young girl. On discovering that an ancient glove belonging to her mysterious neighbour, Josh Strafford, will transport her back in time to Regency Bath, she questions her sanity, but Sophie is soon caught up in two dimensions, each reality as certain as the other. Torn between her life in the modern world, and that of her ancestor who befriends Jane Austen and her fascinating brother Charles, Sophie's story travels two hundred years across time, and back again, to unite this modern heroine with her own Captain Wentworth. Blending fact and fiction together the tale of Jane Austen’s own quest for happiness weaves alongside, creating a believable world of new possibilities for the inspiration behind the beloved novel, Persuasion.

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In Searching for Captain Wentworth, I have found such a lovely mixture of some of my favorite things.  What could be better? Austenesque fiction? Check. Jane Odiwe, one of my preferred authors?  Check.  Time travel!?!?  I was in love before I even began this novel.  Throw in Jane’s unexpected and surprising thanks to me in her acknowledgements (a first for me as a reviewer!), and I was positively biased by the time I began reading.  I will do my best to present a balanced opinion, but the scales were already pre-weighted, I believe!

Although I have shamefully not read Jane Austen’s Persuasion, I have come to love the story in recent years through retellings and some of the cinematic versions.  While Searching for Captain Wentworth is not a retread of that classic novel, several elements are woven into the story. We have the setting of Bath, England, lovers torn apart over time and space, leaps off the Cobb and much more. A man who could easily stand in for the titular character is frequently about, and as in Persuasion, we root for him to finally be with the woman he loves.

In addition to fans of Persuasion, those who enjoyed Bid Time Return and its film version Somewhere in Time would love this as well. As in Richard Matheson’s tale, Odiwe’s novel has a talisman which affects the time in which the main character inhabits.  In Somewhere in Time, it’s a modern penny which has the unfortunate power to throw Richard Collier back to the present after falling in love while in the past.  In Searching for Captain Wentworth, we have a white glove that has the power to send modern Sophia in either direction—back or forward in time, sometimes with similarly frustrating results.  There’s a yearning there in Sophia’s heart that very much reminds me of the pain that Collier had in his experience.

Jane Austen herself makes appearances frequently in the novel, as do many of her family members.  After just reading an Austen biography not too long ago, I enjoyed spending time with these characters and getting to know them better, with the new perspective that was in my mind. Of course Odiwe takes her own liberties with history, but I think the choices she made with her Jane Austen and family were good ones and certainly possible scenarios for our beloved authoress. I’m also pleased that her brother Charles was such a prominent character, and even wish he had been given more time on the page.

In the interest of a completely honest, balanced review, I can say that Searching for Captain Wentworth is not my favorite of Jane Odiwe’s as far as her style of writing. There seemed to be a different tone this time around.  There was a bit more emphasis on describing the minute details of each environment, and at times I felt this slowed down the story.  Others may appreciate this attention however, as it does allow the reader to feel more ingrained within the scenes.  There also seemed to be an inexplicable shortage for commas from time to time, but if that is my most powerful complaint, Mrs. Odiwe is doing just fine.

Searching for Captain Wentworth is an excellent choice for a wide array of readers. It’s a sweet, clean love story.  It’s a time-travel science fiction fantasy.  And it allows us to once again transport ourselves into the world of Jane Austen and her characters.  So many elements come together in a lovely mixture of literary delights.  Jane Odiwe has given her readers their very own talisman with which they can be delivered into a world that has been, and will continue to be, savored time and time again.

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Connect with Jane Odiwe

Jane's Website

Jane's Blog

Jane on Twitter

               

Pride and Prejudice 200th Anniversary Giveaway (US/CA)

My fellow Janeites and I are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice. The media is buzzing this week, offering much content on this beloved novel.  I couldn't resist getting in on the celebration, so I'm offering a little Pride and Prejudice-themed gift pack for you!  Skip down to the Rafflecopter widget below and enter to win.  I offer gently-used copies of Wickham's Diary by Amanda Grange, Pride and Prejudice on DVD, and four new Austen-themed notecards. Just a little Jane to celebrate the big anniversary!

If you're unfamiliar with Wickham's Diary, you can read my review here.

Be sure and check out the many activities going on around the world today and this week as we commemorate the publication of one of the most treasured novels of all time.  One event that has particularly interested me is the live Jane Austen readathon going on in Bath, England today.  If you have a moment, stop by their live feed to enjoy the reading of Pride and Prejudice by a host of fans and authors.  Some orators are dressing up in Regency attire, which has been fun to see as well.

Have a great week, and enjoy the plethora of all things Jane as the world celebrates!

Be sure to read the guidelines below, enter via the Rafflecopter widget, and good luck!

• The contest period ends at 12:01am EST on February 10th.
• Contest is open to U.S. and Canadian entrants only.
• Make sure you leave your email address in the one required portion of the Rafflecopter form. Should you win, I will contact you on Sunday the 10th.  Please take measures to ensure that my email will make it past your spam filters, lest you miss my message. (CalicoCritic@gmail.com) You'll have 72 hours to respond before I pick another winner.
• All entries must go through the Rafflecopter form. If you leave an optional blog post comment, in order for it to count toward your contest entry, be sure to indicate this through the "Leave a Blog Post Comment" button on the Rafflecopter form.
• The award will be mailed via USPS Media Rate shortly after the U.S. or Canadian mailing address is provided.
• Entries will be verified.  If a fraudulent entry is detected for the winning name, another winner will be drawn.

If you can't see the Rafflecopter form below,

try clicking on the "Read more »" link

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Other blogs are also giving away some great anniversary prizes as we celebrate.
Be sure to check them out too!  Here's the link:  P&P Anniversary Blog Hop