Hello lovely readers and Happy September!! (Who is ready to bring out some pumpkin flavors?!?)
As some of you may already know, Mr. Bingley and I have just returned from a fantastic trip to Seattle! It was our first time there and we enjoyed seeing the sites, eating some delicious food, and meeting some lovely friends.
We spent a lot of time seeing all the sites in the downtown area: the Space Needle, The EMP Museum, and Pike’s Place Market. Our favorite was definitely Pike’s Place Market – ate at a different bakery/cafe/breakfast shop every morning!
Mr. Bingley and I found things we both enjoy all over Seattle: petting Rachel the Pig, drinking some coffee at the first Starbucks, and finding Lieutenant Commander Data’s uniform at the EMP Museum.
I was so, so, so, so fortunate to meet up with some longtime AR readers and dear online friends!! On Saturday, I had a lovely lunch with Sue at The Cheesecake Factory where we talked non-stop for hours and then on Sunday I had some coffee and a visit to beautiful Lake Washington with Joy (where we also talked non-stop for hours!) I was so happy to meet fellow Janeites and Austenesque readers in person. Thank you for your time and friendship, ladies! I hope that we can meet again some day!
And to top off an already fantastic and unbelievably wonderful trip, my time in Seattle ended with a lovely gathering of Austenesque authors and bloggers! I’m so thankful to Susan Mason-Milks, Christina Dudley, Katherine Reay, Laurel Ann Nattress, and Shannon Winslow for generously getting together and sharing some a delicious meal with me. It was wonderful to hear stories about their books, roads to publishing, and families! It was a really special and memorable Austenesque afternoon! Thank you!
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Speaking of Austenesque authors and novels…Here is what’s on this month’s
Austenesque Agenda:
~ TO REVIEW ~
~ TO READ AND REVIEW ~
~ TO READ (if time) ~
~ FEATURED AUTHORS VISITING THIS MONTH ~
Carol Cromlin – September 16th
Joana Starnes – September 25th
~ AUSTENESQUE EVENT ~
In honor of Helen Fielding’s upcoming release, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, I thought it would be fun to do a group watch of Bridget Jones’s Diary – one of my favorite Austen-Inspired movies. (I love how Colin Firth looks even more adorable in that ridiculous reindeer jumper!)
We hope you can join us for a group watch, chat, giveaways, and some good laughs at the end of the month!
Whew…What a busy month!!!
What are your reading plans this September?
Wow! It looks like you had a great time in Seattle! It must have been a busy weekend! but fun I’m sure!
I’m going to be reading “.Fitzwilliam Darcy such I was” and “The Heart Does Whisper” also! They both look great!
Ooh, “Bridget Jones’s Diary” sounds fun, but I’m going to the AGM at the end of the month, so I don’t know if I can join you.
Yes, Seattle was so wonderful! I hope we go there again!
Oh that’s awesome! Looking forward to sharing thoughts with you!
Have a great time at the AGM! I’m sure it will be amazing to see so many authors and readers!
Do you have any plans for doing an Austenesque month this year?
Hi Sam! No we don’t have any plans to do a month-long event this year. Sorry! We’ve decided to try and do short events like group reads, author chats, and other fun posts throughout the year instead. It just seemed a little wearying and overwhelming to do a whole month of back-to-back posts.
29 September happens to be my birthday but I’m not sure if I can join if it’s too late for you gals or way to early the next day in my time zone.
I plan to read Mr Darcy’s Guide to Courtship when I finish reading my current book. I’m a very slow and inconsistent reader unlike you and Candy, Meredith.
Happy early birthday to you Sylvia! I look forward to your review of Mr. Darcy’s Guide to Courtship – it looked really cute!
I want to see Seattle some day. Sounds like a fun schedule for the month.
Thanks, Sophia Rose! There will be a lot going on – I’m looking forward to it!
I’m so glad you had a wonderful time! I’m sorry I didn’t get to see you while you were here, but your timing was brilliant- we’re now plagued with thunderstorms. Yay for the good eating options around Pike Place, and for Rachel the Pig! 🙂
Thank you, Beth! I am sorry we didn’t get to meet – but maybe next time! I’m so glad we missed the rain and thunderstorms! Yay!
It was an amazing time. It was so enjoyable to just sit and visit about books, upcoming novels, upcoming movies and television series, favorites, family etc. We did quite a bit of walking and we almost made it to Austenland….key is almost…. I’m so glad that Meredith had a lovely time and that so many got to make her acquaintance. I feel fortunate to have found her blog almost from its very beginning. And as mentioned before it’s great you were here before this weeks storms. Where we live in Puyallup we’ve had almost 3 inches since last night. One of our schools flooded and had major damage – the library included. How sad. The sun will hopefully return tomorrow at some point. I loved your photos. (I’m not photogenic but everything else turned out great….smiles…) I especially love that star trek uniform.
I’m just finishing “The Trouble with Tea”. It’s not Austenesque in nature. Mary Simonsen must be rubbing off on me however because it’s more of a historical fiction setting – the boston tea party type thing – not my usual genre. I’m also starting “love at First slight” by J. Marie Croft.
Thank you, Sue! You were such a dear to meet with me, spend all that time, and bring such lovely gifts! It was so great to meet one of my earliest and long-time readers of my blog!
Oh I hope the rain has stopped and that everyone is okay!
I can’t wait to hear what you think of Love at First Sight.
I am so glad we were able to meet up and visit while you were here and that you both enjoyed your vacation. It was a beautiful day by the lake!!
I just finished “Thursday’s Child” which is a mix of a P&P variation and the movie Firelight. I loved it! Up next is “Darcy on the Hudson.”
I am looking forward to your September reviews and the group movie!
Thank you, Joy! I’m so glad we were able to meet too! I had such a lovely time at the lake with you! I’m so glad to hear you loved Thursday’s Child! I will have to add it to my list!
I love love love your Seattle pictures!! We went there on our honeymoon 7 years ago and saw a lot if the same things you did. I would go back in a heartbeat.
I don’t have anything Austen related on my to-read shelf this month. “gasp” Something has gone horribly wrong 🙂 I guess I’ll just have to wait for your reviews to decide what to read next.
Is the Bridget Jones movie a lot like the book? I thought some parts were funny, but I just couldn’t connect with Bridget. I had a hard time liking her. But if Colin Firth in a Christmas sweater is that adorable, I guess I could give it a go.
Glad you’re back!
Hi Heather! How lovely that you went to Seattle on your honeymoon! We would definitely go back any time too!
Oh my! Hopefully we can find some great Austenesque novels to add to your tbr!
While the BJD movie is similar to the book, there are some differences. In my opinion the movie is better. I love Bridget – I love the whole cast! 🙂