Hello dear, Austenesque friends! Happy 2018!
I hope your year has gotten off to a great start! I feel like I’ve done so much sharing with my End of the Year Summary post and my Favorite Reads of 2017 post. I want to hear from you now!
How was your holiday break? Did you do anything fun? Did you find anything special under your Christmas tree?
Here is a peak at some of my Christmas gifts! Very excited about all these lovely items! I’m already using the book ends and the wallet, will have to wait for warmer weather for the pjs though! 😉
What are your plans, projects, goals, things you are looking forward to in 2018?
Mr. Bingley and I have some travel goals in mind, but nothing is definite just yet. We are hoping our jobs will be a little less busy for us this year! 😉
Do you make any resolutions?
I haven’t made a resolution in quite a few years. I generally like to think of the new year as a chance to start fresh and get organized (which I’m still trying to do, but because I procrastinated over the break, I’m already behind!)
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Want to know what Austenesque fun I’m getting into this month?
…here is what’s on this month’s
Austenesque Agenda:
~ TO REVIEW ~
~ TO READ AND REVIEW ~
It’s a bit of an ambitious list, but I’m hoping to catch up on my TBR reads from 2017! 😉
~ FEATURED AUTHORS VISITING THIS MONTH ~
This is a little atypical, but at the moment I don’t have any confirmed author visits lined up for this month! But you never know…someone could still stop by later in the month! 😉
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It’s a new year, a fresh start! With all the fabulous reads I saw come out in 2017, I can hardly wait to see what 2018 has in store!!!
What are you looking forward to this month?
Hi Meredith, Happy New Year to you and Mr. Bingley. I received a Mr. Darcy pillowcase for Christmas! I love your pyjamas, will have to put them on this year’s list. I received for my birthday “Mr. Darcy’s Guide to Pemberley” and you are going to love it so I look forward to your review on that one. Have a few holidays planned this year, going to Madeira for Easter and then back to Ticknall Lodge in Derbyshire in June and then returning to Croatia in August for 10 days.
Looking forward to all your blogs for 2018 and a huge thank you for everything you do. I really enjoy this site Meredith.
Happy New Year to you, Michelle! That’s wonderful that you got the Mr. Darcy pillowcase – you absolutely do need the PJs to go with it!! 🙂 I love hearing about your travels, they sound so great! I’m hoping our travels will take us out of the country and to some new places!
Thanks for all your friendship, Michelle! I look forward to us sharing the year together!
W00t for A Most Handsome Gentleman. It’s a fast read, so it should help you keep to your agenda of all five books.
Yes, indeed! It was a lovely way to start my year off with. Especially since I just finished a longer, annotated work.
Our holiday was wonderful, if a little busy. We host – A LOT – and were more than a little burned out by January 2nd. Of course the upstairs of our home is a bit neglected, but with a little attention, I hope to have it looking more organized shortly. My two favorite gifts are my “talk Darcy to me” t-shirt and my new wearable listening device that does not invade my ears – I’ve already overused that gift! Of course I resolve to read more this year but as I already abuse my free time reading, that may not be possible. Happy New Year to all and I look forward to your future blogs.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed your holiday season and it definitely sounds like you were keeping busy! I know it is a lot of work to host! Hope you are enjoying a nice reprieve this week! That’s a hilarious t-shirt idea – I love it! Best of luck with your resolution!
Happy reading Meredith. I’ve read a couple of those 🙂 and look forward to your reviews
I was lucky enough to get a kindle paper white so am now waiting for my son to set it up for me.
I haven’t had my gift from my daughter yet as she doesn’t want to risk sending it from Australia so will bring it when she comes later this year. I told her just seeing them (including my grandsons aged 4 & 2) is enough for me.
My resolution this year is to read as many as possible from my TBR list as well as the new books I get AND the ‘re reads I just have to do so Goodrich to me 🙂
Yay! I bet that will be fun for you to use. 🙂 So true! I bet you are eagerly anticipating seeing them! <3
That's a very good resolution! I just counted my TBR pile (only counted the Austenesque books) and I'm hoping I can make a dent in it!!
Hope you have a great month, my friend!
I adore those PJs! They look so fun and comfy!! And the wallet is lovely, too.
I don’t really have resolutions, but I usually try to change up my devotionals at the beginning of the year (especially as Christmas fades and Epiphany starts). I also posted a list of the books I read in 2017 on my blog; I’m looking forward to all of the books I’ll be reading in 2018!
Tonight I’ll be celebrating Twelfth Night with the Burning the Greens at our rector’s home, along with the kind folks of Blessed Trinity Anglican Church, and then we’ll consume much sherry, King’s Cake, and trifle!! Yum!!
Wishing you all a joyful Twelfth Day of Christmas!!
~Susanne 🙂
They are very comfy and beautifully made, I can’t wait to wear them!
I bet it is fun to start a new devotional and set some reading goals! 😉 Congrats on meeting your GR challenge goal for 2017! I’m hoping I can do like you – this is my first year going for 70!
I hope you had a lovely Twelfth Night sounds like a fun night! 🙂
I never do resolutions for they seem to hang over me like an anvil by February. I do try to improve in all aspects of life. I am almost done with writing my next book “PROOF OF LOVE” which I am already posting free on DarcyandLizzy.com and publishing it as soon as practical.
At Christmas we hosted my new DIL and it was so special. She is such a beautiful and sweet person and we feel fortunate that my son married her. Keeping fingers crossed for grandchildren soon. 🙂
I hope to be able to read more this year, but if not, I shall just keep putting books on my kindle to read when I retire from writing. I love the lineup for January and am eager to see what you think of those you have chosen. And, I am wishing you and Mr. Bingley a very happy and blessed New Year.
I can understand that, Brenda. I am of the same mind – I always like to think of ways to improve things in our life and with the new year starting it just feels like a good time to reflect on it. 🙂 I’m super excited to hear you are almost done with your latest book!! Woot!! Best of luck with it!
Aww! Sounds like you had such a lovely Christmas break! How great to spend it with family like that!
Wishing you and yours all the best for 2018! Thank you so much!
Wonderful line up of book there Meredith and thank you for showing us your Austen gifts. You are one lucky girl. I have long given up making resolutions and just plan to continue enjoying my retirement. I haven’t gotten over the newness of it yet… and the ability to read when ever I jolly well want to. Oh, the joy. Have a blessed new year and say hello to Mr. Bingley.
Thank you, Jeanne! 🙂 I’m very excited for this month’s reading! Oh good for you! I’m so glad to hear you are enjoying it! You deserve it, and I love how you spend your time. 😉 Wishing you all the best in 2018!
Happy New Year Meredith. I don’t make resolutions any more because they’re always broken by two weeks in. I am going to try and get to more Austen stuff this year. I fell down badly on my GR challenge this year. I only started being very active on GR at the beginning of last year and your blog Meredith is the very first one I began following. So a lot of starts for me then and hopefully I’ll continue on this trend for 2018.
Happy New Year to you, Teresa! I’m so very happy you found your way to my blog and very honored you decided to continue visiting. I love to hear from you! 😉 Hope you are able to achieve your reading goals this year! Wishing you a happy 2018!
Oh very nice lovelies. I really only got two bookish gifts- I got a Guinea Pig Pride and Prejudice for a cute stocking stuffer and a book art ornament for my book shelves. Looks like you have some good books picked to read and review. I’ve actually been mostly trying to stay warm, get organized, and catch up on some older books lately. My holidays were quiet and lovely. Only one trip planned next year to visit the family in Utah and all road tripping it out to Oregon to go camping.
Enjoy your January!
Those sound like lovely gifts! I love ornaments that reflect our interests – how perfect that you should get a book art one! That sounds like such a fun trip – those are two states I’ve not been to yet! 😉 I’m excited to see which older books you will read this year! 🙂 Happy reading!
love your gifts!
Thank you, me too!
I can see two items in your photos that I already have, but not as Christmas presents – the Annotated Emma (which is fantastic) and the Peacock wallet (or as we Brits call it, a purse) which I simply love. On your reading list for January, I’m sure you’ll love President Darcy and the sumptuous Mr. Darcy’d Guide to Pemberley. The others are all on my TBR list!
We had a family Christmas with our son, his fiancée and her Mum, then it was off to Hampshire for New Year with friends. The only Austen-related place we visited this time was The Vyne, in the parish of Sherborne St. John, where Jane’s brother James was vicar. There’s a massive roof restorationproject going on, so most of the house was closed off, but it was fascinationg to be able to go up to roof level and see the work in progress.
My resolutions include primarily trying to get a lot of the weight off that piled on during the two years when I was having major back problems. Guess who didn’t cut down on the calories when exercise was almost impossible? I’m 12.5lb down over the past two months and I’d like to get a total of around 50lb off. Of course, I want to read more JAFF too!
Hope 2018 brings you and yours all the joys you wish for.
Hi Anji! That’s so great that you have the wallet! 😉 I’m loving it! My old wallet was definitely showing wear!
That sounds like such a lovely Christmas! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed time with your family and friends! That’s wonderful that you were able to visit The Vyne.
I hope your back problems are greatly diminished this year! Best of luck on reaching your goals! That’s great that you are already making some wonderful progress!!! Woot!! Happy 2018 to you, my friend!!
Happy new year, Meredith (and Mr. Bingley)! I hope you get to take those trips, whatever they turn out to be. The Pride and Prejudice of Musicians looks as if it was written just for you! As for my year, I’m not looking beyond trying to get to England for two weeks in March–research for the next two books in a historical fiction series I’m working on.
Happy New Year to you Abigail! In a voice like Monica form Friends>/i> “I know!” I’m excited to read it!! That present came from Mr. Bingley which is even more perfect as he is a musician too!! That sounds like such a wonderful trip to take! Best of luck with your research and travels! Yay for historical fiction!
Well, January will be a great start to the year with your monthly agenda. 🙂 What? No guests coming in January? Awwww shucks. Boo. Um…I could nominate a few but the list would have me running out of posting/reply space.
My only ‘resolution’ is to attack the mountain of unpacked boxes we still have from our move….and we’ve been here nearly three months now….my excuse is the holiday season. I guess we can always blame the holiday season for something we didn’t get done.
I DID, however, create a massive TBR 2018 challenge list of books, about half and half of JAFF and the rest Regency (including unread Georgette Heyer) a smattering of other historical eras romance and some historical fiction, with a final dash of biography and history. I WILL never actually finish the whole list, because it’s ginormous. But having made the list, I have that mental commitment to attack it seriously before succumbing to my reread addiction. And I have to be able to read the newest one that has grabbed my interest too!!! Right?
I hope 2018 blesses you and Mr Bingley with every good thing this new year. Absolutely adorable loot!! 😀 I NEED those book ends, hee hee……
Thanks, Michelle! I’m excited to for this month’s reads! At the moment no guests, but we may see if anyone drops by. Maybe with all the holidays and such authors aren’t planning any tours at the moment. 😉
That is a very good excuse! The holidays are super busy and I know how much work it is first hand to unpack boxes from moving! 😉
Good for you for making a list!! I just did a count of my Austenesque TBR pile (not including review copies) it totals 61! AHHH! How am I ever to make a dent in that! I need to read twice as fast! 😉 Best of luck with your reading goal! Do let us know how you get on!
I love the book ends!! They are from The Jane Austen Centre and I think I saw they were on sale! 😉 Wishing you all the best in 2018!!
61 undread JAFF books, I thought I was bad. Actually my JAFF TBR has a higher count than yours. (embarrassing) It’s nearly 100. Don’t beat me peeps.
Hi Meredith, I’m so happy you’ll have a chance to review President Darcy! I hope you enjoy it. Let me know if you’d like to do a giveaway or excerpt or anything else in conjunction with the review. Thank you!
I’m so looking forward to reading President Darcy! Love the premise so much! 🙂 Thank you so much for the lovely offer, I’ll definitely be in touch!
Happy New Year to you and Mr Bingley!
I love your book ends! They would fit so good with my new austenesque books that Santa gifted me ; )
My goals for this year, as well as the other readers, will be to read more books and to write a little more but I try not to be obsessed with them!. LOL
The best part of not having guess authors yet is that you’ll have more time to read and review!
A big hug!
Hi Teresa! Happy New Year to you! 🙂 Oohh! Yay for you! Sounds like Santa knows you well!
Very true, I’m determined to keep the blog as active as I normally do, so I’ll try and fill up the month with as many reviews as I can fit in!
Best of luck with your goals and wishing you a a very happy and special 2018! Hugs to you, my friend!
Happy New Year to you and Mr Bingley, Meredith! Love your Xmas pic and the books that are soon coming up at Austenesque Reviews. Have a wonderful 2018 reading, travelling and doing all the things that make you happy! xx
Thanks, Joana! I’m looking forward to all 2018 has in store! I hope you enjoy a great year of writing (see what I did there) 😉 family and travel! Looks like you already started on the travels! 😉 Beautiful snowy pictures!
Happy New Year to you both! I don’t have any major plans this year for travel other than visiting my sister in the States when the weather is warm and sunny. I do plan to try and work my way through my TBR list on my Kindle. I am currently reading one that was sitting there for over a year! I think I have a plan in place for working through it…read one buried and read one on the top. We’ll see if it works! Looking forward to your reviews on the books you have lined up this month. I know you will love ‘Mr. Darcy’s Guide to Pemberley’. It is such a beautiful book! I read and enjoyed ‘Mansfield Parsonage’ so looking forward to your thought there. I hope to read ‘A Most Handsome Gentleman’ and ‘President Darcy’ this year! Your Christmas presents are awesome! I got a box of P&P note cards and a book ‘Say It Like Miss Austen’. I think I will ask for those pj’s as my xmas present in December 2018! I just may need a new wallet too!
That’s a great system, Carole! I love it! I may try to adopt it since I’m always quicker to grab the new books first. I have some that I’ve owned for more than 5 years and still have not read yet! Yikes!!! Great Christmas presents, that sounds like a fun book! Wishing you all the best in 2018!!
Happy New Year! Lovely gifts, indeed. 🙂 Hope you enjoy many good books and good times in 2018! (I hope you like Jane of Austin as much as I did! And that P&P adaptation looks fun.)