Happy 2019 sweet friends! I hope the year is treating you well so far! Or are you like me and still recovering/catching up from the holidays?
Mr. Bingley and had an eventful holiday season…aside from the usual holiday busyness and busier month at our jobs (for both of us!)…we also did a little bit of traveling and now have some of Mr. Bingley’s cousins staying at our home for a visit!
Our travels took us back to a place we love to visit…New York City!
And while in NYC we enjoyed some of our favorite places…in addition to some of our most favorite places to eat!
One of the places we love to visit frequently in NYC is Central Park…and this is the first time we’ve been ice skating there…(and the first time we’ve been ice skating in like 15 years)!! And good news…neither of us fell! 🙌🏼
And does anyone recognize the significance of this building? It is so disappointing that there isn’t a Central Perk near it though! ☕️
But we also got to enjoy some sights that we haven’t seen up close before.
One was a ride of the Staten Island Ferry in very cloudy and grey weather. ⛴
And the other was a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge in gloriously beautiful and sunny weather! 🌉
And before we went to NYC we had a lovely Christmas with my family here in town and I received lots of lovely bookish and Jane Austen related presents (camping related presents not pictured!)
Mr. Bingley got me a brilliant little book light that fixes onto our headboard which wonderfully lights up my side of the bed, but keeps his in the dark so I can read while he is sleeping! 🛌
And my sweet and wonderful cousin surprised me with some very old Louisa May Alcott books she found…some of them are from the 1870s and 1880s!!! These books were published during her lifetime and are now the oldest books I own!! I’ve read 3 other Louisa May Alcott books – of course Little Women is one of the ones I read, but I’ve never read any of these! I can’t decide which one I should read first! (Sadly I may opt to not read from any of these since some of the pages are falling out or some covers are detached. I’d like to preserve them as best as possible. But I’ll buy myself newer copies.)
Please do share what fun Christmas activities you did or and presents you received! 🎄 I’d love to hear from you!
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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 ~
~ FEATURED AUTHORS VISITING THIS MONTH ~
Karen Cox – TBD
Abigail Reynolds – TBD
Robin Helm and Laura Hile – January 11th
Jayne Bamber – January 14th
Victoria Kincaid – January 21st
I am so very excited for this lovely month! I’ve got a lot to look forward to!
What are you looking forward to this month?
Hello Meredith, Happy New Year to you and Mr. Bingley. I have had a lovely Christmas and New Year. My daughter came to stay with us for 11 days from London. I received some lovely gifts from the Jane Austen Gift Shop namely a bag, calendar, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Socks and the most beautiful coasters of all JA’s leading men so I was very happy with all those gifts.
On New Year’s Eve we went for a river cruise on a boat called the Fortuna down the River Tyne where I live. Looking forward to all your reviews this year 2019 and thank you again for all your hard work xx
Happy New Year, Michelle!! How wonderful to spend some time with your daughter and what excellent gifties!! 🙂 Hope your 2019 is off to a terrific start!
Looks like 2019 is shaping up to be another great year for Austenesque readers—and so glad you had a wonderful Christmas. Those Louisa May Alcott books! I am looking forward to Karen M Cox’s audiobook release of “I Could Write a Book”!
Yes!!! Although 2018 will be tough to beat – what a tremendous year of terrific books! Wishing you all the best in 2019!
Love the pictures, especially the people in the background on the Staten Island Ferry picture! They look so happy for you! 🙂 I got a new computer from Santa, so I am a happy camper. I also love old books and am thrilled that you were gifted with those. My dream is to be able to afford an original copy of P&P.
Christmas was really quiet since my son was in Missouri with his in-laws, but hubby loves to decorate so no would know we were all alone from all the lights on and in the house. He is just a big kid, but I love that about him. Looking forward to reading your reviews for January, especially for Darcy’s Melody as I have read and loved it. Lots of lovely things to look forward to Happy New Year!
Thank you! Those are Mr. Bingley’s cousins and we love spending time with them! What an awesome gift for you!! Yay! I know you are probably enjoying it greatly!
Yes, an older P&P would be lovely…I especially and fond of the Peacock edition!
How lovely that your husband gets so into the Christmas spirit! Hope you are enjoying a wonderful 2019 so far!
Oh Meredith, the old books of Louisa May Alcott! !! They are such a tresaure! . I can’t see well some of the titles but it seems to me that one of them is “Little men” which was called in Spain: “Hombrecitos” and I remember I read it when I was a child and I liked it very much. I think that the sequel of “Hombrecitos ” was “Los muchachos de Jo” which I don’t know how it’s called in english, maybe there is among the books your cousin gifted you, blessed cousin! LOL 😉
I like your January Agenda and I’m looking forward to Abigail ‘ s new book because it sounds really thrilling and with the touch of fantasy I love.
Happy New Year and thanks for sharing your pictures of your holidays! 🙂
Yes, Teresa! Such a treasure! I can’t wait to read them all and find a beautiful place of honor for them on my shelves. One of them is Little Men and there are two that are titled Aunt Jo’s Scrapbook…but I think the one you are talking about is Jo’s Boys. I didn’t know there were so many!!
Thanks so much for checking out our agenda!! I’m so glad you are looking forward to these posts!
Meredith, I have all of the Louisa May Alcott books you received. What a lovely gift! I love to read them over and over again, like Jane.
We were very blessed when my entire family came home for the holidays. I also received a few Jane Austen gifts….
I am looking forward to the new year and your reviews.
Oh awesome!! I love hearing that they are such favorites with you! I cannot wait to start reading them!
That sounds absolutely lovely! So glad you enjoyed a wonderful holiday!
Great post! Love your light. I need one since I usually read with a flashlight and the blanket over my head. Ha Ha! Thanks for last years recommendations and so many fantastic blog posts. I look forward to 2019 and hope you will enjoy Darcy’s Melody. Happy New Year!
LOL! Yes, you do! I was forever balancing my phone on my pillow or stomach, which didn’t allow me to really “curl up” with my book! I’m very excited to read Darcy’s Melody this month, finally! Yay! Which, by the way, received lots of lovely votes in the Readers’ Choice vote!
Fabulous photos as always. When we were in NY it was a drizzly cold day also. At least you had a clear day when you were crossing the bridge. I agree, you should preserve those older books and read the newer versions. They are practically a historical treasure. That line up of books to review and authors to interview sounds like fun. 2019 is looking pretty exciting. Have fun and a special hello to Mr. Bingley.
Thank you! Yes, it worked out okay…only one day of rain thankfully!
Hope you are enjoying a wonderful 2019 so far!
Your NYC trip sounds fun. I haven’t been iceskating in a while. Pretty sure I’d fall. LOL
Fun Christmas pressies, there.
Looks like a fun line up of reads and guests for the month. You remind me, I need to read Mendacity & Mourning, too.
Have a great January!
I was certain I would…lol! There was a lot of people there too and the ice wasn’t the smoothest…even after Zamboni did its thing.
Hope you have a great start to 2019!!
Looks like a wonderful trip and holiday season. Happy New Year!
denise
Yes! It was. Although it all went by too quickly! Hope you are enjoying a great 2019!!
Oh wow!! Those wonderful old books. I recently bought a copy of short stories by Elizabeth Gaskell from an online shop. It cost me £8. What I got was a wonderful old hard backed small book like something Darcy or Elizabeth would have read. I was thrilled because on the site I thought it looked like a normal sized book.
Had a nice Christmas with family to stay. Had a birthday as well and got lots of lovely Amazon vouchers. I’m in seventh Heaven. Happy New Year to you and Mr Bingley.
Oh lovely!! What a happy surprise! So glad you had a lovely Christmas and birthday! Happy belated birthday to you my friend! Have fun enjoying your vouchers!!! 🙂
I always enjoy your photos. Now what is that building? I read the one street is Grove but couldn’t read the other streets. My mother used to own a set of Alcott books that looked like those. I read all of them. Eight Cousins was one title I remember. I don’t know what happened to them…sadly. I am sure you will treasure them. I have read most of the books pictures above. I have not read Darcy and Deception, but do plan to do so. I also plan to read A Very Austen Valentine. Those are the only ones I have not read and I know I will enjoy those. Thanks for sharing. Glad your holidays were so lovely.
Joana guessed it below, but it is the outside apartment used in Friends for Monica and Rachel…Mr. Bingley and I are big Friends fans!
So glad to hear you enjoyed some LMA books, I know I have a lot more of her works that I need to read! Hope you are enjoying a wonderful 2019 so far!
You’ve got a great month lined up! Thanks for featuring our anthology. And thanks, too, for sharing your “Adventures with Mr. Bingley” photos. We loves ’em.
I’m so excited for your visit and to read your anthology, Laura!! So happy to see you ladies publishing more works!! It is just terrific!
LOL! I love it! On Instagram I use the hashtag #TravelsWithPedro for all our adventures but I also love the idea of Adventures with Mr. Bingley!
Laura and I are looking forward to being with you on January 11th! Thank you for hosting us.
Me too!! Can’t wait!
It’s so wonderful you had such a nice Christmas! You two are so darned cute. I just love your photos. I never had the ankles for ice skating, no matter how I tried. At my age now, I’m sooo over it, but at the time I was heartbroken, boo hoo for the younger me. We had a lovely Christmas here too, we were very lucky to have our son and his girlfriend visit us this year.
What a sweet bunch of Jane-y goodies Santa brought you. I love Mr. Bingley’s gift, N-I-C-E….he knows you so well. But wow, those Alcott books. What an absolute treasure, just beautiful. Well, as usual I’m going to say the same ol’ thing here: What a great agenda for January. You’re starting 2019 off just right. I’m going to attempt to read at least a few of the books from your agenda. At least I’ve read one!! 😀
Aw! Thank you! 🙂 We had fun, although we definitely sore after the ice skating…those boots are not comfortable for any part of your foot! That’s wonderful that you spent some time with your family!!
Yes, I got some very special gifts this year! I’m so happy to share them with friends who understand and appreciate them…I tell my students when asked that I got books and a book light and they are not at all impressed! 😉
That’s great! You might be further along then I am! I’m still working on MP!
What! You were just down the road 2 hours! I’m glad you had a great time in NYC. I live in New London. CT, but was born on Staten Island.
Sounds like a very busy, exciting month ahead! So glad to hear you had a wonderful Christmas.
Laura may come to visit me this summer. You don’t live very far from me. We should meet up for lunch! Maybe some of the authors who live in North and South Carolina could come, too.
So gald you and Pedro had such a wonderful time! Loved your pressies and the photos, so gorgeous, all of them. And ‘the building’! I was such a Friends nerd. Shame there was no Central Perk though.
Have a fabulous New Year with lots of books and lots of fun. xx