Happy Friday everyone! I don’t know about you, but I’ve been enjoying some cooler fall weather. It takes a while to hit us here in Tennessee! Stop by Hoarding Books Blog and read all of the first lines (maybe you’ll find your next read).
There have been several good Jane Austen modernizations and Jane Austen inspired books this year. I’m a fan of Austen’s books (read all of them several times). This week I’m going to share a YA modernization of Mansfield Park that I adored! It’s been out a few months but this book deserves some recognition. Author Kate Watson did an amazing job of making this story relevant and giving Finley Price a backstory that tugged at my heart.
First Line
Finley Price was a fool.
More about the book
Sixteen-year-old Finley Price has perfected two things: how to direct a world-class production, and how to fly way, way under the radar. The only person who ever seems to notice Finley is her best friend, the Bertram’s son Oliver. If she could just take Oliver’s constant encouragement to heart and step out of the shadows, she’d finally chase her dream of joining the prestigious Mansfield Theater.
When teen movie stars Emma and Harlan Crawford move next door to the Bertram’s, they immediately set their sights on Oliver and his cunning sister, Juliette, shaking up Finley and Oliver’s stable friendship. As Emma and Oliver grow closer, Harlan finds his attention shifting from Juliette to the quiet, enigmatic, and thoroughly unimpressed Finley. Out of boredom, Harlan decides to make her fall in love with him. Problem is, the harder he seeks to win her, the harder he falls for her.
But Finley doesn’t want to be won, and she doesn’t want to see Oliver with anyone else. To claim Oliver’s heart—and keep her own—she’ll have to find the courage to do what she fears most: step into the spotlight.
Ooh, I love Jane Austen and YA so I definitely need to check this one out. By the way, we almost never have fall weather in October here in Florida so I know what you mean! It’s been a really nice break from one of the hottest summers we have ever had. 🙂
I’m featuring Hometown Girl by Courtney Walsh on my blog, but I’m currently reading a non-fiction book called She’s Got The Wrong Guy: Why Smart Women Settle by Deepak Reju so I’ll use that today.
Part 1:
From Problems to Faith
When it comes to dating and marriage, what problems do you face as a single woman?
Happy Friday!!
Loved Hometown Girl! And yes, you should check this one out. It’s one I’ve gone back to and re-read some scenes a couple times. Your nonfiction book sounds like something I’d like to read as well!! It’s tough being a single woman (especially in a church that is above average on the family population).
I love that first line! And I’m with you on the weather. It has been very warm for central NY this fall. I’m ready for sweaters!
I said that and then it got up to 75 again today. At least the cloud cover is keeping it under 80 (and the humidity of the summer has dissipated.
Happy Friday! I’m featuring The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen on my blog. But I will share the first line of Jody Hedlund’s Love Unexpected here. “The blast of a gunshot awoke Emma Chambers.”
Both authors I have read but it’s been a while for either.
I love Jane Austen! I had the honor of visiting her home in Chawton, England when I was in college. 🙂 Happy Friday Suzie!
Katherine Reay’s upcoming release, The Austen Escape, references almost all of Jane’s works (it’s one of those Austen-inspired books). Happy Friday to you too.
Very interesting. I will have to check this book out!
Today, I am featuring My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate, Utah by Angie Dicken, but I am currently in the middle of reading Hamlet with my AP Lit seniors. We are in Act 3, so I will share the first line from Act 3, Scene 1:
Claudius: And can you by no drift of conference get from him why he puts on this confusion, grating so harshly all his days of quiet with turbulent and dangerous lunacy?
Historical fiction to Shakespeare. Nice broad tastes there.
Ooooh, I like the cover!! (As you will soon find, I am such a sucker for a good cover.) Happy Friday 🙂
I agree. A good cover will make me pick up a book I might not otherwise. Have a fantastic weekend.