Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.
Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.
Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!
A little note for 2019: For the next short while, I think I’ll focus specifically on books I’ve picked up at our library’s fabulous annual sales. With all books $3 or less, it’s so hard to resist! And yet, they pile up, year after year, so it’s a good idea to remind myself that these books are living on my shelves.
Title: Definitely Not Mr. Darcy
Author: Karen Doornebos
Published: 2011
Length: 374 pages
What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):
There’s no place for pride in this Austen misadventure. Chloe Parker was born two centuries too late. A thirty-nine-year- old divorced mother, she runs her own antique letterpress business, is a lifelong member of the Jane Austen Society, and gushes over everything Regency. But her business is failing, threatening her daughter’s future. What’s a lady to do?
Why, audition for a Jane Austen-inspired TV show set in England, of course.
What Chloe thinks is a documentary turns out to be a reality dating show set in 1812. Eight women are competing to snare Mr. Wrightman, the heir to a gorgeous estate, along with a $100,000 prize. So Chloe tosses her bonnet into the ring, hoping to transform from stressed-out Midwest mom to genteel American heiress and win the money. With no cell phones, indoor plumbing, or deodorant to be found, she must tighten her corset and flash some ankle to beat out women younger, more cutthroat, and less clumsy than herself. But the witty and dashing Mr. Wrightman proves to be a prize worth winning, even if it means the gloves are off…
How and when I got it:
LIBRARY SALE!
Why I want to read it:
After last week’s Shelf Control post — featuring a horror story about the Donner party — I thought it might be a good idea to switch things up and go for light and fluffy. Can’t get much lighter or fluffier than an Austen-inspired story involving reality TV! I’d never heard of this book before I stumbled across on the paperback fiction table at the library sale, but something about the cover and description reeled me in and made me NEED to take it home with me. And hey, I’m always up for some good Austen fangirl reading!
What do you think? Would you read this book?
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Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:
- Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
- Add your link in the comments!
- If you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate a link back from your own post.
- Check out other posts, and…
Have fun!
Sounds like fun!
I hope it will be!
That book sounds adorable! Though how you manage to mistake reality tv for a documentary is beyond me. I hope you enjoy it!
https://www.dreamcomereview.com/shelf-control-10-the-ivy-chronicles-by-karen-quinn/
Ha ha, good point! Unless maybe the contestants were given a false premise? I guess I’ll find out. 🙂
This really sounds good! I have a soft spot for anything Jane Austen and I would definitely read this😁
I think it’ll be fun! I think I’m going to earmark this one to read next time I finish something really heavy and emotional — it should brighten things up. 🙂
I’ve never heard of this one before but it sounds so fun! I hope you enjoy it. 😀
https://jessticulates.com/2019/03/13/shelf-control-18-this-week-in-books-13-03-19/
Thanks! Lots of times at the library sale, I’m focused on picking up books that I’ve been wanting already, so it’s always nice to find something I’d never heard of. 🙂
Good grab! Sounds like fun!
I always love the sounds of modern retellings of P&P but I’m not sure I’ve actually picked one up! This one sounds like a lot of fun though!
I’ve read a bunch of P&P retellings, and they’re kind of hit or miss for me… but I”m hoping this one will be a hit. 🙂