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!
Title: Jane in Love
Author: Rachel Givney
Published: 2020
Length: 434 pages
What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):
If Jane Austen had the choice between the heart and the pen, what do you think she would do?
At age twenty-eight, Jane Austen should be seeking a suitable husband, but all she wants to do is write. She is forced to take extreme measures in her quest to find true love – which lands her in the most extraordinary of circumstances.
Magically, she finds herself in modern-day England, where horseless steel carriages line the streets and people wear very little clothing. She forms a new best friend in fading film star Sofia Wentworth, and a genuine love interest in Sofia’s brother Fred, who has the audacity to be handsome, clever and kind-hearted.
She is also delighted to discover that she is now a famous writer, a published author of six novels and beloved around the globe. But as Jane’s romance with Fred blossoms, her presence in the literary world starts to waver. She must find a way to stop herself disappearing from history before it’s too late.
A modern-day reimagining of the life of one of the world’s most celebrated writers, this wonderfully witty romantic comedy offers a new side to Jane’s story, which sees her having to choose between true love in the present and her career as a writer in the past.
How and when I got it:
I bought a paperback copy on a whim when I saw it on sale, probably a little over a year ago.
Why I want to read it:
Oh dear. Now that I’m reading the synopsis, I have to say… it doesn’t sound good! I’m always up for giving an Austen-inspired book a try, but finding herself “magically” in modern-day England? And being at risk of disappearing from history? Sounds a little too Back To the Future, perhaps. I’m already cringing, and I haven’t even picked up the book!
On the other hand, I do own a physical copy, and should probably at least give it a fair try before casting it into the discard pile.
Right?
What do you think? Would you read this book?
Please share your thoughts!
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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 or link back from your own post, so I can add you to the participant list.
- Check out other posts, and…
Have fun!
Bookshelf Fantasies 
It does sound a fun idea to me (as long as one doesn’t overthink it). Hope it’s executed well.
I hope it ends up being fun! I’m very on the fence, but should probably at least give it a shot.
I’m sure you’ll know within a few pages if it’ll work. Hope it does!
It actually doesn’t sound that bad! And this is a Jane Austin story I’ve never heard done before, so it could be fun😁
Yes, the angle of a retelling being about Jane Austen herself rather than a retelling of one of her novels sounds really different — fingers crossed!
I would pass! So many books so little time after all 😀
I’m just never going to get to all the books on my shelves…
I was reading through the synopsis and started to think… er… and then I read your thoughts on it and just started laughing. I think you’re right, it’s worth a shot. Try the first chapter or 50 pages because it might be better written than the synopsis! 🙂 I’d never forgive myself for passing up a book if it turned out to be a hidden gem x
Haha, that’s a good way of thinking about it! What if it really is a hidden gem??
I know right? 🤣 it’s happened to me a few times!
By the way, back in the day I used to do your Thursday Quotables meme. It doesn’t look like you’ve done it in a while, but I hope you don’t mind me doing it on my blog and linking it back to you? 🙂 I’ll keep an eye out in case you start up again and I’ll add my link there too if you do 🥰 xx
Oh, that’s great about Thursday Quotables! You’re right, it’s been a while since I’ve done it, but I’ve thought about reviving it. Please feel free to go ahead!!
😍 thank you ❤️❤️ if you do decide to start it back up I’ll link up to to your weekly posts. You always get those books that have amazing quotes don’t you? Lol. Love it 😀
Who knows, it might be really good.
Here’s hoping! I can’t quite bring myself to give it away, so I suppose I’ll have to give it a try eventually.
https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/wednesday-meme-12 Here’s my link for this week’s dusty shelf book 🙂 And I guess I’m in the camp of – since you already own it, and it appealed at some point, it’s worth a shot. You can always DNF. Have a great week.
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
Thank you! (As you can see, I didn’t post a new Shelf Control this week due to an unexpected trip out of town, but I appreciate your sharing your link!)