Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Challenge 2025 discussion

EXPLANATION

Beyond the TBR pile challenge... beyond the Group Reading Activities... there is the Golden Ten!

Since this is a big anniversary year for our group, I wanted to give us more of a challenge than ever. I'm going to offer a list of prompts that will force us all to dip really deep to accomplish.

The list will offer 12 prompts, but you will have completed the challenge by doing 10 prompts. Just think, if you finish, you'll have also finished off the Marianne Dashwood Level, too.

Let us know in the comments if you're going for the Gold.
You are welcome to list as you go or post up a goal list. The goal list does not lock you in if you go that route.

The prompts do not need to be read within a specific time period other than the year-long challenge range of time nor do they have to be read in any particular order. Some will require more time and effort than others. Books can be used to fulfill other challenges, but only one prompt per book.

Feel free to comment below asking clarification or discuss the books as you go

Golden Ten Prompts

1. Longest on your TBR pile
2. Started, but didn't finish
3. Originally published 10+ years ago (can have updated editions)
4. Personal Book Recommendation (not just a reviewer suggestion)
5. Book got a bad rap (has an average rating below 3.5)
6. Underrated Book (less than five reviews and published longer than a month)
7. "Of Course I Liked the Gift!" (or won or got free in an author newsletter)
8. In the Off Season (a holiday or seasonal book in a different time of the year)
9. Next in a Series
10. A Loaner
11. Uncharted Waters (something unknown about it or not your usual fare)
12. Austen Adjacent (JAFF and Austenesque do not count)

I'm in!

I'll be aiming to do one a month. Hopefully some will double up with my picks for the Group Monthly reading sometimes.

Guess I'll be starting with #3 since it will work for January Going Classic.

Wow!

I am so in!

I am so in, and anyone who wants to set up a loaner with me, look at my TBR piles and ask for one and I would be glad to swap with you via our Kindles (should it be one available for lending). This is awesome!

I'll try!

I'm game. Will certainly try. Though I may need help with recommendations.

loaner looks fun - I have never tried that before. Libraries here don't tend to have JAFF as it is not as popular as it is in the US

Count me in too, Sophia ..
since I’m going for Anne level, this will be a good motivator ;)

any chance we can start a Personal Recommendations partner chat somehow, like the someone else pick for me monthly challenges? I don't have friends who read JAFF so I don't actually have a personal recommendation to go off of to fulfill that one.

Sam wrote: "I'm game. Will certainly try. Though I may need help with recommendations."

Feel free to announce here that you want recommendations. If you want us to pick from what you already have then create a GoodReads shelf and leave us a link with your request.

Craftyhj wrote: "loaner looks fun - I have never tried that before. Libraries here don't tend to have JAFF as it is not as popular as it is in the US"

Hmm, maybe have to do something along a biographical Austen-related or something on Regency times if you go the library route.

Or... we could do 'virtual' loans. Haha! Like you could look at any of our shelves for a book you might want to read and 'borrow' it though you'd acquire it in actuality on your own reconnaissance.

Katie wrote: "any chance we can start a Personal Recommendations partner chat somehow, like the someone else pick for me monthly challenges? I don't have friends who read JAFF so I don't actually have a personal..."

Sure can. Just ask for recommendations right here in this thread and we can do that for you. Or, if you have a GoodReads shelf of the books you want us to pick from, you can include the link to it here.

Q: Given that some of the readers are voracious, the finding of any book under 5 is like the day it came out, these last year or two. Can we go with the Underrated book being under 20 if it has been out over a year? Or even under 40 if it has been out over 5 years?

If someone wants to have an option for 12: Griefwriting will so fill that one. And I believe it is on KU.

Kimbelle wrote: "Q: Given that some of the readers are voracious, the finding of any book under 5 is like the day it came out, these last year or two. Can we go with the Underrated book being under 20 if it has bee..."

That's a good point, Kimbelle! Yes, I think 20 reviews after a year is still going with the spirit of the prompt which is to give a good book that hasn't gotten much attention some loving. :)

Just read one that would probably qualify for most people's #11.

Checkmate, Mr Darcy: A Regency Novel inspired by P&P has Darcy and Lizzy not ending up together and, in fact, Darcy is a darker than usual version in this one. Uncharted waters, indeed!

Sophia wrote: "Just read one that would probably qualify for most people's #11.

Checkmate, Mr Darcy: A Regency Novel inspired by P&P has Darcy and Lizzy not ending up together and, in fact, Darc..."

Perfect! Thank you for the rec.

I'm game!

I'm interested in the interpretation of Austen Adjacent. Would Heyer fit this?

I read/listened to a couple last year that might fit this bill,
Sophie Irwin - A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting and A Lady's Guide to Scandal

Stephanie Burgis
Scales and Sensibility

Okay I think this counts for Austen adjacent. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Craftyhj wrote: "I'm interested in the interpretation of Austen Adjacent. Would Heyer fit this?

I read/listened to a couple last year that might fit this bill,
Sophie Irwin - [book:A Lady's Guide..."

That's open to reader interpretation, but I would definitely count Heyer in that group. Thanks for the other two recs, Heather!

Katja wrote: "Okay I think this counts for Austen adjacent. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Yes, clever going with the food connection. You're starting strong here with your first one down, Katja!

I had no idea how to tell which book has been the longest in my TBR but then I realized it's possible to sort Kindle collections according to most recent. Assuming the one in the very bottom of that list is the oldest one, I'm going with Georgiana Darcy's Diary: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continued

I guess this was at the bottom for so long because i'm not such a big fan of minor character sequels and she looks to be in love with the Colonel which pairing I find a bit squicky unless she's matured quite a bit. But so far it doesn't seem terrible, the writing style is quite amusing.

Can the longest in TBR be a reread?

Sam wrote: "Can the longest in TBR be a reread?"

How about we say it has to have been ten years since the last read to count a re-read so its been a long while between readings.

Or, if you're trying it in a different format like audio then it can be less than ten years.

Katja wrote: "I had no idea how to tell which book has been the longest in my TBR but then I realized it's possible to sort Kindle collections according to most recent. Assuming the one in the very bottom of tha..."

Good tip about using the Kindle 'most recent' lists to show the older ones.

Very interesting :-)
I will give it a go :-D

Sophia wrote: "Sam wrote: "Can the longest in TBR be a reread?"

How about we say it has to have been ten years since the last read to count a re-read so its been a long while between readings.

Or, if you're try..."

hmmmm... no and no. sigh

okay the potential loaners from my library for category 10 include

Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Pride and Prejudice Continues
The Clergyman's Wife: A Pride & Prejudice Novel
Most Ardently
Pride and Premeditation and the same author's sense and sensibility mystery
Pemberley: Or Pride and Prejudice Continued

and a few manga or graphic novel versions of Austen's books.
as well as several non-fiction books about her

I don't know any of these authors, which would you pick?

I might do Pemberley for the "Book got a bad rap category", the goodreads rating is 2.5 and I really don't want to buy a book that everyone hates lol

for "started but did not finish" I could do Duty and Desire and the "Next in series" could be the third one by her
I read the first one and got a few pages in the second volume but I drifted off. I found the first one a bit wordy but I know a lot of people consider them classics. These would also work for category "ten years ago"

Katja wrote: "okay the potential loaners from my library for category 10 include

Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Pride and Prejudice Continues
[book:The Clergyman's Wife: A Pride & Prejudice Novel|4428620..."

Out of your potential borrows, I liked The Clergyman's Wife best, but that also sounds like that 2.5 one would make a good one for an unliked one, too... looks like you have good options for several prompts. I wasn't keen on the Duty one, but liked the first and final ones since they were closer to the original plot.

I hope no one expects the results to be in order!

The first I am reporting as finished
6. Underrated Book (less than five reviews and published longer than a month)
Mr. and Mrs. Collins: A Pride and Prejudice Sequel
published August 2024.
Currently 4 reviews on GoodReads; 3 on Amazon

My first book from this author and it's actually a pretty good. I'm afraid it will be unpopular because it is about William and Charlotte Collins. Lady Catherine does not forgive them for the Darcy/Bennet wedding and they are evicted from Hunsford.

I have Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley.

Would that work for #12 Austen Adjacent.
If not, I will need some suggestions, please.

Wow, I thought Kindle didn't allow us to lend books. How does it work?

Here's a great one for Category Six. Out four months and no reviews on Amazon or Goodreads.

The Wickhams by M.A. Bard

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

wosedwew wrote: "I hope no one expects the results to be in order!

The first I am reporting as finished
6. Underrated Book (less than five reviews and published longer than a month)
[book:Mr. and Mrs. Collins: A P..."

I sa that one when it first came out but I couldn't see how Lady C was able to evict them. How was this explained?

Craftyhj wrote: "wosedwew wrote: "I hope no one expects the results to be in order!

The first I am reporting as finished
6. Underrated Book (less than five reviews and published longer than a month)
[book:Mr. and ..."

Lady C. told the Bishop that Mr. Collins was such a good pastor he could do well at another placement. The Bishop chose a church with less cash flow and an inadequate parsonage.

I don't know if this was possible in the Regency or not. Other authors insist that once a placement is given, it cannot be removed without misconduct on the pastor's part.

Liz H wrote: "Here's a great one for Category Six. Out four months and no reviews on Amazon or Goodreads.

The Wickhams by M.A. Bard

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..."

I have that on my Kindle also. It's a two-parter.

wosedwew wrote: "Craftyhj wrote: "wosedwew wrote: "I hope no one expects the results to be in order!

The first I am reporting as finished
6. Underrated Book (less than five reviews and published longer than a mont..."

It wouldn't have been possible. The changes in priest appointments to something closer to a conventional job is really very recent.

wosedwew wrote: "I hope no one expects the results to be in order!

The first I am reporting as finished
6. Underrated Book (less than five reviews and published longer than a month)
[book:Mr. and Mrs. Collins: A P..."

Yes, the Golden challenge is meant to be done in any order and you can toss out two of the prompts b/c you only need ten to finish.

wosedwew wrote: "I have Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley.

Would that work for #12 Austen Adjacent.
If not, I will need some suggestions, please."

It would, but you can also read another author from the same period or who writes Regency era settings if you'd rather.

Liz H wrote: "Here's a great one for Category Six. Out four months and no reviews on Amazon or Goodreads.

The Wickhams by M.A. Bard

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..."

Good tip, Liz!

1. Longest on your TBR pile
at 665 pages: Haunt Me: Heartbreaker Duet Book 2 (Lose Me 5) [ARC] by M.C. Frank (2024-1-8) 5* Modern Persuasion : extreme canon twist - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This was a quick little story for those who are dog-lovers like me!

7. "Of Course I Liked the Gift!" (or won or got free in an author newsletter)
Pemberley, a Dog's Tale" by Melanie Rachel

Sophia wrote: "wosedwew wrote: "I have Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley.

Would that work for #12 Austen Adjacent.
If not, I will need some suggestions, please."

It would, but you can also rea..."

Thanks, Sophie.

Jen wrote: "1. Longest on your TBR pile
at 665 pages: Haunt Me: Heartbreaker Duet Book 2 (Lose Me 5) [ARC] by M.C. Frank (2024-1-8) 5* Modern Persuasion : extreme canon twist - https://www.goo..."

You took on a big challenge for your first Golden Ten. Woohoo, Jen!

wosedwew wrote: "This was a quick little story for those who are dog-lovers like me!

7. "Of Course I Liked the Gift!" (or won or got free in an author newsletter)
Pemberley, a Dog's Tale" by Melanie Rachel"

It sounds like a sweetheart of a story.

I am late to the party, but I am going to join you, if it’s okay. This challenge sings to me, as I have tons of ideas for ways to fill each one. Some, I am embarrassed to admit.

One question - do Kindle Unlimited books count as borrowed?

I'm going to do pride and proposals by Victoria Kincaid for my longest on tbr pile. (I had others on my goodreads account but they're not available anymore)

I had a batch of about a dozen which had the same date on my TBR, I suppose from when I first registered on Goodreads. I have decided to go with Netherfield's Secret.