Duty and Desire and Thank You, Kate!

I recently finished the second installment in Pamela Aidan's series about Fitzwilliam Darcy. I was a bit unsure after reading the first book which I enjoyed, but wasn't wholly won over by. What I am liking about this series is that it's not a retelling or a sequel to the beloved Pride and Prejudice; rather, it's Darcy's tale. While Aidan's writing lacks Austen's sharp wit, she doesn't try to write like Austen, and keeps to her own engaging style. Much of the second book is more reminiscent of Austen's Northanger Abbey, which parodies the gothic novel (think, Bronte sisters). Aidan makes an interesting jump in doing this, but the tale was more or less amusing. I'm looking forward to the final installment when Darcy reunites with Elizabeth (will they or won't they get together?), which is rumoured to be republished in January.

Also, I wanted to shout out a public thank you to Kate for the lovely armwarmers I got in the Chicks With Sticks Chickmas Exchange.



Lucky me, to be Kate's giftee! I'd been drooling over these armwarmers since she began making them over the summer, and particularly this red color. She also gave me Knit Lit The Third. I've seen this series around, but hadn't got around to reading them yet, so thanks for getting me started!