Book acquisitions and P&P babble

Yesterday mum dropped me off at a used book/dvd/cd store (it's heaven) and I stayed there for a couple of hours, mainly trying to figure out if they had a nice copy of Sense & Sensibility (which I'm reading with my girl friends, finally, at out Book Club, on February) - they didn't. But they had a sort of follow up called Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife (by Linda Berdoll), in big flourished golden letters that caught my attention. Afraid of what a follow up might do with my mental version of Mr. Darcy, I read some of the pages, in which it was implied that Elizabeth (now Mrs. Darcy) had been somewhat mugged with Georgiana, and had suffered rape or attempt of rape, which is why I assume she thought Mr. Darcy wouldn't want her anymore (and of course, here followed the perfect "Of course not, darling" and derivatives). And that was enough to leave it in its abandoned shelf - what the hell are they thinking, putting rape in a courtship-novel follow up? It takes the whole light, easy, breezy feel of it which I - and supposedly most of the Austen fans - love. (And now that I've read the two top reviews on GoodReads I see that indeed it is most unwelcomed by Austen readers.)

Even so, I think I'll venture to read one or two of the sequels to P&P, it is just that good. Apparently, there are several: there is a whole community for it. While I linger on the ending of the actual P&P, I like to read Mrs Darcy vs The Aliens at times, which is quite entertaining. Also, I'd like to read something about the customs and etiquette of early 19th century England - I find some scenes so odd by this lack of knowledge. For example when Mr. Darcy meets Elizabeth and she's with her aunt and uncle, don't you find it strange that she doesn't introduce them right away? And then when he does request the acquaintance she is so honoured. After I reread some passages and excluded all my background with the contemporary "How rude, pardon me. This is So-and-so and this is That-and-that" lines I could understand it partly, but I'd like to know more of it.

Anyway, the books I did buy are:

• "They Dare Not Go A-Hunting" by Dorothea Cornwell, which I have no idea what's about, but it's such a beautiful red hardcover with yellow stained pages and big old fashioned typography that I couldn't resist. Strangely, it isn't even registered at GR.
• "Arabian Nights - Illustrated by Earle Goodenow", very pretty version of stories I never really wanted to read, but now will give a try.
• "Et Tu, Babe" by Mark Leyner, weird, weird book, sounding a little bit like a worsened version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxies, but it might be fun.
• "Nineteen-eighty-four" by George Orwell, really nice hardback of a book I always wanted to read and think I'll be able to persuade the Book Club to read it as well.
• "Must Love Dogs" by Claire Cook, I liked this movie and had no idea it was a book! I read only the first chapter, but it proved to be a very light, fun reading. Looking forward to it.

And now I'll need to maintain my interest in them after I'm finished with P&P, Good Omens (which the bf lent me and I still haven't gone past chapter two), and Sense & Sensibility. I can do this!

Uh. More book challenges that sound interesting. Must keep hold of self. Must. Must. Must. But what about...-

xoxo