I’ve been on a reading spurt lately but ignoring my blog. I just haven’t been in the mood to write about the books, even though I’ve enjoyed most of them very much. And if I haven’t been reading, I’ve been busy with other pursuits and not making the time to blog. Since I began this blog back in January of 2006, I have written about every single book I’ve read (not counting those few I didn’t complete) and am wondering if perhaps I should change that to only write about the ones that I really want to discuss. Sometimes I think my blogging gets in the way of my reading and makes me wonder the point of it all. I’m guess I’m just in one of those blogging funks that we all seem to run into at one point or another.

Anyway, a couple of weekends ago, when the weather prevented me from doing much in the way of anything outside, I spent a good deal of it reading; here are the first two from my forced, yet welcome, confinement:

I first learned that Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel had been adapted into a graphic novel format through Chris at book-a-rama, and was able to request a copy through one of my local libraries. There are two versions available: the original text and an abridged ‘Quick Text’ – a simplified, modern adaptation of the original work. I opted for the former, of course. One thing that perplexed me is that while the cover art is virtually the same for the two, the ‘Quick Text’ version is much more vibrant and eye-catching. I wonder why that is.

As Chris noted, the adaptation is pretty well done, and the illustrations evoke the setting and characters nicely, but like her, I felt there was something missing. Perhaps it was the foreboding sense of atmosphere that pervades the original book, the magic that sweeps you up into the story and the romance between Jane and her Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester doesn’t come across as mysterious, as mercurial and charming as we know he is; Bertha’s presence is not as disturbing or threatening, and let’s face it – Jane is too pretty. The graphic novel, while a good introduction for those inexperienced with the Brontës, is over too quickly to be savored, and for that, it loses part of the original’s allure.

January’s reading was a bit on the serious side, so I was in the mood for some lighter fare when I spotted Jane Bites Back on our new books shelf at the library. The name of the book’s author, Michael Thomas Ford, rang a bell in my head, and a little search showed me why. He’s the author of Alec Baldwin Doesn’t Love Me and Other Trials From My Queer Life, a book a friend had recommended to me a few years back when he found out I was a mutual fan of David Sedaris. Although I’d added the book to my wishlist, I’ve still never gotten around to reading it. And while I don’t consider myself an Austenite nor do I have much interest in reading the various modern books written about Austen and her creations, this one caught me in the right mood at the right moment, and so I checked it out.

Jane Austen is now living in a small town in upstate New York, a bookstore owner and frustrated writer. Frustrated because, since she became one of the undead and lost the ability to use her own name, she has been turned down for publication 116 times. All around her are books by her and about her and her characters, yet she doesn’t make any royalty money. But things are about to change for Jane – her life is about to mirror one of her own books, with a little undead action thrown in for good measure. My favorite literary bad boy shows up, wreaking havoc and turning her life upside down while Jane has to deal with the modern demands of literary fame, as well as a mysterious enemy who seems bent on making Jane’s life very difficult.

While both parodying and paying tribute to Jane and her imitators, Jane Bites Back is a fun frolic that completely charmed me. I hope we get to read more of her undead adventures.