Right so hello. I’m Katie Lumsden and I like books and things. (Things including: history, theatre, the Victorian period, bookshops and writing.) I've been watching Booktube videos for years and in June 2015 decided to start making my own.
A typical video will include me drinking tea while overusing the words 'like', 'really' and 'brilliant' to declare my undying love for Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. Feel free to subscribe if that sounds like your kind of thing.
I am also an author, and my debut novel, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, came out in spring 2023. My second novel, The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst, is coming out summer 2024.
Review policy: I'm happy to receive review copies from publishers, especially of historical fiction. In general, I don't review self-published books. Please contact me at my email below.
I did not read this with you but I read it for the first time two years ago and I had a lot of the same thoughts. I thought it had one of the best endings, not only Dickens, but of any book I have read. Yet, I could not give it a 5 star rating.
I’ll definitely be participating in JaneAustenJuly and hopefully will post a video next week. The Anarchy book looks interesting-I may check that out! I love Mansfield Park and the related book sounds fascinating.
I'm re-reading Emma too and probably What Matters In Jane Austen. I think I might watch the TV adaptation of Sense & Sensibility too. I have another East India Company book which is blurbed by Dalrymple which I bought for historathon so I might throw that in too!
I wasn’t a huge fan of The Heroines, I ended up dnfing it. But I think that was more to do with how I feel about Theseus than Laura Shepperson’s writing so I might give her new book a go. It looks like it’s based on the Aeneid which is at least something different. I have a couple of series to finish then I never want to read about Troy for a very long time. Have you read the Darkland Tales series? It’s currently at five books set throughout Scottish history, written by different Scottish authors, the most recent one was Queen MacBeth by Val McDermid, it was a brilliant subversion of Shakespeare.
A classic book edition review of your bookshelf would be marvelous! The Twelve sounds intriguing, so I need to order it; your recommendation gives it high marks. Many of the other books you mentioned are enticing, too, and congratulation on finding so rare a copy of Our Mutual Friend. Old books that have stood the test of time possess something magical, and to own them is like having buried treasure. I recently purchased Classic New England Stories, which is a collection of writers including Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Sarah Orne Jewett, Louisa May Alcott and more. My wife and I vacationed in Maine earlier in June and it was on the bookshelf at our Airbnb. I began reading the short stories and loved each one. I was unable to finish it during our stay, so I ordered two copies yesterday; one for me and a friend. Thanks, Katie, I love your videos!
Looking forward to your opinion about Gentlemen of uncertain fortune. Read it couple of years ago and find it an interesting social history read. It also turned me to thinking about the life stories of JA' brothers , especially Henry Austen.
Lovely edition - read it in good health. Of course I wasn't yet in existence in 1958 but if I recall my recent American history the Senator from Massachusetts was mounting what was eventually a successful campaign to become President of the United States. His father had been Ambassador to the Court of St James, and had owned some Hollywood movie studios too.
I am trying to expand my reading habits (which mostly tend to political nonfiction, science fiction, and Jane Austen -- odd, I know) so I think one of my choices will be a play. I am considering Richard Sheridan's School for Scandal.
Dear Katie, I’ve been away from my computer for 3 weeks on a road trip, so I have a lot of catching up to do regarding your earlier videos, which I promise to watch. As ever you have done a fabulous job suggesting things for Jane Austen July!
I will be reading Emma since it's one of the only Jane Austen I've only read once! Then I'll read Sanditon, I read the Watsons last year... My other plans are : Miss Austen by Gill Hornby, Jane Austen at Home (continuing this one) by Lucy Worsley, Continuing The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, Reputation by Lex Croucher and finally Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James! I've heard Death Comes to Pelberley is not the best, but it's been on my TBR for years so I might just give it a shot so I can finally clear it hahaha Have a great Jane Austen July to eveyone who participates!
I have all the Austen novels narrated by Juliet Stevenson and I love them. I sadly kinda feel like I'm slightly burned out by Austen this year so I'm only planning on reading an annotated Persuasion and a couple historical/retellings that I've been interested in for a few years but hadn't gotten to yet.
Hooray for Jane Austen July!!! I am planning a library trip after work tomorrow in its honor and then I probably won't be able to help myself from starting early! 💕
I love Juliet Stevenson's Emma--her portrayal of Mr Woodhouse cracks me up every time. My USA Library has a Robert Morrison book: "The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern" (2019). Would that be the same as your "Regency Revolution"? Morrison also annotated the Belknap edition of "Persuasion: an Annotated Edition", which I read and enjoyed.
The new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility was done by the Hallmark Channel, I guarantee it was low budget and is probably somewhat cheesy but you never know! 😆
I read Self Control this year. Talk about drama! That poor girl was stalked. Thats all I can say. You can tell how Jane Austen changed everything in women's fiction. This high drama is the basic type of writing done by a lot of women's writers of that period. Until Jane Austen. Do you agree?
P.S. Forgot to mention: "A Lady's Guide to Scandal" was FUN! It was a fresh take on the era, while remaining historically accurate. I also really liked the one Georgette Heyer book I read, "A Convenient Marriage." She's very funny and was meticulous in her research (according to Wikipedia)! ;-)
I pre-started my JAJ reading too, I read Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility because I was excited! I'm so excited for Motherless Land! I love Mansfield Park and love that it's getting a retelling.
That new Sense and Sensibility was released on the Hallmark Channel in the States in February. I don’t think the UK has the Hallmark Channel. Are you familiar? It releases hundreds (yes - hundreds) of super saccharine, cheesy romance movies every year. They can be fun. I did watch this. It’s not great. I wouldn’t put too much energy into finding it but if it falls in your lap it might be a nice diversion. I graded papers while watching it and didn’t miss a beat. 😂
I admit to getting a jumpstart because I wanted to re-read all her novels plus some of the other fun things surrounding Jane. So far I've read: Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice and I'm working on Northanger Abbey.
"The last person to take this out of the library...was me....last year" I love it! I really want to read The Anarchy, I've been looking for a book on the East India Trading Company for a while.
I'm so glad you mentioned the Nikki May book. This year my novel to reread has cycled back to Mansfield Park so this would be perfect. If only I hadn't just uoloaded and scheduled my TBR video 😂
I've started my JAJ a little early and have started the audiobook of a recent Australian YA retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Stuck Up & Stupid by actor Angourie Rice and her playwright mother Kate Rice. It's quite fun so far. I think it's going to be a Sydney/LA setting. I also have a devastatingly gorgeous book called Jane Austen's Wardrobe by Hilary Davidson. Sense and Sensibility is the only one of the big 6 that I haven't read, so I need to get it done. Suspect I'll be off to the Rosamund Pike audiobook.
