AUSTENLAND by Shannon Hale

This book has been out since 2007, but it is still amazing and needs to be read. Maybe it is because it is currently being made into a movie—which you can check out at Shannon's blog--but I want to read it again and again :)

Synopsis

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.
Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen—or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It’s all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

The Afterglow

This book is HILARIOUS! I laugh every time I read it. It is the perfect blend of humor and romance. If you are a Jane Austen fan you will appreciate all the references to her books woven seamlessly into the story.

If you have ever wanted to don a gown and step into an Austen story—this book is for you.

I knew I would love this book the second I read the dedication:

For: Colin Firth

You’re a really great guy, but I’m married,

so I think we should just be friends.

I won't give it away, but it has the most delicious ending :)

Shannon also has a new book coming out in January 2012—Midnight in Austenland. I’m so excited :)

-Angie Cothran