Austenland by Shannon Hale

I'm not an Austen fan. I don't go weak at the knees at the mention of Mr Darcy (who?) or Colin Firth (who? oh, you mean the gay guy in Mamma Mia!), but you know what? Austenland, the romance novel by Shannon Hale, works for me. It's fun, it's light, it's easy to read while stirring bolognese sauce or waiting at the piano lessons. I will read the sequel for sure.

From the blurb:

Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right man—perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

Don't miss Shannon Hale's next book, Midnight in Austenland, a mystery set at Pemberly available in February, 2012.