h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hey whoa, whaddaya know, me a fan of Jane also! Really funny, really sweet, Olden English Charm complete. Feminine romantic woes, told in fresh and friendly prose. Austen rocks, that is a fact - only imbeciles detract!

Yay! A kindred spirit!

Have you ever read any George Eliot? I only just finished 'Middlemarch' recently. It's a bit like Austen books except with characters that are a lot more complicated, and with a bit more scope... also it pays a lot of attention to the world around the storyline, which J.A. really doesn't do. But hey, I love J.A.

Anyway, I just thought if you like J.A., you might like George Eliot

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We happen to have 'Middlemarch' as well as other books by George Eliot, so perhaps I'll give it a try.

Jane Austen's characters may not seem to be very complicated, but her characterisation is very subtle and witty. I just really love her use of language, how she's able to portray a person's attitude so neatly and easily in a simple, short phrase! I would like to have that ability!

They are very good characters, I'm not trying to detract from J.A.'s style at all. I just discovered George Eliot, and wanted to share is all.

My favourite J.A. novels would have to be 'Emma' and 'Pride and Prejudice', although I DID like 'Mansfield Park' and 'Persuasion' and really, I've mentioned most of them now Have you ever read 'Lady Susan'? That's VERY well written. I've never seen it bound by itself though, it was in my 'Complete Works of Jane Austen' volume. (Now thoroughly worn out from repeated reading, and replaced by the individual novels)

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I have "Middelmarch" within reach, and I'll read it too, as soon as I can find the necessary 40 hours! Quite busy lately, reading mostly nonfiction - it's good time that I read some made up stuff again!

Yes, I did read "Lady Susan". Cannot remember much of it, though; it is in our library as a single book, if I'm not mistaken.

It's written entirely in letters. I loved it, it's very clever, but it doesn't beat 'Pride and Prejudice' or 'Emma' in my book.

I bought 'The Mill on the Floss' (also by George Eliot) on the weekend, but I haven't started it, because I also bought 'Jane Eyre' and even though I've read THAT a million times, well, I couldn't resist

I'm doing well for books atm. I've got those two to read, and I'm mid-way through 'The Hobbit' and a friend of my husband's has lent me some Raymond E. Feist (my other passion is Fantasy books) - four volumes, three of which I've never read!

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You know what? I finally finished 'Middlemarch'! And I'm going to read it again! It is really brilliant! I have read 'Silas Marner', but this one is entirely different! I really, really, really liked it! Upon reading this book I had come to the conclusion that, like Jane Austen, George Eliot has also achieved 'enlightenment'.

Jane Austen has a totally different goal with her books. You can't really compare the two. Austen seems to me to be more focused on the individuals, while Eliot is very concerned with the entire society. But I've only read two George Eliot books so far. Well, thankfully we have more, and so will the library! I have read all Jane Austen's books already - each one several times. It's a pity she didn't write more.

I actually don't read a lot of fiction. I read lots of non-fiction. I also read more than one book at the same time. During the time it took me to read 'Middlemarch' I must have read about fifty other books! My record is twelve books in one day. Note - they were by Dr. Seuss and Bill Peet.

I finally finished 'The Mill on the Floss', it was fantastic too! I'm going to have to find some more of her books now!

And yes, I agree about the difference between her and JA. I haven't been reading much of anything lately; still trying to get through my Raymond E. Feist stuff so I can give them back to the friend who lent them to me, but really rather busy (although I find time to be here )

Who's Raymond E. Feist?

He's a fantasy author; he wrote 'Magician' and the rest of that trilogy, as well as a bunch of other books.

I'll see if I can spot anything by him in the library.

I lent 'Middlemarch' to my mother today. I hope she likes it.

I'm going to read 'Daniel Deronda' next. I don't think I'd be able to live without nineteenth century novels. I just have to escape from my sordid reality and petty problems into that world where people worried about entirely different things, and where they were still able to have a few noble ideals.

Who wrote that?

George Eliot!!!

Sounds good to me!

What happened to the postings about dreams? I again this afternoon had a great one. A voyage of discovery into a magical land. I located the hidden mount Duba and climbed the high passage named the Gates of Ishtar. Afterwards when I awoke a Haiku came to me:

Seek not the solace
of the eternal snowfields;
your warm heart beats still.

This after a short while gave birth to the counter-haiku:

Go seek the solace
of the eternal snowfields;
your warm heart's beat stills.

I think the dream thing died.

I love your haiku though! That's just...amazing! Come and play on the Haiku Challenge!

I dunno if I'm up to the Haiku challenge. I can't just produce a poem to order on any subject. It has to be special, for a specific reason, the right thing at the right time. I never know what I'm gonna do next!

Whereas I can write them, but they're awful