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Virtual Book Club is new and improved for 2022!  We’ve been gathering every six-ish weeks since May 1, 2020, and it’s been amazing, however to make our schedule a bit easier to keep up with, we’re moving to every other month, so we’ll meet on the even months, in the middle, ish.  Yes, this is a couple less book clubs than in 2021, but darlings, you are always welcome to read along with the blog, or let us know you’d like to buddy read with us a title of your own choosing (no promises we’ll read it, but we’ll be super flattered). Additionally, if you need to discuss something we’re reading, our DMs are a cozy place to hang out.  We might even be available for a scheduled chat if you ask nicely.  We’ll have the February specifics for you very soon, and welcome any suggestions for the other five picks of the year in comments or DMs!

Happy 2022 darling readers!  We at Heart.Wants.Books are excited to be with you celebrating our third Jane in January, and, come what may, helping you to enjoy your reading experience.  Just a note before we dig in here.  Many of you have posted your 2021 reading stats online, and we even previewed ours on Instagram (there will be a deep dive this month, fear not).  Please hear us say two things about this: 

• Whether you read 5 books or 500, WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!  Everyone’s life, situation, and priorities are different.  And to that point,
• We hope your reading life in 2021 achieved your goals.  Note that says YOUR goals, not OUR goals, not your friend’s, or your neighbor’s, YOURS!  We have similar, but slightly different from each other goals, with mostly overlapping priorities.  Many of you have similar priorities for your reading lives, but with goals that differ from ours.  Reading is personal, differences are good things!  

If there is any way we can help further your goals or priorities, please slide into our DMs or the comment section.

And now, we will begin as we plan to continue, with a bit of supportive real talk, a Lazy Genius principle, a selection of diverse titles we’re really excited about, and a very slight filter.  Hang onto your hats and grab your smelling salts because this Jane in January (yes, we decided once, even though my enneagram 6 second guessed it like whoa), we are reading a selection by literary darling Jane Austen, and then we’ll be reading three modern retellings.  While none of our retellings have celebrated their second birthday yet, we have hopes for the magic these authors worked with Austen’s more than 200 year old ideas as inspiration. 

In case you’re wondering why we begin with Jane in January, well, because we adore alliteration, and because a few years ago Nikki was aghast at Ashley’s lack of familiarity with Jane Austen on the page.  As a result, we decided to reserve January for literary Janes.  We won’t always read a Jane Austen work (and we didn’t last year), but our goal, at least for the foreseeable future, is to bring you an author or a main character named Jane in the month of January, and then have three other connecting titles.  This also helps us fit some classics in our reading schedule, which does help to vary our reading lives a smidge as a bonus as well.   

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Recipe for Persuasion (The Rajes #2) by Sonali Dev*

The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne

Where the Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass

Do you have a favorite Persuasion retelling?  Let us know in the comments!

~Ashley and Nikki 

*If you guessed that we didn’t skip ahead to #2 in the series, you’d be right.  We may be rule followers even if we’re not purists and adore a good retelling.  

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