Got a bucket list? Things you want to see and do before you die? If you’ve got even a bit of geek in you, you probably hear the same little voice in your head as I do in mine, telling you that there are some great books you should definitely read at some point this lifetime! But there are so many amazing books out there, it’s hard to know where to begin. Some of the most time-tested classics, like Pride & Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities, or The Hound of the Baskervilles, can feel too imposing to pick up. But that’s just it – the scariest part is simply picking up the book the first time – once you open that front cover, you’ll be sucked into a wondrous world, full of the magic you remember being inside books when you were a kid. I have not regretted one moment of the time I’ve taken to read these books and more, and so I decided to read them aloud in small snippets for you, in the hopes that you’ll be a little less afraid of them as free, half-hour-at-a-time audio books, and will find true joy in listening. I’d love to hear about your favorite books, the ones you remember someone reading to you when you were little, or the most recent one to knock your socks off! I also hope to hear from some new authors, who’d like to have me share the first chapter of their book on my Podcast! I’d love to get fresh content to my listeners, and I’d be honored to help you get the attention your work deserves! Readers, writers, book lovers of all shapes and sizes, I hope you’ll grab your fuzzy slippers and curl up with one of my Bucket List Books today.

Reader's Reflections: When I first started this book, I was overwhelmed by the cast of characters. How would I keep the FIVE different Bennett sisters straight? As I read on, I realized that they were as different from one another as my two daughters are from each other. Jane is the oldest; her outer beauty is eclipsed only by the goodness of her heart, and her ability to see only the good in everyone, and magnify it to the Nth degree. Elizabeth (“Lizzie”) is next; she and Jane are extremely close, though a bit different in temperament. Lizzie is our heroine – extremely bright, strong-willed, and possessed of an impressive ability to express herself and her beliefs. Mary, the middle child, is the plainest of the bunch. She knows she will not get the attention her sisters receive because of their looks, so she pretends that she is not as interested in balls and boys. She has decided to set herself apart from her sisters by spending her time improving upon herself by studying and practicing her musical abilities, in order to earn praise and attention at parties. Though Kitty is next in the birth order, she tends to follow her younger (and taller) sister Lydia, the most empty-headed of the lot. Lydia is absolutely boy crazy, and spends all of her time flitting from man to man, basking in the attention of any who will give it. She’s blissfully ignorant of how this affects her reputation, and prides herself on any recognition she receives. Although also boy-crazy, Kitty is a bit more reserved and not quite as prone to receive the results of her brass younger sister. I feel like I know someone who is just like nearly every character we’ve met so far. Who can’t relate to knowing – or having – a mother desperate to see her daughters married well? Who doesn’t remember the excitement of a co-ed party, especially one with music and dancing, where new people meet? Who can’t relate to the elation of being singled out by the one person in the room whose eye you are hoping to catch; or being painfully rebuked and even insulted by the best-looking person at the party? The energy of a house full of five lively daughters, and the intrigue of the unlikely friendship between Bingley and Darcy, set us up for quite an entertaining tale.