u/Technical-Fruit5524

Hey! I'm writing a list of names that are mentioned in Taylor's songs. Literally just out of interest, I'm not searching for baby names, lol. So far, off the top of my head and from scrolling through her discography, I've got:

Boys:

Stephen

Drew

Marcus

Peter

John

Romeo

Ronan

James

Tim

Gender neutral:

Robin

Sam

Taylor

Girls:

Ophelia

Dorothea

Abigail

Aimee

Elizabeth

Clara

Chloe

Sophia

Cassandra

Emma

Betty

Inez

Juliet

Este

Marjorie

Rebecca

Mary

Honourable mentions (commonly names, but not used as a person's name in the song):

August, Ivy, Carolina, Willow, Cornelia, London

Hi - I'm looking for book recommendations about folklore and legend. I've always been interested in folk tales and myths, and read lots of child-friendly books about them and them fiction based on mythology as I grew up (yes, Percy Jackson, but I ate up anything with that folkloric vibe!) I studied Classics at school and ever since I have always delighted in morsels and little stories about folklore as I go through life. But I've never properly sat down intending to learn more folk tales and legends.

I would love recommendations of your favourite non-fiction books about folklore. Something that's an introduction to different folk traditions around the world, or something focusing more on the folklore of the British Isles or Scandinavia. Also open to fiction that feels like an immersive experience in those specific folk traditions!

People seemed to enjoy doing this for the heroes so I thought we could go again :) this is just a fun way to engage with the stories, to me - sorry if I'm spamming the sub with all this!

You could do this by 'who would you want to be best friends with', or who you find the most compelling to read, whose arc you like the most - however is most interesting to you. I loved the people who ranked the heroes based on how much they'd enjoy being married to them, so I'm gonna do this based on who I'd most want to be my sister! Obviously ignoring the fact that if any of them had another sister their stories would be different 😅

Emma - end of book Emma is actually really nice, but not in a boring way. She's fun and interesting and proactive and I like that. I feel like it would be really fun to be part of her social circle and have so many good friends. The Knightley's would be great brother in laws, and even Isabella is endearing. Mr Woodhouse is obviously the drawback, but even he is sweet and kind. I just would really like to be a part of the maturing lives of the Highbury club.

Elinor & Marianne - Edward and Col Brandon are the drawbacks here because I don't like either of them much. But apart from them, these two would be my favourites. I really appreciate both of their perspectives, and it would be so fun to be part of a Dashwood girls night. Imagine cosying up with Elinor, Marianne, Margaret and Mrs Dashwood for a board game evening or movie night. It would just be the best!!

Anne - I love Anne. I want to be the female best friend to her that she never gets in the story. To show her a friendship and sisterhood of actual trust and intimacy!! I've never had a sister, so I relate to Anne (even though she does have sisters, they just suck). Drawback here is that she's gonna be away overseas with Wentworth loads after the events of the book :(

Lizzy (and therefore Jane... and all the others) - Lizzy would be SO fun as a sister, obviously. I find her the most compelling and interesting to read. Everyone wishes they were Lizzy - especially because of Pemberley. BUT. Being her sister would mean tolerating Lydia and Wickham's constant encroaching on my good nature and while I like to think I'd be kind to them, I don't think enabling them is kind so I would wind up having to confront them and I don't want to do that, lol. I also wouldn't want to have to put up with her parents. I wouldn't mind Mary or Kitty though, because I'd love the chance to support them as they become better and more interesting women!!

Fanny - Fanny would be way higher if it weren't for Edmund. I have been a mentor/big sister figure to a lot of teenage girls and thats exactly what Fanny needs and I would love to be that for her throughout the events of Mansfield Park. But I would GO CRAZY as a family member knowing that she settled for someone who enabled her abuse, stayed within the area she was abused, in close relationship with her abusers. If I were Susan, I would have run for the hills after hearing some of Fanny's stories. Also, obviously, if I were Fanny's sister I would have grown up in her family home at Portsmouth and if I could choose to grow up in any Austen location/home that would obviously not be it, lol

Catherine - nothing wrong with Catherine, her family just don't feature in the story and so it would be boring, lol. Catherine is naive but very normal. I feel like she doesn't need me as much as Fanny would but has nothing to offer like the others do, so I don't really care, oop.

My daughter is called Imogen. It's a family tradition to have sibsets start with the same letter. I know lots of people find it cringe! But I've always loved it for myself so I want to do it for my kids.

Here is our long list of potential sibling names. Choose one of each and tell me your favourite 3 sibling set! I'm not pregnant yet, just curious :) Also open to suggestions of names that fit this vibe!

Boys:

Inness

Iver

Ivan

Ives

Iefan

Idris

Girls:

Islene

Isme

Iona

Ivy

Ida

Irena

Been reading through Alice McVeigh's P&P fanfiction collection - I've read the short story collection Pride & Perjury and I'm on Darcy. It's ok but I don't love it. It got me curious, because I always love to spend more time in the JA universe... What's the best fan fiction addition you've read? An alternate POV, or picking up the story later, any thing! And what's good about it?

In my post about pairing up the books, someone said that Knightly was 'probably fine' but Edward was 'top shelf', which is so surprising to me! So, in the spirit of more fun way to engage with Austen's works - rank the heroes, with your reasons!

Mr Darcy

George Knightly

Mr Bingley

Colonel Brandon

Frederick Wentworth

Henry Tilney

Edward Ferrars

Edmund Bertram

Darcy, because I love how he works on himself and takes feedback. I love that he uses his power and abilities for good without seeking reward. I also just like his vibe! Knightly because I love how present he is in Emma's life - he is steadfast, and honest, and patient. I love that their love grows from friendship, too. He just isn't as romantic as Darcy. My husband is a little like a cross between Darcy & Knightly, so clearly this straightforward, hard working, but not overly charismatic man is just my type!

I love Bingley's energy. I am a female version of Bingley. He would be so fun to hang out with. Minus points for being so easily led, but he is just so endearing all the same.

Colonel Brandon & Wentworth are equal for me. I get the ick from how much Brandon compares Marianne to Eliza. I actually think he'd be better for Elinor than Marianne! But I like him. Wentworth... I like THE LETTER. It's my favourite declaration of all the books! But he's just... Not my favourite. I really dislike how he flaunts his relationship with Louisa in Anne's face.

Tilney irritates me; he's trying too hard to be funny. I find him immature, but interesting.

Edward Ferrars is such a wet blanket and a coward. He led Elinor on knowing full well what he was doing and refused to be honest with her when he could have been. He is also... Just boring.

Aaaand Edmund. URGH. I don't feel like anyone really likes Edmund, so I won't explain more!
Those are my thoughts! I'd love to hear others :)

Don't overthink it!

I'm so interested in how different people see the books and how they relate to one another. This is just a thought experiment, because I'm so often surprised at the connection other people see between stories, characters, etc. If you had to group the six novels into three pairs, how would you do it? What about two trios? Would you pair them up based on themes? Characters? Vibes? Titles?

Like - S&S and P&P have a shared naming pattern, and both heavily feature relationships between sisters, whose romantic timelines match up. But also, the vibes feel quite different to me.

Then NA & MP could go together as place names... but the vibes are SO different. And what about Emma and Persuasion?

Emma & NA are the 'funny ones'. Persuasion & S&S feel more somber to me. MP and P&P are the ones that feel the cleverest. But in what world do Elizabeth and Fanny pair up as heroines?

Fanny and Catherine are our young heroines. Do they pair up?

NA & S&S are the ones that heavily feature periods in town, and the urban setting gives them something in common, maybe.

And so on! There are endless ways to do it, and I'm just curious what people's first thoughts are. I'll put mine in the comments. :)

One of my toddler daughters favourite board books is called 'Wheres Jane Austen?' and was a gift (more for me than for her, lol). It has different famous writers hiding behind felt flaps, including Jane Austen behind a piano. It could have just as easily been Where's Shakespeare? or Where's Charlotte Brontë? Still cute though!

Anyway, it got me wondering if there are versions of JA's books as board books, picture books, etc. Turns out there are lots, but I don't want to order a set in case they're bad. Any recommendations of good children's versions? Suggestions for all age groups are welcome!

Has anyone else who preordered a vinyl or anything else from the shop not received it yet? Not signed or anything, just the daffodil edition. I contacted royal mail because I'd had an email that said it was sent, but apparently it hasn't actually reached them yet. Just wondering if I need to contact the store or not