Overheard at... Starbucks

"Summer's the one time of year I get fun reading done."

Sadly, I jumped the gun before summer actually started, and now I am afraid I may have already finished the best book of the summer. As my blog readers know, I rarely post book reviews in my blog. I do like to read... but I have also found it is difficult to do it with an objective eye.

However, I am making an exception in this case. I can't fully explain why since I don't even understand it myself. I will say that for some reason this book reached in a took a hold of me like few books have and I want to make sure the author received my humble vote of support.

Before the review, however, I wanted to post the results of the Blogoversary contest I ran. Apparently my lovely readers and friends were either too humble to enter the contest, or, didn't understand Rafflecopter was in charge of picking a winner. And so, I will randomly select one name from the list of six commenters. Drum roll..... And the winner is - Aven Ellis! Yay Evan. Send me a note to dwilstedauthor(at)gmail(dot)etc. along with your preferred GC (amazon or B&N) and I will email it to you asap.

All right... and now, for my review of:    A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM - by Scott D. Southard.
                                                                            My rating: ---- 4 and 1/2 STARS -----

I read A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM eager for a story of romance resembling hers in tone and style. And, while I definitely found this, I ended up enjoying Mr. Southard’s story for so much more. There is a depth and perceptiveness to his writing which actually had me in tears at one point…. Not during the narration of the story,  but in one of the prologues to it.

The book is divided into three volumes, each of which weaves the story of how Jane learns about herself, about love, and about her characters through her own relationships. It was at the start of the final volume, which in story alone had its own share of emotional moments, that I found myself reaching out to Mr. Southard as if to a like soul.

For one thing, I am a writer. For another, my friends will say I am fairly philosophical. In both of these elements I found statements of truth for my life that, in my 46 years so far, have eluded me. To quote:

“It is so easy to romanticize the idea of life.

People make the mistake of doing so each day. Life is not a poem, nor is it a painting. It is not perfect. Life is harsh, and the reality of it can be so hard that even the greater souls amongst us can break into tears over the pains that lie in front of them. It is a path we have all been placed on, and it is one that none of us agreed to or asked for, but we walk it because we have nothing else to do, and no other choice to make. That fact is the one truth that ties all of us together.”

There is much, much more to this prologue… and so much more the story of Jane herself. But I won’t give it away, because, like a gift, it should be opened by the recipient… each reader who has the good fortune to land upon 
Mr. Southard’s writing.

         * * * * * * * Bio (Deanne note: Obviously my next read will be 3 Days in Rome:>) * * * * * * * *
Scott D. Southard, the author of the new A Jane Austen Daydream, swears he is not obsessed with Jane Austen.
He is, however, also the author of the award-winning novels, My Problem With Doors, Megan, and 3 Days in
Rome. His eclectic writing has also found its way into radio, being the creator of the radio comedy series The Dante Experience. The production was honored with the Golden Headset Award for Best MultiCast Audio and the Silver Ogle Award for Best Fantasy Audio Production.

Scott received his Master’s in writing from the University of Southern California. Scott can be found on the internet via this very writing blog where he writes on topics ranging from writing, art, books, TV, writing, parenting, life, movies, and writing. He even shares original fiction on the site (recently, his experimental novel Permanent Spring Showers).

Currently, Scott resides in Michigan with his very understanding wife, his patient two children, and a very opinionated dog named Bronte.

He can be reached via comments on this site, twitter (@SDSouthard) and at the e-mail [email protected]