October RandomCAT: Knock-offs, Follow-ups, Tributes, Parodies

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October RandomCAT: Knock-offs, Follow-ups, Tributes, Parodies

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1LadyoftheLodge
sep 14, 2019, 2:40 pm





Sometimes we just cannot get enough of our favorite authors or characters! This may be one reason that so many novels are written “in the style of” or “in tribute to” well-known authors.

These novels sometimes feature well-known main characters, such as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, or Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. Others include invented members of the main character’s families, such as Enola Holmes (Holmes' younger sister) or Mary Holmes (Holmes' wife). Still others feature the original characters in new roles or place them in new settings.

For this month’s RandomCAT challenge, your mission is to read a novel that is a knock-off, follow-up, tribute, or parody of a novel written by a well-known author or featuring well-known characters. The following is a list of suggestions.

Art in the Blood (A Sherlock Holmes Adventure)—Bonnie MacBird
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice—Laurie King (Mary Holmes Mysteries)
The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline—Nancy Springer (Enola Holmes Mysteries)
Holmes for the Holidays—Edited by Anne Perry

Death by Dickens—Edited by Anne Perry
Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol—Tom Mula

The Tao of Pooh—Benjamin Hoff
The Te of Piglet—Benjamin Hoff
The Pooh Perplex—Frederick C. Crews
Pooh’s Workout Book—Ethan Mordden
Winnie the Pooh on Management—Roger Allen

An Amish Christmas Carol—Sarah Price
Amish Cinderella—Rachel Stoltzfus
The Matchmaker: An Amish Retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma—Sarah Price
Mount Hope: An Amish Retelling of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park—Sarah Price

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict—Laura Viera Rigler
Darcy’s Ultimatum—Jennifer Joy
The Dashwood Sisters Tell All—Beth Pattillo
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman—Pamela Aidan
Flirting with Pride and Prejudice—Jennifer Crusie
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron—Stephanie Barron
The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen—Syrie Jones
Me and Mr. Darcy—Alexandra Potter
North by Northanger—Carrie Bebris
Pemberley: Pride and Prejudice Continued—Emma Tennant
The Third Sister—Julia Barrett

The Tale of Oat Cake Crag—Susan Wittig Albert (Beatrix Potter series)

Jeeves and the Wedding Bells—Sebastian Faulks
The Looking Glass Wars—Frank Beddor (Looking Glass Wars series)
March—Geraldine Brooks
Peter and the Starcatchers—Dave Barry (Peter Pan series)
West Side Story—Irving Shulman

Cajun Night Before Christmas—Howard Trosclair
Texas Night Before Christmas—James Rice

The Mother-Daughter Book Club--Heather Vogel Frederick (series)
Pies and Prejudice
Much Ado About Anne
Wish You Were Eyre

2rabbitprincess
sep 14, 2019, 4:33 pm

This is an awesome idea!! Raiding my bookshelves now :D

3LibraryCin
sep 14, 2019, 4:41 pm

Ooooh, interesting! I will have to see what's on my tbr... Off the top of my head, leaning toward a Jane Austen knockoff of some kind, but I'll see...

4rabbitprincess
sep 14, 2019, 4:42 pm

Aha! Found something: Now We Are Six Hundred: A Collection of Time Lord Verse, by James Goss. This riffs on the A.A. Milne book Now We Are Six.

5Jackie_K
sep 14, 2019, 4:46 pm

The two books I have that come to mind are both based on Pride & Prejudice - Longbourne by Jo Baker, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith. I think I might go for Zombies, to be honest - I feel the need for a somewhat lighter read.

6Helenliz
sep 14, 2019, 4:47 pm

I can recommend Reader, I married him, a collection of short stories by female authors in response to Jane Eyre.
I aim to get to Wide Sargasso Sea.

7rabbitprincess
sep 14, 2019, 4:50 pm

>5 Jackie_K: Of Quirk Books' publications in that P&P&Z line, I think my favourite was Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters -- but the best title is definitely Android Karenina.

8raidergirl3
sep 14, 2019, 5:09 pm

Olivia Twist was a YA Sync audiobook from this summer that I haven’t listened to yet. I devoured the Lady Charlotte Holmes books by Sherry Thomas this summer, so while I can’t read them, I can recommend them.

9beebeereads
Bewerkt: sep 14, 2019, 5:32 pm

Oh I know right away that I will choose A Conspiracy in Belgravia which is number two in the Lady Sherlock series. I've been meaning to get to this as I really enjoyed A Study in Scarlet Women last year. This will work for the series challenge as well.
It works for the alpha kit too! A three-fer!

10LibraryCin
Bewerkt: sep 14, 2019, 5:34 pm

I do have a Jane Austen one, but it's not available at my library, so I may choose something else. The Jane Austen one is:
- Jane Goes Batty / Michael Thomas Ford

I have a young Sherlock Holmes one, so this one's more likely:
- Vanishing Girl / Shane Peacock

I'll see what other options I have, as well.
- Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters is also an option for me.

11clue
sep 14, 2019, 7:16 pm

This works great for me, I was already planning on reading All The Ever Afters by Danielle Teller, a retelling of Cinderella from the stepmothers POV. It will complete my BINGO card too!

12LittleTaiko
sep 14, 2019, 7:27 pm

I’m going to read Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd which is a retelling of Bleak House.

13majkia
sep 14, 2019, 7:56 pm

14Robertgreaves
sep 14, 2019, 8:05 pm

I think my best bet for this one is The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

15EBT1002
sep 14, 2019, 10:56 pm

This is a great prompt for me to finally read Longbourn by Jo Baker.

16JayneCM
sep 15, 2019, 1:33 am

>6 Helenliz: Me too! I read Wide Sargasso Sea long ago and have had it on my TBR again for ages.

17DeltaQueen50
sep 15, 2019, 3:36 am

I am going to read Drawn Away by Holly Bennett for this. This book is based on Hans Christian Andersen's story of "The Little Match Girl".

18Jackie_K
sep 15, 2019, 5:03 am

I found another one after I posted, and I think this is going to the top of the pile (because I know the author!): The Way Home (Ashes of Olympus) by Julian Barr, which is the first of a currently-being-written trilogy retelling the Aeneid (sp?).

19kac522
sep 15, 2019, 11:55 am

What a great theme! Besides March by Geraldine Brooks (mentioned above), I also have on my shelves:

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones, about a teacher on a tropical island who reads Great Expectations to his young students.
My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead, a memoir about how Eliot's masterpiece affected Mead's life
Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler, a fictionalized imagining of Charlotte Bronte writing her most famous work

I could probably find others, but these popped out at me. And I want to read them all--I may ditch the other challenges and just read these ;)

20lsh63
Bewerkt: sep 15, 2019, 12:44 pm

>6 Helenliz: Thanks for the suggestion, I have Reader, I Married Him on my shelf.

21dudes22
sep 15, 2019, 1:34 pm

I'm thinking I might read Justice Hall, the next one in the Marry Russell series by Laurie R. King. I was also wondering if the series by Nicola Upson based on the author Josephine Tey would work? If so I might read Two for Sorrow.

22Jackie_K
sep 15, 2019, 1:41 pm

>19 kac522: I absolutely loved Mister Pip when I read it - if nothing else, make sure you get to that one!

23kac522
sep 15, 2019, 4:45 pm

>22 Jackie_K: I was thinking that was going to be my first read, and now I'm sure of it--thanks!

24Helenliz
sep 15, 2019, 5:11 pm

May I also bring Circe to everyone's attention and have a little rave about that as well? It was my first 5 star book in over a year and I'd have given in 6 out of 5 if I could. Loved it and it was such a beautiful edition as well.

25LadyoftheLodge
Bewerkt: sep 15, 2019, 5:25 pm

Wow, lots of great suggestions for this challenge. I have taken a few new titles to add to my list. I am glad this sparked so much interest. It was great fun to concoct! (I hate to admit that all the suggestions I listed above were either on my e-reader or my shelves.)

>6 Helenliz: I am sure I have Reader, I Married Him on my shelves somewhere. . .
>21 dudes22: I think you can read whatever you want that fits with the challenge. Your call on the Tey idea.

26LittleTaiko
sep 15, 2019, 6:07 pm

A book that I would recommend for this challenge is Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin which is a modern day retelling of P&P with Canadian Muslim families.

27VivienneR
sep 15, 2019, 9:38 pm

Excellent topic, Cheryl! I'm thinking of The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz, or Solar by Ian McEwan or one of Nancy Mitford's books such as Love in a Cold Climate or The Blessing. And I have all of them waiting on the tbr bookshelves.

28christina_reads
sep 16, 2019, 10:44 pm

I love this theme! Off the top of my head, I know I've got A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas, The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King, or Henry Tilney's Diary by Amanda Grange. But I may have even more to pick from -- time to raid my TBR!

Also, for any Much Ado about Nothing fans, I'd love to plug Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George. It was my first read of 2019 and still one of my favorite books of the year!

29LadyoftheLodge
Bewerkt: sep 17, 2019, 2:43 pm

Here are a few more ideas:

Shakespeare's Daughter by Peter Hassinger

A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen Ed by Susannah Carson
The Friendly Jane Austen by Natalie Tyler
Among the Janeites: A Journey Through the World of Jane Austen Fandom by Deborah Yaffe

The Friendly Dickens by Natalie Tyler

Since this is the 150th anniversary of Little Women, there are some related items out there too.
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters by Amy Boyd Rioux
March Sisters: On Life, Death, and Little Women by Kate Bolick

I forgot to mention that non-fiction is also okay, as long as it fits the theme; hence some of the items listed above.

30VivienneR
sep 17, 2019, 8:46 pm

I noticed some of the books mentioned above are tagged "satire". I just want to be sure: is satire included in the category?

31LadyoftheLodge
sep 19, 2019, 4:04 pm

As we often say, "no rules," so I suggest you read any that fit the category. Satire is okay!

32hailelib
sep 22, 2019, 4:31 pm

I've got A Study in Sable by Mercedes Lackey lined up. John and Mary Watson are Elemental Masters and take cases that Sherlock isn't interested in because they involve the supernatural.

33fuzzi
Bewerkt: sep 30, 2019, 12:16 pm

I highly recommend The Beekeeper's Apprentice or Longbourn, both of which I have read and enjoyed.

I am trying to read "off the shelves", so I'll have to see what I might have available...

Addendum: aha! I have a mystery entitled Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express that should fit this challenge!

34lowelibrary
Bewerkt: okt 3, 2019, 11:41 pm

I am reading one that also keeps with my Cat Who Challenge. The Cat Who Killed Lilian Jackson Braun by Robert Kaplow

35Robertgreaves
okt 7, 2019, 5:49 am

I didn't realise when I first started it, Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie is a 21st century re-telling of Antigone by Sophocles set amongst two families of Pakistani descent in London, one with Taliban and ISIS connections and one more assimilated - to the point where the father has a good chance of becoming Home Secretary.

36christina_reads
okt 7, 2019, 10:25 am

I just finished Henry Tilney's Diary by Amanda Grange, which is a retelling of Northanger Abbey from the hero's point of view, and enjoyed it overall.

37EBT1002
okt 7, 2019, 4:25 pm

I finished Longbourn by Jo Baker this weekend and enjoyed it MUCH more than I expected to! It is the servant's story from Pride and Prejudice. But it's more than a shadow spin-off from the great classic. It is a rich and thoughtful exploration of the human tendency to long for that which is out of reach, and the possibility of finding contentment by focusing on what one has and being clear about what truly matters.

I'm not sure I'd ever have read it were it not for this month's RandomCAT so thank you for that!

38LibraryCin
okt 7, 2019, 10:39 pm

Vanishing Girl / Shane Peacock
3 stars

A young Sherlock Holmes wants to prove himself worthy of one day working for Scotland Yard, so he sets out to solve the kidnapping of a young rich girl. In doing so, he is also in a race to beat his rival for Irene Doyle’s affections, the young criminal, Malefactor, who Irene has also tasked with solving the crime.

This was ok. It’s another series where I think I will not continue with, though. There were interesting parts, but overall not enough to keep my interest throughout, nor enough to make me want to pick up the next book.

39fuzzi
okt 8, 2019, 2:52 pm

>37 EBT1002: so glad you enjoyed Longbourn. I'm a big P&P fan, and have not liked other Austen pastiche novels except for this one.

40majkia
Bewerkt: okt 10, 2019, 7:45 pm

I've started A Study in Scarlet Women for this challenge.

41LadyoftheLodge
okt 9, 2019, 10:31 am

>37 EBT1002: You are welcome! I am glad this was a good challenge for you. (When I agreed to curate this challenge, I originally thought of a different theme, but this idea came to me unexpectedly right before it was time to post.)

42VivienneR
okt 10, 2019, 2:37 pm

I read Devil may care by Sebastian Faulks.

If you've read Fleming's novels you will recognize James Bond here but although close, it's not up to Ian Fleming's standards. If you haven't read any of the Bond novels, don't start here. The original author had a winning style that Faulks just cannot reproduce even though he has used more updated language. This resembles the corny movie stories more than Fleming's novels.

43LadyoftheLodge
okt 11, 2019, 12:35 pm

I read An Unforgettable Christmas by Ginny Baird. I originally started it for NetGalley, but it turned out to be a contemporary version of A Christmas Carol, complete with an adorable Tiny Tim character and a business-like Scrooge guy, so it fit this challenge very well.

44dudes22
okt 13, 2019, 12:46 pm

I've finished O Jerusalem by Laurie R King featuring the well-know detectives of Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell.

45Kristelh
okt 13, 2019, 6:07 pm

I wonder if Good Omens would count as it is based on Revelations apocalypse, antichrist and 4 horsemen?

46LadyoftheLodge
okt 15, 2019, 4:38 pm

I think this is very open, so whatever you think fits the theme is a good one.

47DeltaQueen50
okt 16, 2019, 4:54 pm

I have posted the November RandomCat which can be found here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/312139#

49LittleTaiko
okt 19, 2019, 5:42 pm

Finished Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd which is a spin on Bleak House. Really wish I would have read the two books closer together so I could have picked up on the similarities/differences.

50Helenliz
okt 20, 2019, 5:50 am

I read Wide Sargasso Sea. It's a very different backstory from the one that you imagine from Jane Eyre

52scaifea
okt 21, 2019, 8:11 am

I finished up this one yesterday:



Hocus Pocus & the All-New Sequel by A. W. Jantha
A novelization of the movie, plus a sequel to the film.
Meh. Certainly not high literature, and the sequel story isn't fabulous, but it was a fun enough way to spend a couple of hours.

53clue
okt 21, 2019, 7:20 pm



I have read All The Ever Afters by Danielle Teller, a new approach to the Cinderella story.

54MissWatson
okt 22, 2019, 4:34 am

I have finished Die neuen Leiden des jungen W. by Ulrich Plenzdorf, which transposes Goethe's classic into the GDR of 1973 and the main character actually quotes liberally from the book. Quite interesting look at the time.

55kac522
okt 26, 2019, 9:57 am

I have finished Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones. A book about the power of story and memory, using Dickens and Great Expectations. I was not expecting the last third of the book to be quite so intense.

56Jackie_K
okt 26, 2019, 12:08 pm

>55 kac522: Oh I really loved that book! (I must admit to having never read Great Expectations though - I wonder if I would have got more of the references if I had).

57kac522
Bewerkt: okt 26, 2019, 3:45 pm

>56 Jackie_K: Yes, I think I did get more out of it, having read Great Expectations, and Dickens in general, I think. Some of the parallels for me were Mrs. Watts and Miss Haversham (both mentally ill and frozen in time); Pip's "expectations" to make something of himself and Matilda's yearning to learn and grow; Matilda's mother and Pip's sister (who raises him "by hand") had similar dispositions; how important a part the river plays in both books. Even Mr Watts (who was a some-time actor) and Mr Dickens--it's well known that Dickens loved the stage, and he spent many years on tour re-creating scenes from his books, like the famous murder scene of Nancy and the pursuit of Bill Sykes from Oliver Twist. I'm sure there's zillion of others.

58kac522
okt 26, 2019, 3:48 pm

>1 LadyoftheLodge: And thank you for this theme--it was a really great idea, and I picked up a couple of BB from what others were reading. Sometimes with these types of themed threads I have trouble coming up with ideas, but I had several ideas and hope to follow up on the others I didn't get to.

59VivienneR
okt 29, 2019, 10:09 pm

I just finished The Penelopiad: The myth of Penelope and Odysseus by Margaret Atwood 4.5★

This is the story of The Odyssey from Penelope's angle and the long wait for her husband to return. The story is told with Atwood's typical peppery humour yet remains poetic; a classical story in modern words with feminist spirit. Helen is not the gorgeous siren we expect but "poison on legs". So far, this is my favourite Atwood. I thoroughtly enjoyed this and recommend it highly.

60beebeereads
nov 1, 2019, 3:50 pm

Almost finished A Conspiracy in Belgravia -- Counting it for this CAT.

61Jackie_K
dec 5, 2019, 9:35 am

Better late than never, I finished The Way Home (Ashes of Olympus) by Julian Barr. It's the first in a trilogy retelling Virgil's Aeneid. I really enjoyed it.

62LadyoftheLodge
dec 5, 2019, 3:25 pm

>61 Jackie_K: Thanks for persisting! Congratulations.