Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a sharp, witty exploration of love, class, and social expectation in Regency-era England, centered on the spirited Elizabeth Bennet and the enigmatic Mr. Darcy. As misunderstandings and first impressions give way to self-awareness, the novel reveals how pride and prejudice can obscure, and ultimately illuminate, the path to happiness.

Alexandra Potter always dreamed of becoming a writer. After graduating from the University of Liverpool with a degree in English Literature, she moved to London, where she worked for various magazines. A brief detour—sparked by redundancy—led her to travel to Sydney, where she secured a position at Vogue. It was during this time that a chance article about novelists under the age of thirty inspired her to finally take the leap and try her hand at writing a novel.

Her latest book, So I Met This Guy, is out now, and she will be embarking on a book tour in both the US and the UK Tickets Here!

Nothing pairs more with English sensibility than a cuppa tea, which Alex and I both enjoyed during our conversation across the pond!

In This Episode

Brontë Parsonage

Lizzy Bennett Diaries - web series

Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter

Chawton House

Pride and Prejudice BBC

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding

2 Years of Drinks in the Library gets a special episode!

Carrie Pruett, who did the DITL Wuthering Heights Book episode with me, and I discussed the Wuthering Heights Film by director Emerald Fennell, and it was so much fun! There are spoilers so please pause if you are waiting to see it (although the book came out in 1847 so you how mad can you be at spoilers?)

The perfect drink pairing with this book is a very dark and full bodied red wine (we tried Witching Hour Red Blend) and Raspberry Dark Chocolate (we tried Ghiridelli). This is the ONLY food drink pairing for this film, I fully expect this fact to be added to the film’s Wikipedia page!

Thank you so much to Carrie for recording with me, this was a lot of fun, who knows, maybe more film reviews are in DITL’s future!

Here are a few things Carrie mentioned in the episode:

Wuthering Heights (1939) - stars Laurence Olivier

Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights (1992) - stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche

Wuthering Heights (2011) - directed by Andrea Arnold (Allison Anders misquoted in episode).

This week’s book is The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow, the story of three sisters in 1893: Juiper, Agnes and Beatrice who are hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote, they must use their magic, their wits and alliances to find a way to survive. This led to such an interesting conversation about feminism, sisterhood, science, and lots of magic with this week’s guest: Angie Hilliker!

Angie Hilliker (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Richmond where she teaches undergraduates about the amazing molecular machines in our cells. She also has a research lab where she works with these budding scientists to understand how our cells regulate mRNA, the molecular recipes cells use to make proteins. She is always curious about something, whether it’s something in the lab, in a book, exploring a hobby (including playing the flute and making pottery), or exploring something with her husband and son. When she isn’t reading science papers for work, she likes to read fantasy, historical fiction and romance novels.

In this Episode

James River Writers

University of Richmond

The Sackler Family

The Poe Museum - Richmond

Ally McBeal

The Wayward Sisters:

Herbal, floral, lightly sweet, and aromatic — like walking through a moonlit herb garden. Contains three major flavor components to represent the three sisters in the novel.

Ingredients:

2 oz Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice Gin (Represents the youngest, but the most intense sister, James Juniper)

1 oz Bénédictine (made from 27 herbs, roots, etc.; a collaboration between a wine merchant and a chemist; represents the oldest sister Beatrice Belladonna, a scholar)

1 tsp of chai tea simple syrup (represents the middle sister, Agnes Amaranth, hard worker, steady, sometimes maternal, like a bracing cup of tea)

2 dashes of orange bitters (there is a lot of bitterness between the sisters, balances the sweetness of the simple syrup)

Orange slice (so much better than lime… this is how G&T are often served in Scotland)

Tonic water

Instructions:

To make the simple syrup, heat 1 c. water, 1 c. sugar, and 6 chai tea bags over medium. Stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat and let cool. Remove tea bags and store syrup in the fridge.

Add the Gin, Bénédictine, and chai tea simple syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake well until chilled, about 15 seconds.

Strain into a glass with ice.

Add two dashes of orange bitters and squeeze in the juice from a slice of orange and drop the slice in the glass. Swirl or stir to mix.

• 5. Top with tonic water to your preferred level and enjoy!