Motorcycle mechanics can't be Brontëites

It's February now, so it's the time for the lists of romantic books. Tulsa World brings us the first of the month:

2. Jane Eyre
By Charlotte Brontë, 1847
Readers start in the real beginning with Jane, from her days as a young orphan. Which is why when she finds love, it's all the more sweet. The brooding Mr. Rochester, the tense conversations and the up-and-down roller coaster of Jane's emotions throughout make for a gripping read.
3. Wuthering Heights
By Emily Brontë, 1847
It's not a traditional romance, but love is still at the core of this dark novel. (Nour Habib)

Well, at least they didn't go for the gushy, melts-your-heart, oh-so-romantic take.

USA Today looks at this week's new releases in erotic romance.

Wuthering Nights: An Erotic Retelling of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and I.J. Miller (Grand Central Publishing e-book). Romantics everywhere have been enthralled by Emily Brontë's classic novel of the tragic love between beautiful, spirited Catherine and dark, brooding Heathcliff. The restrained desire between these two star-crossed lovers now ignites as writer I.J. Miller reimagines this timeless story to reveal the passion between Catherine and Heathcliff — in all its forbidden glory. (Joyce Lamb)

Back on the kid-friendly side of things, The Star recommends The Brontë Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by Catherine Reef.

Ages 11 – teen
In the midst of current pseudo-Victorian steampunk and romances, Reef’s biography of the Brontë sisters 1820-1855 strikes an intelligent, honest note. Reef describes the imaginative games of the Brontë sisters’ childhood, their stern (and for two sisters, fatal) education, limited travels and passionate literary works — Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. She offers a wealth of information about the period, all the while vividly conveying the country ways and vibrant, energetic imaginations of the three writers. “There’s a fire and fury raging in that little woman,” the writer Thackeray once remarked of Charlotte; that comes through clearly, as does the girls’ creativity and devotion to one another. Excellent fare. (Deirdre Baker)

The Grand Junction Higher Education Examiner states,

Trade schools allow students to bypass all of the rigmarole of traditional college - why do I need to know about the Brontë Sisters if I want to be a motorcycle mechanic? - and start their careers in months instead of years. (D. Gabrielle Jensen)

Culture and general knowledge at the very least spring to mind. But there are many, many other reasons why.

More on Stevie Nicks and the Brontës in the Irish Examiner:

Stevie’s a fan of Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ — “I walk around singing it all the time” — and would love to emulate it, but “I don’t think that’s really ever going to happen because I’m more Wuthering Heights, and Heathcliffe (sic) and Edward and Bella (the characters from Twilight). I’m more serious, dramatic… Shakespearean.” (Caspar Llewellyn Smith)

While the Chicago Tribune suggests the following for a Pat Benatar concert:

Personally, we'd walk in the door screaming a request for her "Wuthering Heights." Oh. Yes.

Fashion Lately tells readers how to add a touch of Jane Eyre to their wardrobe.

The Brontë Parsonage Blog points to this article from The Telegraph and Argus on the forthcoming building developments projected for Haworth. And finally, the Brontë Parsonage Facebook page posts the closing address given by soon-to-be new Director, Professor Ann Sumner at the ReVisioning the Brontës conference.

We have had a fascinating cross-disciplinary conference today, reminding ourselves of the wide-ranging innovative artistic responses and interpretations of the Brontes' work and their enduring legacy within contemporary cultural society worldwide. We have been concentrating on revisioning, in other words refreshing and re-engaging with all aspects of the Brontes' lives, works, art and legacy.
Only yesterday we saw the media coverage surrounding the bicentenary of the publication of Jane Austen’s 'Pride and Prejudice', and as we move towards the bicentenary celebrations of Charlotte Bronte’s birth in 2016, a conference such as this inspires enthusiasts, fascinates scholars and academics and engages new and wide audiences breaking down fact from fiction. (Read more)