@mathmom, I agree with you re Sense and Sensibility. I thought the book was a bit of a slog, but the movie was quite enjoyable.
I also really like Persuasion. Maybe once VeryHappy and Caraid have gotten to know Elizabeth Bennet, they’ll be inspired to move on to Anne Elliot.
As for companion reads, I read Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James a few years ago. It was by no means a masterpiece (and I wasn’t expecting one), but if you’ve already read P & P and feel like spending a little more time with those characters, it’s a fun way to pass a few hours. I thought the BBC mini-series was even more engaging than the book.