paperback jane austen haul + always reading austen

I have given away more copies of Jane Austen than anyone I know. I mean, I am borderline evangelist with the message that everyone should at least try reading Jane Austen.

At risk of this post turning into a Jane Austen outreach mission, I'll just say that nothing beats the feeling of annotating and tabbing a new paperback of your favorite novel. That spine cracking sound (yes I am a heathen who breaks spines and LOVES it), gathering tabs that match the book cover and just having a ball dropping down into those familiar lines...

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a fortune, must be in want of a wife. (Pride and Prejudice)

love these covers. simple + stunning

This Fall I will be rereading Northanger Abbey. This one of Austen's novels does not get nearly enough love. Or maybe it does, I haven't noticed. Everyone's adoration (well deserved) for Pride and Prejudice and Emma, often overshadow the simplicity of Northanger Abbey or the silent moving resignation of Persuasion (my favorite of Austen's).

both of these deserve rereads next

Always Reading Austen

Yes. It is true. It isn't a typo and I can honestly say I love always reading something by Austen. 

I've written about how I use audiobooks, and I pretty much keep an Austen on audio at all times. When I can't sleep, I put on Pride and Prejudice and laugh at Mr. Collins' proposal and it helps every time. 

There is something comforting and warm about returning to the same stories over and over again. The same is true for some of my favorite works by Tolstoy and James Baldwin. 

Knowing what to expect- feeling safe within the story line- eliminating the emotional highs and lows that fiction brings- are all reasons I return over and over again to Austen's works.

People get mired in ideas about perfection when it comes to Regency Era fiction or reading the classics in general, and I say pick up the novels and have fun. Austen is supernaturally hilarious and just seeing her view on friendship, family, relationships, etc. is just so funny. It interesting how much has not changed about the way humans relate to one another. 

 I've stacked them nicely on top of my other paperbacks for safe keeping as I resist the urge to open each and read my favorite parts.

If you've never given your favorite novel to a friend after annotating and tabbing it, it is not only a great experience, but a chance to get another paperback and do it all over again.