Northanger Abbey

I refuse to pay for shipping for online purchases. It's such an waste. So anytime I'm shopping for textbooks and other various necessities and presents on Amazon, I toss in a smaller purchase that won't hit the $25 purchase requirement on it's own. Buying last minute books for my classes gave me the opportunity of getting a Jane Austin novel that I hadn't read yet. It arrived way later than my other books- 3 weeks plus to be exact, so I had forgotten it.

After finishing the Hunger Games, and working on schoolwork, I reread Ella Enchanted, Pride and Prejudice, Darcy's Story (a retelling from Darcy's side. The only fan fiction I've ever enjoyed, probably because so much of it is just reprinted from Pride and Prejudice), Breaking Dawn and then a perusal of Twilight before Northanger Abbey arrived to give me fresh enjoyment.

I had trouble putting it down. Pride and Prejudice is still by far my favorite. But this one was even funnier. All of the references to other popular written works of the time appealed to my history-loving nature, so I thoroughly read and loved all the footnotes too. I loved the characters because they were so refreshing compared to what's popular today. Even better, they were straight to the point, no subtleties about them, so I was never confused or wondering if I missed anything due to the context. Jane Austen really was a genius.

On a side note, I think I have finally given up any notion of writing novels myself. I just can't do it. My stories would be incredibly boring, because I have come to terms with the fact that I can only write about characters worth loving and once I love them, I cannot put them through any conflicts. The best I can hope for is to give Jon ideas and let him determine how much to punish and plague them. I'll only require a happy ending in return.

I'd love some suggestions for good fiction!