Northanger Abbey

There are a bunch of reasons to recommend this book.

First, the moment when Austen breaks the proverbial fourth wall and rails against those who decry the merits of reading novels was so satisfying. Despite being a traditional faux pas for the narrator's voice to come through at all, Jane Austen does so with impunity and—at least in my eyes—should be applauded for it.

Additionally, this book was the closest thing we'll probably ever get to what a Jane Austen mystery/thriller. Seeing her use her formidable language capabilities in such whimsical and uncommon a way was beyond fun. She was flippant in showing off and I loved it.

Henry Tilney is one of the Austen's best heroes, by far, and it's a crime we didn't get more time with him. I don't believe he's one of the most romantic. He loses out in every way. But he's the most fun and filled with such bridled personality, it's a shame we don't develop our appreciation for him further.

I'm sorry to say the ending was a bit rough in terms of pacing but, because it's Jane, she gets a free pass. I'm going to chalk that up to my being distracted by the circumstances of life, rather than freely admitting she did anything wrong.

There, you have it. My bias revealed. Don't judge me. You're not my cole mine supervisor.