A startlingly pleasant discovery of the literary sort

I'm rather timid when it comes to getting into a serious relationship on short acquaintance, at this season of life, money and time are best not wasted on the frivolous or insipid; I'm reluctant to try new books as I have been disappointed times beyond count.  I have delved into several different series/genres hoping that this time it would be different only to have countless hours and the financial investment come to naught.  I've read dozens of books, lived vicariously in distant realms/galaxies/worlds, come to love certain characters as if they were real, only to have the story fizzle out or the entire scheme thrown bodily into the recycling bin as if it had never been.  So most of my literary time is spent on the old classics, familiar as a childhood haunt and as unchanging as the monotony of years and happily available in the public domain.  Then I remembered the local library, and what's even better, the advent of the ebook means I don't even have to leave the house or wait for the 1 physical copy to become available six months hence.  I can dip a toe in a book and if it appears to be a complete waste of time, I can just as daintily remove my toe and peruse the next selection.

My first attempt was 'Death Comes to Pemberly,' by P.D. James (warning, my affectation for old books hasn't come to an end, rather it has morphed into a curiosity of what the modern world makes of the old).  I've never read this particular author before, and while impressed with her writing skill, the book left me cold, flat, and indifferent to the drab characters, their fate, and the rather convoluted plot.  But instead of giving up in despair I tried again.  'Austenland' by Shannon Hale was a much better read and the first modern books I've loved since my former disappointments (much like the heroine of the novel).  It isn't deep or world-shaking or a classic, but it is a fun, lighthearted look at self-discovery and relationships in the complicated modern world.  It's an amusing romance in which the heroine ends just fine with the fact that she's not currently 'in a relationship.'

While modern feminism says women don't need men but society says you're nothing without a romantic interest, it was refreshing to find a book that says what we all feel deep down and hope is true: it is good and healthy to hope for a great relationship but the lack doesn't define your value or defer happiness, unless you let it.  This is a message we need today more than ever, as it is often assumed that being in a bad relationship must be worlds better than being single, whereas that is far from true.  A relationship for relationship's sake is ridiculous and putting life on hold until you have the much coveted 'relationship' is equally disastrous.  This book looks at that idea in an amusing and endearing manner and still manages to toss in a happy ending!  And it gives me hope that not all modern books are doomed to disappoint; I'll keep delving and let you know if I discover another diamond amid the chaff.