For those of us in need of an uplifting, comforting, and escapist read about pulling together in troubled times and finding solace in community, the highly anticipated 2020 debut The Jane Austen Society (St. Martin’s Press, on sale May 26) by Natalie Jenner is the perfect pick and I’d love to suggest Jenner as a guest on your show for May/June. Plus, the audiobook is narrated by Richard Armitage (British actor from North & South, The Hobbit, and more) – what could be more soothing than that?



Plot: World War II has just ended and Austen’s Chawton estate is at risk of being broken up and sold off to the highest bidder. Despite battling demons of their own, an unlikely group of locals and Austen fans (a schoolteacher, a local doctor, a Hollywood actress, a Sotheby’s auctioneer, a farmer, and a young house servant) fight to ensure that her legacy lives on, finding hope and healing in the process. A powerful and moving novel that explores the tragedies and triumphs of life, both small and large, and the universal humanity in us.