I love Maria’s song in the Sound of Music. But I’ve never been super decisive about favorites. And it is almost impossible for me to name a favorite book or author because there have been so many books that have moved me, changed my life or that I keep coming back to. I wanted to share some of my favorite things.

Today I’ll start with Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. Because I love Elizabeth’s story & Austen’s wit. But also, this book represents so much hope to me. Jane and Elizabeth are in an impossible situation with their financial situation, but they are able to overcome their obstacles and find their place in the world.

I struggle with the resolution of marriage as being the way to overcome one’s obstacles in life. However, I think that Jane Austen was an astute observer of her society and used her pen to showcase the issues of her female main characters and how society constrained them at the time. Pride & Prejudice showcases the precarious class status of upper class women at the time. It show how the patriarchy kept women in an insecure situation, financially. Finally, I admire Lizzy because she is so willing to speak her own mind. She is perhaps the most candid of the characters in the novel. And she is unafraid to offend or surprise.