Welcome to the month of February! The month where clashing colors are celebrated in gigantic proportions, and somehow don’t end up looking too terrible. Maybe it’s the chocolate. Yep, I think that must be it. Those clashing pinks and reds look nice to us because there’s usually chocolate inside. If we celebrated Valentine’s Day with heart-shaped boxes of red and pink and filled them with sardines, our brains would quickly train us to never use those colors together.

But for now — and thankfully — Valentine’s Day is celebrated with chocolate rather than sardines and anchovies.

Every holiday is the best when celebrated with chocolate. Book recommendations are  just as crucial to holidays as chocolate. In fact, I would even argue that books are better than chocolate. Given the choice between flowers, chocolates, or books, I would chose a book without hesitation. I’ve never had a book wilt. Or melt.

Late June, early July, I want a patriotic book. Something that makes me proud to be an American.

Around Halloween I go in search of stories that will keep me on edge. The ones that make me put a chair in front of my closet door are the best, but anything that makes me a bit jumpy will do just fine.

Thanksgiving dinner ends and you’ll find me with a stack of Christmas books to keep me busy until New Years.

So, naturally, I want a sweet love story in February. But the problem I’ve had with love stories is that so many of them are going along all cute and sweet, until suddenly there’s something totally shocking. And just like that, I’ve been scarred again by another not-so-innocent love story. All I wanted was some cute main characters, and a good plotline that doesn’t totally resemble that of every Hallmark movie. But too many times I’ve ended up with a surprise that makes me slap the front cover shut and wonder what the author’s mother thought of such a tale.

Thankfully, there are some books that don’t make your eyelashes curl. To those authors, I would like to say thank you!

Today I’m recommending to you a Jane Austen novel as your February favorite.

Although Jane Austen never married, she wrote some of the most cherished and beautifully written love stories of all time. Read one of her books, and you’ll realize exactly why they are classics.

Did you know there are only sixteen kisses mentioned in all the Jane Austen books combined? And none of those are exchanged by romantic partners! Clearly, Jane Austen didn’t write kissing books. Unless you feel that it is inappropriate for you to read a book where a hand is kissed, a lock of hair, or the top of a child’s head, these ingenious novels are safe guarantee.

Oh, how I absolutely love the Jane Austen novels I have read! Despite knowing that everyone will be married by the end, I read on with wondering at who will end up together.

If you’re looking for something with more substance, better characters, and more story than your average love story, read Emma, Persuasion, or Pride and Prejudice. I guarantee that you’ll love them! You might find yourself jumping for joy on the fourteenth if you don’t have a valentine and instead get to stay home to find out how your novel ends. Actually, you won’t have time to jump for joy. You’ll only have enough time to find a blanket and a comfy place to sit.

Go find a Jane Austen and have a fantastic time reading something so rich and lovely!

Happy reading!

XOXO, Jessa.