If my reader is anything like me, prolonged quarantine has proven to be a pretty lonely experience. The days tend to feel a lot longer, and nights lack the fun of summer adventures. Just me?

As we begin school in September- many of us virtually- I want to try and stay as connected as possible with the readers at EHS. The “Quarantine Book Club” articles that will follow are simply recommendations and my current reads I’ve found refuge in, with the hope that some of you will benefit from them as well! The first subject: Jane Austen’s “Emma.”

Maybe you saw trailers for the film that came out last February? Yeah, that Emma!

The novel is fairly dense at the first glance, but with a little bit of dedication proved to be one of the most lighthearted works I’ve read in a while. The sarcastic, naive protagonist navigates social settings with the belief that she can read people better than most (spoiler: she can’t for the life of her read people!). Austen’s wit, sarcasm, and irony create a classic that reads like a comedy and a work of literature at the same time.

(Yes, those can exist simultaneously!)

I read Emma when school first closed in March, and I fully believe it helped my transition into quarantined life. The constant dinner parties, showy balls, and pages of Mrs. Elton’s biography made me feel as though I was surrounded by personalities. The nuances of social settings are so interesting to read when you’ve been so long deprived!

For any readers who want to feel surrounded by life and energy, Emma is the book for you. It’s a worthwhile title to have in your library, and enjoyable to read once you get past the mid-century language. The unique circumstances of my first reading this text will always stick with me, inseparable from my experience of the story.

If you decide to read Emma, let me know how you like it! I hope to publish articles under the “Quarantine Book Club” title each week to offer some of the titles I most enjoyed in this prolonged period of introspection.

Happy reading!