Allegra's Austen wrote about the impact of financial need on the intimate lives of women. If she'd worked in a bookstore, Allegra would have shelved Austen in the horror section.

Let us never underestimate the power of a well-written letter.

It was the marriage that was important; Jane Austen rarely even bothered to write about the wedding.

In general, librarians enjoyed special requests. A reference librarian is someone who likes the chase. When librarians read for pleasure, they often pick a good mystery.

I once broke up with a boy because he wrote me an awful poem.

Lots of people go mad in January. Not as many as in May, of course. Nor June. But January is your third most common month for madness.

Arriving late was a way of saying that your own time was more valuable than the time of the person who waited for you.