With all the nonfiction reading I’d done over the summer, I was a little nervous about diving into fiction again. But my mom recommended this one to me, and I was ready for something different.

The Brontë Plot, by Katherine Reay, got off to a slow start, so I wasn’t sure what to think. I kept reading, though, and I’m glad I did.

I read this concurrently with Daring Greatly, by Brené Brown, while listening to the audio books The Surrender Experiment, and The Untethered Soul, both by Michael A. Singer.

All four books are basically about the same thing, and they were all good for different reasons. What I enjoyed the most about experiencing the four books together is how beautifully they all filled in different pieces of the same whole.

The Brontë Plot was a light read, but the content wasn’t fluffy or corny. The story was woven through with capital T Truth.

The book almost got me down a few times, with multiple British Lit references. Most of them were to books I have read, but it has been years since I read them. While I could recognize the references, I often couldn’t remember the specifics. It was hard to admit that to myself.*

I had to remind myself that the author was immersed in research throughout the writing of the book, and was probably being mercilessly fact-checked by her proof-readers and editor. She couldn’t keep all those characters and details in mind all the time. (Or maybe she could – but is that who I want to be?)

I could see this book being an especially fun read after spending some time with the British Lit Classics. With things fresh in mind, you would readily pick up the references without having to rely on the author’s cues.

The book stood out to me because it was clean, and felt classic but current at the same time. The lit references keep your brain engaged, and the plot wasn’t super predictable – or if you figured out what was going to happen, it wasn’t obvious HOW it was going to happen.

If you’re looking for a light literary snack, this is definitely one to put on the list.

*The Untethered Soul is about separating ourselves from the story our psyche tells us about ourselves, and thereby achieving liberation. Part of the story mine tells is that “English Major” is a big part of my identity. I love reading and writing. The British Lit books I haven’t read once, I’ve read twice, and I’ve watched all the movie adaptations. My poor psyche was bouncing off the walls with insecurity and stress at times as I read The Brontë Plot. How could I have read all those delicious books and have forgotten almost all of the details about them? Meanwhile, The Untethered Soul was patting me on the shoulder telling me, “Girl, you were an English Major years ago! You can love to read and not remember every last detail of every book you’ve ever read! Take a step back from all those feelings of inferiority. Most of what your psyche is saying isn’t true, anyway!”

The other books I mentioned here deserve a couple of posts of their own, so keep an eye out for them in the future.