I don’t remember the last time I felt like I belonged. I remember always feeling insecure inside of my body. I always felt as though I was “too much,” for others. Too giggly, too giddy, too nervous—and yes—to socially awkward.

But books got me. They never judged me, and always had something to say that would move me to tears or to laughter. Books welcomed me within their open pages and after closing one chapter, there was always another one to be read.

After graduating with my degree in English Literature, I went to publish my first book with Simon and Schuster called Other Side of the Tracks, a Romeo and Juliet retelling. After that, I was contented to be a reader only, and dreamed of one day opening a bookstore. Perhaps, I’d wait for retirement.

But that dream found me much sooner. As Jane Austen said: “To dream was to hope, and to hope was to expect.” I expected great things for my future. After being recently married, I expected children. A home where they could run, and a library filled with books. More than I could count.

What I got at the age of 29, instead were two tumors on my left breast.

My whole world turned upside down in moments. The doctor did mammograms and ultrasounds, an appointment that was only supposed to be 15 minutes turned into 2 hours. An uncomfortable biopsy followed after that. Then a phone call the following day. You need surgery right away.

I remembered, in the midst of tears, standing in front of a doctor who told me I couldn’t think about children until after the tumors were out. I could have a long road ahead of me, he said.

I remember standing front of the bathroom mirror, in the hospital gown, (which wasn’t as beautiful as a real gown I must add,) saying, “If this is cancer, what is one thing I”d regret never doing?”

And that was simple: Open a bookshop.

And thus, Austen’s Shelf Mobile Bookstore was created. A week later, my husband was driving a rental car from PA to NJ, with a landscaping trailer behind it. We spent the entire summer of 2025 renovating it.

Why Jane Austen?

Well, there are a myriad of reasons. The first and perhaps most important is the face that her stories made me feel something I could never quite put a finger on.

Her words felt like nostalgia, and peace all at once.

As if the depths of who I was, finally became revealed. I was a kid with friends that I could count on one hand and half were family. When I read Jane Austen, when I watched the moves inspired after her novels, an entire world was awakened within me. There was love centered on handholds and dancing. On slow burning tension and yearning.

It felt as though this author who never met me, wrote me into her stories. I felt like a character beloved by her friends and family, who was the center of her own future, her own story. I was Lizzy Bennet discovering that the prideful man she once thought unloveable had a heart as soft as a rose’s petal. I was Emma Woodhouse, headstrong and bright. I was Fanny Price, observant and thoughtful.

Whether it was a film adaption or the lines within her stories, I felt seen by someone I’d never met. And in researching Jane, I found so many more things that knit us together as kindred spirits. First, I was born on December 18th so we almost share a birthday. (LOL!)

But also, she, like me faced great rejection before being published but still she rose above the rejection and was determined to chase her dreams. And because she chased them, she’s allowed so many of us to do the same. To bask in who we are at the core. Janeites. “Nerds.” Bookish. Readers. Different. And now different feels like a beautiful crown and not a curse.

I hope that we can, at Austen’s Shelf make everyone who walks in feel seen. Cherished. Listened to. Fully known and fully loved.

And thus, dearest readers, my story has a very happy ending.

No cancer was found within the tumors and they were safely removed.

I’d like to the think the Lord works in mysterious ways. Because without this cancer scare, I wouldn’t have found the courage to chase my dreams like I was dying. And I wouldn’t have reached out to the wonderful community around me. So from Austen’s Shelf Mobile Bookstore birthed an Audiobook Walking Club, Events with hundreds of kindred spirits, Wuthering Heights watch parities, and even a Jane Austen inspired dance class. A Harp Performance. A Costume Contest.

And finally,

A community.

YOU.

Thank you for showing me that love lives in this world that can feel so broken sometimes.

I hope to see you at the store soon!

Charity