Toasting Jane Austen with teas in Algonquin

Want to eat English author Jane Austen’s favorite almond cake on what would have been her 236th birthday while discussing her most popular novel, “Pride and Prejudice?”

You can do just that as part of “A Year With Jane Austen,” a series of Regency Teas kicking off Friday at the Victorian Rose Garden Bed and Breakfast in Algonquin. Austen was born Dec. 16, 1775, and published all her books in the Regency period from 1811 to 1820.

Austen may have lived two centuries ago, but her novels are just as relevant today, if not more, said Linda Levengood, of Crystal Lake, a Jane Austen enthusiast who will be leading the series.

“She’s more popular now than she was in her lifetime,” Levengood said. “She really was ahead of her time, she wrote about women who wouldn’t marry without love just to secure their future.”

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of “Sense and Sensibility,” which will be the first book highlighted in October and November. Then it will be “Pride and Prejudice” in December and January, “Mansfield Park” in February and March, “Emma” in April and May, “Northanger Abbey” in June and July, and “Persuasion” in August and September.

In addition to a recap and discussion of the book, there will a hands-on crafts activity, plus tea, scones and desserts inspired by the period. Friday’s menu includes ginger cookies, a reference to the spice that character Colonel Brandon must have encountered in the East Indies, Levengood explained.

All food will be made from scratch by Victorian Rose Garden owner Sherry Brewer and innkeeper Carolyn Shelhart.

Austen’s writing is filled with humor and wisdom, and features protagonists marked by great character, said Levengood, a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. New annotated versions can help readers decipher the cultural references, and special children’s editions can help young ones tackle the books as well, she pointed out.

For details, call the Victorian Rose Garden Bed & Breakfast, 314 Washington St., Algonquin, at (847) 854-9667.