Welcome to Litsy!

Reading this as a girl I remember being charmed by the idea of having lots of kids, but now I just kept thinking 6 children is WAY too many children 😂

These are just a few of the books from my #TBR I've chosen for tomorrow's #Readathon

‘How white the moonlight is tonight,' said Anne Blythe to herself, as she went up the walk of the Wright garden to Diana Wright's front door, where little cherry blossom petals were coming down on the salty, breeze-stirred air.
#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

Almost all the Anne books start in fall. I love that I‘m actually starting this one in spring!

Just a #prettycover appreciation post before I dive into this re-read. The end papers even match the floral design of the letters:)

A low pick. The children all kind of blurred together and there were at least three frustrating times when the characters or narrator made negative comments about how fat someone was. Still, I enjoyed characters from previous books making appearances here. My favorite part was when I got to Rilla and the cake and suddenly remembered my sister reading that part aloud to me when I was a kid. I could hear her in my mind saying, "burnt to a crithp!"

155?! Diana is supposed to be fat. At 155. 😣 Nope.

It pains me to give one of the books about Anne a so-so rating, but this is by far the weakest of the books I‘ve read so far.

This doesn‘t feel like a book about Anne, but a book about her children. They each get some chapters each.

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

5a. What are your thoughts on the opening and closing chapters of this book: Anne's visit to Avonlea and her picnic with Diana at the beginning of the book, and the dinner with Christine at the end?

5b. Why do you think Montgomery chose to begin and end the book in the ways she did?

5c. Any final thoughts on the book? Any impressions that will stay with you (good or bad!)?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

“'I've been asking Him something for twenty years,' bitterly said Mrs. Bruce Duncan… A brief hush fell over the circle. They could all guess what she had asked for…but it was not a thing to be discussed at a quilting.“

4: I have to ask: What do you think Mrs. Bruce Duncan has been asking God for twenty years? I'm SO curious what the quilting circle was guessing, and we are given no clues!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

3A: We are told that Di looks like Anne, but favors her father in personality. Where do you see parallels between Anne‘s personality and the personalities of her children?

3B: What do you think of Anne as a mother? Are there moments that stand out to you from her conversations with her children?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

We‘re introduced to Anne‘s children in this book—with a large portion of the book being filled with little 2-chapter stories focusing on one child or another.
2A: Which of the Blythe children are you most drawn to? Why?
2B: What was your favorite Blythe child escapade?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

Here we go with our Anne of Ingleside discussion! Kindred Spirits, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

1. I read a review of Anne of Ingleside that mentioned the “LMM Curse”—the idea that all the even-numbered books in the series are disappointing (Avonlea, Windy Poplars, Ingleside). Do you agree? Where does this one fall in the rankings for you?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

Well. Not my favorite Anne book. I do enjoy getting introduced to the personalities of Jem, Walter, Di, and Nan...and a little bit of Rilla. (But what happened to Shirley?!) And there are some lovely glimpses of Anne as a mother. But overall, it's awfully uneven. Unconnected episodes, a lot of frustrating side characters (don‘t get me started on Aunt Mary Maria), and I missed the characters from House of Dreams terribly. #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

“An imagination is a wonderful thing to have…but like every gift we must possess it and not let it possess us. You take your imaginings a wee bit too seriously. Oh, it‘s delightful…I know that rapture. But you must learn to keep on this side of the borderline between the real and the unreal. Then the power to escape at will into a beautiful world of your own will help you amazingly through the hard places of life.”
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

I can't believe it's already May... or that we're coming up on our #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion for Anne of Ingleside on Saturday! I'll post questions mid-morning or so (Pacific Time), and feel free to jump into the discussion when you can. Then we'll start Rainbow Valley on Sunday!

Here we are with the last couple weeks in the Anne of Ingleside #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead. I have to admit, I'm losing steam on this one. I know now why I remember so little about this book... it's so unfocused & uneven. There are a few little gems here and there, and I like seeing the little glimpses we get into the older children's personalities. But I'm ready to finish it up and move on to Rainbow Valley! How is everyone else doing?

“Darling, you‘re terribly mistaken about it all. God doesn‘t make bargains. He gives...gives without asking anything from us in return except love. When you ask Father or me for something you want, we don‘t make bargains with you...and God is ever and ever so much kinder than we are.”

💜 #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

“I wish you could have seen me in my wedding-dress... They all said I was a picture. Slim as a trout with hair yaller as gold, and such a complexion.”

Slim as a trout?!? 🤣 I need to start using this phrase. Can you imagine saying this, especially to a bride?! 👰🏻🐟
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

I‘m just not enjoying this and it‘s stressing me out. I‘ll rejoin the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead with Rainbow Valley.

I read it for my daughter during a holiday trip. The little stories are nice but I miss Anne as she is not really all that present in the book. #raisingreaders

Looks like one of those too-morbid excised passages from Windy Poplars got recycled here...😂 #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

Here's the next bit of the schedule for the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead! How's everyone's reading going? What are your thoughts on Ingleside? I'm finding it as expected: not nearly as enjoyable as the previous books. It doesn't have that same Anne flavor, and I'm missing all the beloved House of Dreams characters. However, Susan Baker is growing on me. I didn't like her much in House of Dreams, but here, her comments on Aunt Mary Maria are 💯.

I am SO DONE with the Aunt Mary Maria plot. As much as I‘d like to appreciate Anne‘s compassion here, I‘m annoyed at the little “moral of the story” we‘re offered as if to excuse the behavior of a disagreeable, manipulative (if lonely) woman. I miss all our old friends... we got a glimpse of Little Elizabeth & Rebecca Dew, but no substantial narration of their visits. At least we got a little Miss Cornelia in this chapter! #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

Catching up on my chapter a day! I can't believe how much time has passed between this book and the previous one! #Kindredspiritsbuddyread

All of the Anne books have used a lot of ellipses—but the overuse in this one is absolutely driving me bonkers! #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

I only have one edition to choose from for this 6th installment in our #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead, so ... “1950s housewife” Anne it is! 😆😆

“Has it ever occurred to you, Diana, that there is something not quite...chaste...in the scent of lilac blossoms? ...to me, they always seem to be remembering some secret, *too*-sweet thing.”

I don‘t know about Diana, but I myself have never pondered the chasteness—or unchasteness—of the scent of lilac blossoms, or what sordid secrets lilacs might be remembering. 😂🤣 #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

“...the moonlight could not hide that she was something stouter than in years agone...and Diana had never been what Avonlea folks called ‘skinny.‘”
“...Diana, forgetting that she had tipped the scale at one hundred and fifty-five that morning.”
Um, what? Not loving this description of Diana. How old is she supposed to be here—mid-30s? And how many kids has she had? I‘m thinking 155 is pretty darn great, so back off, LMM.😒 #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

The work day is officially over, so I think I'm going to start on my #kindredspiritsbuddyread. No memory of this one, so it should be interesting.

Here‘s the first part of the schedule for our Anne of Ingleside chapter-a-day buddy read. No chapter titles in this one! I have to admit, I remember little to nothing of this book. I‘ve re-read the first 5 books much more frequently than the rest, and I‘m pretty sure this one is not on my “greatest hits” list. But I‘m interested to revisit it, and am looking forward to seeing everyone‘s thoughts as we read and discuss! #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

Should‘ve been “A Bunch of Annoying Kids and Asshole Old Ladies of Ingleside.” I‘m gonna finish the series bc I bought it so I can‘t *not*, but oy, this was not good. As usual the setting & scenery are beautifully written, but that‘s about the only positive. Anne is barely there, no real plot, it‘s a series of vignettes w/the kids & rude women & meanness towards fat & poor people. And the synopsis is false advertising re: Anne & Gilbert. 2/5 ⭐️

I have NOT been overly enjoying this series, but I‘ve gotten through 5 of the 8 books and I‘m a stubborn bitch on weird insignificant things like this. Plus I needed something light and easy to get through after the heartache of the previous book. #NowReading

Day 2: #home #forevernovember

I also love how Anne finds her first ‘home‘ at green gables.

#heycarrots #kinderedspiritbuddyread

#BookReport - I got through four books this week (including the tagged, which isn't pictured) and am halfway through My Kind of Wonderful. Work continues to be somewhat insane & the weather looks good this coming week, so I anticipate things will continue to be super busy. I miss reading time!!

@Cinfhen

Squeaked in one last book for September's #BookSpin and with it scored my only bingo!! It's amazing how many books you can read and not accomplish that goal!! 😂

I love the Anne books. This was August's book for the #HeyCarrots readalong, so you can also see how well I am doing with that goal!! I love Anne as a mother - it really struck me this time how careful she is to take her children seriously and not laugh at them - such an important ⬇️

Diana and Anne-Friendship goals 💐👭😻

I love their conversations.

#quotsysept20 #Heycarrots #friendship

People do change over time. But it‘s amazing to see how a character develops in a book series. When you compare Mrs Lynde in Anne‘s book one to six, you can see an improvement but without the core alteration. Isn‘t it amazing?

I like this quote as well🥰

#heycarrots

The last time I read Anne of Green Gables, I was the same age Anne was in Anne of Green Gables. How odd to now read about her again at the same age as I am but for it to be when she is grown and has a growing family. The chapters about the children were far more interesting and entertaining to me, even now as an adult. The ones about matchmaking and quilting and the like still feel dull.

And now I‘m caught up with #heycarrots!

As a child, I wanted my mother to be like Anne. As a parent, I see how she influenced me. Small influences. I'm really not like Anne as a mom, that is an unattainable goal. Nevertheless, I am more like Anne than my mom.

I enjoyed how each of her children's personalities were developed in the book and I had forgotten that there was foreshadowing of Walter and WWI at the end of the book. So poignant.

Can't wait for Rainbow Valley.

#heycarrots

I am going to really devote my time to #24b4monday this weekend. I don't think I am going to be able to get all my books. Still need to read for #NovelWatchingCrew (The Devil Wears Prada), #heycarrots (Anne of Ingleside), #NewberryChallenge (Criss Cross and ... and now Miguel), and #XSummer (Malcolm X)

#HeyCarrots I started the next Anne adventure today. I am enjoying it I just wish I could listen to the same narrator as the previous books. I'm not sure why this is the only book in the series that only has one option for narrator. @Flingogal @thegirlwiththelibrarybag

#HeyCarrots @Flingogal @thegirlwiththelibrarybag

One of my favorites since the first one!

Seeing Anne thrive as a mother in her new community, and learning more about her children's personalities were both delightfully entertaining story lines in this wonderful continuation of Anne of Green Gables. 💚 Anne was not the main focus on this one, but her children made a great substitute.

This was more about Anne‘s 6 children than it was about Anne. I enjoyed it-Walter especially-but would have liked more Anne and Gilbert.

Another spot filled for #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
#heycarrots @Flingogal @thegirlwiththelibrarybag

#heycarrots! If you are up to it let‘s read this in August! No stress if you are not up to this book (I very much am not but I‘m optimistic!)

As always please tag me and @Flingogal in your reviews and observations! 🥕

One of the later additions to the Anne of Green Gables series. I enjoyed it, though it was more about Anne‘s children than Anne herself, and half of the back-cover summary is about how Anne worries Gilbert doesn‘t love her anymore, which is only covered in the last 2 chapters (out of 41) and seems more like a device to conclude with a happy flourish than a proper part of the plot. Had some lovely passages, as usual with Montgomery‘s writing. 6/10

“Well, that was life. Gladness and pain... hope and fear... and change. Always change! You could not help it. You had to let the old go and take the new to your heart... learn to love it and then let it go in turn. Spring, lovely as it was, must yield to summer and summer lose itself in autumn.”

I just love some of these beautiful and wise passages in the Anne books! They contrast well with the dreamy and spirited chapters about the children.

10/2020

I was in a used bookstore and a man brought in a signed copy of Anne of Ingleside. Not for sale yet. They weren't even sure how much to charge. But I took a pic. Apparently signed copies of L.M. Montgomery books are rare.