Litsy

Indian Horse | Richard Wagamese

The observations about nature within the first chapters of Indian Horse are beautifully expressed. Enough so, that trying to decide what to share was going to be tough, but then Saul‘s grandmother made this statement. Timely words I‘ll be keeping in the back of my mind. #OhCanada

Jess861 ❤ 5h

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xicanti

Etta and Otto and Russell and James | Emma Hooper

Throwback to yesterday, when I ate more brown food while I read my penultimate book from the Canada Reads shortlist. I should finish it today. While I like it a lot, I‘m not sure if it‘ll cross the line into love territory. It all depends on how the ending comes together. Still, it should lead to some interesting discussions during the debates.

ETA: I found the ending deeply unsatisfying. Sadness.

36 likes

Scochrane26

A Fatal Grace: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel | Louise Penny

pick

The 2nd in the Gamache series, still set in the small village of Three Pines in very cold winter (I would not last in Quebec).This one kills off a horrible person & introduces some new characters. More info is given about an ongoing plot to ruin Gamache‘s job, & I‘m interested to see how the plan continues. Only problem I had with this one is fat-phobic descriptions of a teen. Her mom verbally abused (TW) her, but there‘s other descriptions, too.

willaful yes, the fatphobic language in this was a LOT. 1d

33 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1909 to 1922 | L.M. Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - House of Dreams Discussion - 4/3!

I completely forgot I added a short story to our House of Dreams read! Captain Jim and his life-book are based on LMM‘s story, “The Life-Book of Uncle Jesse.” Here‘s a link to the story:
https://www.online-literature.com/lucy_montgomery/1909-1922/21/

It reads like a preliminary sketch that LMM fleshed out in House of Dreams. If you have a chance to read it, please share your thoughts!

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks

kwmg40 I'd forgotten too! I'll try to get to this in the next few days and return to this thread. 1d

TheAromaofBooks I enjoyed this short story, that somehow I don't ever remember reading before. However, it's definitely been written almost completely into House of Dreams. I think it's SO fascinating how LMM would take her short stories and weave them into her novels. This one is in the “Along the Shore“ collection, so I think I'm going to read the rest of the shorts in that book as well. 12h

28 likes2 comments

dabbe

The Cruelest Month: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel | Louise Penny

#readingbracket2025
Thanks for this template, @CatsAndBooks! 🤗

Catsandbooks Wonderful! 🎉 1d

dabbe @Catsandbooks 🤩 11h

55 likes2 comments

dabbe

A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel | Louise Penny

#FictionalTraveler
@julieclair

4th book in the series ... I love Three Pines and all the people who live there. 🌲🌲🌲

TiredLibrarian I ❤️ Three Pines too! 🌲🌲🌲 1d

dabbe @TiredLibrarian #greatminds 🌲❣️🌲 1d

julieclair I really do need to begin this series. Enjoy! 1d

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CoffeeNBooks I love this series and Three Pines! 🌲🌲🌲 1d

dabbe @julieclair I'm loving it! 🤩 1d

dabbe @CoffeeNBooks 🌲❣️🌲 1d

kspenmoll I so enjoy reading your reactions. I wait not so patiently for each new book as it comes out. 15h

dabbe @kspenmoll And I can't believe she has another one coming out this year! She just had one last year, too! I have Matt hooked on them as well. I'll read, then he'll read. Such fun! 🤩😂🤗 11h

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BarbaraJean

Anne's House of Dreams | L. M. Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread - House of Dreams Discussion 3/3

🏡 For those who are re-reading, what was it like to read this book right after Anne of the Island instead of after Anne of Windy Poplars?

🏡 What elements of this book did you most enjoy? What did you dislike?

🏡 Final thoughts on Anne‘s House of Dreams?

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks

CogsOfEncouragement It was nice to not have to wait for Anne and Gilbert‘s happiness! 1d

CogsOfEncouragement I enjoyed these characters in Anne‘s new neighborhood so much. I also really enjoyed the twist in Leslie‘s story (which I had completely forgotten) and her happily ever after. 1d

kwmg40 The chapter that stayed in my mind was the one describing the general election in Canada. I liked how friends, family and neighbours could disagree vehemently about politics but after the election, they could put those disagreements aside and carry on as before. I hope that's still the case today, but with all the vitriol I see in the news and social media, I'm not so sure! 1d

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TheAromaofBooks It was weird to skip Windy Poplars, but kind of interesting to jump straight to their married life. It also does make more sense as far as secondary-character continuity goes (Rebecca Dew only appearing in WP and Ingleside). I love this book and found the ending, where they are getting ready to leave behind their home, especially poignant as I'm getting ready to move out of the house where we've lived for 10 years. I think LMM does an amazing job⬇ 11h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) keeping Anne and Gilbert true to their characters, while introducing new people and weaving the threads together. Someone like Captain Jim seems like he should be kind of annoying/ridiculous, yet comes through as realistic and lovable. Miss Cornelia seems like she ought to be a caricature, but the way that she shows genuine kindness and generosity to everyone around her instead makes her warm and interesting - and I actually totally ⬇ 11h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) love her getting married in the end! I guess I basically find it amazing how LMM can hit the right notes, creating vivid and realistic characters whose conversations and actions seems so natural. 11h

22 likes6 comments

BarbaraJean

Anne's House of Dreams | L. M. Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread - House of Dreams Discussion 2/3

I was struck by this quote on the value of different life paths, specifically the roles that women choose for their lives (or the roles that society/circumstances choose for them). What do you think about the way House of Dreams portrays women‘s roles, through characters like Anne, Leslie, and Miss Cornelia?

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks

CogsOfEncouragement Chapter 15: The Glen St. Mary church wouldn‘t have been built to this day,” went on Miss Cornelia, ignoring Captain Jim, “if we women hadn‘t just started in and took charge… Says a lot about women being capable and getting things done though they lack certain opportunities and rights at this time in history. 1d

kwmg40 Definitely, in those days, women had much more pressure to act as supporters and caregivers. If a woman valued that role for herself, then that's definitely not a 'waste“, but it's tragic when a woman strongly prefers a different path but doesn't have the freedom to choose it. 1d

kwmg40 On the topic of women's issues, I loved that Anne decided to ignore all the questionable advice in the parenting book! 1d

19 likes3 comments

BarbaraJean

Anne's House of Dreams | L. M. Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread

Anne‘s House of Dreams Discussion - 1/3

🏡 What did you think of Gilbert and Anne as a married couple? What (if any) changes do you see in Anne now that she‘s married?

🏡 How would you compare Anne‘s other friendships (Diana, her college chums) to her friendship with Leslie?

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks

CogsOfEncouragement I adore them as a couple. Fun to be in their world. 1d

CogsOfEncouragement Leslie has had more sorrow than most, and has such unhappy responsibilities. This makes her such a different character than Anne‘s other chums. It makes her equipped to be a true friend to Anne when her own tragedy comes. They are supportive to each other in genuine, deep ways. 1d

kwmg40 I like how Anne and Gilbert still retain much of their earlier characteristics in their married life. Anne is still sensitive, idealistic and a dreamer, while Gilbert is steady, reliable and practical. They make a good team! 1d

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TheAromaofBooks I love Anne and Gilbert together. Like @kwmg40 said, they seem to balance each other well. I especially love the chapter where they are deciding whether or not Gilbert should tell Leslie about the surgery that could help her husband. I think their disagreement and then the way they still basically agree to disagree is written really well, and gives us a great look at Gilbert's character. 11h

TheAromaofBooks It's so interesting to read these books as an adult. When I first read them around 10-12yrs old, I couldn't really understand the difference in Anne's friendship with Leslie vs Diana or college chums. Now, having gone through some life-sorrows myself, I can appreciate the difference. Leslie is Anne's intellectual equal, combined with a soul-maturity that only comes from surviving tragedy. I also understand now why their friendship changed after ⬇ 11h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Anne's tragedy as well. You genuinely can't understand what it's like to live through something horrific until you have, and I thought LMM did such a good job of making that a turning point of their friendship. 11h

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