KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

Emily Climbs | Lucy Maud Montgomery

repost for @BarbaraJean

The Kindred Spirits Buddy Read of Emily Climbs starts this week! This is book 2 in the Emily series. I‘ll post weekly check-ins, and we‘ll discuss the book on Saturday, Sept. 13. Let me know if you‘d like to join in—if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead
#LMMReread

#BuddyRead

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LitsyEvents

Emily Climbs | L M Montgomery

repost for @BarbaraJean

The Kindred Spirits #BuddyRead of Emily Climbs starts this week! This is book 2 in the Emily series. I‘ll post weekly check-ins, and we‘ll discuss the book on Saturday, Sept. 13. Let me know if you‘d like to join in—if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead
#LMMReread

BarbaraJean Thanks for the repost! 4d

27 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

Emily Climbs | L M Montgomery

The Kindred Spirits Buddy Read of Emily Climbs starts this week! This is book 2 in the Emily series. I‘ll post weekly check-ins, and we‘ll discuss the book on Saturday, Sept. 13. Let me know if you‘d like to join in—if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead
#LMMReread

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, LitsyEvents

TheBookHippie I love this book! Enjoy! 5d

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics not sure if you read this one yet. 5d

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie oh the second one in the trilogy. I bought this after we read the first one and I loved it so much… but then I totally forgot about it. I‘m in. 5d

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TheAromaofBooks I started this one (against my better judgment 😂) so I'm in!! 4d

BarbaraJean @GingerAntics Yay! I'll add you to the tag list. @TheAromaofBooks 😂 😂 I'm interested to hear how re-reading these lands for you!! 4d

BarbaraJean @TheBookHippie I 💜 Emily so much. 4d

TheBookHippie I do to! If I can squeeze in a reread I will let you know! 4d

BarbaraJean @TheBookHippie You're very welcome to join if you can! Also, we're reading Emily's Quest in November—so there's that. 😁 4d

BarbaraJean @JenlovesJT47 @lauraisntwilder @kwmg40 @TheAromaofBooks @GingerAntics Soooo, I don‘t know how I keep doing this, but I got the number of chapters wrong 🤦🏻‍♀️ I‘ve corrected the pic on this post—if you were tracking which chapters to read based on the original version of the post, please note that it‘s changed. Because Emily Climbs has 25 chapters and not 34 chapters 😩😆 2d

TheAromaofBooks Oh nice, that means I'm all caught up for this week! 😂 2d

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BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years, 1922-1925 | Lucy Maud Montgomery

Well, discussion questions didn‘t happen yesterday after my marathon weekend, so here we are on Monday!

Vol. 5 includes the Pickering lawsuit and lots of legal wrangling with Page, dissention and division over Church Union, and Ewan‘s reoccurring mental health episodes. It takes us through the end of LMM‘s time in Leaskdale, ending with Ewan accepting a call to Norval & Union—meaning an uprooting for LMM from a place & home she grew to love.⤵️

lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraJean While there were some delightful interludes about LMM‘s cats, her garden, and books she was reading, along with some sweet anecdotes about Stuart and Chester, this volume was certainly thematically heavier than previous volumes. By the end, LMM‘s sadness over leaving Leaskdale felt surprising to me. It did remind me anew of her deep attachment to place (foreshadowing Pat of Silver Bush!). ⤵️ 5d

BarbaraJean How did this volume of the journals land for you? Did you find it enjoyable, heavy, thought-provoking, heartbreaking… all of the above?

What stands out to you: what was most interesting, what will stay with you?

Was there anything surprising to you about these years in LMM‘s life?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals 5d

TheAromaofBooks There was soooo much going on in this section!! I have to say that I was somewhat surprised by how reluctant LMM was to leave Leaksdale, and even Zephyr (!!!), which also made me think about how she tells us that this journal is a place for her to complain - while I definitely think she had some VERY hard years, I do wonder if we are getting the negative-focus from her journals, when she is feeling her most tired and discouraged. 4d

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TheAromaofBooks I loved the account of their trip to Mammoth Caves!! I have been there myself, so that made it extra interesting to me. She also drove through towns in Indiana and Ohio that I have visited (I have family in Warsaw, IN), so that section felt more personal to me. And I did laugh at the story of her losing all their money - except she actually had it the entire time. I am consistently impressed by her ability to sketch a situation so well. I am ⬇ 4d

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) sure she was an absolutely delightful correspondent. Her sense of humor pops out so unexpectedly sometimes.

Pg. 306 - The “crossword craze“ - I loved thinking about crosswords being in their infancy and everyone getting into them. With LMM's amazing vocabulary I'm sure she was very good at them.

I also really enjoyed the passage where she copied her relative's journal and then talked about the memories that it had brought her. Maybe ⬇ 4d

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) because we were reading dates from 1925, I was suddenly struck during this section of journals at how LMM is almost exactly 100 years older than me, so not just that these things were happening exactly 100 years ago, but that she was my age (ish - I think we're actually 110 years apart lol) when they were happening. So this section where she is getting very nostalgic about her childhood and remembering specific but small happy moments ⬇ 4d

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) really resonated with me. My life isn't nearly as hard as hers, but the drudgery of adulthood does wear you down sometimes, and it can be bittersweet to look back on those more carefree days when all your dreams were still real possibilities. (Said as someone who actually has a fabulous life that I love haha)

Okay, pg. 390, I want this book!!! “How We Ran the Farm“ sounds AMAZING.

This is super random, but on pg 392 there is a footnote⬇ 4d

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) where the editor claims that LMM “omits a word“ from her sentence. The sentence is “I must suffer the pangs of deferred but candidly confessed curiosity for a season“ and the editor thinks there is a word missing after deferred. But it seems to be quite clear that what is being deferred is not a missing word like “pleasure“ but the curiosity. What do you all think? I only bring it up because I felt mildly indignant for LMM's sake 😂 4d

TheAromaofBooks I am really going on and on, but I have gotten SO into these journals, way more than I ever thought I would. Even when they are sad and difficult I look forward to reading them! LMM is such a fantastic writer that even her descriptions of the mundane engage me. It was VERY hard to read about Ewan's mental health issues, and to see LMM beginning to develop mental health problems of her own - the beginnings of self-medication and the repetition of ⬇ 4d

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) things like, “I just need to live long enough to make sure my children are taken care of“ - so sad!!!

The entire church union thing made basically 0% sense to me, like why anyone thought this was a good idea, what they were trying to accomplish, why they were voting on it, why everyone hung out in their old church for another 3 months AFTER voting on it (I assume because of financial reasons but still) - it all just seemed like an ⬇ 4d

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) absolute nightmare, and, as LMM pointed out, not a good reflection of the God they all claimed to serve. 😑

And those Pickerings!!!!!!!!

Okay, I'll stop rambling now. Suffice to say, even though it was tough reading at times, I really enjoyed this journal a great deal, and admire LMM even more than I did before. 4d

TheAromaofBooks PS I really wish I could remember which biography so snidely dismissed LMM's mourning of Frede by implying that she was more upset when her cat died. The fact that years have gone by and she is still bringing up Frede and how much she misses her and how sad she still is about it (and has NOT brought up the cat btw) just really makes me annoyed with whichever biographer that was! I really am glad we are reading the full journals ourselves ⬇ 4d

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) because I definitely feel like I have gotten a much different picture of LMM and various aspects of her life than I did from the biographies, especially regarding things like how important Frede was to her and LMM's relationship with Ewan (I feel like always shown as 100% negative in biographies, when I actually think that the two of them got along just fine when he wasn't in one of his terrible funks). So anyway. I do feel like it's ⬇ 4d

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) been worthwhile.

And I'll really stop talking now 😂 4d

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I‘m sure you‘re right that we‘re getting a disproportionate amount of negativity in the journals. Especially knowing LMM used her journal as an outlet to “write it out” when she was down. I remember her letters to MacMillan as much more positive, but then I‘d imagine those were disproportionate in the other direction, with a more positive bias! None of these sources will give a purely balanced or unbiased view of LMM‘s life, but ⬇ 4d

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d)…like you, I love reading the complete journals for myself, without someone else‘s filter. I think the Mary Rubio bio made those snide remarks about LMM‘s grief. I pulled it off the shelf because I wanted to find & be indignant about it again, but I can‘t find where she makes the comparison. The cat in question was Good Luck, so we haven‘t gotten to the 40-page cat-mourning entry yet! But I completely agree—LMM‘s grief over Frede is still⬇ 4d

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …so evident throughout these pages, years & years after Frede‘s death. It‘s so unfair to say LMM was more upset about the cat.

Yes, that detailed description of the Mammoth Caves was fascinating! And how fun to read about places you‘re familiar with! That whole trip was so interesting to read about—I cracked up over them all trying hot dogs for the first time.

I found the actual reproduction of the relative‘s journal rather tedious ⬇ 4d

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …(I was glad there was just a sample of it!), but LMM‘s commentary, with all the memories it brought back for her, was so touching. I was struck by the 100-years-on phenomenon as well! I hadn‘t thought about correlating it to my own age—I‘ve actually been doing the math over and over to figure out how old LMM is at various points. It would be so much easier to just remember she‘s 104 years older than me. 😆 I hear you on relating to ⬇ (edited) 4d

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d)…LMM‘s nostalgia over childhood! I follow a nature photographer on FB who lives literally up the road from my childhood home in England…and I sink into that nostalgia whenever I see her photos. In the midst of adult responsibilities, there‘s something so attractive about the simplicity of childhood!

LMM is SUCH a good storyteller. I loved her story about how Dixie & Luck were following her to the Post Office and Luck got scared into the ⬇ 4d

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …bushes—and Dixie was “such a gentleman” to wait for Luck even though he loved going to the Post Office. LMM has such a knack for noticing moments like that and bringing them to life on the page—it takes her journals beyond just the mundane, for me.

I‘m with you on the p. 392 footnote!!! I interpreted that sentence the same way you did, and found it terribly presumptuous of the editor to claim there was a word missing! ⬇ 4d

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …The church union vote was super frustrating to me, too. I understand the impulse to say “we‘re not so different from each other, why don‘t our denominations join together”—which in itself is commendable—but how could they not see that the practical outworking of it would be a NIGHTMARE? There‘ve been deep divisions in churches I‘ve been at over petty things like the freaking color of the paint in the sanctuary (don‘t get me started). ⬇ 4d

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d)…How would trying to merge three different denominations with their own positions on theology, worship, etc. NOT create deep disagreements and differences, let alone exacerbate already-existing ones?!?

@TheAromaofBooks Also: no need to apologize for your rambles!! When I saw how many “conversation” notifications I had in Litsy, I thought: “Oh, good, Sarah must have commented about the LMM Journals!” 😁 4d

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BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years, 1922-1925 | Lucy Maud Montgomery

“Tonight was my first evening home since July 6th. Verily, 'tis a treat. I look forward nowadays to an evening home as I used to look forward in the leisurely old Cavendish days to an evening out.”
—L.M. Montgomery, July 15, 1925
———
Maud is always so relatable. 💜
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

Daisey So relatable! 1w

TheAromaofBooks For real!!! 1w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder Just a heads up: our discussion for Vol. 5 is on the schedule for tomorrow, but I‘m probably not going to get it posted till Sunday evening. This weekend is PACKED, and I should have advance prepped seeing as I finished the book Tuesday, but here we are 😐 I‘m guessing there‘s no hurry, though! 1w

TheAromaofBooks No worries!! I still have about 25 pages left to read anyway, so Sunday evening sounds about right 😂 Hope your weekend is full of the good kind of busy!! 1w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks It‘s all good stuff, just a lot! Zoo trip all day yesterday, then today: prayer group, church, potluck… and now I have a small lull before a concert my husband is playing this evening. I‘m so tired 😆 6d

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BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years, 1922-1925 | Lucy Maud Montgomery

“So long thy power hath blessed me sure it still
Will lead me on
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent till
The night is gone

Something entered into & possessed our souls and the night became holy and the dark woodland a temple of the Almighty. Moments like that were the highlights of our trip and catch our eyes as we look back.”

In this week‘s #LMMJournals section, LMM‘s descriptions really shone for me—her love of place & love of nature.⤵️

lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraJean #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead friends, how is your reading coming along? @lauraisntwilder —how is your catching up going? @TheAromaofBooks —are you still reading along with the journals? (edited) 2w

TheAromaofBooks Yes!! I am a little behind, but still very invested in these journals. This section has been ROUGH. How can things just keep getting worse for her?! And the whole church union thing seems so stressful and kind of pointless?? Why are we doing it if some congregations can vote not to do it?? 2w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks After reading those couple of biographies we read, I knew things would keep getting worse, but it hits differently as you read it in her words and from her perspective! The church union thing was baffling to me as well. It seems like the vote was to allow congregations to have a say rather than only leadership, but seeing the way it fostered such animosity in churches and communities—it seems like a terrible idea. ⬇ (edited) 2w

BarbaraJean So this is interesting (from: https://ucheritage.ca/formation-of-the-united-church-of-canada/): “The United Church was inaugurated on June 10, 1925 in Toronto, Ontario, when the Methodist Church, Canada, the Congregational Union of Canada, and 70 per cent of the Presbyterian Church of Canada entered into an organic union. Joining as well was the small General Council of Union Churches, centred largely in Western Canada.“ That 70% is telling!! 2w

BarbaraJean Also: all the comments about Methodist vs. Presbyterian in LMM's earlier books make a lot more sense in the context of this later church union movement. 2w

25 likes5 comments

lauraisntwilder

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years, 1922-1925 | Lucy Maud Montgomery

My sister is probably going to stop her metastatic breast cancer treatments. She has a little less than a month to change her mind (I don't think she will) and, at that point, they'll either start another trial drug (if she does change her mind) or start hospice. I'm struggling to have the focus to read or even watch TV. I've been trying to catch up on this #kindredspiritsbuddyread and Maud really does feel like a kindred spirit sometimes. 🩵🩷💚

TheBookHippie I‘m so very sorry. 🩶 3w

Chrissyreadit I am so sorry. This sounds incredibly hard. 💔 3w

Bookwormjillk I‘m so sorry 3w

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Jas16 I am so sorry. Keeping you both in my thoughts. 3w

merelybookish How devastating! Be gentle with yourself! 3w

Librarybelle I‘m so sorry. Keeping you and your sister in my thoughts. 3w

rubyslippersreads I‘m so sorry. Sending you both good thoughts. 3w

Ruthiella So sorry to hear that. ❤️ 3w

BookNAround I‘m so sorry you, your sister, and your family are facing this hard decision. 3w

BarbaraJean Oh, I‘m so sorry, Laura! 💔 What a difficult time for you both. I‘ll be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. What a gift to find comfort in LMM‘s journals.💜 2w

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BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years, 1922-1925 | Lucy Maud Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead I‘ve enjoyed being back in the #LMMJournals this week. Legal woes, Ewan‘s mental health, and grief over Aunt Annie—but this section was also full of cats, gardening, and reading. (I still don‘t think I‘m interested in reading Bulwer-Lytton‘s Zanoni, but every time LMM mentions it I kind of want to! She‘s wearing me down!)

What stood out to you in your journal-reading this week? (Other than the above author deaths 😂)

BarbaraJean I was again fascinated by LMM's reliance on interpreting her dreams as signs/premonitions. And how often they seem to line up with what actually happens! I was also struck by her skill with characterization: her descriptions of people are often hilarious and just so vivid. The “dreadful bore“ of a woman who was so afraid of the narrow stairs in her church, but was saved by her “habit of constant prayer“! I've met people JUST like that. 3w

lauraisntwilder Oh my goodness, I'm so far behind! I love reading these journals, but I absolutely cannot read more than about 10 pages at a time. It's very odd, since I genuinely enjoy them. I just can't plow through. In a way, it's nice, like they're something to savor? But anyway, I have a plan to get caught up. 3w

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder I know what you mean—they‘re lovely but not exactly binge-read material! I try to parcel it out with ~20 pages/day, then I can skip a couple of days in a week and still stay on track. But I can imagine it‘s really hard to catch up when you get behind! 3w

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BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years, 1922-1925 | Lucy Maud Montgomery

Back into the #LMMJournals today! Whenever I‘m reading these, I keep an eye out for mentions of what LMM is reading, partly because I love reading her thoughts about books, but I also look for good #LMMAdjacent picks. However, I don‘t think I‘ll add Les Mis to our list… 😂 (I‘m with LMM here, it was a wonder but I don‘t think I need to re-read it!)
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks I saw Les Mis when I was reading yesterday and was like, that is one buddy read I would skip 😂 4w

lauraisntwilder I've never read it, but I don't think I'd get through it fast enough for a buddy read! 4w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks So not a candidate for #RandomClassics? 😂 @lauraisntwilder I read Les Mis with a Litsy buddy read, but I didn‘t manage to finish it until a month after the buddy read was over 🥴 4w

40 likes3 comments

LitsyEvents

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years: 1918-1921 | Jen Rubio L.M. Montgomery

repost for @BarbaraJean

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead So, I had talked about us reading the 400-ish-page-long novel-in-verse Aurora Leigh after we read Emily Climbs. Ultimately I decided I have enough on my plate and am not that ambitious right now. 😂 BUT, after seeing references to “The Alhambra“ in Emily of New Moon (+ LMM has talked about it in her journals), I thought that might be a fun one to add. Who's in?

#BuddyRead

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