Litsy

🤖 Finished System Collapse yesterday, completing my Murderbot re-read
⚔️ Started Guards! Guards! for #OokBOokClub
🐶 Beautiful Joe is ongoing for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent
📚 I‘ve been parceling out an essay per day of The Library at Night, which is my May #BookSpin and also a pick for my #50x50 challenge

rachelsbrittain

rachelsbrittain Love Murderbot! 5d

29 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

Rilla of Ingleside: A Virago Modern Classic | L. M. Montgomery

I have this blog where I don't post as often as I'd like. But here are some reflections on a scene from Rilla of Ingleside, with a little Pollyanna thrown in. #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead-ers may be interested. Also: it‘s Christian-y. 🙂

https://commonplacehope.wordpress.com/2025/05/30/burning-coals/

#LMMReread #LMMAdjacent

31 likes

BarbaraJean

Beautiful Joe: An Autobiography | Marshall Saunders

Just a little check-in halfway through reading Beautiful Joe!

🐶 How's your reading going?
🐶 What are your thoughts so far?
🐶 What stands out to you from the first half of the book?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraJean I read an extra chapter this week when I discovered I broke up the reading kind of in the middle of something. 😆 I'm enjoying this, but finding it a leeeetle too preachy. Well, maybe not so much preachy as light on both plot and character development. It feels like little vignettes strung together in order to fill in the gaps between its “don't be cruel to animals“ message. Which is a fine message. I just want more of a story! 6d

TheAromaofBooks I just started this one again today. I had forgotten how sad the first couple of chapters are!! 😭 I believe I read somewhere once that this story was originally written by Saunders as an entry for a competition by the Humane Society or some such organization, so I suppose the preachiness is inevitable 😂 5d

22 likes2 comments

BarbaraJean

Beautiful Joe: An Autobiography | Marshall Saunders

Today starts our #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead of Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders. This is one of our #LMMAdjacent books—Saunders was a contemporary of LMM, and another author who published with the nefarious L.C. Page Co. I‘ll post a check-in on 5/31 and we‘ll have our discussion on June 7. All are welcome—please comment if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be!

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Looking forward to this reread - it's very Black Beauty ish 2w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I‘m looking forward to reading it for the first time! (I haven‘t read Black Beauty either 🤦🏻‍♀️ or at least I don‘t remember reading it as a kid! Another gap to fill in my reading of classic children‘s literature!) 2w

TheAromaofBooks Oh dear! You really should read Black Beauty; it's genuinely a classic haha But, like Beautiful Joe, it's also a book written with a message/purpose in mind. To me, neither book is so polemic that it detracts from the story, but you also never quite forget that the author is trying to make a point about the way animals are treated. 2w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I've been expecting that “moral of the story“ with Beautiful Joe, but I didn't realize Black Beauty was that way as well! I feel like so many classic children's books have a “message,“ but when they're done well I don't mind it. Like Pollyanna! 2w

TheAromaofBooks Exactly!! As long as there is still an engaging story and characters I care about, I don't mind getting a little moralizing as we go 😂 2w

34 likes5 comments

BarbaraJean

Pollyanna | Eleanor H Porter

pick

I loved this delightful children‘s classic and found it hard to put down! Initially I was worried it would be too sweet or too cloying—and there were moments that could have veered into toxic positivity—but I feel like Porter balances those moments with others that acknowledge the reality of grief and hurt and disappointment. Pollyanna‘s determination to look for—and be glad in—the good in every situation doesn‘t dismiss the reality of hardship ⤵️

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …and pain, rather it gives her the determination to work for change where she can, and her childlike trust in others in turn calls out the best in them. This sweet book was a reminder to me to look for the good and to call out the good in others, as well. I‘m so glad I read this, and now I need to track down the various film adaptations! #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent 2w

TheLudicReader I loved this movie with Haley Mills when I was a kid. 2w

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BarbaraJean

Pollyanna | Eleanor H Porter

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent—Pollyanna discussion—4 of 4

👒 Did you see any similarities here to L.M. Montgomery‘s books?
👒 Is there anything else from Pollyanna that you‘d like to discuss?
👒 Any favorite scenes or quotes?

rubyslippersreads, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean I see a lot of similarities with AoGG—the orphan taken in by a grouchy guardian who didn‘t expect her and doesn‘t want her. Like Anne, Pollyanna loves to talk—she chatters away the whole ride back from the train station—and she‘s expecting a very different welcome than she receives. Pollyanna also fits right in with Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. All three books are stories of endearing, cheerful young orphans taken in by strict guardians ⬇ 2w

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …who subsequently soften and open up due to the bright and cheerful child in their life. And yet, unlike RoSF, Pollyanna didn‘t feel derivative. (I realize RoSF was published first, then Anne, then Pollyanna—but reading RoSF, I felt like LMM read it, said “I can do this better,” and wrote Anne. 😂) Pollyanna has LOTS of similarities to Anne, but she‘s her own unique person with her own unique influence on the people in her life. 2w

BarbaraJean One of the things I struggled with throughout the book was the way it seemed to often base gladness on comparison. With the initial story of the game, the gladness comes from not needing the crutches. An attitude of “I'm glad I'm not like that person over there who needs crutches“ just didn't land well with me. The way the story plays out is more complex and nuanced than that, but there's still something there that bothers me! 2w

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CogsOfEncouragement I see the similarity that lessons are being taught. It is the same with Little Women and probably countless other books. The authors are holding us all to a higher standard of being other-centered.

2w

TheAromaofBooks One random thing that always bothered me about the movie vs the book was how in the movie they have Pollyanna sneaking out and disobeying her aunt and that's how she gets hurt. I think Porter went out of her way to create a character who enjoyed trying to please Aunt Polly and would have been horrified by that change in her story!! 2w

TheAromaofBooks I do think there are some similarities between Pollyanna and Anne, but I also think Pollyanna is really her own character. Her past and present are really quite different from Anne's. I don't think Pollyanna has the same depth and character development LMM gives us with Anne - this definitely feels like more of a children's book. 2w

TheAromaofBooks I'm probably going to reread Pollyanna Grows Up and Pollyanna of the Orange Blossoms. Porter wrote the former but not the latter - and after reading all about what a scoundrel Page was, I wonder whether he basically stole Pollyanna's character from Porter?? The “Glad Books“ go on for quite a while, penned by several different authors. A few years ago I read 7 of them - there were more, but Pollyanna in Hollywood was soooo terrible that I didn't ⬇ 2w

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) want to read any more books by Elizabeth Borton 😂 I had very mixed feelings about Pollyanna Grows Up, but kind of loved Pollyanna of the Orange Blossoms, which is about her marriage and first year or two of marriage and SO adorable. 2w

lauraisntwilder The stories have some similarities, but Anne, as @TheAromaofBooks said, is more fully developed. I need to rewatch the movie, but I was surprised the minister is actually not in the book very much. There's a PBS adaptation that I haven't seen, but I'm going to search it out and see what the differences are with that one. 2w

BarbaraJean @CogsofEncouragement Yes, there‘s definitely a lesson being taught here, and it‘s not subtle! And I think that fits right in with other children‘s literature of the time. But I loved the characters and it‘s such a sweet story that I don‘t really mind. @TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder I agree—Pollyanna isn‘t developed as deeply as Anne, and Aunt Polly certainly isn‘t developed nearly as much as Marilla is in AoGG! 1w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I didn‘t realize there was a whole SERIES beyond the sequel! (I just can‘t with the idea of “Pollyanna in Hollywood” 😩) I‘m conflicted about reading on—I was worried about an age-inappropriate relationship developing at the end of this one, and wondered if that‘s where the sequel might go. I have a feeling you‘re right with your speculation about Page stealing the character. Or he got Porter to sell him the rights for a pittance. 1w

TheAromaofBooks On all the other books “Pollyanna“ in the title is marked “Trademarked“ as are “The Glad Books.“ Harriet Lummis Smith write four books, and they were all pretty adorable. But when Elizabeth Borton took up the baton they went off a cliff immediately. Pollyanna Grows Up is kind of a split book, with the first half taking place about a year after Pollyanna ends, and the second half picking up 7 or 8 years later. As I was typing this, I was suddenly⬇ 1w

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) struck by a thought and I looked it up and it's true - Pollyanna was published 1913, the sequel in 1915, and then Porter actually died in 1920 - and the third Pollyanna book was published in 1924. So somehow Page ended up with the rights to Pollyanna after Porter's death, which frankly feels shady. I kind of need a tell-all biography of Page 😂 1w

TheAromaofBooks Also, when looking this up, I found this quote from an interview where Porter is talking about Pollyanna and how people picked on her for making her heroine “too happy“ - “You know I have been made to suffer from the Pollyanna books. I have been placed often in a false light. People have thought that Pollyanna chirped that she was ‘glad‘ at everything. I have never believed that we ought to deny discomfort and pain and evil; I have merely thought⬇ 1w

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) that it is far better to ‘greet the unknown with a cheer.' “ I love that! 1w

BarbaraJean SO INTERESTING about when Porter died. And Page wanted to continue cashing in, so he enlisted (read: exploited) other authors to capitalize on the character. I would LOVE a tell-all bio of Page, but there doesn't seem to be one out there!

I love that quote from Porter. Greeting the unknown with a cheer is challenging!! This year, I've been trying to greet the unknown with curiosity, which I guess is a first step? 😆 1w

19 likes16 comments

BarbaraJean

Pollyanna | Eleanor H Porter

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent—Pollyanna discussion—3 of 4

👒 Pollyanna comes to have such a strong influence on so many people in her town—which of these did you find most meaningful?
👒 Were there any that felt unrealistic?

rubyslippersreads, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

CogsOfEncouragement No, I actually thought that because of her age, and having not a bit of guile in her, people would allow her to influence them. Especially when she made good assumptions about what people were doing with their time and money. That of course they were generous, other-centered people. Her comments helped them see that it wouldn't be that hard to actually be the way Pollyanna assumed they were. 2w

TheAromaofBooks @CogsOfEncouragement - I totally agree!! I think if she had been older, it would have been harder to believe. But her innocence and confidence in the inherent goodness of the adults around her I think inspired those people to try to be that better self that she perceived. 2w

lauraisntwilder I think the only far-fetched part is that one kid would have managed to talk to that many people at all. But the story works, so I don't care. 😂 2w

BarbaraJean @CogsOfEncouragement @TheAromaofBooks Yes, I love that insight about Pollyanna's assumptions. Because she believes the best about others, she inspires them to live up to who she thinks they are! And it's believable because of her childlike innocence. @lauraisntwilder 😂 😂 I hadn't thought about that, but yes: the sheer number of people who descend upon Aunt Polly with their stories of how Pollyanna influenced them does strain realism a tad!! 1w

18 likes4 comments

BarbaraJean

Pollyanna | Eleanor H Porter

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent—Pollyanna discussion—2 of 4

😊 The term “Pollyanna” has come to mean someone who pretends everything is fine, someone who almost ignores reality in order to put a positive spin on things. Do you find that to be a fair characterization of Pollyanna, or an exaggeration?
😊 Do you LIKE Pollyanna, or do you think you‘d find her eternal optimism tiresome?

rubyslippersreads, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean I was pleasantly surprised that Pollyanna DIDN'T feel sugary-sweet and unrealistic. The moments when we see her grief over her father, and her concern over the real needs and hurts around her give the needed balance (and nuance) to her optimism. But I have to admit, there were moments when Aunt Polly got aggravated at Pollyanna's continual chatter and I understood exactly where she was coming from. 😂 2w

CogsOfEncouragement I adore Pollyanna. She is a child, and childlike. I feel she recognized the whole reason for the game is because life is hard, Pollyanna was not pretending all was sweetness and light. I'm not saying the definition is a bad one - I use this definition often actually - when I fail to see someone's true motivation for example. When I project good intentions onto someone who doesn't deserve it, I say that I was being too Pollyanna. 2w

TheAromaofBooks I don't feel like Pollyanna ignores reality, she just chooses to focus on the parts of reality that are positive 😂 I'm a super optimistic, upbeat person myself, so I think Pollyanna and I would totally get along haha 2w

lauraisntwilder I can see how the definition evolved, but Pollyanna isn't like that. She's trying to help people find the good, not telling them to ignore the bad. 2w

20 likes4 comments

BarbaraJean

Pollyanna | Eleanor H Porter

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent—Pollyanna discussion—1 of 4

👒What did you think of Pollyanna‘s “glad game”?
👒How did you handle disappointments and difficult situations as a child?
👒Can you see the “glad game” being a helpful way to respond to difficulties as an adult?

rubyslippersreads, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean At first, I found the glad game a little avoidant! Until the scenes where Pollyanna sobs in grief over her father and over being left all alone in the attic...and then I felt reassured that the book wasn't going to end up as wholly unrealistic toxic positivity. I didn't have the kind of hardships and grief Pollyanna confronted as a child, and I think I handled difficulties via emotional avoidance or just gritting my teeth and carrying on. ⬇ 2w

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) It's funny looking back now--I grew up in England (American family, though) and so the “carry on“ response pretty much tracks 😂 I see the glad game as a much healthier response emotionally, which is interesting since it initially landed with me as avoidant and unrealistic! 2w

CogsOfEncouragement I had a fairly easy childhood. I did find ways to look on the bright side of most things and encouraged others to do so too. I don't think that I used platitudes though, and I think that is key. 2w

TheAromaofBooks I always viewed it as more of a “look for/embrace the silver lining“ than blowing off the troubles. It's so easy to look at a scenario and only see the negatives, but Pollyanna really embraces the good parts of life. I think as an adult it's important to stop when we're feeling stressed or overwhelmed and take a moment for gratitude and finding some positives. It doesn't make the troubles go away, but sometimes it can help to find some balance. 2w

lauraisntwilder I had an easy childhood, but all the same, I've dealt with anxiety and depression off and on throughout my life. I think the game is a healthy way of reframing how you think about disappointments. When I look back at my childhood though, I honestly don't remember how I handled things. Going to therapy as a teenager changed my life. 2w

16 likes5 comments

rubyslippersreads

Beautiful Joe's Paradise: A Sequel to Beautiful Joe | Marshall Saunders

Sadly, I no longer have my childhood copy of Beautiful Joe (those Whitman books were cute, but just didn‘t hold up with age). However, I do have the sequel. 🐶

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

BarbaraJean

Leftcoastzen Really nice cover ! Love the old ones 2w

BarbaraJean 💜Love this! 2w

LeahBergen Johnny approves this post. 😆 2w

58 likes3 comments

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