Belated review…

Honestly, I didn't enjoy this. I didn't find it engaging, for all its action. The characters held promise, but weren't developed at all. I was initially excited about a strong female protagonist in Cora, but her characterization & role flattened as the book went on. Cooper sacrifices character development for horrific action sequences and scenic descriptions that fell flat. There were problematic racial stereotypes galore, but⤵️

I was engrossed by this quiet story of a woman who sets aside her career to join a religious community, less for spiritual reasons than for reasons she can‘t quite explain. I enjoyed its descriptions of community and religious life, and loved the quiet pace of the story and its meditations on memory, grief, and loss. It‘s thoughtful and reflective ⤵️

SUCH a powerful book. Steven Charleston is a (now retired) Episcopal bishop and a citizen of the Choctaw Nation. This book tells a bit of his journey to integrate and faithfully follow both paths of his spiritual heritage. The first half of the book gives background for the second half, as Charleston orients the reader in his faith and Native heritage, contextualizing Christianity in terms of Native American perspectives and traditions. ⤵️

I‘m so conflicted about this one. I really liked the mystery and its twists and turns. I enjoyed the intrigue on the boat. I really liked Anne, Suzanne, and Colonel Race. But I hated Sir Eustace and I wasn‘t a fan of Harry. The colonialism and casual racism of the South African backdrop + the overt sexism/objectification of women really bothered me. I had a really hard time setting aside those latter elements with excuses of it being ⤵️

Hello, Kindred Spirits! Our #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead of Pollyanna begins on Sunday! Schedule is above. I‘ll post a check-in on Saturday, May 17, and we‘ll discuss the whole book on Saturday May 24.

All are welcome—let me know if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be!

I found something very puzzling while reading Rilla this week. I often switch between print and ebook when I have both and one is more convenient. I was reading the ebook over lunch and was mid-chapter when I switched back to print. In scanning through to find my place, I discovered sections in the ebook that aren‘t in the print version. I checked it against both print copies I have—both are missing the highlighted passages above. What?!? ⤵️

This is how I feel about Irene Howard.

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread

A little #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead check-in for Rilla of Ingleside:

How‘s your reading going so far?
What has caught your attention in the first half of the book?
What are you enjoying (or not enjoying) in Rilla of Ingleside?

#LMMReread

#BookSpin and #DoubleSpin for May! I‘m really excited about The Library at Night. It‘s been on my TBR for years, and my husband bought me a copy maybe a year ago at Christmas. It‘s on my #50x50 list and its time has come! My DoubleSpin landed on the same category as April‘s BookSpin (1950s—70s for #192025), which I still haven‘t read—I think it‘s a sign 😆 So I‘ll pick two of those three above, and one will be for April and one for May!

#5JoysFriday!

1. Library book sale
2. Tiny grand-niece
3. Husband and Sunday jazz
4. I discovered India Rose Crawford this week—her Frog & Toad videos and pics are giving me SO MUCH JOY. Here‘s spring cleaning with Frog (the tiny booooks!!): https://www.facebook.com/reel/1219293336488930
5. The Getty Center and its gardens

How is it the last day of April already?! I haven‘t finished either of my April #BookSpin picks, and my #BookSpin from March is still languishing on the bookshelf. Maybe May will offer more breathing room and fewer reading commitments so I can catch up on previous reading commitments? Seriously, don‘t let me join any more buddy reads or challenges. (She says, while posting a list for another challenge. 😂🤣😂)

“Dancing was a hot affair. I danced twice with Anne Beddingfeld and she had to pretend she liked it. I danced once with Mrs. Blair, who didn't trouble to pretend, and I victimized various other damsels whose appearance struck me favourably.”

Ew.

#ChristiesCapers @Librarybelle

“For anybody who doesn‘t know where they‘re going.”

One of my favorite book dedications that hit just right, just at the right time.

#SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern

Calling all Kindred Spirits! We‘ll be continuing the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead with an #LMMReread of Rilla of Ingleside, then an #LMMAdjacent title: Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter (a contemporary of LMM and a fellow author who published with the nefarious L.C. Page Co.). The schedule is above—all are welcome! Please comment if you‘d like to be tagged for either or both books.

What sections or themes from this volume of the journals stand out to you?
Are there sections or quotes that you particularly enjoyed or resonated with?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

During this time, LMM began copying over her earlier journals. Having read those earlier journals and reading this journal now—do you think she ended up doing what she said she would, and copying them absolutely faithfully?

If you undertook the same task—copying out early journals now that you‘ve become a famous writer—how would you handle it?

Would you edit or revise along the way? Why or why not?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

In a couple of journal entries in this volume, LMM gives extensive descriptions of herself, her likes, and her views on various subjects, notably her religious views.

Did her beliefs or her view of herself surprise you?
What about her likes?
How did these sections affect the view you have of who LMM was?
#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

On January 31, 1920, LMM lists and comments on several quotations she‘d recorded earlier. I thought this was such a great view into her thoughts on writing and life in general.

Which of those comments stood out to you?
Are there any books listed there that you‘ve read or would like to read?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

In this volume, we see an end to WWI, but LMM records some profound struggles, from Ewan‘s illness to Frede‘s death. We see legal battles with Page and small mentions revealing her status as an author: speaking engagements, reviews, letters from fans. And we see her as a mother, writing about Chester & Stuart.

What influence do you think these years had on LMM‘s writing? Do you see echoes of this time in Rainbow Valley or in later books?

I spent a lovely rainy morning browsing the local library book sale with my niece and her daughter (well, tiny niece spent the time playing with her new bunny toy)—here are the results of the morning! The four I‘ve read already (including the vintage Anne of Avonlea) don‘t count 😆 They were giving everyone a free copy of the Ren Faire book! #bookhaul

#5JoysFriday! Here are a few joys from my week—and you can add a bonus joy of seeing everyone else‘s 5 joys 😊

1. My sister made me this crochet Frog & Toad and they make me smile every time I see them
2. One of my best friends sent me a slew of ridiculous bird names and I can‘t stop laughing at them
3. My husband‘s piano music
4. Leading a reflective Quiet Day retreat on Saturday
5. A breath-of-fresh-air meeting with my spiritual director

“…it was not until 1978 that Native Americans were allowed to practice their religious beliefs, in spite of what the First Amendment to the Constitution had guaranteed to Americans for over 200 years.
In 1978 Congress passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act… for the first time in the 400-year history between Europeans and Native Americans, the religious practices of Native nations were not banned.”

“There isn't a single interesting person in this village—not one who makes you feel better just because of a chat. I really never saw such a collection of stupid, uninteresting people. …When I am feeling normal I suffer them gladly and find some amusement in their very stupidity but when I'm below par I'd like to blow them all up with gunpowder.”

😂 As I find so often, Maud‘s “below par” reaction to certain other people is thoroughly relatable.

I feel
Very much
Like taking
Its unholy perpetrators
By the hair
Of their heads
(If they have any hair)
And dragging them around
The yard
A few times,
And then cutting them
Into small, irregular pieces
And burying them
In the depths of the blue sea
They are without form
And void,
Or at least
The stuff they produce
Is.
They are too lazy
To hunt up rhymes,
And that
Is all
That is the matter with them.

😂😂
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

“…may not a person such as myself… whose love of beauty amounts to passionate worship, who finds comfort and help and rapture and courage and satisfaction in a wonderful sunset, or starry waters, or a wood-blossom, or the sleek, ineffable curves of a drowsy cat, or the dance & glow of an open fire—may not such a person be as truly religious as one who finds God in some other manifestation of His personality.”
#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

I‘ve enjoyed being back into LMM‘s journals this week, even though it can be difficult to read about her struggles with Ewan‘s illness and the lawsuit with Page.

How‘s your reading going? What stood out to you from this week‘s section?

#5JoysFriday:

1. Small joys: wearing my Anne of Green Gables socks while reading LMM‘s journals, and wearing my donut socks with my “ice cream” shoes (brown with pink laces)
2. Larkspur and roses in the garden and on my table
3. A perfect book cover/bookmark pairing
4. FINALLY finishing painting the bathroom, hanging a new cabinet, and replacing the light fixture (the process was not a joy, but being done is)
(Cont‘d ⤵️)

😂😂

I also loved this story from LMM‘s childhood:
“One day when I was very small an aunt asked me if I would go and bring home her turkeys from the shore field. I responded gravely, ‘I am afraid it would excite ridicule.‘”

🦃🤣

#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

I loved Camp Litsy last year and am so excited for #CampLitsy25!! Here are my nominations… tagged in the comments. Looking forward to a great reading summer!

Here's the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule for the next six weeks, with #LMMJournals, #LMMReread and #LMMAdjacent choices. We'll read the last section of Volume 4 of LMM's Complete Journals over the next two weeks, then Rilla of Ingleside, then Pollyanna.

I've tagged the schedule/announcements list for the group, but all are welcome. If you'd like to be tagged for any/all of the above, please comment!

For our #LMMJournals readers (and those interested in the L.M. Montgomery connection!):

LMM mentions having read the book “in schooldays” and discussing it with Nate Lockhart. What did you notice in the book that might have attracted LMM as a schoolgirl? What characters and incidents do you imagine she might have discussed with Nate so enthusiastically?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans discussion (5/5)

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans Discussion (4/5)

In general, did you like or dislike the book? What did you enjoy or not enjoy?
Do you feel this is a classic that‘s worth reading?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans Discussion (3/5)

What do you think about the way the book portrays its Native characters (and the different tribes they belong to)?
What about the way it portrays the English and French characters?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans Discussion (2/5)
How much knowledge of the French & Indian War/Fort William Henry conflict did you have prior to reading this book? Did you seek out more info?
What do you think of how Cooper dramatized these events?
What responsibility does an author of historical fiction have in representing historical events? What do you think are appropriate or inappropriate changes or exaggerations?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - The Last of the Mohicans Discussion (1/5)

What expectations did you have going into the book?
How did it compare to your expectations? Was there anything that surprised you?

#5JoysFriday

1. Great weekend visiting friends in Alpine—good conversation, playing board games, eating good food, hanging out on their deck reading together
2. Tasty Thai food with a good friend on Wednesday
3. Good catch-up with former co-workers today, over delicious Greek food
4. These crazy little strawberries (I decided I had one that could walk and one that could talk)
5. This poem: https://onbeing.org/poetry/the-peace-of-wild-things/

“I know we have what might be called an unconventional marriage, what with our jobs and the pressure of work and so on, but I wouldn't be doing my wifely duty if I didn't ask you whether you have been firkydoodling with fast and loose women? No pressure. Answer in your own time.”

😂 “Firkydoodling” is hereby added to my vocabulary.

#OokBOokClub

Posting our check-in for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent a little early since I‘ll be out of town visiting friends on Saturday & Sunday.

I got caught up this week—and wow, lots of action, lots to talk about. But I‘ll save that for next week‘s end-of-book discussion!

How is everyone‘s reading coming along? What are you enjoying and/or not enjoying in what you‘ve read so far? Which characters are you most curious about?

#5JoysFriday

1. THIS jazz album: https://robrennie.bandcamp.com/album/heading-north (It‘s 7 original songs written by the pianist from my husband‘s big band and combo. And that‘s my husband on sax. I‘m biased, yes—but they‘re fantastic musicians, it sounds amazing, and I‘m SO proud. You can listen at the link above and/or treat yourself to a download!)
2. Birthday date with my husband (movie, sushi, ice cream, and great conversation)
Continued ⤵️

“What I Know of Love When Times Are Dark”

And if you can‘t find a candle,
then light the wick of your wonder.
And if you can‘t find your wonder,
then now might be a good time
to pray. And if you don‘t
know how to pray,
then perhaps you are doing it right.
What do I know of prayer?
Only that every prayer that has saved me
is a prayer that has found me
instead of the other way round—
a prayer that comes through me,
⬇

The story follows a Cameroonian immigrant family—Jende Jonga, his wife Neni, and their son—in ‘07-‘08 NYC. Against the backdrop of the economic crisis and Obama‘s election, we see Jende working for better opportunities for himself and his family, as his future becomes more and more entangled with the family for whom he works as a chauffeur. It‘s a fascinating, nuanced take on the American Dream, with the Jonga family‘s struggles set against ⤵️

This…was not for me. We read this for my IRL book group in March and then watched the movie together—this is a rare case where I liked the movie better!

The whole read kind of low-key annoyed me. Reading about the lavish casual spending of the uber-rich just didn‘t land well with me, especially right now. The characters were largely shallow and/or unlikable—I realize that it was intended as a send-up of a particular segment of society, but… ⤵️

April‘s #DoubleSpin is clear—and is also my #44 pick for #50x50. For my #BookSpin, I get to pick a book published in the 1950s—70s for #192025. Above are the three I‘m thinking about… any recommendations?

#BookSpinBingo wrap-up for March: 12 books, no bingos, no spins completed 😕 I do plan to get to those missed spins in April, though!

Favorites:
💰Making Money
🙏🏼Queering Contemplation
🪦The Woman in White (re-read)
🤖Artificial Condition (re-read)

My birthday is tomorrow, which means my #50x50 reading challenge kicks off tomorrow! I‘m planning to read 50 books from my TBR before my 50th birthday (which is in 2028). I‘m planning to start with one of these:

Raybearer—30: gifted w/in last 5 years
Bird by Bird—9: about writing
Anam Cara—44: related to my vocation
The Library at Night—7: about books/reading

If you‘d like to join in, the link to the StoryGraph challenge is in the comments. ⤵️

Years ago, I came across the poem “The Taxi” by Amy Lowell, and its final line has lived in my brain ever since: “Why should I leave you, / To wound myself upon the sharp edges of the night?” I‘ve meant to read a collection of her poetry ever since, but we all know how the TBR intentions sometimes go. So when it became apparent that in spite of my best intentions in January, I definitely wasn‘t going to get around to reading any (let alone all ⤵️

It‘s been an over-full reading week and I‘m only just now sitting down to read this week‘s section of Last of the Mohicans for #LMMAdjacent #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead. 🙃 How‘s everyone else‘s reading coming along? Are you enjoying the book so far?

#5JoysFriday!

My first three are more treasures unearthed from the garage:
1. Beautiful blue glass vases which I have filled with larkspur from the garden
2. My brother‘s soccer shirt from when he was a kid in the early 80s, featuring the name of their sponsor: “Drugs-N-Such” 🤣
3. My summer library reading program certificates from childhood, one of which proclaims: “The Sizzler Proudly Salutes You”
Continued ⤵️

SEPTEMBER, 1918

This afternoon was the colour of water falling through sunlight;
The trees glittered with the tumbling of leaves;
The sidewalks shone like alleys of dropped maple leaves,
And the houses ran along them laughing out of square, open windows.
Under a tree in the park,
Two little boys, lying flat on their faces,
Were carefully gathering red berries
To put in a pasteboard box.
⤵️

I love the Wayward Children series so much, and this latest book didn‘t disappoint. I ached over Nadya‘s our-world story and loved her underwater portal world (and ached again over the ending). I‘m constantly impressed by how deftly McGuire weaves into her fantasy worlds huge topics like adoption and ableism, in ways that illuminate and universalize the experiences of diverse characters.

This was my 2025 pick for #192025.