pickSqueezing in another belated review before joining the family for Christmas celebrations…
This was one of the best books I read this year, but it didn't make it onto any of my favorites lists. I can't bring myself to call a book a favorite when it inflicted this much angst and emotional frustration! In some ways it felt (borrowing an analogy from a former professor) like pounding on my thumb with a hammer: “it feels so good when I stop.” 😆 ⬇
Oof. This line stood out to me—how easily can “sharpness” become a habit? Also: I love how deftly LMM draws even her side characters with just a few lines like this!
Our final #KindredSpiritsChristmas story this year is “Bertie's New Year,” from “Christmas with Anne.” It‘s also on Hoopla, or here: https://www.online-literature.com/lucy_montgomery/1905-1906/5/
Thank you all for reading along with me this year! A cozy, merry holiday to you all!
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
I‘ve considered doing a US presidents reading project for a while, but it felt like too much of an undertaking… however, I can‘t resist a Litsy challenge! I put the Chernow bio on hold and it came in just in time for all county libraries to close due to the current heavy rainstorm. 😆 It‘ll wait for me till NYE, which is perfect. (Although I may later regret my over-zealousness in choosing the 900-page Chernow bio…) #USPresidents
Another sweet story of a holiday mishap & giving to others! Also, an appearance from Josie Pye…but not THAT Josie Pye 😆 This story was published pre-Anne, before LMM wrote the familiar disagreeable Pyes! I wonder if she remembered using the name here?
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is “Ida's New Year Cake,” from “Christmas with Anne.” It can also be found on Hoopla, or here: https://www.online-literature.com/lucy_montgomery/1905-1906/11/
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
pickThis was a fun, enjoyable MG fantasy + mystery—with a dragon, an ogre, two castles (naturally), and a young girl making her way in the world. As an adult reader rather than the intended middle grade audience, I had a few issues with the writing. But I liked the characters, I liked the mystery, and I probably would have loved this when I was the target age! This was a soft pick… and my 2011 read for #192025.
My issues: ⤵️
pickI read this in October—an account of a mother & daughter forced to flee a life of privilege in Mexico and settle in a California farm labor camp during the Great Depression. It was fascinating to have read this *right* before starting Grapes of Wrath. Same era, same destination, different focus. As I read Grapes of Wrath, and the Joads headed for California, dreaming about living in a little white house and picking all the oranges they wanted, ⤵️
pickI‘ve owned a copy of this for years, but never mustered up the fortitude to read it, so when the #HashtagBrigade tackled it in November, I jumped in. (Because why not tackle Grapes of Wrath AND Old Curiosity Shop at the same time?!)
I‘m stating the obvious here, but this was heartbreaking. Relentlessly sad (which I expected because: Steinbeck), but also infuriating—the injustice throughout, and the bleakness and suddenness of the ending (which ⤵️
pickI‘ve seen others criticize this for moving too slowly, but for me, it was a 5-star read. Perspectives alternate between three women: a hiker lost along the Appalachian trail, the State Game Warden leading the search, and a retiree who takes an interest in the search from afar. The character development here was well done, and Gaige strikes a balance between mystery, survival, and reflection that really worked for me.
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is a New Year‘s one, and it‘s short and sweet. “Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner” is in “Christmas with Anne,” and it can also be found on Hoopla, or here: https://www.online-literature.com/lucy_montgomery/1909-1922/26/
I do love these stories of long-held grudges and quarrels being overcome at the holidays! And I loved the little references to Prissy longing for her book.
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
My planned #AuldLangSpine picks were all readily available in my county library system, so I‘ve been waiting until closer to the end of the year to place my holds. Library hold timing is everything. 😆 I put these three on hold over the weekend, and they‘re on their way! 🎉
“The month before Christmas was always the most exciting and mysterious time in the Joseph household. Such scheming and planning, such putting of curly heads together in corners, such counting of small hoards, such hiding and smuggling of things out of sight, as went on among the little Josephs!”
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is “The Josephs‘ Christmas,” from “Christmas with Anne” (or on Hoopla, or at the link below) ⤵️
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is another sweet tale of giving to others at Christmas.💚❤️
“A Christmas Inspiration” is from the “Christmas with Anne” collection. You can also find it on Hoopla, or here: https://www.online-literature.com/lucy_montgomery/1896-1901/2/
Tomorrow‘s story is “The Josephs‘ Christmas,” which can be found in “Christmas with Anne,” on Hoopla, or here: https://www.online-literature.com/lucy_montgomery/1902-1903/13/
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
This sweet story combines several of LMM‘s favorite Christmas-story tropes: a Christmas mishap, a rich relative saves the day, and a misunderstanding comes right. (Also: I kind of want to read the tramp‘s side of the story…)
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is “The Falsoms‘ Christmas Dinner,” from “Christmas with Anne.” You can also find today‘s story on Hoopla, or here: https://www.online-literature.com/lucy_montgomery/1905-1906/19/
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
“Our basket was full of mottoes made from letters cut out of cardboard and covered with lissome sprays of fir. They were, moreover, adorned with gorgeous pink and red tissue roses…”
I‘m always curious how these Christmas decorations would have looked!
Another sweet story today for #KindredSpiritsChristmas: “The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road,” from the “Christmas with Anne” collection. ⤵️
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
“The little Grants stood with open mouths & horrified eyes. No turkey for Christmas! Was the world coming to an end? Wouldn't the government interfere if anyone ventured to dispense with a Christmas celebration?”
Ha! Well. Not so much, little Grants. Not then or now.
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is “A Christmas Mistake.” It‘s in the tagged collection, on Hoopla, or here: https://www.online-literature.com/lucy_montgomery/1896-1901/3/
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
I love Rebecca Dew! Now I want to re-read Windy Poplars!
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is “Katherine Brooke Comes to Green Gables,” which is in the “Christmas with Anne” collection. The story is an excerpt from Anne of Windy Poplars (2nd Year, chs. 5-6), and the full text of the book is available here: https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20100608
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
“The gifts which money can purchase are not the only ones we can give,” said Aunt Emmy gently,
“nor the best, either.”
This story is one of my favorites, even if it‘s very “moral-of-the-story.” And I needed this reminder on a day when I‘ve been stressed about Christmas shopping!
Today‘s story is “Clorinda‘s Gifts” from “Christmas with Anne.” You can also find it on Hoopla or here: https://www.fadedpage.com/books/20150144/html.php#Clorindas_G...
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
I‘m celebrating Jane Austen‘s 250th birthday with this quality meme from Writers Write 😂🤣
“We are not idealized wild things.
We are imperfect mortal beings, aware of that mortality even as we push it away, failed by our very complication, so wired that when we mourn our losses we also mourn, for better or for worse, ourselves. As we were. As we are no longer. As we will one day not be at all.”
“We imagined we knew everything the other thought, even when we did not necessarily want to know it, but in fact, I have come to see, we knew not the smallest fraction of what there was to know.”
We‘re halfway through December, and I‘ve been looking at #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead-ing for 2026. I don‘t yet have a copy of Vol. 7 of the journals, but also in the queue are some as-yet-unread adjacent books as well as Magic for Marigold. I‘m curious what people are interested in reading first—or at all!
Earlier in the year, we voted on several LMM adjacent books—these showed some interest, but we haven‘t gotten to them yet: ⬇
rubyslippersreads, Daisey, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, Roary47, julieclair
#KindredSpiritsChristmas - “The Unforgotten One”
This felt a bit too maudlin, a bit too contrived for me this time around…also, what jerks are the family for “unconsciously” leaving Nanny out of reunions because she‘s “only the little orphan ‘help‘ girl”?!
Today‘s story is from the “Christmas with Anne” collection. You can also find it on Hoopla, or in this collection: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/24876/24876-h/24876-h.htm
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
I realize it‘s just all L.M. Montgomery all the time around here these days, but I have to post this text exchange I had literally while I was posting quotes on Litsy from LMM‘s journals. 😆
#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead
“The book was ghastly…It *must* have been worse than the others. Surely even at twelve years I couldn't have read such mush with pleasure.” (from Aug, 19, 1928)
SO relatable… tracking down a sequel years later, discovering it‘s crap, and wondering about your childhood self‘s taste in fiction!
“…before a whole roomful of company, half of them rapscallion boys, Mr. MacFarlane, anxious to be kind and hospitable, exclaimed, ‘Mish Montgomery, aren‘t you cold shitting away over in that corner? Shit nearer to the fire—shit right here in this rocking chair.‘
This. I laughed SO HARD at this!
(I keep meaning to post a few quotes from Vol. 6, and time just escapes me. Trying to catch up today!) #LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead
#KindredSpiritsChristmas - “The Osbornes‘ Christmas”
“You've had too much Christmas, you Osbornes,“ she said seriously. “It has palled on your taste, as all good things will if you overdo them. Did you ever try giving Christmas to somebody else?”
Today‘s story is “The Osbornes‘ Christmas,” from the “Christmas with Anne” collection. You can also find it on Hoopla, or online here: https://www.online-literature.com/lucy_montgomery/1902-1903/17/
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
“In came a fiddler with a music book, and went up to the loft desk, and made an orchestra of it, and tuned like fifty stomachaches.”
THAT is a simile I‘ve never heard before! 😂
#WhattheDickens
so-soI had this at 4+ stars until the last chapter. I… can‘t.
It‘s a nicely twisty mystery, populated by semi-unlikable characters with questionable integrity and dubious motivations. I figured out bits and pieces, but not how they all fit together—and of course it‘s all cleverly unraveled by Poirot. Then there‘s the last chapter. 😬 Nope.
#KindredSpiritsChristmas - “Aunt Cyrilla‘s Christmas Basket”
Every time I read this, I am staggered by the capacity of Aunt Cyrilla‘s basket (and of her muscle to carry it). This year it occurs to me that the Chinese takeout restaurant my husband and I frequent—where we are convinced they regularly bend the laws of physics by the sheer volume of food they pack into those styrofoam containers—may have received training from Aunt Cyrilla. 😆 ⤵️
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
#5JoysFriday!
1. Leading an Advent retreat day at my church
2. Lunch with a good friend
3. Tree is finally up and decorated—with lots of ornaments that bring memories and joy!
4. Roses from the garden
5. Grand-niece‘s preschool Christmas program 💚
Another sweet story about a Christmas mishap that comes right! (One year I really do need to figure out a bingo game for these recurring cozy Christmas tropes.)
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is “The End of the Young Family Feud,” from the “Christmas with Anne” collection. It‘s also on Hoopla, or online in these collections:
https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20150145
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/24877/24877-h/24877-h.htm
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is “Christmas at Red Butte,” from the tagged collection. It‘s also on Hoopla, or online in these collections:
https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20150146
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/24878/24878-h/24878-h.htm
One of the things that struck me in this story was how $4 could buy ice skates, 2 dolls, nuts & candy, and “a nice plump turkey.” AND…the above brought abundant Christmas joy. ❤️
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
“Oh, I was so nervous, Diana…Then I thought of my lovely puffed sleeves and took courage. I knew that I must live up to those sleeves, Diana.”
I love Matthew more every time I read this!
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is “Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves,” from the tagged collection. You can also find it online in this collection: https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20150145 (or it‘s chapter 25 in Anne of Green Gables). ⤵️
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
“When I first got a glimpse of you,” said Morris with a smile, “I thought I had come on ahead of myself and got here first.”
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is “Ted‘s Double: A Christmas Folly”—like yesterday‘s tale, this one is new to me! You can find it here: https://www.fadedpage.com/books/20161232/html.php. This is the last of the stories that aren‘t in the tagged collection. ⤵️
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
“…it‘s the spirit of Christmas that counts. It must be a spirit of goodwill and kindness and joy and love. We must never forget the real meaning of Christmas—never let it be dimmed by any false meanings…”
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is “A Christmas of Long Ago”—this one is new to me! Short and sweet. You can find it here: https://www.fadedpage.com/books/20171105/html.php (we‘re still not yet into the tagged collection). Enjoy!
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
“Everything went so smoothly that we soon forgot to be nervous. When the turkey was done, we took it out, set it on the back of the range to keep warm and put the mince pies in… everything was going as merrily as a marriage bell. Then, all at once, things happened.”
“Things happened”—such an understatement! 😂
Today‘s #KindredSpiritsChristmas story is “Aunt Susanna‘s Thanksgiving Dinner,” which can be found at the link in the comments ⤵️
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
Here we are at the end of volume SIX of LMM‘s complete journals! Just a general discussion post today (because today is FULL)… what stood out to you from this volume overall? From the years we read this week (1928-29)?
(I have some quotes noted down that I‘ll post later!)
#KindredSpiritsChristmas buddy read starts today!
“…you can't preach much good into a boy if he‘s got an aching void in his stomach. Fill *that* up with tasty victuals, and then you can do something with his spiritual nature. If a boy is well stuffed with good things and then won‘t listen to advice, you might as well stop wasting your breath on him, because there is something radically wrong with him. Probably his grandfather had dyspepsia.” ⤵️
#5JoysFriday!
1. Park time with niece and tiny grand-niece
2. #AuldLangSpine!
3. Gorgeous roses from the garden
4. My grandma‘s felt angels have been placed in the rafters, per Christmas decorating tradition
5. Daily tea and poems for Advent
pickI‘m really enjoying reading Tamora Pierce‘s Song of the Lioness books for the first time. The writing isn‘t anything special, but the characters and their relationships deepen here in endearing ways. The tone felt a bit odd to me, though—pitched fairly young, while the content feels more mature. Some of that may be due to uneven pacing and some pretty big jumps forward in time, but it still felt off. That said, I did enjoy seeing Alanna grow ⤵️
pickMy library hold for this came in too late for the #CampLitsy25 discussion, but not so late that I couldn‘t have posted a review long before now! 🤦🏻♀️
The short chapters and multiple perspectives kept me reading, wanting to find out what everyone was hiding, and then—how it would play out when they discovered each others‘ secrets. I felt for each one of the characters, falling in love with them even in the contradictions and complexities of ⤵️
"War, Nobby. Huh! What is it good for?" he said.
"Dunno, Sarge. Freeing slaves, maybe?"
"Absol—well, okay."
"Defending yourself against a totalitarian aggressor?"
"All right, I'll grant you that, but—“
"Saving civilization from a horde of—“
"It doesn't do any good in the long run is what I'm saying, Nobby, if you'd listen for five seconds together," said Fred Colon sharply.
"Yeah, but in the long run, what does, Sarge?"
#OokBOokClub
WE KNOW. You‘ve mentioned it probably 80 times now. Let it go, Jen. Let it go.
I wish I‘d kept track of the number of footnotes that explain how Myrtle Webb was born out of wedlock. Little did I know…
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals
We‘re starting the #KindredSpiritsChristmas buddy read on Saturday! I‘ll post daily with quotes or thoughts about each story, and links to read online when applicable. If you‘re not tagged but you‘d like to be, just let me know. 😊
The first story is “The Genesis of the Doughnut Club,” a Thanksgiving tale that‘s actually NOT in the tagged collection. It can be found here: https://www.online-literature.com/lucy_montgomery/1907-1908/17/
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, Born.A.Reader, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair
I‘m super excited to dive into this #AuldLangSpine list from @PurpleyPumpkin come January! It‘s always a sign of a good list when I‘ve already read and loved a few titles (Burial Rites, Thursday Murder Club, Hyunam-Dong Bookshop), and several more are already on my TBR. I‘ll start with the six above, and see how far I get! And I‘m planning to save The Summer Book for… well, summer. 😊
And here‘s my #BookSpinBingo board from November! I didn‘t get to either my #BookSpin or #DoubleSpin, so I‘m carrying those over into December, along with a spin from April that I still haven‘t gotten to 🫣 But I did get a bingo! 🎉🎉
I don‘t usually include re-reads or books in progress on my #BookSpin list, but I‘ve done it here! With all the challenges, buddy reads, and self-created “assignments” I want to read in December—I just threw it all on the list (and then some!). I‘m hoping the BookSpin fates will be kind and land on what I‘m already planning (or secretly hoping for an excuse to read 😆) I also added a Wild Card—which I can swap with anything on or off the list!
“The pony made a moment's pause; but as if it occurred to him that to stop when he was required might be to establish an inconvenient and dangerous precedent, he immediately started off again, rattled at a fast trot to the street-corner, wheeled round, came back, and then stopped of his own accord.”
😂😂 Over the course of this book, Whisker the pony has become one of my favorite characters. #WhattheDickens
A #KindredSpiritsChristmas will begin in ONE week! Join us to read a daily cozy holiday story from L.M. Montgomery. The schedule is above. Most (but not all) of the stories are available in the tagged book, and as we go, I‘ll post links to where you can read stories online. All are welcome! Comment if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be.
Jerdencon, JenlovesJT47, AnneCecilie, lauraisntwilder, monalyisha, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, LitsyEvents, julieclair
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Emily‘s Quest discussion - 4/4
“‘The Murray pride,‘ whispered Mrs. Kent, staring at her.
‘After all, Emily Starr, I believe pride is a stronger passion with you than love.‘
‘Perhaps,‘ said Emily, smiling.”
What role do you see Emily‘s pride playing in her relationships with Teddy and Ilse?
Do you agree with Mrs. Kent, that pride is a stronger passion for Emily than love?
#LMMReread
![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png){kind=icon}
@TheAromaofBooks @Librarybelle (edited) 1d