Another super-belated review—I read this back in August.

This is Heyer, so of course it was a delight. Ancilla, companion-governess and “too old” to consider romance (28) didn‘t factor “the Nonesuch” into her plans… The two leads are as likable, witty, and intelligent as Ancilla‘s spoiled charge, Tiffany, is annoying. The misunderstanding in the middle is far too easily resolved, but I liked the characters too much for me to be put off by it. ⤵️

I have SO MANY Litsy reviews to catch up on. I read this in July!!

I‘ve loved every installment of the Morrison Crow books. I loved this, too. Silverborn explores new areas of Nevermoor we haven‘t seen yet, and reveals a bunch of previously unrevealed secrets about Morrigan‘s family. Secrets are a theme here…from the secrets Morrigan carries, to the secrets she uncovers about her past. And, the plot is basically a murder mystery, which I loved.⤵️

My sole reason for reading this was the accusation that McCullough plagiarized L.M. Montgomery‘s “The Blue Castle.” And yep, there are an uncanny number of similarities between the two books. Personally, I don‘t think this one holds its own. I told a friend that it went beyond “discount Blue Castle” and became “Temu Blue Castle.” The parts that mirror Blue Castle do it worse—the way McCullough changes certain details of the plot weaken ⤵️

This week we‘ve been reading LMM‘s journals from 1927—and the quote above seems apt! What stands out to you from this week‘s reading? (Other than the convos we‘ve already been having this week!) #LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

#5JoysFriday!

1. This meme and not-serious/serious discussing future bookshop/B&B ventures with a friend
2. This pic of my grand-niece reading her Pride & Prejudice counting book in her rocking chair
3. Flowers & prayer book gift for being named the “Honoree of the Year” at church
4. RAIN
5. First bouquet of narcissus from the garden (I‘m in Southern California; these poor bulbs have no idea what season it is)

I‘m excited for this year‘s #ChristmasCrimeChallenge! (Does it count as a challenge if I was already going to read these for other challenges/buddy reads? 😂)

3. Star: famous lead detective—Taken at the Flood (Poirot)
5. Advent calendar: short stories—Partners in Crime
7. Sleigh: set on transport (train, boat, etc.)—Destination Unknown (there‘s a plane on the cover; it MUST be set on transport, right?!)
9. Present: ANY mystery you like!—Thud!

“But the grannies, oh, the grannies... It had almost been cheating, putting them on the parapet with a megaphone during the lulls: ‘I knows you're out there, our Ron! This is your Nan! You climb up one more time and you'll feel the back of my hand! Our Rita sends her love and wants you to hurry home. Grandpa is feeling a lot better with the new ointment! Now stop being a silly boy!‘”

#OokBOokClub

“One thing Vimes was learning fast was the natural vindictiveness of old ladies, who had no sense of fair play when it came to fighting soldiers; give a granny a spear and a hole to jab it through, and young men on the other side were in big trouble.”

#OokBOokClub

“Once, after a meeting, while she was still speaking in tongues, she fired both barrels of a shotgun at her husband, ripping one of his buttocks nearly off, and after that he admired her and did not try to torture her as children torture bugs.”

Wait, WHAT?! 😳😂
#HashtagBrigade

I love India Rose Crawford‘s Frog and Toad pictures so very much!!

Join us for a #KindredSpiritsChristmas as the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead reads L.M. Montgomery‘s cozy holiday stories, one per day, Dec. 6-25.

Almost all the stories are available online (I‘ll post links as applicable), and all but the first four are in the tagged book. (Dec. 10 is ch. 25 in Green Gables and Dec. 17 is chs. 5-6 in the “Second Year” of Windy Poplars.)

All are welcome! Some past participants are tagged—comment if you‘d like to join!

Next up in the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead:
✍🏻One week of LMM‘s journals
📓Two weeks reading Emily‘s Quest
✍🏻One more week to finish volume SIX of LMM‘s journals
🎄THEN: #KindredSpiritsChristmas! (schedule will be posted separately)

I‘ve tagged my small list for #LMMJournals and Emily‘s Quest (Hi Sarah! Hi Laura!), but all are welcome! Let me know if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be.

A couple more (non-Blue-Castle-related) questions:

Does Missy‘s journey ring true for you? Why or why not?

What did you think of the ending, and the reveal about the character of Una?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

The main difference between the two books is how the privileged Hurlingfords take advantage of the under-privileged women of the clan. What did you think of this part of the story—as Missy stands up for both herself and the disadvantaged women of the family?

What did you think of The Ladies of Missalonghi in its own right? Does it have merit on its own, apart from Blue Castle?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

What *differences* do you see between Ladies of Missalonghi and Blue Castle?

How do those differences impact the narrative?

How do those differences impact your view of each book?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

There are MANY similarities between Ladies of Missalonghi and LMM‘s Blue Castle.

Do you find McCullough‘s defense of “subconscious recollection” convincing (the idea that she read Blue Castle when she was young, but any borrowing was unconscious rather than intentional)?

Or are the similarities just too close to be “subconscious”?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

Several of us shared LOTS of thoughts early this week, but our scheduled discussion is today! Here are some questions to start, but feel free to add further thoughts, rants, etc.!

First, some general questions (separate from Blue Castle!):
Did you enjoy the book?
Did you find the characters likable—Missy, Drusilla & Octavia, John Smith, Una?
What about the antagonists—cousin Alicia & the other Hurlingfords?
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

The book cover‘s description of “quietly devastating” is spot on. This is another book that‘s been on my TBR forever. I knew I‘d love it, but in recent years, I haven‘t been in the mood to be devastated, even quietly so. But I decided to read it as my 1989 pick for #192025, and am so glad I did. What depth of characterization through such a slow-burn gradual reveal. The denial, self-delusion, and pretense that are slowly laid bare ⤵️

I‘ve loved John O‘Donohue‘s writing in the past. His book of blessings (To Bless the Space Between Us) always has something rich and meaningful to offer, and I‘ve often come across quotations from O‘Donohue‘s work that are exactly what I need when they cross my path. So I had high expectations for this one, having had it on my TBR for some time.

O‘Donohue offers an exploration of Celtic spirituality as he examines friendship, the senses, ⤵️

This is a quiet, internal story, with abuse, abandonment, and unanswered questions at its heart. Julia—pregnant at 41—returns to her hometown after 23 years away. She‘s searching for answers & some measure of resolution about her past. I appreciated the nuance with which Hegi paints her characters—acknowledging both the repercussions of abuse & abandonment, and the unreliability of memory—as Julia struggles to reconcile the past & move forward.⤵️

I loved this hidden gem I picked up at a library sale. It‘s based on a true story about a racehorse in the 1930s, who was shipped to India from England—and the various lives this horse brings together. There are themes of hurt and healing, prejudice and acceptance, redemption, and found family. The backdrop of 1930s Calcutta—from the poor and the privileged, to the convent and the racetrack—is fascinating. This was my 1981 pick for #192025.

This reminded me a LOT of Nghi Vo‘s Singing Hills books. And it was a lot funnier than I‘d anticipated! I do wish it had been fleshed out into a full novel. There were so many references to earlier events that remained only just sketched out, and just enough character development to make me want to know more. I‘m hoping Zen Cho writes more in this world!

I admit I read this motivated in no small part by pure nosiness. I wanted to know “what happened.” I‘ve followed Jen on social media long enough to have seen some of her faith deconstruction process in real time, long enough to witness the backlash she suffered for her honesty about that process and her changing beliefs. Long enough to remember when her marriage fell apart and be curious about her divorce. This offers some of the details I was ⤵️

The #BookSpin fates are whispering “read your challenge books.” My BookSpin will fulfill 1953 for the #192025 challenge AND # 15 (BIPOC author I‘ve meant to read) for my #50x50 birthday challenge (which I‘ve neglected in favor of finishing 192025 😆) My #DoubleSpin is any #50x50 book. I‘m debating between the three on the right: Last Unicorn (classic children‘s fantasy), Mabinogion (Arthurian), and Hungering Dark (published before I turned 10).

I pulled this off my shelf tonight to plan my #whattheDickens reading & discovered a bookmark from Hay on Wye—where I purchased this copy.😍 It was helpfully tucked in between Curiosity Shop and Child‘s History, so I only had to flip back a few pages to determine how many chapters are in Curiosity Shop. However, the last chapter is helpfully titled “Chapter the Last,” meaning I had to flip back a few more pages to find an actual numbered chapter🤪

“I notice Alicia has kept her choice to virgins only,” said Missy, whose stitch had been bothering her ever since the 7-mile walk from Missalonghi, and now was growing worse. To leave the room was impossible but nor could she sit still and silent a moment longer; to keep her mind off the pain, she started to talk. “Very orthodox of her,” she continued, “but I‘m *definitely* a virgin, and I didn‘t get picked.”

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

“‘Darling, you look absolutely splendid! In a paddy, are we?‘

Missy took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. ‘Oh, just my cousin James Hurlingford. I told him to go bite his bum.‘

‘Good for you! Time someone told him.‘ Una giggled. ‘Though I imagine he‘d much rather someone else bit it for him—preferably someone masculine.‘

This sailed straight over Missy‘s head…”

👀🤣
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

Just a quick check-in partway through Ladies of Missalonghi!

How are you enjoying the book so far?
What are your first impressions?
How many plagiarism-like similarities have you found so far between this and Blue Castle?!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. While I‘m open to learning from faith traditions other than my own, some of the language around suffering felt a lot like spiritual bypassing. Peerman‘s definition of and subsequent approach to suffering seemed to actively exclude harm imposed by others (abuse, oppression, structural inequalities, etc.)—which often made his approach feel overly simplistic, privileged, and potentially damaging. ⤵️

#5JoysFriday

❄️ Grand-niece‘s preschool Halloween parade (she was Elsa and her bestie was Moana 🥹)
🎹 Sunday jazz with some new original tunes
🎷Spooky jazz concert last night (setlist included “Candyman,” Bing Crosby‘s Headless Horseman, “You Put a Spell on Me,” and the theme from Beetlejuice, among others!)
🎃 Frog & Toad and Pumpkin Cottage (by India Rose Crawford)
🙏🏼 Two fantastic, encouraging meetings with my spiritual director and mentor

#BookSpinBingo for October yielded no bingos, but FOUR almost-bingos 😆 I planned to grab a bingo by reading Midnight Is a Place as my 1984 pick for #192025…then discovered I made a typo on the pub year—it was published in 1974 🤦🏻‍♀️

I DID finish both #BookSpin & #DoubleSpin, though—and am now caught up on all but one past spins! Also, some great reads this month. Favorites:
Remains of the Day
The Blue Castle (re-read)
Mr. McFadden‘s Halloween

November #BookSpin list! I‘ve got a few for #NonfictionNovember, my remaining #192025 books which are also my remaining #10beforetheend books, and various challenges, book groups, and buddy reads!

This is a creepy little tale set in West Wales, with connections to the Mabinogion (which I now want to re-read! Maybe it‘s time to pull out that Charlotte Guest translation I‘ve always meant to read). The focus is on three children and their discovery of a set of old plates in the attic—a discovery that pulls them into embodying the same legend that has played out generation after generation. ⤵️

Oof. This was rough—from injustice and political corruption to violence. The title doesn‘t so much describe a season of good things, but rather comments on the impermanence of good things.

I read this based on the strength of Adebayo‘s first book, Stay with Me—which was SO GOOD. This didn‘t quite measure up. It follows two characters from vastly different circumstances: 16-year-old Eniola (“a boy who looks like a man”), whose family struggles ⤵️

I loved so many things about this: irrepressible Selina, her pony named Haggis, the food descriptions, the Scottish setting, and a goose named Big Wullie! The basic plot: Selina befriends a crusty old farmer when her pony keeps “planting” himself in said farmer‘s turnip field.

Selina is kind of a misfit—both her mishaps & her soft heart for outsiders are endearing. The exploration of what it means to take care of others, even when you and they ⤵️

Here‘s the next month for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead! We‘re just starting the tagged book for #LMMAdjacent, then after one more week back in the #LMMJournals, we‘ll return to the Emily books with Emily Climbs for an #LMMReread. Tag lists are in the comments… but all are welcome! Let me know if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be!

Valancy strikes me as a particularly subversive heroine, and so many of her actions feel very progressive for her time—yet the ending of The Blue Castle leaves Valancy in a very traditional, conventional role.

How did the ending land with you?
Does it feel conventional? Predictable?

#LMMReread #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

One of the things I love most about this book is its humor—it‘s filled with hilarious situations, comments, and descriptions. What are some of your favorites?

#LMMReread #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

The Blue Castle is set in Muskoka, where LMM traveled with her husband & children (and our old friend John Mustard & his wife) in 1922. She recounts this trip in her journal. The above passage made me laugh—hard—given how I feel about “Barney Snaith” as a name for a romantic lead!

What names in The Blue Castle did you find particularly evocative?
What role does naming play in the narrative?

#LMMReread #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

How does The Blue Castle strike you when read within the chronology of LMM‘s other books?
Did you find it surprising?
What feels similar or different from her earlier books?

#LMMReread #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

These quotes from LMM‘s journals feel so timely, since reading this felt like an escape and a refuge from the world for me—and both LMM‘s words and my experience of the book feel like a parallel to Valancy‘s Blue Castle.

Do you have a “Blue Castle”? Where are you finding refuge and escape these days?

#LMMReread #LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

#threelistthursday #tlt

I‘m surprised I got SEVEN on this list, as someone who‘s really not into scary/creepy/horror! The three on the left are favorites from this list (although I was surprised to see Name of the Rose on there!). The three on the right I‘ve read the book and watched one or more movie adaptations. With Dracula and The Dead Zone, I enjoyed the book more, but Hitchcock‘s Rebecca tops both the book & the recent movie version for me!

This was a low pick. It‘s another solid novella in the Singing Hills Cycle, a creepy little tale of famine, hunger, and power. But it ranks lower for me than the others. What I missed here was how the other books play more intricately with ideas of storytelling, making me examine and re-examine the perspectives of both storyteller & audience, and how stories twist & turn and reveal & conceal. Still: I‘m all in and will read the next in the series!

I didn‘t realize that cozy post-apocalyptic sci-fi was a thing, but this is that. And it was the cozy sci-fi found family story I needed! A group of food service bots power back up after a shutdown and decide to rebrand and reopen the restaurant in which they were abandoned. Alternating POVs explore the backstory of each of the bots, offering a surprising amount of depth and character development in this short novella. ⤵️

This sequel to The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor was just as ridiculous and just as much fun. Smashing together the Gothic romance atmosphere of Willowweep Manor with Golden Age murder mystery vibes worked for me. While I do think the first book was better, this was still a good read—especially if you enjoy hilarious literary chaos.

Popovic was part of the movement (Otpor) that ousted Milosevic from power in Serbia, and this book is a handbook of sorts—taking principles from Otpor and discussing how those principles could be applied in a variety of contexts, using nonviolent activism and resistance to effect change. The wealth of examples he offers are inspiring and often hilarious. I can‘t help but wonder if the Portland Frog was inspired by this book… ⤵️

“It‘s the sheep are the problem,” said Gwyn. “Mostyn Lewis-Jones breeds them with short left legs, and Gareth Pugh breeds short right legs… Mostyn's sheep eat from right to left, and Gareth's from left to right across the slope. When they reach the fence they have to walk backwards and then start again.”

😂😂😂

This broke me wide open in the best ways. Trommer explores themes of grief and loss, beauty and love, with the sacred woven throughout.

My spiritual director introduced me to Rosemary Wahtola Trommer‘s poetry, and I subsequently signed up to receive her daily poems—they‘re a daily gift. I‘d highly recommend both this collection of poems as well as her blog at https://ahundredfallingveils.com.

This is yet another book that‘s been on my shelf forever… so long that I can‘t pin down the recommendation that originally prompted me to buy it. I wish I could remember, because that might offer me some direction on why I wanted to read it and what I might have gotten out of it!

This was beautifully written, the characters are richly drawn, and it left me cold. I actually kind of wanted to throw the book across the room at the end. ⤵️

This served as a delightful unicorn chaser while I was reading Newitz‘ The Future of Another Timeline. I‘ve wanted to read Tamora Pierce for a long time—and I‘m glad I chose this as my 1983 pick for #192025. A lot of the plot felt unrealistic to me—Alanna‘s path isn‘t easy by any means, but she‘s a little too readily accepted & fits in as one of the boys far too quickly. But honestly, I didn‘t mind. I needed a lighter take on female empowerment ⤵️