Welcome to Litsy!

This felt very different from the other L. M. Montgomery books I've read -- a very sharp critique of societal norms in an entertaining story with glorious descriptions of the Muskoka region in Ontario.

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread
#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (initials in author's name)
#PumpkabooHunt (medium)

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

I saw the ending coming a mile off, but it's a sweet story and the humor is perfect. #kindredspiritsbuddyread

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread

Just a little check-in here halfway through Blue Castle… (although I know some of you couldn‘t resist finishing it already!)

What edition are you reading?
How is your reading going?
What have you enjoyed the most in the first half of the book?
What favorite scenes, quotes, or other elements stand out to you?

it was so easy to defy
once you got started. the first
step was the only one
that really counted.

#haikuhive #thebluecastle #LMMontgomery #Valancy

I just finished rereading The Blue Castle for the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead and Valancy might just be my favorite book character after Phryne Fisher. Oh how I wish I had read this book when I was in my 20s!

isn‘t it better
to have your heart broken than
let it wither up?

#haikuhive #haikuaday #poetry #LMMontgomery #Valancy #thebluecastle

“…she opened the window and hurled the jar of potpourri over into the next lot. It smashed gloriously against the schoolgirl complexion on the old carriage-shop. ‘I‘m sick of the fragrance of dead things,‘ said Valancy.”

💙💙💙

Oh, I love this book so much. Here we go! #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread

Haiku #1:
What shall I say to
Describe my thoughts on this book?
Best classic I've read.

Haiku #2
I literally
Read it in one and a half
hours: cried and laughed.

If you haven't read this book, I suggest you remedy that as soon as possible. Although, of course, everyone has different tastes on what is the best kind of book. :)

Valancy ♥️

#12booksof2024 : June

Anne of Green Gables is always going to be the first thing associated with L. M. Montgomery, but she definitely wasn‘t a one hit wonder!

A real gem! the story of Valancy Stirling, a meek young woman who lives under the control of her oppressive family. Valancy resolves to reclaim control of her fate and flee to the enchanting Blue Castle, the lakeside cottage she‘s always desired.
#Pantone2024
#Spookoween
#ReadAway2024
#Bookspinbingo
#Bookspin book

@BarbaraBB @TheSpineView @DieAReader @Andrew65 @GHABI4ROSES @TheAromaofBooks

Lovely and whimsical yet the underlying issue of expectations of women in family and society. Also the idea of doing things that make you happy, finding those things and those people.
Nice autumnal read.

A rediscovered classic from L.M. Montgomery. After being told she was terminal, Valancy, a spinster living with her dominant mother, decided to live life to the fullest with the time she has left. She upsets her tight knit uppity family and finds love in an unexpected place. This story was original and sweet. Definitely recommend.

Delightful! I loved Valency and Barney and hated the appalling Stirlings. The descriptions of the landscape were sublime. Thank you to @LeahBergen for the gift of the book and to @thegirlwiththelibrarybag for reminding me to read it.

I‘m somehow always surprised when I learn that there was more to L. M. Montgomery than Anne of Green Gables. It‘s not so often that books having me wiping away tears of laughter but this one managed it on more than one occasion. Watching Valancy blossom into a vibrant woman - who spoke her mind, found a purpose and eventually a great love - was an absolute joy!

What a marvelous romance!

My #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead-ers should get a kick out of this… I just got this series of texts from one of my best friends, with whom I share a great love for L.M. Montgomery‘s The Blue Castle. We‘ve been discussing which covers/editions are out there, I mentioned the Elly McKay covers, she bought us each copies. And yes, that is indeed the first chapter of Anne of Avonlea. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Damn Jeff Bezos.

New edition of one of my favourites! I noticed on my recent reread that my copy (published 1988) is falling apart, so I splurged on a beautiful new edition. #rereadingsummer

#rereadingsummer #firstlinefridays

#rereadingsummer

Matching my nails to my novel! Love this sweetly funny book. My Senior book club have chosen this as their summer holiday read- a perfect choice for sunny days 💙💛

This may be my favorite stand alone L.M.M. Gorgeous descriptions of nature, mixed with both lighthearted observations and reflections on the meaning of life.

I also found this tunnel through the trees outside my local library— do you think if I passed through it I would end up in another time?

#kindredspirits

#12Booksof2022 day 3

March was a strong reading month with several amazing reads so it was hard to choose a favorite, but I decided on this one.

Valancy is given a short time to live by her doctor. She decides to live the life she wants and not the one expected of her by her closest family. About love, standing up to your family and going your own ways.

#AdventRecommends December 2nd

I loved this book by L. M. Montgomery aimed at an older audience than most of her novels. It‘s cozy like all her novels and about love, family and following your own dreams.

Barney and Velancy's little cabin would make me very happy 😊

Hey Chrissy and Sarah! I found this book today and I‘m pretty sure we were trying to do a mark up read outside of LMPBC. It looks like I got 50 pages into this book (and if I remember correctly, found it super depressing).

Do you want me to send this back to you Chrissy? Or should I send it along to Sarah. Sorry for the delay, I literally don‘t know how long I‘ve had this book. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

This was a reread for me, but I honestly remembered nothing from my initial read years ago. I enjoyed this more adult Montgomery story as a lovely change of pace from my more serous reading. It has the same beautiful appreciation of nature and moments of humor I always love in her writing. So glad I made time to listen to it again, even if a month late for the buddy read.

#audiobook #reread #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Blue Castle discussion part 6

Anything else you‘d like to discuss from The Blue Castle?

Favorite passages, favorite characters, favorite Stirling relative you love to hate? Favorite “John Foster” quote?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Blue Castle discussion part 5

“Valancy had long ago decided that she would rather offend God than Aunt Wellington, because God might forgive her but Aunt Wellington never would.”

There are some wonderfully hilarious situations, comments, and descriptions in this book. What are some of your favorites?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion part 4

I love that LMM found refuge in writing Blue Castle. Reading it felt like a refuge to me—because it‘s a familiar, favorite read, but also because the narrative is full of humor, warmth, and of course a happy ending. The comfort I found was a fitting parallel to the comfort Valancy finds in her own Blue Castle.

Do you have a “Blue Castle”? Where have you found refuge & comfort during difficult times?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Blue Castle discussion part 3

Did the romance feel plausible to you, or was it contrived/too perfect? Or does it matter if it‘s all a little implausible?

Did any parts of the narrative surprise you?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Blue Castle discussion part 2

How did you feel about Valancy as a character? Did you find her likable initially?

What about Cissy Gay and Roaring Abel? What do you think they add to the book?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Blue Castle discussion part 1

What did you think of The Blue Castle compared to LMM‘s other books? What similarities or differences did you notice?

Are there any themes or ideas that stood out to you?

#BookReport

Finished The Blue Castle #KinderedSpiritsBuddyRead. Continued Rage Becomes Her #SheSaid and with the #PemberLittens both The Other Bennett Sister and North and South.

I read The Cauliflower and In.
Currently reading My Family and Other Animals, the group read for #foodandlit #Greece and Bibliophile: Diverse Spines.

I LOVED THIS!

29 yr old Valancy has accepted that she will become an old spinster forever living with her mum and cousin. One day she goes to the doctor, and is told that she has less than a year to live. She decides to live her life on her own terms and do what she wants.

Her family‘s reactions to this was hilarious and I loved their dialogue.

I‘m so glad I joined #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead when we started with the Anne books, otherwise I‘m

Repost for @BarbaraJean

Just a little reminder that the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion of The Blue Castle will be next weekend: Saturday, March 26th. I‘ll post questions around mid-day Pacific Time. Everyone is welcome—if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to join the discussion, just let me know and I‘ll add you for this book!

Just a little reminder that the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion of The Blue Castle will be next weekend: Saturday, March 26th. I‘ll post questions around mid-day Pacific Time. Everyone is welcome—if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to join the discussion, just let me know and I‘ll add you for this book!

This is my absolute favorite LMM novel, and I‘m so excited to discuss it! It‘s exactly the comfort read I need right now. 🥰

A combined #BookReport and #WeeklyForcast

I read Bonjour Tristesse (returned to the library), Hello Mum, Seek You and Spring.

I kept up with the buddy reads and will continue to do so. Rage Becomes Her #SheSaid and with the #PemberLittens both The Other Bennett Sister and North and South. I hope to finish The Blue Castle #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

In the upcoming week I want to read The Cauliflower and In.

I've loved revisiting this, as it's one of my favorite Montgomerys. I think it's interesting that, as her official Adult Book, it's the one that feels most like a fairy tale to me. In the best possible way. 💙
#kindredspiritsbuddyread

I am officially out of my reading funk! (Reading with my eyeballs, thank God for audiobooks!) I have always wanted to read this but never got around to it. I didn‘t even read the blurb, couldn‘t remember what it was about. Guys, I freaking loved this book! Valancy is such a great character and 20-something year old me could have related to her a lot. This is her only book I‘ve read geared more towards adults, but it still has that warm and cozy ⬇️

What a delight! There's sharp satire of proper society and all the bullshit that comes with it. There's Valancy--imaginative, genuine, kind, and fascinating--coming into her own. And there's a swoonworthy romance that was so much sweeter than I expected. Plus there are a lot of beautiful descriptions of natural landscapes in reality as well as in Valancy's imagination. Finally, there are two cats named Banjo and Good Luck, and I love them. 😻

The story is predictable but sweet. It‘s the equivalent of a really good romantic comedy movie. So save it for when you‘re in the mood for a charming tale. This reread made me think about what I would do if I didn‘t care what others thought. It almost made me appreciate my own blue castle (our home) a little more.

“She, who had been afraid of almost everything in life, was not afraid of death.”

#WeeklyForecast

Keep up with the buddy reads. Rage Becomes Her #SheSaid, the tagged book #KinderedSpiritsBuddyRead and with the #PemberLittens North and South, and The Other Bennett Sister.

Read Bonjour Tristesse, Hello Mum, Seek You and Spring.

I want to start on the short story collection The Dangers of Smoking in Bed.

#BookReport

I continued Rage Becomes Her #SheSaid and the tagged book #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead. With the #PemberLittens I finished Sanditon and continued North and South and The Other Bennett Sister.

I finished The Island of Missing Trees and read Murder in Mesopotamia.

I‘ve started Friday on my Mind and hope to finish today, if I have a good reading day.

#WeeklyForcast

Continue with all the buddy reads, Rage Becomes Her #SheSaid, the tagged #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead and with the #PemberLittens Sanditon, North and South and The Other Bennett Sister.

I‘ve just started The Island of Missing Trees and want to finish that. I also want to get to Murder in Mesopotamia and hopefully start Friday on my Mind.

#BookReport

I continued Rage Becomes Her #SheSaid and started the tagged #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead, and with #PemberLittens Sanditon, North and South and The Other Bennett Sister

I finished Lot (which has been returned to the library) and To Paradise.

I‘ve decided to DNF Harlem Shuffle for now which makes me a lot sad since I‘m going to hear Whitehead speak in May.

And I‘ve started The Fell and hope to finish it later today.

Suddenly it‘s March, and time for a new #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead book! Read at your own pace throughout the month, and we‘ll discuss on Saturday, March 26th.

All are welcome! This is a standalone, so it‘s easy to jump in at this point or just join us for this month.

I‘ve tagged those who expressed interest, so if you‘re not tagged and would like to participate, please let me know! And feel free to share or tag people who might be interested.😊