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BarbaraJean

BarbaraJean

Joined May 2016

READ ALL THE THINGS! www.goodreads.com/barbarajanette www.commonplacehope.wordpress.com
review
BarbaraJean
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this sequel to An Unkindness of Magicians—it was a wonderful continuation of Sydney‘s journey. I finished it feeling very satisfied with its new developments, and hopeful of future books with a new character to explore further. The plot was more straightforward than the first book, & there were a couple new characters that really needed more development here. But it was a solid follow-up & I thoroughly enjoyed it. #SeriesLove2023

TheSpineView Awesome! 36m
19 likes1 comment
review
BarbaraJean
The Grace of Wild Things | Heather Fawcett
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Pickpick

I had this on my library holds list for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead, then I pushed it back to October in our schedule and the book came in early. I read it anyway. 😁 This was a low pick for me. It‘s a fun Anne of Green Gables retelling with magic, remixing a lot of the elements of the original. It felt less like a retelling and more like an Anne-flavored fairy tale. I wanted a little more emotional depth to the story overall, but it was a fun read.

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BarbaraJean
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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June #BookSpinBingo! I managed to complete a bingo last month, and with the help of that handy line through the middle on this month‘s board, I‘m confident I can keep that going for two months in a row. 😁

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BarbaraJean
The Magician's Elephant | Kate DiCamillo, Yoko Tanaka
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Here‘s where my #BookSpin picks landed for June! I‘ve had The Magician‘s Elephant floating around my coffee table for months, with the intent of reading it and then watching the recently-released movie. BookSpin will make it happen. 😊 #DoubleSpin landed on my Sci-Fi/Fantasy TBR category, which is where my BookSpin landed for May, so I‘m choosing the book I almost picked last month!

20 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
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I‘m continuing to enjoy the annotations in this edition… the previous reader seems to have written a little comment/title at the beginning of each section. I‘ve seen “Warning,” “Symbolic setting,” “Irony in parting,” etc. Here, as Gawain‘s companion urges him to flee and Gawain insists he will face the Green Knight, said comment/title is “See ya! Whatever!” 😂😂

Dilara Glad you're enjoying them! It would drive me mad 😂 🙃 3d
BarbaraJean @Dilara 😂Usually this kind of thing does drive me mad, but these are penciled so lightly and in such minuscule cursive, that they‘re easy to overlook. And the ones that catch my eye are often hilarious, like this one! 3d
Saknicole I do love some annotations in academic works too. I just got a second hand copy of Walden because of the precious annotations. 2d
34 likes3 comments
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BarbaraJean
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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Here‘s my May #BookSpinBingo wrap-up—finally a month where I got a bingo, thanks to those three Free spots right in a row down the middle! I haven‘t finished my #BookSpin or #DoubleSpin yet, but I‘m halfway through Green Knight and Green Magic is up next. I finished 4 from my physical TBR, so: good month!

Favorites:
🐉When Women Were Dragons
🔥Sounding the Seasons
🌑A Sleight of Shadows

Biggest accomplishment: finishing Count of Monte Cristo 🎉

Bklover Yay for finishing The Count! It‘s a big one! (But good!) 3d
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! Fantastic month!!! 2d
33 likes2 comments
review
BarbaraJean
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Mehso-so

This was fascinating, even though I didn‘t particularly enjoy it. I don‘t think it adds a lot to White‘s Arthurian cycle. It was interesting to read as context for what I‘m assuming are White‘s own thoughts & philosophies, as well as context for the time in which it was written. But it felt like White was trying too hard to make sure readers got his point (and maybe I disagree with his point). Continued ⬇️

BarbaraJean I think the goose & ant sections worked better here, with a mature Arthur rather than Arthur as a boy, but it was all too preachy & heavy-handed. For me, the hedgehog was the highlight. The only character who gave Arthur the space to just be Arthur.

In the end, I have to disagree with the prologue, where it calls this “the true last chapter of The Once and Future King.” I suppose if White intended it to be so, then it is, but ⬇️
(edited) 5d
BarbaraJean …I prefer the first four books without this as the ending. The ending of Candle in the Wind felt to me like an elegiac tragedy; tacking this volume on made it feel like senseless tragedy. Which may have been more to White‘s point, but I definitely prefer saying farewell to Arthur before the final battle, leaving his fate a little more open, and leaving his story to live on through Malory.

What did the rest of you think?
5d
batsy I agree with you in that it maybe doesn't quite work as an ending. But yes, it was illuminating in the sense of providing some insight into what White was thinking as he wrote this. 4d
39 likes3 comments
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BarbaraJean
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#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead: Summer Edition! In June, we‘ll be reading Maud, YA historical fiction based on LMM‘s teenage years. Then we‘ll tackle Mary Henley Rubio‘s biography of LMM over July & August, with discussions at the midpoint and at the end of the book.

I currently have @megnews @Bkwrm7 @lauraisntwilder and @Prairiegirl_reading on the tag list for Maud in June. All are welcome—let me know if you‘d like to join in for either or both books!

julieclair Please add me to the tag list for June! Thanks! 5d
BarbaraJean @julieclair I‘ve added you—great to have you on board for June! 5d
TheAromaofBooks I think I will be skipping in June, but will be back for the July/August read!! 4d
BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks 👍 I've got you down for Gift of Wings in July/August! 4d
36 likes4 comments
review
BarbaraJean
The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexander Dumas
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Pickpick

Super Chunkster complete!! 🎉

I can see why this classic is so well-loved: it‘s fascinating, engaging, and meticulously planned out. To be honest, I don‘t think I liked any of the characters, but it was so satisfying to see all the threads come together in the end. For so many characters, there was a much harsher fate than I expected (of course—book vs. movie!), and a stronger, more nuanced meditation on revenge. #ChunksterChallenge2023

britt_brooke 🎉 6d
Amiable Fabulous! 🎉🎊 5d
Karisimo I‘m stuck at about 60%, a lot of set up going on but pretty slow… it is all going somewhere, right? 5d
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Meshell1313 🙌🙌🙌 5d
BarbaraJean @Karisimo It will get somewhere eventually!! I think all the setup begins paying off about 3/4 of the way through. 5d
dabbe Bravo! 🤩🤩🤩 5d
64 likes6 comments
review
BarbaraJean
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Pickpick

This is the second book of poetry I‘ve read by Malcolm Guite—I discovered his poetry in 2020, through a series of sonnets he wrote on the Psalms, which spoke to me so deeply during that time. This collection is likewise full of well-crafted sonnets, these corresponding to the liturgical calendar. There is a series for the Stations of the Cross and one for Advent that were particularly meaningful to me. I‘ll be going back to these again and again.

Purpleness You‘ve sent me down a rabbit trail looking up his poems! I can see I‘m going to have order at least one of his collections. 6d
BarbaraJean @Purpleness 💜 I just love his work! The tagged book is the series on the Psalms that I mentioned. SO good. If you haven't already discovered his blog, take a look: https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/blog/ He usually posts poems applicable to the day/church season/etc., along with recordings of him reading the poems. I've found it a delight to follow! 6d
41 likes1 stack add2 comments
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BarbaraJean
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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June #BookSpin list! I always spend too much time thinking about how to order my list: do I group similar genres together? Should all the book club picks go together? When I‘m including TBR categories, do I put those all in a row? Do I put less-desired titles at the beginning and end, assuming those numbers are less likely to be picked? Well, this time I went for truly random and put them in order by length of title/label. 😆

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! It's always good to have a system! 😂 1w
30 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
Ana of California | Andi Teran
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#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Ana of California discussion - part 5 or just a bonus question/comment because I have to ask…

Seriously, what was up with the bear?! I spent way too much time trying to figure out how its paw could look like this, and how a full-grown bear could be hidden behind a man, unnoticed. And its later role in the story felt out of place and far-fetched. What did you make of the bear?!

julieclair The bear thing was so bizarre! It felt like we jumped into magical realism every time the bear appeared. But I am glad he was a kindly bear! 🐻😉 1w
lauraisntwilder I have no idea! It's California, so there's gotta be a bear to match the flag?? 😂 6d
BarbaraJean @julieclair Yes - magical realism is a good description! Genre whiplash. 😂 @lauraisntwilder Ha! I live in California and didn't think of the flag connection! It was just so weird. (edited) 6d
24 likes4 comments
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BarbaraJean
Ana of California | Andi Teran
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#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Ana of California discussion part 4

Is Ana of California dependent on Anne of Green Gables, or do you feel it stands on its own?

Parallels to Anne aside, did you enjoy the book in its own right?

julieclair I really enjoyed this book, and feel it worked just fine as a stand alone novel. Noticing the parallels to AoGG was fun, but not at all necessary to enjoy and appreciate this book. 1w
lauraisntwilder It definitely stands on its own. I think the ways it diverged from the original were its strengths. 6d
Bkwrm7 Agreed @julieclair and @lauraisntwilder - while it was fun to see how Teran had adapted things, this was a rich experience all on its own and could definitely be enjoyed without being aware of its roots in Anne‘s story. I was disappointed to see it doesn‘t appear Teran has written anything else! 6d
BarbaraJean @julieclair @lauraisntwilder @Bkwrm7 Absolutely agree - I think this is how a contemporary retelling should be done! Teran hit so many of the right notes for a retelling, but didn't let herself be tied so tightly to AoGG that she couldn't tell Ana's story naturally. It's a strong book on its own because Teran made the story her own/Ana's own. And I'm also disappointed she doesn't have other books yet! This was such a good debut novel. 6d
TheAromaofBooks I definitely think this one stands on its own, and I actually think that's part of the reason that I liked this one better than Anne of Manhattan. I think Teran did a great job capturing a lot of the spirit of the original and didn't try so hard to mimic all the details. Changing everyone's names emphasized that to me, that she was making this her own story. If the reader wanted to draw parallels, that was on them. 1d
25 likes5 comments
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BarbaraJean
Ana of California | Andi Teran
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#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Ana of California discussion part 3

The central characters in Ana are updated and reimagined, but retain similar relationships with Ana as the original characters did with Anne.

Did these characters‘ relationships with Ana have the right feel to you?
Which worked or didn‘t work?

lauraisntwilder I felt like the Marilla and Matthew characters were swapped, in terms of how they related to Ana. Abbie liked Ana from the start, while Emmett, who had to work with her like Marilla in the original, took longer to voice his approval. Minerva never became friends with Ana, like Rachel does with Anne, but maybe with more time? 6d
Bkwrm7 @lauraisntwilder Agreed about the Abbie and Emmett swap - and relieved that Abbie and Matthew‘s story arcs didn‘t exactly parallel one another! I thought the relationship with Rye worked as a good parallel to the Diana/Anne relationship. The only one that felt significantly different to me was the Ana/Cole vs. Anne/Gilbert relationships, Ana and Cole had a much shorter time opposed to one another with more external forces keeping them apart. 6d
Bkwrm7 Overall I thought the updates worked really well even when they differed from the original dynamics. 6d
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BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder @Bkwrm7 At first, the swap in the brother/sister relationships to Anne was distracting! I was looking for more direct parallels. But I think that was my issue rather than the book. It's interesting that in both the Anne retellings we've read, they've chosen to keep the Matthew character around. We talked about this in Alpine Path, so many of us felt Matthew's death was key in Anne's maturation. But Ana didn't need extra trauma! 6d
BarbaraJean @Bkwrm7 YES - the Ana/Cole dynamics were super different. I don't think Cole was fleshed out enough for me to get a good read on him. He didn't feel at all like Gilbert, which could have worked (Rye didn't feel like Diana, but their dynamics as friends felt like Anne/Diana). But with Cole, neither the person or the relationship had the right feel for me. I missed the Anne/Gilbert rivalry and the way Anne's own pride and resistance kept them apart. 6d
BarbaraJean Also also about Abbie/Matthew parallels - I thought it was interesting that Anne immediately connects with Matthew, but Ana keeps Abbie at arms' length. Anne is so starved for love, and so open that she completely accepts Matthew's affection for her. They're fast friends, right away. But Ana is jaded and self-protective, and too cautious/uncertain of Abbie to let her in. That's something that felt very real to me about Ana as a character. 6d
TheAromaofBooks Emmett was my biggest frustration with the book, actually. I felt like his not wanting Ana around was a little unreasonable in this situation, since Abbie is the one actually doing all the work/living with her?? His impatience with her lack of knowledge left me several times thinking, “Aren't you the adult here??“ It just seemed like his antipathy towards her lasted longer than it should, and was a bit over-the-top anyway all things considered. 1d
TheAromaofBooks I liked Rye as a person, but she's definitely not remotely like Diana. She could be so insensitive towards Ana and what Ana had gone through, and using Ana as a scapegoat TWICE to get herself out of trouble really aggravated me. While there were parts of their friendship that I liked, I wanted to see more loyalty from Rye, who essentially seemed incredibly self-absorbed to me. 1d
TheAromaofBooks The Cole relationship was definitely a weak point in the story, I felt. It felt clumsy to have the adults trying to keep them apart, giving them a more traditionally angsty YA relationship instead of the enemies/friends/lovers arc of the original. I realize it's just one book, but I still wanted to see more tension between them instead of straight to “we like each other but grumpy adults don't get it“ 1d
19 likes9 comments
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BarbaraJean
Ana of California | Andi Teran
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#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Ana of California discussion part 2

What did you think of the way Teran updates and recontextualizes favorite moments from Anne of Green Gables?
Did those scenes feel natural within this novel?

lauraisntwilder Honestly, the mushrooms surprised me, since she'd set it up that Abbie's homemade wine was on hand. But I was glad it went that way. There's no way it would have felt believable that Ana was innocent if she'd given Rye wine. 6d
Bkwrm7 I really enjoyed how Terran remixed some of these - the hair incident, the Rachel Lynde offense and apology, and the mushrooms in particular. Although the whole thing with Rye telling her parents that Ana gave her the mushrooms really changed the complexion of that from the original. But Rye is a much fuller character than Diana in a lot of ways which was nice. 6d
BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder Me too - I totally thought the homemade wine or cider would be how that played out! @Bkwrm7 The twist with Rye blaming Ana surprised me, but it also underlined Ana's fear (and the very real danger) of her being sent back. That paralleled Anne, but in a much more intense/serious way. I think those small changes made that plot thread much deeper, and fleshed out Ana & Rye in ways that served their relationship and the story well. 6d
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BarbaraJean Also, I thought the reinvention of the Rachel Lynde scene was really well done. I was super impressed at the way Teran took Anne's experience as an orphan - disadvantaged and marginalized, in many ways - and drew parallels to the experience of a minority foster kid. It rang true for me both as a reimagining of Anne, as well as just as a standalone story of a struggling foster kid given another chance. 6d
TheAromaofBooks For me, where the Rachel Lynde parallel fell a little flat is that in the original it felt a little more reasonable to make Anne apologize for losing her temper, because getting twitted about your looks isn't as serious as making racist comments about you. In the original, it's a chance for Marilla to see that raising a kid isn't as black/white as it seems like it should be! 😂 Here it felt more like a callout for the adult than a growing ⬇ 1d
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) experience for everyone. So it did work, but also made that whole situation a lot more serious than it was. 1d
17 likes6 comments
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BarbaraJean
Ana of California | Andi Teran
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#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Ana of California discussion part 1

Does Ana ring true for you as a version of Anne Shirley?
Which aspects of her personality felt particularly Anne-ish?
Where does she diverge from Anne?

julieclair Ana as a character does ring true to me as a version of Anne Shirley, particularly with her adorable penchant for talking, and her spunky strength. The plot, however, seemed only very loosely connected to Anne of Green Gables. After the initial "brother and sister want a boy orphan and get a girl orphan" situation, I didn't see a lot of parallels. I'm interested to hear if others saw more connections than I did. 1w
Bkwrm7 I thought Ana‘s temper nicely mirrored Anne‘s, her drawing worked as the same sort of creative outlet as Anne‘s writing, and her escapes to the woods link to Anne‘s love of nature. 6d
BarbaraJean @julieclair It really was a much looser connection to Anne, but with lots of scenes that paralleled Anne, it made it feel more closely connected for me! Also, I felt the way Ana went between several bad foster homes & group homes echoed Anne's past really well. @Bkwrm7 Yes - I really liked Ana's connections to creativity & beauty. Ana being enamored with the natural beauty she found in Hadley, both the ocean & the woods, felt very Anne-ish to me. 6d
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BarbaraJean Ana's connection to music, to me, felt like a difference from Anne, but not in a bad way. I liked the points of divergence, because they made Ana feel like her own person rather than trying too hard to make her a carbon copy of Anne. And the differences felt like this is who Anne might have been if she had been born in the present day, in Ana's circumstances. 6d
julieclair @Bkwrm7 @BarbaraJean Good points about other parallels. Especially the connection to nature. I completely missed that! 6d
TheAromaofBooks I think the author did such a great job giving us a character who captures the essence of Anne without trying to make her exactly the same. Even little things like her hair still causing her annoyance, but not because it's red haha Even when Ana frustrated me, I still liked her. @BarbaraJean @julieclair @Bkwrm7 1d
15 likes6 comments
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BarbaraJean
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“Our main object in life,” she said with amusement, “is to be alive. I think your humans may have forgotten this one.”

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BarbaraJean
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“…her youth, her beauty, her artless innocence, and her manner, equally beyond comparison or description.”

And a couple of letters later, after being rejected:
“But I hate her, hate her heartily! She is old, ugly, and deformed.”

I didn‘t realize the whole “I hate her and she‘s ugly anyway” response to rejection went all the way back to the 18th century, but here we are.

#Clarissa

Ruthiella I suspect that sentiment goes back as long as humans have walked the earth. 1w
35 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
Ana of California | Andi Teran
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Just a reminder that our #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion of Ana of California will be this Saturday, May 27. I started and finished reading it over the weekend, and really enjoyed it—looking forward to discussing with everyone!

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

julieclair Please add me to the tag list! We are visiting family this weekend, so I‘m not sure how much time I‘ll have to participate in the discussion, but I really enjoyed the book. 1w
BarbaraJean @julieclair I will add you! Feel free to jump into the discussion later if you don‘t have time over the weekend. 😊 1w
TheAromaofBooks Looking forward to everyone's thoughts!! I definitely enjoyed this one more than Anne of Manhattan 😂 1w
BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks 😂😂 Me too!! 1w
33 likes4 comments
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BarbaraJean
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“…the low and illiterate are the most useful people in the common-wealth (since such constitute the labouring part of the public); and as a lettered education but too generally sets people above those servile offices by which the businesses of the world is carried on. Nor have I any doubt but there are, take the world through, twenty happy people among the unlettered, to one among those who have had a school-education.”

Wow. Just… wow, #Clarissa.

Lcsmcat 🤦🏻‍♀️ 1w
35 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
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This secondhand copy of Gawain & the Green Knight seems to have been used for a high school English class (it has a name and “Period 6” written on the first page). It‘s thoroughly annotated in not-very-legible, lightly-penciled-in writing. I‘ve been overlooking most of the notes, but this caught my eye: next to “…so loved he the less/ either long to be lying or long to be seated,” the reader marked “ADHD.” 😂

Ruthiella 😂😂😂 2w
dabbe Priceless. 🤩😍🤗 1w
37 likes2 comments
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BarbaraJean
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From the introduction:
“In the analysis of Guenever, where he had nothing personal to go on, he speculates, and does his best to overcome his aversion to women.”

Well, that explains a LOT. #OAFKingalong

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BarbaraJean
When Women Were Dragons | Kelly Barnhill
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“…maybe this is the same with all of us—our best selves and our worst selves and our myriad iterations of mediocre selves are all extant simultaneously within a soul containing multitudes.”

Cathythoughts Wow ❤️ 2w
39 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
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“This you may depend upon: I will never marry any other man. I have seen enough of your sex; at least of you.—A single life shall ever be my choice: while I will leave you at liberty to pursue your own.”

“I have seen enough of your sex; at least of you” may be my favorite line yet from #Clarissa. Also, I really, really want a #ClarissaSingleLife fanfic, in which she and Anna run away to her estate and get into hilarious domestic hijinks.

Amiable I would read that! 🙌🏼 2w
41 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
When Women Were Dragons | Kelly Barnhill
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“Embarrassment, as it turns out, is more powerful than information. And shame is the enemy of truth.”

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BarbaraJean
The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexander Dumas
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“O great city! In your heaving breast I found what I was looking for; like a patient miner, I churned your entrails to expel the evil from them.”

Well. Those are some mixed metaphors. (Also, that‘s certainly not any kind of miner I‘d like to be.)

dabbe 🤣🤩🤗 3w
35 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
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Tagging the #OAFKingAlong list, because I remember a couple of people were wanting to or planning on reading The Book of Merlyn, but I don‘t remember who. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Does anyone want to do a low key buddy read of this? Maybe one discussion at the end of May?

rubyslippersreads I‘ll try to catch up in time to join in. 3w
batsy I read this since my edition included it, but look forward to seeing the discussion! 3w
TheAromaofBooks I probably won't - I didn't even finish the last book because it was making me feel sad!! 😅 3w
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thereadingreference I'm in! I'll add it to my May reading list 🤓 3w
BarbaraJean @rubyslippersreads @batsy @thereadingreference 🎉 Yay! I'll tag all of you on a discussion post at the end of the month. @TheAromaofBooks Ha! Yeah, I suppose the Arthurian tales are not really “happily ever after“ ones! 3w
AvidReader25 I‘m in! I paused reading it after finishing the 4th book, but I‘ll pick it back up! 3w
BarbaraJean @AvidReader25 Woohoo! I‘ll tag you as well! 3w
TheAromaofBooks The Lancelot/Guinevere/Arthur love triangle is kind of my least favorite aspect of the Arthurian tales, and it ended up being White's main focus, so I wasn't really jiving with this series anyway haha 3w
37 likes8 comments
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BarbaraJean
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“Cunning women and witches we read of without number. But I fancy wisdom never entered into the character of a woman. It is not a requisite of the sex.”
—Lovelace to Belford, Letter XXI

Lovelace gets more charming by the day, doesn‘t he? It‘s ironic: he can‘t think of a female parallel for Solomon, he makes this comment about female wisdom—and he remains oblivious that Solomon himself personified wisdom as female throughout Proverbs. 🤨 #Clarissa

Amiable Lovelace disgusts me. 😖 3w
BarbaraJean @Amiable Same. I seem to always underestimate just how despicable he can be. Every week I think my opinion of him can‘t possibly sink any lower, yet every week it does. 3w
Lcsmcat Perfect illustration for a cringe-worthy quote! 3w
31 likes3 comments
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BarbaraJean
Ana of California | Andi Teran
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I picked this up at the library today—ready to dive in for this month‘s #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead! Has anyone started reading yet?

We‘ll be discussing on Saturday, May 27th. All are welcome—let me know if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be!

lauraisntwilder My copy is supposed to arrive on Monday. 🤞 3w
Bkwrm7 I'm about halfway through the audio right now and greatly enjoying it! 3w
TheAromaofBooks I haven't started it yet, but it's on my windowsill!! 3w
BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder I hope it arrives swiftly! @Bkwrm7 Glad to hear you‘re enjoying it! @TheAromaofBooks Ah yes, the famous windowsill means it will be read soon! Your windowsill is more effective than my TBR basket, I have to admit 😆 (edited) 3w
40 likes1 stack add4 comments
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BarbaraJean
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I revised our #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule for the rest of the year & forgot to post an update.🙃 So here you go! Because Gift of Wings is so long, it's now spread over July/Aug. Then I switched Magic Island & Grace of Wild Things—Magic Island is designed to be read alongside the Rubio biography, so I put those one after the other. And, Grace of Wild things is a “witchy“ AoGG retelling, so it seemed fitting for October. Join in when you can!

LeahBergen Thanks for the update! 3w
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Thanks for the update!! 3w
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megnews I‘m in for June. 3w
BarbaraJean @Karisimo I just finished it! My library hold came in early, so I decided I‘d go ahead and read it now. I enjoyed it, too! It didn‘t have quite the emotional depth I wanted, but I think maybe I need to take a fun MG novel on its own terms 😆 3w
BarbaraJean @megnews Yay! I‘ll make sure you‘re on the list for 3w
Karisimo @BarbaraJean yes, I agree it‘s definitely more for fun than depth 3w
30 likes7 comments
review
BarbaraJean
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Pickpick

Apparently I never wrote a review for this #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead pick from March. 😂

I really enjoyed this—it was a delight discovering how many family stories and parallels to LMM‘s life were woven into her fiction. At the same time, so much of it was heartbreaking. Maud did not have a happy life, and I was amazed that she was able to write books that have been a comfort to so many, when she herself had such a difficult life. Cont‘d ⤵️

BarbaraJean As a book for “young readers,” though, this felt odd in places. The author handles topics of mental illness and Maud's death very sensitively, but there were some comments (mostly about sex) that made me wonder about the intended audience. (Speculating about sexual activity during Maud‘s honeymoon just felt weird!) More YA than middle grade, for sure. 4w
53 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
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Pickpick

Belated review: I read this for #AuldLangSpine a little over a month ago, then promptly recommended it to my book group, and we discussed it in April. I loved this MG fairytale-like story about a town that grows suspicious & selfish under a selfish, greedy leader—and then re-learns what it means to be a neighbor. The turns of the story may have been easily-anticipated, but the journey was delightful. Thank you to @Karisimo for another great pick!

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BarbaraJean
My Book Box | Will Hillenbrand
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A friend recently bought me three of these cardboard book stands, and I put them together today. Here‘s a portion of my Sci-Fi/Fantasy TBR shelf, now more easily viewable! It frustrates me that they‘re not wider—I have to be a little flexible with my alphabetical order to make it work—but even so, I think I‘m gonna pick up some more and use them for several of my taller shelves.

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BarbaraJean
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Mehso-so

I was low-key disappointed with this sequel. I 💜 the original so much & did love spending more time with the characters. But so much of the story felt unrealistic. Maybe I‘ve grown cynical, but the universally positive friendships, ideal parent/child relationships, & wise-and-articulate-beyond-their-years teenagers didn‘t ring true for me. The story also meandered a LOT before dropping some big plot points (& an ending) that felt underdeveloped.

BarbaraJean Maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe this suffered because I read it in print instead of having Lin-Manuel Miranda in my ears this time around. I am glad I read it, though—when there‘s a sequel, I need to read it! So I guess this is another #SeriesLove2023 read as well! @Andrew65 @TheSpineView 1mo
TheSpineView Hopefully the next will be better. 1mo
BarbaraJean @TheSpineView It‘s interesting, because I didn‘t think the first needed a sequel, but the way he left off here made it feel like there should be a third book! 1mo
TheSpineView @BarbaraJean Makes me wonder if the author started out to write just one book then later decided it should be a series. 1mo
BookHoarder32 That‘s too bad! The first one is so amazing ❤️ 1mo
45 likes5 comments
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BarbaraJean
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Here are the selections the #BookSpin Fates have chosen for my May reading! I‘m pretty sure the tagged is a #blameitonlitsy—although I have no idea who I stacked it from! I loved McKay‘s Casson family series, so I‘m really looking forward to this one. And my #DoubleSpin landed on a category (Sci-Fi/Fantasy), so above are two of the books I‘m pondering. I‘m leaning toward Gawain & the Green Knight, to follow my reading of Once & Future King.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Enjoy!! I LOVE the cover for The Time of Green Magic!! 1mo
willaful Bellwether is one of my favorites. I was actually just thinking about it, which I do whenever someone mentions bread pudding. 😁 1mo
Daisey I will look forward to seeing what you think of Tolkien‘s translations. 1mo
38 likes1 stack add3 comments
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BarbaraJean
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Pickpick

A much-belated review of this #AuldLangSpine pick from @Karisimo ! This was a delight. The Harry Potter vibes were strong here, if Hogwarts were a summer program in the US, with better diversity. I loved getting to know Amari as she navigated a newly-discovered magical world, discovered new friends and enemies, and worked to uncover the truth behind her brother‘s disappearance. I‘m looking forward to the next installment! #SeriesLove2023

TheBookHippie I love this book. 1mo
TheSpineView Great job! 1mo
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 I loved this. 1mo
45 likes3 comments
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BarbaraJean
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Pickpick

Such a fascinating & rewarding book! The first section was delightfully playful & lighthearted, and the subsequent sections were darker and more thought-provoking (also slower going). I wanted a bit more development of Arthur in the later sections, and more development of Guinevere outside of her relationship with Lancelot, but I loved the depth of Lancelot‘s character and the reflectiveness of the ending. #ChunksterChallenge2023 #OAFKingalong

Amiable Excellent! I'm still chugging my excruciatingly slow way through this book with the tiny print. 1mo
AvidReader25 Beautifully said! I did wish for a little more depth in those final sections with our main characters, but I loved the arc created by the four very different books. 1mo
BarbaraJean @AvidReader25 I did, too. The second section is so different from the first that I wondered if the rest would feel uneven. But after “The Ill-Made Knight,” it was clear White knew what he was doing! I was impressed by how each section built on what had come before. 1mo
49 likes3 comments
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BarbaraJean
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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April wrap-up, in the form of another bingo-less #BookSpinBingo board 😆

Favorites:
🏰 Lonely Castle in the Mirror (#BookSpin)
👑 The Once & Future King (#OAFKingalong, #ChunksterChallenge2023)
🔮 Amari & the Night Brothers (#AuldLangSpine)

I read 4 from my physical TBR shelves, and Once & Future King had been hanging around on those shelves since maybe grad school days, so thank you to the #OAFKingalong for inspiring me to finally pick it up!

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BarbaraJean
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“You will find,” he explained, “that when the kings are bullies who believe in force, the people are bullies too. If I don‘t stand for law, I won‘t have law among my people.”

#OAFKingalong

AvidReader25 I wish more people remembered this today! 1mo
BarbaraJean @AvidReader25 Yes! I thought this was a terribly timely quote! (edited) 1mo
33 likes2 comments
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BarbaraJean
The Long Winter | Laura Ingalls Wilder
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“…even if she could get over being afraid, she could not like strange people. She knew how animals would act, she understood what animals thought, but you could never be sure about people.”

#LittleHouse

dabbe Ouch. #tootrue 💙💚💙 1mo
BarbaraJean @dabbe True indeed! I don‘t understand animals like Laura does, but I get where she‘s coming from about people! 1mo
30 likes3 comments
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BarbaraJean
Ana of California | Andi Teran
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Here are the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead picks for May and June! For May: a contemporary YA retelling of Anne of Green Gables. For June: historical fiction based on LMM‘s life. Comment if you‘d like to be tagged for either or both!

While we‘re looking ahead, July‘s pick is “Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings” by Mary Henley Rubio, which I chose without realizing it was 600+ pages. Would people prefer to have 2 months to read Gift of Wings?⤵️

BarbaraJean For Gift of Wings, we could do a discussion halfway through, at the end of July, and then a wrap-up discussion at the end of August; then push the other selections back a month. Or, we could cram it all into one month! If you're interested in reading Gift of Wings, let me know your preference! 1mo
sblbooks I'm in for May. Thanks 1mo
Bkwrm7 I'm in for May and June. Spreading The Gift of Wings over two months seems like a good plan. Especially since there's no audio available and my library doesn't seem to own it even in print. 1mo
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lauraisntwilder I'm in for both! 1mo
Prairiegirl_reading I‘m going to try for June! 1mo
TheAromaofBooks I think two months for Gift of Wings is a great plan. I'm looking forward to rereading Ana of California this month - I got it in a book box several years ago and remember thinking it wasn't bad at the time... but I can't recall much else! 😂 1mo
quietjenn I'm not sure I'll get to these, so no need to tag, although I might jump into the discussions if I do try to read them. 1mo
rubyslippersreads I‘m going to skip May and June, because I‘ve already read both. I might pop in to comment, though. I‘d love to read The Gift of Wings spread over two months. 1mo
LeahBergen I‘ll be skipping these two (but still reading everyone‘s comments, of course!) 1mo
BarbaraJean @sblbooks I've got you on the list for May! @Bkwrm7 @lauraisntwilder I'll put you both down for both books! @Prairiegirl_reading I'll be sure you're on the list for June! @TheAromaofBooks @quietjenn @rubyslippersreads @LeahBergen Sounds like everyone's on the same page for reading Gift of Wings over two months. I'll plan on that and will adjust our schedule accordingly! 1mo
LeahBergen Perfect! Thank you. 😊 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Sounds great!! 1mo
Prairiegirl_reading Thank you!! 1mo
32 likes13 comments
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BarbaraJean
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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Here‘s my May #BookSpin list! I filled out the second half of the list with TBR categories to choose from, to give myself flexibility. I‘ve made too many reading commitments (thus the inclusion of the last 1/4 of Count of Monte Cristo), and giving myself options should help alleviate the “reading assignment” vibe!

*Edited to swap in The Book of Merlyn—I‘d forgotten I was planning to read it after finishing Once & Future King for #OAFKingalong!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1mo
29 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
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#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Alpine Path Discussion

I‘m spoiler-tagging this one on the off chance that someone hasn‘t read Anne of Green Gables yet! I think there was someone in the group who hadn‘t? Just in case: there are Green Gables spoilers in the discussion question below. 😊

BarbaraJean “Many people have told me that they regretted Matthew‘s death in Green Gables. I regret it myself. If I had the book to write over again I would spare Matthew for several years. But when I wrote it I thought he must die, that there might be a necessity for self-sacrifice on Anne‘s part, so poor Matthew joined the long procession of ghosts that haunt my literary past.” (from Alpine Path) 1mo
BarbaraJean I was so surprised to read this revelation of LMM‘s feelings about having written Matthew‘s death in Green Gables! Do you think her narrative choice was a good one? Could there have been a different way to have kept Anne at Green Gables without Matthew's death? How do you think the story (and the other books) might have played out if LMM had “spared” Matthew for a few more years? 1mo
lauraisntwilder I can't imagine the story without that. It's what makes Anne grow up. It cements her bond with Marilla. I think her original impulse was right, but it does make me wonder! 1mo
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Daisey I was surprised by this as well. Yes, it‘s heartbreaking, but I‘ve always felt like it was something that did have to happen for Anne‘s story to continue in the way that it did. The alternative is an interesting idea to consider. 1mo
Centique Yes I agree. Matthew‘s death is such a turning point for Anne. I think the timing made it so much more powerful, as @lauraisntwilder said forcing her to grow up. 1mo
TheAromaofBooks I think his death is critical in Anne's character development as well - yes, she had had struggles in her childhood, but Matthew's death feels like her first “adult“ grief, the first time in her life where she controlled how she responded to a hard moment in life (instead of just getting trucked off to the next situation some other adult picked for her, like she did as a child). 1mo
quietjenn It's pretty difficult for me to imagine the story without this. As has been noted, it's so key, in so many ways. 1mo
34 likes7 comments
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BarbaraJean
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#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead
I was surprised to see LMM list Story Girl as her favorite & wondered if that changed with later books. It‘s fascinating how context can affect our fondness for certain books—places or people or events we associate with those stories.
Do you have books that are favorites partly because of the context in which you read them?
Are there books where it‘s it hard for you to separate the personal context from the book itself?

Daisey I found this comment on The Story Girl interesting as well, since it comes nowhere close to how I feel about the Anne & Emily stories. I did love all the references she made to things that inspired that story and it gave me a better appreciation for it. I definitely have strong feelings about books I read when I was young that would not make as much of an impression if I read them for the first time as an adult. 1mo
Bkwrm7 There are definitely books I associate with specific periods of my life and some that I reread every so often despite the fact they are no longer popular. Probably the best example of this for me is The Grounding of Group 6 - a book I don't think almost anyone I know has read, but that has stuck with me for decades at this point. 1mo
BarbaraJean @Daisey Me too--even allowing for the Emily books & The Blue Castle (my favorites!) having not been written yet, I wouldn't have put The Story Girl at the top of a list. She had written Anne of Green Gables and Anne of the Island by this point, and I think they're both so much richer, better books. But I love that LMM had such fond memories of writing The Story Girl! 1mo
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BarbaraJean @Bkwrm7 I love hearing which books have stuck with people because of when they read them. The tagged is one of those for me--I remember being a bit embarrassed about the hot pink cover with its image of a lipstick-smeared coffee cup. In a lot of ways, it's a “fluffy“ book, but I read it & re-read it at some key times of transition as a young adult and it spoke to me deeply about direction and life choices and knowing & following who I am. 1mo
Centique So many children‘s books I loved just can‘t conjure the magic anymore - like the Arthur Ransome Swallows and Amazon series and Enright‘s Gone Away Lake. I‘ve been thrilled to find that rereading Streatfeild‘s Ballet Shoes somehow took me right back to that time in my childhood. I‘m hoping more rereads will do the same 🤞 1mo
TheAromaofBooks I wonder if The Story Girl was somewhat of a concept of an idealized childhood for her? A warm, happy family of cousins and friends all playing and working together, but all enamored with the story-teller in their midst? So different from her actual life experience. 1mo
quietjenn The cynical part of me wonders if the shout-out to Story Girl is because it and it's sequel were her most-recent books, at the time that this was written? So she'd have still been living with these characters a bit, and thinnk, “yes, this is my favorite until the next one?“ But that might just be a stretch because Story Girl is one of my least favorites and I'm trying to justify it 😄. 1mo
quietjenn To answer the question though: YES! So many books, so many associations. 1mo
BarbaraJean @Centique I love it when childhood favorites take you right back. The Ramona books always do that for me! @TheAromaofBooks That would make sense, for her to construct a happy childhood like the one she wasn't able to have, and to take pleasure in escaping into that world. I wonder if it's what her childhood would have been like if she'd been able to grow up among her cousins at Park Corner. 1mo
BarbaraJean @quietjenn Ha! Yes, I definitely didn't feel the magic with Story Girl that LMM seems to! I had to justify it as her favorite with the thought that at this point, she hadn't written Blue Castle yet. 😁 But if it's the last one she wrote in her gable room, it would be the last one she wrote before she was married. She might look back on writing it as an idyllic time, since her marriage turned out to be so unhappy. Which is sad to think about! 1mo
32 likes10 comments
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BarbaraJean
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#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Alpine Path Discussion

I found some interesting background on the poem that‘s the source for L.M. Montgomery‘s “Alpine Path” in this post: https://apilgriminnarnia.com/2018/05/31/alpine-path/

It seems the poem that inspired Montgomery is a different one from “To the Fringed Gentian” by William Cullen Bryant (I‘d assumed the poem was by Bryant and had never looked it up!)

rubyslippersreads What an interesting article. It‘s rather ironic that Dean Priest sent Emily this poem, given how unsupportive he became about her writing. 😏 1mo
BarbaraJean @rubyslippersreads Haha, yes! I think for him it was a case of ideal vs. reality. He was happy to encourage her when her writing was a hobby. When it came to the reality of her career, he realized he had a rival. 🙄 1mo
22 likes2 comments
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BarbaraJean
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#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Alpine Path Discussion

The material in “The Alpine Path” was originally published in 6 magazine installments in 1917, and later published as a book in 1974.
Did your version of the book split it up into sections? (Mine didn‘t, so I‘m curious!)
Do you think the material works together as one unit, in book form?
What did you think of the content overall—did it give you any new insights or information about LMM?

BarbaraJean Mine had no chapter/section divisions at all, but I also didn‘t really see clear thought units within the material. I struggled with this as a book—I don't think there's enough coherence between the different elements: memoir, reminiscences on her writing process, and excerpts from her journal that weren't tied in to her theme. I wonder if I'd have liked it better as a serial, or if I'd have had the same issues. 1mo
BarbaraJean I also thought it was interesting where this fell within her career. In 1917, she‘d published the first three Anne books, Kilmeny of the Orchard, Chronicles of Avonlea, Story Girl and Golden Road. Alpine Path was published the same year as House of Dreams. LMM had yet to publish the Emily books, the Pat books, Blue Castle, Tangled Web, Jane of Lantern Hill, and the other Anne books. 1mo
lauraisntwilder I found a copy of the 1974 version online. It even has a stamp on the title page showing that the original owner bought it at LMM's birthplace. It's divided into 10 chapters, but the divisions felt arbitrary and didn't help make it feel more cohesive. 1mo
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Daisey I truly enjoyed the early sections that described parts of her young life and inspiration for stories and details in her writing. However, I felt it was not well connected to the later portion and those parts with journal entries and travel details were not really enjoyable or enlightening. 1mo
Bkwrm7 Mine had no divisions. The beginning parts seemed like they were really about her writing journey and how that came to be, but the travel stuff at the end didn't seem to fit. I wonder if the literary pilgrimage aspects of it would have made more sense to me if I had read more of the novels and poetry Montgomery was so enamored of. As it was, I kept nodding off while trying to finish that section. 1mo
Bkwrm7 @Daisey So, my experience was basically the same. @BarbaraJean Since I was bored by the end, I appreciated that this was short, but agreed it did not cohere as a book. 1mo
BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder That's interesting they broke it up into 10 sections! I'm really curious how it appeared in its original 6 installments. @Daisey @Bkwrm7 The travel parts felt so random. Like she had a deadline and figured she could throw in some journal excerpts to fill out her quota. I liked that they visited so many literary landmarks on their honeymoon! But yes, maybe I'd have gotten more out of it if I'd known the authors she referenced. 1mo
Centique Mine broke it up into 10 sections too. I haven‘t finished yet but I‘m enjoying reading everyone‘s thoughts. 1mo
quietjenn My version didn't break it up at all. It definitely didn't feel like there was much delineation from section to section. I think I actually enjoyed it more than others did, but that might be because I thought of it as a more of a rambling, meandering reminiscence - sort of like sitting down for coffee with an old relative who's just going to talk about whatever - than anything actually thoughtfully constructed. 1mo
BarbaraJean @quietjenn I like that way of thinking of this--meandering reminiscences rather than something with a direction! I'd be up for sitting down with LMM for coffee and talking about whatever. 🙂 1mo
19 likes10 comments
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BarbaraJean
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#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Alpine Path discussion

Montgomery begins Alpine Path with a few self-deprecating comments on her career and what might be said about it. Do you think this book accomplishes her modest goal: to encourage other writers on their own “Alpine Path”?

lauraisntwilder Maybe at the time it was written? We're so spoiled these days with authors having newsletters and social media accounts, that this felt tight-lipped in comparison. 1mo
Bkwrm7 I think the parts that cover how she squeezed writing in around her day jobs and talking about getting used to all the rejections could be very encouraging for other writers. 1mo
BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder That's a good point--I do wonder how this would have landed with her audience at the time. Social media does lend itself to the over-share! @Bkwrm7 How she handled the rejections would definitely have been encouraging to other writers! It was interesting to me how many writing-related jobs LMM had that weren't what she really wanted to do, like writing her “pot-boilers.“ 1mo
quietjenn I think there were interesting bits, which could perhaps be encouraging for others, but I wouldn't say that, overall, it was particularly inspirational. 1mo
18 likes4 comments
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BarbaraJean
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Pickpick

This was lovely & so unusual—I don‘t read books in translation often enough. The cultural differences & overall flavor of the novel were super interesting. It‘s less about the mysterious castle in the mirror than it is about the impact these characters have on one another—from depression, isolation, and loneliness, to connection & friendship. And the ending…🥹 This was a very huggable book, and a comfort read in spite of some of the heavy content.

BarbaraJean #BookSpin for April complete! 1mo
35 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BarbaraJean
Noor | Nnedi Okorafor
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Mehso-so

Catching up on reviews from March…🤪

I‘m torn about this one. I kind of liked it. As with all of Okorafor‘s books that I‘ve read, the world-building was amazing and I wanted to explore the world more. The two main characters were fascinating, but I didn‘t feel like I got to know them well enough. And the ending was frustratingly abrupt. It‘s such a short book; it had room for more development that would have addressed the issues I had with it.

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BarbaraJean
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Mehso-so

This wasn‘t what I expected from the description/subtitle. The first half is a brief sketch of LMM‘s early years, then the second half throws in lots of excerpts from her journals, with very little commentary to tie them together (or to connect them to the story of her career). I understand this was compiled from a series of autobiographical essays, but it didn‘t feel like a series of essays, either—it was too scattered! #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

BarbaraJean I am looking forward to discussing this on Saturday and hearing what others thought! 1mo
Daisey I agree! I enjoyed the first half or so, but the second seemed very scattered. 1mo
LeahBergen Well, I don‘t feel too badly about missing this one now. 😬 1mo
BarbaraJean @LeahBergen Ha! It was interesting overall. But odd and all over the place. I don't know that it added a lot to my understanding of Montgomery. 1mo
35 likes4 comments