#5JoysFriday!
1. At my husband‘s jazz concert on Sunday, his combo performed a piece from Fallout especially for a dear friend‘s son who attended that evening. Seeing his joy over the dedication gave ME such joy!
2. Had a delightful and encouraging lunch with a friend on Wednesday to celebrate my admission to the Spiritual Direction program I‘m starting in August—and she brought me flowers!
3. Reading Anne this week is bringing me SO MUCH joy!!⤵️

Finally getting a start on re-reading this favorite for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead—in this gorgeous edition with cover by Elly MacKay!

I have a hard time with books where characters are trapped by circumstances and there seems to be no way out. This one felt similarly oppressive, plus the added menace of the bear! I found it difficult to read, emotionally speaking, but also so riveting I had a hard time putting it down.

I was impressed by how Phillips utilized a close, limited third-person perspective, filtering everything through Sam‘s POV but stopping short of first person.⤵️

This was an odd little book, but I think I liked it. It‘s a fascinating exploration of neurodivergence, societal expectations, and what makes a good life—although the narrator is often frustrating to read. I was also frustrated by a rushed and underdeveloped ending, especially because at just over 160 pages, there certainly was space to flesh out the conclusion a bit more. ⤵️

Combining glimpses of his life with reflections on art, Bringley narrates his experiences as a museum guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I enjoyed this unique tour through the Met—and am so glad I read the digital version. A section at the back has links to the artworks referenced in the text, so I was able to read on my Kindle while keeping my laptop open to the notes page, clicking through to each artwork as it was discussed.⤵️

A belated review for a fantastic #CampLitsy24 pick—it made for a great read & wonderful discussion!

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” —Scout Finch, in To Kill a Mockingbird

A retelling from a different character‘s perspective invites its readers to consider things from a new point of view—it was high time someone did this with Huck Finn.⤵️

“Strange, dead, tyrannous old year! Will I ever be free from you? Perhaps I don‘t really want to be free. Perhaps I cherish a secret hope that I shall meet you again—or the soul of you—in eternity, and that then you will give back to me all you ravished from me.”
—May 20, 1904

Same, Maud. I‘ve had years like that!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMM Journals - Discussion

📚What are your thoughts on this week's reading?
📚What sections or quotes stand out to you?
📚Why do you think LMM chose to write in her journal about Anne of Green Gables and Ewan‘s courtship only after the fact?

This section closes with the publication of AoGG, so we‘ll start Anne of Green Gables next week! Next Saturday (July 27) we‘ll discuss chapters 1-19.

I just put this in my 5 Joys Friday post, but it deserves its own post! I‘m super excited about this prize from the library summer reading program—especially the three books! I‘ve been wanting to read Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo, and Tim O‘Brien‘s The Things They Carried is on my TBR, so I‘m interested to check out America Fantastica. I hadn‘t heard of The Hundred Loves of Juliet but it sounds good! And then of course all the library swag 😁

#5JoysFriday!
🎶A trip to the Hollywood Bowl with my husband & one of my best friends, for the annual John Williams concert 💜
👩‍💻Several big job applications turned in this week (maybe relief rather than joy!)
🦆Adorable tiny ducklings at the park
🍊Months ago, we froze bags & bags of tangerine slices from our trees. These bring me joy on hot days!
📚My library summer reading prize! Tote bag, 3 ARCs, water bottle, book light, and hand sanitizer

There are highlights throughout this secondhand copy, which drives me just a little bit batty. I would have purchased a different copy if I‘d known this one was marked up! So I found this highlight very ironic. I wish this book‘s “not so wise” former owner had taken LMM‘s advice and used pencil!! (Blue highlights are my own, and are on the photo rather than the book!) #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

What a delightful surprise—I won a prize in my library summer reading program! It‘s funny because I kind of stopped participating after I completed the challenge halfway through June, by having read six books. 😆 I think they need to add a “super reader” option that requires more than just six books for the whole three months. 😁📚📚

When the Linnet children run away from their strict grandmother, they just so happen to arrive on their Uncle Ambrose‘s doorstep. He “reluctantly” takes them in, and so begin their adventures—including a mysterious reclusive lady of the manor, a village witch and her cronies, some friendly and protective bees, and more than a touch of magic along the way. This was an enchanting classic children‘s book ⤵️

This was my book club‘s June pick—and what a fantastic read it was! The premise: a 40-something retired female pirate is pulled back into the seafaring world for “one last job.” Amina rounds up former crewmembers and heads off in search of her client‘s missing granddaughter, and of course there are… complications. The fantasy/magical elements are woven into an impeccably-researched story (complete with sources at the back). ⤵️

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals
Maybe it‘s a bit late to post a review here, now that I‘m into volume 2—and also it seems strange to review an author‘s journals! But I think it‘s worth mentioning that this presentation of LMM‘s journals is fantastic—there are photos and other images reproduced throughout, along with LMM‘s captions/notes, to show the format in which LMM herself put together her journals. ⤵️

“Oh, if I had nothing else to thank God for I would thank Him for flowers. There is more of His inspiration and revelation in them than in all the writings of Jew or Greek, bond or free. The Great Teacher knew that when he told his disciples to consider the lilies. But his disciples, then as now, would rather be disputing over place and power and their own interpretations of his words and works.”
—May 5, 1904
#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

@willaful posted about this book a few weeks back, reminding me of a childhood favorite—so I pulled it off the shelf & thoroughly enjoyed a re-read. I LOVED Jean Little‘s books as a kid. I found her characters so relatable. This one is told from the perspective of Martha, whose personality is far more brave & bold than mine! But I still love this book and these characters so much. Martha‘s broken arm prevents her from going to a much-anticipated⤵️

Posting a separate blurb to highlight the readalong for Anne of Green Gables & Anne of Avonlea! These beloved L.M. Montgomery classics are coming up in the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead.

Green Gables:
7/27: Discuss chapters 1-19
8/3: Discuss chapter 20-end

Avonlea:
8/17: Discuss chapters 1-15
8/24: Discuss chapter 16-end

All are welcome: buddy readers, re-readers, or those new to Anne. Comment if you‘d like to be tagged for either or both books!

This is the copy of the schedule I meant to post last week! Here's what the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead is reading in July/August: continuing LMM's complete journals with volume 2, and then our first re-reads with Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. All are welcome—feel free to pop in for any of the Saturday discussions you'd like!

In some ways I was hesitant to read this, partly because Gaudy Night was SO GOOD and I was worried this wouldn‘t measure up, and partly because this is the last book and I don‘t want the series to be over. I needn‘t have worried about it not measuring up. Sayers manages to weave together and balance the Harriet & Peter bits with the mystery bits perfectly. And the ending hit me hard—instead of solving the crime and wrapping it up nice and pat⤵️

Another Rincewind book for #OokBookClub, and this one also came up as my July #BookSpin! There was a bit more depth to this one—more going on than just the jokey bits, with some good commentary on the use of power, and the impact of a “revolution.”

I saw several #ChildrensClassicRead2024 posts for this & decided I‘d join! I was an avid reader of the Ramona books as a kid, but hadn‘t read any of Beverly Cleary‘s books for teens. I picture the Ramona books taking place in the 70s and 80s, so I had to keep readjusting my view of the timeframe to remember that this was written in the 50s! This is such a sweet story with a great message, as Jane learns to take mishaps in stride and ⤵️

I‘ve encountered so many of Rilke‘s quotes on art and writing over the years, and I loved reading them in context here, along with so many other gems sprinkled throughout. There‘s so much wisdom in this slim volume of letters! This is my 1929 read for #192025.

Another belated review! This was my #BookSpin for June & my 1950 pick for #192025.

This was my first Heyer outside of a couple of her mystery novels, and it was so much fun to read! Sophy swoops into her cousins‘ home, takes stock of everyone‘s lives, and happily meddles in everything to hilarious effect. The witty dialogue and Sophy‘s deft machinations were a delight. And then the ending went a bit off the rails, but I loved it anyway!

Super overdue review for my June #DoubleSpin. I read this for a spiritual direction seminar, and found a lot of it really helpful as far as the practicalities of spiritual direction—both in practicing spiritual direction with others, as well as honestly confronting your own internal habits and avoidances. A lot of it is really dated, especially when it comes to gender, but I will definitely return to it for the wisdom it offers in many other ways.

And here‘s my TBR from the #NYTBest100 list! I just postponed a library hold for Demon Copperhead, and eight others are on my shelves already—maybe I‘ll get to those sooner, maybe not 😆

I was eyeing these #NYTBest100 posts with envy yesterday, sad because the list was paywalled—thank you to all those who posted the tip for a gift link via Modern Mrs. Darcy!

Some of these I loved, some not so much—but I do love a good list, whether I agree with the choices or not. This was unsurprisingly focused on lit fic, but it was nice to see Fifth Season and some graphic novels make the list as well.

“There is magic in the breath of the firs. It gets into my blood like wine and thrills me with unutterable sweetness, as with recollections of some other fairer life lived in some happier star. There is kin to me in those dark stately trees. I love them as I love no other.”
—December 27, 1902

#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

“I never can stop half way in an emotion. I must sound the deeps every time and sometimes they are like to drown me.”
—June 30, 1902

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - #LMMJournals - Complete Journals Vol. 2

We‘re back into LMM‘s journals this week, with her time in Halifax and then back in Cavendish. And more Ed Simpson!

📚What are your thoughts on this week's reading?
📚Any favorite sections, or quotes that stand out to you?
📚What common threads do you notice throughout LMM‘s journals so far?

Next week: Journals Vol. 2 - Mar. 16, 1904–June 20, 1908

#5JoysFriday!

📚#BookMail for my spiritual direction program is beginning to arrive! (Least readable title is tagged 😆)
🌹My favorite roses in our garden are blooming gloriously this week
🎂My dad‘s birthday was on Tuesday and we celebrated with tri-tip, corn on the cob, and strawberry limeade cheesecake
🫖It‘s cool enough this morning that I can enjoy tea in my new Penzeys mug
🙌🏼My husband got a raise/promotion this week!

Glory for the fleeing of the shadows,
The rising sun.
Glory, children, glory alleluja,
For night is done.

“A woman‘s notion of love can be peculiar,” said Uncle Ambrose. “In celibacy lies the only safety.”

😂😂

I resonated so strongly with this—I remember feeling this way when my mother died: “One felt as if the foundations of all existing things were crumbling and every trustworthy landmark swept away.”

Then her thoughts on Queen Victoria are so similar to mine when Queen Elizabeth died: “Who ever thought that Queen Victoria could die? ‘The queen‘ seemed a fact as enduring & unchangeable as the everlasting hills.“
#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

Just a quick reminder of the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule for the next month!

For #LMMJournals: We'll start Volume 2 of the Complete Journals this week, with check-ins to discuss on July 13 and 20th.

For #LMMReread: We'll begin our first re-read on July 21, with Anne of Green Gables. Discussions will be on July 27 and Aug. 3.

If you haven't already, please let me know if you'd like to be tagged for any of these discussions!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿What are your thoughts on the second half of the poem/the poem overall?
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿What is added to this story by telling it in verse form rather than in prose?
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Are you interested in reading more poetry by Sir Walter Scott, or interested in exploring his fiction?

Reminder: next week, we‘ll begin Volume 2 of the Complete Journals! I‘ll repost the schedule in a bit.

“How strange a world, how strange an existence, that one‘s equal must argue for one‘s equality, that one‘s equal must hold a station that allows airing of that argument, that one cannot make that argument for oneself, that premises of said argument must be vetted by those equals who do not agree.”

#CampLitsy24

At the halfway mark of 2024, I‘ve been taking stock of my reading so far this year. Above are my favorites. So many good ones!

I set goals of 100 books and 35,000 pages, which I‘ve bumped up to 120 books and 40,000 since I‘m ahead! From January through June, I finished 71 books, 25 of which were TBR from my own shelves. I was aiming for half the books I read this year to be from my owned TBR, so I‘ll have to step up that goal a bit, as well.

“When people who can read and write start fighting on behalf of people who can‘t, you just end up with another kind of stupidity. If you want to help them, build a big library or something somewhere and leave the door open.”

#OokBookClub

#5JoysFriday!
Some moments that gave me joy this week:
🎉I was accepted into the spiritual direction program I applied for!
📚That program acceptance came with an exciting book list, so of course I went book shopping!
😋Had an amazing brunch with a good friend (pork belly eggs Benedict and churro waffles)
🎆Enjoyed fun fireworks at a friend‘s house for 4th of July
🏴‍☠️Had a great book club discussion on the tagged book

June #BookSpinBingo resulted in one bingo—and I came very close to one more! But I didn‘t manage to finish Busman‘s Honeymoon quite in time. A good reading month anyway, with 5 TBR read from my own shelves, 2 read for #192025, and both #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin completed! (Now I just need to finish those last June reviews…)
Favorites:
🏴‍☠️The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi
🐴 The Grand Sophy
🦊The Last Devil to Die

“All my life I have been wandering in the dark—but now I have found your heart—and am satisfied.”
“And what do all the great words come to in the end, but that?—I love you—I am at rest with you—I have come home.”

💜

As usual, I‘ve spent way too much time overthinking my #BookSpin list, but here it is and here we go! Looking forward to seeing what the BookSpin fates have in store tomorrow!

I read this as a kid and had no idea that it was intended as a “support book” for kids with diabetes. I must have checked it out of the library because I‘d enjoyed other books by Willo Davis Roberts—apparently I missed the subtitle and all the included resources for diabetes education! I remembered several scenes vividly and when the book came to mind over the weekend, I found it on Internet Archive and re-read it. And it holds up. ⤵️

Well, here we are halfway through the year and I think I need to up my reading goals a little bit. 😂

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent Discussion

What are your thoughts on the poetry we‘ve read this week: “Intimations of Immortality” and “The Lady of the Lake” (Cantos 1-3)? Did you enjoy the reading? Why or why not?

What do you think LMM might have enjoyed about these poems?

Did you notice any ways these poems might have influenced LMM‘s writing? If so, how/in what ways?

There are certain books that simply must be read with a mug of tea. Even if it was 81F today.

Described as “A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy,” this was all three, but unevenly so. I still enjoyed it.

The pacing was uneven, with a slow build in the first 75%, then fast-paced action at the end. Similarly the genre elements were uneven. It began as a fairly realistic depiction of individuals from the past attempting to understand & integrate into the modern world, with coworker/roommate drama & humor along the way⤵️

Each installment of this series circles around storytelling, and here we find Cleric Chih entering a story as a participant, rather than only recording it. This initially felt like a traditional narrative—a creepy mystery at an isolated, crumbling castle/mansion. Everything feels slightly off… and then it takes a turn (a dark one). Nghi Vo continues to explore fascinating ideas of how stories play out—whether in the retelling or in the living.

Since I just started reading Interesting Times, I guess I‘d better get around to reviewing Eric! I liked Rincewind better here than in Sourcery, but am still finding the Rincewind books underwhelming. This has humorous takes on Faust and Troy and Hell, but it all feels rather thin—more jokey “bits” than story or characterization. But it‘s fun and it‘s Pratchett, and I‘ll keep reading! #OokBookClub @julesG