What are some of your favorite quotes or scenes from Jane of Lantern Hill?

Where does this one rank for you in the LMM canon?

Several of you have mentioned this as an old favorite (or a new favorite)—what makes it a favorite for you?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

Like Jane with the Bible, many people are turned off to certain books (or more to the point, religion) because of a bad experience in how they were introduced to it.

Whether it‘s a certain book or something larger like religion—have you had an experience that turned you off to something, that you later re-evaluated and found you connected with after all?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

What do you think of Jane as a protagonist?
She‘s not as prone to scrapes as Anne, her independence comes much more gradually than Valancy, and she‘s far more practical than Emily. What attracts you to Jane?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

This book has several of LMM‘s common themes: the overbearing family who doesn‘t understand, the orphaned or isolated child who finds a new home, a quarrel/misunderstanding between lovers, childhood antics, joy in the natural world.
Are you drawn to these themes in fiction?
In reading Jane, did you see LMM developing these themes further or differently than in other LMM books we‘ve read? Or did you find them repetitive?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

“Mireille knew right away that it wasn‘t going to be funny. It was going to be one of those things that take a while before you stop feeling sick about them, and will never go away, but wash up continually in memory form to embarrass you in the middle of something completely unrelated.”

Just a little reminder: the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion for Jane of Lantern Hill will be this coming Saturday, May 28th. I‘ll plan to post questions mid-morning Pacific time—feel free to jump in when you are able! Then our book for June will be Magic for Marigold (another Montgomery I haven‘t yet read!)

“Prime is skittish about using language borrowed from the military, and mixes acronyms with a kind of high-minded verbiage, noun-to-verb mashups, and the stray Latinate pun. The mindless totalitarian-speak predicted in dystopian fiction was not the future. Big Brother had gone artisanal.”

“…there is nothing to be gained by showing James “Boone” Cross anything other than what Helen privately refers to as PIG: Polite, Interested, Good humored. Helen is perturbed, a little uncomfortable, but she can get PIG to fly in much more adverse conditions.”

😂Yesterday, I as I tried to decide which book to read next—this line sold me on this one. Today, during an annoying meeting with my boss, I kept thinking, “PIG. PIG will get me through…”😏

Oh, Jane was a delight! So many classic L.M. Montgomery themes: the overbearing relatives who don‘t understand the delightful child in their care, the romantic quarrel/misunderstanding, quirky and lovable supporting characters in a rural setting, and lovely descriptions of PEI‘s natural beauty. And of course the ending was not surprising, but I loved it all the same! Looking forward to the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion next Saturday!

This was a lovely meditation on memory, aging, and grief. My April #BookSpin pick, it was timely as my mom passed away at the beginning of April. I found so much that was relatable as L‘Engle reflected on her mother‘s decline and eventual passing. The family memories she narrates are lovely—some sweet, some impressive, and some hilarious—something I found true of my own mother as family & friends shared memories of her over the past couple months.

I loved this so much. I had a copy from the library and intended to use it through Lent, but ended up renewing it multiple times because it was such a comfort for my soul, through Lent and beyond. The prayers collected here capture well these past few years of upheaval, and while they don‘t expressly deal with grief, they helped me during the difficult weeks leading up to and following my mom‘s passing. I‘ll be buying a copy for my own shelf.

“She liked a candle better than a lamp. It went out so graciously…the thin trail of smoke… the smoldering wick, giving one wild little wink at you before it left you in the dark.”

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

I‘m so far behind on writing reviews, it‘s ridiculous—but I was reminded of this one when I finished reading Passing today. Similar themes, but a very different book. I was fascinated to learn more about Belle da Costa Greene, personal librarian to J.P. Morgan, but I was disappointed in the book overall. The writing felt too bland & the characterization too gossipy/sensational. That said, I was impressed that Marie Benedict sought out ⤵️

This was a sweet bookish novel… at times sadder than I expected, but still such a huggable story. I‘m kind of a sucker for books focused on libraries, or books about books… or books about how unlikely friendships and personal growth can spring from shared reading… and this was all of the above. Some of the minor plot lines could have been developed a little further, but still—a fun debut novel and a great #BookSpin pick for May!

Wow. This is short but powerful. Set during the Harlem Renaissance, it follows the aftermath of a chance encounter between two childhood friends—Black women originally from Chicago, one of whom is now passing as white. The emotional & psychological intensity packed into this brief novella is thought-provoking & compelling. So glad this was on my #NewYearWhoDis list from @Blaire ! This was my February #DoubleSpin (took me long enough to get to it!)

“Jane did not understand all dad said, but she put it all away in her mind to grow up to. All her life she was to have recurring flashes of insight when she recalled something dad had said.”

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

“The Bible is a wonderful book, my Jane. Full of corking good stories and the greatest poetry in the world. Full of the most amazingly human ‘human nature.‘ Full of incredible, ageless wisdom and truth and beauty and common sense.”

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

“The Snowbeams thought it was great fun when Jane named all her kitchen utensils. The teakettle that always danced on the stove when it was coming to a boil was Tipsy, the frying pan was Mr. Muffet, the dishpan was Polly, the stew pan was Timothy, the double boiler was Booties, the rolling pin was Tillie Tid.”

😂 I just can‘t. Timothy the stew pan! 🤣

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

I found this fascinating—an article on why Anne of Green Gables was banned in Soviet-controlled Poland: https://www.transpositions.co.uk/banning-anne-why-the-soviets-were-afraid-of-ann...

I love the idea that Anne inspired hope and resistance against an authoritarian regime. 👩🏻‍🦰💚 A couple of quotes in the comments! ⤵️ #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

I‘m excited about the #MiddleGradeMay readathon this weekend! I‘ll be reading from the above choices—or maybe some others depending on my mood. 😁

I like the idea of reading the three across the bottom…with a midnight & magic theme! Especially because Midnight Magic is my May #DoubleSpin. Door in the Wall may help me to a #BookSpinBingo, though, and Akata Woman will need to go back to the library soon, so I‘ll just see where my reading takes me!

Just a little reminder that the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead is reading Jane of Lantern Hill in May. This will be the first time I‘ve read it and I‘m really looking forward to reading & discussing with you all! We‘ll discuss on May 28—read at your own pace & share your thoughts as you go!

All are welcome to join! I‘ve tagged participants from last month—please let me know if you‘d like to be added or removed from the tag list for this month. 😊

I‘m excited about my May #BookSpin picks—it‘s a nice balance between new to the TBR and not-so-new 😆
📖🔄 The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams - this was an impulse library checkout last week.
🔄🔄 Midnight Magic by Avi - this has been on my TBR shelf since 2014. It‘s a library discard that I bought at a library book sale while on my honeymoon!

I still have to set up my #BookSpinBingo board, but I‘m looking forward to these!

Here‘s how my April #BookSpinBngo finished up: no bingos, but I did finish both my #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin picks in the month they were drawn! 🎉

Favorites in April:
💜 Heartstopper Vol. 4
🙏🏼 A Rhythm of Prayer
👵🏻 The Summer of the Great-Grandmother

#BookSpin list for May!

My list includes picks for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead, #YABuddyRead, #MGBuddyRead, and several potential reads for the #MiddleGradeMay readathon. And of course the usual suspects that have been on the list for several months. 😆

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead Discussion Part 4

Kilmeny is a short little novel, and everything wraps up quite neatly. Are there aspects of the story you‘d like to have seen developed a bit further? If so, where would you have liked to see the story deepened or expanded?

What are your overall thoughts on Kilmeny of the Orchard? Anything else you‘d like to discuss?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead Discussion Part 3

There are some problematic elements in the story, both in its portrayal of Neil Gordon and of Kilmeny‘s disability. Do we just chalk these up to “an earlier time,” or is there more to be said here?

The story seems to communicate that there are inherited traits and consequences of your heritage that just can‘t be escaped. Do you agree with this idea at all?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead Discussion Part 2

There are fairy-tale tropes throughout the story, with Kilmeny as the innocent young girl rescued by the romantic hero. Does the fairy-tale feel enhance or diminish the story for you?
How did you feel about the romance between Eric and Kilmeny? Endearing and sweet? Over-idealized? A little problematic?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Kilmeny of the Orchard Discussion Part 1

Unlike L. M. Montgomery‘s other novels, Kilmeny is told from the perspective of the male lead. How did this impact your experience of the story?
How would the story be different if it were narrated from Kilmeny‘s perspective?

“One morning at breakfast Ida and Edna had a quarrel [that]…grew so heated that Ida threw a glass of water across the table at Edna. Edna rose, dripping, stalked into the music room, sat down at the piano and played and sang, loudly and nasally, “_Jesus_ loves me, this I know…”
This scene delights me so much that I‘ve put versions of it into almost every book I‘ve written, and have had, with reluctance, to delete it.”

The two things I always want more of are also the two things I never need more of. And I came home tonight to find two boxes on my doorstep, containing both of those things: books and tea.

Birthday money + Book Outlet sale/coupon + Adagio Teas sale/coupon + retail therapy = the above.

This goes a long way toward erasing the progress I‘ve made on my TBR so far this year. And yet I‘m not sorry. 😂

Finished this last night, and I was disappointed. I don‘t mind books that are light on plot if there‘s good character development, and I don‘t mind lack of character development if the ideas are interesting & well-explored, but this didn‘t seem to do any of the above. I enjoyed the writing—short almost journal-like paragraphs, wry humor—but I feel like there must have been something more that I missed. At least I finished my April #DoubleSpin!

This is an L.M. Montgomery I‘d never read before, and while I enjoyed it, it‘s clear why it‘s not one of the ones everyone raves about. It‘s a sweet old-fashioned love story, but a bit overly simplistic and the ending wraps things up a little too neatly. Still, it was a nice, light, escapist read!

Our #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion for this one will be next weekend. 😊🌳🎻 I‘ll post questions late on Saturday, April 30.

“But God, if he is God, if he is worth believing in, is a loving God who will not abandon or forget the smallest atom of his creation. And that includes… everybody, everybody without exception.”

“I‘m much more use to family and friends when I‘m not physically and spiritually depleted than when I spend my energies as though they were unlimited. They are not. The time at the typewriter and the time at the brook refresh me and put me into a much more workable perspective.”

Sometimes unintentional trends emerge in my reading. In February, I read Crying in H Mart (a #NewYearWhoDis pick) and Kitchen, both focused on the loss of a mother. In early March, I read Wintering (my January #BookSpin and a #NYWD pick), on weathering times of difficulty & grief. In late March, my mother was placed on hospice, and she passed away two weeks ago. This trio of timely books so recently read has been an odd preparation & a comfort.⤵️

1. I‘m SO guilty of this. Library books & book club books end up taking priority since they have a deadline, and books I already own end up at the back of the line/bottom of the pile.
2. Tagged: it was optional reading for my study abroad semester in Florence, Italy. In 1996. It‘s traveled to & from Italy twice—once for the study abroad semester, once for a reunion trip when I planned to read it on the plane. Nope. Still on the TBR.😆
#two4tuesday

“…old George Wright is having the time of his life. His wife has gone to Charlottetown to visit her sister and he is his own boss for the first time since he was married, forty years ago. He‘s on a regular orgy, Aleck says. He smokes in the parlor and sits up till eleven o‘clock reading dime novels.”

Smoking in the parlor and reading dime novels = orgy😂
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

Hello #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead friends! I thought I‘d post the schedule for the rest of the year, along with a reminder that we‘re reading Kilmeny of the Orchard in April. It‘s a short one (144 pages / 19 chapters), so you‘ve got plenty of time to savor it before the discussion on April 30.

All are welcome—if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be, for this book or other months ahead, please let me know!

Here‘s my #BookSpinBingo board for April (HOW is it already April?!).

I‘m excited about my spins this month:
📖🔄 The Summer of the Great-Grandmother by Madeleine L‘Engle
🔄🔄 Weather by Jenny Offill

I‘m hoping to finish both of those and maybe even catch up on two missed DoubleSpins from January and February. 🤞🏼Not sure if I‘ll manage a bingo (my April TBR is spread all over the board), but it‘s always fun to try!

I read 5 books for #MiddleGradeMarchThroughTime, and really enjoyed the journey! I met da Vinci‘s assistant Salai in early 1500s Milan, I watched as Dutch children in the early 1900s worked to attract storks to their village, and I traveled with Rifka Nebrot as her family fled the Russian pogroms in 1919. I spent time on a kibbutz in Israel during the 1967 Six Days War, and saw the Challenger explosion through the eyes of middle-schoolers in 1986.

April #BookSpin list!

TWO #BookSpin bingos in March, AND I completed both my BookSpin and #DoubleSpin picks! 🎉 It helped that it was #MiddleGradeMarch and my board was filled with quicker reads. 😁

Some great reads this month, but my favorite was re-reading The Blue Castle. Address Unknown was fascinating & thought-provoking, Wintering was lovely and timely, and I also really enjoyed my #MiddleGradeMarchThroughTime books (I‘ll have to post on those separately!)

#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?

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. 🥰

I read Ted Chiang‘s “Stories of Your Life and Others” several years back and was stunned by how good it was. This collection was just as good: thought-provoking, fascinating short stories that vary widely in tone and setting but all circle around questions that made me think deeply about life, technology, and our world in new ways. I read this back in January and loved it. Thank you, @Blaire for the fantastic #NewYearWhoDis pick!