My Ten Favorite Books of 2016

For the past two years, I've one a list of my ten favorite reads for the year -- you can read 2014's list here, and 2015's list here.  This time, I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday at The Broke and the Bookish, since their topic today is Top Ten Best Books of 2016.

I read and reviewed 48 books this year (plus a handful I read but never reviewed, and a couple I'm reading right now but haven't finished yet), which seems to be about my usual number.  Like before, I'm breaking these down into new-to-me books and re-reads.

New To Me

A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay -- I read all four of Reay's books this year, and this one I loved so much I had to buy my own copy as soon as I'd finished it.  It's a heartfelt look at the meaning of family, love, and belonging.

Greenwillow by B. J. Chute -- Cute and charming and funny and sweet.

I, Claudia by Charity Bishop -- A brilliantly imagined look at what life as Pontius Pilate's wife might have been like.

Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart -- Second in a series based on the real experiences of one of the first woman police officers in the United States.  Much funnier and more rambunctious than it sounds.

Letters from Father Christmas by J. R. R. Tolkien -- A beautiful labor of love from a highly creative father for his four children.

And Now Tomorrow by Rachel Field -- A moving, rich exploration of a woman's search for meaning and identity.

Re-Reads

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë -- Simply my favorite book of all time, that's all.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton -- I consider this the ultimate coming-of-age story.

Shane by Jack Schaefer -- A beautiful picture of how one person can impact the lives of others.

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery -- Another example of how a person can impact others.


How about you?  What were the best books you read this year?

"The Blythes are Quoted" by L. M. Montgomery

Until earlier this year, I didn't know The Blythes are Quoted existed.  I had heard of The Road to Yesterday, which a lot of people who loved the Anne books didn't like, so I never bothered to read it.  But I didn't know until recently that The Road to Yesterday is actually an abridged, altered form of Montgomery's final book, The Blythes are Quoted.

I say "book" and not "novel" because this is not a novel.  It's a collection of short stories and poems framed as things that happened around Ingleside to people who know the Blythes, and as poems written by Anne and Walter that Anne reads aloud in the evenings.  The Blythes don't appear in the stories, but they comment on the poetry, either in words or thoughts.

The stories are an interesting mix -- many of them had been previous published, but Montgomery reworked them to include mentions of the Blythes.  My favorite was "A Dream Comes True," and it was possibly the most straight-forwardly happy story in the lot.  Most of the stories have happy endings of one sort or another, but many of them also delve into the ideas of disillusionment, despair, regret, spite, and the constant misunderstandings between generations.  

But I liked the stories better than the poetry, overall.  Some of the poems, I skimmed.  Some, I read more than once.  My favorite was probably "Come, Let Us Go."  But again, the tone of the poetry overall was one of regret and loss, a wishful look back at a happier time.

This is not a cheerful book.  It's an interesting book to study -- I enjoyed thinking about what Montgomery must have been trying to say with the collection, and I'm glad I read the book.  But overall it has a feel of disenchantment that did not appeal to me.  

If This Was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  PG-13 for discussions of marital infidelity (NOT Anne or Gilbert, stop freaking out!), illegitimate children, and war.

This is my last book read and reviewed for the Anne of Green Gables Reading Challenge, and closes out My Year With Anne.  I'm so glad I re-read this series and discovered the ninth book.  My thanks to Elyssa for hosting the challenge!  It's been fun sharing thoughts on the books with others.

This is my fifty-first book read and reviewed for the Classics Club, and my nineteenth for the Women's Classic Literature Event.

Top Ten Tuesday: Movie Time

I do lists of ten favorite movies of various genres all the time over on my other blog, Hamlette's Soliloquy.  But today, I'm doing one here, for Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week is a movie-related freebie, so I'm doing My Top Ten Favorite Movies Based on Classic Novels.  I've put them in alphabetical order because why not :-)  I'm sticking with books I've read, by the way.  And these are my favorite adaptations, not necessarily the best -- just the ones I personally love best, okay?

Anne of Green Gables (1985)  A quirky, imaginative orphan (Megan Follows) gets accidentally adopted by a middle-aged brother and sister (Richard Farnsworth and Colleen Dewhurst) and turns their lives around.  Based on the book by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Ben-Hur (1959)  A wealthy Jewish man (Charlton Heston) is betrayed by his best friend (Stephen Boyd), sent to the galleys, then rises to power again, and seeks revenge on his erstwhile friend.  Based on the book by Lew Wallace.

The Count of Monte Cristo (1975)  Simple, honest sailor Edmund Dantes (Richard Chamberlain) is betrayed by his supposed friends and sent to prison on false charges.  He escapes, gains staggering wealth, and seeks vengeance against his enemies.  Based on the book by Alexandre Dumas

Emma (1996)  Meddlesome young Emma (Gwenyth Paltrow) tries her best to make matches for all her friends and acquaintances, then falls in love herself.  Based on the book by Jane Austen.

Jane Eyre (1983)  Strong-spirited governess Jane Eyre (Zelah Clarke) falls in love with her wealthy, secretive employer (Timothy Dalton).  Based on the book by Charlotte Bronte.

The Lord of the Rings (2001-03)  Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) sets out to destroy the One Ring, and everyone has heaping helpings of adventures.  (YES, I know this is three movies and three books, but it's all one story, so I'm counting it as one.)  Based on the books by J. R. R. Tolkien.

North & South (2004)  Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe) moves from pastoral southern England to industrial northern England and does not fall in love with factory owner John Thornton (Richard Armitage) for a long time.  Based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell.

The Outsiders (1983)  Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell) and his friend Johnny (Ralph Macchio) try to run away from their problems, including a murder charge, only to find more trouble and possible redemption.  Based on the book by S. E. Hinton.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)  Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) and Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) can't fall in love with each other until they both come to understand themselves first.  Based on the book by Jane Austen.

The Three Musketeers (1993)  D'Artagnan (Chris O'Donnell) wants to be a Musketeer, but first he has to help three other Musketeers save the king and queen.  Based on the book by Alexandre Dumas.

There you have it!  Do you like these?  Did you post a Top Ten Tuesday list this week yourself?  Please share!

Please, let's not get into a big argument over P&P05 vs. P&P95.  I like the '95 version a lot too, and even own a copy.  

Women's Classic Literature Event: Group Check-In 4

The question for the fourth group check-in is this:

Share the most memorable scene from one of your reads for this event.

There was one scene from Rilla of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery that I have remembered clearly for decades.  As a teen, it was my favorite moment in the book because it was the part I laughed hardest over.  While rereading it this fall for the first time in probably twenty years, I kept wondering when that scene would crop up.  As I neared the end of the book, I began to wonder if I'd confused some other book with this, because I still hadn't gotten to it!  But finally, on page 260, there it was:

     "Mother and I went into Charlottetown yesterday to see the moving picture, 'Hearts of the World.'  I made an awful goose of myself -- father will never stop teasing me about it for the rest of my life.  but it all seemed so horribly real -- and I was so intensely interested that I forgot everything but the scenes I saw enacted before my eyes.  And then, quite near the last came a terribly exciting one.  The heroine was struggling with a horrible German soldier who was trying to drag her away.  I knew she had a knife -- I had seen her hide it, to have it in readiness -- and I couldn't understand why she didn't produce it and finish the brute.  I thought she must have forgotten it, and just at the tensest moment of the scene I lost my head altogether.  I just stood right up on my feet in that crowded house and shrieked at the top of my voice -- 'The knife is in your stocking -- the knife is in your stocking!'
     "I created a sensation!  The funny part was, that just as I said it, the girl did snatch out the knife and stab the soldier with it!
     "Everybody in the house laughed.  I came to my senses and fell back in my seat, overcome with mortification.  Mother was shaking with laughter.  I could have shaken her.  Why hadn't she pulled me down and choked me before I had made such an idiot of myself.  She protests that there wasn't time.
     "Fortunately the house was dark, and I don't believe there was anybody there who knew me.  And I thought I was becoming sensible and self-controlled and womanly!  It is plain I have some distance to go yet before I attain that devoutly desired consummation."

Those few paragraphs are still among my favorite in the book, and I chuckled over them while typing them up just now.  Also, I like that she somewhat references Hamlet with that last line, echoing his "'tis a consummation devoutly to be wished."

So far, I have read 16 books for this event, all listed on this page.  I aim to read 4 more by the end of December, to make it a nice, round 20.  We'll see if I get there!

Anne of Green Gables Week Tag

How perfect is this for my Year With Anne?  I just discovered, via Naomi Sarah, that a blogger named Miss Evie is hosting an Anne of Green Gables blog week!  Looks like I finished reading the original series just in time, eh?

To kick things off, she's provided a nice tag for anyone to fill out if they're so inclined.  I'm so inclined!  Here we go.

1. How did you get introduced to Anne of Green Gables?

When I was around 7 years old, a friend of my parents happened to have a copy of one of the books tucked in her diaper bag or purse when she came visiting one day.  My mom had never read the books, and her friend gushed over them to the point that my mom promised to get them from the library.  She did.  She read the first one aloud to us as a family, probably in the car on random jaunts while my dad drove.  We loved it, and so she read us the next, and the next...


2. Are you more like Anne or Diana? Why?

I'm not sure.  I'm highly imaginative like Anne, and I'm also a writer, like her.  But I'm more sensible, like Diana, and also not so likely to get carried away with my emotions.  And I've got dimpled elbows, hee.  So I guess I'm a mix.


3. If Rachel Lynde called your hair as red as carrots how would you react?

Laugh.  My hair actually IS red at the moment -- I dyed it back in late July.  It's not really a carrot color (and yes, people, red carrots do exist), but anyway, I've never been especially sensitive about my appearance, so even if she called my (natural color) hair "as brown as sticks" or "mousy brown," I probably would be like, "Yeah, it kinda is."

Not carrot-like at all.  Really more cherry-like, when I first dyed it...

4. Gilbert or Morgan Harris?

Gilbert, all the way.  Morgan Harris isn't even in the books.  But even if he was, I would still choose Gilbert over him because Gilbert is a brick, and Morgan Harris is a dictatorial grump.  I also choose Gilbert over that Royal Gardner dude from the books, though he was much nicer than Morgan Harris. 

I could easily spend the rest of my life married to Gilbert Blythe.  (Plus, Gilbert is an ISFJ like me, so of course he's my second-favorite character in the series!  ISFJs pretty much always are.)

5. Honest opinion on the third Anne film.

I actually haven't watched it yet.  It came out when I was in college, and I got kind of snotty about how it wasn't based on the books at all, so why would I watch it?  But, having just finished rereading the books, I'm kind of interested to see it now, which surprises me.


6. Have you seen the New Anne film?

Um... I... wait, what?  New Anne film?  ::Scoots over to imdb.com::  Oh my!  Martin Sheen, huh?  Well, obviously, no, I have not seen it.  But I might like to.  As my sidebar says:

7. What in your own words is a Kindred Spirit?

Someone who intuitively sympathizes with another person even if they don't know them very well.


8. Movie Gilbert or Green Gables Fables Gilbert?

I haven't watched "Green Gables Fables" at all yet, but I do want to try it out.  I'm going to sound old and crotchety, but I must admit I have not really gotten into the whole web series retelling thing.  I keep trying different ones, but none of them have interested me enough to get me to watch more than 2 or 3 eps.  

So, obviously, Movie Gilbert!  I was so sad to hear of Jonathon Crombie's passing last year.

Jonathon Crombie, not as Gilbert, but honestly, it could be Gilbert.

9. Does anyone know where we can watch Road to Avonlea online?

Not at the moment, but the website RoadToAvonlea.com says it will have full episodes available on a new streaming site starting in November.


10. Favourite book cover?

There are so many gorgeous ones!  I think I like this one best, though:

11. The Films or The Books?

Both!  I love the first five books, but the last three kind of dwindle down into me being disappointed and a bit grumpy.  But the first two films from the '80s don't do that to me at all.  However, they're far too short, so... I love both.

"Rilla of Ingleside" by L. M. Montgomery

When I was a teen, this was one of my less-favorite Anne books.  I liked it better than Rainbow Valley and Anne of Ingleside, and I still do.  But overall, I don't like it nearly as much as the first five Anne books.

However, I actually think this might be one of the best-written books in the series.  It has a well-developed character arc for Rilla, it doesn't wander around on a lot of tangents, and the whole story is quite cohesive.

But I still only like it okay.  And it's totally because I don't care much for the characters.  Rilla is nice, and she does improve over the course of the book, but nothing about her really interests me.  I don't know that we would be friends, if we met -- aside from the fact we don't like babies much, we don't have a ton in common.  And I really don't like her teacher friend, Gertrude Oliver, at all.  She's gloomy and morbid and deliberately unpleasant sometimes.  She's like a warmed-over redo of Katherine Brooke from Anne of Windy Poplars, only without Katherine's salty charm and mostly concealed niceness.

I would have loved to read a book focusing on Jem instead, because he's my favorite of Anne and Gilbert's children, but he's not around much and only gets bits of page time here and there.  The whole saga of Dog Monday waiting for Jem to return is my favorite part of this book, and made me cry several times.

Random silly thing:  I first heard this book read aloud by my mom when I was like 9 years old, and I didn't know what a soup tureen was, so I decided it was a big bowl made out of an empty turtle shell.  And to this day, that's what I imagine first when I hear or read the word "tureen," and then I have to remind myself it's a big bowl thing on a stand with a lid.

Particularly Good Bits:

It does not do to laugh at the pangs of youth.  They are very terrible because youth has not yet learned that "this, too, will pass away" (p. 34).

If This Was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  G.  Good, but not something I love.  There's a bit of mysticism in this that some people might object to.

This is my 47th book read and reviewed for the Classics Club, and my 16th for the Women's Classic Literature Event.

And now it's time for Elyssa's questions for this book:

Q:  What do you think of Rilla? Is she like her parents? How is she different?

A:  As I said above, I don't relate to Rilla much, or even like her very well.  She starts out vain and flighty, and although she becomes solid and dependable eventually, she is still much more interested in fashions and people's opinions of herself than I am.  She's not as imaginative or enthusiastic as her mother, or as impetuously caring as her father.  But she does have her mother's stubbornness and her father's ability to love steadfastly.

Q:  After returning to Ingleside, Jem tells Rilla that Walter wasn’t scared at the front. Even though Walter was sickened by the thought of war, Jem said that he turned out to be a courageous hero. Why do you think that was? Anticipating a situation and actually being in the moment can be totally different experiences and sometimes bring out surprising reactions. Can you remember a time when this has happened to you?

A:  Just because you don't like something, or find it distasteful, that doesn't mean you can't or won't do it.  I don't enjoy cleaning up vomit, but I do it quite a bit now that I have three kids.

And yeah, a lot of times something I think is going to be hard or unpleasant ends up being less horrid than I'd anticipated.  Imaginations are pesky that way.  Childbirth, for instance, was not nearly as awful as I was expecting it to be.  Not something I'd want to do every day, but I've gone through natural childbirth three times and would gladly do so again.  But so many people talk about it as the worst pain possible, when for me, breaking both bones in my arm was far worse.

Q:  There wasn’t much to Rilla’s relationship with Kenneth Ford in terms of time spent together. How do we know that their relationship is going to last?

A:  I think they did get to know each other through the letters they exchanged during the war, and that's one of the best ways to truly come to understand another person, at least in my experience.  I fell in love with my husband while emailing him over the course of a summer.  I think that, plus the fact that they both remained constant over all that time and distance gives them a good chance of remaining together and happy.

Thank you for hosting this event, Elyssa!  I am planning to read at least one more Montgomery book this year -- in fact, I've already started it!  I might manage another as well, we'll see.  But with Elyssa's encouragement, I've completed my original quest, to read all 8 Anne books in 2016.  Hooray!

"Rainbow Valley" by L. M. Montgomery

Sigh.  I remember now why I didn't like this book much as a teen.  It's the same reason I still don't like it much now.

You'd think it's because, while the Meredith and Blythe children are fun and charming, after a while, it's just more of the same.  The Merediths get into trouble, the Blythes are their loyal chums, and Mary Vance yells at them over it.  But that's not what keeps me from liking Rainbow Valley.  The blame for that lies solely on the story of Rev. Meredith and Rosemary West's romance, and Rosemary's sister horridly insisting she can't marry him and has to abide by a promise she made years ago.  I can't stand it when people deliberately thwart other people's happiness, and Montgomery drags out that misery f-o-r-e-v-e-r.  I read the last seventeen chapters all today, just to get them over with so I didn't have to suffer through that dragged out nonsense for days and days.  It took me six weeks to get through the first half of the book because as soon as Rosemary West and Rev. John Meredith met up in Rainbow Valley, I remembered how their story went and didn't want to read the rest of the book.

Oh well.  I can't love every book.

Particularly Good Bits:

It is never quite safe to think we have done with life.  When we imagine we have finished our story fate has a trick of turning the page and showing us yet another chapter (p. 89).

"Anything I can't analyse in the eating line I call macanaccady and anything wet that puzzles me I call shallamagouslem (p. 116).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  G.  It's clean and nice, if not wonderful.

This is my 44th book read and reviewed for The Classics Club, and my 13th for the Women's Classic Literature Event.

Now it's time for Elyssa's questions for Rainbow Valley:

Q:  This book was totally centered around the Blythe small fry and their friends. Reading about their adventures in Rainbow Valley made me think of Anne’s days with the the Echo Lodge crew in Anne of Avonlea. It also made me think of Camp Laurence from Little Women, as well as sweet Betsy-Tacy moments. The innocence of childhood play is so lovely to read. Do you have any favorite Rainbow Valley moments? Did they remind you of other childhood moments from any other books?

A:  Well, whenever I think of this book, I think of the Meredith kids playing in the graveyard.  I quite like graveyards myself.  I took my own kids to play in a graveyard when we lived in Connecticut simply because it was the only place with lots of green grass and trees that was within walking distance of our apartment.

But no, nothing from this reminds me of other books.  At least, not at the moment.

Q:  Montgomery likes writing about romance lost (Captain Jim and Lost Margaret) or almost lost forever (Mr. Irving and Miss Lavender). What would you have done in Rosemary’s place? Would you have kept your promise to your sister and refused John Merideth despite loving him?

A:  Rather obviously, considering all the ranting I did in my review above, I think that whole thing with the promise to the sister was foolish.  I would not have done as she did.

Q:  We’ve said goodbye to Anne’s childhood long ago. This book is a farewell to the sweet childhood of the Blythe clan. This always makes me sad. While being an adult is a wonderful thing in so many ways, childhood always calls to us in one way or another. What do you miss about childhood?

A:  I hate saying goodbye to childhood, which is another reason this book makes me grumpy.  I miss very many things about childhood, especially the freedom to not cram every waking moment with some kind of activity and purpose.  I have had to learn to daydream while doing other things at the same time, and it's just not the same.

"Anne of Ingleside" by L. M. Montgomery

Erm.  So, my memory of this series just gradually becoming less and less enjoyable is kind of true when it comes to this book.  Not that it was bad, or completely boring.  It was just kind of... flat.  Some of Anne's many kids have adventures (her daughter Diana has basically the same adventure twice), but none of them are as winsome as Anne.  They're more like each one embodies a small piece of Anne's personality, and what makes me love Anne so much is that she's complex.  But the kids aren't all that complex.  Sigh.  Also, way too much gossip.  So many chapters (or it felt like so many, anyway) of old women telling what are supposed to be humorous tales of weird things their neighbors or relations have done.  Felt like filler.

However, the last 3 chapters, where Anne suddenly succumbs to melancholia and convinces herself that Gilbert no longer loves her -- that part was intensely awesome.  She and Gilbert have been married for 15 years, and Cowboy and I just celebrated our 14th anniversary, and... I have no fears about my husband having ceased to love me, but I know there are days where everything just grates on me, or where he's tired from working overtime and doesn't say much, and... if several days like that piled up, I could totally see something like this being possible.  That last section was far more believable and emotionally engaging than the rest of the book combined.  And... it centered on Anne.  Not on her kids.  If Montgomery hadn't relegated Anne to being a side character in her own series, this book might have touched me a great deal more than it did.

And then there was Aunt Mary Maria.  But the less said about her, the better.

Not looking hugely forward to Rainbow Valley, I must admit.  Though I did always get a big kick out of the minister's children and their graveyard picnics.  So I'll survive it.

Particularly Good Bits:

Her heart sang all the way because she was going home to a joyous house... a house where every one who crossed its threshold knew it was a home... a house that was filled all the time with laughter and silver mugs and snapshots ans babies... precious things with curls and chubby knees... and rooms that would welcome her... where the chairs waited patiently and the dresses in her closet were expecting her... where little anniversaries were always being celebrated and little secrets were always being whispered (p. 14).

She would hold all the threads of the Ingleside life in her hands again to weave into a tapestry of beauty (p. 55).

"I have never altogether liked cats myself, Miss Dew, but I maintain they have a right to wave their own tails" (p. 60).

Walter was again sitting on the steps with eyes full of dreams.  Dusk had fallen.  Where, he wondered, had it fallen from?  Did some great spirit with bat-like wings pour it all over the world from a purple jar? (p. 213).

"An imagination is a wonderful thing to have... but like every gift we must possess it and not let it possess us.  You take your imaginings a wee bit too seriously.  Oh, it's delightful... I know that rapture.  But you must learn to keep on this side of the borderline between the real and the unreal.  Then the power to escape at will into a beautiful world of your own will help you amazingly through the hard places of life.  I can always solve a problem more easily after I've had a voyage or two in the Island of Enchantment" (p. 244).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  G for good and clean, if not particularly delicious.

This is my 42nd book read and reviewed for the Classics Club!  And my 11th for the Women's Classic Literature Event.

"Anne's House of Dreams" by L.M. Montgomery

I remember not liking this one much when I was a teen.  It was too... mushy, too sentimental, too sad, too sweet, too happy, too boring.  Too grown-up.

This is why I re-read books.  Because this time through, I really liked this book.  Yes, there was a serendipitously happy coincidence that only the Victorians could ever think was a good idea for a plot.  But there was so much genuine feeling in this book -- real sorrow, real joy, deep friendships, abiding love, and so on.  I cried more over this book than I have over any book this year, and I laughed more over it than I have over the last couple of Anne books.

Basically, in this book, Anne and Gilbert get married and rent a house in a seaport, make all new friends, and start a family.  Their friends are quirky and unusual, from good-hearted Captain Jim to sharp-tongued Miss Cornelia, from ethereally beautiful Leslie to shaggy and stubborn Marshall Elliott.  And then there is Susan, Anne and Gilbert's hired maid/cook -- when Susan is at the helm, there is nothing to fear, and that you may tie to.  Also, this whole book made me crave cherry pie.

Particularly Good Bits:

Jane was not brilliant, and had probably never made a remark worth listening to n her life; but she never said anything that would hurt anyone's feelings -- which may be a negative talent but is likewise a rare and enviable one (p. 8-9).

"Ah, there's the rub," sighed Anne.  "There are so many things in life we cannot do because of the fear of what Mrs. Harmon Andrews would say" (p. 13).

Their happiness was in each other's keeping and both were unafraid (p. 21).

"But just think what a dull world it would be if everyone was sensible," pleaded Anne (p. 47).

"Even when I'm alone I have real good company -- dreams and imaginations and pretendings.  I like to be alone now and then, just to think over things and taste them.  But I love friendship -- and nice, jolly little times with people" (p. 67).

"I wonder why people so commonly suppose that if two individuals are both writers they must therefore be hugely congenial," said Anne, rather scornfully.  "Nobody would expect two blacksmiths to be violently attracted toward each other merely because they were both blacksmiths" (p. 135).

"Shirking responsibilities is the curse of our modern life -- the secret of all the unrest and discontent that is seething in the world" (p. 177).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  G.  Clean and wholesome and heartfelt.

This is my 40th book read and reviewed for the Classics Club!  My goodness, I might finish 50 books by the end of the year :-o  It's also my 9th book for the Women's Classic Literature Event.

Here are this month's questions from Elyssa at Purple Ink Studios:

Q:  How is Anne’s friendship with Leslie different from Diana’s? What are your thoughts about friendships and different seasons in life?

A:   Although Anne counted Diana a kindred spirit, Diana never quite understood Anne.  She found Anne amusing and fun, and their friendship was a sweet and loving one, to be sure.  But I think that by the end of this book, Anne and Leslie understand each other very well indeed, in a way Anne and Diana never did.

I've had some friendships that were only for a season, which for me is a bittersweet thing.  I hate change, and I love friends, so I tend to want to stay friends with people forever and ever.  But people change, grow, move -- that's part of life.  There are friends I had as a girl that I haven't seen in twenty years, and likely never will again, simply because our lives grew apart.  There are friends I didn't know five years ago that I thoroughly enjoy being with now, but know we won't be friends forever.  And there are a few friendships that I am confident will last and last and last, for the rest of my life, which makes me so happy.

Q:  Leslie’s life is a tragic one. Once you learn her story, you understand why she was so bitter the night Anne and Gil come riding blissfully into Four Winds. How would you have felt if you were developing a friendship with Leslie? 

A:  I don't know if I would have been as open and understanding as Anne.  I wish I would be, but it takes me a really long time to truly open up to people and let them in -- I'm more like Leslie in that regard, minus the tragic lifestory.  I would probably see if she was interested in being friends, get rebuffed, and go find someone else to hang out with instead.

Q:  This is the book where Anne’s whole life changes. She’s a married woman now with a different lifestyle, different dreams, and different goals. But she’s still the same lovable Anne she’s always been. What are 3 things you think should never change when you get married?

A:  Me personally?  Well, my 14th wedding anniversary is this month, and I know that my faith in God, my love of stories, and my ability to get very enthusiastic over things I enjoy have not changed, unless you count their deepening over the years as changing.

"Much Ado About Anne" by Heather Vogel Frederick

Since I'm reading all the Anne books this year, I figured this was a good time to pull out Much Ado About Anne and read it too!  Like the other two books I've read in this series, it was an enjoyable read.  I like the girls in this club better and better with every book, and even though I hadn't read one in over a year, I was able to slip right back into the series with no hitches at all.  

I don't have a lot to say about this book -- it's a fun, fast read, but digs into some deeper issues here and there too.  One girl's widowed mother decides to get married again, which leads to some good insights into what that feels like for all involved:  daughter, mother, and step-dad-to-be.  

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  G.  Like the other books I've read in this series, it's clean, wholesome, and thought-provoking.  I can recommend it with no reservations.

Mailbox Monday -- Birthday Edition

My birthday was a little over a week ago, and Cowboy couldn't figure out what to get me for a long time, so I said, "Oh, just find something on my Amazon wish list, it's bursting with ideas."  

So he checked out my Amazon list and decided to get me ten different books off it, focusing on the out-of-print ones we could only get used, but putting a few new ones in the mix too.  He wanted me to get a package or two in the mail every day for a whole week, and it pretty well worked!  I think there were only two days I didn't get a surprise from him, and some days more than one!

Top to bottom, they are:

Aspects of the Novel by E. M. Forster -- sooooo looking forward to digging into this once my writing/revising hangover passes.

The Silent Gondoliers by William Goldman -- this is supposed to be very funny, and it's from the guy who wrote The Princess Bride and set up in the same way, ie that it was originally told by S. Morgenstern.

Westward the Women by Nancy Wilson Ross -- I'd kind of forgotten this was on my wish list.  I'm curious as to whether it bears any resemblance to the movie of the same name.

Lark Rise to Candleford: A Trilogy by Flora Thompson -- I've heard a lot about this trilogy, and more about the TV show based on it, and I'm hoping it'll be really fun.

Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson -- obviously, a prequel to Anne of Green Gables, but other than that, I can't remember what I've heard about it, or even where.  I'm hoping to read this during My Year with Anne, if I can squeeze it in.

The Quest for Shakespeare by Joseph Pearce -- someone's attempt to figure out what Shakespeare was really like, I think.

The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley -- I tried cooking with lavender for the first time last year and had mixed results with recipes I found on Pinterest, so I'm hoping this will lead to more successes.

The Anne of Green Gables Treasury by Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Wyss Eriksson -- a collection of a bunch of Anne-related stuff, like a map of Avonlea, a timeline of her life, how to do crafty activities mentioned in the books, and so on.

Tolkien's World -- a coloring book.  Yes, it's true.  I'm an adult colorer!  One of these days, I'll do a post about all the different adult coloring books I have, and which ones I like versus which ones have disappointed me, and so on.

EDIT:  I just realized I left one out!  Sam absconded with it, and I forgot to get it back for the photo and post.  It's Mr. Bliss by J.R.R. Tolkien -- a picture book about a man in a tall hat and his yellow car, which Joseph recommended to me a while back.

I'm linking this up with Mailbox Monday, which is always such fun :-)  Have you gotten any new (or at least, new to you) books lately?

"Anne of Windy Poplars" by L. M. Montgomery

When I was a teen, this was my favorite Anne book.  I think Anne of Green Gables may have edged it out for me now, but it's almost too close to call.  I do know this book is the main reason why I have such a fondness for epistolary novels.  However, I was surprised to discover that it's not entirely written in long, chatty letters from Anne to Gilbert -- there are several chapters sprinkled throughout that are entirely written in the third person by a narrator like the first three books in the series.

In this one, Anne and Gilbert are engaged to be married, but Gilbert needs to finish medical school before they can be married, so Anne takes a job being the principal at a high school in a town called Summerside that is ruled by a clannish family by the name of Pringle.  At first, the Pringles resent her, but eventually, she wins them over, along with every other crank, coot, and misanthrope in the town.

I think what I like best about this book is how kindness and compassion play such a big role.  Really, the tagline for it could be "Have courage, and be kind."  Does Anne surmount basically every obstacle anyone can throw in her way?  Yes, she does.  How?  By being kind and compassionate toward everyone, whether they are nice to her or not.  Over and over, she makes a kind gesture, or shows some extra patience, or tries to befriend someone friendless, and the end result is that an antagonist thaws out, unbends, or turns out not to be as curmudgeonly as previously rumors had painted them.  How can I help but be charmed by such stories?

As a teen, I know I appreciated how Montgomery "edited" Anne's letters to leave out the mushy, romantical parts.  This amuses be greatly still.  

Particularly Good Bits:

In passing, isn't 'dusk' a lovely word? I like it better than twilight.  It sounds so velvety and shadowy and... and... dusky (p. 3).

"Nobody is ever too old to dream.  And dreams never grow old" (p. 89).

"A cold in the head in June is an immoral thing" (p. 184).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  G.  Sweet and clean and gentle.

This is my 38th book read and reviewed for the Classics Club, and my 7th for the Women's Classic Literature Event.

Elyssa hasn't posted any discussion questions at Purple Ink Studios for this book yet, so at such time as she does, I'll probably do a separate post about them.

"Anne of the Island" by L.M. Montgomery

Whew.  Anne of Avonlea had me a little worried, that I'd find the rest of the Anne books disappointing like it was.  But nope, Anne of the Island delighted me thoroughly.  I read the last six chapters in an impatient fervor.

For the most part, I think the difference is that Island doesn't have any cutesy parts, whereas Avonlea had too many of them.  The change of scenery and lots of new characters helped too.  And of course, the undercurrent of thwarted romance running through the whole thing helped it sail merrily along.

Anne of the Island picks up at the end of the summer after Anne's last year teaching at the Avonlea school.  She's off to college at Redmond, and the next four years spin past in a delightful swirl of friendship, learning, and gentle adventure.  


Particularly Good Bits:

The bloom had been brushed from one little maiden dream.  Would the painful process go on until everything became prosaic and hum-drum? (p. 62).

For the next fortnight Anne writhed or reveled, according to mood, in her literary pursuits.  Now she would be jubilant over a brilliant idea, now despairing because some contrary character would not behave properly.  Diana could not understand this (p. 89).

"You must pay the penalty of growing-up, Paul.  You must leave fairyland behind you" (p. 155).

But who could expect a melancholy, inscrutable hero to see the humorous side of things?  It would be flatly unreasonable (p. 176).

Anne laughed and sighed.  She felt very old and mature and wise -- which showed how young she was (p. 184).


If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  G.  Clean and wholesome and delightful.

This is my 35th book read and reviewed for the Classics Club, and my 5th for the Women's Classic Literature Event.

Here are this month's questions from Elyssa at Purple Ink Studios:

Q:  There are some great conversations between Anne and Gil in this book. As much as I love the TV series, some of the real essence of their friendship is lost in the film adaptation. They were such buddies! Is there a scene in the book that you wish hadn’t been left out of the film adaptation?

A:  I think the moment when Gilbert and Anne go arm-in-arm to Diana's wedding was very poignant, and could have been beautifully done on film.

Q:  The proposal. Ah! The proposal! Tell me, which do you like better? The film version or the book version? Mind you, I see Megan Follows and Jonathan Crombie when I read the books so I’m not talking about the acting but rather the the scenes for their own sake.

A:  Goodness, I like both!  I don't think I could choose, sorry.

Q:  Let’s talk about Roy Gardener, the man straight out of Anne’s dreams. Give three reasons why he’s so not the guy for her. And if you’d like, talk a bit about having an ‘dream man’ and whether or not we should hold out for them or eventually let them go.

A:  Hmm.  He has no imagination, he's got no idea what a kindred spirit is, and he never told Anne about his previous almost-engagements.  

I'm not sure I ever had a "dream man."  I've definitely always been interested in "manly man" types, like John Wayne and the Lone Ranger, but I never really dreamed up an ideal man for myself -- I confined those to imaginary worlds.  I can see how they'd be very dangerous, though, if you thought one real person could ever fulfill all your ideals and refused any man who didn't.

Top Ten Tuesday: Springing Ahead

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic, via The Broke and the Bookish as usual, is Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR List.  So here are the ten books I'm looking the most forward to reading this season!

The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King -- the latest novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes gets released next month!  Just in time for my birthday...

Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery, which I'll be reading next month for the Anne of Green Gables Reading Challenge.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which I'll be hosting a read-along for starting in late May.

The Shadow on the Mesa by Jackson Gregory, which I just bought on Etsy, and which I don't think is going to have anything to do with the movie by the same title, but I'm eager to find out what it really is about!

Surgeon in Blue:  Jonathon Letterman, the Civil War Doctor Who Pioneered Battlefield Care by Scott McGaugh, which I'll be reading for research.

Much Ado About Anne by Heather Vogel Frederick, because since I'm reading all the Anne books this year, I thought now would be a good time to read the next book in the Mother-Daughter Book Club.

For Elise by Hayden Wand, which I just got a Kindle copy of and will start soon.

Code of the West by Zane Grey, because it looks awesome.

The Cherokee Trail by Louis L'Amour, which was the inspiration for one of my favorite TV shows ever, Five Mile Creek.

The Dragon Turn by Shane Peacock, the next-to-last book in the Boy Sherlock Holmes series I've been slowly reading my way through.

We'll see how many of these I actually manage to read this spring :-)

"Anne of Avonlea" by L. M. Montgomery

I remember my mom reading this aloud to our whole family in the car when I was young, and my dad remarking at one point that it seemed to him that Montgomery had "run out of creative juices," a favorite phrase of his for describing sequels or series that got less wonderful as they went along.  I hate to have to say it, but I think he was right.  

Anne of Avonlea picks up right about where Anne of Green Gables leaves off:  sixteen-year-old Anne Shirley is the new teacher at the Avonlea one-room school.  She meets some new pupils, makes some new friends, and helps Marilla raise twins.  Twins do seem to be Anne's lot in life, don't they?  These are named Davy and Dora, and I only vaguely remembered them from reading this book twenty-some years ago -- in fact, in my memory, I'd confused them a great deal with Daisy and Demi from Little Men by Louisa May Alcott.  

Anyway, back to that idea of running low on creative juices.  To me, it feels like Montgomery took the imaginative, scrape-prone Anne and split her in half.  Her little pupil Paul is her imagination embodied, and Davy gets into more mischief than Anne ever did.  The book as a whole is diverting, and I enjoyed it very much, just not as much as its predecessor.


Particularly Good Bits:

"I'd like to add some beauty to life," said Anne dreamily.  "I don't exactly want to make people know more... though I know that  is the noblest ambition... but I'd love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me... to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed if I hadn't been born" (p. 54).

"It does people good to have to do things they don't like... in moderation" (p.  56).

"You're never safe from being surprised till you're dead" (p. 58).

"...I think," concluded Anne, hitting on a very vital truth, "that we always love best the people who need us" (p. 84).

When Anne arose in the dull, bitter winter morning she felt that life was flat, stale, and unprofitable (p. 95)(I love that allusion to Hamlet!)

"If a kiss could be seen I think it would look like a violet," said Priscilla (p. 105).

"We make our own lives wherever we are, after all..." (p. 131).

"Don't you know that it is only very foolish folk who talk sense all the time?" (p. 151).

"Having adventures comes natural to some people," said Anne serenely.  "You just have a knack for them or you haven't" (p. 160).

She seemed to walk in the atmosphere of things about to happen (p. 248).

"You lose all the fun of expecting things when you're surprised" (p. 256).

"What is an imagination for if not to enable you to peep at life through other people's eyes?" (p. 268).


If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  G.  Clean and wholesome.

This is my 33rd book read and reviewed for the Classics Club and my 4th for the Women's Classic Literature Event.

And here are this month's discussion questions from Elyssa at Purple Ink Studios:

Q:  Anne of Avonlea introduces a cast of new characters including Mr. Harrison, Miss Lavender, Davy & Dora, Paul Irving, and Charlotta the Fourth. Which new character(s) was the most endearing to you? What do you like about them?

A:  I'm amused by Mr. Harrison, want to hug Miss Lavender, am glad I'm not raising Davy and Dora, want to adopt Paul Irving, and could use my own Charlotta the Fourth.  I think Miss Lavender was the most endearing to me because she's the sort of older woman I hope I can be someday, still full of life and wonder.  Also, I'm a sucker for stories of lost love refound, which is part of why Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen novel.

Q:  Anne has such high hopes and ideals when she sets out to teach Avonlea school. However, she’s in for a few surprises. What do you think about expectations and ideals when approaching a new situation? What do you think Anne discovered in this season as a school teacher?

A:  I think it's useful to have expectations about any new situation, but important to know that you might need to adjust them to reality.  Ideals are trickier, and harder to adjust, I think.  Anne realized that sometimes reality requires more harshness than she would like, but that many of her idealized notions about teaching were more helpful than others predicted.

Q:  What do you think of Miss Lavender’s romance? Do you agree with Gilbert’s comment on what could have been?

A:  I love that she gets a second chance, but oh, how sad that they spent decades apart.  I think that time was wasted, like Gilbert.