Sarah and I have been re-reading some of L.M. Montgomery's novels. We have re-read The Blue Castle, the Emily books, Jane of Lantern Hill, The Story Girl, and The Golden Road. This May we are going to be reading Kilmeny of the Orchard and we'd love for you to join us! Kilmeny of the Orchard … Continue reading #ReadingKilmeny: A “Kilmeny of the Orchard” Readalong
My goal for MARM this year was to start tackling the big book of Burning Questions. I now present to you my findings (and thoughts) in the order in which I found them (and thought them). Upon opening Burning Questions and checking out the extensive Table of Contents, I skimmed it to see if any … Continue reading Margaret Atwood Reading Month 2023: #MARM
In my post about The Story Girl, I mentioned that LMM did not enjoy writing The Golden Road. As Sarah points out in her post "The Golden Road of Youth: #ReadingStoryGirl", The Story Girl was written when LMM was still living in PEI, but The Golden Road was written after LMM was married and had … Continue reading #ReadingStoryGirl: The Golden Road
One of the things I mentioned liking about The Story Girl in my introduction post is 'watching' the children play. Maybe because--between raising and working with children most of my life--I think a lot about how children play. Is it better now? Was it better then? Maybe somewhere in between? I feel sorry for children … Continue reading #ReadingStoryGirl: “There is such a place as fairyland – but only children can find the way to it…”
I have read Ali Bryan's Roost and The Figgs and loved them both. This summer, she published two more books, and I decided to round it off by also reading her YA novel. Presented in the order in which I read them. Coq (Freehand Books) Several years ago, I wrote about Roost, a book by … Continue reading Ali Bryan: Coq, The Hill, and The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships
It's May 31 at 9:00pm and I am still working on my contribution to the readalong Sarah and I decided to host back in March. I have been writing it in fragments, using my post to respond to the thoughts of others. Today's writing mostly involves cobbling together my bits and pieces to present to … Continue reading #ReadingLanternHill: My thoughts on Jane of Lantern Hill, anthropomorphism, and Squishmallows
A few years ago, Sarah Emsley and I co-hosted a reading of The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. We've decided that it's time for another Montgomery readalong. After polling the readers of Sarah's blog post on the matter, we've settled on Jane of Lantern Hill. I haven't read this one in years, so I'm excited … Continue reading Announcing a Readalong of Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery: #ReadingLanternHill
This year my daughter is doing a better job taking part in MARM than I am - her grade 12 English class is reading The Handmaid's Tale. I thought this might be a good chance for me to ask her a few questions. First I asked what she likes about The Handmaid's Tale, and she … Continue reading #MARM: Margaret Atwood Reading Month 2022
As MacLeod has proven before in his stories, he does not shy away from the harsh realities of life. And, as Marcie has already pointed out, Winter Dog is not an easy story to read. But there are so many great reasons you should read it anyway. Like the tender telling of the excited children … Continue reading Alistair MacLeod Short Story: Winter Dog (1981)
This story is about 30 pages long and--plotwise--almost nothing happens. But the beauty of the story is in the seasonal rhythms and the ordinary routines of every day; the cyclical nature of a farm and the abundance of hope that year-after-year, the farm will sustain the lives of everyone involved, human and animal. SPOILER: There's … Continue reading Alistair MacLeod Short Story: Second Spring (1980)
Consumed by Ink 