#MARM: Margaret Atwood Reading Month 2024

I confess that I almost missed Margaret Atwood Reading Month this year. I remembered it in September and October, but it wasn't until November 15th that I realized it was November at all and that MARM had been going on already for a full two weeks. But I was determined not to miss it, so … Continue reading #MARM: Margaret Atwood Reading Month 2024

#LiteraryWives: Recipe for a Perfect Wife

Literary Wives is an on-line book group that examines the meaning and role of wife in different books. Four times a year, we post and discuss a book with this question in mind: What does this book say about wives or about the experience of being a wife? Don’t forget to check out the other members … Continue reading #LiteraryWives: Recipe for a Perfect Wife

#ReadingKilmeny: “She was, after all, nothing but a child…”

Kilmeny of the Orchard is a novel that arose from the short story "Una of the Garden," which was published in 1908. In Magic Island, Elizabeth Waterston writes about the changes that were made by LMM as she re-worked the story. For example, the setting change from "garden" to "orchard" suggests "a development in Montgomery's … Continue reading #ReadingKilmeny: “She was, after all, nothing but a child…”

#ReadingKilmeny: A “Kilmeny of the Orchard” Readalong

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

#ReadingStoryGirl: The Golden Road

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

#ReadingStoryGirl: “There is such a place as fairyland – but only children can find the way to it…”

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…”

The Story Girl Readalong: #ReadingStoryGirl

Because we all need more to read in the month of November, Sarah Emsley and I are hosting a Readalong of The Story Girl and The Golden Road next month. What are one or two more books in your stack? The Story Girl narrates the adventures of a group of cousins and their friends in … Continue reading The Story Girl Readalong: #ReadingStoryGirl

#ReadingLanternHill: My thoughts on Jane of Lantern Hill, anthropomorphism, and Squishmallows

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

Announcing a Readalong of Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery: #ReadingLanternHill

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

#MARM: A 17-Year-Old’s Perspective of The Handmaid’s Tale

I just recently finished my re-read of The Handmaid's Tale. As always, it was entertaining and thought-provoking.  As Marcie says at Buried in Print, "For readers who read primarily for entertainment: this is a page-turner. And for readers who read primarily for information: the story being based on real-life events, invites historians and social scientists … Continue reading #MARM: A 17-Year-Old’s Perspective of The Handmaid’s Tale