Litsy

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years 1911-1917 | Jen Rubio

I apologize for not posting this sooner—I don‘t know how it got to be Wednesday and I‘m only just starting this last chunk of volume 3!! How is everyone‘s journal-reading coming along?

I‘ll plan to post questions this weekend—late on Friday if I can, because I have a busy weekend ahead. Looking forward to discussing with all of you. And now I‘ll dive into my reading! #LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks I'm enjoying this section!! I'm intrigued by how obsessed LMM is with the war. It's obvious that she's an anomaly among the somewhat backwater area where she lives, but I wonder if more people in Canada at the time felt as she did, as she's quite obsessive about it. 2w

lauraisntwilder I'm actually on track to finish on time, which is great because I was behind on all the other sections. Not because I wasn't enjoying it, but life got in the way. 2w

lauraisntwilder Oh! I've also ordered a copy of The Watchmen, her poetry collection that she barely mentioned except to say she didn't expect much to come of it. 😜 2w

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BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I am intrigued by her interest in the war, but not as intrigued by reading her updates about war developments (or the footnotes explaining them) 😂 It gives so much personal context for Rilla, though!! Like you, I‘m curious how closely the rest of the population was following events. There must have been lots of people who felt as she did, given the newspaper coverage she talks about. 2w

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder Oh yay about catching up! And 😂 about the poetry collection! I realized I actually have it in an ebook collection of LMM‘s works, but her comments don‘t exactly inspire me to read it… 2w

lauraisntwilder @BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I'm definitely not reading all the footnotes. Not just the war ones, either. I'm not finding them very helpful for her personal interests either. She'll mention someone and the footnote will go ahead and tell when they died, which I don't always want to know at the moment I'm reading about them. 2w

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @BarbaraJean - I have definitely been skipping the war footnotes! I don't actually need to know all the nitty gritty historical details of what LMM is talking about 😂 2w

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder @TheAromaofBooks Well, now I'm gonna skip them, too! 😂 Honestly, I really wish the footnotes were more helpful, or at least consistent. The editors give way too much info sometimes (like death dates and war details), and not enough or irrelevant info at other times (so many times I wish I could get a refresher on who someone is and when LMM has mentioned them before). 2w

25 likes8 comments

Mirazzles

After Anne: A Novel of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Life | Logan Steiner

I read “Anne of Green Gables” for the first time two years ago, and since then, I‘ve become obsessed with everything Lucy Maud Montgomery and Anne Shirley. 💛

Ruthiella Do you know about #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead hosted by @BarbaraJean ? They are all about Anne and LMM! 2w

Mirazzles @Ruthiella no, I didn‘t know anything about that! Thank you! 🥰 2w

BarbaraJean @Ruthiella Thanks for the tag! @Mirazzles We have several parallel LMM buddy reads right now, reading through her complete journals and interspersing re-reads of her novels and related books (ones she mentions in her journals or books that have been compared to her books, etc.) We‘re finishing up Vol. 3 of the journals this week and start Anne‘s House of Dreams next week. You‘re very welcome to join any part of it that catches your fancy! 2w

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Mirazzles @BarbaraJean that would be nice! How do I join? Just read and comment ? 🥰 2d

BarbaraJean @Mirazzles I have several tag lists and I can add you to any or all! Then you just read and comment as desired! We have discussions on Saturdays and the pace is roughly 100 pages per week. The overall buddy read is #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead and the tags are: #LMMReread, #LMMJournals, and #LMMAdjacent for books related to LMM and her books. I‘ll go tag you for our current schedule and then also the poll I have up for future #LMMAdjacent books! 2d

Mirazzles @BarbaraJean that‘d be awesome! Thanks so much! 🥰 2d

44 likes6 comments

LitsyEvents

Anne of the Island | Lucy Maud Montgomery

Repost for @BarbaraJean

I‘m having so much fun reading LMM‘s Christmas stories! We‘ll finish those on Christmas Eve, then pick up our regular buddy reading starting 12/29. Above is our #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule through mid-February, including two for #LMMReread, the last bit of Vol. 3 for #LMMJournals, and #LMMAdjacent read: The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett.

See original post at https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2819444

BarbaraJean Thank you for reposting! 1mo

32 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

Anne of the Island | Lucy Maud Montgomery

I‘m having so much fun reading LMM‘s Christmas stories! We‘ll finish those on Christmas Eve, then pick up our regular buddy reading starting 12/29. Above is our #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule through mid-February, including two for #LMMReread, the last bit of Vol. 3 for #LMMJournals, and #LMMAdjacent read: The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett. Let me know if you‘d like to be tagged for any or all of the above. All are welcome! ⬇

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, Roary47, LitsyEvents, julieclair

BarbaraJean I have a list of potential adjacent reads that I need to review, and I‘m planning to post a poll with some of those options sometime in January. In the meantime, let me know if there are any books LMM has mentioned that caught your eye. I‘d love to add in more adjacent reads! 1mo

julieclair Please tag me for Anne of the Island and The Country of the Pointed Firs. 🙂 Thank you for the thoughtful way you host this challenge! 🩵💙🩵 1mo

TheAromaofBooks It really seems like I should be completely burned out on LMM at this point, but I am honestly more engaged than ever in these buddy reads!! Thank you so much for continuing to organize this. I've never spent this much time with one author and it has been so fascinating. I'm not sure I've ever skipped Windy Poplars - I've always read this series in chronological order - so I think it will be interesting to see the original progression. 1mo

BarbaraJean @julieclair Will do! You‘re welcome!! Thanks for joining in! 🤗 1mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Haha—same! I kinda worried I‘d get tired of this when we started the journals and the re-reads both, but it‘s been so interesting! Thank you for reading along with me all this time! I‘m also really interested to reread Poplars and Ingleside integrated with the journals, and see how they fit when read that way. 1mo

27 likes5 comments

BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years 1911-1917 | Jen Rubio

#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

I didn‘t realize until @TheKidUpstairs mentioned it a few days ago: 2024 is the 150th anniversary of LMM‘s birth. At that point, I remembered LMM‘s birthday was in November, but I didn‘t remember the date and thought I‘d missed the day. And then I read this last night and realized it‘s TODAY! Happy 150th Birthday, L.M. Montgomery! 🎂🎉In celebration, share in the comments something you love about LMM‘s books!

AvidReader25, rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Daisey, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, Prairiegirl_reading, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, Roary47, julieclair

BarbaraJean For me, I love the kinship that I feel with so many of her characters (Anne, Emily, Valancy…), and how deftly she can draw a character with just a few sentences of description or dialogue. And, how much comfort and laughter I find in her books! 2mo

TheBookHippie I love Anne- but Emily, for me, is a kindred spirit. 2mo

JenlovesJT47 Same age as I am now! 👵🏻 I am way behind on reading the journals but I hope to get to them soon. Looking forward to reading the Christmas stories! 💚 2mo

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jewright I loved that Anne was smart but had a temper. She was so real to me when I read her as a child. I read every single one of her books and loved them all. Rilla of Ingleside is my favorite book of all time. 2mo

CSeydel 🎂🎉 2mo

LeahBergen Happy Birthday, Maud! I love her for showing ten-year-old Canadian me that Canada had a “classic” children‘s author, too! I‘d only read British or American classics up to that point. 2mo

TheAromaofBooks I just so admire her knack for capturing human nature. So many of her stories feel timeless because she connects readers to universal experiences. I grew up on LMM and have read and reread her books so many times. I don't know what I would do without them!! 2mo

lauraisntwilder Her humor is so perfect. I feel like she perfected the art of "laughing with" someone, rather than at them. She could make the ridiculousness of a situation so clear, but it feels good natured rather than cruel. 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheBookHippie Yes!! I love the Anne books, but Emily is so much more relatable for me. @JenlovesJT47 Glad to have you along for the Christmas stories! They're a lot easier to keep up with or hop in and out as you're able! 2mo

BarbaraJean @jewright Yes, I love how real Anne feels. And Rilla is one of LMM's best—I love the view it gives of the “home front“ of WWI, while showing Rilla's growth in maturity. @LeahBergen I love that!! I think LMM would be so pleased to know that her works have continued to be read so widely, and are considered classics. 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks She is definitely a master at characterization! I've loved reading her observations in her journals—she had such a keen eye for what made people tick, and knew how to convey that. @lauraisntwilder Yes! And I think so much of that “laughing with“ feel comes from how she's also able to laugh at herself. That really comes across in her journals. 2mo

julieclair I love the overall hopeful, cozy, homely tone of her books. 2mo

AvidReader25 I love the theme of found family. Her characters are often orphans or have strict, cold families. I love that they often end up closest to the people they choose. 💙 2mo

43 likes13 comments

BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years 1911-1917 | Jen Rubio

#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion: July 14, 1913 - Mar. 12, 1916

“How I love my old journal and what a part of my life it has become. It satisfies some need in my nature. It seems like a personal confidant in whom I can repose absolute trust.”

There was a LOT in this week‘s section: from the heartbreak of the loss of her child and the WWI years to Stuart‘s birth. What parts did you find particularly interesting or meaningful?

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

JenlovesJT47 This is how I feel about journaling. 💚 2mo

TheAromaofBooks This was SUCH an interesting section! I found it interesting how invested LMM was in WWI when, at some level, it was somewhat distant from her - she doesn't seem to really have anyone close to her serving as a soldier, for instance. I LOVE Rilla of Ingleside, so it was also interesting to see real-life backdrop/feelings for that future story.

Losing the baby was just sooo heartbreaking! And her being so miserable when she's pregnant but still ⬇ 2mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) having to do so much made ME feel tired!

One thing that struck me about this section - most of the biographies we've read have really acted like LMM didn't even like her husband, barely tolerated him, found him to be a bore, etc. But multiple times in this section, LMM mentions being glad that he's there, being sad that he's leaving, missing him while he's gone, etc. While I never get an impression of genuine kindred-spirit-ism-ness ⬇ 2mo

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) between them, it also doesn't feel like their marriage is as unequal or as miserable as I feel like it was implied in other books we've read. I do think later in life both of their mental health issues caused a lot of breakdown in their relationship, but here in these middle years it feels like while they may not have a lot of passion that they do still share friendship, companionship, and an ability to work together. 2mo

TheAromaofBooks I'm really looking forward to rereading Anne of the Island. It's another favorite of mine. And you know, ol' Publisher Page was a total jerk, plus a thief, but... I do think we have him to thank for more Anne books sooo 😂 2mo

BarbaraJean @JenLovesJT47 Yes! You can see this reflected in her journal as well—it's such a needed outlet for her. @TheAromaofBooks The way she writes about Ewan in this volume surprised me, too! You can see there was a compatibility there & her decision to marry him makes more sense. It makes me frustrated at the various biographies that seem to characterize her marriage based only on the later years—which were awful, but it's not like it was ALL terrible! 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks On the other hand,there was a passage in this section where she talked about the only perfect happiness being in the arms of someone she loves with all her heart. She then universalizes it as “every woman's real idea of happiness“ but it broke my heart a little to see her express happiness in that way. She didn't say it right out, but it was pretty clear she didn't feel she had that in Ewan. ⬇ 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I'm really looking forward to Anne of the Island, too!! It'll be next up for us in January! It's so strange to read that LMM didn't think much of it. It's always been one of my favorites—probably because I love getting to finally see the culmination of the Anne/Gilbert romance. 2mo

TheAromaofBooks I get the feeling from the journals that Maud didn't, for lack of a better word, trust passion. That if you feel all the physical attraction and butterflies and yearning, then there must be something wrong. I think she chose Ewan almost because she DIDN'T feel those things for him, which meant that he was a safe, simple, practical choice. I think she feared the part of her that had such dramatic emotional swings from high to low and wanted ⬇ 2mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) someone who could help her to find balance and stability. But I think she had no idea that Ewan actually also suffered from similar swings, so in the end she missed out on the joys of the highs while still ending up with someone who made the lows worse, and that genuinely is so sad and lonely. But through this section especially I do feel like they were at least friends who were able to work together comfortably, so it made me feel like ⬇ 2mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) her marriage wasn't just 100% disaster 100% of the time, which is honestly the impression I got from the biographies. In this section, I feel like she's actually pretty content. Her journals obviously have her aggravations and frustrations with everyday annoyances, but she also talks about loving her home, being glad to return there, the joys of being in charge of her own household, etc. 2mo

TheAromaofBooks Also, her losing the baby really made me think about House of Dreams and how incredibly emotional that section has always been and how she must have pulled from her own experiences and feelings. SO sad. 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I think that's right, especially given how she talks about Herman. With him, she'd experienced passion without compatibility and I think it scared her. I think you're right that she wanted someone who would give her contentment & stability. And he does at first! I've been pleasantly surprised that she is so content through this whole volume. Marriage and motherhood do bring her what she hoped for, at least for a time. ⬇ 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks It was interesting that in this section, she longed for home in Leaskdale while visiting PEI! That trip had terrible weather, and she noticed changes in the people & the place, but for LMM to prefer Leaskdale to Cavendish spoke VOLUMES about her contentment in her new life. Yes, the loss of her baby was heartbreaking! House of Dreams echoes that experience so strongly. The parallels in her life & work add so much to the re-reads! 2mo

37 likes14 comments

BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years 1911-1917 | Jen Rubio

“What a pity it is so hard to be both good and interesting. I am not good—but I *am* interesting!”

#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheKidUpstairs Great quote! Leaskdale is just down the road from me, the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario runs a lovely museum there, and they have speakers come throughout the summer for talks and afternoon tea events. Just last week Megan Follows was there for a celebration of LM Montgomery's 150th :) 2mo

JenlovesJT47 💚💚💚 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheKidUpstairs Oh, how lovely!! What a treat to have that so close! I discovered a few days ago that I‘d completely missed that it was just LMM‘s 150th! An egregious oversight in the midst of this deep dive buddy read into LMM‘s life and works 🤦🏻‍♀️ 2mo

38 likes3 comments

BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years 1911-1917 | Jen Rubio

A reminder for the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead-ers who are following along with the #LMMJournals: this coming week (Nov. 24-30) we‘ll be picking up the journals again for just one week, before we dive into LMM‘s Christmas stories.

On Saturday 11/30, we‘ll discuss July 14, 1913 - March 12, 1916 from Volume 3 of LMM‘s Complete Journals. Looking forward to it!

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

28 likes

BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years 1911-1917 | Jen Rubio

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

We‘re back into LMM‘s journals this week, starting volume 3 with LMM‘s honeymoon travels, setting up the manse in Leaskdale, and reflections on new motherhood. I‘m behind on this week‘s reading—so just a general check-in this week, posted early because tomorrow is packed! 😊

How are you doing with this week‘s reading?
What have you noticed? Are there sections, quotes, or themes that stood out to you?

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks I am almost done reading this section, so I'll pop back in. Also, just confirming, we aren't reading the Chronicles as a group, right? I may still read through them because I'm kind of interested in how they fit into her overall publishing progression arc haha 3mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Yes, I decided not to include Chronicles this time around—I wasn‘t super interested in re-reading, and they pop up in the journal so close to Golden Road that logistically it also worked better to leave them out! I‘d love to hear your thoughts if you do read through them at this point, though! 3mo

lauraisntwilder I'm behind, too, but I'm enjoying being back in Maud's world again. She made me laugh when she talked about her new dining room, with "only one window which gives a view of several ugly back yards including our own." I also loved the irony of her traveling to places she loved from books/poems and being annoyed when they were packed with tourists. Who goes to PEI and doesn't go to the Anne sights? Would you even go there otherwise?? 3mo

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TheAromaofBooks Like @lauraisntwilder I was glad to be back to reading Maud's thoughts again. Her honeymoon sounds like quite the whirlwind! You have to wonder if she had any thoughts about Ewan vs. MacMillan when she met M in person. And was M's fiancee really as bad as Maud portrayed her, or was she being a little catty/dog-in-the-manger-ish?? On the other hand, it sounds like Maud was physically so uncomfortable from her cystitis, who can blame her for being⬇ 3mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) a little grumpy?? How horrible to have a problem at a time when there were no antibiotics or anything that could actually help her problem. It just sounds miserable, especially while traveling!

It's been fun to read about her setting up house and of course the arrival of Chester. But it's also kind of hard to read about her being soooo in love with her baby knowing that he's going to absolutely literally destroy her life later 😢 3mo

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder @TheAromaofBooks I've been enjoying Maud's voice again as well! I had to laugh at her comments about literary sites being crowded with tourists. I think she would be aghast at how AoGG sites are such a tourist attraction now! I feel for her annoyance, because who wouldn't want those gorgeous sights to themselves, for reflection & full immersion in the experience? It's a shame when the experience is diminished by the crowds, but ⬇ 3mo

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) ...also just a little entitled to be so indignant that others also want to experience those same sights. @TheAromaofBooks Her descriptions of MacMillan's fiancee were really funny! I didn't get the sense that she was being catty (who knows, though!), but I did feel like her skills in writing a quick, vivid character sketch were on full display there! The passages where she gushes about her love for Chester were SO bittersweet to read. ⬇ 3mo

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) The note on the May 6, 1913 entry really got me. “My own dear little son! What a blessing you are to me! Will you always be so?“ and then the later added note: “Oh, dear God! 1937!“ 😭 Another passage that struck me was in the June 29, 1913 entry, when she talks about truth and not having the courage to tell it because she's a slave to old conventions and rules. That rings so true about her struggles with conventions and appearances. 3mo

TheAromaofBooks Yes on the conventions thing!! Because I definitely feel like a lot of her life choices were made because of “what would people say“ and “upholding the family name“ instead of what she actually wants from life. And that entry about Chester!!!!! 😢 3mo

24 likes9 comments

BarbaraJean

The Golden Road | L. M. Montgomery

For those following along with #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread or #LMMJournals, in November we‘re starting Vol. 3 of the Complete Journals and also reading The Golden Road.

Then in December we‘ll read LMM‘s Christmas stories! I‘ll assemble a #KindredSpiritsChristmas story-a-day schedule for us to read these cozy holiday stories together. All are welcome—if you‘d like to join in just for December, let me know and I‘ll add you to the tag list!

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, Roary47, LitsyEvents, julieclair, Seabreeze_Reader

Seabreeze_Reader Enjoy your reading. 🙂Unfortunately I won't have time in my schedule to join in. 3mo

BarbaraJean @Seabreeze_Reader Thank you! Maybe we‘ll catch you another time 😊 3mo

TheAromaofBooks I actually read the “Haunted“ short story this week! Still plowing my way through Seven Gables 😅 My copy of the journals should be here this weekend. I'm looking forward/also somewhat apprehensive to read about LMM's early marriage years and leaving PEI. Are the Christmas stories going to a specific book of collected stories, or just random ones from here and there? 3mo

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BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Seven Gables turned out to be quite a slog! 😬 I‘ll see how this volume of the journals feels—I‘m a bit apprehensive as well! There are more of LMM‘s books to break things up with at this point, though, and I‘m going to go through the notes and jot down adjacent titles to work into the schedule also. The Christmas stories are random—I have a list compiled from a few different Christmas collections (minus that weird Red Room one!) 3mo

Roary47 The golden road looks enchanting. I‘m going to read the first book really quick to be on track. 🥰 3mo

TheAromaofBooks Yeah, The Red Room, randomly depressing and not remotely Christmasy haha That story was a disappointment! 😂 3mo

julieclair @TheAromaofBooks I actually read the haunted story too! I‘m so proud of us! 😀 3mo

julieclair I will skip the journals, but join in for The Golden Road. And December sounds delightful! 3mo

BarbaraJean @Roary47 Yay! Glad to have you join in, and I hope you enjoy both books! 😊 3mo

BarbaraJean @julieclair Looking forward to reading Golden Road and Christmas stories with you! And good job reading the ghost story—LMM loved ghost stories, but it sounds like it‘s not in any of our wheelhouses, so good job to all of us! 3mo

Daisey I‘d like to try to join in for the Christmas stories. Please add me to that list. 3mo

BarbaraJean @Daisey Will do! Glad to have you along for the Christmas stories! 3mo

CogsOfEncouragement Christmas story-a-day sounds delightful, please count me in. 3mo

BarbaraJean @CogsOfEncouragement I've added you to the tag list! Glad to have you along! 3mo

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