Returning to Anne

As you may remember, one of my goals for this year was to reread the Anne books. (If you're not familiar with them, the books were written by L.M. Montgomery and begin with Anne of Green Gables.) This past summer I carved out some time to do just that — I returned to the world of Avonlea and Glen St. Mary, Anne and Diana, Matthew and Marilla. It was a trip down memory lane, perhaps when I needed it the most.

Growing up, I read these books over and over (and over) again. As I read them this summer, I was struck by how much my ideas on life and friendship and romance have been shaped by these stories. In fact, I still continue to enjoy "slice of life" books, movies, and TV shows more than almost any other. After all, isn't Stars Hollow simply a modern-day, slightly more quirky, Avonlea? (Rachel Lynde would get along quite handsomely with Taylor Doose, I think.)

The books I loved most as a pre-teen (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of the Island, Anne's House of Dreams) were still the ones I enjoyed now. Anne of Windy Poplars and Rainbow Valley were my least favorites once again, but they were still lovely in their own way. In fact, two of my favorite quotes (below) were from these last two books.

These books will always hold a special place in my heart, and I'm so glad I took the opportunity to experience them again this summer.

Some of my favorite quotes from the Anne books:

"Humour is the spiciest condiment in the feast of existence. Laugh at your mistakes but learn from them, joke over your troubles but gather strength from them, make a jest of your difficulties but overcome them." (Anne of the Island)

"You've made me happy ... you are always making people happy. Why, whenever you come into a room, Miss Shirley, the people in it feel happier." (Anne of Windy Poplars)

"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." (Rainbow Valley)

Rediscovering The Blue Castle

Last week I stumbled upon Sarah Bessey's blog and her post about the 10 books she could read over and over again. I was amused to discover I had read eight of the ten books on her list and loved each and every one of them. (I think Sarah and I must be reading soul mates.) One of the books on her list was The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, so I decided to reread it. It's probably been more than 10 years since I last read it, and unlike many of Montgomery's other books, The Blue Castle isn't one I read over and over (and over) again while I was growing up. Since it's considered one of her adult novels, I thought it would be nice to read it again as an adult.

The book was an easy read, and I flew through it in a few days. Once again, I fell in love with Montgomery's beautiful language; she has a way of describing things that make you want to be a part of her characters' world. I also thought it was interesting to read it now since I'm only a couple years older than Valancy. (The first time I read it I probably thought 29 was SO OLD.) Several things struck me this time through that I know I didn't think about years ago— for instance, how difficult it would be to live at home with no employment and to be considered an "old maid" at age 29.

The story also reminded me of another one of my favorite novels: Jane Austen's Persuasion. Both Valancy and Persuasion's Anne Elliot have families who never show an appreciation for either of them. They are peacemakers trying so hard to keep everyone happy that they often ignore their own needs. Both novels show their transformation as they take control of their lives and become stronger, more capable women (for their time, anyway).

After reading The Blue Castle again, I'm looking forward to reading the Anne books later this year. I think revisiting the world of Avonlea sounds like a fun summer activity.

30 Things to Be Thankful For - Day 19

For as long as I can remember, I have been a book worm and a compulsive reader. When I was little, I escaped to the world of Green Gables, Orchard House, and River Heights and wanted to be just like Anne, Jo and Nancy. Today it's very rare to find me without a book in my hand. Books have taught me so much about the world around me and given me insight into human behavior and different cultures. I am grateful for the role they have played and will continue to play in my life.

A Town Like Alice

About a month ago, I came across a list of the top 100 books put out by the BBC (you can find the list here). One of the books on the list was A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute, which I had never heard of before. A few days later, I was visiting my local library and discovered the book on the librarians' choice bookshelf. Once I discovered that it took place in Australia, I was really excited to read it and checked it out (I loved reading The Thorn Birds last year).

The book can be divided into two parts. The first half takes place during World War II as the main character Jean Paget is forced to participate in a Japanese death march with other English female prisoners of war across the Malay peninsula. The second half takes place in Australia and follows the romance between Jean and Joe Harman, an Australian soldier she met during the war. The title of the book comes from Paget's desire to create a "town like Alice" (Alice Springs).

Some of the things I loved about the book:

• Learning about such an interesting (and sad) part of history — the Japanese death march. Shute writes in a note at the end of the book that a death march similar to the one in the book did take place but in Sumatra, not Malaya.
• The Australian setting. It was amazing to catch a glimpse of what life was like in rural Australia in the 1950s.
• Jean Paget. She was such a strong female character who seemed to be able to do anything she set her mind to doing.
• The beautiful love story between Jean and Joe. It was wonderful to read a story with an old-fashioned love story.

What I've been reading . . .

After a long (hard) day at work, I thought I would write about some of the books I’ve been reading the last month and a half.

The latest book I finished was The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. The book takes place in Marblehead, Salem, and Cambridge (among other Massachusetts towns), which made it easier to relate to. The book focuses on Connie Goodwin, a Ph.D. candidate, who makes an interesting discovery at her grandmother’s house one summer: a key inside a Bible with a tag that reads “Deliverance Dane.” This discovery leads her to search for Deliverance’s physick book, or book of spells and recipes. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially because I love books where the narrator has to do research in archives and libraries to solve the mystery. I would recommend the book for anyone interested in early American history.

In July I read The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris. The book is a “sequel” to Chocolat but is definitely much darker and more mystical. Vianne Rocher (now Yanne Charbonneau) and her two daughters are now living in Montmartre in Paris and own a small chocolate shop. One day a woman calling herself Zozie de l'Alba enters the shop and shakes up their quiet life in Paris. While Zozie brings a lot of the light back into the chocolate shop, there is also a sinister side to her presence. I enjoyed this book even more than I thought I would and spent several days entranced by the world that Harris creates.

I also read The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón earlier this month. I really enjoyed Zafón’s previous book The Shadow of the Wind, but The Angel’s Game never grabbed me the same way. The ending also left me cold and a little confused. Zafon’s language is beautiful, however, and he always leaves you with the desire to book a trip to Barcelona.

Twilight was also on my summer reading list, but I can’t say I was too impressed. I think the story is supposed to be the best part, but since I had already seen the movie, the story didn’t pull me in. At least I can say I’ve read it, but I don’t think I’ll waste my time on the other three.

The best part about reading the last month or so is that I’ve checked all but one of these books out from the library (my mom bought me The Girl with No Shadow when she was up here). I love that I can make an online request and then usually pick up the book a few days later. I’m still waiting on Lisa See’s new book Shanghai Girls, but hopefully it will come in soon.

25 Things About Me

(Borrowed from Facebook . . . my blog looked neglected)

1. I’m named after a character in a book my mom read (Calico Palace). My mom was also named after a fictional character (Richardson’s Pamela). I continued the tradition by naming my cat Parker after the tiger in The Life of Pi.

2. I lived in Henderson, Texas, for the first 18 years of my life. Since then, I’ve lived in 3 other states (Mississippi, Florida, and Massachusetts) and 6 cities (Jackson, Austin, Orlando, Nacogdoches, Boston, and Natick).

3. Long underwear is a now a permanent part of my winter wardrobe.

4. My first memory was telling my mom that I wanted a little sister like a girl in my class at preschool. I got Paul instead (and wouldn’t trade him for a million sisters).

5. I am a huge Michelle Kwan fan and am excited that she has hinted at a return to the ice.

6. I love to watch Dancing with the Stars.

7. My favorite book as a child was Anne of Green Gables (I still love it).

8. I don’t like peanut butter.

9. I would really like to visit Australia.

10. I’m a proud Texas Longhorn, but I appreciate the Aggie band more (military-style marching is so difficult to do well).

11. I was a majorette my senior year of high school.

12. My favorite vacations growing up were our trips to the national parks.

13. I have almost mastered the art of shoveling my car out of the snow.

14. I have Cheerios every morning for breakfast.

15. I love Mexican food (what Texas girl doesn’t?). I just wish good Mexican food was easier to find up here in Massachusetts.

16. My brother and I both broke our arms within a week of each other when we were little. I broke my left, and he broke his right. (Just in case you were wondering, these were two distinct incidents. Mine happened at home, and my brother’s happened at school.)

17. I like a lot of my mom’s music (Simon and Garfunkel, Elvis, Carole King, John Denver).

18. I have a fear of knives and apples.

19. I’ve been told I look like both my mom and my dad.

20. I really like ducks.

21. Burt and Ernie were my favorite characters on Sesame Street when I was younger. We still have Christmas tree ornaments that hang on our tree each year.

22. I’ve actually been to Wasilla, Alaska.

23. My cat Sammy is a great mouse killer (he begged me to put this one in).

24. I love that my brother and I have inside jokes (“Section C!”).

25. I’m so ready for summer already, but since I live in Massachusetts, I’ll probably have to wait until June.