Note to myself: I finally finished this post in February of 2025, but am marking it for January 2024 to keep the book posts the same pattern for each year.
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
I finished this in early spring and by early summer knew I was going to Prince Edward Island(PEI) with Shane and some friends. Although I have been watching the movies since I was around twelve years old, I didn’t actually read the books that I can remember, until I was married with children. Before this planned trip, I had been on the island twice, once before Seth was born and then again when Seth was around two. But I hadn’t done any sightseeing, especially not to Green Gables. So when my sister-in-law and a friend planned some sightseeing in PEI for a day, I was up for whatever they wanted to see and do. We made our way to Cavendish and enjoyed the Avonlea Village before going on to Green Gables and then the ocean.
A few pictures from that afternoon at Green Gables and Avonlea Village.
I’m trying all of Pilcher’s novels when I find thrift copies in my travels. I think I could enjoy rereading this again and seeing if it holds up as an enriching read or merely a pleasant one.
I found this copy secondhand and thought since I enjoyed three of her other novels, I would dive into this thick novel. I read it quite consistently, although you see it pictured here with two other books that I was also reading at the same time depending on my mood. This story introduced me to the British Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), colloquially known as the Wrens and their involvement in both the World Wars. I don’t know if I would read this story again as it does at times feel at times like you are continually being led into the next bit of drama one after the other. It could also be that as it is not literature, the author cannot free herself from the view of the modern woman who her main character is becoming. I find Pilcher’s female characters are all predictably modern and therefore predictable.
I spent a good portion of this book half confused as to what exactly I was reading and the other half keeping up with the action and rooting for the ‘good guys’. I’m still not sure what I read but Buchan’s stories are full of people and places that while foreign are also very recognizable in their pursuits. I think the main problem with me having mixed results with Buchan’s novels is that I was not the intended reader. Men and women who had traveled the world a bit more and who fare from Europe much more recently probably followed his plots with ease.
“Drawing is never a practice. To draw is to see and discover. Every time you draw, you discover something new. Remember that.”
Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illustrated by Yas Imamura
I brought this home as an impulse from the library and I really enjoyed the story-telling and illustrations. Then I read the Author’s Note and wish I hadn’t. It contained political polemics from today’s era in order to assign blame for what happened to Americans of Japanese heritage. But the story itself is gently told and illustrated with subtle color and details given the heaviness of the topic.
#1 A True Home
#3 Better Together
#4 Home Again
#5 Due out in September of 2025
Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Júlia Sardá
We borrowed both of these from the library and found them fascinating as brief biographies with captivating illustrations.
You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler
Normally I’m not intrigued by anything promising anything in x amount of time. I usually skip those posts, those pins, those books because it’s usually a case of over-promising and under-delivering fine print. This book does require you to draw everyday for 30 days to bring you to the level of drawing skill promised. And some of the work seems like a lot for one day. But in the time I had to use this book as a library loan, I did see improvement in my drawing and more importantly, in my ‘seeing’. I have this currently on my wish-list so I hope to return to practicing the skills he teaches.
A little book of poems that I found secondhand after reading through them at Internet Archive. I first heard about her because of her writing on architectural criticisms. I haven’t read her on those topics, but this little book on poetry is delightful.
