Books
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Finding Faith in Avonlea: Spirituality in L.M. Montgomery’s Writing
I know it’s not just me who feels that L.M. Montgomery’s novels are beloved for their vivid landscapes, heartfelt characters, and a sense of homecoming that transcends time and place. But beneath the charm of Green Gables or the wind-whipped shores of Prince Edward Island lies a subtler thread: faith. Not always overtly religious, Montgomery’s works explore spirituality in ways that resonate deeply, offering lessons for both the devout and the seeking soul. Let’s explore a little deeper. The Quiet Spirituality of Montgomery’s Characters Montgomery often portrays faith as a part of everyday life. In Anne of Green Gables, Marilla Cuthbert’s staunch Presbyterian values contrast with Anne Shirley’s effusive, almost mystical…
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Review Part 2: Pat of Silver Bush by L.M. Montgomery
I finished Pat of Silver Bush the other night! Boy was it heart-wrenching in parts, but mostly just so uplifting and wonderful. Like I’ve said in the first part of this review, Pat’s pure-hearted passion for nature and life just shines through so beautifully. I think she may be one of my top L.M. Montgomery book heroines of all time, but we’ll see how she does in Mistress Pat (the second book in the series.) Uninteresting, but I seriously hemmed and hawed over starting the second book right now, since it’s my last L.M. Montgomery novel ever (that I know of.) I was considering interrupting the series with her Christmas…
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Review Part 1: Pat of Silver Bush by L.M. Montgomery
Typically, I wouldn’t write a review of a book before actually finishing it but a) I have no idea how much I have left in this one as my Kindle edition contains both books in the series and I’m loathe to accidentally jump ahead and spoil anything for myself, and b) I got up to a particular bit of this book last night and it hurt my very soul. Pregnancy hormones didn’t help there either. Let me start this by saying I’ve had a really rough twin pregnancy week. I’ve been in and out of hospital with various aches and pains. All normal, I’m told, just twin pregnancy, I’m told,…
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Can we stop using the term ‘Toxic Positivity’?
Hear me out: I’ve recently chosen to take a break from social media on my phone again by deleting the Instagram app. Why? Because the whole world seems so negative. Whether it’s reactions to global events or political elections or even benign everyday stuff, it seems like everyone prefers to have a good moan rather than be positive. What’s worse, if you call that kind of behaviour out, it’s often referred to as ‘toxic positivity’ in this modern day and age. So what exactly is toxic positivity? Chat GPT says: “Toxic positivity is the excessive or insincere promotion of a positive mindset, often dismissing or invalidating real emotions. It pressures…
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Review: Dune by Frank Herbert
I think as with any major franchise, people fall into two categories: those who read Herbert’s books then watched the films, and those who watched the movies and wanted to try the books. I’m in the latter camp. I’m going to start this by saying it took me ages to get into the films – it was only some time mid-second movie that I really felt I’d caught on and enjoyed them. So much so that I immediately bought the first book for myself and my dad. You see, we’ve been long-time scifi fans (yes, you can like Victorian literature and science fiction.) My dad has hundreds if not thousands…
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Let’s Grow a Garden – Jane of Lantern Hill
Ahh, it feels great to finally start my first blog on this topic. I’ve often thought about planting a lovely garden, or at least a flower bed, per my favourite books. Of all my beloved L.M. Montgomery novels, Jane of Lantern Hill is up there with the best of them. I love the character, and her interesting relationship with both her parents. I love the way she takes joy in her garden, and how well it’s described. I’ve said it before, but it’s really one of my favourite hallmarks of Montgomery’s books, and why I go back to them again and again. Here are some quotes that describe Jane’s garden,…
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Review: L.M. Montgomery’s Short Stories 1904-1922
In the interest of transparency, I’m currently on – possibly – my last ever L.M. Montgomery books, namely the Pat of Silver Bush series. All I have left after this is, to the best of my knowledge, the Christmas short story collection, and there’s a good chance it contains stuff I’ve already read. I first started reading L.M. Montgomery’s books when one of my best friends recommended Anne of Green Gables back in 2020/2021. I quickly went through everything she’s ever written. I’ve adored her lifelike characters, the optimism in her stories, and the many descriptions of gardens and landscapes. So when I found the short story collections on Amazon,…
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Musings on faith, L.M. Montgomery, and my own history
For a while now, I’ve been thinking about adding some sort of faith-based content to my work. Please don’t lose me straight off the bat: I, like many of you, used to be a kind of dabbling agnostic. I believed in *something*, but I rarely went to church and didn’t investigate my faith further at all. Then in 2015 I became ill. It’s still weird for me to look back at, because it felt like it happened over night. You see I’ve always had slight OCD tendencies (not the cleaning one, but rubbish thoughts entering my head, having to double and tripe check things, getting up at night and smelling…
