30 Days of Books ~ Day 16

Day 16 ~ Favourite Female Character

I am going to go with Anne from Anne of Green Gables and the sequels. I still remember collecting the series from a local bookstore when I was little. And, then I read them one summer and loved them. I have two copies of Anne of Green Gables because I have an old copy that belonged to my mother. Anyway, I just love Anne and her optimism and spirit and the way that she looks at the world. When you read these books it is like a breath of fresh air! 

Audiobook Review: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Completed: January 22, 2014
Length: 10 Hours, 2 Minutes
Narrated by: Shelly Frasier

Synopsis from Audible:

When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables send for a boy orphan to help them out at their farm, they mistakenly get Anne Shirley, a feisty, independent but warm-hearted 11-year-old girl. Fortunately her sunny nature and quirky imagination win the hearts of her reluctant foster parents and everyone in the community. But not a day goes by without some memorable adventure or prank in the tragicomedy of her life. Early on she accidentally dyes her "cursed" red hair green. Later, in an effort to impress a neighbor, she bakes a cake, but with liniment instead of vanilla.

Lucy wrote that Anne is an extension of herself and represents the independent, "new" woman of the emerging 20th century. Individualistic, resourceful, and of a great humanitarian heart, she remains a great role model for girls and women today.

In 2014 I made it my goal to read all of Lucy Maud Montgomery's books. In some cases these are rereads, like with this book, but in other cases I am going to be reading them for the very first time. It's a great project for my TBR in that sense because I have had many of them sit on my shelves for years unread. A few years ago I purged all my classics because you can get them for free as e-books. I kept my Montgomery's, though. I remember when I was about 10 I collected the entire Anne series and read them all. It was university before I read Emily and I STILL haven't read that trilogy entirely.

Fiction or Non-Fiction? Genre?: Classic Canadian Fiction.

What Lead You to Pick up This Book: Well, the project all started because I saw a few bloggers rereading Montgomery last year and it made me want to revisit her. I am sort of reading in order of publication. The deviation from this is that she only wrote short stories between 1896 and 1908 when this book was published. I read short story collections slowly, so I will work them in as the year progresses. I chose to listen to Anne, instead of read it, because Shelly Frasier narrates, and I really liked her narration of Stiff by Mary Roach.

Summarize the Plot: It's pretty simple, really. Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert make plans to adopt a little boy to help Matthew out with the farm. Wires get crossed, though, and a little girl is sent instead. Matthew was too shy to tell her they didn't want a girl and takes her back to Green Gables. At first Marilla had planned to send her back, but Anne wins them both over. The rest of the book is Anne growing up and having unique adventures.

What Did you Like Most About this Book? I love Anne. I know that some people like Emily better, and if I actually finish her books this year my opinion could sway, but ultimately Anne represents my childhood. I read the books, remember buying each book with my own money, and watched the shows. Anne is such a strong, vibrant character that even now I felt like I was just revisiting old friends. (It helps that I have actually been to Prince Edward Island and saw a lot of what is mentioned in the book.) I am pretty sure this series of books, with Marilla, Matthew, Diana, Gilbert, etc, has stayed with me more than anything else I have ever read.

What Did you Like Least? I have read this book so many times over the years that I can't really say anything bad about it.

What Did You Think of the Writing Style? What I always do with Montgomery... She is big on simplistic settings, morals, and the idea of right and wrong. It is definitely a view of her up-bringing and place in the world. To be honest, Montgomery is not a writer I would generally like at all. I just discovered her when I was young, I guess, and can overlook the syrupy writing that I would be less likely to ignore with other authors.

What Did you Think of the Main Character? I love Anne! She is vibrant, imaginative, and captivating. She definitely comes to life in these books. She is one of my favourite literary characters.

What Did you Think of the Ending? There are no cliffhangers in Montgomery's book. At the end everything is tied up nicely and if there was never another book you wouldn't really feel you were missing anything.

Thoughts on the Audio: Well, this was a hard one to get into in the beginning. First, Stiff and Anne of Green Gables are so completely unrelated that it was a bit weird at first. And then there was the fact that I have seen the mini-series too many times and had different voices in my head for the characters. At first I even thought the audio was a bad idea, but once I got going I was fine. I plan to listen to Anne of Avonlea, too, because Shelly Frasier narrates that one as well.

Overall, I am glad I tried out audio for something different. I still love this book and am glad it is not one of those books that loses something when you are older.

In a Dream World... Thoughts for 2014

I never really make reading resolutions or any of that, but I can't help thinking about things I would love to finally get around to doing. I own the entire In Death series by J.D. Robb and I have only read like ten of them. I went through my Terry Pratchett collection and I almost own them all. I started Lois McMaster Bujold's books a couple years ago, keep buying them when I see them at the second hand store, and then promptly let them lie around my shelves. Then there is Dragonlance. I love the books by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I haven't read any books in that series since I read three of them in a row one year for the Once Upon a Time challenge. Another series I collect that just sits on my shelves. And, the thing is, this is just a small selection of the series I am in the midst of that I seem never destined to catch-up in. I have issues.

I am wickedly excited that Robin Hobb is returning to her roots and writing a new book that may come out in 2014. But, why? I haven't read all of her books yet. I consider Patricia Briggs one of my favourite authors out there... I haven't read all of her books yet. I was devastated when Sara Douglass died, but, yet have only read like 3 books by her and own all the rest. I could go on here... It's just getting overwhelming and I think that is why 2013 was so quiet for me. EVERYTHING IS A SERIES! And not a nice, manageable series. They say it will be a standalone or a trilogy or whatever and then next thing you know there are 'companion' books. Susan Carroll supposedly was done her Cheney Sisters series and then suddenly in 2014 a sixth book was released. So, now one of the few series I was caught-up in... I am behind in...

So, what is this leading up to? I need to catch-up on things in 2014... The problem is I lack the ability to not start a new series. I have tried to be very strict about it and get to the end of a book only to find there is not a conclusive ending. Or companion books are announced. Or I just really want to read a book and forget my rule of not starting a new series... Let's look at December for an example:

Level Two by Lenore Appelhans - Book 1 in a new trilogy.
Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan - Book 1 in a four book series.
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett - Part of the Discworld series, so at least working at it.
The Diviners by Libba Bray - Book 1 in a new trilogy.
Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong - Book 1 in a trilogy.

Currently reading:
A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway -  Book 1 in a series. (I think. Could also just be a trilogy...)
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells - Book 1 in a trilogy.
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold - At least part of the Vorksogian series so working on an on-going series.

See... No wonder I can't finish anything. It would be so nice to do something productive in 2014. I have been toying with catching-up in Terry Pratchett, but I take breaks between series books and then something new and shiny comes along and I never seem to get back to them... I know I am not alone with this, but I also know there are bloggers that actually read all the books in a row and then don't have to be behind all the time.

This all leads up to one thing I would really like to do in 2014... Reread, and read for the first time, as much of Lucy Maud Montgomery's books as possible. Here is the list of what I consider my goal for 2014:

Anne of Green Gables (1908) (Reread.) - Own
Anne of Avonlea (1909) (Reread.) - Own
Kilmeny of the Orchard (1910) (New read.)
The Story Girl (1911) (New read.)
Chronicles of Avonlea (1912) (New Read)
The Golden Road (1913) (New read.)
Anne of the Island (1915) (Reread) - Own
Anne's House of Dreams (1917) (Reread) - Own
Rainbow Valley (1919) (Reread) - Own
Further Chronicles of Avonlea (1920) (New Read)
Rilla of Ingleside (1921) (Reread) - Own
Emily of New Moon (1923) (Reread)
Emily Climbs (1925) (New read) - Own
The Blue Castle (1926) (New Read) - Own
Emily's Quest (1927) (New Read) - Own
Magic for Marigold (1929) (New Read)
A Tangled Web (1931) (New Read) - Own
Pat of Silver Bush (1933) (New Read) - Own
Mistress Pat (1935) (New Read)
Anne of Windy Poplars (1936) (Reread) - Own
Jane of Lantern Hill (1937) (New Read) - Own
Anne of Ingleside (1939) (Reread) - Own
The Road to Yesterday (1974) (New Read) - Own

Firstly, I used to own both Avonlea books and I know I had Emily of New Moon. I wonder where they wandered off to... Anyway, if I can read these 23 books in 2014 I get to get Lucy Maud Montgomery's collected journals at the end of the year... They were released separately, but last year and the year before the Collected Editions started appearing. I also might do audio for some of them... Maybe the rereads? What lead to this entirely was listening to Stiff by Mary Roach on audio. The narrator was awesome and that lead me to see what else she narrates... Lucy Maud Montgomery, apparently. (Sadly just the first two Anne books, so I will return to reading after listening to those two.)

So, what are your thoughts on series? Do you feel overwhelmed at times like me? Do you have any projects for 2014?

Emily of New Moon - Lucy Maud Montgomery (Feb/06)

This is one of those books that I have been meaning to read for quite some time. I had read the entire Anne of Green Gables series one summer... quite a while ago actually, but never made it to Emily. When my professor put the book on my Atlantic Canadian fiction course, though, I was quite happy. The novel is about a young girl on the brink of maturity, struggling with the obstacles that life has thrown her way. Her mother died when she was very young, so for several years it had been just her and her father. Then, he develops tuberculosis and she finds herself alone in the world until her mother's relatives claim her. It is an interesting process of elimination as to which family she winds up with, because instead of the family deciding which one wanted her, they make her draw a name out of a hat of all things. So, she starts off her new life feeling quite alone.

New Moon, the house she ends up at, has many adventures waiting for her. Instead of an author like Anne is in her series, Emily prefers poetry and only dabbles in the novel format. Her family does not consider it an appropriate pasttime for a young lady, so she finds that she has to hide it from them. It is a novel that covers many things: the lose of a parent, the adjustment to a new house, crazy relatives, pursuing an unorthidox career for young ladies of the time, and much more. Emily is a remarkable young lady and very unconventional for her time. I saw many parallels with Anne, but at the same time Emily is her own person. That left me with the question of who I liked better, Emily or Anne. I think they both have wonderful atributes, but I have been in love with Anne of Green Gables for many years and just can not replace it so easily.

I am afraid to say anymore about this novel because I think that Emily is something that you have to experience without much forward knowledge. The fact that I find her sort of annoying might not appeal to people, so I don't want to discourage reading her!

4/5