On Past And Future Reading Projects

I'm always trying to get more reading done and nothing motivates like a reading challenge, right?

At least, that's what I'm telling myself year after year when I sign up to yet another reading challenge that I fully intend to complete, but deep down know I wont.

Last year's project was The 12 Months Classics Challenge.
The mission: read 12 classics in a year. A quite simple and easy goal to accomplish.

So did I finish it?

Need you even ask? Of course I didn't!

Then was it a failure? Not at all!

Though I didn't get through all 12 books I read 6 of them - books I wouldn't have read if not for the challenge. And I discovered 2 new instant favourites, so last year was by no means wasted on the literary front.

Let me briefly tell you my thoughts on the books I read:

January- A classic you've always wanted to read
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 
I fell completely in love with this book right from the start. I'd wanted to read it for more than 10 years but the timing never seemed right (and because I knew I would love it, I needed to be in the right mood before starting it).
It was brilliantly written. And just the vocabulary used impressed me (I had to look so many words up in the dictionary). And off course Jane!! I loved Jane. She is such a wonderful character.
Mr Rochester on the other hand, I wasn't very impressed with. It wasn't until the end of the book I started liking him. But what an ending! And What a book.
In case you haven't guessed it, this was an instant new favourite.

                                                 

February- A classic you've always dreaded reading
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

I thought I would have to drag myself through this play with sheer will power, but I must say I liked it a great deal more than expected. Rationally the plot makes little sense and I generally dislike mushy romances and love at first sight, but the plot just sucked me in and all the speeches were so sweet that I just bought it all for a little while. And that ending was so tragic, even though I knew it was coming. So all in all, I actually liked it and wouldn't mind reading it again someday in the far future.

                                         

March- A classic you've been recommended
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Everyone in the blogging world was gushing about this book so I decided to read it, and boy am I glad I did. Never have I felt so instantly drawn to a character as I did to Valancey and her sad life. And it's been a long time since I enjoyed a book more than this one. I may even like it better than the Anne-books, because it's just so thoroughly sweet and delightful and it makes you all happy and gooey inside. Another instant favourite!

                                    

April- A classic you've seen the movie/miniseries/TV show of
The Code Of The Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
The one word to describe this book is hilarious! Wodehouse's books have the ability to make me shriek with laughter all the way through and this was no exception. If you' enjoyed the TV show, I can promise you taht you will enjoy the book even more!

                                        
May- An American classic
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stove
To tell you the truth, I never really got into this book. The characters were good the plot was good but the narrator was really obnoxious. And when I had to return the book to the library I realised that with only 70 pages left of the book I didn't really care what happened to everyone. So I technically never finished it, but I am still counting it as read.

                                     

June- A British classic
The Hound Of The Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
A truly classic Sherlock Holmes story that I had somehow never read or watched so it was with bated breath I read this book. I love Sherlock Holmes so naturally I loved this book as well, and can now say that I've read all 3 Sherlock Holmes novellas.


There! That's brief reviews on all the classics I read last year.

I actually promised myself to not start any new reading projects this year and instead focus on rereading my favourite books. That soon turned into dubbing this the year of non-fiction, but let's see which of the projects I stick with;)

And as fate will have it, I had no sooner given myself the above mentioned promise before I stumbled upon Heidi's Adventure of Reading Challenge 2017. And as I cannot resist a good challenge I just have to be a part of it. This year I will be wise and do like Heidi herself: start at the Explorer level that is 3-5 books, and then take it from there.

                                      

I do not yet know what I will be reading, but I will make a page dedicated to this project and add books as I think of them (in case anyone is interested in my progress)

Do you have any reading projects for 2017?

Anne Of Green Gables Tag

As you may have noticed from the button, these days Miss Evie is hosting an Anne Of Green Gables Week at Over The Hills.          

10 days dedicated to Anne can only be great as we all know;)

To kick the week off Evie has made this delightful tag, and here are my answers:                

1. How did you get introduced to Anne of Green Gables?

Originally my mother showed me first part of the movie, but for some strange reason I didn't like it and therefore didn't finish it.
A few years later, however, one of our friends gave me the book, and now I loved it! (And I also love the movie today)


2. Are you more like Anne or Diana? Why?

Definitely Anne! If in doubt I refer to the banner at the bottom of my blog;)
No seriously, I, like Anne, have a very vivid imagination, I love dreaming me away to far off places and create dramatic stories in my head. And I like using big words too:) 

                                

3. If Rachel Lynde called your hair as red as carrots how would you react? 

I would politely ask her if she needed new glasses, as my hair is obviously not red but blond;)


4. Gilbert or Morgan Harris? 

Gilbert!

                                 

5. Honest opinion on the third Anne film. 

It should never have been made!
There was plenty of source material for a sequel, so I don't understand why anyone would throw it away and simply make up a new plot.
 

6. Have you seen the New Anne film? 

No, but I just watched the trailer, and despite Gilbert looking all wrong, I think it could be fun to watch.


7. What in your own words is a Kindred Spirit?

A Kindred Spirit is when another persons thoughts are in sync with your own, and when there are thoughts you can't properly express in words, they still know exactly what you mean.

                     

8.  Movie Gilbert or Green Gables Fables Gilbert?

I haven't watched Green Gables Fables, but I don't think anyone can compare with movie Gilbert.


9.  Does anyone know where we can watch Road to Avonlea online?

No, sadly not.

10. Favourite book cover? 

This one:

                                


11. The Films or The Books?

The books, always the books!
The films may be good, but they're not very true to the books (except the first one), and what I love about the books are all the little vignettes of Anne's everyday life and adventures:)

Inkling Explorations And A Lady's Dress

It's time for the monthly Inkling Explorations!

This month's theme is: a description of a lady's dress in literature.

Luckily for me, Heidi allowed entries written in September, so without further ado here is a lovely little scene from Anne Of Green Gables:  

"Anne took the dress and looked at it in reverent silence. Oh, how pretty it was—a lovely soft brown gloria with all the gloss of silk; a skirt with dainty frills and shirrings; a waist elaborately pintucked in the most fashionable way, with a little ruffle of filmy lace at the neck. But the sleeves—they were the crowning glory! Long elbow cuffs, and above them two beautiful puffs divided by rows of shirring and bows of brown-silk ribbon."

For more descriptions of frills, ruffles and finery, don't forget to visit the link-up on Heidi's blog.

Inkling Explorations And Roses

                  

It's June, which means a new Inkling Explorations theme.

It's a good one this time!!
The theme is: Roses in books or films.

As Heidi herself mentions, the Anne Of Green Gables series mentions roses quite a lot, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the scene I've chosen comes from one of those books.

More precisely, it comes from Anne's House Of Dreams, and it's the scene where Owen Ford proposes to Leslie.

                  

"This house was builded and consecrated by love," said Owen. "Such houses, MUST exert an influence over those who live in them. And this garden—it is over sixty years old and the history of a thousand hopes and joys is written in its blossoms. Some of those flowers were actually set out by the schoolmaster's bride, and she has been dead for thirty years. Yet they bloom on every summer. Look at those red roses, Leslie—how they queen it over everything else!"

"I love the red roses," said Leslie. "Anne likes the pink ones best, and Gilbert likes the white. But I want the crimson ones. They satisfy some craving in me as no other flower does."

"These roses are very late—they bloom after all the others have gone—and they hold all the warmth and soul of the summer come to fruition," said Owen, plucking some of the glowing, half-opened buds.

"The rose is the flower of love—the world has acclaimed it so for centuries. The pink roses are love hopeful and expectant—the white roses are love dead or forsaken—but the red roses—ah, Leslie, what are the red roses?"

"Love triumphant," said Leslie in a low voice.

"Yes—love triumphant and perfect. Leslie, you know—you understand. I have loved you from the first. And I KNOW you love me—I don't need to ask you. But I want to hear you say it—my darling—my darling!"

Leslie said something in a very low and tremulous voice. Their hands and lips met; it was life's supreme moment for them and as they stood there in the old garden, with its many years of love and delight and sorrow and glory, he crowned her shining hair with the red, red rose of a love triumphant.

Isn't it a sweet scene? Apart from the whole proposal part, I remember that 14 year old me was thrilled to learn about the language of roses, when I read this for the first time.

Would you like to read about more rose related scenes?
Then be sure to pop over at Heidi's blog and read the other participants' entries.

The Lucy Maud Montgomery Tag

This week Eva has a lot of L. M. Montgomery themed posts on her blog. One of the first was a L. M. Montgomery themed tag so how could I ever resist filling it out?

Here are my answers 

How did you first discover LMM’s books?

A friend of the family gave me Anne of Green Gables when I was 14, and I've been hooked ever since.
                                            

What’s your favorite LMM book? 

That's a really hard question! I think Anne Of The Island. I really love all the adventures she has with all her friends while at university. Also this is the book she realises what everyone else have known since book one; that she and Gilbert belongs together.


What’s your least favorite LMM book?

Emily's quest. I just found the plot a bit messy and there were way too many strange occurrences.


Who is your favorite character in allllll of LMM’s works?

Do you even know what you are asking of me? How can I choose? I'll go with the obvious choice and say Anne Shirley.

                         

What couple is your favorite?

Definitely Anne and Gilbert.

                         

What is your favorite quote from LMM (either a quote from one of her books, or from her personal life)?

There are so many to choose from... but this passage from Anne Of Avonlea has always been a favourite of mine:

“Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps . . . perhaps . . . love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.” 


How many LMM books have you read?

I have read all the Anne books and all the Emily books, so that makes 11.


Which LMM book would you most like to see made into a movie?

Rilla Of Ingleside!! It is such a moving story that would make a great movie. 

                                              

Have you found a kindred spirit?

Yes, I think I have:-)

For much more LMM related goodness, don't forget to pop over at Eva's blog, the party goes on until Sunday.

Inkling Explorations and Railways

                        

Well, it is once again time for Inkling Explorations. This month has a gorgeous theme: a scene happening around a train or a train station.

I know the possibilities are endless, and I spent quite some time thinking on them. When I heard the theme I immediately thiught of North & South, Miss Potter and several other heartwarming goodbyes or reunions between lovers, but on further thought I remembered what my absolute favourite railway scene is.

It is from "Rilla of Ingleside", which in itself has quite its share of train station scenes, but the one that tuches me the most and bring me near tears everytime is this scene near the end of the book where Jem Blythe returns and is welcomed by his faithful dog, who has been waiting for him for four years:

"One spring day, when the daffodils were blowing on the Ingleside lawn, and the banks of the brook in Rainbow Valley were sweet with white and purple violets, the little, lazy afternoon accommodation train pulled into the Glen station. It was very seldom that passengers for the Glen came by that train, so nobody was there to meet it except the new station agent and a small black-and-yellow dog, who for four and a half years had met every train that had steamed into Glen St. Mary. Thousands of trains had Dog Monday met and never had the boy he waited and watched for returned. Yet still Dog Monday watched on with eyes that never quite lost hope. Perhaps his dog-heart failed him at times; he was growing old and rheumatic; when he walked back to his kennel after each train had gone his gait was very sober now--he never trotted but went slowly with a drooping head and a depressed tail that had quite lost its old saucy uplift.

One passenger stepped off the train--a tall fellow in a faded lieutenant's uniform, who walked with a barely perceptible limp. He had a bronzed face and there were some grey hairs in the ruddy curls that clustered around his forehead. The new station agent looked at him anxiously. He was used to seeing the khaki-clad figures come off the train, some met by a tumultuous crowd, others, who had sent no word of their coming, stepping off quietly like this one. But there was a certain distinction of bearing and features in this soldier that caught his attention and made him wonder a little more interestedly who he was.

A black-and-yellow streak shot past the station agent. Dog Monday stiff? Dog Monday rheumatic? Dog Monday old? Never believe it. Dog Monday was a young pup, gone clean mad with rejuvenating joy.

He flung himself against the tall soldier, with a bark that choked in his throat from sheer rapture. He flung himself on the ground and writhed in a frenzy of welcome. He tried to climb the soldier's khaki legs and slipped down and groveled in an ecstasy that seemed as if it must tear his little body in pieces. He licked his boots and when the lieutenant had, with laughter on his lips and tears in his eyes, succeeded in gathering the little creature up in his arms Dog Monday laid his head on the khaki shoulder and licked the sunburned neck, making queer sounds between barks and sobs.

The station agent had heard the story of Dog Monday. He knew now who the returned soldier was. Dog Monday's long vigil was ended. Jem Blythe had come home."

For more beautiful train related scenes or stories, don't forget to check out the link-up at Sharing the Journey.