I was in a bit of a reading slump. COVID really knocked me out, and one of the balls that I dropped was my library stack. I just sort of let it languish until I had over $100 in fines for late books. FINALLY I dragged myself back to the library, but I couldn’t really get motivated to go because none of my holds were coming in. After I returned my late books, I logged into my library account and saw that ALL MY HOLDS WERE GONE. So all the summer blockbusters I was at the front of the line for? Now I am number 704 on like 13 copies. WHYYYYYYYYY? Anyway, the moral of the story is return your books on time.
Anyway, here are the books I read in June:
The Anne Series:
Rainbow Valley by LM Montgomery: I wanted MOAR Anne and less preaching, although I forgot all about the Meredith children. Really, though, I want to see Anne and Diana cope with all the unpleasantness of getting older and losing parents, etc. Instead, we just see Anne as she drives by in a carriage with Gilbert a couple of times or listens to a child cry about something ridiculous and doesn’t laugh because she is the best mom ever.
Rilla of Ingleside by LM Montgomery: Oh, this one is almost too sad, even though I know it’s coming. It’s especially sad to read when I have kids Rilla’s age in an unstable world. Also, Anne and Gilbert are getting old, but it’s the last book, so I have to imagine their decline.
Anne of Windy Poplars by LM Montgomery: College Anne is adorable, but working lady Anne is even better. I wanted more Avonlea news, and it was midway through this book that I realized Montgomery just sort of abandons all of those characters. Like, Anne goes to visit from time to time, but I want to know about Dora and Davy and Mrs. Rachel.
Anne of Ingleside by LM Montgomery: Again! I still want to know Anne. The last chapter where she’s mad at Gilbert and jealous of his old college flame? MORE LIKE THAT. I also think the way Montgomery romanticized marriage and kids and motherhood influenced me more than I can say. I actually think I cared less about college and may future career because part of me thought I would just work until I had kids and then I’d have my old big old house (but not my own Susan Baker darn it-- and the house turned out to be cozy and new) full of kids to take care of. I guess I should have married the town doctor? I am actually still made at myself for not going to med school— or for not even considering it as a thing I was capable of doing? And I sort of blame Anne Blythe. So many odd little details about marriage and motherhood stuck with me from these later books, only I didn’t realize they were Montgomery’s doing until I read the books again. What I am saying, even though it sounds very Anne-like and dramatic, is that these books shaped my world view. I read them a hundred thousand times as a little kid and tween, and I think they just sort of seeped into my consciousness. A feminist with a checkered past, indeed.
Anne’s House of Dreams by LM Montgomery: My favorite of the series. So heartbreaking, but it also does such a great job of capturing the potential of a young marriage.
After giving the whole series a thorough reread and examining my own ideology, here’s my definitive Anne Shirley Blythe book ranking:
1. Anne’s House of Dreams
2. Anne of Green Gables
3. Anne of Ingleside
4. Anne of Avonlea
5. Anne of Windy Poplars
6. Rilla of Ingleside
7. Anne of the Island
8. Rainbow Valley
ALSO! I bought the series on eBay so I could enjoy the same Bantam editions I read as a kid, and this added to my enjoyment, I am sure. And I had excellent vision when I was a kid-- dang are those pages teeny.
The rest of June:
Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner: Believe it or not, I have only recently started reading Weiner, so I am checking out her backlist. **Audio
The Night She Went Missing by Kristen Bird: A completely serviceable suspense book. Liked it a lot. **2022 **Audio
Meant to Be by Emily Giffin: Not my favorite of hers, but I borrowed it from a friend and am delighted to have read a big summer book on time. **2022
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: Corey recommended this one, and it is a DELIGHT. **Audio
Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C Ford: This memoir is outstanding, and you should read it. The author reads the audio book, which is also terrific. **Audio
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn: Solid meh. Although I, too, have a thing for plucky WWII lady fiction (no commas for more meanings). **2022 **Audio
The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark: This twisty thriller was my June Book of the Month pick, and it was everything I wanted a light summer read to be.
Home or Away by Kathleen West: If your kids play hockey, you must read this. If your kids play another competitive sport, you should for use. Not great lit but very appealing. **2022 **Audio
The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner: Yep. An excellent summer read. **2022
The Lifeguards by Amanda Eyre Ward: I really liked The Jetsetters, and this one was great, too. Very twisty and summery and about insecure moms, a subject about which I have a soft spot. **2022 **Audio
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub: I loved this book, but it made me cry. A lot. And basically all the way through. I loved the main character's ironic stance on time travel even as it happened to her, and I really, really loved all the tiny stuff she remembered to remember after she started traveling. This book is a delight. But a sad one. **2022 **Audio
This Month:
16 Books
8 books published in 2022
8 print books and 8 audiobooks
This Year:
126 books
47 books published in 2022
64 print books and 62 audiobooks
I know others who love Anne's House of Dreams. It was NOT my thing. I love the first three fiercely and then tolerated most of the rest. I actually really like Rilla of Ingleside though it is so, so sad. I agree with you all the way that I just want more of Anne and Diana in the later books. The Meredith kids are all fine...but ANNE! Give me Anne!
ReplyDeleteAlso, as always, you say something that makes me want to pee my pants in laughter. This post?
"It was hard to read with my eyes this month."
Too funny!