So I recently discovered (to my absolute horror) that my mother had never read the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. Now, this is a series I have read and reread and reread some more. How is it possible that my mom missed out on such beloved books? That has now been remedied. She has read Anne of Green Gables, and I asked her if she would be willing to share her thoughts about it on Smiling Shelves. Here they are!

For some reason, I missed reading some of the childhood classics until I was older.  I don’t know why.  My mother devoured books when she had time, read to us often, and took us to the library frequently.  Before every vacation we made a trip to the library and came home with bags of books.  Still, I only discovered The Chronicles of Narnia when I was 25, read Tolkien in my 40’s, and am reading Anne of Green Gables for the first time now in my 60’s (early 60’s, mind you. :) )

It’s different reading books intended for a younger audience when you’re older.  I’ve read the Chronicles of Narnia three times now, I think, and find new insights each time.  I remember being totally absorbed in the Tolkien trilogy. (And, with my imagination, being glad I hadn’t read it as a child).

Anne presents some different thoughts.  Had I read these books when I was in middle school, I think I would have reread them a number of times and romanticized them.  Now I can enjoy L. M. Montgomery’s thoroughly developed characters and appreciate them from a different point of view.  A teacher by trade and also a mom, I keep wanting Marilla to hug Anne, encourage her, praise her for trying to “behave”, and just basically let some things go.  That Anne can accept her own imperfections with the experiences she has had in her life is pretty amazing.  But what an engaging optimist!  Montgomery has you cheering for her in every chapter. 

Matthew is consistent as well, with his drawling, “Well, now….” as he gathers his thoughts.  His trying to buy Anne a dress and coming home with farm implements was hilarious!

Anne, of course, is my favorite character.  One of my favorite chapters was when she nursed Diana’s little sister through the croup, endearing herself (finally) to Diana’s mother.  And the walk through the Haunted Wood, when her own imagination had her terrified was laughable.  Her rapturously expounding on natural beauty makes one appreciate one’s surroundings a little more.

All in all, I think I am fully enjoying Anne more than I would have had I read it in my teens.  Some books can be discovered and savored at any age.

I read The Last Dragonslayer, the first book in this series, nearly a year ago. I tried to write a review of it then, and couldn’t get beyond the first sentence (which, if you’re curious, was, “The Last Dragonslayer is the book I have always wanted to write.“). I read The Song of the Quarkbeast, the second book in this series several months ago. And there it sat in my review-to-be-written pile.

I’m not finding it hard to write reviews because I didn’t love the books. Because believe me, I LOVED these books. It’s just – how do you review, let alone describe, something that Jasper Fforde has written? The quirkiness is overpowering.

Find The Last Dragonslayer on:  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Better World Books
Find The Song of the Quarkbeast on:  Goodreads  |  Amazon

This is the first year I participated in the What's in a Name Reading Challenge, which is hosted by The Worm Hole, although I know it's a standard in the blogosphere. Even though there were only six categories, it was surprisingly hard to find books that would work for each. I tried to overlap this with my TBR challenge, and only choose books that I already own. I succeeded, except for the weather category. Not too bad!

A reference to time: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 by James Shapiro
A position of royalty: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
A number written in letters: A Romance on Three Legs by Katie Hafner
A forename or names: Jesus by Walter Wangerin
A type or element of weather: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A school subject: A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

I was really excited for this challenge, because it allowed me to reread books without feeling guilty about it. Especially important because I planned to reread all of the Harry Potter books over the summer (which I did, in a crazy four-day marathon). I'm grateful to Bev at My Reader's Block for hosting this challenge and allowing me to reread books I love!

1. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
4. The Constantine Codex by Paul Maier
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
8. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
11. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
12. Persuasion by Jane Austen

After a crazy couple of weeks, I am looking forward to a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving with lots of good food and time spent with family and giving thanks to God. I hope everyone is able to enjoy some time over Thanksgiving (if you live in a country that celebrates Thanksgiving now. If not, I hope you have a wonderful week, all the same!)

The President's Lady by Irving Stone (Who knew that Andrew and Rachel Jackson has such an amazing love story?)

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (A Newbery Award winner that I am finding quite enjoyable.)

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (My Classics Club spin book that I will get around to reading eventually.)

I created this challenge in 2014 as an encouragement for myself to read more Newbery Award winners and Newbery Honor books. It worked! So far this year, I've read eleven Newbery books, and I'm hoping to sneak a few more in before the end of the year.

I also discovered that there were people out there like me who wanted to read more Newbery books, so I've decided to host this challenge again in 2015. The rules are basically the same. Check it out below, and I hope you decide to join us!

Each book you read is worth points. You get:

• 3 points for a Newbery Medal Winner
• 2 points for a Newbery Honor Book
• 1 point for a Caldecott Medal Winner (Gotta give the picture books some love, too.)

In addition to that, you pick a level to aim for:

• L'Engle: 15 - 29 points
• Spinelli: 30 - 44 points
• Avi: 45 - 59 points
• Lowry: 60 - 74 points
• Konigsburg: 75+ points

You can get to this level with any combination of points you want. You can read all Newbery Medal winners. You can throw in a few Honor Books. If you want, you can even read 75 Caldecott Medal winners! How you get to your point level is totally up to you. 

Also, anywhere is the point range for your level counts as completing that level. So for example, if you signed up for the Avi level and read 46 points' worth of books, then you have completed that level!

Challenge Guidelines:

• Rereads count (because you were probably a kid when you read it last, and your perspective on the story just might have changed since then).
• Audiobooks and ebooks count.
• And paper books count, too. :)
• All books must be read between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2015. Books begun before January 1 don’t count.
• Books can be used for other challenges as well.
• You don’t have to have a blog to participate. You can link up reviews from Amazon, Goodreads, etc., or just hang out with us in the comments!
• Reviews are encouraged, but not necessary. There will be a headquarters page for you to link up your reviews if you want to share your thoughts.
• Choose your point level. You can always aim for a higher point level, but you can't move to a lower one.

To join the Newbery Reading Challenge:

• Write a post (or a comment) stating your intention to join. Choose your point level. You can find the challenge button below to use in your post.
• Add your link to the Linky at the bottom of this post. Make sure you include the link to your sign-up post, not just your homepage.

Grab the Challenge Button!

  <div align="center"><a href="http://www.smilingshelves.com/home/introducing-the-newbery-reading-challenge-2015" title="2015 Newbery Reading Challenge"><img src="http://www.smilingshelves.com/uploads/8/3/4/5/8345014/502160_orig.png" alt="2015 Newbery Reading Challenge" style="border:none;" /></a></div>  

I love the idea of a Classics Club survey. But 50 questions is a lot. To solve this problem, I decided to just answer the questions I wanted to and skip over the rest. Hopefully that's allowed. :) So here are my thoughts about the classics in 50 questions (or less . . . much less):

1. Share a link to your club list.
You can find that here.
2. When did you join The Classics Club? How many titles have you read for the club?
I joined at the end of August in 2013. I've read 8 books so far (a bit behind where I wanted to be).
3. What are you currently reading?
The President's Lady by Irving Stone
4. What did you just finish reading and what did you think of it?
The last Classic Club book I read was Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. And technically, I didn't read it, I listened to it. I loved it. Lewis Carroll has such an imagination!
5. What are you reading next? Why?
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Because that was my spin book. :)
6. Best book you've read so far with the club, and why?
Hands down, that would be To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. If you want to know why, you'd have to check out my post about it. I can't put it better than that.
7. Book you most anticipate (or anticipated) on your club list?
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
8. Book on your club list you’ve been avoiding, if any? Why?
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. For obvious reasons.
9. Longest classic you’ve read? Longest classic left on your club list?
I think that would be The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, which clocked in at 1,462 pages - but was a surprisingly fast read. Longest classic left? See previous answer. :)
10. Favorite biography about a classic author you’ve read — or, the biography on a classic author you most want to read, if any?
It's not exactly a biography, but I just finished reading A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 by James Shapiro. Shakespeare wrote four plays that year, and it puts them in the historical context in which they were written. Absolutely fascinating!
11. Favorite edition of a classic you own, if any?
My copy of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was passed down to me by my mother, and my copy of Gulliver's Travels belonged to my grandmother.
12. Favorite movie adaption of a classic?
The 1995 BBC version of Pride & Prejudice. You really can't do that book justice without making the movie 5+ hours long.
13. Least favorite classic? Why?
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I had to read it both for high school and for college, which pretty much ruined any enjoyment I could have gotten out of it.
14. Have you read a classic you disliked on first read that you tried again and respected, appreciated, or even ended up loving? (This could be with the club or before it.)
Shakespeare. Definitely not my favorite reads in high school, but I fell in love with his language in college.
15. Which classic character can’t you get out of your head?
Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice. I think I've read that book too many times (if there is such a thing.)
16. Which classic character most reminds you of yourself?
Fanny Price from Mansfield Park. Quiet and shy.
17. Which classic character do you most wish you could be like?
Elizabeth Bennet. Ah, the wit.
18. Which classic character reminds you of your best friend?
Elinor Dashwood from Sense & Sensibility. Practical, but loving. (I'm sensing a Jane Austen theme here. Where's the question about which classics you've read most frequently?)
19. If a sudden announcement was made that 500 more pages had been discovered after the original “THE END” on a classic title you read and loved, which title would you most want to keep reading? Or, would you avoid the augmented manuscript in favor of the original? Why?
Anything by Jane Austen. I would absolutely devour it.
20. Favorite children’s classic?
How about favorite children's classic series? That would be a tie between Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and the Anne books by L.M. Montgomery.
21. Who recommended your first classic?
My mom. She got me started on the Chronicles of Narnia by reading them to me while camping out on blankets on the floor. Fun!
22. Favorite memory with a classic?
See previous question. :)
23. Classic author you’ve read the most works by?
Ah, there it is. Jane Austen. I've read all of her books, plus the unfinished ones and stories, and pretty much anything she ever wrote.
24. Classic author who has the most works on your club list?
Mark Twain has three - Prince and the Pauper; A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court; and Tom Sawyer.
25. Classic author you own the most books by?
Not counting the complete works of Shakespeare. . . probably Anthony Trollope. I only have one of his books on my Classics Club list, but I own eleven of them.
26. Classic title(s) that didn’t make it to your club list that you wish you’d included?
Anything by P.G. Wodehouse. His books are so much fun.
27. How many rereads are on your club list? If none, why? If some, which are you most looking forward to, or did you most enjoy?
None. I'm trying to broaden my horizons and read classics I haven't read before.
28. Classic you are DEFINITELY GOING TO MAKE HAPPEN next year?
War and Peace. I have a plan.
29. Classic you are NOT GOING TO MAKE HAPPEN next year?
Dante's Divine Comedy. It's going to be awhile before I get to that one.
30. Favorite thing about being a member of the Classics Club?
Motivation to read wonderful books!
31. How long have you been reading classic literature?
Well, if children's classics count, then pretty much my whole life. I didn't realize they were "classics" back then, but isn't that kind of the point? Books that speak to you, that stick with you for a long time - these are the books we hope to discover when we read classic literature. And there are so many books out there to discover!

The Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge was hosted by Escape With Dollycas, and it is always one of my favorite challenges. The idea is to read a book for each letter of the alphabet - the title needs to start with that letter, although you can ignore any A's or The's at the beginning of the title. This challenge is fun because it truly is a challenge to come up with all the titles you need. Obviously, there are some difficult letters - Q and X, of course, among others. Although surprisingly, Z was the hardest letter for me this year. Here are the books I read for this challenge: 

A - Austenland by Shannon Hale
B - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
C - The Color of Rain by Michael & Gina Spehn
D - Dark Water by Robert Clark
E - Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
F - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
G - The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman
H - The Help by Kathryn Stockett
I -  Imperfect Harmony by Stacy Horn
J - Jesus by Walter Wangerin
K - King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
L - The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
M - Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
N - Never Look a Polar Bear in the Eye by Zac Unger
O - The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman
P - A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman
Q - The Queen of the Big Time by Adriana Trigiani
R - A Romance on Three Legs by Katie Hafner
S - Serving Victoria by Kate Hubbard
T - Travels in the Greater Yellowstone by Jack Turner
U - The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
V - Vienna Nocturne by Vivien Shotwell
W - The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen
X - The Xanadu Adventure by Lloyd Alexander
Y - A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 by James Shapiro
Z - Zoobreak by Gordon Korman

It took me all year to complete my alphabet soup, but I made it! 

Last week was another crazy week, partly because my husband and I spent all day Saturday painting our new master bedroom and bathroom. I was a little scared of how the color would turn out, but I think I like it! Here's a look at part of our day's work:

A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 by James Shapiro (There is so much more to Shakespeare's plays if you know the behind-the-scenes stuff. This book was fascinating.)

The President's Lady by Irving Stone (A novel about Andrew and Rachel Jackson. Very interesting so far!)

Probably Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, which was my Classics Club spin book. Trying to get a jump on things before the craziness of the holidays starts!

This summer, my husband and I took a trip to Italy. It was a wonderful trip, and I've shared a few pictures in Saturday Snapshot posts. I still have lots to share, though, so I thought it was time for another post! This week, I'm sharing pictures of the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) in Florence, Italy.

The Ponte Vecchio is a medieval bridge across the Arno River. It is still covered in shops, all of which sell jewelry and gold - by decree. The shops literally hang off the sides of the bridge.

The shops aren't very big, but I'm certain they are plenty expensive to shop in. They are covered up at night with wooden doors that fit together on the hinges - just like they have for hundreds of years (although the padlocks have certainly grown in size).

It's always a busy place, and you can be halfway across it before you realize you are on a bridge, not just another street.

It is absolutely breath-taking at night, and it was definitely one of the highlights of an already beautiful city.

It always amazes me how writers of nonfiction can turn one very specific subject into a full-length, fascinating book. I mean, this is a book about one guy – Glenn Gould. And not even his entire career, but one specific part of his career – the search for his ideal piano. That sounds like material for a newspaper or magazine article, not a whole book.

But Katie Hafner makes it work, and brilliantly so. The book obviously does cover more than just that one specific part of Gould’s life. Hafner tells us about Gould’s childhood, his concert career, and his relationships with others. Through it all, she makes him into a very sympathetic and likable man, although many that knew him would have told you differently. Yet the focus never strays too far from Gould’s working relationship with the Steinway company, and his very particular demands for a piano.

That focus also encompasses Gould’s tuner for many years, a man who was almost entirely blind and certainly entirely gifted. I’ve played piano since I was five years old, and I had no idea of everything that could be done to tweak a piano’s sound or feel. It goes way beyond tuning to voicing and other such techniques that take hours upon hours of painstaking work. I found these descriptions as fascinating as anything Hafner had to say about Gould.

Glenn Gould was an eccentric man with unique demands for his perfect piano. Katie Hafner is an author who brings that search – and Gould’s world – to life in the most compelling way possible.

And in case you're curious (as I was), here is a video of Gould playing on his ideal piano.

Find it on: Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Better World Books