Iām loosely participating in five? July specific Booktube Readathons! I really enjoy just marking off prompts! šā
I decorated some of my July pages ahead in my to-do pocket Moleskine because thereās some travel and family stuff going on. I usually decorate this one the day of use because itās so small, but I donāt pack all my journaling supplies when going on trips! I especially love the Jane Austen stickers I saved for the start of Jane Austen July! šā„ļøšø
Deck-a-TBR-a-Thon! Summerween! Private Eye July! Jane Austen July! Zoom in for Prompts, if interested! š ššš
These are some summer long prompts! I made a great dent in them in June!
Two June Read-a-Thons that I had a lot of fun with! I just read what Iām in the mood for and make them fit mostly, but I do tailor a few of my choices depending on topic. Read a couple American Revolution type books with my kids etc.
June Reading Journal pages almost full!
I purchased coffee stickers and cute yellow bakery type washi so my July theme is Yellow Coffee & Flower Shop! š¤Ŗš ššš¤šš¤š
VERY ambitious health/mental/spiritual/relational goals for July! šš±š
What are you creating lately? I so enjoy working in my journals.
Iām an extreme mood reader, but will make heaps of hopeful piles! Many of these are rereads or books on my 50 books by 50 list! Iām in a cozy, domestic fiction mood with a side of nonfiction and a vague feeling of something else reading mood. š š¤Ŗš
Iām slowly rereading the Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery series because my Ann with an E is getting married this year! šā„ļøIām on the 3rd book now!
Moby Dick by Herman Melville ~ I love the gorgeous word-smithing and hilarious situations Ishmael finds himself in! I got 3/4ths through this a few years ago, but never finished so determined to now.
Unmaking the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth ~ VERY out of my wheelhouse, but an interesting look at the dismantling of Western cultural foundations and the dehumanization of man. This is so fascinating and honestly, a bit sobering. Iām not sure what Mr. Kingsnorth is totally trying to say, š but thereās enough in here to make me really think.
4. The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge ~ Iām due for a reread of this beautiful story of an older woman moving to an inherited house in the countryside and asking herself if she has ever truly been living.
5. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery ~ been craving a reread of this one . If you felt you had a short time to live, how would you live your life? Valency Sterling has lived a stifling existence up to this point and jumps at the chance to buck against it!
6. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery ~ yes, another Maud book! Iām really leaning into the domestic, cozy fiction. Young Emily Starr is taken in by aunts when her beloved father passes away. Her writerās soul aches with growing pains and trying to find a kindred spirit in her new situation. Iām finally feeling ready to really dig into my reread of this sadder trilogy.
7. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh ~ this is for my in-person book club! We are all busy moms so reading it slowly, but so much to discuss on fading English aristocracy, religion, family and societal pressures.
8. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot ~ this is a book from my 50×50 list and my friend who I trust implicitly with book recommendations said itās a good summer read! I donāt really know what this is about but looking forward to trying another Eliot!
9. Jane Austenās Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney ~ Iāve been hoping to read this for a long time and the Booktube reading event Jane Austen July would be perfect. Iām much slower at nonfiction, so weāll see if I can get to it!
10. Habits for a Sacred Home by Jennifer Pepito ~ Iāve been interested in checking out this home educating title for awhile and am looking for a title to read with our homeschool momās group this autumn!
~These are just a few of the ones capturing my attention currently! What about you? What books are on your stack this summer? šāØāļøšā„ļøš
THE languor of Youth – how unique and quintessential it is! How quickly, how irrecoverably, lost! The zest, the generous affections, the illusions, the despair, all the traditional attributes of Youth – all save this – come and go with us through life; again and again in riper years we experience, under a new stimulus, what we thought had been finally left behind, the authentic impulse to action, the renewal of power and its concentration on a new object; again and again a new truth is revealed to us in whose light all our previous knowledge must be rearranged. These things are a part of life itself; but languor – the relaxation of yet unwearied sinews, the mind sequestered and self-regarding, the sun standing still in the heavens and the earth throbbing to our own pulse – that belongs to Youth alone and dies with it.
Brideshead Revisited, p. 79
Thinking on this quote as I navigate young adult relationships. Iām prayerfully trying to put myself back into ātheir age shoesā to respond with love, compassion, and a listening spirit.
āDamsel,ā Sir Gareth answerād gently, āsay
Whateāer ye will, but whatsoeāer ye say,
I leave not till I finish this fair quest,
Or die therefore.ā
Gareth and Lynette
Iām slowly getting into my buddy read of Idyllās of the King and I was struck remembering this lovely picture book version of this part of the poem. The Kitchen Knight retold by Margaret Hodges is lovely, largely due to the illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman!
Happy Monday, friends! Our weekly quest has begun! Go forth boldly and without fear! šš»ā„ļøš
If you could chuck your to-do list out the window today, what would you do? š š Iād find a lovely spot by water, under a tree, or in my cute local coffee shop, grab a latte , and read. I know, surprise, surprise. āŗļøš
Hereās whatās on my stack that Iām currently interested in or really enjoying!
Cheesy, bordering on super silly continuing cozy mystery series that pokes fun of the Regency literature era tropes šI ā„ļø my Kindle! Amish in April selection (Booktube Readathon), a couple of fantasy novels, a mystery, writing nonfiction, and continuing 14 yo spy thriller series! Middle Grade Historical Fiction! Canāt wait to try this! I adore anything with lighthouses!Oh my word. Iām absolutely adoring this book. Montgomeryās writing and characters make my heart sing. šš„¹ā„ļø
I love keeping houseā¦itās really a lovely phrase, isnāt it? Keeping itā¦holding it fast against the worldā¦against all the forces trying to tear it open.
āMarilla!ā Anne sat down on Marillaās gingham lap, took Marillaās lined face between her hands, and looked gravely and tenderly into Marillaās eyes. āIām not a bit changed-not really. Iām only just pruned down and branched out. The real me-back here-is just the same. It wonāt make a bit of difference where I go or how much I change outwardly; at heart I shall always be your little Anne, who will love you and Matthew and dear Green Gables more and better every day of her life.ā
~ Anne of Green Gables
ššš thinking about my Anne getting MARRIED. ššš My oldest son is doing a lot and making decisions, too!! Change and them growing up is in my heart. Hard, but beautiful. ā„ļøšš»
If I can stop one Heart from breaking
I shall not live in vain
If I can ease one Life the Aching
Or cool one Pain
Or help one fainting Robin
Into his Nest again
I shall not live in Vain.
~ Emily Dickinson
We are enjoying Dickinson again in our co op currently! She is one of my most favorite poets and I think this above poem IS my favorite by her. š„²ā„ļø The prayer over my life. Here is a beautiful print of it for your home.
When Marilla had eaten her lunch Anne persuaded her to go to bed. Then Anne went herself to the east gable and sat down by her window in the darkness alone with her tears and her heaviness of heart. How sadly things had changed since she sat there the night after coming home! Then she had been full of hope and joy and the future had looked rosy with promise. Anne felt as if she had lived years since then, but before she went to bed there was a smile on her lips and peace in her heart. She looked her duty courageously in the face and found it a friend-as duty ever is when we meet it frankly.ā
~Anne of Green Gables, emphasis mine
Iām nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then thereās a pair of us-donāt tell!
Theyād banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
~Emily Dickinson
A few favorite Emily resources ā„ļø
Anne went to the little Avonlea graveyard the next evening to put fresh flowers on Matthewās grave and water the Scotch rosebush. She lingered there until dusk, liking the peace and calm of the little place, with its poplars whose rustle was like a low, friendly speech, and its whispering grasses growing at will among the graves. When she finally left it and walked down the long hill that sloped to the Lake of Shining Waters it was past sunset and all Avonlea lay before her in a dreamlike afterlight-āa haunt of ancient peace.ā There was a freshness in the air as if a wind that had blown over honey-sweet fields of clover. Home lights twinkled out here and there among the homestead trees. Beyond lay the sea, misty and purple, with its haunting, unceasing murmur. The west was a glory of soft, mingled hues, and the pond reflected them all in still softer shadings. The beauty of it thrilled Anneās heart, and she gratefully opened the gates of her soul to it.
Good morning! āļø Resurrecting my Wednesday Wonders seriesā¦I recently answered these questions here, but they are always changing, so indulge me again?! šā„ļøš·
ā¢listening toā¢ā„ļøš²~ Iām finally getting to the sequel in L.M. Montgomeryās Silver Bush duology, using this audiobook recording of it that is fantastic! Iām LOVING Mistress Pat even more than the first. Patricia is growing up and feeling the growing pains of possibly having to leave Silver Bush and everything changing! I identify with change being hard! š„²I also want to listen more to this Josh Garrels release!
Music practice always going on around here! So thankful we have the ability for lessons!
ā¢readingā¢ā„ļøš²~ My mood shifted yesterday š and I started rooting around for things to read. šš I think Iām leaning towards cozy classics, charming characters, and delicious nature descriptions. Of course, I first picked up, my gal, Maud Montgomery! Hence, Mistress Pat! A memory I have is rereading the whole Anne Series when I was pregnant with my first. Her name is Ann-E š„¹ā„ļøš and she getting married later this year! Maybe Iāll reread the series this year in honor!? šš
Moody stack!
ā¢watchingā¢ā„ļøš²~ Iām slowly rereading all the greats with my younger set. The Wind in the Willows is one of the current ones. Itās such a great book for spring! I was craving the claymation? film version and so enjoyed watching it. The peaceful atmosphere (except Toad šøš) was just as I remembered it.
ā¢noticingā¢ā„ļøš²~ Our Black Willow trees sustained a lot of damage in a recent ice storm, but I salvaged a few branches with buds for the table. The robins have been so cheery even though itās been rainy and cold. Iām waiting not so patiently for warmth and usually by the end of April, the Barn Swallows are back! šā„ļø
šJust remembering here my favorite reads of January, February, and March. I love looking back and also sharing in hopes you might find one you love!š
ā¢The Road Past Altamontby Gabrielle Roy, translated by Joyce Marshall ~ Canadian writer connects four stories loosely on mother and daughter relationships, growing older, time, and deep longing all cloaked in gorgeous, sparse writing.
ā¢The Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw ~ a wonderful quest fantasy story surrounding Aedan and his friends. This has amazing friendship, leadership, and character growth.
ā¢This is Happiness by Niall Williams ~ A small Irish village on the cusp of change. You grow to love and care for the characters and see yourself in them. This is such a human story and the author understands small village life! This was so beautiful at times it makes you ache.
ā¢The Will of Many by James Islington ~ I absolutely loved the main character, Vis, and how much he values the memory and lessons of his father. The battle between doing whatās right and surviving in a system built on greed and corruption. So many wonderful characters and ideas to consider in this epic fantasy.
ā¢Through Rushing Water by Catherine Richmond ~ Gorgeous historical fiction about an ex-Russian nobility immigrant who gets sent to the American West as a school teacher to a Native tribe. This will pull at your heart strings. Richmond did a fantastic job of not sugar coating this time period.
ā¢The Star That Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson ~ This had a slow start, but a wonderful blended family story set in Michigan on the cusp of WWII. I loved the literature threads, the conversation about Indigenous mixed-race tensions, and the gentle faith themes woven throughout. Solid middle grade read!
ā¢Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg ~ This feels a bit Disney-Frozen-ish , but donāt let that stop you from this quiet, deceptively deeper story. Slow start and very creepy villain, but what a wonderful story of selflessness and how servanthood ultimately defeats loneliness.
ā¢The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco ~ This is such a heartfelt story around two sisters dealing with death and chronic illness. This is a slow-as-molasses middle grade story, but I ate up every delicious word. So beautifully written with friendships, growth, domestic details, and LIFE.
ā¢Persuasion by Jane Austen ~ Iāve read this so many times but have to mention it here because I was so delighted all over again. The humanity and magnifying glass that Austen does is so perfect. I especially loved Mrs. Smith of Westgate Buildings š this time through.
ā¢The Robe by LloydC. Douglas ~ A wonderful historical fiction set around the time of Christ. I posted a bit more about it here! Highly recommend!
ā¢The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo ~ This was so sweet and lovely! It follows little Marta around the hotel where her mother works as a maid after the disappearance of her father. This is full of the lovely noticing, longing, thoughts on life, memories, parents, and meaning from a childās perspective. The illustrations made this absolutely shine!
Sophie helping me pick my next read! šā„ļø
šš·How about you? Any stand out reads at the beginning of the year? Iād love to hear! š·š
āThe fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace. ā
~ Mother Teresa
Thinking and praying on this as a week of homeschooling, wedding planning, cooking, and extras stretches before me. šŖ“š·šæšš²Whatās on your heart? š
āThat one?ā she said. āIs that one quite alive-quite?ā Dickson curved his wide smiling mouth.
āItās as wick as you or me,ā he said; and Mary remembered that Martha had told her that āwickā meant āaliveā or ālively.ā
āIām so glad itās wick!ā she cried out in her whisper. āI want them all to be wick. Let us go around the garden and count how many wick ones there are.ā
~ The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
Iām so glad thereās green, life, and hope YET! Spring is here! Thank You, Jesus!
From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!
Psalm 61: 2-4, NLT
Whatās been inspiring me? ā„ļøšæ
ā¢listening toā¢ā„ļøšæ
BTSā new āArirangā album. šæ A bit different than what I expected but itās growing on me. I donāt love lots of language or overly sexual themes, but thereās enough deeper lines/ideas that got me thinking. Hope to write a few of my own poems based on some of the lyrics.
ššššššš
Iāve also started the audiobook of Quarter Labyrinth by Victoria McCombs on the recommendation of a friend! Itās included free with Audible currently! I really hope our weather will warm up a bit so I can get outside walking and listening. šš§
ā¢readingā¢ā„ļøšæ
I always have a healthy stack šš¤Ŗ of things Iām dipping into! Iāve started my two buddy reads and Iām currently really enjoying slowly rereading my favorite Victorian novel of all time, Wives & Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. Itās almost an annual reread for me. My 14 yo is listening to it for the first time and enjoying it! Iāve also been craving a reread of The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge. Itās been awhile and itās a perfect spring read.
If only I had this gorgeous vintage copy! šā„ļøšæ
Iāve also been enjoying the Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz about a 14 yo spy with M16. The fifth? one made me definitely warm up more to Alex who seemed a bit cold/distant at first. They are so adventurous and thrilling. Definitely super violent, but compelling. I also just dove back into Donna Leonās Commasario Brunettiās police series. She writes Venice and Brunettiās family life SO well, that Iāve just fallen in love with Guido as a police detective. The crimes are gritty and disturbing, so if you donāt like police procedural type detective novels, these may not be for you. I feel so immersed in Venice and his friendships and his family that Iāve come to love them! They are a fast, great Kindle read that I get through the library!
This one āļø was 5 star š for me!
ā¢watchingā¢ā„ļøšæ
I really havenāt watched much recently as I took a Booktube break for the Lenten season. I did put on hold at the library the first Season of Dr.Quinn Medicine Woman š¤Ŗš¤£ to see if I can get my hubby to watch with me during the chilly, spring nights.
ā¢noticingā¢ ā„ļøšæ
How cute my little guys hands are! He has bad dry skin in the winter and weāve been rubbing Aloe Vera into them each night. Heās such a blessing. š„¹ā„ļøšæ
Iāve really been noticing and remembering little tidbits from this lovely collection of quotes!
āGod has not called me to be successful, He has called me to be faithful. When we stand before God, results are not important. Faithfulness is what matters.ā
āThe face of the enigmatic Jew seemed weighted with an almost insupportable burden of anxiety. The eyes, narrowed as if in resigned acceptance of some inevitable catastrophe, stared straight ahead toward Jerusalem. Perhaps the man, intent upon larger responsibilities far removed from this pitiable little coronation farce, wasnāt really hearing the racket at all.
So deeply absorbed had Demetrius become, in his wide-eyed study of the young Jewās face, that he too was beginning to be unmindful of the general clamor and confusion. He moved along with inching steps, slanting his body against the weight of the pressing crowd, so close now to the preoccupied rider that with one stride he could have touched him.
Now there was a temporary blocking of the way, and the noisy procession came to a complete stop. The man on the white donkey straightened, as if roused from a reverie, drew a deep sigh, and slowly turned his head. Demetrius watched, with parted lips and a pounding heat.
The meditative eyes, drifting about over the excited multitude, seemed to carry a sort of wistful compassion for these helpless victims of an aggression for which they thought he had a remedy. Everyone was shouting, shouting-all but the Corinthian slave, whose throat was so dry he couldnāt have shouted, who had no inclination to shout, who wished they would all be quiet, quiet! It wasnāt the time or place for shouting. Quiet! This man wasnāt the sort of person one shouted at, or shouted for. Quiet! That was what this moment called for-Quiet!
Gradually the brooding eyes moved over the crowd until they came to rest on the strained, bewildered face of Demetrius. Perhaps, he wondered, the manās gaze halted there because he alone-in all this welter of hysteria-refrained from shouting. His silence singled him out. The eyes calmly appraised Demetrius. They neither widened or smiled; but, in some indefinable manner, they held Demetriusās a grip so firm it was almost a physical compulsion. The message they communicated was something other than sympathy, something more vital than friendly concern; a sort of stabilizing power that swept away all such negations as slavery, poverty, or any other afflicting circumstance. Demetrius was suffused with the glow of this curious kinship. Blind with sudden tears, he elbows through the throng and reached the roadside.ā
The Robe, by Lloyd C. Douglas, p. 73-74
Happy Good Friday, my friends. A horrible, yet beautiful day I remember as a Christ-follower. I recently was privileged to read with three friends a stirring historical fiction centered around Marcellus, a Roman soldier and his slave, Demetrius. We follow Marcellus as he crucifies Jesus and wins his homespun robe in a gambling match. Douglas seeps us in the rich, historical setting of first century Rome and ultimately, we walk away with a profound sense of wonder. We who touch the presence of Jesus are never the same.
I was deeply moved by this novel and it made me rethink how I live day to day. How would my life look if I actively acknowledged His real presence right in and around me? I highly recommend this book! ā„ļø
A beautiful hymn we are singing in our homeschool co op has been hanging around in my heart as I think of what my Lordās death and Resurrection mean to me. I used to love Christmas the most, but slowly as Iāve lived more life, the hope, spring-freshness, and LIFE to Easter have become a most meaningful time for me.
Jesus told her, āI am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever dieā¦ā
A.M. Pine - Hearth Ridge Reflections 