November Wrap-Up and December TBR

Slacker slacker slacker. That's me.

It suddenly struck me today that it's already December 3 and I still hadn't posted my November wrap up OR my December To Be Read lists so here we go with a combined post.

November was kind of hectic for me. Between holiday preparation, a busy workload at my day job and a little traveling (not to mention a fabulous ice storm that knocked out our power for 3 days...) I have barely had time to read, let alone write about reading.

Still, I did manage to get a little bit accomplished.

I finished off the Anne of Green Gables series. I'm so glad I took the time to re-read these books. They are such gentle, peaceful reads. I have to say, the final book in the series, Rilla Of Ingleside, is possibly one of the better books I've read about World War I. I'm a little surprised that this one isn't taught in schools alongside the WWI history unit.  There's lots of detail and it really brings the events of the war, the different battles, the effect it had on the folks back home, etc, into focus without getting mundane or boring.

Along with the Anne books, I worked my way a little way down on my stack of books for review. This month I had the pleasure of reading Now That She's Gone, by Gregg Olsen as well as Coal River by Ellen Marie Wiseman.  Now That She's Gone was ok - I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read the first book in the series (imagine that!) and Coal River was great, even if the ending was a little... implausible.

I also read some Rainbow Rowell: Fan Girl (not such a fan) and Landline (loved it) to be exact. I still can't quite put my finger on what it is that keeps me from just going nuts over Rowell like so many of my fellow bloggers, but there's just something...

For December my plan is to just get to the end of this year in one piece! I had originally set a goal for myself this year of reading 150 books. Well, that's not going to happen. According to my tracker on Goodreads, I'm 98 books. Given that I have a full time job, a side business (I dye yarn! check it out here!), a social life and this blog... I'm calling it good if I get to 100 for the year.

Now that I'm done with the Anne books, I've started on the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. If you've never read them and have only seen the movie, I highly recommend you check them out. They're fantastic, silly, wonderful little books that are great distractions from the heaviness that day-to-day life can bring.

I'm determined to finish up Avenue of Mysteries in the next week or so. This latest work by John Irving was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I didn't get it until the day before it published (11/3) so I'm a little late with my thoughts on it. I'm liking the book a lot... that's all I can really say for now.

At the library the other night I couldn't help but pick up the latest in the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. Sigh. All I can really say about this guilty pleasure book is that, as much as I enjoyed the first few books in the series, please stop writing them Ms. Kinsella. For the love of god. Please. Stop. Writing. These. Books. I started off loving Becky Bloomwood and now I'm just so disgusted by her inability to achieve real, lasting maturity that I could scream. And yet I can't quit reading these awful crack books!  I'm about a quarter of the way through Shopaholic To The Rescue and I just want my life back.

I've got big plans to read a few more books for review (and even get the reviews published on time this month!) and a few more new releases picked up at my local library. Last but not least, I've started on the Mark of the Lion trilogy by Francine Rivers. These books are Christian Fiction classics that have somehow been recommended to me several times (if you knew me in real life, you'd know how funny it is to see me reading Christian Fiction). The first book is good so far. Some of the history is suspect, but the overall view of ancient Roman culture is right up my alley.

"There are so many unpleasant things in the world already that there is no use in imagining any more."

I finished my re-read of Anne of Avonlea last week so it's time for some more awesome L. M. Montgomery quotes! 

The post title quote is my favorite from Anne of Avonlea - probably because it's something I have to tell myself all the time. The rest of these are pretty good too, in my opinion...

When Anne starts to think that maybe there's something more than friendship between her and Gilbert:

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.

Miss Lavender explaining her depression so perfectly:

I'm just tired of everything…even of the echoes. There is nothing in my life but echoes…echoes of lost hopes and dreams and joys. They're beautiful and mocking.

Charlotta the Fourth's thoughts on marriage:

“Oh, of course there’s a resk in marrying anybody,” conceded Charlotta the Fourth, “but, when all’s said and done, Miss Shirley, ma’am, there’s many a worse thing than a husband."

Anne's realization that she and her friends are growing up, whether she's ready or not:

This was succeeded by a queer, little lonely feeling…as if, somehow, Diana had gone forward into a new world, shutting a gate behind her, leaving Anne on the outside.

Mr. Harrison's outlook on change, which I think fits in well with the quote above:

“Changes ain’t totally pleasant but they’re excellent things,” said Mr. Harrison philosophically. “Two years is about long enough for things to stay exactly the same. If they stayed put any longer they might grow mossy.”

Anne's observation on the way bad news is spread:

“Have you ever noticed that when people say it is their duty to tell you a certain thing you may prepare for something disagreeable? Why is it that they never seem to think it a duty to tell you the pleasant things they hear about you?” 

And Gilbert being Gilbert (sigh):

"It's a splendid profession," he said enthusiastically. "A fellow has to fight something all through life. . .didn't somebody once define man as a fighting animal?. . .and I want to fight disease and pain and ignorance. . .which are all members one of another. I want to do my share of honest, real work in the world, Anne. . . add a little to the sum of human knowledge that all the good men have been accumulating since it began. The folks who lived before me have done so much for me that I want to show my gratitude by doing something for the folks who will live after me. It seems to me that is the only way a fellow can get square with his obligations to the race."

And finally...: 

“It takes all sorts of people to make a world, as I've often heard, but I think there are some who could be spared,' Anne told her reflection in the east gable mirror that night.” 

Anne, I completely agree.

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

Recognize that quote? It's from Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery and it's one of my favorites. Not just because I love fall so much but just because it always makes me smile to think of this character, Anne, who is so delighted with everything in the world that she can't help herself from sharing it with everyone around her.

I recently bought all nine of the Anne books for 99 cents through iBooks. I loved these books as a child and I wanted to see how they held up now that I'm all grown up.

When I was a little girl, Anne Shirley was totally my hero(ine). I too knew the pain of having bright red hair and of constantly being shushed for talking too much. And Gilbert Blythe? Totally my first book boyfriend. Oh the crush I had on him...

I'm happy to report that I am enjoying Anne Shirley as much as an adult as I did as a child. As I've been reading, I've been taking note of my favorite quotes and I thought I'd share a few from each book as I finish them.

From Anne of Green Gables there's the title quote about Octobers but then there are also what I call the "isn't it splendid" quotes:

"Isn't it splendid to thing of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive -- it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it?"

and

"Isn't it splendid there are so many things to like in this world?"

I always loved this on on Anne's favorite time of day:

"In the mornings I always think mornings are best; but when evening comes I think it's better still."

And then there's this one... Again, I am a redhead and I got teased about it a LOT as a child. I still do sometimes. It's hard being a redhead. Sometimes I think the reason we have a reputation for having bad tempers is because we're so sick of hearing about how we have bad tempers.

"You'd find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair," said Anne reproachfully. "People who haven't red hair don't know what trouble is."

Amen, sister.