Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (Juvenile Fiction)
As a child I found Anne's character to be incredibly obnoxious and long-winded. I didn't have the patience to comb through her ramblings for the rare but glorious jewels of wisdom and beauty. There are a handful of books I adored as a child (Chronicles of Narnia comes to mind) but when my adult self read them they had lost their magic. I'm not sure I've come across a book that I abhorred as a child but now immensely love as an adult. Montgomery's ability to bring characters to life and create a place that's just as real as the world I'm living in is eerily magical. Anne of Green Gables has jumped right into that ever-so-small list of books that have truly transported me into another life just as real as my own. There are so many favorite moments for me I can't possibly share them all. But here are a few:
"Do you think amethysts can be the souls of good violets?"
Also about violets: "Anne walked through [Violet Vale] on her way to school with reverent steps and worshipping eyes, as if she trod on holy ground." My first childhood home had a carpet of bird-foot violets that I, too, worshiped. I've tried to write many things about that special carpet of bird-foot violets, but Montgomery says it perfectly. It was holy ground.
And lastly, I've always heard that quote, "'Marilla, isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?'" and thought it was a good thing to keep in mind. I nearly fell over laughing when I read it in context with the story." Throughout the book Marilla tries her best to keep Anne grounded, but there is no finer example of this than during the moment when Anne is prattling on about mistakes. Marilla's almost mean about it by today's parenting standards, but Anne just waltzes through the harsh words on her way to another fancy. It's hilarious. While I still find Anne a teensy bit annoying, it's such a small thing when I think of everything I love about this book and all the beauty and words of wisdom it gave me when I was finally ready to give it my full attention.
* Side note: I've started watching Anne with an E on Netflix, and it's quite good. Marilla, Rachel, and Matthew are almost impossibly close to how I imagined their characters to be. Matthew, especially, has won my heart on this show. As the show progresses, it's less and less like the series, but still delightful.
Dictionary for a Better World by Irene Latham, Charles Waters, and Mehrdokht Amini (Juvenile Nonfiction)
This book is so many things - excellent quotes ready to lead me on a wild goose chase (always fun), prompts for writing and art, thought-provoking poems AND the type of forms they're written in, and lots of vibrant art. After reading this I have new collage/art techniques to try, prompts to share with writers and artists, quotes to find in their original sources (more books to read!), and lots of positivity to share with others and mull over.
Kid Gloves by Lucy Knisley (Adult Graphic Memoir)
Kid Gloves was equal parts sweet, terrifying, and informational. Here are a few moments that really stood out to me:
1. Discovering ancient Greeks thought "a woman's uterus would just...FLOAT around the body, untethered to anything," and Knisley's snarky drawing of a uterus running away was quite possibly my favorite part of the book (Except for the obvious baby part at the end. Whoops spoiler alert. There's a baby at the end.).
2. I was wowed by Knisley's brutal honesty about her miscarriages. I can imagine that, just like any traumatic life happening, knowing you're not alone when you go through it eases some of the pain so bravo to Knisley for opening up. Knisley talks about her infatuation with 80's & 90's pregnancy/baby movies, and as I read through her list, I was surprised by how many there were (and how many I've seen). When Knisley discovers that a miscarriage happens in one out of every four pregnancies she questions why one out of every four 80's & 90's pregnancy/baby movies doesn't involve miscarriage, which I found to be a quietly profound and powerful question.
3. Initially I laughed at her analogy of her doctor being Fonzie and her pregnant body the busted Jukebox, but when I discovered her doctor was truly grossly incompetent, I only felt angry and horrified.
4. I also thought her breastfeeding teacher was hilarious, but thankfully I had no whiplash of emotions with her. She was just a kooky lady who brought a squeaky hamburger toy to her breastfeeding class.
The Truth About Grandparents by Elina Ellis (Picture Book)
A celebration of grandparents with illustrations that are sooo adorable and funny. The kissing page makes me incredibly giddy. PDA at its very best. Though this is one of those picture books that the adults will enjoy more, I am more than ok with that because it's such a beautiful and zany representation of grandparents. Also, grandma is definitely not skinny, but she roller skates and does yoga and there's no mention of her being large (not even in a 'hey I'm proud to be big' kind of way either, which is fine but not always necessary). I can't remember the last time I saw a book that gives such a discreet and lovely nod toward body positivity.
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