"Anne of Windy Poplars" by L.M. Montgomery (re-read)

My L.M. Montgomery Readathon Facebook group just finished reading "Anne of Windy Poplars" by L.M. Montgomery together (we started on Jan. 15th). The book is called "Anne of Windy Willows" in the U.K., with some text variations (which we explored during our group read, and which were fascinating to learn about).  I originally read this one years ago as a kid in the early 1970s, when I was exploring the "Anne" books for the first time, and revisited it for the first time in many years back in December 2023 (review here). 

Chronologically, this is #5 in the "Anne of Green Gables" series -- although it was written much later than most of the other books (in 1936), in response to readers' (and Montgomery's publishers') demands for "more Anne." Storywise, it fills in the three-year gap between Anne's graduation from college ("Anne of the Island," 1915) and her marriage to Gilbert Blythe ("Anne's House of Dreams," 1917). 

In this book, Gilbert is away at medical school, while Anne becomes principal of the high school in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, where she finds a new home as a boarder at Windy Poplars with "the widows" -- "Aunt Kate" and "Aunt Chatty" -- and their feisty housekeeper, Rebecca Dew.  She makes new friends -- and enemies (the entire Pringle clan) -- and describes her adventures in chatty, detailed letters to Gilbert. 

"Windy Poplars" is generally regarded as a lesser entry in the Anne series -- and some of the material in it is, admittedly, "filler," and derivative of character types and vignettes from previous Anne books. But (as usual with LMM) the characters are amusing and well drawn, and some of the episodes are truly funny. (Among my favourites: dinner at Tomgallon House with a hostess who regales Anne non-stop with luridly hilarious tales of her family curse and its victims.)  And I found myself misty-eyed at the end, as Anne says goodbye to Windy Poplars and this in-between time in her life, and receives a memorable send-off from Rebecca Dew.  

My original rating of 4 stars still stand. 

Sadly, this may be our last Readathon book, after five years of great Montgomery reading and conversation. It began as a diversion in the early days of the pandemic, and has continued far longer than the original organizers envisioned.  Our group keader, a Montgomery scholar, has other projects to pursue, and I'm sure this has consumed an enormous amount of her time, even with assistance from volunteers. It's unclear whether anyone else is going to pick up the reins to continue the group.  At any rate, I've hugely enjoyed taking part, chatting with and learning from other Montgomery fans, and I'm going to miss it, if this is indeed the end!   

This was Book #16 read to date in 2025 (and Book #3 finished in May), bringing me to 36% of my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 2 books behind  schedule to meet my goal.  :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2025 tagged as "2025 books." 

"A Burning" by Megha Majumdar

"A Burning" by Megha Majumdar is the June selection for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club. Our main character is Jivan, an ambitious Muslim girl from an urban Indian slum who lives with her parents and works in a clothing store. At the train station one day, she witnesses a terrorist firebomb attack, in which 100 people die. A provocative, anti-government comment about the event on Facebook brings the authorities to her door:  she is dragged off to jail and accused of carrying out the attack herself.  

Two other characters' lives intertwine with Jivan's -- and with her fate -- in ways that become clearer as the story unfolds:  PT Sir, a phys ed teacher at a girls' school, who becomes involved in local politics, and Lovely, a hijra (a trans person who plays a spiritual role in Indian culture), who has been taking English lessons from Jivan and aspires to be an actress. 

I don't want to give away any more than that. 

This is not a book I would likely have picked up on my own. It's a short (a little more than 200 pages), and fast read, narrated in turn by Jivan, Lovely and PT Sir. It's very well written. It keeps you turning the pages, and it packs a powerful punch, especially near the end. 

I appreciated its merits. But I can't say I loved it. 

As a result, I struggled with how to rate this one. I settled on 3.5 stars on StoryGraph, rounded down to 3 on Goodreads. 

This was Book #15 read to date in 2025 (and Book #2 finished in May), bringing me to 33% of my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 3 books behind  schedule to meet my goal.  :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2025 tagged as "2025 books." 

#MicroblogMondays: It's all a matter of perspective...!

I was scanning today's bargains on the Kobo (e-reading) website, and my eye caught the title of one of the books listed.  

It was titled "Infant Loss Quick & Easy."  

What the what?? 

Then I took another look... here's the book cover: 

Only someone who's endured pregnancy or infant loss would have had the reaction I did, right? (It's not the first time I've done a double-take on a book title, albeit not always from a loss/infertility/childless perspective...!).  Have you ever done something like this??  (Please tell me you have! lol)  

(It did give me something to write about for #MM today, though...!  lol)  

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here. 

#MicroblogMondays: We are amused :)

It's our Victoria Day long weekend here, and we've been doing... absolutely nothing.  

It's been peaceful.

It's been lovely. :) 

As I noted last year around this time:  

  

...the constant stream of emails flowing into my inbox and notifications popping up on my cellphone have slowed to a trickle. My social media feeds haven't been as busy either. I've caught up on reading my emails as well as the latest chapters of my Cromwell Trilogy slow readalong, finished one book and started another.  I even balanced my chequebook yesterday!  (lol)  

I'm enjoying it while it lasts...!  ;) 

Similarly -- even with messages from U.S. friends and sites  (where their May long weekend is still to come...!) still flowing onto my screens -- my email inbox and social media feeds have been quieter than usual.  I was able to catch up on my online reading, as well as on my latest Footnotes & Tangents slow read, and start a new read too (an upcoming book selection).  I had just two Zoom sessions scheduled all weekend (there are often a lot more), skipped one and enjoyed the other.  We watched a lot of NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey -- sadly, both my Winnipeg Jets and dh's Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated -- as well as the last two episodes of "Miss Austen" on PBS last night. The weather has been a little colder/more rainy than we'd like (but it's better than heat & humidity!), and I was able to wipe down the balcony furniture and railings so they're ready to enjoy.  We saw some traditional neighbourhood fireworks from our windows last night (and will likely see some more tonight). 

It's a little busier today. Government offices are closed, but a lot of stores are open, so dh went out to do his usual Monday morning supermarket run. 

Of course, we would have liked to see the nephews & niblings (so would their parents/grandparents!) -- we haven't seen the two LGNephews since Easter -- but apparently they were all busy. So the weekend was entirely ours. We did get to see LGNiece at her grandparents' house on Friday for a few hours -- we went for a walk with her & SIL, and then played in the back yard while BIL grilled hot dogs for us for lunch.  

I'm looking forward to a repeat of (at least some of) the same peace & quiet this coming weekend, when the U.S. has its Memorial Day long weekend.  :)  

You can find all my previous Victoria Day-related posts here. 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here. 

#MicroblogMondays: Annoying things & small pleasures

(It's been a while since I did one of these... always easy to put together in a pinch, and I had NO idea what to write for #MM today...!)  

Annoying things: 

• Voldemort Day (i.e., yesterday). Enough said.  ;)  
• That said -- it wasn't too bad, compared to some years. Dh took me out for brunch -- on Friday, much less crowded!  -- and I spent a lot of the day online. I co-hosted a childless community text chat for an hour, and spent some time chatting there myself before and after my shift.  And then watched "Miss Austen" on PBS later that evening. 
• We emptied and cleaned out the humidifier, thinking we wouldn't need it any more, now that nicer weather is here (if not the summer humidity)(yet...!)... but it's been awfully dry in here. I wake up feeling like my eyelids are glued to my eyeballs -- I'm going through eye drops like crazy -- and I have to keep putting on hand lotion, because the backs of my hands are so itchy. Sigh.... 
• I accidentally dropped a picture frame on our coffee table while dusting, and it left a small gouge.  Likewise, our dining table has a lot of small, fine scratches on it. Dh scolds me for fretting about stuff like this -- they're 9 years old!  they've been well used!  scratches and dents are going to happen!  But it makes me sad. (Also, we paid a lot of money for this stuff! Sigh...)  
• Our personal banker called us on Friday, when we were out, and we didn't get his message until later in the day. So I called him back this morning -- which went to voice mail -- and left a message, including our home phone/landline number and also my cellphone number.  He called again a few hours later -- but he called dh's cellphone. (Which he also had on file, but still...!) WTF??  I know he enjoys talking to dh when we go there to see him -- both finance guys, both Italian -- but seriously??  Needless to say, I was not amused.
• I'm behind on my Goodreads reading goal for the year.  :( 

Small pleasures: 

• It's been nice enough outside to have the balcony door open all day, most days. Yay!! 
• It's been staying lighter outside for longer again.  :)  
• I'm noticing more sunsets again!  Yes, I know, the sun sets every night ;)  but it seems to be more noticeable (and prettier!) from spring through fall.  
• Buying cute outfits for the great-niblings. :)  
• Getting out new (renewed) passports! (I got mine almost two weeks ago and dh's FINALLY arrived today. Not sure why his took so long;  I sent them in the same package.)  

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here. 

Voldemort Day odds & ends

It's been a while, and a pile of odds & ends have been accumulating in my drafts folder!  

• There was an extensive article in the Toronto Star recently on communal living -- a subject of interest for many CNBCers (especially those without partners) -- with a particular focus on the "Golden Girls" model, profiling four senior women living together in London (Ontario).  It discusses the pros & cons of such arrangements, and the move to enact legislation to support them. 
• I was tickled that the article actually mentions that "By 2036, nearly a quarter of Canadians are expected to be 65 or older. Many do not have children to support them in their senior years..." 
• Within that article, there's a link to another story from a few weeks ago that I hadn't seen, about a new documentary about solo aging. (The video is embedded in the story.) There are also links to some resources, including a mention of Ageing Without Children in the UK! 
• I haven't watched the documentary yet, and I don't know if it's viewable outside Canada, but here's a link to the story, fyi. (For some reason, gift links were not offered?? -- hopefully this will work regardless...)  
• Also from the Toronto Star: the stuff of nightmares for fertility patients: "Disturbing errors at Ontario fertility clinics destroy couples’ baby dreams years after province abandoned oversight plans." 
• Sample quote:  "...the person cleaning your teeth or giving you a massage is more highly regulated than the person looking after your embryos."
• Not a new subject, but well written: from Life Without Children, Nadia Huq observes "If I Was in a Hollywood Movie, I’d Be Dead." (Subhead: "Where are the happy endings for single women without kids?")   

Suddenly, everyone is talking about pronatalism (and pushing back on it too)(albeit not necessarily from a childless perspective). Just a couple of relevant articles: 

• From the New York Times: "White House Assesses Ways to Persuade Women to Have More Children." (Pronatalism much?) 
• Beware the comments:  the ones I scanned contained a lot of childless/free-bashing by parents (and vice versa). Not good. :( 
• An excellent piece on this topic from Jill Filipovic (unfortunately, I think it's paywalled for subscribers). "Yes, America Should Make It Easier to Have Children." 
• The kicker is in the subhead:  "But the Trump administration doesn't want to help families. It wants to punish single women and childless people."  Yup. 
• Also related (and very much worth reading -- with an irresistible headline to boot...!), from Jessica Valenti at Abortion Every Day: "Bro-Natalists Are Ruining America." 
• Also related, from the Washington Post:  "You can’t bribe and shame your way to more babies." (Gift link.) 

And, a few for Voldemort Day (my pet name -- i.e., "The Day That Shall Not Be Named," lol):  

• Lisa Sibbett at The Auntie Bulletin and Ryan Rose Weaver of InTending talk about THAT day (both video & transcript available):  "There's No Card for This." Well worth a read!  
• From Y.L. Wolfe at On the Outside:  "A Tribute to the Childless Women Who Feel Invisible on Mother's Day." (Subhead:  "Your feelings and experiences matter, too.")  
• Mild rant:  I was at the bookstore recently and picked up a new title by Uzma Jalaluddin, with the promising title of "Detective Aunty." Always happy to see books about aunties! :)  
• Nevertheless -- while the cover description asks "who better to pry answers from unwilling suspects than a meddlesome aunty?" the title character, in fact, is not an "aunty" but a mother and grandmother, whose daughter is accused of murder. Maybe I'm missing something here, but why then isn't the title "Detective Grandma"??  
• And -- like mothers proclaiming themselves "childless" when they've dropped the kids off at Grandma's for the weekend, or "childless cat ladies" just because they own a cat and their kids are now all at college, why must mothers appropriate yet another title that doesn't quite describe their personal situation?? (I recognize that one can be a mother/grandmother AND an auntie, but still...!) 
• (I may still read the book, but still...!)  
• If you are interested in current events & U.S. politics with a historical perspective, Heather Cox Richardson's Substack, "Letters from an American" is an absolute must-read that I cannot recommend highly enough. On weekends, however, she often switches gears and posts about something else, sometimes just a gorgeous scenic photo. 
• Last night (in advance of That Day), she wrote about an older childfree friend who's influenced her life. It's a delight. :) May we all have a Mrs. A., in our life, and perhaps be that Mrs. A. for someone else!  
• This was written before Easter, not today -- and it has absolutely nothing to do with childlessness, pregnancy loss or infertility -- but it sure made me laugh!  Connie Schulz is such a fabulous writer!  If, like me, you grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, you will certainly enjoy "For Easter: A Tribute to Mom's Beehives." :)  

50 years

I was looking at my datebook recently, and realized, with a bit of a shock, that today (May 9th) marks 50 (!!) years since my paternal grandmother -- my Baba -- passed away suddenly, at the far too young age of 68 (the same age dh is now, and not too much older than I am). I was 14, and although I'd lost a puppy when I was a pre-schooler, this was my first real experience with the death of a person close to me. 

Our Katie was named (in part) after her. 

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I'll direct you to two previous posts I wrote about my grandmother:  

• Grandmother's Day (written 15!! years ago today, in 2010) 
• Flashback (from 2011) 

Thinking of you today, Baba. I wish we'd had you for longer, and that I'd known you better.