NON-FICTION NOVEMBER: Book Pairings

Week 2: (Nov. 5 to 9) – Fiction / Nonfiction Book Pairing (Sarah’s Book Shelves): This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you think would go well together. Maybe it’s a historical novel and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story.

I try to pick nonfiction books I've read this year, and hopefully even a fiction that pairs with it from this year. Not always possible.

Puritan-era Witches

Witches:Salem 1692 by Stacy Schiff
This nonfiction book was, long. It was very detailed, and was 22 audio parts long. Wow, that was really long. I had been picking away at it, listening on a high speed, but it all blurred together to me. This may have been better to read in a paper book? Anyway, I was listening to this when I had iPhone issues, and ended up losing all the YA Sync books I hadn't read yet. I'll confess, I wasn't too disappointed to lose this one, and even though I only listened to half, I feel like I got the jist. Women = bad. Witches = bad. Men spouting religion persecuting women. Rinse and repeat.


You can try instead: 

The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Elizabeth George Speare 

I've not been a fan of Puritan literature, beginning and ending with The Scarlet Letter. The whole attitude in the 1600s America is infuriating. However, I tried this children's book, The Witch of Blackbird Pond and I quite liked it. It was sweet, without being too perfect.  Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks was also okay, but I liked this one better. 




or possibly:

How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather (paired with the Scarlet Letter)

How to Hang a Witch is a book from this year's YA Sync that I was disappointed to lose. I haven't read it yet, but I have requested it and will get from my library soon. I was going to give The Scarlet Letter another try, but it also got deleted. 






Are you interested in the nature of time? I have two great books for you

The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli
I listened to Benedict Cumberbatch read Rovelli's second physics book, the first being Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. Theoretical physics books are interesting, and I probably couldn't tell you a single thing after I them. As I listen or read, I nod my head and (mostly) understand what the ideas are. Then, poof, gone. But I keep trying, hoping something will stick. Plus, listening to Cumberbatch for a few hours is delightful.

The Order of Time reminded me very much of the fictional book, Einstein's Dreams.

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman
Any chance I have to promote this sweet little book, I do. Many of the ideas of time from The Order of Time, I was familiar with due to Einstein's Dreams. I've written about it more than once, but here's my original blog post about it.

Imagine Einstein is having dreams about different versions of time as he struggles to finish his Theory of Relativity. Each chapter is a different dream about time.




Have you read any of these? What else (fiction or nonfiction) would go with my selections?

NONFICTION NOVEMBER: Your Year in Nonfiction

Week 1: (Oct. 29 to Nov. 2) – Your Year in Nonfiction (Kim @ Sophisticated Dorkiness): Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions –  

First, the summary of the reading:

The first two years I participated, I had read hardly any nonfiction books (13 in 2015 and 16 in 2016), probably because while I looked at nonfiction books, I always defaulted to novels. So last year, I vowed to have nonfiction books to talk about come November, and I did, reading 53. It was a concerted effort to pick nonfiction books and I was proud of myself for finally reading all those nonfiction books I'd been meaning to read. 

This year, I have balanced out a bit, reading 26 nonfiction books. The majority (16)of my NF are audiobooks and new this year are a few ebooks (3). Each year, the YA Sync program of free audiobooks from May to August give me easy access to some nonfiction books that I might not normally read. 

1. What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?

Best true crime: 

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer - Michelle McNamara (audiobook)

I listened to this great true crime book in March, just a few weeks before the Golden State Killer was caught. I had quite enjoyed the writing and the mystery, and then to have it solved just as I finished reading the book added to the whole experience. Sadly, McNamara died suddenly before she finished this book and realizing how much her research helped find the killer. Some of the chapters were finished by her husband and editors after her death.  I totally freaked myself out one night hearing 'a noise', and I don't usually get affected by the books I read, but this one got to me a bit.

Best humourous:

Canadianity: Tales from the True North Strong and Freezing - Jeremy Taggert and  Jonathan Torrens 

Ha, ha, this is for the bahds! Jonathan Torrens (CBC/television personality and actor) and Jeremy Taggert (drummer from Our Lady Peace) have a podcast and touring comedy show that this book has come out of. It's an ode to Canada and being a bahd - cool dude. I had a lot of fun reading this book. 
My review here.




Best historical /science/mystery:

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World - Steven Johnson

The Ghost Map is really the best of all worlds - historical (last cholera epidemic in London), science (how do diseases spread) and mystery (how to stop the outbreak). I wrote Johnson's name down as an author to read again, and I must get to that. my review here




Best memoir/middle age 

What the Psychic Told the Pilgrim: A Midlife Misadventure on Spain's Camino de Santiago de Compostela - Jane Christmas 

Did Wild by Cheryl Strayed make you want to hike 1000 miles? No? Me either, but walking the Camino in Spain sounded almost doable in this mid-life crisis memoir. 
My review here.





best memoir

Golden Boy - Grant Matheson (ebook) 

A harrowing read about opioid addition, written by a local PEI doctor. He is a guy I knew of in high school - a good looking, slightly older guy from a neighbouring high school. He became a doctor, and then ended up addicted to drugs. He lost his licence to practice medicine and is now recovering. His memoir was hard to put down, and scary to see how easily he fell and how hard getting out of addition was.




best re-read

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot (audiobook)

Just as good the second time. Cassandra Campbell is a narrator I've always liked, and she did a great job here, as expected. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is often cited in 'best audibooks'. This is as infuriating as it is compelling. The horrible way the family was treated, and the ethics of medical research leave lots to think about after reading. 



2. Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year? 

No, my reading has been all over the place - memoirs, historical, crime, science, feminism. I like most everything. 

3.What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?

The books I've listed as my favourite are all recommended, but none in particular from this year. However, after reading The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and his mother Gloria Vanderbilt, it reminded me of how much I enjoyed Cooper's first memoir, Dispatches From the Edge.

4. What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?

The prompts help me look back on the nonfiction year, and are just the right amount of incentive to post some content to my blog. I also like getting the scoop on the new NF that everyone else has read this year. I appreciate the reccs.

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Longest Books

This week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl, is Longest Books I've Read. I'm not a huge fan of immensely long books, but when you find a good one that you can just fly through, that absorbs you so completely, long books don't even feel long. The number of pages can vary depending on editions so I'll list the pages, but I realize that the number can change.

Come with me down this little ole memory lane...

Hey, remember when there used to be the Chunkster Challenge hosted by Bookfool ? The first challenge that drew me in was Booklogged's Classic Challenge, and then the Chunkster Challenge with Bookfool came along. It's hard to believe all this book blogging started over ten years ago. I was browsing around the Chunkster Challenge posts and bookfool mentioned that three participants would get her homemade booksmarks. I used that beautiful bird photograph bookmark for years!

Stephen King's It  

1120 pages

I'm trying not to just pick all the Stephen King's I've read, and even with 3 on the list, I'm sure there were other books by King that were long that I didn't list. Even with the length, nobody does a big epic novel like King. 

Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth

992 pages

Building a cathedral in the 12th century. Was worth the 900+ pages.

Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance

728 pages

I enjoyed it as I read A Fine Balance, but it was in the months afterward when I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and events that I realized the greatness in this novel. 

Stephen King's The Stand

1472 pages

The edition I read wasn't the uncut/author's version, but it was still very, very long and one of my favourite books.

Joe Hill's The Fireman

768 pages

Stephen King Jr writes just as engrossing novels as his dad. Post-apocalyptic tale of bad viruses, sounds a lot like The Stand.

Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch

784 pages

The Goldfinch read quickly, but ultimately I was more frustrated with this one than any other on this list and I wouldn't recommend it.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory

672 pages

Epic Tudor historical history during Henry the VIII's days there was plenty of intrigue to keep me interested. I loved it at the time, but never did read another Phillippa Gregory book for some reason.

Neil Gaiman's American Gods

624 pages

Shortest book on my list, but is also one I could do a re-read of. I loved the premise and epic good v evil nature of the book.

Stephen King's Lisey's Story

688 pages

Really, this was just a baby Stephen King book.

Jean Auel's The Mammoth Hunters 

(all the books in the series are chunksters)

768 pages

Considering I've read six books in this series, and all the books were mammoth, it ends up being I've read a lot of Jean Auel. I always think of these prehistoric books along with The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldron at the same time (prehistoric sex books vs Scottish sex books were the descriptions as we passed them around the staff room) and I'm pretty sure the Outlander books were also Chiunksters.

Elizabeth George's A Place of Hiding 

(12th in the series, they were all quite long)

800 pages

The Inspector Lynley /Barbara Havers mystery books were tremendously long books but really good police procedurals. They used to take me forever to read, as along with the length, I found the prose dense and the vocabulary just beyond my usual words. I'm impressed looking back that I read twelve of them, but I see now the series is at 20 books and I know I wouldn't have the patience to read them now.

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books by Favourite Author I Haven't Read Yet

Hey, look who's back! It's me. A topic like Books by My Favourite Authors that I Haven't Read Yet is just the one to get me writing. Check out more topics at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Tracy Chevalier's The Last Runaway

I love Chevalier and this is the last of her published books to read. She takes about 2 years between books, so maybe there will be a new one next year.

Kate Atkinson's Emotionally Weird 

I found Emotionally Weird at a big yard sale on the weekend for 50 cents and was so excited. (that's why this topic has pulled me out of my hiatus) I am also excited about Atkinson's very recently released book, Transcription.

Stephen King's The Outsider

I have no where near read all of Stephen King's books, but I've got a good large 

number of them read. I'm getting The Outsider on audio in the next few weeks. 11/22/63 is one of his older books that I still want to read.

Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology

I have enjoyed many of Gaiman's books and it turns out when I looked at his list, that I've read nearly all his books, if I ignore The Sandman books, which I have. Looking forward to listening to Norse Mythology.

Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet

I've really enjoyed all of Sarah Waters books. This is the only one I have left on her old list to read. I've kind of been saving this one.

Emma Donoghue's Slammerkin

Another great writer whose books I've read most of and enjoyed. 

Robert Galbraith's Lethal White

JK Rowling is so talented. Besides all the Harry Potter books, her Cormoran Strike books are addicting. I got in the audio line early at the library and expect to get this on in a few weeks.

Deon Meyer's Dead at Daybreak, and Fever

Meyer's old books aren't so easy to get a hold of, but it is well worth it when you can. In looking up the books I haven't read yet, I discovered the Meyer has a newer book that I missed last year, Fever. Authors like Meyer - you have to wait for them to write, and then for the books to get translated. FYI, if you like mysteries and suspense, you should be reading Meyer, especially the Benny Griesel books.

Curtis Sittenfeld's Eligible

Sittenfeld isn't a prolific writer, but it turns out I've read most of her books, and I bought this one second hand somewhere along the way. Looking forward to Eligible.

How about a list of author's I love that I've read all their books? It kind of comes up when thinking about this topic:

 Lori Lansens, LM Montgomery, Dava Sobel, Rohinton Mistry, Mary Lawson, Tana French, Gillian Flynn, Carol Shields (all the fiction),

BOOK: The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson, 256 pages + notes and bibliography

No extended description of London from that period failed to mention the stench of the city. p8

Isn't it great to find a new nonfiction author who delivers on style and content? Steven Johnson's 2006 book about, well, a whole bunch of stuff, was a wonderful narrative history book, and he's written several other books, three of which are available on audiobook from my library. So, not only did I read a great book, I've got a backlist to investigate as well about popular science topics. Score!

But the finest minds of the era were also devoted to an equally pressing question: What are we going to do with all this shit? p 115


The Ghost Map is about the development of modern cities, the development of public health, and scientist John Snow, all framed around an epidemic of cholera in 1854 London. I enjoyed the history aspect of the development of the mega city and the scientific process of determining the cause of the cholera epidemic. Snow faced a decided opposition who believed that disease was spread through the 'miasma' of the air, and thus, also the moral depravity of the poor who so often suffered through the spread of terrible diseases. By supposing that cholera was spread through injestion of bad water, Snow investigated and was able to stop the epidemic from getting worse. 

Johnson easily moves from the specific story of Snow and cholera on Broad Street to the larger historical context of the spreading of diseases and city development. From biographical details of the main characters like Snow, and the local curate, Henry Whitehead, to the scientific background of bacteria and their evolutionary progress, Johnson keeps his narrative in order and progressing. He even at the end connects the ideas of cholera epidemics to modern epidemics and threats to city living.

Traditional bombs obviously grow more deadly as the populations they target increase in size, but the upward slope in that case is linear. With epidemics, the deadliness grows exponentially. p 243
(the math teacher in me loved this example)

The fact that Snow was able to figure out as much as he did without any understanding of bacteria and microbes is pretty amazing. In fact, I was put to mind the great book I read last year, I Contain Multitudes, a very up-to-date understanding of the creepy crawly stuff we can't see. The two books would be like book-ends in the history of epidemics based on bacteria and viruses. (I'm really just looking for any reason to recommend these two books.)

Johnson  ends with a timely reminder of what is needed to keep humanity living and progressing in larger and larger cities:

1. Embrace - as a matter of philosophy and public policy - the insights of science, in particular the fields that descend from the great Darwinian revolution that began only a mater of years after Snow's death: genetics, evolutionary theory, environmental science.
2. Commit ourselves anew to the kinds of public health systems that developed in the wake of the brad Street outbreak, both in the developed world and the developing: clean water supplies, sanitary waste-removal and recycling programs. p 255



More of Steven Johnson's Books to look forward to:

Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter

Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation 

Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life

How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World

Future Perfect: The Case For Progress In A Networked Age 

Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World

BOOK: Canadianity by Jeremy Taggart and Jonathan Torrens

Canadianity: Tales from the True North Strong and Freezing by Jeremy Taggart and Jonathan Torrens , 288 pages


Aw, two Canadian icons (who have a podcast together) have written a book about Canada. Their podcast tries to define Canadianity and now they have written a book to share their stories and travels across this big great country. Just a couple of Bahds, having a little love fest. Needless to say, I enjoyed this book.

Jonathan Torrens is a bit younger than me and lived in my little suburb outside Charlottetown. Most people think Sherwood is just a part of Charlottetown, except people from Sherwood who say they are from Sherwood. You may know Jonathan Torrens from Trailer Park Boys (J-Roc) or maybe you are a bit older and remember Street Cents, a consumer info show for teens. He's a Canadian guy, or bahd, as T &T continually refer. A good guy and very funny.  Someone to have a beer with. Because Jon is originally from PEI, the PEI chapter is quite long which I also loved. 

Taggart was the drummer from Our Lady Peace, not a band I listened to but I've definitely heard of them. He's also middle aged with lots of great stories of growing up in Ontario and also being a rock star. 

Each province gets a chapter, with stories from the bahd's travels or show biz experiences. There are lots of lists for each province - famous people, places to see, food to eat, great bands. Canada is big, but also it's a lot of small places too and it was fun having been to many places and recognizing people and places. 

It's an enjoyable read about the collective Canadian experience (especially for people of a certain, ie my, age). Great job Bahds!

AUDIOBOOKS: Running Scared (week 3 of YA Sync)

The third week's theme is Running Scared, stories with boys running for their lives. Another fiction and nonfiction pairing.

On Two Feet and Wings: One Boy's Amazing Story of Survival by Abbas Kazarooni

A crazy memoir from the 1980s, when Iran was suddenly under the Ayatollah, fighting a war with Iraq, and Iranians were trying to get out. (I had a student ten years ago whose family left Iran so he wouldn't have to do his time in the army. Lovely student) In terms of time and general theme, this reminded me of Persepolis but it was quite different. In trying to get their nine year old Abbas out of Iran, his parents make plans to flee to Turkey, but at the last minute, the parents weren't allowed out, so they sent him on his own. On his own at nine. A friend of the father's was supposed to look after him, but he barely throws him in a taxi. Luckily, Abbas meets a couple of absolutely wonderful residents of Istanbul. (I love stories of wonderful people in Istanbul.) 

Dear little Abbas manages to make his way in Istanbul as he waits out his application at the British Embassy. His street smarts are pretty good for a nine year old, and his resiliency is amazing. We talk in school about kids today needing to be resilient and this would be a great book. Apparently there is a follow up book about Abbas' time in England, with a not as happy of ending.

Johnny Get Your Gun (Virgil Tibbs book 3) by John Ball

The fiction half of this week's offering and a sequel to a book previously offered, In the Heat of the Night. Both feature Detective Virgil Tibbs (of the famous movie line - They call me Mr Tibbs!). This one was very good, starting out with two young boys and a case of bullying gone wrong. The younger fellow vows revenge, and takes his father's (loaded!) gun to find the older boy. A nine year old on the run with a loaded gun led to much suspense and concern, never knowing how serious the author with make things turn out. I loved the 'noir' feel to the story, little description, all action and the Pasedena/Anaheim setting. I'd look for more Virgil Tibbs mysteries for sure.

AUDIOBOOKS: Venturing Abroad (week 2 of YA Sync)

The theme for the second week is Venturing Abroad, promising to take the reader to places you might find beyond imagination. I like that this week had a fiction and a nonfiction book.

The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea

Wow, this one felt like it was written last year, not in 2004, but it does feel like it was a Pulitzer finalist for nonfiction writing. Starting with an incident where 14 immigrants died from heat exhaustion (and 12 others severely injured), Urrea looks into many aspects of Mexicans travelling and entering the United States illegally. From the people themselves, the border agents, and the guides, there are so many stories and issues beyond 'build a wall'. Listening to this makes one wish that a certain someone would also listen to it and see the shades of grey in the immigration issue. 

Solo by Kwame Alexander

I loved the lyrical writing of this novel in verse. It appears I like and can appreciate novels in verse because this is now the third book that I've read and really enjoyed. Solo is about the son of a famous rock musician. Blade is estranged from his drug-addicted father and trying to forge is own identity. He ends up on a quest to Ghana to find his mother. The audiobook is wonderful, read by the author and including music by Randy Preston, appropriately. 

AUDIOBOOKS: YA Sync : Stories with Histories

The theme of the first week was Stories With Histories and these two books were full of history, both real and literary. 

The Great War: Stories Inspired by Items from the First World War
I like these kinds of books: assorted short stories with a theme, and each author wrote a story about the First World War based on an object. Some stories were set during the war, some were in any of the decades after the war, some were set in other countries. Like any collection, some stories stand out more than others. 

Much variety, and I tried to just listen to one at a time so as to appreciate each one separately. Captain Rosalie was excellent, about a little girl in France whose father is fighting. She thinks she is a secret agent sitting in the back of class, gathering information as a part of the effort.  Maud's Story about women working in the factories during the war. Our Jacko was set in the sixties in Ireland and allowed a  family to recognize the contributions of their ancestors, and brought war to life for kids who like to 'play' war.

• Our Jacko by Michael Morpurgo, inspired by a Brodie helmut
• Another Kind of Missing by AL Kennedy, inspired by a compass
• Don't Call it Glory by Marcus Sedgwick, inspired by a nose of a Zeppelin bomb
• The Country You Called Home by John Boyne, inspired by a recruitment poster
• When They Were Needed Most by Tracy Chevalier, inspired by a Princess Mary gift fund box
• A World that Has No War in It by David Almond, inspired by a soldier's writing
• A Harlem Hellfighter and His Horn by Tanya Lee stone, inspired by sheet music
• Maud's Story by Adele Gerais, inspired by a war-time butter dish
• Captain Rosalie by Timothy de Fombelle, inspired by a Victoria Cross
• Each Slow Dusk by Sheena Wilkinson, inspired by school magazines
• Little Wars by Ursula Dubosarsky, inspired by a French toy soldier

Pretty impressive collection of authors! 

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavarello

Sherlock Holmes must be one of the most 'inspired by' characters written in modern day, and this one does not disappoint. I knew A Study in Charlotte sounded familiar, as spritereads had brought this to my attention last year. This is the first of a trilogy and I will be reading the rest!

Set in modern times at a New England boarding school, descendents of Sherlock Holmes (Charlotte) and Dr Watson (Jamie) meet up, with all their family history there to cause problems. When a student both Charlotte and Jamie had had bad interactions with is found murdered, they must work together to clear their names. It is so much more than that, with much respect to the original books, and homage with different short stories. The characters were great, the plot was good, even descendents of Moriarty appear. I can't wait to read the next ones: The Last of August, and The Case for Jamie.

AUDIOBOOKS: Free YA books all summer

It's a new season of YA Sync! Time for my annual reminder that you can get 2 free audiobooks, every week for the next 13 12 weeks. I'm late with this as you've already missed the first week, but you have til Wednesday to get the second week's books: Solo by Kwame Alexander and The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea (a Pulitzer NF finalist from 2005) 

Every year there is one classic book that I have read and not enjoyed. This year it is The Scarlet Letter. I'll listen to it, but I expect I'll hate it anew, just like Lord of the Flies and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Instead of The Scarlet Letter, try the retelling in When She Woke by Hillary Jordan, or The Scarlet Pimpernell and pretend it's the book you were looking for, like I once did accidentally. 


Eek, I still had a few, if eight is a few, books on my phone from last year that I haven't listened to yet. Since the new season started, I did manage to get two old ones read.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepety 

I remember when this poor book was released around the same time as Fifty Shades of Gray and it got completely overshadowed. Most people probably didn't even realize there were two different books. This is a Russian WW2 book and definitely not that other book.

I was really not into it at first as I find the Holocaust books so horrific. These were Ukrainians being gathered up by Stalin for what ever reason he felt like and sent to prison camps, after the men were separated from their families. We follow a teenage girl who dreamed of art school as she ends up fighting for her life in the Russian winters. It was well done and I ended up liking it, as well as you can like a book like this. The author at the end explains how it was based on stories from her Ukrainian family that were passed down. 

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older

Modern day fantasy set in New York, I liked the Puerto Rican folklore aspect mixed with the modern day teenagers. The narrator,  Annika Noni Rose is very good and brings the characters alive. I'm not the hugest fan of fantasy and ghosts but this wasn't too elaborate and I was able to follow it. Sierra is a teenage artist painting a mural when she discovers she is a shapeshifter and needs to help the spirits around her. A discussion with her grandfather sends her on her quest.  There is another book but I don't feel the need to keep reading this one.

The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff

I've listened to 10 out of 21 sections of this history book, but I don't know if I'll listen to the rest. I still have it on my phone and I may pick it up again, but surely, an editor is to blame for this length. So far, it's just case after case of who got tried for being a witch. I guess I feel like the story is not progressing, and something could have been summarized. There is certainly research that was done, and I did discover how to speed up the replay to 1.5X. 

I recently read Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks; I think I'm not a fan of the Puritans, and their religious dogma. This also explains my dislike of The Scarlet Letter. Reviews at Librarything indicate this book may be a bit better at the end, so I may finish it at some point. 

BOOK: Jane of Lantern Hill by LM Montgomery

Jane of Lantern Hill by LM Montgomery   (292 pages)


Jane of Lantern Hill has all the requisite characteristics of a Montgomery book - a lonely child, proud rich older character, misunderstandings and grudges held over a long time, and of course, some Prince Edward Island. I've read a lot of Montgomery but didn't remember this one, although I could predict a lot of the plot. Not that this was a problem - it's what I like about Montgomery's books.

Jane Stuart is living in Toronto with her mother and grandmother, lonely and unhappy, although wise in her observations. When her father requests Jane for the summer on PEI, Jane is surprised and reluctant as she didn't even know he was alive. She falls under the spell of PEI in the summer which is exactly what happens here. I loved her delight with the environment and characters surrounding her as she threw herself into her new life. This changes Jane as she returns to Toronto and cannot be cowed by her grandmother as easily.

I loved Jane's appreciation of her simple life in PEI, keeping house and making friends, loving the ocean and the sky. Montgomery follows her tried and true storyline and of course, a *spoiler* happy ending. I enjoyed by time with Jane and the nature of PEI. It got me feeling like summer in PEI as the weather is turning in a good way, and it's almost time to open the cottage.