I wanted to do something a little different in this post and give you a quick look into two weeks (more or less!) in my reading life. 🙂

Typically I read 8-10 books a month, but lately it has been a little less because I’ve had so much going on (launching my latest novel and working on other projects), but I have been enjoying some great reading and wanted to share a bit about it!

A little over two weeks ago, I finished reading Spring Begins in March by Jean Little. It is a perfect springtime read (as the title might suggest!), even though the title is really more metaphorical than literal. It’s the sequel to Mine for Keeps, Little’s first novel. I have talked about this book before in my Best Books of Spring post, but it’s worth talking about again because of the charming, realistic characters and the delightful resolution. The best part of the book is when Meg’s grandmother reads aloud Anne of Ingleside to her. This scene was taken from one of Little’s own experiences as a child, when she “read ahead” after her grandmother finished reading for the night because she had to find out what happened to Anne!

When I first read Spring Begins in March, this scene made me want to read Anne of Ingleside, which I never had before. (I had read Anne of Green Gables countless times, but had never gotten to some of the later volumes.) So I read it and loved it! In a journal entry from that time, I wrote: “I like the little vignettes, like individual episodes of a sitcom.” Readers have criticized the episodic nature of some Montgomery books, but much of the time those ‘episodes’ make the books special and unique.

So when I revisited Spring, it put me in the mood to revisit Ingleside. But there was a catch: I have been trying to read the Anne series in order for the first time EVER. I started last April with AOGG and have been (slowly!) continuing throughout the months, and I needed to read Anne’s House of Dreams in order to read Ingleside.

I decided to challenge myself to read AHOD in three days. I have always been a slow reader—I read tons of books but it typically takes me a week to read a long-ish book like the ones in the Anne series. And I love a good challenge! So I dived in and (sort of) binged AHOD. It was terrific fun! AHOD is (like other Montgomery books) essentially stitched together from various short stories that LMM wanted to revisit, but everything is seamless. In my opinion, this is perhaps the most well-crafted Anne book because there’s nothing really extraneous—everything matters, and the various subplots all work well together in harmony.

Here is a two-page spread in my scrapbook that I created while reading AHOD:

So then I went on to Ingleside, but at the moment I am only about halfway through because of two things: life became even busier, and I also received some books for my birthday (yay!) and I am starting on those. Anne of Ingleside is such a joy to read, especially the original portions that were never short stories, LOL! I just find this to be another absolutely wonderful springtime selection.

I also recently read Lizzie by May Justus, a chapter book from 1944 that was reprinted a few years ago. I’ve embarked on a different kind of reading challenge this year—I want to try reading a book set in each U.S. state! So Lizzie was my choice for Tennessee; it’s set in the mountains and is very sweet. Nothing much happens in it, but since it’s so short, that’s okay. 🙂

I just finished one of the books I received for my birthday, Lois Lenski’s Flood Friday. I had a hard time putting it down because I had to find out what happened to all the children! It was based on a real flood in Connecticut in the 1950s, and Lenski is (as usual) excellent with bringing details to life.

The next book I’m currently reading is The Adventure of the Seven Keyholes by Augusta Huiell Seaman. I love her books—she wrote vintage children’s mysteries in the early 20th century and this one, from 1925, is quite good so far.

So that’s basically two weeks in my reading life. What have you been reading lately? I’d love to hear about the last two weeks in your reading life!

At the close of this first month of the new year, here’s a quick update on my current books (and other things)!

What I’m reading …

I read eleven books in January to kick off 2021! Among my (new) favorites: The Anne of Green Gables Devotional by Rachel Dodge, a heartfelt read full of inspiring verses with charming illustrations; Karina Yan Glaser’s The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found, the fourth volume in the Vanderbeekers series and perhaps the most poignant yet; Best Friends by Mary Bard (1950s fun about a French girl moving to the US); Francie on the Run, the second book in Hilda van Stockum’s Bantry Bay trilogy. Rereads included Kate DiCamillo’s 20th-anniversary edition of Because of Winn-Dixie (with slightly altered text), and Jane of Lantern Hill (L.M. Montgomery), which I am having the fun of discussing with friends in a book group right now.

What I’m planning to read …

Some brand-new books just arrived in the mail, and here’s why I can’t wait to read them:

Emily’s Runaway Imagination (1961): I’m working on filling in my Beverly Cleary library, having stuck mainly to the Ramona books and her “First Love” series. I just read Mitch and Amy (1967) and liked it quite a bit, so I’m eager to read this one, a rare historical story from Cleary set in the 1920s.

The Four Graces (1946): A Little Women retelling-of-sorts set in WWII in an English village and written by D.E. Stevenson? What could be better? 🙂

Carney’s House Party (1949): I just bought this lovely two-pack that includes both Carney and Winona, two Deep Valley novels by Maud Hart Lovelace. I just read Winona’s Pony Cart for the first time last year and greatly enjoyed it, and now I’m looking forward to rereading Carney’s House Party.

L.M. Montgomery’s Short Stories, 1907-1908: Montgomery’s short stories often have such wonderful characters and situations that I end up wishing she’d lengthened them into more novels!

Two Little Women (1915): I read the second book in this trilogy in 2009 and the third in 2010, and I have finally bought myself a copy of the first book! Carolyn Wells’ writing is so breezy and fun.

Not pictured but also on my list: Jennifer Dances (1954): A 1910s-era story by Eunice Young Smith about a girl who moves to Chicago to live with aunt and takes up ballet. It sounds so sweet!

What I’m writing …

I am nearly finished with my current middle grade novel – only about 7k left to write – and then I’m going to be focusing on a revision of a middle grade manuscript I wrote for NaNoWriMo in 2018! I am so excited about it, and I’m gathering research materials and searching for inspiration!

What else I’ve been enjoying…

Scrapbooking, looking through old family photos, feeding sugar cubes to sweet ponies, listening to Annette Funicello songs and Strauss’ Annen Polka, doing writing sprints with friends, gathering quotes for an interview piece for Inside Gymnastics, watching Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, and other delightful things. I’ve also been planning this summer’s garden, buying seeds and calculating how many flower beds I’ll need. I am hoping for an early spring so that I can get a head start on my seeds, particularly the Madame Butterfly snapdragons. For the first time, I’ll be planting glorious orange nasturtiums (a flower found in Jane of Lantern Hill, as mentioned above), and I’m crossing my fingers that – unlike last year – my pink poppies will actually come to fruition!

What have you been doing to brighten the long January days? Let me know in the comments! 🙂 

I’ve always been fascinated with scrapbooking, and I’ve kept various types of scrapbooks since I was seven years old. Some have been personal scrapbooks with special mementos alongside photos I’ve taken, and others have been collections of magazine photos I liked.

Some of my most recent scrapbooking efforts are pages designed to inspire me as I write my novels! I’ve mentioned this before on my blog, explaining how I collect ideas and imagery for my books and arrange them in ways that enhance the “vision” of my works-in-progress. I typically do this very early in the writing or prewriting process of a book, and it helps to shape the aesthetic feel that I’ll attempt to describe in the story.

I did this for my novella last year, gathering pictures of beaches and and cottages and a homecoming theme to inspire me.

Right now I’m in the most delightful stage of any book–the prewriting process. It’s delicious to dream up a story, and I’ve been mulling over this one for about a month now. I’m sifting ingredients, trying to determine what will make the best recipe for this particular tale. I’m stirring together character traits and settings and time periods and messages and motives. I’m planning out the look and feel of the book.

Which brings me to the creation of these scrapbook pages, designed specifically for my next sweet romance novel! Any guesses on the historical era?

And of course, sometimes I create pages to springboard me to new ideas. One of them helped to cement ideas for a short story I’d like to write.

Do you enjoy scrapbooking? Have you ever considered putting together images for story inspiration?

Recently Read: Christmas at the Circus by Joanne Bischof, The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker, Only Dollie by Nina Rhoades, The Golden Name Day by Jennie D. Lindquist

Currently Reading: Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace, Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery, Cousins by Evan Commanger

This week, I thought I might give an update on some of my current writing projects and reading lists!

An aesthetic I created for my middle grade novel

In September, I finished drafting a delicious middle grade novel set in 1949 England. I wrote the beginning of the book two years ago, added a little more one year ago, and then couldn’t think of where to take the story. But finally this summer I had the perfect inspiration for the book–I simply withdrew a plotline from one of my unfinished projects, paired it with the characters and setting that I’d dreamed up for this novel, and everything fell into place!

I’m currently brainstorming and outlining a lovely Christmas-themed novel that’s been simmering in my mind since last winter. I’ve promised myself not to start writing it until mid-October, but I almost don’t think I can wait that long. 😉 (This novel will be my NaNoWriMo project, too!) In the meantime, though, I might be working on a fun novelette, but I’ll have plenty to keep me busy until I can start my Christmas novel. The World Championships of gymnastics will be held in Stuttgart for the next two weeks, and I’m *so* looking forward to seeing how the competition unfolds. (Fingers crossed that the Japanese women qualify a full team to Tokyo 2020!)

So far this year I have read 91 books.This far surpasses my goal of 75 books for 2019, which I set last December. (True, I don’t think I’ve yet read any of the long classics I had planned to add to my list this year, although I’m rectifying this right now by reading a very long and revered classic with a reading group. See my current reads below!)

More fun from the past few weeks: 

– I’m entering two stories in a very exciting writing contest this fall. I can’t wait to see what happens!

– Last year I planted snapdragons that were a perfect “sunset” shade, a mix of pink and orange. (My absolute favorites!) Then last month this same color of snapdragon popped up amidst my strawberries. I didn’t plant it there – they weren’t even in that flower bed last year! – but it was such a fun surprise.

– Over the past two months, I’ve been digitizing a box of amazing family photos, which has kept me happily busy. 🙂

– I’m re-reading some of my favorite Judy Bolton mysteries,and it’s delightful to return to these books at this time of year. Autumn is perfect for Judys!

– I also recently put together the picture on the left, a mix of cut silhouettes and paint on watercolor paper…a future book character, perhaps? 😉

Recently Read: The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue by Karina Yan Glaser, Grace Coolidge: An Autobiography, The Invisible Chimes by Margaret Sutton

Currently Reading: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Strange Likeness by Kate Duvall and Beverly Hatfield, At Home in North Branch by Arleta Richardson

After promising to do so in my last blog post, it is finally time to post my brief analysis on the Pat Gardiner series by L.M. Montgomery! I’m excited to share my thoughts on these wonderful books. 🙂 (A warning: This post will include a few spoilers, so if you have not yet read these books, be aware!)

Originally published in 1933 and 1935, respectively, Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat comprise a two-book series that revolves around a girl growing up on a beautiful farm on Prince Edward Island, surrounded by her beloved family and friends. The first volume chronicles Pat’s childhood and teenage years with plenty of humor and sweetness, while the sequel follows the heroine into adulthood—from hosting special dinners to marriage proposals and further changes in her life.

“I really put more of myself into Pat than into any of my other heroines,” Montgomery once wrote.[1]  I feel like Pat is one of her most realistic heroines, much less dreamy than Anne Shirley but not quite as capable as Jane Stuart. Montgomery also considered Pat to be “like Anne,” an observation I find interesting, since the two characters are quite different, in my opinion![2]

Shortly after its publication, The Los Angeles Times called Pat of Silver Bush a “sweet, sentimental story of young girlhood on a wooded estate on Prince Edward Island…those who followed the fortunes of Anne of Green Gables will revel in this.”[3]

This series contains some of Montgomery’s finest characterizations: stubborn, warmhearted Pat; endearing, artistic Jingle; whimsical yet prosaic Judy. And one of her most convincing “villains” appears in the pages of Silver Bush, in the form of Jingle’s mother—the cold, self-absorbed Doreen Garrison. Also interesting: while most of Montgomery’s heroines are orphans and only children, Pat possesses not only both parents, but several siblings as well—which provides another avenue of storylines for the series.

These books focus on the simplest joys of life, while celebrating family and strong ties to home. Pat may not have many “adventures”—she doesn’t go off to Redmond like Anne and she doesn’t climb the Alpine Path with Emily, but the books don’t require such adventures to create compelling plotlines and poignant moments.

Pat’s fierce loyalty to her home is intensely relatable, as is her reluctance to change and her sorrow over the small, but necessary, transitions of life. Who can’t sympathize with the mingled pain and regret when a tree is chopped down or a bedroom re-papered? But Pat’s love of the nature and beauty around her helps overcome many of her trivial concerns. “Who among us will not experience a homesick thrill in reading of the Secret Field and the old orchard?” the Honolulu Star-Bulletin wrote of the first Pat book in 1933. “Was not there always something like that in our childhood days?”[4]

One interesting facet about this series is that unlike some of Montgomery’s old-fashioned heroines, Pat’s story is set largely in the 1920s! Automobiles, telephones, and bobbed hair all play a role in the series—a significant departure from the days of Anne Shirley! For those curious about such small details—like I am!—Pat was born in 1913. “I was five when the armistice was signed,” Pat recounts in Pat of Silver Bush.[5] Working from other dates provided throughout the series, the ending of Mistress Pat technically takes place in 1944, but as it was published nine years prior to that date, obviously Montgomery couldn’t have foreseen that Silver Bush—and the rest of the world!—would have been engulfed in World War II by the end of the story. (I’m glad Jingle didn’t have to go to war!! Though the war would have given Judy and Pat endless material for kitchen confabs.)

Another element I love about this book is that Silver Bush is actually a real place. Montgomery modeled the Gardiner house after the home of her aunt and uncle, which she often visited as a child. Amusingly, the pond she called “The Lake of Shining Waters” was actually on the Silver Bush property—not at Green Gables! Silver Bush “was extremely important to Lucy Maud Montgomery as she had many happy visits here…the home was the inspiration of many of her writings.”[6] One of Montgomery’s biographers wrote that Silver Bush was “the happiest home away from home that Maud ever knew.”[7]

The books can be long in spots—excessive chunks of dialogue, stories, and descriptions that were some of Montgomery’s favorite aspects of writing—but the memorable characters, gorgeous imagery, and charming storylines outweigh these sections. And I would have loved the ending of Mistress Pat even more if she had chosen to marry Jingle before Silver Bush burned in the fire. Then it would have been a courageous decision born of love and steadfastness instead of resignation. (And if Montgomery could have found a way for Pat and Jingle to live at Silver Bush forever—and for Jingle’s mother to return and reconcile with him—I would have been over the moon!)

Those aspects aside, these are among my very favorite Montgomery novels, and I recommend them to anyone who loves stories focused on home and family. 🙂

Happy Reading!

(The header photo is a sketch I drew of Pat and the Silver Bush house. 🙂)

[1] Lucy Maud Montgomery: A Writer’s Life by Elizabeth McLeod (2001), pg. 27

[2] Lucy Maud Montgomery (The Canadians) by Mollie Gillen (1999), pg. 56

[3] “Sweet Sentiment Here,” The Los Angeles Times, September 24, 1933, pg. 29

[4] “Life of a Girl on Prince Edward Isle,” Honolulu Star-Bulletin, September 2, 1933, pg. 30

[5] Pat of Silver Bush by L.M. Montgomery (1933), pg. 197

[6] “Silver Bush Campbell Farm House,” Canada’s Historic Places, accessed November 9, 2018

[7] Maud: The Life of L.M. Montgomery by Harry Bruce (1992), pg. 26

Today, I’m doing a quick “news roundup” of some fun tidbits from the past couple of weeks!

First and foremost, I recently signed with Molly Shaffer, a literary agent at Golden Wheat Literary! I’m so thrilled to be taking this step in my writing journey! The past month has definitely been a whirlwind of excitement, and I can’t wait to keep working toward my goal of publication. 🙂

I also received the latest issue of Inside Gymnastics, which includes my feature on the 2008 U.S. Olympic women’s team. It was so much fun chatting on the phone with Nastia, Chellsie, and Samantha for this piece! Quotes from Bridget Sloan and Shawn Johnson also appear in the article. If you haven’t already subscribed to the magazine, be sure to buy a copy!

The latest issue of @InsideGym has arrived! Be sure to check out my “Back to Beijing” article, featuring quotes from @samanthapeszek, @CMemmel, @NastiaLiukin, @ShawnJohnson, and @bridgetsloan! 😍 pic.twitter.com/P1CqBJMMXo

— Anna Rose Johnson (@GymnasticsRosie) October 1, 2018

October has been a blustery, rainy, and snowy month so far! But we’re enjoying some truly beautiful fall colors here in Wisconsin. Here’s a few photos I snapped a few days ago!

Feisty waves on a misty lake:

A seagull flying overhead:

Beautiful colors on a rural road:

A gorgeous orange maple:

I’ve decorated a new bookshelf to showcase my vintage hardbacks of favorite classics, such as my beloved Pollyanna and Carolyn Wells books, some 1930s and ’40s mysteries, and a handful of lovely Louisa May Alcott novels:

Speaking of reading, I recently read The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden (2018) by Karina Yan Glaser, and I loved its sweet storyline. As a writer of children’s books, I also enjoyed Sarah Clarkson’s inspiring Caught Up in a Story (2014). In other reading news, I’m currently rereading L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, and I’m halfway through Jean Craig: Nurse by Kay Lyttleton (1949), which I discovered in a charming antique store. It’s a little like the Cherry Ames books, which are some of my favorite vintage mysteries.

It finally arrived! Cannot wait to read the second Vanderbeekers book by @KarinaYanGlaser! As a fan of classic middle grade (Enright, Streatfeild, Estes, etc…) it’s refreshing to find a new series that reminds me of my favorites! ❤️😍 pic.twitter.com/W0zMhkMBeR

— Anna Rose Johnson (@GymnasticsRosie) September 26, 2018

I couldn’t quite decide what to write about this week, so I decided that I’d touch on everything I’m excited about in today’s post! 🙂

First of all—after a long, long wait—my sunflowers and zinnias have arrived! I planted them from seed on May 27th, and after several months of anticipation, they finally blossomed this week. The sunflowers (at the top of this post), which I photographed today, are from the ProCut series.

My darling salmon-colored zinnias are from the Benary’s Giant series:

A sure sign that fall is coming—my white hydrangeas are turning a delightful rosy pink!

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing the one-and-only Eythora Thorsdottir, an immensely talented gymnast from the Netherlands. I’ve been a huge fan of Eythora since 2013, when I first saw her compete at the European Youth Olympic Festival—she has some of the most elegant routines in the world right now. 🙂 I’m hopeful that she recovers from a recent injury in time to compete at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar this October!

I also recently interviewed members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team for the next issue of Inside Gymnastics, in honor of the 10-year anniversary of their silver medal. I grew up watching and re-watching their amazing performances in Beijing, so it was definitely a thrill to speak with them for this piece! 🙂 The next issue will appear on newsstands later in September.

This summer, my grandma introduced me to watercolor pencils—they are absolutely splendid to work with! Here’s a quick drawing I did the other day—perhaps a future book character! 🙂

In bookish news, I just finished reading Beany Malone by Lenora Mattingly Weber—such a fun novel! Published in 1948, this book is the second in the Malone family series (I read the first earlier this year). A lovely story about a warmhearted family living in Denver right after World War II!

Beany Malone (Beany Malone Series Book 2) Reading Beany for the hundredth time… hooked in the first few pages – yet again. Gusty October, hullabaloo in the Malone house, Beany whipping up 7 minute frosting…. Lenora Mattingly Weber https://t.co/zjKWeOdroY via @amazon #books pic.twitter.com/Tdks7pdgxx

— Image Cascade Books (@ImageCascade) August 29, 2018

I also heard yesterday that there will be a new book in the Judy Bolton series! The original author of the series, Margaret Sutton, passed away in 2001, but Beverly Hatfield coauthored the official 39th volume in the series in 2012. Now, Beverly has written a mystery that is supposed to take place between books #13 and #14. It will reportedly be available later this fall! <3

I’ve written almost 8,000 words of my work-in-progress novella, “The Mistress of Half Moon Hall.” Very eager to keep working on it!

And just for fun, here’s a snapshot of one of my recently-rearranged bookshelves:

Such wonderful books here! 🙂 What have you been reading lately?

While reading the May/June 2018 issue of Victoria (one of my very favorite magazines), I came across an article showcasing the artwork of Bridget Collins, who creates beautiful pictures using flowers and grasses arranged on paper. Inspired by these lovely designs, I decided to give it a try, using the flowers from my own garden.

I didn’t have a specific scene in mind for my picture, so I gathered a handful of petals and flowers in a color scheme of pink, yellow, and white. When I spread them out on a large sheet of poster board, a large peony petal caught my eye: it looked like a long, old-fashioned skirt—something out of the Edwardian era, perhaps. I found a few extra petals to widen the skirt, and worked from there to create an image of a young woman walking through her garden.

It’s easy to put together a simple design like this one; no tools involved except a piece of paper (for your backdrop) and scissors (if you want to snip a petal to make it smaller). For this project, I used mainly marigolds, peonies, roses, and Gerbera daisies.

If you have an artistic bent—and access to flowers—I encourage you to give this unique idea a try!