Emily Of New Moon: Read-Along: Discussion 2

Discussion 2 covers chapters 11-17. Jump on over to Amber's blog Seasons Of Humility to read you post and join in on the discussion. You can also comment here.

My Thoughts:

I'm enjoying reading Emily's story, but have to say that I don't like her character as much as I like Anne in Anne of Green Gables. There are similarities with both characters though. Both have vivid imaginations and both love to write.

We get to see more of a friendship between Ilse and Emily in these chapters. Ilse is quite the little spit-fire even though her anger runs hot and furious she gets over it rather quickly. Emily is more of a slow burn kind of girl so they are a bit like water and oil in their personalities. I think Ilse's moods would give me whiplash, but those types of people you tend to know where you stand with them!

I want to reach through the pages to that teacher Miss Brownell and shake her. She's an awful person. And then for Aunt Elizabeth to take her side just infuriated me!

Teddy and Perry...uh oh, are we going to have a love triangle here? I hope not, but I do love both of them!

The author's theology is off, but I do love Emily's exploration of faith and how she tries to help Ilse believe in God even though Ilse's father didn't.

Looking forward to continuing along in the story and see how Emily grows. I'm definitely going to have to get the other books and read them as well.

Quotes I Enjoyed:

--No, I ain't afraid of anything except the devil, said Ilse.

  I thought you didn't believe in the devil either -Rhoda said you didn't.

  Oh, there's a devil all right, Father says. It's only God he doesn't believe in. And if there is a devil       and no God to keep him in order, is it any wonder I'm scare of him?I loved Ilse's reasoning here! 

--And you won't be ashamed of me because my clothes are always queer and because I don't believe in God?

  No. But if you knew Father's God you'd believe in Him.

  I wouldn't. Besides, there's only one God if there is any at all.I loved that even though she says she didn't believe in God she at least believed there was only ONE God.

--I think God is a very interesting subject, and I'm going to pray for you, Ilse, that you can believe in Father's God.

  Don't you dast! shouted Ilse, who for some mysterious reason did not like the idea. I won't be prayed for! This just made me laugh!

--Emily, sitting on a big stone with her knees crossed, her eyes black and her cheeks crimson, interjected little sarcastic retorts that infuriated  Ilse still further. Ilse was crimson, too, and her eyes were pools of scintillating, tawny fire. They were both so pretty in their fury that it was almost a pity they couldn't have been angry all the time. This just cracked me up! 

--puling, snivelling chit

--I'm glad to be rid of you-you proud, stuck-up, conceited, top-lofty biped.

--insignificant serpent

--If I couldn't write better poetry than you, I'd hang myself, she derided. I'll lend you a dime to buy a rope, said Emily.

Oh my word! When Emily suffers Ilse's wrath it kills me the names that Ilse can come up with. And the last one where Emily offers to lend Ilse a dime to buy her rope...ack! Their whole fight was humorous to me even though it tore Emily apart. 

--We fight about once a week but we make up right away and Ilse says things would be dull if there was never a row. I would like it better without rows but you can never tell what will make Ilse mad. She never gets mad twice over the same thing. She calls me dreadful names. Yesterday she called me a lousy lizard and a toothless viper. But somehow I didn't mind it much because I new I wasn't lousy or toothless and she knew it too. I don't call her names because that is unladylike but I smile and that makes Ilse far madder than if I skowled and stamped as she does, and that is why I do it. bwahahahaha! You go Emily! 

--but there is a certain odd kink in human nature by reason of which the flavour of the apples belonging to somebody else is always vastly superior to our own--as the crafty serpent of Eden very well knew. The grass if always greener on the other side of the fence?

--Poor little neglected Ilse, who found in Emily's companionship what she had hungered for all her short life and who was, even now, being led by love into something of her rightful heritage. I love that Ilse is being loved by someone. I love that Emily in her way can show this to Ilse.

--Emily coolly lifted up one of the planks, knelt on the others and peered down. Oh. My. Gosh! This scared me to death! I had visions of Emily falling into that well! A horrible scene!

Discussion Questions:

1. If you could have Ilse, Teddy, or Perry as your friend, which one do you think you would get along with the best? Which one do you think would help you grow the most? Oh I'd probably get along best with Emily, but Perry totally cracks me up! I loved the whole scene where he was listening to Miss Brownell and Aunt Elizabeth told him to come down from the loft area and he had no clothes on! Bwahahahaha! 

2. What did you think of Emily's response when Lofty John suggests she's eaten poison? How might you have reacted similarly or differently? That would have been an awful joke for an adult to play on a child! I would have acted the same way I imagine. How scary for her! Poor thing!

3. Which scene did you find the most humorous in these chapters? What part particularly made you laugh or smile? The scene with Perry in the loft and then the scene with Ilse and Emily fighting. Both made me laugh.

4. Imagine yourself as a student in the classroom when Miss Brownell is reading Emily's poetry—or in the house when Miss Brownell comes to speak with Aunt Elizabeth. How would you feel, and what might you do to come to Emily's aid during or after the incident?Sadly I would probably comfort after the fact, but during I would never have been able to step forward and confront either Miss Brownell or Aunt Elizabeth. And during the whole scene with Miss Brownell reading the poetry I probably would have had my head on the desk because I can't stand to see someone made fun of or ridiculed. 

5. If you lived at New Moon, which season would be your favorite to experience?New Moon seems like a lovely place to grow up and I imagine that all of the seasons have their own beauty and advantages. 

Well, that is it for this discussion. Have you read EMILY OF NEW MOON? Feel free to comment here, head over to Amber's blog and check out her post, and post your own thoughts on the book. 

 

Emily Of New Moon: Read-Along: Discussion 1

Today we are discussing Chapters 1-10. For all of the information on the read-along hop on over to Amber's blog SEASONS OF HUMILITY and check out her post and thoughts on these chapters.

Favorite Quotes:

"Emily didn't know she was being pitied and didn't know what lonsomeness meant."
Emily's life was so carefree and I love that she didn't know these things at first.

"And always when the flash came to her Emily felt that life was a wonderful, mysterious thing of persistent beauty."
I love "the flash" a burst of insight, or flight of fancy, or inspiration. 

"I just made up my mind that I'd do what was right and drop a hint to prepare you."
Oh how I despised Ellen for doing this to poor Emily! There always seems to be that "someone" that feels it their duty to crush little spirits. Such a shame. While this wasn't a favorite quote of course, it was something that stood out to me that I wanted to remember.

"The first time your husband calls you "Mother" the romance of life is over."
Truer words were never spoken! I loved Emily's father telling her the story of how she got her name and this quote cracked me up a bit. No way would I consent to being called "Mother" by my husband either so I cheered Emily's mother for standing up to that!

"Perhaps they felt some compunction--for, after all, none of them were ogres and all were human, more or less.
bwahahahaha! I wonder! They were an odious group of relatives for sure!

"Aunt Elizabeth was one of those people who never do understand anything unless it is told them in plain language and hammered into their heads. And then they understand it only with their brains and not with their hearts."
Ack! So true!

"Children can be the most cruel creatures alive. They have the herd instinct of prejudice against any outsider, and they are merciless in its indulgence."
Unfortunately I don't think that children have a monopoly on this! Adults can be just as cruel.

"Why is it that the nicest things never are helthy, Father?"
Emily speaks truth here! 

"It was not for Rhoda she mourned--it was for the friendship that had been so dear to her. Rhoda had been dear and sweet on the surface at least, and Emily had found intense happiness in their companionship. Now it was gone and she could never, never love or trust anybody again. There lay the sting."
Oh so sad to put so much into a friendship and find out that the friend was not deserving of such love and loyalty. 

Thoughts:

The Murray's were horrible people! I'm at least glad that the "lot" drawn was for Emily to go to New Moon. At least there she has Aunt Laura to give her some amount of affection, even if it is on the sly.

I loved when Emily was once again able to write out her feelings and thoughts and fancy's. It is a great outlet for her bottled up emotions.

The whole school scene was just awful. Kids are cruel, and that teacher has GOT to go! Slapping a child?! Awful woman!

The biggest thing that stood out in these chapters for me was Elizabeth wanting to cut off Emily's hair. What?! Why?! I think the woman has a screw loose!! Yay for Emily standing up to her! But the last chapter left us hanging and Elizabeth gets even I'm sure. Ack!

I thought I had read EMILY OF NEW MOON before, but I am finding I am not remembering any of it so I guess I haven't. It does remind me a bit of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, but still has a charm of its own.

Questions:

1. What did you think of Emily's life before her father passed away? What stood out to you as wonderful or sad?

I loved how carefree Emily was and the closeness that she shared with her father. I loved that he encouraged her writing and her imagination. 

2. Which of Emily's Murray relatives has made the greatest impression on you so far in either a positive or negative way? What is it that makes their character so striking?

Of course the New Moon people stand out. Cousin Jimmy is an odd duck, but at least he cares for Emily. Aunt Laura has her quiet way and manages to show Emily love and care. I'm hoping that Aunt Elizabeth will soften like Marilla did in ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, for she is pretty formidable and has odd ideas about bringing children up. 

3. Are you a cat person? What did you think of Emily's choice between Saucy Sal and Mike?

We are animal-less in our retirement age, but as our girls were growing up we had dogs and we had cats and gerbils and fish and hamsters. So I guess you could say that I like all kinds of animals. I hated the fact that Emily had to choose between the two cats. But I liked how she reasoned it out and took Saucy Sal because she knew that Ellen wouldn't treat her very well. Pretty smart kid!

4. Are you a fan of poetry like Emily? If you enjoy reading it, do you prefer blank-verse or rhyming poetry? What's your favorite poem you've read or written?

I'm a rhymer! ha! I don't get poetry. So no, I am not a fan of poetry and I always hated those sections in all of my Language Arts studies when we would get to them. So, the answer is no, I do not like poetry.

5. What are your thoughts on Emily's school experience so far? If you could step in and make changes to the system, what might you do?

Get rid of that teacher! Awful woman! Yay for Ilse! I cracked up at this quote,

"Clear out, all of you, and leave the New Moon girl alone after this," she said. "If I hear of any more meddling and sneaking I'll slit your throats, and rip out your hearts and tear your eyes out. Yes, and I'll cut off your ears and wear them pinned on my dress!"

Everyone needs a champion in their life like Ilse was for Emily! I hope they become friends! 

Have you read EMILY OF NEW MOON? Join in on the discussion if you have! I'd love to hear what you think of the story. 

Madam, Will You Talk? by Mary Stewart

I read this book many years ago. When I was a teen and young adult. I love Gothic romances and this was a perfect fit. My original copy is still on my bookshelf:

I love the cover so much better than the e-version that I read this time around. It speaks to the story so much better!

I have to say that I unfortunately do not remember there being so much cursing and cigarette smoking when I read this in my younger years. As primarily a Christian fiction reader and reviewer picking up a book that was once a favorite and finding so much of both was kind of disappointing. But as I thought about it I think it fit perfectly with the times it was written in. Smoking didn't have the taboo or warnings that it does now. The cursing was limited and fairly mild, but still there, and still rather like a slap in the face when I came across it. Not because I'm easily offended, but because I was not expecting it and it came across so harshly, as I think the author intended.

I read everything I could devour from Mary Stewart and Phyllis A. Whitney when I was a young adult. I loved the gothic/dark tales that they wove. Like I said, this one was my favorite and I have kept it for years.

About the Book:

Charity is on holiday in France when she stumbles into the middle of drama that has taken place long before she has come on the scene. Charity meets young David at their hotel. There is something about the boy and his dog that draws Charity. When Charity learns that David's father has supposedly murdered someone but gotten away with it she feels even more sorry for David. The stage is set, now enter the villain! Richard Byron, David's father, is now trying to find David. When Charity is approached by Richard she refuses to tell him where he can find David. Charity leads Richard on a mighty chase which totally frustrates Richard. Why did someone kill his best friend and is now after Richard? And what will Richard do when he finally catches up to Charity?

Lot's of intrigue and suspense and a bit of romance(which was way rushed and a bit far-fetched, but still entertaining). Still a story that I enjoyed reading even though it had elements that were offensive.

Bad Day For A Bombshell by Cindy Vincent

This is the first book in the Tracy Truworth series. We are introduced to Tracy as she and her mother are rushing to catch the train back to their hometown of Houston after a shopping expedition. While Tracy's mom drones on and on about how horrible Tracy is, Tracy notices a blonde bombshell entering their train car. After all, it is hard to not notice someone who is trying so hard to gain attention! Tracy also notices a mysterious man trying very hard to remain inconspicuous. She wonders what he is up to.

An arranged marriage, a drunk and abusive woman for a mother, talk of America being brought into the war, Nazi's around every corner, stumbling onto a murder, not to mention the Bogart look-alike mysterious man from the train and Tracy's life is just about to be turned upside down!

BAD DAY FOR A BOMBSHELL is set in the 1940's. I love the characters. Tracy's new boss and look-alike Humphrey Bogart is too much! You can just imagine him saying, "Here's lookin at you kid" in that Bogart voice! I enjoyed the adventure while learning a little bit about the unrest of the times. Where Nazi's were lurking around every corner, where women were called "doll" and nobody thought it was rude or demeaning, where nightclubs offered fun entertainment, and where Tracy becomes an apprentice P.I.

Throughout the whole story I imagined in the background old swing-dance music playing, Sammy with his "awww shucks" Bogart look and all the terror that people felt when the attack happened on Pearl Harbor. I loved the mystery of the story, it played out like a fascinating who-done-it. I read book 2 in the series first, so I was happy to read book 1 and see how it all started out. A fun and entertaining read that kept me interested throughout.

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery: READ-ALONG

Another read-along! This time we will be reading EMILY OF NEW MOON by L.M. Montgomery. If you have read the ANNE OF GREEN GABLES series this is the same author so I'm sure it is going to be fantastic. Hop on over to Amber's blog at SEASONS OF HUMILITY for all of the details. A chapter a day for the whole month of March. I think that's do-able! Amber always makes the discussion questions fun and thought-provoking, and seriously, if you have never participated in a read-along please do! They are a fun way of discussing books and getting to know other bloggers! Our first discussion is March 10th and the book was only .99 on Amazon for Kindle. Come join us!

RE-READ BINGE

Do you ever re-read books? I do! There are some that are like old friends. They have to be visited over and over and over again because they are so good and they are so comforting. Since January I have been re-reading some old friends.

I started with the TWILIGHT series. I usually re-read this one every couple of years, but this time around it was only a year since I read it.

My favorite in the series is the first one, TWILIGHT.

TWILIGHT: Bella and Edward meet. Bella finds out that Edward is a vampire. They fall in love, can't live without each other.

NEW MOON: Bella cuts herself on a gift in front of a bunch of vampires. Edward feels horrible and the Cullins move away. Bella can't function for months. Takes up a friendship with Jacob. Finds out Victoria(vampire) wants her dead from the Cullins killing James. Jacob turns into a wolf. Bella goes cliff diving. Edward thinks she is dead so he goes to the Volturi(Vampire court system) and asks to be killed. Bella goes to rescue him. Jacob hurt because Bella doesn't love him.

ECLIPSE: Victoria still trying to kill Bella. Edward being over-protective and won't let her go see Jacob. Vampire's and wolves join together to fight Victoria's army of newborns.

BREAKING DAWN: Edward and Bella get married, Jacob shows up to the wedding. Edward and Bella go on their honeymoon which is cut short because Bella gets pregnant. Edward wants Carlyle to get the creature out of Bella but Bella enlists the help of Rose to keep the baby. Jacob goes through torture watching Bella slowly die. Baby born, Bella turned into vampire, Jacob imprints. Volturi come to kill the Cullins for creating a newborn. Cullins gather friends to witness that baby is not one of them. All is well and everyone lives happily ever after!

This series is my guilty pleasure. I enjoy it, it is fluff and silly, but it is also a series I turn to when I want something familiar and comforting.

The next series I read was the O'Malley series by Dee Henderson. It is one of my all-time favorite series that I haven't read in about 5 years. The O'Malley's, brothers and sisters, not by birth, but by choice.

DANGER IN THE SHADOWS: This is really a prequel to the series. We are introduced to Dave and his sister Sarah. Sarah was kidnapped as a child and has been stalked ever since. When she meets Adam she has no hope for a relationship with him because of the security she must maintain. Dave is the head of her security team. After 25 years will Sarah finally remember something new to help catch her stalker? Her future is depending on it.

THE NEGOTIATOR: Kate O'Malley is a hostage negotiator. When she is called in to a hostage situation in a bank she is less than pleased when she sees that an FBI agent is hiding behind one of the desks. Sure that he will mess up her negotiations she is pleasantly surprised and entertained that he maintains his position and even helps her throughout the situation. Dave is impressed with Kate's ability to be calm in a hostage situation. Kate and Dave must work together throughout the book to figure out who is trying to ruin Kate's career. This is the book we learn about the O'Malley sister Jennifer having cancer.

THE GUARDIAN: Marcus O'Malley is the head of the O'Malley family. Anytime any one of them needs something Marcus makes it happen. Marcus is a Federal Marshall. On assignment to protect a group of judges, he is disgusted when one of the judges is shot while he's on duty. Marcus now must protect Shari and her family since she saw the shooter. Oh Marcus! I love his and Shari's story.

THE TRUTH-SEEKER: Lisa O'Malley is a forensic such-and-such(think BONES). She has a wicked sense of humor! Like sending Marcus's partner Quinn a squid in a petri dish to tell him no when he asked her out. After all, who wants to be the 3rd sister asked out? Lisa helps Quinn solve his father's murder.

THE PROTECTOR: Jack O'Malley is a firefighter and it seems that his shift is being targeted by an arsonist. After budget cutbacks and consolidations it seems that the arsonist has a bone to pick. Cassie has spent a year recovering from nearly being killed in a fire. Being the first on the scene of one of the arsonist's fires she thinks that she may have seen the arsonist and he looked familiar to her. No longer able to fight fires because of hearing loss from her accident Cassie is brought in to roll out with Jack's team to keep an eye out for the arsonist. I love Jack's care for Cassie!

THE HEALER: Rachel O'Malley is a trauma psychologist. She goes around with the Red Cross and helps people overcome tragedies. The book starts out with a murder and flood, then proceeds to a school shooting. Cole, who is Jack's boss and friend, is present helping Rachel through all of the tragedies that hit this community in such a short time. Rachel is not only dealing with all of the tragedy going on, but she is also dealing with Jennifer's dying. Yes, this is the book that Jennifer dies! I know it is coming every single time I read it, and it still makes me bawl my eyes out!

THE RESCUER: Stephen O'Malley is a paramedic. He's burnt out and he is buckling under that his sister Jennifer has just died. Stephen decides to travel around for a while. Not sure what he is looking for, he just knows he is tired of watching people die, tired of blood and tired of tragedy. Stephen's childhood friend Meaghan lives in Silverton. Tragically Meaghan lost her sight when she was run off the road several years before. Once Stephen decides to come back home to his family he settles in Silverton. While he was gone he kept in touch with Meaghan and he likes the idea of the smalltown life of Silverton.

I loved each one of the stories of the O'Malley's. Each one the author forces the characters to face their need for a Savior in their life. Each O'Malley had one struggle or another that kept them for a time seeing their need for a Savior, but throughout the series Jennifer prayed for each one of her siblings to know Jesus. I loved that! A wonderful series!

So these are the two series I have read since January. My next series is going to be The Californian series by Lori Wick. Yes, I am still on a re-read binge!

Criminally Cocoa by Amanda Flower

Bailey and her Amish friend Charlotte are in New York to film Bailey's new TV show. When mysterious things begin to happen on set Charlotte begins to wonder if someone is trying to sabotage Bailey.

No murders in this novella, but plenty of mystery and fun characters, including Jethro the pet pig from Bailey's hometown. I enjoyed this novella in the Amish Candy Shop series. Seeing Charlotte out of her element trying to decide whether to stay in her Amish community or pursue her dreams was interesting. As always Jethro was full of trouble, but cute as a pig can be! The mystery was solid even though I found the "who-done-it" pretty obvious. Looking forward to the next full-length novel in the series TOXIC TOFFEE due out in June.

**I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own** CRIMINALLY COCOA releases February 26, 2019.