Kindred Spirits Book Club

It’s the penultimate episode of this season and we are geeking out about Anne of Green Gables with Briana Corr Scott, whose gorgeous illustrations bring Anne to life in a new book for children - on shelves now! We discuss Briana’s work as an artist, collaborating with a descriptive writer like LM Montgomery, and  how we use art and literature to understand our own lives. KSBC and Briana are also j...

Felicity King in The Golden Road inspired today’s episode about unlikeable girls in L.M. Montgomery’s fiction. We talk about what makes these girls and young women challenging, why we often end up liking them anyway, and what we think Montgomery was doing by including depictions of girlhood that break the mold.  Inspired by: Kelly is inspired by the podcast Novel Pairings and their current read al...

Curtains up, Kindred Spirits! We went to the prestigious Stratford Festival to attend the opening of the new stage adaptation of Anne of Green Gables and had a magical time. Join us to hear about our whirlwind trip, our first impressions and review of Anne of Green Gables (spoiler-free), and our interview with a true Kindred Spirit: Caroline Toal, who plays Anne in the new production. Caroline is...

While many of L.M. Montgomery’s novels depict romanticized childhoods, perhaps no book is more wistfully nostalgic about a childhood on Prince Edward Island than The Golden Road. We discuss the characters' transition from childhood to adulthood, the ways their childhood was captured in real time and in memory, and our own nostalgia for golden moments of youth. Inspired by: Kelly is inspired by: th...

Picking up where The Story Girl left off, The Golden Road continues the story of the King cousins and their friends as they begin to grow up, and slowly grow apart. Today we are recapping the final book in the duology, with its many moments of humor, sweetness, and heartache.  Inspired by: Kelly’s fancy cookie jar . Kelly is inspired by: Poor Cecily’s hair woes and recommends  Angel Rinse by Kevin...

A new Anne of Green Gables is coming to the stage! We are delighted to present our interview with Kat Sandler, the playwright behind a new theatrical adaptation of Anne, premiering at the Stratford Festival this month. Kat, Ragon, and Kelly talk about the challenges and delights of adaptations, updating beloved stories, and giving yourself permission to “go full cheese” after spending time with An...

In a special Podcast Swap episode, we are sharing with you an episode from the fantastic limited series podcast Story Girl: The Life of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Discover the life and legacy of L.M. Montgomery in this insightful 7-part podcast, in which we explore her childhood, literary journey, and the timeless impact of Anne of Green Gables on generations of readers. Listen to the entire series her...

Faith and Una Meredith, Mary Vance, Sara Stanley, Felicity and Cecily King – all of these girls have different relationships with housekeeping and cooking, and PhD candidate Ariel Little is here to tell us all about it! We speculate about how the characters might show up on social media, the way that housekeeping reflects power and authority in Montgomery’s work, and why cleanliness was so importa...

 Whether they are giving their own church sermons or looking at a picture of God, whether trying not to giggle in church or debating the ethics of prayer, the kids of The Story Girl engage with religion and morality constantly. Today we get into why religion figures so prominently in their lives, and also discuss the invention of Sunday schools. Digressions include prayer to lesser known saints an...

Adolescent identity and values take center stage in this episode. The themes beautiful, clever, and good reappear in The Story Girl as archetypal girls. We talk about beautiful Felicity, good Cecily, and the brilliant Story Girl in today’s episode, and why these girls feel like they can only be one of those things.  Inspired by: Kelly is inspired by the late lamented Bath and Body Works Juniper Br...

The Story Girl is one of L.M. Montgomery’s most charming books, full of witty dialogue, playful antics, and wistful nostalgia. We are kicking off our discussion of The Story Girl with a recap of all the characters, hijinks, and stories that make this book shine. We also discuss the LA fires, which had a huge impact on the podcast, and recommend some ways to support the girls who inspire us.      ...

Kelly and Ragon welcome L.M. Montgomery scholar and curator Emily Woster, PhD to the pod!  Emily tells us all about L.M. Montgomery’s reading life–what books she loved growing up, what influenced her books, her active reading style and her unique writing process.  And in true kindred spirit fashion we nerd out about our influential reads and Emily’s family legacy of Anne fandom!   The Anne Manuscr...

What’s this? A messy love quadrangle?  You know Kelly and Ragon are all over that!  We channel our best Normal Gossip podcast inspiration and dive into our discussion of the self-sabotaging lovers of Rainbow Valley!  We ask such questions as “What’s Ellen’s deal anyway?”  And “Wait, do we agree with Norman Douglas?” And most importantly “Who should we cast in our movie version of this story?”   On...

We are continuing our Rainbow Valley discussion and focusing on the Meredith children’s impulsive hijinks and the way the adults around them react, or don’t react, to their shenanigans.  We take John Meredith to task, break down how the patriarchy has helped enable this situation and learn a little about what parentification is and why the Meredith kids are poster children for it! Inspired by: Kel...

L.M. Montgomery scholar Maryam Khorasani joins us for a discussion of Rainbow Valley itself as both a physical place and a state of mind, drawing on our own childhood experiences and analyzing the characters' interactions with the natural world. We also discuss themes of childhood, imagination, friendship, and the transition to adulthood and are inspired by books with strong senses of place and th...

In preparation for our Rainbow Valley mini-arc, we are recapping this lovely book on today’s episode. We’ll introduce you to the Blythe children’s new friends, the Meredith children and Mary Vance, and tell you all about their adventures and hijinks. We also touch on the historical context of the book, which is set in the years leading up to World War I, wonder where Shirley Blythe is in all this,...

Today’s episode features an interview with an extraordinary L.M. Montgomery scholar, Dr. Laura Robinson. We discuss Robinson's background, her favorite Montgomery books and characters, and her work with the L.M. Montgomery Institute. Then we dive deep into the untold stories of Anne of Ingleside – why this book feels a little darker, and the storytelling risks L.M. Montgomery was able to take in w...

Surprise! In honor of L.M. Montgomery’s 150 birthday, we are releasing a special bonus mini-episode today to share our tribute to Maud. Be sure to check out the other tributes over at the Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies!   Links: Find all the tributes to L.M. Montgomery here at the Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies 150 Tributes   And  Maud's Electronic Birthday Card If you want to get a free l...

Our discussion of Anne of Ingleside continues, focusing on Anne and the Blythe family as they relate to the Glen St. Mary community. We also chat about Anne revisiting old hobbies like writing and matchmaking, and her marriage to Gilbert. This book opens the door to conversations about class, women’s labor, and finding your place in the world.     Inspired by: Kelly is inspired by the beautiful qu...

Home and family is the topic of this episode! Ingleside is a symbol of a happy and loving home and today we are discussing the ways that Anne is creating that for her own children. We speculate about whether Anne is the original TradWife, chat about unwanted houseguests, and share the ways that we've made our houses our homes.  Inspired by: Kelly is inspired by vintage shopping and estate sales to...

We are kicking off Season Four with a recap of Anne of Ingleside! We'll walk you through the highlights of the sixth Anne book to set up our conversations in the next episodes. We also chat about Ragon's birthday and our favorite dog items.  Inspired by:  We are inspired by our dogs this week! Kelly is inspired by a dog water bowl that keeps her floors at least semi-dry, the dripless dog water bow...

We are back with Season 4!  Join us as we talk about where we are going this season, where we’ve been, our favorite episodes so far, and a detour into the rebirth of 90’s fashion!   If you want to get a free logo sticker from us, either leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or share your love for the pod on social media!  Send us a photo of your share or review at either our email: kindredspirits.bo...

Just dropping in to let you know that we are hard at work on season 4! Today Kelly and Ragon will be previewing the season ahead and revealing the books we will be discussing, so get your library holds ready!

We are excited to share this very special crossover episode with the Maudacst and Kindred Spirits Book Club! The Maudcast, hosted by today's guest Brenton Dickieson, is the official podcast of the L.M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island. Brenton, Ragon, and Kelly sat down in the church L.M. Montgomery attended for a joyful conversation about Montgomery scholarship, tour...

Come along to Prince Edward Island and the 2024 biennial L.M. Montgomery conference with Kelly and Ragon! First we raved about our first conference experience and reflected on the brilliant presentations and new perspectives we heard. Then we shared all about our trip to LM Montgomery historical sites, Green Gables Heritage Place, the musicals inspired by the Anne books, and the beauty and splendo...