It's Wednesday and it's time to talk about books! Linking up with Housewife Spice for What We're Reading Wednesday :)
This week, I have two to share.
I checked back in with an old classic when I found a 99 cent download on Amazon.
The collection doesn't include Anne of Windy Poplars or Anne of Ingleside, but most of the books are in the series. I reread Anne of the House of Dreams. This is one of my favorites...although as soon as I say that, I start to think perhaps Anne of Avolea, or Anne of the Island, or Anne of Ingleside are my favorites.....Rilla of Ingleside is the most heart-wrenching.
Anne of the House of Dreams starts at the beginning of Anne's married life. She has a beautiful love story, so reading about the start of her married life is made the sweeter by starting from the beginning with Anne of Green Gables. The tale has the characteristic mix of sweet, lovely moments and sadness. It's written in a style long forgotten and the flowery language might cause impatience in the more modern reader, but I truly believe no girlhood should pass without the advent of Anne.
I would recommend 11 being about the perfect age to start the series, but as you can see, I haven't yet outgrown them.
The second book I read this week was a little less entertaining:
Hubby and I started learning our third (yes, I know, THIRD) NFP method. Creighton Model has a reputation of being a helpful model for couples with low fertility. Being in that camp, we're making the 3 hour round-trip every other Monday to learn. A core part of Creighton is the relationship with the instructor. Follow-ups are essential to build confidence for the user and help tailor the model to the couple and their goals.
As part of the intake, I had to fill out a form which asked how many children we'd like. "All we can" was not an option, so I had to pick a number. I was so tempted to enter something like 11 just to freak the teacher out. I entered a more realistic goal of 6....semi-realistic (given that I'm already 32 and only have 2) maybe, but probably more realistic than 11.
The book covers all the details of the Creighton Model for the beginner. So far, I'm thinking this model might be a little tedious to practice, but hopefully effective for bringing many more beautiful little people into our family.
I'm offering up our drive for those mamas hoping to conceive or anticipating the arrival of their dear one. Prayer requests welcome :)
Glad you are rediscovering an old 'favorite'; I can never decide which of the Green Gables books is my favorite either.
ReplyDeleteIt's a testament to the story that they're all so distinctly wonderful.
DeleteI love Anne. Just love her. I have wanted to go to Prince Edward Island since I was like 8. Someday. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteYou have to go in the summer (I may or may not have researched the whole deal a few years back.....I've also been dreaming of going) because the travel there gets really dicey. From what I've read, June is the best time to travel there (because I think you have to take a ferry for the last leg of the journey). I have mixed feelings going the older I get because I'm worried it won't be quite as wonderful as it is in my imagination.
DeleteI think Rilla is my favorite. I love a historical setting and the drama of WWI gives the Anne books some pathos that's missing when the biggest crisis is her hair color etc. I love Rainbow Valley too, but that's my season of life right now. I have often thought about naming my sons Walter and/or Jem.
ReplyDeleteHow about Gilbert? It's Chesterton's first name too....should I ever have a boy, I'm sure it will take my husband months of trying to dissuade me. I love Rilla, but it is so tragic at the same time that I remember being young and thinking, why? Why couldn't things have worked out? Why couldn't everyone have survived? Of course, that it doesn't, brings the drama to a different level. I think the birth of Joy in Anne of the Island lends some of that same aching realism.
Delete