Stacking the Shelves #12

Thanks to Tynga and her team for hosting Stacking the Shelves every week!

Went shopping at Good Will this week. I wanted to go to my favorite little used bookstore that I don't get to go to often, but when I pulled up it was gone. :-( I was so sad. I'd gone in search of the rest of the Anne of Green Gables series. So I went to Good Will in the hopes of finding SOMEthing and lo and behold... I found Anne of the Island AND Anne of Ingleside. Granted I went to two different stores to find those, but how lucky is that???

New adventures lie ahead as Anne Shirley packs her bags, waves good-bye to childhood, and heads for Redmond College. With old friend Prissy Grant waiting in the bustling city of Kingsport and frivolous new pal Philippa Gordon at her side, Anne tucks her memories of rural Avonlea away and discovers life on her own terms, filled with surprises...including a marriage proposal from the worst fellow imaginable, the sale of her very first story, and a tragedy that teaches her a painful lesson. But tears turn to laughter when Anne and her friends move into an old cottage and an ornery black cat steals her heart. Little does Anne know that handsome Gilbert Blythe wants to win her heart, too. Suddenly Anne must decide if she's ready for love...

Anne is the mother of five, with never a dull moment in her lively home. And now with a new baby on the way and insufferable Aunt May Maria visiting-and wearing out her welcome-Anne's life is full to busting. Still, Mrs. Doctor can't think of any place she'd rather be than her own beloved Ingleside. Until the day she begins to worry that her adored Gilbert doesn't lover her anymore. How could that be? She may be a little older, but she's still the same irrepressible, irreplaceable redhead-the wonderful Anne of Green Gables, all grown up...She's ready to make her cherished husband fall in love with her again.

What did you all get this week?

Review - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Radio Theater

As soon as Anne Shirley arrived at the snug, white farmhouse called Green Gables, she knew she wanted to stay forever...but would the Cuthberts send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not what they expected—a skinny girl with decidedly red hair and a temper to match. If only she could convince them to let her stay, she'd try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes or blurt out the very first thing she had to say. Anne was not like anybody else, everyone at Green Gables agreed; she was special—a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreamed of the day when she could call herself Anne of Green Gables.

It's not often that I find a story that both of my girls are interested in reading or listening to. I thought this, too, would be a futile effort as they rarely like listening to books on CD. I was wrong. Hallelujah I was wrong! They LOVE Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I started to read it, but then found it at the library on CD as a radio theater version (and I can't for the life of me find the version I'm listening to on Amazon or Goodreads, so the link is back to the book itself). They ask me to take them to school instead of riding the bus just so they can listen to what happens next.

It's fantastic. I do have to say it was quite a different experience than watching the movie. I'd grown so accustomed to Megan Follows as Anne that hearing a different person give life to her voice was weird at first. It was a little like she was over-acting at first, but then I guess given Anne's personality, that's not far off from the truth.

Every time I read or watch (or now listen to) this story, it's like I'd never heard it before. I find myself listening like I don't know what's going to happen. That's what makes it such a wonderful story. Every time it's like it's new and exciting. I love it. And I love that my girls love it.

The movies and TV shows that they watch now a days are so dumbed down that they don't require any cognitive or intelligent thought what-so-ever. I think it's amazing that they looked forward to finishing the CDs even more than I did. Anne is bright and full of a fire for life and has an incredible imagination. THIS is the type of thing I wish they'd bury themselves in more often.

Obviously it's something I'd recommend to anyone. Read the book, listen to it, watch the movies. Just... meet Anne Shirley if you haven't already. And if you have, say hello to her again.

Covers Around the World - Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

Ok... sparked by the article I read yesterday and my subsequent outrage and blog post, I decided to do my Covers Around the World post today on Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maude Montgomery.

English Language Edition

 

English Language Edition

 

English Edition (hardcover)

 

English Language

 

English Language

 

English Language (100th Year Anniversary Edition)

 

English Language

 

Polish Edition

 

English Language (and the cover on the copy I gave my daughter)

 

Arabic Edition

 

German Edition

 

Polish Edition #2

 

Italian Edition (hardcover)

 

Italian Edition (paperback)

 

There are SOOOOOO many covers for this book I didn't even get through all of them. Which one of these is your favorite?

 

 

Anne of Green Gables Gets a Makeover

As soon as Anne Shirley arrived at the snug, white farmhouse called Green Gables, she knew she wanted to stay forever...but would the Cuthberts send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not what they expected—a skinny girl with decidedly red hair and a temper to match. If only she could convince them to let her stay, she'd try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes or blurt out the very first thing she had to say. Anne was not like anybody else, everyone at Green Gables agreed; she was special—a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreamed of the day when she could call herself Anne of Green Gables.

Everyone loves Anne Shirley. She's fiesty, hard headed, and absolutely charming. Maybe it's her fiery red hair that lends to her attitude or the freckles that give her the spunk we've all come to expect from her. But wait... there's something wrong with the picture.

Thanks to BuzzFeed I found this little jewel of a cover remake. I mean, don't you all usually picture someone who's skinny, redhaired, and freckled as a blonde farm girl who wears plaid shirts? Who in the world decided to do this? I checked on Amazon and this particular edition of the story has gotten over 130 one-star reviews. Almost each and every one says they love the story but offer up their complete and total dismay over the new cover choice.

Wouldn't you?

For me, Megan Follows was, is, and will always be Anne Shirley. Can you imagine her a bleach blonde wearing a flannel shirt and jeans?

I can't.

When I was little, I wanted to BE Anne. I loved her. I loved the world she lived in. Sure she got herself in to a lot of trouble. But she had a huge heart and I would have given anything to be a "kindred spirit" of hers.

Yes, I understand that the content of the stories is the same, and I would love a boxed set. But not this one. Never this one. It's a perversion of the authors entire vision of Anne. It would be like someone creating a new cover for Harry Potter making him bald, taking away his scar, and eliminating his glasses.

The cover re-do makes me sad. Because I can still remember the way I felt when I was first introduced to Anne. To the skinny, carrot-haired, day dreamer who lived a life I could only dream of (after coming to stay with the Cuthberts of course).

What do you all think of this new.... look? Are you as sad as I am?