Our fascinating discussion with Dr. Andrea McKenzie continues in this episode. We returned to making connections between living through war and living through the Covid-19 pandemic. We discussed the extraordinary Red Cross and nursing work taken on by the young women of Rilla of Ingleside, and Andrea teaches us about what would have happened to the young women who took on so many new roles during the war once the men returned home. 

If you want even more of Andrea’s expertise, check out the absolute goldmine of information on the L.M. Montgomery Readathon Facebook Page.  

Inspired by:

Kelly is inspired by the Red Cross and recommends donating to either the International Red Cross or your national chapter like the American Red Cross or the Canadian Red Cross.

Ragon is inspired by the war-time fantasy duology Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. 

Andrea is inspired by the community care in Rilla of Ingleside and recommends finding community in your area!

You can support the pod by shopping through our Bookshop link for any books we’ve recommended!  

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: [email protected] or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

What were Faith Meredith, Nan and Di Blythe and Mary Vance doing while Rilla was raising a war baby and running the Junior Reds?  We get some expert knowledge from Dr. Andrea McKenzie as she  joins the Kindred Spirits to discuss the remarkable young women of Rilla of Ingleside, and the causes they took up to support a nation at war.  We are discussing the parallels between the homefront experience of WWI and our own experiences of Covid-19 and how Andrea’s founding of the L.M. Montgomery Readathon on Facebook during lockdown became a runaway hit.  We learned so much from Andrea about that we couldn’t bear to cut our conversation short, so this is only Part 1! Stay tuned for Part 2!

If you want even more of Andrea’s expertise, check out the absolute goldmine of information on the L.M. Montgomery Readathon Facebook Page.  

You can support the pod by shopping through our Bookshop link for any books we’ve recommended!  

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: [email protected] or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra joins the Kindred Spirits today to discuss her new book, Anne of a Different Island. We talk Anne of Green Gables, adaptation vs. homage, and idyllic summers on Mackinac Island. With digressions covering everything from book bans to ADHD representation to the inspiring power of Jonathan Crombie, this is a discussion you won’t want to miss.

Want more from Virginia Kantra?

You can find her on her website, on instagram, on Facebook or on her substack.  And of course you can find Anne of a Different Island anywhere you buy books, but especially at the KSBC bookshop.  

Inspired by:

Ragon is inspired by the candy shop in Anne of Different Island and recommends the Smitten Kitchen Apple Cider Caramels to make at home.  

Virginia is also inspired by that candy shop and her substack offers a Chocolate Fudge Cookie Recipe created just to celebrate the book by her amazing husband!  

Kelly is inspired by the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for summer vacation!

You can support the pod by shopping through our Bookshop link for any books we’ve recommended!  

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: [email protected] or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

Walter Blythe stands as the moral conscience of Rilla of Ingleside. In this episode, Dr. Corey McEleney joins us to examine Walter’s transformation from a conflict-averse college student into a celebrated war hero, and how his empathetic reflections on war allowed L.M. Montgomery to to wrestle with her own doubts. We also turn to WWI battlefield poetry, tracing its evolution from  patriotic fervor to some of the most searing critiques of the war.

The poems mentioned or discussed by Corey McEleney are here:

In Flanders Fields by John McCrae

The Poet As Hero by Siegfried Sassoon

Glory of Women by Siegfried Sassoon

They by Siegfried Sassoon

The General by Siegfried Sassoon

Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen

You can find more about Corey McEleney at Fordham University.

Inspired by:

Corey is inspired by the novel Regeneration by Pat Barker for a fictionalized account of the WWI poet/soldier Siegried Sassoon.

Kelly is inspired by the movie 1917 directed by Sam Mendes for a realistic portrayal of WWI inspired by Sam Mendes’ own grandfather.

Ragon is inspired by the novel The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow for a fantastical time travel love story that’s also a reflection on war, heroism and propaganda.

You can support the pod by shopping through our Bookshop link for any books we’ve recommended!  

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: [email protected] or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

Youthful idealism, the horror of war, the power of propaganda, and the unbreakable bond between a young man and his faithful dog – that’s right, we are discussing brave Jem Blythe and loyal Dog Monday on Kindred Spirits Book Club. And because it’s the perfect time of year to do it, we also tell the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. We can’t promise you won’t cry, but we are here for you with tissues! 

Inspired by:

Kelly is inspired by some incredible fanfic that imagines some of the letters the older Blythes write to each other throughout the war.  It’s called Dispatches by elizasky over on Archive Of Our Own.  And, you guys, it’s so good.

Ragon is inspired by Doctors Without Borders and International Rescue Committee, both organizations that help victims of wars and disasters.

You can support the pod by shopping through our Bookshop link for any books we’ve recommended!  

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: [email protected] or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe are a love story for the ages, but what does that love story look like 24 years later? Today's episode is all about the challenges of parenting teen and young adult children in a time of crisis, and Anne and Gilbert's shared commitment to their values and to each other. Digressions include a Muppet Anne of Green Gables and our foolproof holiday gifts.  

Inspired by:

Ragon is inspired by the parenting books The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa Damour and Hello Cruel World by Melinda Wenner Moyer.  And for teen approved holiday gifts, her daughter and friends recommend super fuzzy blankets and oversized sweatshirts.

Kelly is inspired by the party game, Wavelength and for some holiday spirit she recommends helping others by adopting a family in need through a local organization or doing an Angel Tree gift in your community.  

You can support the pod by shopping through our Bookshop link for any books we’ve recommended!  

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: [email protected] or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

The final part of our Rilla Blythe character arc is here! We can’t wait for you to join us in this wide-ranging conversation about Rilla’s moral growth arc in Rilla of Ingleside. We are absolutely thrilled to welcome back the phenomenal Dr. Laura Robinson—a celebrated L.M. Montgomery expert and professor—whose unparalleled insights bring Rilla's sacrifices and moral courage to life.  If you want to know more about what Laura is doing, you can check out the L.M. Montgomery Institute for all sorts of amazing resources!

Inspired by:

Laura is inspired by the wartime cake recipe that was a Canadian specialty during WWI and is sharing it here!

Recipe for Wartime Cake, straight from the Robinson family archives!

2 cups white sugar

4 tbsp margarine (butter?)

1 cup chopped dates

1lb raisins

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp cloves and allspice (I put one of each)

2 cups boiling water

1 tsp salt

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp soda (so Mum was notoriously bad at recording recipes, so I actually use 2 tsp of baking powder and ½ of salt and ½ of soda, as per a banana cake recipe I have)

Boil for 10 min, sugar, dates, raisins, water. When cool, add salt flour and soda. Mix well. Makes one ring cake or two loaves. Bake one hour in slow oven 300degrees or until done.

Kelly is inspired by Rilla’s coalition building with the Junior Reds so she recommends getting to know your neighbors and community, especially those you might not otherwise have anything in common with.  

Ragon is inspired by Rilla making change close to home and recommends fostering kittens through the ASPCA or local animal rescues.

You can support the pod by shopping through our Bookshop link for any books we’ve recommended!  

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: [email protected] or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

Rilla’s character arc continues in our episode about how cleverness can take many forms, and we are redefining “geeking out” by framing our conversation with Dungeons and Dragons! Rilla’s intelligence, wisdom, and charisma may not take an academic bent, but she’s brilliant and capable in her own way. Come for the LM Montgomery deep dive, stay for the dragons.

You can check us out on the Swoon-worthy Podcast to hear our fun conversation about why the 1985 Anne of Green Gables mini-series is the perfect nostalgic period piece!

Inspired by:

Ragon is inspired by the brain game Rush Hour, fun for all ages.

Kelly is inspired by the logic games at Murdle online and the Murdle books for pen and paper puzzle solving.

You can support the pod by shopping through our Bookshop link for any books we’ve recommended!  

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: [email protected] or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

Kelly and Ragon paid a visit to the Swoon-Worthy podcast to talk about, what else? Anne of Green Gables!  We had a blast geeking out with host Carly Renaud about why we love the 1985 Anne of Green Gables mini series so take a listen to this trailer and then hop on over to the Swoon-Worthy Podcast and listen to the whole episode!  

We are launching into Rilla of Ingleside with one of our signature character studies! Rilla Blythe is the family beauty, and she knows it. But what good is being pretty and popular in the midst of a terrible war? We’re discussing parties and weddings, courtships and crushes, and the way World War I changed everything. We’re also comparing Rilla to a similar heroine – Jane Austen’s Emma.  

Inspired by:

Kelly recommends war romances like The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje and the Survivor’s Club series by Mary Balogh, the first one is The Proposal.

Ragon recommends the Nyx Smushy Soft Matte Lip Balm for a blurred lip moment.

You can support the pod by shopping through our Bookshop link for any books we’ve recommended!  

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: [email protected] or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram.