"summering" elsewhere (ideally the UK) is on the vision board for my life 😅 I love where we live and I know mid East Coast is probably milder than Florida Texas etc but those muggy hot summer months destroy me mentally, creatively, spiritually. I also "wake up" this time of year and it's so exciting. I read somewhere that there is actually a gene that some people have regarding tolerating hot weather and I think I just don't have it. It's interesting to think of our ancestry -- in my case Northern Germany and northern Ireland -- clearly my body still thinks I'm supposed to be on some cloudy rainy cliff side :)
That is so interesting about the gene! My ancestors are primarily from Germany, the UK, and Sweden and I just wilt like a sad flower in really hot, humid weather.
I love Emily of New Moon, but I'd never read the complete trilogy until this year, when I read it aloud to my kids, and, well, the first book is wonderful but we enjoyed the other two less and less as they went along. I think this is really the different for me between the Emily series and the Anne series, because the Anne series continues on with beautiful stories (with some less interesting gaps) all the way through till wrapping up with Rilla. Also, Teddy Kent is no Gilbert Blythe.
I tried Emily of New Moon because Madeleine L'Engle, one of my many favorite authors, said that she loved Emily even more than Anne, but I couldn't get into Emily's story. It was well-written, and maybe I'll return to it one day, but it felt too sad and heavy for me at the time that I tried it.
I love the trilogy but it's dark and there's clairvoyance in it right? I think it's so intense and so is hard to read if you're anxious or blue. Also Teddy just isn't well developed... the soul mate that keeps getting away...
I grew up outside of Pittsburgh where the grey days outnumber the sunny. I live in the south now but I really struggle with the summers too, and just soak in every bit of grey, rainy, foggy, cold, even snowy days. As much as I used to look forward to that feeling of the first warm sun on newly-bared forearms after a long winter, the first breath of cool here in north Texas makes me spring to life too!
Thanks for the great recommendations, Mrs. Stewart, especially for Joel Clarkson's album. If you want any additional haunting wintery/Adventy/Christmasy music, I highly recommend Sting's "If On A Winter's Night..." album, which covers approximately 500 years of Christmas carols and winter songs from the British Isles (my favorite tracks include "Gabriel's Message," "The Burning Babe," and "The Hounds of Winter.")
Hi Haley....I wandered here via the Substack comment rabbit trail--what a joy to find you. I've read MacDonald's Princess books and At the Back of the North Wind but was waffling on the Golden Key--thanks for your take on the book.
((ps I'm not sure if I'm late to this....the TWM date says 10.17.23))
Oh hey - my husband is Nathan Bird (of the Good Cities series on New Polity)! You have no idea how heartening it is to see those episodes and the idea of car dependency and sprawl as anti-family popping up with increasing frequency on the Catholic momosphere. So glad it was impactful for you!
So enjoying those conversations on New Polity. While we are definitely settled in a highly unwalkable (very dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians) city, I dream of living somewhere walkable someday and not even owning a car. Driving is a misery to me.
"summering" elsewhere (ideally the UK) is on the vision board for my life 😅 I love where we live and I know mid East Coast is probably milder than Florida Texas etc but those muggy hot summer months destroy me mentally, creatively, spiritually. I also "wake up" this time of year and it's so exciting. I read somewhere that there is actually a gene that some people have regarding tolerating hot weather and I think I just don't have it. It's interesting to think of our ancestry -- in my case Northern Germany and northern Ireland -- clearly my body still thinks I'm supposed to be on some cloudy rainy cliff side :)
Looking forward to the someday when we are both living our best life summering in Oxford or Edinburgh!
That is so interesting about the gene! My ancestors are primarily from Germany, the UK, and Sweden and I just wilt like a sad flower in really hot, humid weather.
I love Emily of New Moon, but I'd never read the complete trilogy until this year, when I read it aloud to my kids, and, well, the first book is wonderful but we enjoyed the other two less and less as they went along. I think this is really the different for me between the Emily series and the Anne series, because the Anne series continues on with beautiful stories (with some less interesting gaps) all the way through till wrapping up with Rilla. Also, Teddy Kent is no Gilbert Blythe.
If I remember correctly, I also loved New Moon and then lost steam with the rest of the trilogy. There's no one like Gilbert!
I tried Emily of New Moon because Madeleine L'Engle, one of my many favorite authors, said that she loved Emily even more than Anne, but I couldn't get into Emily's story. It was well-written, and maybe I'll return to it one day, but it felt too sad and heavy for me at the time that I tried it.
I love the trilogy but it's dark and there's clairvoyance in it right? I think it's so intense and so is hard to read if you're anxious or blue. Also Teddy just isn't well developed... the soul mate that keeps getting away...
Love George MacDonald and his novels have some the best theological conversations in them.
I agree!
I grew up outside of Pittsburgh where the grey days outnumber the sunny. I live in the south now but I really struggle with the summers too, and just soak in every bit of grey, rainy, foggy, cold, even snowy days. As much as I used to look forward to that feeling of the first warm sun on newly-bared forearms after a long winter, the first breath of cool here in north Texas makes me spring to life too!
Absolutely.
Thanks for the great recommendations, Mrs. Stewart, especially for Joel Clarkson's album. If you want any additional haunting wintery/Adventy/Christmasy music, I highly recommend Sting's "If On A Winter's Night..." album, which covers approximately 500 years of Christmas carols and winter songs from the British Isles (my favorite tracks include "Gabriel's Message," "The Burning Babe," and "The Hounds of Winter.")
Yes! Love that album.
Hi Haley....I wandered here via the Substack comment rabbit trail--what a joy to find you. I've read MacDonald's Princess books and At the Back of the North Wind but was waffling on the Golden Key--thanks for your take on the book.
((ps I'm not sure if I'm late to this....the TWM date says 10.17.23))
no matter--happy to subscribe to your miscellany!
Glad you're here, Jody!
Oh hey - my husband is Nathan Bird (of the Good Cities series on New Polity)! You have no idea how heartening it is to see those episodes and the idea of car dependency and sprawl as anti-family popping up with increasing frequency on the Catholic momosphere. So glad it was impactful for you!
So enjoying those conversations on New Polity. While we are definitely settled in a highly unwalkable (very dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians) city, I dream of living somewhere walkable someday and not even owning a car. Driving is a misery to me.
I also love fall!