Return to Green Gables: Welcome!

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers", as Anne Shirley once said. And this October, more than any other, my heart is gladder than glad to be bringing you Return to Green Gables! Rachel of Hello Chelly, Hannah of So Obsessed With & I have been scheming about this event for ages, and it's such a thrill to finally be able to share it with all of you. Be sure to make the rounds on all three of our blogs for the rest of the week in order to see all our posts, each and every single one inspired by or tribute to the classic Anne of Green Gables.

Were it not for Macky, I probably wouldn't have encountered Anne of Green Gables until much later on in life. He & I first met when I was 16, and while I cannot recall the precise when, I know he was the one who put Anne of Green Gables and the succeeding books in the series in my hands that same year. He had read and loved the first one, but never ventured onward, content with his love for young Anne with her fiery personality and passionate imaginings. I, on the other hand, soaked up every single vivid description and lovely exclamation, and craved more - so I binge read the entire series in under a week.

As a teen reader, what I loved most about this series was the unique, passionate way that Anne had of viewing the world. Her life was so simple, riddled with things both splendid and terrible, but it was overflowing with spirit, wisdom and passion. I immediately knew I wanted to be like Anne - to indulge in moments of peaceful, dreamy contemplation, to love and feel with such intensity, to work hard and strive to be good to those around me. As someone who did not lack for friends but still felt rather lonely in a crowd, Anne was a brilliant example of the kind of friend I aspired to be and to have in my own life.

I've only ever reread the first book in the series since that time I binge read it all when I was sixteen. So, I plunged headfirst into the opportunity to reread the entirety of Anne's saga for this feature - and was rewarded. I'll be telling you more detailed thoughts tomorrow, but suffice it to say that I fell in love with Anne Shirley and her life story all over again! There's no doubt that this is a classic, as many readers will relate Anne and the life experiences that L.M. Montgomery whipped up for her.

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In order to properly talk about the Anne of Green Gables series, we thought it'd be best to talk a little bit about the brilliant mind behind it - Lucy Maud Montgomery. She was born on Prince Edward Island, and grew up as a child gifted with imagination and love for nature and literature. Eventually, she studied to become a teacher and even took up literature. All this time, she had been writing and getting pieces printed in a variety of publications, until finally Anne of Green Gables had been written and was published in 1908. She was eventually married and had children, but she suffered from bouts of depression and often sought solace in her writing. While Anne is her greatest literary legacy, she has also written other novels that you should check out. If you want to learn more, feel free to visit L.M. Montgomery Institute.

Don't forget to go visit Hannah's post + Rachel's post today.

And come back tomorrow to see my reread thoughts + series favorites!