Hey, listeners!
Today we’re discussing The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, a classic on the lighter side that follows Valancy Stirling as she stands up to her terrible family and follows her own path. We discuss Montgomery’s humorous writing style, the subtle hints at literary allusions throughout the novel, and the not-so-shocking ending. The pairings we offer in this episode are perfect for the spring to summer reading transition, so get your TBR lists ready for breezy romance novels and heartfelt women’s stories. There are some spoilers in this episode, so reference show notes for those timestamps and choose your own listening adventure based on your personal preference.
Listen to the episode here or download it in your favorite podcast app (don’t forget to subscribe!).
If you want to learn more about L.M Montgomery and The Blue Castle, these are great places to start:
The L.M. Montgomery Institute is a wealth of information.
The Bonnets at Dawn podcast deep dives The Blue Castle in a 3 part series.
Want to travel to Muskoka and find your own Blue Castle? It looks beautiful…
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Coming up:
Next week we’re sharing the best books we read this spring in one of our quarterly wrap-up episodes, and then it’s on to the summer season! In case you missed it, we shared our summer selections on IGTV and in an Instagram post. Save the list for future reference as we divide The House of the Spirits in two sections for June: Part One will cover Chapters 1-6. Part Two will cover Chapters 7-11.
Currently reading:
Chelsey just started reading Craft in the Real World based on Sara’s recommendation, and you know they’ll chat about it on the podcast or on Patreon. Sara is enjoying Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller.
*You can support your favorite independent bookstores and get two Libro.fm audiobooks for the price of one by signing up with our link, or entering code NOVELPAIRINGS at checkout!
Where to find us:
Download episodes of Novel Pairings wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Check out our blog for bonus pairings, reading tips, and book recommendations. Find Chelsey at @chelseyreads or @hereadsheread. Find Sara at @fictionmatters and her newsletter. We love hearing what you’re reading, so tag us in your #bookstagram posts!
We declare after all, there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book!
-Sara and Chelsey