One late April evening

Marilla, walking home one late April evening from an Aid meeting, realized that the winter was over and gone with the thrill of delight that spring never fails to bring to the oldest and saddest as well as to the youngest and merriest."

-L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Purchase and read Anne of Green Gables:



Created April 20, 2023. Last updated April 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Read Anne of Green Gables with Reddit's Online Book Club

Recently, I joined Reddit's Book Club Community because I thought it would be fun to read books with a big online group. By chance, soon after joining, Anne of Green Gables was chosen as Reddit's Book Club Runner Up Read.



Have you ever wanted to read or re-read Anne with a group? Well, here's your chance!


Purchase and read Anne of Green Gables:



Created April 18, 2023.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables and the Comfort of Reading Books

"'My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes.' That’s a sentence I read in a book once, and I say it over to comfort myself whenever I’m disappointed in anything."

As a lonely orphan, Anne Shirley finds solace in books. Reading provides her with comfort and room to explore, learn, and grow. We learn about Anne's love of words, stories, and books early on in the novel Anne of Green Gables.

In Chapter 5, Marilla has decided to take Anne back to Mrs. Spencer. She expects that Anne will be returned to the asylum in Nova Scotia. Aware of her fate, Anne decides that she will still enjoy the buggy ride to Mrs. Spencer’s home. Anne looks around and sees beauty in an early wild rose and comments on how the color pink is "bewitching."

When Anne asks Marilla if she ever knew anyone whose hair was red when she was young that changed to a different color when she grew up, Marilla coldly dashes Anne’s hopes. Anne then quotes a sentence she read once telling Marilla, "Well, that is another hope gone. 'My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes.' That’s a sentence I read in a book once, and I say it over to comfort myself whenever I’m disappointed in anything."

Marilla is prosaic. She doesn’t see anything comforting in Anne’s quote. Anne explains that she finds the words, "nice and romantic, just as if I were a heroine in a book." Anne's imagination saves her and comforts her and provides her with hope when things are dark.

Just as Anne finds comfort in stories, quotes, and reading, the readers of Anne of Green Gables find comfort in L.M. Montgomery’s creation. Anne Shirley is a character who somehow brings comfort and joy to readers everywhere.


Image credit:
Drawing of Anne Shirley reading a book in front of Green Gables from Akage no An, the anime production of Anne of Green Gables.

Purchase and read Anne of Green Gables:



Created April 12, 2023.
© worldofanneshirley.com

January so far has been a month of cold gray days

"January 28th.

January so far has been a month of cold gray days, with an occasional storm whirling across the harbor and filling Spook's Lane with drifts. But last night we had a silver thaw and today the sun shone."

-L.M. Montgomery
Anne Shirley in Anne of Windy Poplars

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Purchase and read Anne of Windy Poplars and the Anne of Green Gables series:



Created January 28, 2023. Last updated April 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne Shirley and Diana Barry Jigsaw Puzzle

My brother got me a sweet gift for Christmas. It's an Anne of Green Gables jigsaw puzzle. The image is from the anime Anne of Green Gables series (Akage no An, 1979), which was produced as part of Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater series. The pretty painted scene shows Anne Shirley and Diana Barry sitting together and talking in an apple orchard. If you want one too, you can purchase the 1014-piece puzzle here.

Created January 27, 2023. Last updated March 4, 2023.
© worldofanneshirley.com

About the Oh My Anne Mobile Game

The Google Play store includes information about the "Oh my Anne" mobile app, which had its soft launch last month. Version 1.0.0 of the app was released/last updated on December 3, 2022 by NEOWIZ. The game is rated "E" for everyone, and there are in-app purchases.

NEOWIZ provided the following description of the game to the Google Play store:

A heartwarming game about Anne Shirley's story in Avonlea!
Enjoy calming, relaxing match 3 puzzle levels & renovate the Green Gables.
Unlock endless chapters about Anne’s encounters and makeover!
Adventures in Avonlea are at the doorstep!

"But if you call me Anne, please call me Anne with an 'e'."

Encouraging & Heartwarming Story!
It all began when Matthew and Marilla accepted Anne to the family..
Folllow Anne through her times of true romance, friendship, and tears - all unexpected!
Watch how her relationship with the townspeople of Avonlea flourish!

“I thought my story at Green Gables was about to end, but it was just the beginning.”

Enjoy Renovating the Green Gables
Oh my, what a dusty room!
Mop the floors! Change the carpets!
Unlock & renovate rooms, spread happiness in the air!
Help Anne Bring warmth back to the Green Gables, and to her loved ones as well.
Renovate your mansion, give it a fantastic makeover!

"Seeing the place nice and clean makes me so happy.”

Easy Match 3 Puzzle Levels
Match puzzle pieces, use delicate booster effects to beat levels!
Equip yourself with Anne’s mighty spirit!
Show off your match 3 skills by clearing various fun challenge modes ahead!

“I couldn''t tell where to begin at first, but after placing the tiles one by one, before I knew it, I was already done!”

Experience Calming and Relaxing Game
Sit back, and enjoy relaxing makeovers.
The most heartwarming words from Anne, will certainly brighten up your day!

"You can enjoy anything if you make up your mind to enjoy it."

The Google Play store features the image above ("Follow Anne's Romantic Story") as well as the following images and screencaptures of "Oh my Anne" with explanations of how to play the game.

Meet new friends and the townspeople of Avonlea:



Unlock more rooms and renovate Green Gables:



Watch and immerse yourself in Anne's precious moments:



Play match-3 levels:



Earn daily rewards:



Collect beautiful dresses:



Anne Shirley dreams of a dress with puffed sleeves:



Some of the game's aspects don't seem to relate to the story, but I'm still interested in checking out the app.

Created January 25, 2023.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Oh My Anne Mobile Game Soft Launch

In December, NEOWIZ, a South Korean online game developer and publisher, announced the soft launch of a mobile app called "Oh my Anne." It’s a mobile game based on the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. "Oh my Anne" has launched in Canada and in select regions so far, and the global launch of the game will soon follow. It will be available on iOS and Android.

It's a game about Anne Shirley's time in Avonlea. The player helps unlock chapters as Anne brings warmth to Green Gables and to Anne's loved ones. Through the game, Anne develops relationships with the townspeople of Avonlea. The story follows Anne through moments of friendship, romance, and sorrow. The gameplay also involves match games and makeover/renovation elements where the player collects dresses for Anne and helps her clean and renovate Green Gables.

Here are a couple of screenshots of the game from NEOWIZ's announcement on twitter:





The artwork and animation look so lovely. I'm curious about "Oh my Anne." and I hope to be able to check it out soon. Has any reader downloaded the game? What did you think of it?

Read more about the game in an article by Catherine Dellosa at PocketGamer.


Created January 24, 2023.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables Literary Quote Pencil Set

I ran across the cutest Anne of Green Gables literary quote pencils today. It's a set of six #2 HB pencils featuring the following quotes from L.M. Montgomery's classic novel:

MAPLES ARE SUCH SOCIABLE TREES
I LOVE BRIGHT RED DRINKS, DON’T YOU?
I HAVE GIVEN UP ALL HOPE OF DIMPLES.
PLEASE CALL ME ANNE WITH AN 'E."
IT’S DELIGHTFUL TO HAVE AMBITIONS.
I’M IN THE DEPTHS OF DESPAIR.

I think they'd inspire me to write a poem or story like Anne's "Averil's Atonement." What about you?

Created January 22, 2023. Last updated April 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript Digital Exhibition

Today, a digital exhibition launched called "The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript: L.M. Montgomery and the Creation of Anne" that features a digitized version of L.M. Montgomery's original handwritten manuscript for Anne of Green Gables. Fans of Anne of Green Gables can explore the text to see L.M. Montgomery's writing process and analyze how she developed the story.

Check out the exhibit at: annemanuscript.ca

---

Here's the press release for the exhibit by the Confederation Centre of the Arts:

January 19, 2023 – For the first time ever, L.M. Montgomery’s original manuscript of Anne of Green Gables is available to readers everywhere through a new digital exhibition.

The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript: L.M. Montgomery and the Creation of Anne officially launched online today. The digital exhibition will allow people to explore Montgomery’s original text, see what was written on the back of pages, and find out how famous moments were developed or revised. The interactive website includes never-before-seen material, such as Montgomery’s publishing contract for the novel.

“Visitors can pore over every pen stroke – there are bits of short story drafts and heavily scratched out passages that just beg for one to zoom in. We have also added hundreds of photo and video annotations to learn from,” says Dr. Emily Woster, an L.M. Montgomery scholar who curated the exhibition. “This is a celebration of Montgomery’s creative process, and we invite scholars and fans alike to explore the site and trace the origins of Anne.”

The high-quality digitization of the manuscript gives visitors a unique opportunity to learn about the author and Prince Edward Island, and reflect on Anne’s legacy in print, on screen, and on stage – including the nearly 60-year history of Anne of Green Gables–The Musical™ at The Charlottetown Festival.

The digital exhibition is presented by Confederation Centre of the Arts, the University of Prince Edward Island’s Robertson Library and L.M. Montgomery Institute, and developed with funding from the Digital Museums Canada investment program. The Digital Museums Canada investment program helps build digital capacity in Canadian museums and heritage organizations and gives Canadians unique access to diverse stories and experiences. Digital Museums Canada is managed by the Canadian Museum of History, with the financial support of the Government of Canada.

The history of the novel dates back to the summer of 1905, when Montgomery began writing Anne’s story in the kitchen of her home in Cavendish. The classic novel is beloved the world over, inspiring millions of readers in over 40 languages. The original manuscript resides in the archives at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown, and only a lucky few have been able to see it or study it in person.

“This important project will vastly increase access to the manuscript, generating new understanding and appreciation of the novel’s beginnings and of its author,” says L.M. Montgomery Institute chair Dr. Philip Smith. “The digitization by the expert staff at UPEI’s Robertson Library will allow enthusiasts around the world to discover Montgomery’s creativity in interactive ways not previously available.”

The digital exhibition is available in English and French and can be viewed online at annemanuscript.ca.

Press release retreived from: https://confederationcentre.com/news/digital-exhibition-anne-manuscript/ (January 19, 2023).

Created January 19, 2023.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Even in grey November...

"Spring would come back even in grey November and her poor, cold, dead, little heart would beat again."

-L.M. Montgomery
A Tangled Web

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Purchase and read A Tangled Web:



Created November 22, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Green Gables House, Prince Edward Island National Park Playing Cards

Today, I found another fun gift idea for an Anne of Green Gables fan. It's a pack of 52 playing cards featuring the Anne of Green Gables House at Prince Edward Island National Park. Do you think Marilla Cuthbert and Rachel Lynde would play a game of gin rummy with these cards, or would Rachel disapprove?

Created November 15, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables Watercolor Print and Quote

Here's a lovely gift idea for an Anne of Green Gables fan. It's a pretty fall watercolor print by the artist Lane Martin with a quote by L.M. Montgomery from Anne of Green Gables. You can customize your order to be printed on different types of paper or canvas in a variety of sizes (8 x 10", 11 x 14" or 18 x 24"). Several framing choices are available for the print too.

Created November 14, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Winter Wind by L.M. Montgomery

In January 1904, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "The Winter Wind" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:


Here is the full text of the poem:

THE WINTER WIND
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

I am the gladdest of winds that blow
Though I come from the realms of ice and snow.

I waken the notes of the pine tree lyres
When the sunset kindles its crimson fires.

I dance over meadows and valleys white
In the sparkling frost of a winter night.

I croon a song that is low and sweet
When the dawn creeps out on her silver feet.

I nip and pinch with a right good will
The children’s cheeks on the coasting hill.

I sting to action the hearts of those
I meet on my way from the Northland snows.

Laughter rings when I whistle by,
For a right good, rollicking wind am I.


Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1904, January). The Winter Wind. The Farm Journal. 28(1): 1. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1904-01_28_1/mode/2up

Created November 12, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

November had been a vexing month

"But November had been a vexing month all through...one day glorious...the next day savage."

-L.M. Montgomery
Mistress Pat

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Purchase and read the Pat of Silver Bush series:



Created November 5, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Time of the Clover Blossom by L.M. Montgomery

In June 1904, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "The Time of the Clover Blossom" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:


Here is the full text of the poem:

THE TIME OF THE CLOVER BLOSSOM
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

The wind from the slopes of pineland

Drifts over the wide green fields

To mingle its breath with the incense

That rose-red clover yields;

The clouds on the far horizon

Are white in the peaceful blue,

And the brooks are tenderly crooning

The sun-warm valleys through.

All over the leagues of grasses

The shadows and ripples go,

And a bluebird is blithely singing

In the pasture down below;

For he knows that near him is cradled

His mate in her tiny nest,

And the time of the clover blossom

Is the sweetest and the best.

Song on the hills and uplands,

Song in the meadows fair,

Song in the beautiful valleys,

Song on the forest air!

And a gladness deep and lasting

That broods on the starry sod—

In the time of the clover blossom,

The world is near to God.

Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1904, June). The Time of the Clover Blossom. The Farm Journal. 28(6): 223. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1904-06_28_6/page/222/mode/2up

Created November 4, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Buttercups by L.M. Montgomery

In May 1910, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "Buttercups" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:


Here is the full text of the poem:

BUTTERCUPS
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

Like showers of gold-dust on the marsh,

Or an inverted sky,

The buttercups are dancing now

Where silver brooks run by.

Bright, bright,

As fallen flakes of light,

They nod

In time to every breeze

That chases shadows swiftly lost

Amid those grassy seas.

See what a golden frenzy flies

Through the light-hearted flowers!

In mimic fear they flutter now,

Each fairy blossom cowers.

Then up, then up,

Each shakes its yellow cup

And nods

In careless grace once more—

A very flood of sunshine seems

Across the marsh to pour.

Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1910, May). Buttercups. The Farm Journal. 34(5): 311. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1910-05_34_5/page/310/mode/2up

Created November 3, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Nutting Song by L.M. Montgomery

In November 1906, L.M. Montgomery published the poem/song lyrics "Nutting Song" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:


Here is the full text of the poem:

NUTTING SONG

Light, light, rings our laughter

O’er valley and hill,

To chime with the musical

Call of the rill.

The blue skies above

With their sunshine o'erflow,

And over the meadows

Beguiling winds blow—

Heigh-ho for the nutting.

Through the boughs of the chestnuts

The mellow lights fall,

And the song of the nutters

Rings clear over all.

The maples are flame

On the crest of the hill,

And amethyst hazes

The far valleys fill

In the time of the nutting.

The mornings are frosty,

The noons are a-gleam,

The blue air is quivering

Over the stream.

The wood ways are drifted

With billows of gold,

And the world sings a song

That can never grow old

In the time of the nutting.

Oh, ours is the laughter,

The frolic and mirth,

The heyday of autumn,

The bounty of earth.

The music that echoes

The whole world along

Is borne in our hearts

And enchained in our song

In the time of the nutting.

L. M. MONTGOMERY.

Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1906, November). Nutting Song. The Farm Journal. 30(11): 374. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1906-11_30_11/page/374/mode/2up

Created November 2, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

November Dusk by L.M. Montgomery

In November 1904, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "November Dusk" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:


Here is the full text of the poem:

NOVEMBER DUSK

A weird and dreamy stillness falls upon
The purple, breathless earth, the wind-less woods,
The wimpling rims of valley solitudes,
The wide, gray stubble-fields and fallows wan—
A quiet hush, as if, her heyday gone,
Tired Nature folded weary hands for rest
Across the faded vesture of her breast,
Knowing her wintry slumbers hasten on.
Far and away beyond the ocean’s rim
The dull-red sunset fades into the gray
Of sombre, wind-rent clouds that marshall grim
Around the closing portals of the day,
While from the margin of the tawny shore
Comes up the voice of waters evermore.

L. M. MONTGOMERY.

Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1904, November). November Dusk. The Farm Journal. 28(11): 372. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1904-11_28_11/page/372/mode/2up

Created November 1, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

something especially spooky in the way of ghosts

"a ghost you couldn't see but could hear and feel was something especially spooky in the way of ghosts"

-L.M. Montgomery
Emily of New Moon

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Purchase and read the Emily of New Moon series:



Created October 31, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Down in the Pastures by L.M. Montgomery

In July 1906, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "Down in the Pastures" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:



Here is the full text of the poem:

DOWN IN THE PASTURES
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

Down in the pastures, remote and cool,

In the glow of a golden afternoon,

Where the calm-eyed cows by the birchen pool

Browse, and meandering breezes croon

Among the clover and daisies there,
In the wine-like sweetness of summer air,

I rambled to-day—no companionships

Of human creatures, no voice save the low
Leaf murmurs that wandered to and fro,

And the brook’s mysterious sibylline lips.

A bluebird, perched on a picket gray,

Sang a song that was blithe and free;

It looked askance as I passed that way,

Yet the shy thing seemed not afraid of me.

And each wild rose that opened there
Its virgin lips to the calm blue air

Among the bracken a welcome gave,

And I felt that everything, flower and bird,
By some subtle instinct of joy was stirred,

Such as mortals know not and vainly crave.

O, it was sweet on this summer day

To learn my kinship to those wild things,

To feel as unfettered and glad as they

And as if my spirit at least had wings,

To lay my heart against Nature’s own
Till the haunting music of each deep tone

Passed into my soul with a rapt release

From the pain and turmoil of outer life,
To forget the meaning of selfish strife

And learn the depth of primeval peace.

Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1906, July). Down in the Pastures. The Farm Journal. 30(7): 234. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1906-07_30_7/page/234/mode/2up

Created October 30, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com