Kindred Spirits Book Club

Kelly and Ragon are diving into prophecy, patriotism, and porch-debate energy in Rilla of Ingleside. From Miss Oliver’s eerie dreams to Norman Douglas’s keyboard-warrior vibes, we unpack all the different ways the Glen justifies — and questions — the war. Is it fate? A moral necessity? A cosmic inevitability? As we start wrapping up our Rilla season, we zoom out to listen to the full chorus of opinions shaping wartime life at Ingleside.

Inspired by:

Kelly is inspired by Heated Rivalry!  Whether you watch the show on HBO/Crave or read the book by Rachel Reid, enjoy some fun, romantic, spicy distraction.  Kelly especially recommends the third book in the series, Tough Guy, for some Anne of Green Gables references!

Ragon is inspired by the game, Let's Hit Each Other With Fake Swords for some silly family fun.

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.

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.