Kindred Spirits Book Club

Emily of New Moon, it’s your turn! In this recap, Kelly and Ragon walk through Emily's journey from the house in the hollow to New Moon Farm, making new friends and learning about her family, and her fierce commitment to her writing and her identity. Join us as we dive into all the beauty, drama, and chilly autumnal vibes of the Emily books! Inspired by: Kelly is inspired by the TV show Russian Doll for some surprising links to Emily of New Moon! Ragon is inspired by her visit to the Hospital of Emotions art installation.  Check out their Instagram if you can’t go in person! All the KSBC links: Have you seen our newly updated, beautiful website?  Come check it out for all the pod news! Join our Patreon!  Following us for free over there will alert you to new regular episodes and send you a fun quarterly newsletter!  The paid supporter Bosom Friend level will also get you 4 extra podcasts a year plus invites to 2 live zooms with us a year for the real bookclub experience!   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. 

We’re back, Kindred Spirits! After five seasons of discussions about the Anne of Green Gables series, we’re turning the page to a new L.M. Montgomery heroine: Emily Byrd Starr! Join Kelly and Ragon as we kick off Season 6 with a catch-up, book recommendations, a little witchy fall inspiration, and a preview of our upcoming deep dive into the Emily of New Moon series. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or are just discovering the podcast, we are happy you're here. Let’s explore Emily's world together! What we’ve been reading:   Ragon has read: Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross, The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer, This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page, and Starshipped by Cat Sebastian. Kelly has read: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, Take Me With You by Steven Rowley, and Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson. Inspired by: Ragon is inspired by Chewy Chai Molasses Cookies from Scientifically Sweet. Kelly is inspired by hosting a Witchy Tea with your friends–either going to get high tea dressed as witches, or maybe brewing up one at home! All the KSBC links: Have you seen our newly updated, beautiful website?  Come check it out for all the pod news! Join our Patreon!  Following us for free over there will alert you to new regular episodes and send you a fun quarterly newsletter!  The paid supporter Bosom Friend level will also get you 4 extra podcasts a year plus invites to 2 live zooms with us a year for the real bookclub experience!   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. 

We're just popping in to give you a quick look at our upcoming Season 6!  

We are thrilled to share our fascinating conversation with Sara Louise Petersen all about Anne of Green Gables and its appeal across the ideological spectrum! Sara tells us why “Trad Wives” love Anne of Green Gables, and we talk all about how the books and Anne herself both support and critique traditional values. Join us at the intersection of Avonlea and Instagram for this episode! You can find more from Sara Louise Petersen at her newsletter In Pursuit of Clean Countertops and you can read her book Momfluenced: Inside the maddening, picture perfect world of mommy influencer culture.   Inspired by: Ragon recommends making strawberry syrup from this super easy hack from wastelesslydelicious on instagram. Kelly recommends the East Fork Popcorn Bowl as a perfect housewarming gift. Sara recommends the Presto PopLite Hot Air Popcorn Popper to fill up that popcorn bowl! 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. 

In today’s episode, we relive our unforgettable adventure to Prince Edward Island where we walked in L.M. Montgomery's footsteps, explored beloved Anne of Green Gables sites, and met the historians, scholars, and Montgomery family members who help keep her legacy alive. We are also taking you with us to the L.M. Montgomery Institute’s Biennial Conference, sharing highlights from our favorite sessions, including those we hosted! If you are planning your own pilgrimage to PEI, join us for travel tips, recommendations, and memorable moments.  Thank you to: Green Gables Heritage Place Lyn Dean and Janice Trowsdale at the Bideford Parsonage Museum Doug Sobey at the Lower Bedeque School Catherine McEachern at the L.M. Montgomery Birthplace Pam Campbell at the Anne of Green Gables Museum Everyone with the L.M. Montgomery Institute who put on the most fantastic conference! Inspired by: Kelly is inspired by Snoozeband for easy sleep on long flights!  And by the Hot and Bothered podcast for their deep dive on Persuasion! Ragon is inspired by the best grilled cheese sandwich she’s ever had at Gallant's & Co on PEI (and their amazing chicken pot pie!).  She’s also inspired by the Good Molecules Caffeine Eye Patches to beat jet lag! 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. 

Live from Prince Edward Island and the L.M. Montgomery Institute Conference! We are so excited to bring a slice of this magical night at the conference to our listeners. Expect our signature deep dives, some interactive audience fun, and plenty of laughs as we discuss Montgomery, fandom, and our podcasting journey.   Some of the audience participation audio isn’t the best quality (hey, we learned a lot!) but you get the idea!  And YOU can play along with our episode BINGO just like our in person audience did!  Check our Instagram as well if you are listening to this episode the week it drops for an opportunity to win a little bingo prize!  For more about the L.M. Montgomery Conference and for lots of other LMM info, visit the L.M. Montgomery Institute! 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. 

It’s our season finale! And even as we are trying to close the book on the Anne series, we couldn’t help adding just a few more thoughts, lingering questions, and hot takes to the conversation. Join us for Anne and ADHD debates, queer readings, forgotten characters, our dream fanfiction, and the enduring magic that makes Anne of Green Gables beloved around the world. It’s a joyful celebration of Kindred Spirits everywhere and a heartfelt look back at four wonderful years spent with Anne Shirley. Kelly has some links for you if you want to read more about queer-coding in Anne of Green Gables.  Check out this article or this one.  We are heading to the L.M. Montgomery Conference on Prince Edward Island very very soon and there’s still time to join us, virtually! Check out the link and you can see all of the amazing panels!  Virtual registrations are still open for the whole conference and you can also register to see Megan Follows keynote speech for free!   Inspired by: Ragon is inspired by her newest time-suck of a hobby, the cozy videogame Tiny Bookshop. It's addictive! Don’t say we didn’t warn you! Kelly is inspired by long book series to keep you busy over the summer or podcast about!  She likes the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik and the Miss Marple Mysteries by Agatha Christie. 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. 

Get ready for a fun, culture-rich discussion as we explore Anne of Green Gables and its role in Canadian identity! Kelly and Ragon are joined by Brenna Clarke Gray and an amazing lineup of Canadian scholars, actors, and artists to share their unique insights. Learn why Anne is considered a national icon, the fascinating history of "CanCon," and how Anne’s story of finding a welcoming home beautifully reflects core Canadian values of inclusivity, diversity, and care. This is an episode packed with reflections on Anne, Canadian culture, and finding kinship with a beloved character.  We have lots of guests pop by with their thoughts about Anne’s place in CanCon and our line-up includes: Andrea McKenzie, Laura Robinson, Kate Scarth, Brenton Dickieson, Jennifer Villaverde, Briana Corr Scott, Caroline Toal and Kat Sandler!  What a rockstar roster! You can find more from our guest Brenna Clarke Gray on Bluesky or by listening to her podcast Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr all about YA literature and adaptations.   We are inspired by CanCon! Brenna recommends:  Oh What A Feeling Box Set (if you can find it, or use this link to create a playlist for yourself!) for a buffet of Canadian music.  She recommends Canadian TV shows Degrassi High,  Degrassi: The Next Generation and its other iterations as well as Being Erica and she recommends the movies Women Talking, Last Night, and Bon Cop, Bad Cop.   Kelly recommends:  Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen for some Canadian pop music, North of North and Orphan Black as TV shows and the movie Take This Waltz. Ragon recommends Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett for some cozy fantasy based in Montreal. 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.   

In our first of three episodes reflecting on the Anne of Green Gables series, we are revisiting the most significant themes from Anne's journey. We discuss the overall arc of Anne’s story, and how her friendships, romance, and quest for community and family remain with us. Tune in to discover what the beloved books teach us about love, belonging, and growing up. Ragon read: We Could Be So Good,  You Should Be So Lucky, After Hours At Dooryard Books, all by Cat Sebastian.  She also read Overdue by Stephanie Perkins and Regeneration by Pat Barker. Kelly read: The Wedding People by Alison Espach and The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Inspired by: Kelly is inspired by Persephone Books a publishing house that finds and reprints neglected works by women writers in gorgeous collectible editions. Ragon is inspired by the cutest Anne of Green Gable locket from Marshall and Rose but would love to upgrade to this customizable library card necklace by Sofia Zakia.   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. 

We’re joined by Dr. Benjamin Lefebvre to dive into the mysteries of L.M. Montgomery’s final, unconventional work, The Blythes Are Quoted. We explore the book's journey to publication, its surprisingly dark themes, and how it reshapes the legacy of our beloved Anne Shirley. It’s a fascinating look at the complex reality behind one of Montgomery’s most controversial works.  You can see more from our guest, Dr. Benjamin Lefebvre over at L.M. Montgomery Online.   Inspired by: Ragon is inspired by the Love’s Academic series by India Holton, starting with the first one, The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love. Kelly is inspired by Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. Ben is inspired by Imagining Anne by Elizabeth Rollins Epperly for peak inside Maud’s scrapbooks and the novel Maud by Melanie J. Fishbane for a fictionalized account of Maud’s teenage years. 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.