Kindred Spirits Book Club

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: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com 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: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com 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: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com 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: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com 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: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

Kelly and Ragon are recapping The Blythes Are Quoted, the final book in the Anne series. We break down the book’s atypical structure and wild short stories – which feature fake paralysis, a literal kidnapping, and a deathbed murder confession! – and they discuss how the Blythes fit into it all. We also reflect on the heartbreaking power of Walter's wartime poetry, and how this complex book is a startling finish for the series that began with Anne of Green Gables. 
Inspired by:
Kelly is inspired by the musical Songs For A New World, particularly this performance of The Stars And The Moon.
Ragon is inspired by the Byoma Bio-Collagen Facial Radiance Mask.
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: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

For our final episode discussing Rilla of Ingleside, we invited our friend Dr. Emily Woster for a good old-fashioned geek out on everything we love about this book. Our conversation is all over the place in the best way – from the books that we think would be great companion reads to Rilla, to the folklore that influenced Walter’s prophetic visions, to deep dives on a few of our favorite scenes, to L.M. Montgomery’s wartime diaries. It’s a freewheeling and fun conversation you won’t want to miss!
You can find more of Emily Woster’s work at The Anne Manuscript for high quality scans of LMM’s original handwritten manuscript and notes.
The L.M. Montgomery Bookshelf  where you can find scans of books from LMM’s library including some of her own notations in the books and Emily’s information and notes about history and context of these books!  An amazing resource!  
And you can follow Emily on bluesky for updates about her work.
Registration for the 2026 L.M. Montgomery Conference is now open so come join us there! Or register for a free virtual viewing of Megan Follows keynote address!
Inspired by:
Ragon is inspired by Rilla’s vanity and recommends the Tymo CurlPro Hair Curler and the Tymo Ring Hair Comb for easy, polished hair.
Kelly is inspired by the splurgy Theraplush hand cream for soft hands.
Emily is inspired by Storyworth for guided memory books.  
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: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

Susan Baker, the unsung heroine of Rilla of Ingleside, gets her due in today's episode. Dr. Kate Scarth of the University of Prince Edward Island and the L.M. Montgomery Institute joins Ragon and Kelly to chat about Ingleside's faithful, fearless housekeeper, and how Susan's domestic skills and homely philosophies support Rilla and the Blythes during The Great War. Kate also shares biographical information about Montgomery's own reactions to the war, and how those views came to life in this novel.
Want to hear more from our awesome guest, Kate Scarth?   Her Audible book is The Life and Works of L.M. Montgomery , a great listen!  Her book Romantic Suburbs comes out on April 21, 2026.  You can find her on Instagram or at The L.M. Montgomery Institute.  Registration for the 2026 L.M. Montgomery Conference is now open so come join us there!
Inspired by:
Kelly is inspired by the  University of Guelph digital exhibit about life on the Canadian home front in the context of Rilla of Ingleside. There’s a great section about Susan specifically!  
Ragon is inspired by her favorite recipe blog, Smitten Kitchen and her newest cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers.  
Kate is inspired by a recipe for Monkey Face Cookies and by the book Irish Chain by Barbara Haworth-Attard.
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: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram. 

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: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com 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: kindredspirits.bookclub@gmail.com or on our KindredSpirits.BookClub Instagram.