Kindred Spirits Book Club

The Blythes Are Quoted Explainer

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. 

The Blythes Are Quoted Recap

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. 

Wrap-up of Rilla of Ingleside

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: Loyalty and Main Character Energy

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. 

Prophecy, Providence and Public Opinion in Rilla of Ingleside

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. 

The Girls of Glen St. Mary: Part 2

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. 

The Girls of Glen St. Mary: Part 1

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

Anne Of A Different Island Author Talk with Virginia Kantra

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

Walter Blythe: Conscience and Courage

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

Jem Blythe: Chivalry and Devotion

Youthful idealism, the horror of war, the power of propaganda, and the unbreakable bond between a young man and his faithful dog – that’s right, we are discussing brave Jem Blythe and loyal Dog Monday on Kindred Spirits Book Club. And because it’s the perfect time of year to do it, we also tell the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. We can’t promise you won’t cry, but we are here for you with tissues! 
Inspired by:
Kelly is inspired by some incredible fanfic that imagines some of the letters the older Blythes write to each other throughout the war.  It’s called Dispatches by elizasky over on Archive Of Our Own.  And, you guys, it’s so good.
Ragon is inspired by Doctors Without Borders and International Rescue Committee, both organizations that help victims of wars and disasters.
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.