Anneish Imaginary Adventures

When I was looking for a good title for my blog, for a blog about books I have loved to read and books I haven't,  of course I have had to think about my favourite reads so far. One of my all time favourite books, or rather book series, is Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables.

I was almost 16, when I first read the series, nevertheless I loved Anne and her adventures. In the 20 years since then, I have read the series countless times, and I am still loving it. I own the whole series in Hungarian and in English and the first book in the series I own in three different editions. So, I think it's fair to say that I'm an Anne addict.

If you've never read Anne's stories, you might wonder why. But, I'm afraid the magic of Montgomery and her heroine cannot be explained easily, and maybe some people will not be enchanted by it anyway. Margaret Atwood wrote an article in The Guardian and has tried to give an explanation, but I think, the best way to find out whether you, like million other, love Anne is to read the books.

Certainly, one of the reasons why I identify myself with Anne is that she shares in my love for reading. Anne loves to read because every new book is a new adventure: you can imagine being anything—from an indian to a queen—and what is more, you can forget about the lemons life gives you...

"I understand now why some men must go to sea," said Anne. "That desire which comes to us all at times—'to sail beyond the bourne of sunset'—must be very imperious when it is born in you. [...] I never see a ship sailing out of the channel, or a gull soaring over the sand-bar, without wishing I were on board the ship or had wings [...] like a gull, to sweep out into the very heart of a storm." 

"You'll stay right here with me, Anne-girl," said Gilbert lazily. "I won't have you flying away from me into the hearts of storms." [...] 

"Doctors who have to be up all night waiting on sick folk don't feel very adventurous, I suppose," Anne said indulgently. "If you had had a good sleep last night, Gilbert, you'd be as ready as I am for a flight of imagination."

(L. M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams, Ch. 8)

So, that's that. Anne and me, we both love imaginary adventures. Hence my blog's title. And what about you? Are you ready for flying with us?