Summer re-reads

Two of my online book groups finished their current discussions this week. I've already read & reviewed those books here, but I've been following along as we read & discussed these books, chapter by chapter, and (as I mentioned a while back), I figure a re-read still counts as another book read. ;)  

My D.E. Stevenson group just finished reading & discussing "Katherine Wentworth," which I previously reviewed here.  I find there's a whole new level of appreciation that gets added to a book when you discuss it with others. The plot provoked conversations about stepfamilies, class differences, the meaning of personal freedom versus controlling families and more. I now find myself hankering for a month-long vacation at a cottage by a lake/loch in the Scottish highlands, like Katherine's... ;) (a girl can dream, COVID notwithstanding...!). My original Goodreads rating of 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4, still stands. :)

Next up: "Amberwell" (which I already finished and reviewed here). We've already plotted out the schedule for several future reads/discussions, including the sequel to "Katherine Wentworth," "Katherine's Marriage," and the sequel to "Amberwell," "Summerhills," later this year/early next (and "The Young Clementina" thrown in for some variety...!). 

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My L.M. Montgomery Readathon group on Facebook just finished our summer-long discussion of "Jane of Lantern Hill" -- appropriately, since the plot involves Jane discovering the delights of a summer on Prince Edward Island, reunited with her long-estranged father. I eagerly gobbled up this book -- an old favourite that I hadn't revisited in many years -- when it was first announced (reviewed here), and have been following along with the video readings of each chapter and subsequent discussions. My original rating of four stars still stands (possibly 4.5, albeit not quite 5).  Next up (starting Sept. 21st): "The Blue Castle," another of my LMM favourites, which I've already read & reviewed here. 

These are Books #33 & 34 read to date in 2020 (Book #9 (!!) finished in August & Book #1 finished in September), bringing me to 113%!! of my 2020 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 30 books. I have completed & now exceeded my challenge goal for the year by 4 books, and am (for the moment, anyway...!) 14 (!) books ahead of schedule. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2020 tagged as "2020 books."