Carrie's Favorites, Part 1 of 2 Giveaways

Now, there are certain books that I just really, really love. If you are a regular follower of this site, then you know, more or less, what they are. (If you don't - just take a peek at the Challenges I host which are listed on the sidebar here...)

My all-time, completely favorite series in all the world is the The Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I don't remember when I first met Anne. I do remember when I first watched the movies (the first two). I feel in love with Anne. I fell in love with Prince Edward Island. If I try to think of the primary reason I adore this little freckle faced, red haired girl, I'm hard pressed to come up with an answer. I think I would have to say that my top two reasons for loving Anne are as follows:

I love Anne because of her young, sweet innocence. She gazes at the world wide-eyed, wondering what each day is going to bring to her and she is enthusiastic about the prospects. Even though she has sad moments, they aren't really sad. What I mean by that is that she takes such delight in being morosely sorrowful, that she encourages herself in the midst of being in 'the depths of despair' by seeing how positively dramatic she can be. There is gleeful delight in her forced humility and that makes even the most dark situation seem bright somehow. You always feel like the giggles are lurking just underneath the surface and so anything good truly is a possibility.

Her attitude reminds me of this verse:

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

The second thing I love about the Anne books is the focus on the beauty of creation. You cannot step foot onto Prince Edward Island, physically or mentally, without being conscious of the beauty. You can feel the ocean breezes. You can hear the wind whipping through the trees. You can be almost positively sure that there really are fairies in the forest. The sunsets are brilliant. The snow makes everything serene. It is gorgeous.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Ps. 19:1

About 10 years ago I had the opportunity to visit Prince Edward Island. My friend laughed at me because I refused to get out of the car and set foot on the Island until she had run around the car with her camera to catch the moment. (Mildly reminiscent of Armstrong setting foot on the moon.) I cried when we arrived on the Island. (She thought that was funny also.) Why did I cry? Because the beauty was OVERWHELMING. I couldn't bear it. It was so much all at once.


Best moment: Waking up at the West Point Lighthouse Inn in time to see the sun rise and walking on the "Fairie Path" all alone. Quiet and peaceful, this little Texas girl, familiar with dried and scorched lands, breathed in GREEN and lingered in the cool morning, underneath the trees. I will never forget that. Ever.

Naturally, I was horrified to discover through blogging that not many people had read the Anne of Green Gables stories. Or, if they had read that, they hadn't read much else by Montgomery (and it's all good) so I started hosting the Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge. I will be hosting it again this coming January and so I figured I'd best get a few of you going with your Anne collection.

IF you do not own the Anne series and have never read it, I am giving away the first three books in the series:





Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Avonlea

Anne of the Island


Would you like to win? I would like to give them to you! =) Just leave a comment below (U.S. Residents only, please) and I will use random.org to select a winner. If you've never read Anne, you really must give her a chance. They are perfect fall and winter fare and then I'd invite you back in January to share what you learned of Anne and her Island.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!!!

The winner is Jen from Happy Little Homemaker (who hasn't ever read these books before). (However, she has read Emily so I'm mildly appeased and am happy to ship Jen the first three Anne books so that she can correct the situation as quickly as possible!)
Congrats, Jen!