Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maude Montgomery (1908)

Reading this book was a wonderful experience. It has been a while since I dabbled in reading old books. Of course, I can’t go to the library right now. Well in all honesty I haven’t been able to go to that magical place smelling of old books for years. I miss those days sometimes. Anne reminds me of myself in some ways. She is probably more idealistic and romantic than me but she tends to daydream and we have that in common. It is hard to explain the world to someone who doesn’t daydream. Life is so much more interesting when you don’t limit yourself to the things that are happening. Plus, she’s a reader and I always get along with readers. Funny thing is I’m not that old but reading this makes me nostalgic. I guess coming-of-age stories can do that.

Anne is an orphan kid who mistakenly ends up on a farm in rural Prince Edward’s Island, off the east coast of Canada. Here this small wisp of a girl clashes with the brother and sister duo that adopt her. Originally they wanted to adopt a boy in the hopes that he might help them with the manual labor. A miscommunication with a friend results in Anne showing up unexpectedly. Not only is she the wrong gender but her imaginative world view and whimsical outlook contrasts strongly with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, two sensible and unimaginative siblings. She quickly wins their hearts and works tirelessly to win their respect. Meet your newest friend, Anne of Green Gables.

Free audiobook download: https://librivox.org/anne-of-green-gables-by-lucy-maud-montgomery-3/

Free ebook download: http://gutenberg.org/ebooks/45

El Sabueso de los Baskerville (The Hound of the Baskervilles) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Isn’t it great to rewatch a film we love or reread one of our favorite books. I had a great time rereading the Hound of the Baskervilles(this time in Spanish). Growing up I always loved Sherlock Holmes. In fact, I wanted to be like him for a long time. This is obviously a naive childish point of view that only existed in me through me preteen and teenage years. For all his amazing deductive skills, Sherlock is a very flawed human being. Of course, this is generally an inescapable side affect of being human. But Sherlock has many flaws including drug addiction, disrespect for those he feels are less intelligent, and a general lack of emotional sympathy for other people(besides Watson of course). He is an excellent detective and for the most part a bright example of logical reasoning in stressful situations. Those are the qualities that I wish I could steal from him.

In this classic detective novel, Sherlock Holmes is tasked with the interesting case of Henry Baskerville who is taking up residence in his now deceased relative’s mansion that he just inherited. The country doctor contacts Holmes because he has doubts about the way Sir Charles Baskerville, Henry’s relative, died. There are signs of foul play that are inscrutable. Sir Charles died while outside at night, for some inexplicable reason, and a short distance away are the paw prints of a giant hound. It turns out that there is a legend about a Baskerville family curse related to a demon hound. Will Henry be able to outrun El Sabueso de los Baskerville?

Free Spanish audiobook download: https://librivox.org/el-sabueso-de-los-baskerville-by-sir-arthur-conan-doyle/

Free English audiobook download: https://librivox.org/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles-version-4-by-sir-arthur-conan-doyle/