The Golden Road Finds Me

Sometimes our lives intersect with people, with places, and with stories in unexplainable ways. These moments can feel like manifestations of serendipity, unexpected occurrences in life that bring us untold joy.

Earlier this week, my husband and I went out to dinner, and I experienced one of these unusual moments. We were walking down a beautiful staircase lined with books. I was admiring the design of the room and the old book covers. As I walked along, there was an old copy of The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery directly in front of me. Although I was scanning the shelves, I wasn't looking to find any book or author in particular. But somehow this book found me.

I stopped and stared at the book's blue spine for a moment. As I pulled my phone out of my purse to snap a photo, I called my husband back and pointed to the book. He looked at the book in surprise and bewilderment, asking me, "How did you find it?" I didn't have an answer. I hadn't been looking. Montgomery just tends to find me at various moments, on sometimes significant days, and in improbable places around the world. I'm left in wonder at the reason.


Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Created February 9, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

a diamond winter day in February

"It was a diamond winter day in February—clear, cold, hard, brilliant."
-L.M. Montgomery
The Golden Road

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Purchase and read The Story Girl and The Golden Road:



Created February 1, 2024. Last updated April 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Tea Gables by NovelTeas

During a recent visit to a bookshop, a tin of specialty Anne of Green Gables tea caught my attention. It's called "Anne of Green Tea Gables" by NovelTeas. The company produces a delightful library of punny teas for book lovers that include "Pekoe Pan," "Pippi Oolongstocking," and "Oliver Lemon Twist." The Anne-inspired tea is a green tea flavored with raspberry pieces and orange peel. You can purchase it here.

Here's the charming description of the tea by NovelTeas:

"Guaranteed to be non-alcoholic, eternally optimistic and not get you into trouble. Our blend will romance you away to Avonlea and the world L. M. Montgomery brought to life through the eyes of Anne Shirley."

What a fun concept. Aren't books and tea a perfect match? Would you like to try Anne of Green Tea Gables? I think I'd like to try "Don QuixoTea - Man of La ManChai" myself.

Created January 29, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables Valentines - Set 4

After many years, I designed a fourth set of Anne of Green Gables Valentines to give to your kindred spirits on St. Valentine's Day. Save the Anne Shirley-inspired Valentines shown below. Print the Valentine cards out on cardstock paper in landscape mode, cut them out, and share them.


You can save the individual Anne of Green Gables Valentines below if you like a specific one and want to text it to a friend:




















Image credits:
To design this set of Anne of Green Gables Valentines, I used public domain clipart, quotes from Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe, and images of Anne Shirley and Diana Barry from Sullivan Entertainment's Anne of Green Gables (1985) and Nippon Animation's Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An.

Download and print more Anne of Green Gables Valentines here: Set 1, Set 2, and Set 3.

Created January 26, 2024. Last updated February 13, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

the January winds whined

"After Christmas the snow went away and the January winds whined over cold, hard-frozen pastures and through grey, cold trees."
-L.M. Montgomery
Pat of Silver Bush

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Purchase and read the Pat of Silver Bush series:



Created January 18, 2024. Last updated April 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe Page Petal Bookmarks

I love visiting bookstores and spending time browsing the shelves for new things to read. I'm sure I share this trait with many other fans of Anne of Green Gables. Last fall, while wandering around in a bookshop, I saw this pair of delightful Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe bookmarks by Page Petal.

Page Petal makes handmade, pressed flower bookmarks featuring literary characters, fictional TV characters, and celebrities. They have bookmarks for fans of Little Women, Harry Potter, The Gilmore Girls, Barbie, Taylor Swift, and more.

The company makes three Anne of Green Gables bookmarks featuring Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe, and Diana Barry. There's also an Anne of Green Gables bookmark collection that includes all three bookmarks.

Here's how Page Petal describes the characters:

"Anne: Passionate, stubborn, loyal, intelligent, an articulate chatterbox. Embodying her loving and imaginative nature, the Anne Shirley bookmark is made to add a bit of wonder and whimsy to your page."

"Gilbert. Keenly intelligent, and demonstrates a sense of patience and devotion. Handmade with love, the Gilbert Blythe Bookmark is inspired by his passion and curiosity."

"Diana is a kind and sweet girl. She's polite and versed in social etiquette. Loyal and diplomatic."



On another visit, the pressed flowers in the Gilbert Blythe bookmark were different. This time they were yellow.

In person, I couldn't recognize the pressed flowers. There was no description about how the flowers chosen were associated with the characters. The website does not list the flower types or explain the association either.

Personally, I associate certain specific flowers with Anne, Diana, and Gilbert, and I think flowers play a crucial role in several important scenes in the book.

What do you think of the bookmarks? Do you think the flowers chosen represent Anne, Gilbert, and Diana?


Image credits:
Photographs by World of Anne Shirley.

Created January 17, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Anne of Green Gables Trivia Game

See how well you know Anne of Green Gables by playing this randomized trivia game.

Are you an Anne of Green Gables Trivia expert? Post your score below and share how you did.

Created January 13, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables and the Newness of Tomorrow

"Marilla, isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"

The new year is a time for reflection and renewal. It provides an opportunity to turn over a new leaf, dream big, set goals, and make changes. Everything feels fresh, and the world is full of possibilities.

Anne Shirley felt this way with each new day. She didn’t have to wait for the new year to begin. Instead, Anne started her mornings with those feelings of freshness and renewal.

In Anne of Green Gables, Anne feels disgraced after baking Mrs. Allan a cake that she flavored with liniment instead of vanilla. Anne lamented, "I shall always be pointed at as the girl who flavored a cake with anodyne liniment." Mrs. Allan comforts Anne saying, "My dear little girl, you mustn’t cry like this...Why, it’s all just a funny mistake that anybody might make." Anne responds forlornly, "Oh, no, it takes me to make such a mistake." After they talk more, Mrs. Allan helps turn things around so that Anne finds some enjoyment in the evening.

Later, Anne tells Marilla, "Marilla, isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?" The ever-practical Marilla responds, "I’ll warrant you’ll make plenty in it...I never saw your beat for making mistakes, Anne."

In Anne of Avonlea, Anne arrives home at Green Gables after a hard day teaching. She recounts her day to Marilla who listens to the whole story. Marilla responds by quoting Anne’s old words back to her: "Well, never mind. This day’s done and there’s a new one coming tomorrow, with no mistakes in it yet, as you used to say yourself. Just come downstairs and have your supper. You’ll see if a good cup of tea and those plum puffs I made today won’t hearten you up."

At first, Anne cannot take Marilla’s words to heart, and she responds, "Plum puffs won’t minister to a mind diseased." But, in the end, Marilla’s words and her delicious plum puffs worked wonders, and Anne did hearten up over their cheerful supper. Then Anne "had a good sleep that night and awakened in the morning to find herself and the world transformed."

As she got dressed for the new day, Anne sings,

"Every morn is a fresh beginning,
Every morn is the world made new,"

Anne Shirley believed that the world could transform over night. Isn’t it nice to think of a new, fresh day with no flaws, blunders, or misunderstandings? No matter how bad a mistake might feel, one can start fresh and begin again tomorrow.

Image credit:
Drawing of Anne Shirley running down a red road on Prince Edward Island from Akage no An, the anime production of Anne of Green Gables.

Purchase and read Anne of Green Gables:

Created January 8, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com