Podcast Summary: What Should I Read Next?

Episode 521: Everything L.M. Montgomery and How to Build a Deeper Reading Roster

Host: Anne Bogel
Guest: Dr. Kate Scarth, Chair of L.M. Montgomery Studies, University of Prince Edward Island
Date: April 14, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Dr. Kate Scarth, an academic specializing in L.M. Montgomery—most famously the author of Anne of Green Gables. Anne and Kate explore Montgomery’s cultural legacy, contemporary retellings, and how her life and works continue to influence readers and writers. The discussion then shifts to Kate’s own reading life, her favorite books, ongoing reading challenges, and what she seeks next—especially books with ghostly or investigative elements. The episode is a celebration of literary women, the importance of place (and houses!) in fiction, and the enduring impact of stories and storytelling.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

L.M. Montgomery’s Far-reaching Influence

• Professional Background: Kate describes her role as Chair of L.M. Montgomery Studies and work with the L.M. Montgomery Institute, supporting research, conferences, and public engagement on Montgomery’s life and legacy.

  "One thing that’s really exciting about the work with the Montgomery Institute is how international it is. We usually have about 15 different countries represented..." (07:30)

• A Childhood Connection: Kate grew up in Newfoundland (not PEI), but recalls being enchanted visiting PEI as a child.

  "Eight-year-old me was so excited to go to the land of Anne." (06:22)

• Montgomery as Cultural Shorthand: Anne of Green Gables is frequently referenced in literature and popular culture, symbolizing imagination, bookishness, and sometimes used in derogatory contrast to “gritty” reality.

  "It's meant to emphasize that someone is bookish, studious, imaginative... But sometimes the references are negative as well." (10:34)

• Enduring Appeal vs. Criticism: Despite modernist critics’ dismissal, readers have always cherished Montgomery’s writing.

  "We remember her name now, when we don't remember many of her critics." (12:57)

• Montgomery: The Multitalented Creator: Beyond writing, she was an enthusiastic photographer, scrapbooker, and a strategic businesswoman.

  "She wrote 21 novels, hundreds of short stories... very astute businesswoman, you know, knew what publications would want to publish what kind of stories." (18:38)

Retellings, Homages & Montgomery in the World

• Favorite Retellings: Kate highlights The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett (Anne meets Hansel & Gretel), and Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James (where a character jumps into Anne’s world).

  "Heather Fawcett draws out the dark elements present in Montgomery’s writing..." (13:13)

• Books about Place and Community: Both Anne and Kate emphasize how Montgomery’s work is about an entire community—not just one character.

  "We care as much about Marilla’s development... It’s as much about how Avonlea responds to Anne as it is about her development." (42:19)

Reading Life, Habits, and Preferences

• Classics and Mysteries: Kate is drawn to classics, especially 18th/19th-century fiction and mysteries; she enjoys challenging herself with themed reading months and classics on audio.

  "I love anything like 18th or 19th century... I love a mystery novel." (15:05)

• Tracking Reading: Uses Goodreads challenges ("I never needed motivation to read, but somehow the Goodreads challenge does really help.") and enjoys participating in Instagram reading challenges.

  "There's just something about reading with other people that's really nice..." (16:04)

• Enjoying Critical Voices: Kate loves reading one-star reviews for insight—even when she disagrees.

  "Sometimes it makes me really angry because I'm like, no, they totally miss what this book is trying to do." (17:14)

Misconceptions About L.M. Montgomery

• More Than Anne: Many assume Montgomery just wrote Anne of Green Gables, overlooking her other 20 novels and multifaceted creativity.
• Her Complex Life: The publication of her journals in the 1980s revealed darkness and deep emotional challenges, surprising those who imagined her as simply sunny and sentimental.
• Edited Diaries as Literature: Montgomery actively edited her diaries, making them literary works in their own right.

  "She went back and wrote [her journals]... sometimes she leaves things in, like nasty things she says about people..." (21:33)

Book Pilgrimages & Sense of Place

• Visiting PEI: Kate describes how visitors can explore PEI through Montgomery’s world—Green Gables, her real childhood home, and literary sites across the island.

  "There are many sites tied to Anne of Green Gables... And then that's kind of nice, too, because... there's beautiful beaches and P.E.I. and really good food as well." (24:41)

Book Talk: Kate’s Reading Loves and Loathes

Three Books Kate Loves

1. The Postcard by Anne Berest (29:40)

   • A moving novel about a woman who sets out—15 years after receiving a mysterious postcard with four names—to uncover her family’s Holocaust history.
   • Kate is captivated by the way it honors forgotten lives and foregrounds the process of research and investigation.
   • Quote: "I love when that search, the research... becomes foregrounded in the book itself." (30:43)

2. A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa (33:51)

   • Blends memoir and literary investigation as a modern Irish woman becomes obsessed with an 18th-century lament (poem) by a noblewoman.
   • Kate resonates with the focus on creative, artistic women and the immersive, investigative narrative voice.
   • Quote: "This is a female text, is kind of the mantra of the book, right. Repeat it again and again. And it points to my interest in stories about women...” (35:19)

3. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold (36:28)

   • Nonfiction that tells the stories of Jack the Ripper’s five canonical victims, focusing on their humanity and real lives rather than the killer.
   • Kate values the act of recuperating dismissed women’s stories and the visible, dedicated research.
   • Quote: "Hayley Rubenhold is recuperating the names, the stories, the lives of the women who were Jack the Ripper's victims, and really honoring them as human beings..." (36:28)

Books Not for Kate

• All Fours by Miranda July (40:52)
  • Despite a strong bookseller recommendation, Kate disliked this one as self-indulgent, too focused on the individual, and lacking a sense of community or connection.
  • Quote: "I just found it really self indulgent. So the stakes seemed very individual and that people in the main character's life kind of just felt like props..." (40:52)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Anne as cultural shorthand:

  "Sometimes it's like, well, you know, it's real life here on Newfoundland, like, where it's harsher, and Prince Edward Island, like life is easy..." (10:34)

• On being an omnivorous reader:

  "I like to have multiple books on the go at the same time. So, you know, I can have options according to how I'm feeling." (15:05)

• On stories that honor the lost:

  "It's all about how creativity and storytelling can honor people and their lives." (39:36)

• On Montgomery’s perception:

  "But, yeah, we remember her name now when we don't remember many of her critics." (12:57)

• On ghosts in fiction (and in life):

  "So I feel like maybe it comes down to like, like ghost stories... I am more and more interested in stories that have, well, actual apparitions." (47:26)

• On the connection between Stephen King and L.M. Montgomery:

  "It just felt like the kind of story that Ella Montgomery could have written. She did write some ghost stories, but it just feels like, you know, it's all part of this Atlantic Northeastern world, a focus on women and the past kind of always being with us." (47:26)

• On community in fiction:

  "We care as much about Marilla's development... And it's as much about how Avonlea responds to Anne as it is about her development." (42:19)

Reading Life Right Now

• Currently Reading:

  • Rebel of the Regency by Anne Foster (biography of Prince Regent’s estranged wife, blending history and modern connections) (43:37)
  • The Austens by Sarah Emsley (on Jane Austen and her international connections) (45:28)
  • Tom Jones by Henry Fielding (on audio, inspired by a podcast episode) (46:12)

• Seeking Next:

  • More "ghost stories," both literal and metaphorical (stories haunted by the past, featuring investigators, or actual ghosts)
  • Novels centering literary/artistic women, detective work, houses, and creative nonfiction about women in history (47:26)

Anne Bogel's Book Recommendations for Kate

(Timestamps refer to when the discussion for each book begins)

1. Grown Women by Sarah Johnson (52:58)

   • Multi-generational saga of Black Southern women, centered on mothers, daughters, and the literal/figurative haunting of a house.
   • Embodies themes of literary ghosts, houses, and intergenerational trauma.
   • Quote (Anne): "Lots of thorny mother daughter relationships and lots of questions about how or is it even possible to right the wrongs of the past..." (54:46)

2. North Woods by Daniel Mason (57:49)

   • A novel about one house in western Massachusetts, haunted by the ghosts of its past inhabitants from Puritan times to the present—emphasizing place, community, and history.

3. If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry (59:50)

   • YA historical fantasy: a Jack the Ripper/Medusa mash-up set in 1888 NYC, blending myth, history, and women seeking justice—a strong “investigative” theme and mythical twist.

4. Run Toward the Danger by Sarah Polley (62:48)

   • Memoir with a chapter on growing up on the set of Road to Avonlea; explores how we are "haunted" by past selves and experiences—touches on metaphorical ghosts and the impact of place.

5. Possession by A.S. Byatt (64:07)

   • Literary mystery involving two modern academics investigating a possible clandestine love affair between two Victorian poets—features investigation, literary history, dual narrative, and epistolary elements.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [05:10] — Kate’s academic background and intro to Montgomery Studies
• [10:34] — Montgomery as cultural shorthand and critical reception
• [13:13] — Favorite Montgomery homages and retellings
• [15:05] — Kate’s broader reading tastes
• [18:38] — Misconceptions about Montgomery’s life and legacy
• [24:41] — Visiting PEI and literary pilgrimages
• [29:40] — Three books Kate loves and deep-dive into each
• [40:52] — Books that don’t work for Kate (and why)
• [43:37] — Recent/current reading and how it fits her interests
• [47:26] — What Kate is looking for next (ghost stories & haunted narratives)
• [52:58] — Book recommendations tailored to Kate’s interests & in-depth discussion of each

Episode Tone & Closing Thoughts

Anne and Kate’s conversation is warm, inquisitive, and delightfully bookish. There’s a strong focus on honoring untold or underappreciated stories and on literary works—past and present—that blend imagination, investigation, place, and community. Listeners will come away with an expanded TBR and a deeper appreciation for how the past "haunts" both literature and our reading lives.

Further Resources

• L.M. Montgomery Institute website
• Kate Scarth: katescarth.com
• Anne of Green Gables at 100: Margaret Atwood on Marilla as a heroine
• Full reading recommendations and show notes: whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com

Memorable Sign-off:

"Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading." — Anne Bogel (quoting Rainer Maria Rilke, 67:48)

This episode is essential listening for Montgomery fans, lovers of women's literary history, or anyone seeking their next thoughtful, haunting, and deeply human read.