Anne, Fanny, Librivox, and General Ramblings

The other day I was overcome with the desire to read Anne of Green Gables again, very possibly for two reasons:

1) I haven't read it in years.
2) I don't currently have it in my house.

Two ways to ensure that you absolutely must read the book as soon as possible. I contemplated requesting it from somewhere in my system, (I think our copy is checked out; you're asking me to recall my thought processes?) but then for some unknown reason decided I was going to listen to it in audiobook form.

No, wait, I know. I've been listening to Mansfield Park for a month on my daily walks. Fanny Price is so unremittingly good and sweet that I usually want to hit her by the time my mile-and-a-half is done with. Good for the heart rate, but not so much for the enjoyment. While Anne is not always wise, she is always entertaining.

Then I went to Librivox.org and downloaded the audiobook. I like this website, which archives free audiobooks of works in the public domain. There aren't a lot of children's books on it, but they do have some real gems like Anne, The Secret Garden, and Oz, and they have plenty of grown-up classics. The recordings are done by volunteers, but they have a set of rules about audio quality and a system of "proof-listening" that keeps quality generally high.

Having finished Mansfield Park (still vainly attempting to like Fanny) today, I'll start Anne of Green Gables tomorrow. Now I'm really hoping that Anne-with-an-e stands the test of time. However, considering how long she's been around, I don't think I have anything to worry about.