Your favourite bit of a lovely book?

[Beachtastic]

This doesn't really belong under Books as I'm not currently reading it and it's not Book of the Month (etc)! But (I know this makes me sound like a weirdo) an Outlook reminder just popped up this morning with this pasted in it. I must have set it to surprise myself with something delightful before tackling the day's work.

It's from Wind in the Willows and is the opening paragraph of the chapter, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (which oldies like me will remember being a Pink Floyd album):

The Willow-Wren was twittering his thin little song, hidden himself in the dark selvedge of the river bank. Though it was past ten o'clock at night, the sky still clung to and retained some lingering skirts of light from the departed day; and the sullen heats of the torrid afternoon broke up and rolled away at the dispersing touch of the cool fingers of the short midsummer night. Mole lay stretched on the bank, still panting from the stress of the fierce day that had been cloudless from dawn to late sunset, and waited for his friend to return. He had been on the river with some companions, leaving the Water Rat free to keep a engagement of long standing with Otter; and he had come back to find the house dark and deserted, and no sign of Rat, who was doubtless keeping it up late with his old comrade. It was still too hot to think of staying indoors, so he lay on some cool dock-leaves, and thought over the past day and its doings, and how very good they all had been.

Are there any book passages that gladden your heart?

I'm going to re-set the reminder to pop up again in 3 months' time so that I can enjoy it all over again 😍

One spring day, when the daffodils were blowing on the Ingleside lawn, and the banks of the brook in Rainbow Valley were sweet with white and purple violets, the little, lazy afternoon accommodation train pulled into the Glen station. It was very seldom that passengers for the Glen came by that train, so nobody was there to meet it except the new station agent and a small black-and-yellow dog, who for four and a half years had met every train that had steamed into Glen St. Mary. Thousands of trains had Dog Monday met and never had the boy he waited and watched for returned. Yet still Dog Monday watched on with eyes that never quite lost hope. Perhaps his dog-heart failed him at times; he was growing old and rheumatic; when he walked back to his kennel after each train had gone his gait was very sober now—he never trotted but went slowly with a drooping head and a depressed tail that had quite lost its old saucy uplift.
One passenger stepped off the train—a tall fellow in a faded lieutenant's uniform, who walked with a barely perceptible limp. He had a bronzed face and there were some grey hairs in the ruddy curls that clustered around his forehead. The new station agent looked at him anxiously. He was used to seeing the khaki-clad figures come off the train, some met by a tumultuous crowd, others, who had sent no word of their coming, stepping off quietly like this one. But there was a certain distinction of bearing and features in this soldier that caught his attention and made him wonder a little more interestedly who he was.
A black-and-yellow streak shot past the station agent. Dog Monday stiff? Dog Monday rheumatic? Dog Monday old? Never believe it. Dog Monday was a young pup, gone clean mad with rejuvenating joy.
He flung himself against the tall soldier, with a bark that choked in his throat from sheer rapture. He flung himself on the ground and writhed in a frenzy of welcome. He tried to climb the soldier's khaki legs and slipped down and groveled in an ecstasy that seemed as if it must tear his little body in pieces. He licked his boots and when the lieutenant had, with laughter on his lips and tears in his eyes, succeeded in gathering the little creature up in his arms Dog Monday laid his head on the khaki shoulder and licked the sunburned neck, making queer sounds between barks and sobs.
The station agent had heard the story of Dog Monday. He knew now who the returned soldier was. Dog Monday's long vigil was ended. Jem Blythe had come home.

@HonoriaBulstrode I love writhed in a frenzy of welcome! Lovely.

I remember reading Anne of Green Gables many times, always wishing I had red hair that would turn to auburn one day. But I've never read any of the other books. Sounds like I missed a treat. Thank you for sharing, delightful books are so hard to find.

Edited to add:
All 8 books for just 36p on Kindle!!!! I love the 21st century
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anne-Green-Gables-Complete-Book-ebook/dp/B0B1PZBJ35/ref=sr_1_6?crid=MBCCH8WIQAX1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CpjicyYaJbxwEE5514av88DGGKMYThfwHO9ca2g3Ye9jffmzOT1nFPkELsCwH5gxKcIo3uD0SArr81KnaxeRPldiv8KbToLw4_RzJOlfrp9U8yx-jxdMwhn7RxEXt7jkjLQ75xlzqRueK6JehmirErqa4MNdFOE4pZ9ZEZrKHpYSCj2k8bg90Aftgwx0vK7yIWWvRMAvf2DZLU9LOo3TCpbQbze0Eh0sUjYg1ebg9YE.D6nPWhHlutlq4HvudiG966aFkXYdiCXDGW4JvlfDkx0&dib_tag=se&keywords=lm+montgomery+books&qid=1751057335&rnid=1642204031&s=books&sprefix=LM+Mon%2Caps%2C86&sr=1-6

Ah beautiful, 'Pipers at the Gates of Dawn' was my first thought, but it's also lovely to read the passage from 'Persusion'.

ohhhh yes my music teacher read that passage to us (he was primarily an English teacher and our new topic was evoking emotions) and I sat stunned, and asked him afterwards where was that from?

So I'm probably quite unusual in that Persuasion was the first Austen I read all the way through (had tried S&S the year before, and for some reason couldn't get on with it. Took me 3 goes in the end).