Month: April 2013

Inspire the joy of reading, one book at a time!

Posted Monday, 22 April, 2013 by jorielov 0 Comments

love2read-2013-sig

Isn’t that a wonderful premise to have as your statement of purpose!?

L O V E 2 R E A D: evokes the harmony of selecting a book that will catapult you into a world that you’re not even aware of visiting previously, but will hopefully become entrenched and enchanted by before you lay the book down. When your passionate about the written word you really *do!* “love to read” because you never want the inertia of discovery to stop. Your addicted to where each book you choose will take you next. And, the symmetry of your selections makes your reading adventure singularly unique and modified to your own personal stipulations and personality. I have an entire page devoted to Children’s Literature that reveals the books that I read as a child in my growing years, as much as the books I am discovering now in my early thirties because I have uncovered a new joy for juvenile and young adult literature! I will always endeavour to promote reading to children as much as to adults, because your never too young OR too old to be wrapped up blissfully inside of a story!

How I found this lovely organisation: The more bookish blogs I sought out this year, the more I would stumble across organisational badges that the blogger’s would place on their sidebars. One particular evening, I was reading “The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader” and noted their badge. I promptly opened up an email and composed a message! This blogger also promotes sharing the ‘loot’ you pick up at your local library as part as a weekly meme that other bloggers can participate in. I appreciate that there is a general sense of sharing the love of books, reading, and libraries amongst the bookish bloggers I am discovering!

About the mission of their organisation:

Her Excellency Ms. Quentin Bryce AC CVO Govenor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia‘s Message about “The Reading Hour” being included in the {Australian} National Year of Reading {2012} to promote literacy and the joy of reading, posted by OOSGG.

(previously the video was embedded; before it turnt private)

Information from Love2Read’s Media Release:

February 14, 2013: The National Year of Reading in 2012 was such a success that libraries across Australia have decided to continue the Love2Read branding for 2013 and beyond, and to make The Reading Hour an annual event.

During 2012, the National Year of Reading saw 4,000 events, more than 200,000 participants, $26 millon-worth of media coverage, $5.6 million-worth of in kind support, and a return on investment, at a conservative estimate, of $18 for every $1 invested in the campaign.

Love2Read brand: Following on from the Love2Read flower logo appearing in thousands of locations across Australia last year, the symbol has given a new lease of life, with the promise that, wherever it appears – in a library, a bookshop, a school, or some other community space — you will be able to find something to read, somewhere to read, and people who share your love of reading. More than 80 ambassadors, partners and friends of the National Year of Reading have agreed to continue to support the campaign and you can find the list of supporters on the website: www.love2read.org.au.

IF you ask me, there is something quite special for the united love of reading to ignite such a widespread movement of learning and shared reading space! I wish I could sort out how to find a badge that says: I LOVE Libraries or a version of the sentiment, because Love2Read and The Reading Hour are directly connected to libraries, and anyone whose read even an inch of my blog knows that my passion for libraries is all-inclusive! Bookshoppes come in a close second as you might have assessed from the bit I wrote up about them under “My Bookish Life“.

Each year that The Reading Hour event is held, I will be participating in America, proudly tipping my hat to their efforts down under, and smiling at the same time knowing that half a world away, the joy of reading is being enthusiastically enjoyed! I think that the mission and vision of this programme yields to mine of Jorie Loves A Story, and perhaps that was the first inkling of why I wanted to gain permission to share this organisation’s outreach in this manner: to promote the passionate joy of reading! Afterall, without my passion for the written word, this blog would not exist. And, without the fortitude of encouragement by my Mum, Da, and teachers through my growing years I never would have battled through my woes with dyslexia to find the silver lining that yielded such a bounty of knowledge!

The Reading Hour {event} with {this} American’s twist:
24 August 2013 @ 5p Australian {Melbourne, Victoria} time is 3a {EST} the same day!
Whereas on 24 August 2013 @ 5p {EST} it is 25 August 2013 @ 7a the next day!
IF I can swing it, I will read a book for an hour on 24 August 2013 @ 3a / 5p to participate in Australia / America!

Coffee badge provided by Squeesome Designs and used with permission.[UPDATE: 24 August 2013 @4:12am] I was roused awake with the intention of participating, even though, I had turned into my dreamscapes by the stroke of 10! I was plumb knackered for all the reading that I had been doing the full-week of the Bout of Books, 8.0!! I clearly was watching over my well-being, never reading past the point of strain, cat-napping if my eyes blurred due to exhaustion, and ate regular meals & remembered to see the light of day outside the realms of the books I was consuming! I had a lot of highs and lows as the week progressed as I sort of met some of my goals and sort of plowed right-on past the others! The one thing I didn’t want to forsake was this particular Hour to Read, because I was caught up in the allure of being able to *read at precisely the same time as the Australians!* Which is why, despite thinking I had no extra stamina or eyes willing to wake themselves at 2:55am, I found myself alighted with a spare surge of energy! Eyes dancing with the possibility that perhaps, one girl can dare to make a difference, even at such a distance as the Eastern state of Florida, far removed from the country of Australia! To promote the joy of reading + to undertake one hour, on the 24th of August, to say, “reading is a pleasure wrapped inside a joyous balloon that never fades nor leaves you with anything less than a ruefully happy smile!” Books transport us everywhere we want to go, including the places not yet known, and the curious corridors we like to re-visit, as their characters and memories are strung to our hearts as well known as our own living memories can be! :) Thus, I embarked on this curious quest, and met it in such a fine of a way!

I pulled “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White off my wooden shelf, housed underneath a small stack of books, which include the Book lover badge provided by Squeesome Designs and used with permission.first two Alex Rider novels by Anthony Horowitz [better known to me know, as the man behind “Foyle’s War”], and the quartet mystery series that involves two spunky correspondents who take trips and solve mysteries by Jennifer Austin! I curled into Charlotte’s Web, and read the first 104 pages out of 184!! I was quite chuffed when I realised I had accomplished that! As despite being a proud Night Owl, this owl has been staying wayy past her usual time of night, sinking into the dreamscapes closer-to 2 or 3a on a regular basis all week!! To think, she was able to turn in early on a Friday to wake in time to greet the Aussies on a Saturday was nothing short of miraculous!

And, the story of this day does not yet end here! As although I participated during the official Reading Hour, I still have my own Reading Hour coming up in the late afternoon! I wanted to participate twice, because its only fitting, given the International Time differences and the fact, it gives me the chance to finish reading Wilbur’s story!! I am going to treat myself by placing on hold at the library, a copy of the film “Charlotte’s Web” starring Dakota Fanning as Fern! I never had the proper chance to watch it, as I had bought this edition of the novel for that specific purpose in mind! My own copy from my childhood is a mirror image of this one, as its the hardback edition from the 1980s with the familiar illustrations by Garth Williams! :) :) This one, also says, “Now a Major Motion” which is something to give a pause and smile too!

[next update: shortly after 6p, same day!] I do wonder if anyone who saw this coming up on my blog, as I cross-referenced it under my Voraciously Absorbing Lit page, if any of the other bookishly inclined bloggers are taking part!? I am so happy that it all worked out, as this one project simply touched my heart! Literacy, libraries, reading, and the joy of words will always be a pursuit that I will stand behind!! :) :)

I have completed Charlotte’s Web, albeit a wee bit tuckered out around the edges, as I am not used to reading at 3am, whilst needing to be ready to head out the door for a workshoppe in writing by 10a! Oy vie! I did cut things rather close, today, eh!? I had such an enjoyable time playing my part in The Reading Hour, that I hope, as visitors discover my blog and the wholeness of what makes Jorie Loves A Story, that they might stumble across this posting, and remember that the world is not such a large place if one programme in reading across the continents can inspire this book blogger to participate!! I tried to imagine the joyous faces of the children who would take part in the live events, and the mirth of the supporters who had put in the long hours to get the notice out to everyone who might like to take part! I wonder, truly, what books the children selected to read OR which books might have been read to them, today!? Maybe, just maybe, one of those selections was Charlotte’s Web, and if dear hearts, that is true, than the distance between me and them was not so impossible to visualise!

I even started to choke up whilst reading the teary eyed good-bye that always comes at just the moment your keen on this little magical world of Zuckermann’s farm, where animals talk with kindness and love, and where the world doesn’t quite move as fast as it needs too, because there is time enough to do what needs to be done. Including, taking the time to notice your surroundings and how the environment changes through the seasons. Noticing the ticking pause of time, and the beauty of making the time to solidify strong friendships and fill your life with love. Your all warm and comfortable inside this slip of a world, and then, right by the time your ready for the next chapter of their lives, you find you have arrived at the end! Until the next time you pick up the book, smiling with a fondness of recent memory, and sink back into that quiet and innocent world that makes Charlotte’s Web such a beautiful place to visit, whether you’re a young reader or a girl who grew into a woman of thirty-four years!

Alas, now all I need to do is place a hold for the adaptation starring Dakota Fanning, and the circle shall be complete! Until next August, when this lovely project comes back around and is the focal point of a day in late August,… celebrating the joy of reading one curious book at a time!TRH-greenclockpurplebook

What will you read today!? If you were only given an hour!?

NOTE: Previously all badges provided by Love2Read & The Reading Hour were linked to the site: http://www.love2read.org.au – however, in July 2017 the site was found to be taken down.

{SOURCES: I was given permission for the use of the banners and badges, that are featured on this posting as well as on my blog. They {Love2Read & The Reading Hour} were most encouraged that an American wanted to promote a literacy advocate organisation in Australia, as literacy is a universal issue and reading should be promoted everywhere. I was also given permission to use content from their website. I have quoted which pieces I have used by them to differentiate between my own words. Seriously wicked bookish, coffee and library badges {entirely FREE!} provided by Squeesome Designs!}}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

Divider

Posted Monday, 22 April, 2013 by jorielov in Australia, Library Love, Literacy Organizations, Love2Read, The Reading Hour

And, the bookshoppe came alive!

Posted Wednesday, 17 April, 2013 by jorielov 0 Comments

Book Shoppe Videos ~ A Curious Moment of Enlightenment of the Creative Mind!

“The Joy Of Books” by Type Books, Toronto, Ontario

Inspired to Share: Due to noticing that indie film-making and indie book shoppes go hand-in-hand with each other! They infuse a near-mystical illumination of the joy that every bookishly inclined person feels whilst entering into the realm of a book shoppe ~ row after row, shelf after shelf, book after book, of curious possibilities,… soon-to-be-discoveries that implore you onward and inward, further into the shoppe, and into the heart of the unexpected.

“The Joy of Books” via OhKamp

Directed, Edited, and Filmed by: Sean Ohlenkamp (ohkamp.com)

The opening sequence of musical score parlays my mind to reminisce fondly on my Potter days, spent in darkened theaters awaiting the next installment to capture my mind and invigorate my imagination! The chilling moment of anticipation as the opening titles would start to eclipse the screen, left a palette of interest and a curiosity that couldn’t be quenched. As this film opens, your aware that it’s quite possible that your going to leave the outside world, and enter a new dimension! Very much in an awe of happiness, noting that it’s not always cherished teddies and toys that can spark alive in the middle of the night, but books and their companions in arms! Watch this video and find yourself entering a portal into a new world of creative synchronicity!

This video that Type Books created is a moment of creative inspiration for anyone who has become wrapped up in the magical blissitudes of discovering books and the worlds that they allow of us to visit, each time we open their pages!

{SOURCE: This video by OhKamp had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for this opportunity to share such an imaginative exploration with you.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

Divider

Posted Wednesday, 17 April, 2013 by jorielov in Bookish Films, Indie Book Trade

A celebration of old world arts, crafts, and the bonds that connect us!

Posted Wednesday, 10 April, 2013 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comments

Quilts of Love series by Abingdon Press

A lovely collection to read and to gather for your own library, to read and visit with again and again! I was drawn to this series, after having fallen in love with the Elm Creek series by Jennifer Chiaverini which celebrates the beautiful circle of women that comes through the art of quilting!

  1. Beyond the Storm {Quilts of Love, #1} by Carolyn Zane {don’t miss the book trailer which is shockingly real considering recent tornadic events, the link behind her name takes you directly to the video!} After seeing the trailer, I knew this book was writ in a vein that is up to the minute with the heartache that has crisscrossed through the Heartland. My heart was with everyone over the past years where tornadoes have not merely shattered lives but they have re-written our understanding about how how powerful these events can become!
  2. A Wild Goose Chase Christmas {Quilts of Love, #2} by Jennifer Allee
  3. Path of Freedom {Quilts of Love, #3} by Jennifer Hudson Taylor {don’t miss the book trailer and chapter one excerpt that are provided on her blog post about the novel! the link behind her name takes you there!} I originally came across this novel on the CQ (Colonial Quills, blog)…
  4. For Love of Eli {Quilts of Love, #4} by Loree Lough
  5. Threads of Hope {Quilts of Love, #5} by Christa Allen
  6. A Healing Heart {Quilts of Love, #6} by Angela Breidenbach
  7. A Heartbeat Away {Quilts of Love, #7} by S Dionne Moore
  8. Pieces of the Heart {Quilts of Love, #8} by Bonnie Calhoun {don’t miss the book trailer!} A special treat if you appreciate old-time music, jazz especially and stories that evolve around war. Images of yester year draw your mind back to the era by which the story belongs. Alongside the ominous omen of the colours you stitch into a quilt might have a premonition about what may yet come to pass. A story of love’s endurance.
  9. Pattern for Romance {Quilts of Love, #9} by Carla Olson Gade
  10. Raw Edges {Quilts of Love, #10} by Sandra Bricker
  11. The Christmas Quilt {Quilts of Love, #11} by Vannetta Chapman
  12. Aloha Rose {Quilts of Love, #12} by Lisa Carter
  13. Tempest’s Course {Quilts of Love, #13} by Lynette Sowell {her website wasn’t pulling up; she is listed on Facebook}
  14. Scraps of Evidence {Quilts of Love, #14} by Barbara Cameron
  15. A Sky Without Stars {Quilts of Love, #15} by Linda S. Clare
  16. Maybelle in Stitches {Quilts of Love, #16} by Joyce Magnin
  17. Not yet determined

Where I first began to be introduced to this lovely series: Honestly, I do not have a clue! Between the regularly read blogs and my wanderings around the bookish blogosphere, it is indeed anyone’s guess! What drew me into wanting to read them, however, is the focal point on old world arts & crafts, by which I am an active participant in as I’m a novice knitter! I took up the needles and fibers at the age of twenty-nine, which goes to show you, your never too old OR too young to begin! Quilting has been in the cornermost section of my future dreams and goals to jettison into because of the series: Elm Creek by Jennifer Chiaverini! Reading her stories of the women who are united by the threads and patterns of time honoured traditions stitched with love, hope, faith, and prayer made me realise that quilting would surely have to be in my life at some point!

Combine this with my passion for Heartsong Presents {novellas that are on a mail-order frequency through Harlequin; new imprint acquired in 2012!}, which feature Amish stories regularly around quilting circles and quilts being passed down that a purpose for someone in the present,… you can see how I garnished interest in Quilts of Love!!

As I am able to read each of these lovely books I will be blogging about them, and giving you a reader’s point of view of how the series progresses book to book. As with most intriguing series of this nature, I have noticed that the libraries have not yet caught on to this particular release pattern, and therefore, I will be acquiring them by way of ILL’ing. This post will serve as a Master List, whereupon I shall put each future post on each book behind the titles!

Ever so often I am noticing that these titles are being offered as bookaways on various blogs which I think is quite lovely as it not only helps get the word about a connected series by way of different authors but it allows the potential reader to get to know the individual author a bit more ahead of reading her respective contribution to Quilts of Love.

{KEY: “ILL’ing” refers to inter-library loaning. At my local library, each book or item borrowed through ILL services needs to be out of publication by way of six months. Therefore, it will take me a bit of time to get into this series, but I am looking forward to the adventure of it!}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

Divider

Posted Wednesday, 10 April, 2013 by jorielov in Author Blog Tour, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Multi-Author Serial Fiction, Old World Arts & Crafts, Quilting, Small Towne Fiction

And, then she returned!

Posted Thursday, 4 April, 2013 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

Parajunkee DesignsFull Disclosure by Dee Henderson
Published By: Bethany House Publishers,
October 2012.
Page Count: 480

Acquired Book By: Winning a contest adverted through “Shelf Awareness for Readers” bi-weekly newsletter, October 2012. I received the complimentary copy of the book direct from the publisher {Bethany House Publishers} without obligation to post a review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts herein.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com“Full Disclosure” Book Trailer, by Bethany House Publishers

Inspired to Share: When I realised that this is on the level of a wicked sweet indie film or regularly airing series that engulfs your full attention and doesn’t quite let go when the end of the reel concludes! Ever since I saw the cover art, I was especially keen to know a bit more about the ‘characters’ as seen slightly in and out of frame. Unless I am gravely mistaken, I believe the actors who were photographed also appear in this lovely book trailer!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

I wasn’t sure what I was going to expect whilst I pulled up this book trailer, as I am a bit new to the phenom around them,… I must say, I wasn’t expecting a full-fledged jolting into a snapshot of name your favourite mystery or police procedural series on air that pulls you into the heart of an agent’s quest to get to the heart of the investigation! Whoa! I was most impressed by the publishers’ ability to turn a ‘book trailer’ into a must-see trailer that feels and looks more like a mini-film or television episode! They whet your thirst for what this book could be if it were taken out of the context of the book and properly situated into a motion picture!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comRead an Excerpt of the Novel:

Full Disclosure by Bethany House Publishers

{Bit of a Spoiler Alert}
And, then the puzzle dissolves and the full picture emerges into focus: I sort of struggled to get into the pace of the novel, not because of how it was laid out to form, but because I was still shaking off the memory of Nana and I reading the “O’Malleys” together! I knew she would have been absolutely thrilled to have the ‘next installment’ in this particular series, as we had long talks about the characters and how the series was stitching together. The very premise was what drew each of us into the storyline,… which why by page 80, my heart, my spirit, and my being “relaxed into Full Disclosure”,… it was the ‘disclosure’ behind “Full Disclosure” that allowed me a moment of paused relief! I am not even certain why I felt I could enjoy the story a bit more at this junction rather than full-on when the opening sequence began,… yet. I think it has to do with new beginnings and closures,.. the human heart and mind is a quirky thing to understand at times, but on page 80, I smiled knowingly that Nana was with me, rather than absent. Which brings me back to when I first learnt I had won this novel,… all I could feel inside was her  presence guiding over me, and sending me a nod and a wink from Heaven. This was our series afterall, the one we read and spoke about together, and the one we felt museful about where future stories could take us! And, all of this fused together in my mind on page 80, when it’s first revealed at the writer behind the O’Malley’s is Ann Silver, a special kind of cop who investigates homicides with connections that would draw a pause and a hitch to anyone who first hears her friends’ names! The direct inclination is that she wrote the O’Malleys and the Uncommon Heroes series as a note of gratitude to her cherished and close friends who make her world livable and special. As those pieces start to unravel, you get to *see!* the characters step out of the veil of the previous novels and see their ‘true’ counterparts step forward through the world of “Full Disclosure”. In this way, I think Ms. Henderson created something quite special for her readers,… its an unexpected twist that warms your heart and wishes you hadn’t packed up most of your personal library during storm season 2004! Oy.

Read More

Divider

Posted Thursday, 4 April, 2013 by jorielov in Balance of Faith whilst Living, Book Trailer, Crime Fiction, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Light vs Dark, Romantic Suspense, Scribd, Specialised Crime Investigator