#LibraryLoot No.2 | Two Years Absent from a meme, but without a break from my #library!

Posted Thursday, 7 July, 2016 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

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Library Loot is a Weekly Event on {Wednesdays} to showcase which books we each have hauled back with us from our local libraries! This is to encourage everyone to realise that if there is a book that tempts you to read it, there is no reason not to stop by your local library either to check it out, place it on hold/reserve, request it to be purchased, or to borrow it through ILL! Most readers have such a steady stream of TBR Lists either written down OR maintained by memory, that it’s nearly impossible to even manage the continuation of purchasing each and every single book that strikes a reader’s fancy! I ought to know, I sort of boomeranged right past my own budget for books, and celebrated with glee over the induction of a new local library! We have five branches now, which makes it rather ingenious if you want to ‘jump your holds/reserves’ or visit a different branch that focuses on a specific topic, subject, or genre!

This specific event originally was co-hosted by: Claire of The Captive Reader and Marg of The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader. When I resumed my posts in [2016] I learnt Linda of Silly Little Mischief was the new co-host! Personally anything and everything that celebrates the love of libraries is something that I am going to be keen on advocating! Be sure to add your linked post to one of their blogs!

Quirky as I am, I’m going to be running this meme on Thursdays, so not to interfere with my regularly scheduled journalling within the other meme I love: #WWWednesday!

*ILL= inter-library loan; TBR= To Be Read

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I decided to [add] a journalled note per each checked out book which whet a thirst of interest for me to read – as I have noticed over the years, there are a heap of lovely books I’ve meant to read time after time, borrowing them as soon as they were acquired or years later once I found them in the stacks! Here’s the curious bit: sometimes our time with a book is off-kilter to our initial bout of curiosity; where we’re not able to properly attach our minds directly into the books we’ve checked out with such keen interest!

I have no idea it’s been a [two-year!] gap between my first #LibraryLoot and my resuming posts this Summer 2016! This speaks to how ‘time can slip past the best of us’ and I wanted to do something to change this pattern of behaviour as an active patron of my local library! I wanted to give myself the hours to fully appreciate what I’m discovering via the library (including through ILL’ing or purchase REQs) whilst being mindful if the timing is ‘off’ at first borrow, I want to take a #25PagePreview to make the story’s acquaintance!

Thus, each forthcoming #LibraryLoot entry of mine will reveal my curiously curious thoughts on *25!* pages I’ve read per title I decided to keep on my #TBRList! This doesn’t necessary refer to the ‘first twenty-five pages’ nor does it refer to the Appendixes! Each week I log an entry on Jorie Loves A Story, it will be a happy surprise for you dear reader!

I am happily including a link to the author’s site & Twitter feeds – as I’m a social reader who loves the randomness of communicating via tweeting my bookish life!

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Library Loot for the Week:

Jorie's Library Loot (7 July) banner created by Jorie in Canva. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

Stack One:

Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death by James Runcie (Synopsis)

Author’s Site | About Grantchester | @james_runcie

The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders (Synopsis)

*IF anyone knows her website or Twitter, please comment below this post*

The Sherlock Files: The 100-Year Old Secret by Tracy Barrett (Synopsis)

Author’s Site | @writingtracy

*If the book hadn’t smelt weird & if the pages hadn’t felt as if they had been submerged in water & then run dry, I might have been able to read this one before sending it back to the library! There was a penciled note about it’s condition but frankly, I found it unreadable. Once returnt, questioned if I could ILL a different copy in order to actually have a copy which would be readable – am awaiting the final word on this as apparently it’s not allowed under normal circumstances as the book is already owned & in the collection. Although, the librarian who ‘sniffed’ the book to understand why I was returning this unread was so overcome by it’s ordour she instantly knew my reason was valid.

This is the Story of You by Beth Kephart (Synopsis)

Author’s Site | @BethKephart

The Seafront Tearoom* by Vanessa Greene (Synopsis)

*this title is listed as ‘The Seafront Tearooms’ on the author’s site but this is the title of the novel I had on hand to examine from my local library! Pub’d by Berkley via Penguin Random House (2014).

Author’s Site | @VanessaGBooks

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My #25PagePreview Notes:

[ I stopped reading on Page 25! ]

Borrowed Books via my Local Library: All thoughts and initial impressions on behalf of the books I’ve borrowed via my local library are for my own personal edification. I was not obliged to post my reflections on behalf of these novels, as I sought them out for my literary curiosity. Likewise, I was not compensated for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

NOTE: #25PagePreview is a tag and a feature on behalf of jorielovesastory.com shared via Twitter.

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#25PagePreview (for 7 July) created by Jorie in Canva. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

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The Seafront Tearoom: writ in a journalled style I fancy finding!

Dear hearts – this novel includes a high tea menu as your first entry-way into the story itself – by first glance, I could feel my stomach grumble it’s awakening thirst to try these delicate delights & the lovely memories I’ve had over sharing a cuppa over high tea’s of the past! Any foodie (such as I) will wickedly be charmed by a tea room – there you can divest your heart & spirit into lively conversations whilst having a nosh on some of the most delish foods you’d wish you could whip up in your own kitchen once back home! Yes, from that menu – I spied a flicker of joy as if a seed of goodwill was instantly planted as a precursor of what I would find next!

Mind you, I cannot be the only American besotted by the prospect of eating clotted creame!? I hear about it so often, I’ve nearly dreamt what it must be like to actually taste! And, scones!! I am properly addicted to them already – straight from the warming oven and into my mouth!

I could immediately draw an interest into this story because of those fateful words no applicant wants to hear on their behalf “your overqualified” and yet, those are the same words I’ve heard reverberating through my own life as much as Kat’s. It’s a wrestle of a vexation if you ask me – you have qualifications but without a work history or a line on a job, no employer wants to take a risk on you. Life is a muddle at times, but I instantly felt a draw to Kat. Not only because she’s a single mother (as I shall be one day myself) but because of her optimism and the way in which she truly values being her son’s Mum. Who else but a Mum who loved the little moments would craft together a dinosaur supper!? You can soak inside this narrative so wholly naturally as to defy the time you have to spend inside – especially if your reading it for a preview of re-borrowing it again down the road! Note to self – fetch this as quick as you can sometime before Summer ends!

I definitely love a writer who knows how to write about tea in such a manner as to mimic the truer reason why we love brewing it and consuming it with such felicity of spirit! Greene’s style of writing this story reminds me immediately of why I was so happily consumed inside Tea and Crumples (see Review) the last tea shoppe novel I quite literally devoured! If your familiar with tea, you already understand what I’m hinting towards and if your a coffee drinker (I vacillate between the two but are ardently attempting to fall out of love with java!) – trust me, your missing something quite remarkably soothing!

We shift away from Kat’s predicament in Scarborough (the setting of where the ‘Seafront Tearoom’ is located) to welcome in Sérephine who lives in France (in the wine country of Bordeaux!). Her situation reminded a bit of why the two women swapped homes at Christmas in The Holiday; as sometimes the best way to remove someone from your heart is simply to exchange one living situation for another; to give yourself the chance to properly move forward or to reconsider your options. In this case, I felt Sérephine was not yet aware of what her heart wanted but she was surely quite right about one thing: in order to find oneself, one should travel somewhere new! Settle into a place so removed from where you were brought up in order to best evaluate what it is you want out of life and how you’d like to live.

She had such a shadow of loss about her – her brother felt trapped by their parents and the sedate lifestyle they curated, but her issue wasn’t quite the same. She was questioning her motives for entertaining the advances of someone she should not accept therein inspiring her to dare herself to do what might feel impossible but necessary all the same!

My introduction to Charlie (the journalist of whom acts as catalyst to unite the three women) was short-lived as my arrival on page 25 was quite abrupt once I settled into her section! She’s from New York, used to living on deadlines and from what I could gather, smells a story out with a bit of a gift for knowing where to go to find the best bylines about eateries where foodies like to congregate!

Three perspectives on three individual lives in transition – three countries, three remarkably insightful women – all of whom have one curious problem must dire to resolve! I cannot wait to see how these three story-lines will start to shift and meld together!

Verdict!? Re-borrowing as quick as possible!

My #25PagePreview was bang-on brilliant towards becoming introduced to Greene’s narrative style & the compelling characters she’s creating that warmly touch my heart as I’m reading their story!

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Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death:

Quite the auspicious opener – a funeral soon ended, a mysteriously unknown woman approaches the vicar and promptly hopes he shall entertain her company as she has quite a delicate matter to discuss! More than forward of her thinking for the era in which we arrive is 1950! Canon Chambers is a calm-mannered bloke, he isn’t quick to temper nor is he without the advantage of observational intuitiveness. He simply asks a bit of leeway towards her intentions (of what she might potentially wish to disclose) and proffers her a drink; to which she yields to insisting hard liqueur was much preferred over a weak cuppa tea.

This Pamela sounded like a bit of a deuce (clueless to point of fault) to me – how could she not have ascertained what would happen even prior to what honestly did? She’s confessing to poor dear Canon Chambers as if she were entirely innocent in the retelling and not one lick of remorsed guilt ebbing out of her lips! If you were to ask me, she seemed more concerned he might taint her reputation by re-confessing this sordid tale to another rather than have the worry of a woman in need of repentance!

Except to say, quite cheekily Runcie has other plans for her – she was the precipice by which would draw Canon Chambers into sleuthing – as her wanton lover-boy was found dead, and to her mind, not due to natural causes! Up to this disclosure on her part, I think Chambers was starting to question why he ever asked people to be openly honest with him! He might have taken vows to listen to private discussions befit for his religious rite and duties, but that did not remove the humanness of questioning whether or not there were still a few lines in the sand he’d wished were not crossed.

This Inspector Keating is a fellow I am liking – he’s good at being ribbed by Chambers but not overly groused to where he won’t speak openly with him about a pending case. They have an understanding surely between them, but what is telling is how easily Keating accepted Chambers invested interest in a case that is quite baffling to understand by the evidence left behind.

The inspiration behind the title of this novel was revealled as Chambers begins to make enquiries about why Pamela’s lover might have turnt suicidal and/or found himself being murdered most foul. It was in the conversation with his widow that Chambers dissolved inside his own war-time memories of being in the field of battle and the harbingers of fate circling him and his men. He spoke about how there was a supercilious ‘shadow of death’ still lingering,..

Verdict!? Will re-queue when I set my mind to read more Cosies!

My #25PagePreview allowed me to realise that I have another author whose written a series of mysteries I dearly want to invest time into reading! I have such an accumulation of titles & serials to devour, it shall prove interesting which ones I get to meet before the close of the year!

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The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop:

As this is a book for children, I wanted to mention that I loved the layout of the book itself – from the cover art to the internal chapter index, there were little touches that made picking up this novel to read quite delightful to a booklover! Those were the little touches I ached to find myself as a child reader – especially the Chapters being laid out prior to digging inside the story!

I had to smirk into a laugh – you are happily treated to taking up residence in the family car, as Mum, Dad, sister and brother are all being carted off together on this mad mission to sort out which house they’ve mysteriously inherited in a neighbourhood of London! Everything you expect is there – the parents hoping they could flip the house into a quick sale, as they have necessities on their ledger they’d like to purchase (not limited to a newer car) as their children start to moan about how their expenditures are costing their parents a small fortune. Including the girl, who feels she’s inferior to her brother simply because she is dyslexic and things come easier to him.

Ironically or not, I grew up dyslexic myself – but I was raised by parents & extended family who viewed this as a gift not a curse, and personally, despite the hiccups of catching onto a few lessons a bit slower than my classmates; the old adage about ‘tortoises and hares’ applied! I never felt inferior, though! I simply felt I saw things through a different pair of eyes, and yes, there are still moments where I find it quirky how my mind is thinking of one word and opts to disclose another! I am sure hidden throughout my blog there are dyslexic slips I have not caught – but it adds to the reality of this blog being writ by a creative dyslexic writer!

A short regard for tutors: their brilliant but unless your teachers at school acknowledge them and their way in teaching you; guess what!? You get nowhere fast! I gave up my tutors because of the fact I continued to fail at my lessons simply because my teachers could not understand how to check my work as my new methods were outside their scope of understanding! It was a sad reality, but let’s face it – the virtual academies were not yet available. Hence why I started to realise I’d be self-taught long before I abandoned ship on the prospect of University which felt too familiar in it’s confinement like high school!

Hmm… so other dyslexics feel lacking?! That’s a new one! I wonder why?!

Verdict!? I was so confounded by page 3, I quit reading!

Simply not my cuppa in other words. *le sigh*

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This is the Story of You:

I must admit, when I first opened this story, I thought something had happened to the title pages – as there was a smear through the words. Until I realised this is representative of ‘water’ or of being ‘washed away’. The pacing of this story is set to a particular rhythm, nearly half-poetic in it’s approach to diffuse you out of your world and into it’s own version of how you can notice everything around you in spectrum’s of colour or mood.

The characters you meet are eclectically cool – their writing their own paths as they creatively live through their hours. Their bent on the world is a unique viewing on what is happening around them as much as what is happening to them. Everything is full-on with them – from how they process what their keen on experiencing to the experiences they cannot control living through (such as school). The lead character has a posse of friends who each took their turn to sort out a method of transportation that suited their quirky personalities but the undercurrent is the fact her brother has Hunter Syndrome which adds to the burden of her heart. She’s a deep feeling kind of kid – the one who processes everything with an emotional lens attached to her eyes. It’s hard not to grow-up a bit faster when your brother has something most never have heard of, much less understand properly; yet she has a feisty streak of optimism about her, too!

I love how Mira has this assaultingly keen way of ‘seeing what others never see’ and how her tender years are blissfully defied by how she internalises her world. She doesn’t merely see what is on the surface, she senses what is felt below the line of sight and what breathes deeper than where our natural optical layer can relay back to us it’s visual range. She lives at a cottage tucked close to the sea, where the upper floor is her sanctuary and where the outside world has merged to her focus of where she lives due to it’s close proximity to her room.

I even loved how most of the focus of the story is on the natural world – from the climate to the oceans to the preservation of natural wildlife & inhabitants. It’s not done in an overtly forced way or any bit of over-the-top as a historical lesson in how man is destroying the Earth; no it’s more humbling than that, as Kephart has written a heart-pulse of poetic diversions into her story. Mira is having a sensory experience and as she finds a path toward relating that experience to the reader through the crafting of words & expressions of conscience thought – Kephart has anchoured her story with a fine tuned tale that is rather bang-on realistic for today’s world.

Verdict!? Will re-queue when I can handle
the 3-hankie read this will be!

My #25PagePreview allowed me to discover another story similar to Wonder (see Review) where siblings are supporting each other despite the hurdles of medical science to help them through the difficulties of their diagnosis. I hope everyone seeking #WeNeedDiverseBooks + #WeReadDiverseBooks will select this one! I stopped ten pages short of twenty-five – I did not want to run into a spoiler of what was yet to be revealled knowing my time with this book was ending. Til next time!

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Stack Two:

the Lady Darby Mysteries by Anna Lee Huber

#JorieReads the #LadyDarby series banner created by Jorie via Canva. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

I am wicked happy to be reading all the #LadyDarby stories in rapid succession of each other whilst being able to blog my thoughts about them as I do! This is the only wrinkle in my approach as I don’t want to encourage myself to have a #25PagePreview of these lovelies, as I’m quite wicked happy curling up inside them one after the other! I did want to hint towards the fact they were in my last batch of #librarybooks – as a tipping nod to how lovely my library is to carry wicked awesome #mustreads by today’s literary heroes!

I have even taken up residence on Twitter this week – where I am sharing #LadyDarby tweets & cheering alongside others who love her #HistMyst stories as much as I do!

It’s a wicked sweet release week of the fifth Lady Darby Mystery for my readers!

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So far, I’ve released these reviews with A Grave Matter soon to follow!

The Anatomist’s Wife (see Review)

Mortal Arts (see Review)

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The Extra Surprise Check-Out:

The View from the Cheap Seats : Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman (Synopsis)

Author’s Site@neilhimself

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A #LibraryLoot Extra (for 7 July) created by Jorie in Canva. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

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I, might be one of the last, who has sorted out a way into the stories by Neil Gaiman – as I must admit, there are a few of his releases that perked an interest in me over the years (especially: Coraline) yet it was one in particular (The Graveyard Book) that staunchly turnt me off his collective works, til now. I still remember my librarian properly gobsmacked I hadn’t taken a liking to that story – though, to be fair the fault was in how it was told by tone & voice, whilst how visceral it was shocking in the vein of what grade level that book was writ to be read! I doubt my dear hearted readers will be surprised to learn I had a fiercely strong reaction to a book! Smirks.

Having said that – as you know – I do remain transparent about my reading life on Jorie Loves A Story; especially if one of my previous opinions has changed or softened, in this case – to further show how a reader can grow and develop an on-going shifting perspective about literature as a whole. Being a dedicated devourer of her card catalogue which is updated as as oft as her library can afford to add new materials (this used to be not as frequent as it is now; a credit to new channels of funding) – I spied this non-fiction release was inbound! What shocked me more is that no one was waiting for it!?

I have mused to myself in the past, if I find an author whose first story I read rankles my ire, there is a possibility a future release of theirs might be more fitting towards my readerly sensibilities. Or, it’s simply not meant to be – we cannot all appreciate the same stories or read the same authors.  Although! I’m stubbornly optimistic that despite a hiccup or two, if I take a liking to a writer’s methodology (of how they approach their writerly craft) or have a general appreciation to the kinds of stories they are writing (save the one(s) I disfavour) I will continue to seek them out. Hence why I have this book in my hands!

The very moment I picked it up, I was in awe! I truly could not stop looking through it’s pages – randomly finding a page or a paragraph to read – finding that I not only appreciated the candor Gaiman was using inside these essays but I honestly *do appreciate!* his writerly voice! I just had to find the right ‘story’ of his to read! Now, the fact the ‘right story’ ended up being a collection of non-fiction essays is more curious to me than I would presume it would be to you, but! Name a reader who isn’t cheekily quirky?!

My #25PagePreview: I read 21 out of 25 pages which included: The Intro & the Credo, plus one essay in full. To read further would have shortened the joy of continuing, therefore, I look forward to re-queueing this to read cover to cover! I chose to read the first essay, not because it was the ‘first!’ one he shared but because of the topic at hand: “Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading & Daydreaming: the Reading Agency Lecture, 2013”.

This section was first writ in long-hand before transcribed to my blog!

(On Gaiman’s Introduction)

I loved how he attributed that reading is a social exercise meant to be shared. It has been my shared belief that the best way to encourage a reader to read a new book or author was to lend them my own impressions and ruminative thoughts.

She is one amazing book reviewer, as I have discovered! Not only does she read many, many books in a year’s time, but she insists that her reading materials be “enlightening” and “uplifting.” Jorie refrains from assigning a numerical rating on the stories she reads. Rather, she instinctively deciphers the overall theme and subtle undertones that occur with the characters and plot. She delves into the character’s motivations and sees them as a driving force in the plot. As an author, I really value her tenacity in seeking out the truth rather than giving a few trite sentences or paragraphs. -quoted from Laura L. Walker’s reflections on behalf of  my style of book blogging and book reviewing (see original post)

To relate directly what stirred my imagination or what truly evoked the heart of the story out of the narrative I was reading. In effect, I want to cause a firestorm of chatter – to start conversations and pass the torch of my own literary curiosity onto another bookish soul.

It is interesting that he mentions authors who wrote essays about the stories they fancied or the stories that challenged them or even inspired their own writerly path. I had no idea others came before me who wanted to approach the art of book discussions through a series of creative thoughts & explorations! The essay was my strongest vehicle of academic dissection (in school) as it gave me the freedom to use my mind to root out my thoughts and feelings I had about a wide range of topics whose subjects invigorated my intent to learn about them. The best part is that writing an essay (for school assignments) were not limited by length, only by how well you could construct your response. In many ways, that proved to be the earlier foundations for Jorie Loves A Story. As I never saw the point in book ratings and abridged reviews, as how would any of that tell me why a person felt the way they did after they read an author’s work!?

I love the details behind ‘why’ and ‘how’ to such an extent, I crave the ‘in-between’ bits, where a story leaves the writer’s pen and a reader transfuses that story into their own mind & heart thus transforming the story into a wholly new experience. Each reader therefore acts as a portal of insight into how words and worlds can be the very fabric of our imaginative tapestry of composite living through the characters who express every facet of humanity.

I wanted to seek out essays for most of my life (a bit of a start/stop pursuit) including through publications such as The American Scholar & Daedalus or The New England Quarterly. Being inspired to move forward, I learnt of the following new publications due to this reading: Creative Non-Fiction, The Fountain, Standford Social Innovation Review, PAJ: A journal of performance & art,  as well as a general listing for more to discover! Even zines like Popular Science, The Scientist & Weatherwise and are keenly curious to collect for their thought-provoking attention on real-world issues & technologic advances. If you have found a literary zine you think I might love to read – don’t hesitate to let me know what it is in the comments!

This thread of curiosity also stems out of my yearnings to read Science Fiction or Speculative Fiction zines such as the following: Clarkesworld, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Subterranean, Lightspeed and Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

I am continuously curious about futuristic advances in technology and how our progress to circumvent our environmental issues may or may not lead us down the wrong rabbit hole! Science has been a ready pursuit of mine since I was a young girl who grew up at her local Science Center where you could take Summer classes and expand your horizons on field research, real-world problem solving and experiment with the catalogue of Science in innovative ways that challenged you more than any regular traditional learning environment could hope to convey. It was wicked brilliant! These days, Science Centers are being turnt into ‘little academies’ where learning is now boiled into grades & transcripts; not the open freedom of learning for the curiosity of ‘knowing’ and ‘developing your lifelong learning passion of joy’. This new world way of approaching a local Science Center is ridiculous in my mind as that leaves one of the only places a child can develop a healthy curiosity is inside their local library! Which is wicked sweet in it’s own right but only one-half of the whole of where an intellectually curious child can thrive.

For whichever reason, I disinclined myself to seek out the zines and allowed myself to forget about reading ‘literary or scientifically bent’ essays. Why I back-burned an idea that was of such great interest of mine is unknown, perhaps it was a mistake or perhaps the timing was not mine to have back then. The same could be said for why I talked myself out of reading the essays by Arthur C. Clarke as contained within the voluminously lovely Greetings Carbon-based Bipeds: Collected Essays 1934-1998! I dearly want to read the breadth of Clarke’s Science Fiction, as I have a premonitory notion I shall devour his stories once I begin them outright! I have promised myself to dig into his collective works, starting with the Rama series – which bewitched me with their back jacket recountings of a world & story that felt as if you could touch them directly through the lens of narrative he would provide.

I suppose, like Gaiman, I’m a thinking-reader inasmuch as I am a think-writer! I love letting the ideas and notions of stories percolate and wash over me. I love moving about the quantum levels of plausible marks of entrance into how a writer knits together the world they’ve created and the blueprint of how they crafted their characters. There is such a well of truth and a direct refraction of our shared living history hidden within the stories that attempt to tell us something about our living experiences. The best ones expand our world-view and humble us through an enlarged circle of empathic understanding.

In short, I need to read more essays, clearly! Whilst being erstwhile in pursuit of the literary zines that celebrate the theories and the near-possible new realities of where Science is affording us to walk across new boundaries of thought and discovery. Thank you, Mr Gaiman for the reminder!

(On Gaiman’s Credo)

We all own our opinions and our ideals. We own our words and our emotions; as much as the right to change our minds. We can disagree and yet celebrate our differences. If we are honest with ourselves, we are honest with everyone.

(Reflections on “Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading & Daydreaming: the Reading Agency Lecture, 2013”)

I love how Gaiman’s passion for libraries was cross-implied through both a reader and a writer’s point-of-perspective! Very touching and intuitively appertaining directly to the heart of his subject! I disclosed at some point (on my blog) that I once had to defend why I was a writer to a librarian – to me I felt the question was quite offensive if not outright ridiculous as I asked ‘pray tell, how would we have all of these books to read or be standing inside a library if not for writers?’ She openly rebuked me and I walked away wondering how a librarian had fallen to such a disillusioned state, she could no longer see the purpose of her position. The stories were lost to her and the beauty of their worlds had become silent.

That moment marked my retreat from researching my own stories – as the opposition to gather books had mounted past any point of reason. The irony is that at the time I was researching the Canadian Maritimes and Ireland – nothing too far out of the ordinary, except for the years pertaining to my research interests.

I shifted back forthwith to reading for pleasure and for gathering a working theory into what I loved most out of literature and what I most wanted to gain. What truly drove me to wander into ‘such & such a genre’ and how do I continuously keep my imagination challenged by new voices of thought & new styles in which the writer’s craft thrives by including!?

My time to write the stories that speak to my own writerly heart would come lateron. As I learnt firsthand during Nanowrimo 2008, (spoken about in an essay I wrote for Priya’s blog last year & which will re-appear this November 2016); my stories were not lost nor misplaced – they were merely hibernating!

To contradict Mr Gaiman, I do believe there is harm to children in reading stories that are not age-appropriate (cross-applies to my feelings on video games, motion pictures, musical choices, etc). Too many children exit their childhood years ahead of reaching adulthood due to the quickening pace to hyper-speed their growth into maturity. I do believe children should be allowed to read what interests them – from comic books to comic strips; novels to short stories; non-fiction topical subjects to biographies – but to the discretion of guidance on behalf of their parents or guardians who can best decide which stories will encourage them to curate a healthy imagination full of light & the beauty of imagined worlds. I don’t agree there should never be boundaries – as I watched too many of my classmates become bitter and jaded long before they turnt fourteen!

If thoughts are things and our mental health is connected to our overall wellness of being, then we must take well to understand how certain stories could affect us. We must remain vigilant and confident in knowing when to let them decide for themselves and when we still should remain a guiding presence over their choices.

I do agree with Mr Gaiman about the open resources to have public libraries (and I would add: research University libraries) where knowledge is meant to be free and pursued by the curiosity a lifelong learner expresses through their gathering of ideas and innovative thoughts. Libraries give us open access to learning and the dimensional brilliance of never limiting what we can learn; irregardless of our age or educational background! Libraries, therein grant us all the chance to pursue a habit of scholarly adventures where imagination is the gateway into how we further our understandings about life and the world itself.

Laughs. Gaiman proved my point! I wasn’t expecting that! He gave a book to his daughter that was too mature & advanced from the reading level she was at to where she never felt comfortable continuing in that arm of choice & retreated into stories that were not so evocatively visual! Oy vie! Talk about a conversational hat-trick! Go Jorie!

I loved how he eloquently made the case for continued growth and development of libraries. Especially considering he mentioned all formats of stories should openly be made available to all readers forevermore. I have made the same argument myself (esp on Twitter) but moreso on what developed into a bit of an essay here on Jorie Loves A Story. I’d refer to it directly if it were published! It’s one of the backlogged editions of my #BookishNotBookishThoughts!

The truth is that I am a traditional reader – I predominately read exclusively via print books but have slowly garnished a new appreciation for audiobooks! My appreciation for audiobooks truly cemented itself when I heard a clip of The Ghost Bride read aloud by it’s author Yangsze Choo.

It was through a random Twitter convo I learnt the truth how libraries are in jeopardy overseas; specifically the UK (further still: England). Libraries stateside are not out of the woods of lost funding opportunities or the continuance of severe budget cuts – however, a prime example of how libraries are fighting back with creative funding is my local library wherein they had the mindset to resolve this issue by attacking it through different funding avenues, including grants. It is a true concern and issue that affects us all.

I do concur about encouraging people to use their libraries. Hence why I took a few steps to initalise this conversation on my blog and on my Twitter feeds. Each book review I post links to the WorldCat database page for that title (if it is available) to better help my readers & visitors alike find out if they can borrow that title directly from their home (local) library! WorldCat is a world-wide library card catalogue so it is not limited by geographic location – in other words, despite the fact I’m an American book blogger, you could in theory find a match for a book in the UK! (or elsewhere!) I can only relate what I know of libraries here, and more specific of the libraries within a 2 to 2 and a half hour circle from my region. I can borrow through my local library but also through a consortium of half of the libraries within my state before placing either a request to purchase the title and/or inter-library loan the title from out of state. My only limitations would be that I cannot at this point in time borrow a book directly from Canada, the UK or Australia – as my library is not partnered to ILL books from outside the USA. A sad truth but one that is quite commonplace.

This is why you will also see me express the phrase “Library Advocate” on my blog’s sidebar and my Twitter Profile and why I am often tweeting using tags such as #librarylife, #librarybooks, #library, #libraries, #interlibraryloan and everything else I can think of including the tag for this meme #libraryloot! In order to best encourage & inspire more readers to do the same! Now, in regards to formats by which you read, all the books I blog about are books in print editions and/or a few in audiobook. Occasionally, I blog about ‘chapter samplers’ or small excerpts of stories that are available in PDF or ePub formats (commonly found on Smashwords) – I cannot get very far inside those excerpts (a prime example is how I was introduce to Lorna Suzuki’s Imago Chronicles) due to the fact I cannot read in length digitally (chronic migraines) but it’s sometimes the difference between taking a chance on a #newtomeauthor and passing the story on for something else.

Libraries can get you books in any format you regularly devour – some (stateside again!) even provide the listening device or the e-reader for your access, too! I suppose what I’m trying to say is this: why wouldn’t you want to use your local library!?

I whole-heartedly love the discovery of new words, phrases and expressions – linguistics & the etymology of words (or languages) was always a healthy interest of mine! I took a dictionary to ‘show & tell’ as a kindergartner – what does that tell you!? It was so big I shrank behind it as I carried it! I wouldn’t be a writer worth her salt if i did not! Being a hybrid writer between British & American English as a segue out of my dyslexic roots (see My Bookish Life) my path is a bit more complex than most! I am constantly learning and growing in my craft! I adapt and develop my writing voice with each new story I consume whilst adding in my own personal quirks at the same time!

Verdict!? Re-borrowing in either Autumn or Winter, 2016!

I cannot wait to see what I am inspired to write next after reading through the rest of his essays & understand his perspectives!

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 I look forward to reading your thoughts & commentary!
Especially if you read the book or were thinking you might be inclined to read it. I appreciate hearing different points of view especially amongst bloggers who gravitate towards the same stories to read. Bookish conversations are always welcome! Which books & authors did you include in your recent #libraryhaul!?

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Remember: I am journalling my weekly reading adventures!

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{SOURCES: Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Quoted note of praise on behalf of Jorie by Laura L. Walker is re-printed with permission of the author Laura L. Walker.

Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #LibraryLoot badge & the Comment Box Banner. Graphics created in Canva credited as (Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com) Jorie’s Library Loot (7 July) banner, #25PagePreview (7 July) banner, #JorieReads the #LadyDarby series banner and the #LibraryLoot Extra (7 July) banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2016.

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About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

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Posted Thursday, 7 July, 2016 by jorielov in #25PagePreview, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, Library Catalogues & Databases, Library Find, Library Loot, Local Libraries | Research Libraries




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2 responses to “#LibraryLoot No.2 | Two Years Absent from a meme, but without a break from my #library!