The Sunday Post | No.3 | I am so wholly consumed by “The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds”!

Posted Sunday, 30 July, 2017 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

The Sunday Post badge created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

My participation in this meme was directly inspired by my new bookish friends: Avalinah + Savanah via this post!

[Official Blurb] The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies. Link up once a week or once a month, you decide. Book haul can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books..share them!

  • Enter your link on the post- Sundays beginning at 12:01 am (CST) (link will be open all week)
  • Link back to this post or this blog
  • Visit others who have linked up

A note about the format I am using to journal #TheSundayPost: I am finding I like being able to give my readers who cannot visit my blog each time a new post, review or guest feature goes live a digest journal of what is happening on #JLASblog each week! If you are familiar with the style in which I journal my readerly adventures via #WWWednesdays (see also Archive) you’ll know why I like this journalled style for #TheSundayPost!

It’s a way of talking about what is bookishly on my mind whilst sharing where my travels in Fiction & Non-Fiction took me through the last seven days! Quite stellar – so very thankful I was encouraged to participate as I love being able to think about which stories settled into my heart and which of the stories I am most eager to see arrive by postal mail and/or via audiobook! It’s a bit of a lovely way to journal your bookish life and have a weekly reminder of the experiences of you’ve gathered and love to remember! In regards to getting back into the groove with #WWWeds – I’m either going to make the meme bi-monthly or monthly which I’ll decide within the next fortnight.

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Hallo, Hallo, dear hearts!

I am so wholly consumed by “The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds”!

I can honestly say, the ONLY book I have been reading this week is Ms Siak’s – of which I was even talking about during #ChocLitSaturday – as once you find a story whose narrative has a way of washing over you to such a degree of joy, you find every opportunity you can to talk about it. I was also trying to inspire some readers to pick it up for themselves, as it’s one of the most beautiful cultural exchanges of tradition and identity. I am truly captured by the metaphoric folklore, the dramatic story-line and the way in which Chye Hoon continues to grow, mature and develop as a woman on the verge of different transitions in her life. Not just in girlhood but also to mumhood and finding the strength to realise her own worth in what she can do to help her family. It’s one of those stories you cannot read quickly – the narrative is dense and alive with this woman’s life story to where you want to let her experiences soak through you in order to gain the full effect of the novel.

Whilst I wasn’t reading this story, I was thinking about what I wanted to talk about during my guest post for #AustenInAugust – as this was the first year I decided I might fancy contributing something to the event. I do not often write guest features on blogs, but this year, I felt I might give it a try and I ended up with a piece I am hoping others can relate too.

I caught sight of a way I could start to work on my own writings – a new idea which materialised to mind and heart as soon as I saw a project I wanted to become a part of – if I could – which has a bit of a tight deadline. I am going to start to flesh together my initial idea this week and next, whilst honing in on the research I want to do to make sure I get things accurate. The interesting bit to note though is that this project is the first I’ve taken on in nine years as a writer. If you discount Jorie Loves A Story, as I started blogging five years after I won Nanowrimo. It is high time I start to get back into the groove of where my pen inspires me to embrace my own creative worlds and characters. I’ve felt this coming on for awhile now – but perhaps this is the Summer for sorting it out?

I also found myself on Twitter quite a bit this week at key moments where something quite extraordinary was happening – whether this meant a threaded conversation, a life-affecting historical decision of the Senate or the realistic artistic portrayal of animatronics in Canada – this was the week, where it would appear being socially engaged on Twitter is a happenstance blessing for anyone in the 21st Century!

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Celebrating the 1st Year Anniversary of “Sari & A Single Malt”:

Saris and a Single Malt by Sweta Srivastava Vikram

I still remember how evocative this collection was to read, how powerfully stirring the poems were to find inside this raw and honest collection of poetry. I’ve been blessed many times over through my participation on Poetic Book Tours showcasing Contemporary Poets, of whom, I would not have otherwise crossed paths. This is what originally inspired me to work with Ms Cox, as I loved her philosophy of finding the story-tellers you might overlook or never discover, if her keen eye hadn’t first introduced you to their collective works. She works yearly with poets and the story-tellers who choose Small Trade & Indie routes of publishing.

Read the Guest Post by Ms Vikram

Saris and a Single Malt is a slimline paperback collection of poetry, speaking to the humble heart of truths where life and death merge into the legacy of a soul. The collection is precipitated by a quotation about ‘life, loss, and recovery’ where you gather the ending result for the author is in accord with it’s truism about how as devastating as loss can bleed your heart and affect your emotional well-being, there is a turning tide where all will become calm, where memories return and love forevermore is a lasting impression upon your heart. Healing takes time, as hours cannot be measured nor grasped how long a period is needed to recover from the shock of a loved one’s absence and their death which permanently shook them out of our everyday reality.

In an unusual method of cathartic release, the poems, connective thoughts and essays are presented in a living sphere of conscious and emotional anguish as the author herself, flew back home to India to say her good-byes to her mother. An emotionally raw moment for anyone to come to terms with the sudden death of their Mum, much less for a writer whose pen can sometimes become unable to compel the words to fit against a blank page – somewhere in that emotional chaos, Vikram found her path towards healing her mind, spirit and heart through the words she’s left behind inside Saris and a Single Malt.

Quoted from my Review of Saris and a Single Malt

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Quotes from the Blog Tour:

Chick with Books said of the collection, “Heartfelt, raw, honest and thought-provoking.”

Jorie Loves A Story said, “Vikram bleeds her emotions through words.”

Taken from this portion of my review: A harbinger of solemnity and of the truth of realising that you cannot escape the sorrows of your life, Vikram bleeds her emotions through the words of “I Write” with such heart-wrenching clarity as to be accurately representative of what you feel inside that moment of ‘how does time renew itself from here?’ How does one recover themselves to the point where ‘getting on’ with life doesn’t feel so empty and apathetic?

Diary of an Eccentric said, Saris and a Single Malt is a touching tribute to Vikram’s mother, a love song from a grieving daughter.”

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During this special month [1-28th August], Poetic Book Tours is re-celebrating this publication and is offering a special bookaway for this milestone. Although, I do not personally host giveaways on Jorie Loves A Story, I did want to be a part of the celebratory announcements on behalf of this poetry collection. It truly did touch me quite dearly as I read it last year and the poet has become one of the poets I know I shall be continuing to read throughout my life. Having said that, if you would like to participate – kindly visit the other two bloggers who are quoted above and/or Poetic Book Tours directly.

I was thankful part of my review was being re-highlighted and shared. It is the hope of all of us who blog our readerly lives to find the words and ruminations we’re sharing with our readers is resonating with others. This was a joyous moment for me to realise one of my reviews of poetry was gaining traction and held within it, a quotable piece to share!

About Sweta Srivastava Vikram

Sweta Srivastava Vikram

Sweta Srivastava Vikram, featured by Asian Fusion as “one of the most influential Asians of our time,” is an award-winning writer, five-time Pushcart Prize nominee, Amazon bestselling author of 11 books, writing coach, columnist, marketing consultant, and wellness practitioner who currently lives in New York City. A graduate of Columbia University, she also teaches the power of yoga, Ayurveda, & mindful living to female trauma survivors, creative types, entrepreneurs, and business professionals.

Sweta is also the CEO-Founder of NimmiLife, which helps you attain your goals by elevating your creativity & productivity while paying attention to your wellness.

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Jorie's Box of Joy badge created by Jorie in Canva.

Read more about this via Blogosphere Bookish Memes & Weekly Features

The following stories were sent to me in exchange for an honest review by either the publisher or publicist.

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Last Christmas in Paris by Heather Webb & Hazel Gaynor ARC with another Hazel Gaynor novel. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com. Photo edits and collage created in Canva.

Next Stories by Favourite Authors:
  • Last Christmas in Paris by Heather Webb + Hazel Gaynor (Synopsis)

I was truly excited to be a part of this blog tour for Ms Webb – I had first discovered her writings via Becoming Josephine (see also Review) and Rodin’s Lover (see also Review) whilst participating on the Cover Reveal for Fall of Poppies (which I was meant to receive but my copy did not arrive). I have been planning a Jennifer Robson readathon wherein I want to read all of her lovely war dramas back-to-back – leading into Fall of Poppies which will thereby give me a chance to read Ms Webb and Ms Brockmole’s stories as well. I was so very happy one anthology had so many lovely authors I already loved to read! I’m going to be purchasing this in the future, but thankfully my library has a copy I can borrow!

In regards to Ms Gaynor, for my birthday a few years ago, I was able to pick out three novels as I had a lovely gift card to Barnes & Noble – wherein one of the three stories I selected was The Girl Who Returned Home – as I was truly captivated by the premise (see also Synopsis). It is my intention to read this novel ahead of Last Christmas in Paris as I would have a better impression of both writers’ individual styles ahead of moving into this novel, which they both wrote together.

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Stories either Gifted or Purchased:

Shall I Be A Poet Instead. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com. Photo edits and collage created in Canva.

A dear friend of mine, published her first collection of poetry recently (see the announcement) and I was quite happily able to purchase my own copy of this chapbook via LuLu within the first seven days of it’s release! I was quite excited for Lianne – as anyone who has realised their a writer and/or a poet, to get to the point to where you can publish your own stories – this is a landmark day for you! Being fellow poets, I was overjoyed her first release was featuring her poetry – although we have been friends for the past four years (as we met whilst I was a book blogger) – I haven’t read her poetry nor has she read mine.

We’ve both been caught up in our lives – I was shifting through personal adversity and she was becoming an RN. The interesting bit is how we both managed to keep our blogs afloat and our friendship in-tact despite the fact my letters lengthened a bit to a distance I hadn’t foreseen. Lianne has been very supportive and a kind friend throughout the hardships I’ve endured with my family and I have felt blessed by her kindness to stay in touch with me. Seeing her move into her season of publishing is a further blessing, as we can now connect together as writers and poets; two people who want to embrace Indie Publishing and two book bloggers who are moving into their own writerly careers.

I cannot wait to start reading this collection – even though technically, I opened the book to several poems and started to get a taste for the depth of how Lianne conveys her thoughts through her poetic prose. I hope you will check out her blog and support her if you appreciate Poetry!

Painted Hands. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com. Photo edits and collage created in Canva.

Talk about a lovely surprise gift! I was truly smitten by the idea of this book long before I held it in my hands and was reading the back blurb and quotations from other readers who had already had the pleasure of reading it! How my Mum was intuitive enough to know this story would be one I would cherish to read is a credit to how Mums understand their daughters!

I have heard murmurs about this story in the book blogosphere but I must admit, I haven’t read the reviews of it, as I wanted to go into reading this one blind! I vacillate about whether or not to read the reviews of the books I know I’m going to read – as sometimes I love doing this and other times, I like to keep the mystery alive for myself!

I’d be curious to know if any of my readers and visitors have read this title and if they know of other stories similar to this one, I might like to be reading next? I am unsure if I will be able to read this during August – as the month has become a bit overly committed somehow – as I’m striving to still work through most of my list for #20BooksOfSummer whilst having a few scheduled blog tours and other reviews sprinkled throughout the month!

What book has your Mum or Da surprised you with recently which not only touched your heart but truly captured your joy for how well they knew what you’d love to be reading!?

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The stories on my mind & heart!

These are the ones next to be reviewed!

Stack of Current Reads for Jorie. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com. Photo edits and collage created in Canva.

The following stories were sent to me in exchange for an honest review by either the publisher or publicist.

  • The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds (No. 1 the Malayan series) by Selina Siak Chin Yoke (Synopsis)
  • Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain (Synopsis)
  • Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Synopsis)
  • Summer by Summer by Heather Burch (Synopsis)
  • Allie and Bea by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Synopsis)
  • When The Future Comes Too Soon (No. 2 the Malayan series) by Selina Siak Chin Yoke (Synopsis)
  • Such Mad Fun by Robin R. Cutler (Synopsis)
  • Indy Writes Books (anthology) by Indy Reads Books (released to help Literacy) (Synopsis)
  • The New Science of Conscienceness by Paul L. Nunez (Synopsis)
  • There Goes the Neighbourhood by by Ali Noorani (Synopsis)
  • Seeing What Others Cannot See by Thomas G. West (Synopsis)
  • + Magic Sometimes Happens (No.6 of Charton Minster) by Margaret James (see Archive for Charton Minster)
  • + Anne of Green Gables (x3) audiobooks by Post Hypnotic Press

To  keep an eye on my upcoming reviews, kindly visit my Bookish Events!

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I have been speaking about these stories for the past [3] Sunday Posts, as I have been trying to focus on this particular batch of books. Somehow the hours & days keep evaporating – despite my earnest attention within the stories, it has been taking me a bit longer to work my way through them right now. I truly have been so wickedly happy residing inside Ms Siak’s narrative, I’ve purposefully have been taking my time with this one – as the way in which she writes endeavours you to hug close to Chye Hoon and find the rhythm of her story as you read through her journey.

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audio blog tours I am thankful to be a part of:

Anne of Green Gables audiobook tour via Audiobookworm PromotionsMy Reviews are forthcoming on:

3rd 5th August | Anne of Green Gables

10th August | Anne of Avonlea

17th August | Anne of the Island

18th August | Interview w/ Post Hypnotic Press

+ Two of my bookish friends are also taking part in this audio tour:

Maggie @ Macarons & Paperbacks

Anne of Green Gables @ The Lit Bitch <— this is being featured off-tour! #sohappy

Next Stop Chancey audiobook blog tour via Audiobookworm Promotions28th August | Interview w/ the Narrator

29th August | my Review

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Receiving news about #Theclanchronicles finale:

I heard from Ms Czerneda this week about the final chapter of The Clan Chronicles – if you have been following me for at least the past two years, you know of my affection for this Hard Science Fiction series. If you are just joining me recently, you might not be aware of how wickedly attached I am to this series (it’s spilt over 3 trilogies!) nor of the extensive blogging I did on behalf of EACH and EVERY one of the novels in sequence on behalf of the entire series! I decided to start talking about the series on Twitter, which is why I started by responding to this tweet Ms Czerneda had shared from the very first story I had read on the Clan’s behalf: Reap the Wild Wind.

I am grateful I am going to have the opportunity to be on the finale’s blog tour this Autumn, as the new book To Guard Against the Dark is arriving this October 2017! I am uncertain how I am going to properly ‘let go’ of this world – of the characters and of course, of the progressive journey I have taken with The Clan itself! It’s one of those series which truly challenged me and expanded my imagination – it is also the series, which gave me a clever way to dedicate my appreciation for the author – which why my Twitter profiles has reflected: Hearts Czerneda since Summer 2016! This is the TWEET of where I reveal how hard it will be for me to see the ENDING.

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Favourite Moments on Twitter this week:

No one was more surprised than I was when I realised this milestone was reached! I was so excited to realise I had reached 2000 comments, I took to Twitter to celebrate! As per tradition, as I try to tweet s/o mentions about each new milestone I feel I’ve reached on either my blog and/or Twitter! The two are connected – as each is a different half of my socially bookish life! I had some lovely replies by Audio Shelf, Suzanne and Ms Steele!

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Catching up with #Heartland without trying to spoilt S10 or S11 is a tricky balance! When I saw this very infamous locale (for the series!) I couldn’t help but reply with THIS TWEET. This led to an interesting bit of fluttering on my Twitter – as a lot of Heartland viewers were contemplating my Q! Finally, at long last, I started to receive some responses! I also shared THIS TWEET about why #ILoveHeartland!

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Lately, I am finding flowing convos and/or *threads on Twitter which interest me – this week, there are at least 4x which caught my eye and of which I will be sharing with you.

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On the foot-heels of posting a recent DNF, I found this topic quite rewarding to see posting – as it strikes to the heart of how being a book blogger is sometimes a bit more complicated than readers might think. For starters, none of us want to find fault or issue with a novel we’re reading nor do we want to put the book down if we can find a reason to stay inside it. However, there are certain instances where we have to own the fact, not every book is for us nor is it one we can attach inside. On the same book I felt it wasn’t worth my interest to continue, I found another blogger (WishFul Endings) who stuck with it and found something redeemable in the end. We had a nice convo about Lies and Letters, as a result! I also shared this tweet about my Stories Seeking Love from Readers via Riffle.

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second threaded convo:

This Publisher kick-off a truly innovative book launch by discussing the book and the meaning behind it through their Twitter account – I honestly LOVED the convo, which is why I quite literally tweeted the whole thing to my followers!

This is the book they were launching:

To which I simply replied:

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third convo threaded on Twitter:

I went to mention I was a book blogger interested in the story and how I was interested in hosting the author at time of publication. This led me to compose a PM for the person highlighting this story as I felt moved to talk more about the subject and about the situation as a whole. The interesting bit is the tweeter is an author in her own right and I am looking forward to finding out more about her own writings.

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fourth thread of importance this week:

I RT’d this entire thread of discussion – I felt it was important to keep boosting it to the forefront of people’s minds as it was particularly important considering recent current events. I never know if my RTs/Favourites can have affect on others, but when something this important is happening, I try to do my bit. I also found someone who sent three tweets of gratitude out to the OP, giving me the chance to thank her with mine.

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I started to tweet support & tried to keep the topic about Transgender Equality alive and well in my Twitter feeds this week, as I was completely saddened and shocked by what was announced this week! These are just a few of the tweets I found and shared with my followers:

I sent this tweet out when I had had my full of dealing with it all – sometimes you need a ‘break’ and mute what is floating around the twitterverse as there are times where the negative and hatefulness of social media rubs me the wrong way. I try to keep shining a Light on the goodness in humanity and the positiveness about being socially active but oy! Some days – you just need to step back from the fray!

On top of which, I am unsure why there is this dialogue going on right now about boys vs girls and girls vs boys. I thought for sure we had progressed out of the 80s/90s when the chatter was identical – about how girls had to like girl things and boys had to like boy things and nay should the two worlds of gender oriented toys, books, games and anything else you can think of which can be carpartmentalised meet together and/or be exchanged in interest. Oy.

When I saw this thread, I decided to respond with my own two cents: Tweet 1, Tweet 2 and Tweet 3. I was a bit surprised no one responded as I thought I had managed to say what I intended to quite well within the scope of a tweet! Sometimes I think we’re all just talking into the great void – and other times, our tweets are seen and read. It’s a curious experience, tweeting!

And, for a lot of reasons, I composed this response to respond to other bits I was finding in the twitterverse to be a bit vexing as I am amazed at how narrow people can truly be these days:

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I think one of the best moments for me this week was actually discovering Viola Shipman! As this is the first tweet I found celebrating the author’s newest novel:

However, it was what I discovered next about Ms Shipman (in regards to the fact she’s actually a he) and the author who took her name as his pen name which truly warmed my heart the most! It also led to a series of tweets I exchanged with the author and a lot of sharing of my own memories which cross-applied to his collective works! I am dearly looking forward to gathering his novels and reading them – whilst being mindful of the fact his memories now intersect with my own! As I hadn’t learnt about a few family histories regarding these particular ‘objects’ until I shared this author’s works with my Mum who said “Now isn’t this interesting? You have a similar history!” And, I was thinking to myself: “How did I never know this?” Especially as Mum and I are the Ancestry Sleuths in our family – this Summer we learnt we’re descended from a line of Vikings which previously we had no idea about and I was rather chuffed at that revelation! Yet, to think there were specific objects in our family which were of equal affection and importance to our family as they were to Mr Rouse is quite incredible!

Apparently we share a few of the objects in common through my grandmother, which is why I was celebrating living histories and why I wanted to THANK him for sharing his and his husband’s shared memories in their article!

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I MISSED being a part of #HistoricalFix (@HistoricalFix)!! Each Quarter, those of us who are wicked addicted to Historical Fiction come together – we have formed our own tribe and it’s equally part reader, part writer as a collective! We all chatter about certain topics inter-linked into #HistFic whilst getting better acquainted with each other in the process! However, this fateful JULY the chat fell on my Mum’s 70th Birthday – we were going to celebrate early in the day and I was going to participate in the chat in the evening, however, let’s just say – climatically speaking, it was never going to happen!

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I have been keeping an eye on this particular book – and I was so wicked happy I found this review!

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IF only I could foresee the issues I would have with my blog followers – where a hiccup of tech would interfere with followers being able to follow me directly via WP, this might not have come together as quirkily as it sounds! I sometimes notice things about numbers and the patterns therein. This is just a geeky girl’s ruminative thoughts – lost in the moment – of seeing a pattern in her Twitter followers.

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Honestly, when I saw Brad & Britney was asking about which narrator to interview, ONLY ONE popped straight to mind to suggest to them because Mr Urry was seriously not only my 1st audiobook narrator I ever listened too but he was also, hand’s down my favourite narrator to discover! I would love to continue to listen to the stories he’s narrating but he has the tendency to narrate stories outside my comfort zones – including Traditional Horror! :( Oh, my! I do hope this interview will happen – as I’d love to listen to it! Meanwhile, you can read the interview I hosted on his behalf during The Cryptic Lines audiobook blog tour!

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I doubt ANYONE will forget this night:

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blessedly, i found some levity on Twitter this week:

Yes! They are THAT magical! I can attest to it! I think everyone can, eh?

Found: the day I was so dearly exhausted, no matter how much I was inclined to continue reading The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds, the weight of my fatigue was settling in to where I nearly acted out this gif IRL!

This is an author I love reading – I’m also on her Street Team and will be sharing an upcoming #WaitingOnWednesday featuring her second book series – however, when I saw this – I knew I had to share it! It’s so very TRUE!

I am unsure why – but this tweet hit my funnybone at JUST the right moment!

lol Sometimes your the one who finds the levity and sometimes your the one whose tweeting it! This is referencing the fact I was so knackered and ‘out of it’ having spent the early morning awaiting the #CSPAN feeds to tell me whether or not my Dad was still going to keep his health insurance, that by the time I woke up lateron in the morning, I was quite amazed at how fast it was time for LUNCH as it barely felt like it could be possible!?

I haven’t made up my mind if I’m going to read her novels, as I found her years before I was a book blogger – but when I saw the live tweets from her talk being threaded into my timeline this week, I took stock! This is the first one I saw which not only made me smirk (as a writer who knows how true of a statement it is!) but I liked the fact she was using comedy and levity to tell her story! I RT’d my favourite takeaways and favourited a few others in case you wanted to dive into my feeds!

I love this OTTER short film so very much! I had a blast composing this TWEET about it, too!

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canada gave me a *dragon!* this week:

I could not help myself – when I found out about #LaMachine, the first thing I did was play one of the videos I found via the feeds of Ottawa sharing everything about this event! Then, I waited til Mum could see them with me and we both just stared in AWE and DELIGHT as each video was played in turn! The rest is twitterverse microblogging – as I literally tweeted out all my reactions as I was experiencing this online!

IN the midst of tweeting my JOY of finding DRAGONS in Ottawa, I found this lovely RT by Toronto! To which I happily replied back in a full gratitude!

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Technically speaking, there were other moments I loved peppering my feeds this week on Twitter. You’ll find them under “Favourites” (ie. Likes) as this is where I leave bread crumbs for myself to re-visit lateron all the lovely moments which made me smile or think throughout a day, a week and a month. It’s a bit of a scrapbook of virtual memories if you will – whereas if I RT/retweet something, it’s something which either resonates with me immediately, something said which parlays into my own thoughts/opinions/feelings or contains something I wish to celebrate & share.

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Reading Challenges | Spontaneous Reads:

#20BooksOfSummer reading challenge badge created by Jorie in Canva.

#20BooksOfSummer : UPDATE!

My current RAL: Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain

Jamie (@jamsreadsbooks) worked out our reading schedule for this lovely – where we are going to read 100 pages each week, meeting up on Wednesdays via DM on Twitter to discuss what we felt, thought and experienced during each installment. This is not my first RAL, but it’s the first time I feel I could focus on a RAL the way a readalong is meant to be focused on! I’m blessed as this is one of my #20BooksOfSummer selections – which ironically, is now going to be completely contained to *August!* rather than July + August (oy!) but I have a bit of good news! Not only am I reading this lovely, but I am reading WORTHY as well. I intend to read at least 15 of the 20 books this month I earmarked for the challenge – whilst shifting the others into September.

Is anyone else behind on their #20BooksOfSummer?

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#JorieReads | ARCs!

How to Join #ARCAugust | Read. Sleep. Repeat.

One of the book bloggers I was visiting this past week mentioned #ARCAugust or something similar – it’s a reading queue challenge I’ve seen at different intervals of time whilst I’ve been blogging. I never participated as the timing was never quite right for me – the essence of the challenge appeals to me because I’m a bit behind on my ARCs – both Fiction & Non-Fiction alike. I’ve been finding returning back inside the community of book bloggers is helping me lately re-focus on my backlogue and current reads – which is why I’m seeking out mini-challenges which appeal to me right now.  I am going to have to sort out which ARCs I want to focus on specifically this August and write my official participation post before next Sunday!

Is anyone else looking forward to this? It’s my 1st Year!

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#AustenInAugust | Jorie Returns!

Austen in August badge created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Carli Jean (Public Domain : Unsplash)

At first, I didn’t think Adam (@RoofBeamReader) was going to host #AustenInAugust this year – until I spied this call-out post for submissions & participants which made me especially giddy! I have participated in the past with varying degrees of success, however, this year – aside from selecting a few titles of Austen’s canon and a few after canons – I decided to take the plunge and offer to write a guest post for the event!

I entitled my guest essay: Diary of a 21st Century Janeite – the date in which this is going to be featured hasn’t been disclosed, but I am excited to make the announcement as soon as I know which day and week Adam will be featuring it! This is the event I have loved since I first learnt of it and one in which I try to improve on my efforts each time I join to read not only more Austen, but to curate more knowledge about the sequels and after canons which suit my interest and curiosity to read!

I will be posting an official post about this during the next week – as I already know the books I will be reading – this year, I’m keeping the list a bit shorter and a bit more tuned into what interests me most directly right now rather than trying to attempt to read more and finding myself overwhelmed by my choices – which sadly, I think is what derailed half my efforts in the past! Not to mention the fact, I get trepiderious about reading Austen – something I hinted about in my guest essay!

I wonder – is anyone participating this year!?

I am using the old tag, apparently it’s changed to #AustenInAugustRBR!

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The posts which everyone seems to love reading:

If you’d like to visit & add your comments, I’d appreciate to know your thoughts!

Meanwhile,  I am still working on responding to recent comments – thank you for your patience!

This is in order of popularity and most frequently read:

Remember: when I host a Cover Reveal, I also blog about why I want to read the story.

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Parajunkee Designs

I had some wicked lovely news to share last [Monday] – pop open this tweet!

Remember my excitement over having 100 Followers last week? Would you believe I’ve been having a few difficulties with subscribers/followers? I have some lovely new followers of whom have been trying to follow #JLASblog with a few quirks affecting their attempts! For some strange reason, three of them were showing to be following my old url (the one from WP.com) rather than my self-hosted blog (via Book Host). How this can even occur is unknown to me! I contacted JetPack thinking they’d get back to me quite timely, but finding it [Sunday] and the issue was still vexing me (and I am sure my new followers!) I came up with a smashing theory: try unfollowing me and then re-following me once more!

Blessedly this worked the trick for one follower, even though a second follower although showing on WP.com is actually following me via my self-hosted site? Her feed shows jorielovesastory.com whereas my end shows jorielovesastory.wordpress.com – and there’s the rub? How can that even be possible with re-direct in place? Quirky!

Therefore – for those of you attempting to follow me recently, kindly let me know via my Contact Page if you have had any issues, quirks or errors in this regard! If you have, I want to know about them so I can update JetPack!

I’m hovering at 96, but it’s really 98.

Two are showing on WP.com; one is actually on my blog, the other I’m trying to confirm.

Meanwhile, add the dear heart trying to follow me and has errors and I have 99 lovely spirits who want to follow me!

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upcoming blog milestone:

Jorie Loves A Story is celebrating it’s 4th Birthday
ON the 6th of August, 2017!
I will be releasing my Favourite Reads of 2016 and a special review!
I will also be sharing what I did on my 4th Blogoversary (31st March, 2017) as I wasn’t able to blog on my blogoversary this year! I was setting a new tradition to release my Cuppa Book Love Awards (my Top Favourite Stories) and the [previous year] journal of beloved reads each 31st March to help ring in my blogosversary, however, this year, my plans fell through. I decided to *hold!* the post + the bookish joy til my 4th Blog Birthday!
Stay Tuned! Next Sunday is going to ROCK!

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My gratitude to each of you!

A special s/o to those of you who are following me recently:

Thanks for being a part of my bookish and readerly journey!

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Comment Challenge 2017 hosted by Lonna @ FLYLēF and Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense. Badge used with permission.
Comment Challenge 2017 hosted by Lonna @ FLYLēF and Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense. Badge used with permission.

Visit the August Challenge Page | A Kernel of Nonsense

Prior to joining the recent memes, where I am finding myself wicked happy for finding new routes within the book blogosphere to traverse, I spied the sign-ups for this challenge! I thought it would be a good way to introduce myself to new bloggers whilst finding new bloggers to potentially befriend and/or follow after the challenge month I participated. I hadn’t realised I was on the wire of MISSING this year’s challenge (as I had spied this previously; during past Summers) – so imagine my happy surprise to make the final cut of participators for AUGUST?

Although, we are partnered and I am going to be visiting my partner’s blog at least 10x throughout the Month whilst adding commentary to at least 10x posts – I fully intend to visit the other bloggers taking part this month! They are as follows:

Kai @ Quartzfeather + Lonna @ FLYLēF

Evelina @ Avalinah’s Books + Ashley @ Inside My Minds

Cova @ Wonderful Literature + Ada @ litcritpop

Katisha @ Reel Literature + Lonna @ FLYLēF

COMMENTS (10+)

Eliza @ DuskAngelReads + Chelsea @ Reading for the Stars and Moon

Lili @ Utopia State of Mind + Aneesa @ A Crave for Books

Holly @ Nut Free Nerd + MaggieThe Caramel Files

Sassy @ Alternative-Read.com + Lauren @ Always Me

Barb @ Booker T’s Farm: Books & Nails & Puppy Dog Tales + EricaErica Robyn Reads

Jorie @ Jorie Loves A Story + Melissa AnnMy Creatively Random Life

Toni-Emma @ Book & Bloom + Tina @ As Told By Tina

MayaFire-Breathing Book Dragon + Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense

I happily am virtually *waving!* to Avalinah, as I was happily surprised finding she was participating, too! She’s on a roll this Summer for finding new book bloggers and ways to interact in the book blogosphere! I’ve been following her lead a bit – even though I did find this on my own – but in other routes, I’ve been following her (ie. esp on Twitter!) as I found a re-surge of inspiration to start communicating more with fellow bloggers.

I will be updating during #TheSundayPost throughout the month in regards to my routes through this challenge! For now, I am declaring my role in the challenge and my gratitude to the hosts! I look forward to seeing where this adventure takes me.

I happily commented on Melissa Ann’s Comment Challenge s/o Post!

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Why some weeks seem to be ‘lighter’ in blog content:

In closing, I hadn’t even realised this week was a ‘light week’ on my blog – mostly because I was working on my blog all week! It just happens to be the week where nothing NEW was revealled – but this doesn’t discredit the fact I was writing my review for The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds all the same! I also realised quite late into the weekend, I was predominately chatty on Twitter and in the book blogosphere this week (which is always a good thing!) — however, somehow as hard as I tried to finish my readings of Ms Siak’s debut novel, I found myself with chapters till awaiting my eyes!

Sometimes I find our personal lives and our blogging lives form their own kind of balance – we never forsake one for the other but there are moments where the pace of how we augment our time spilt between both can sometimes feel upturnt if we notice we’ve gone a week without posting. For me, my blog has always has it’s own rhythm – so why this bothered me this weekend to find I was post-less this week, is unknown except to say I had hoped to get a few more readings and reviews up before August, and perhaps, that is all it is – a bit of a personal disappointment I fell a bit short of where I had hoped to be. We all go through this time after time and for me, I guess I had hoped I’d be a bit further along towards getting my posts togehter.

Irregardless, I am thankful I had the time I could spend in the blogosphere – as I am striving to make more visits per week and month as time moves forward. I have missed this part of my blogging life and it’s one I am thankful to see return. I am also blessed I could be on Twitter during such a week as this past one where being vocal and staying vocal felt imperative. I am hopeful this next week will not only be happily consumed in stories I am loving to read but also, a return to my days of colouring and knitting! I do love keeping art in my life and these two outlets have provided me with a lot of joy.

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My adventures within the blog hop for #TheSundayPost

This list is being generated | this is a WIP list

The STORIES I cannot wait to READ myself as found via the blog hop!

And, the POSTS I loved finding via this lovely meme’s route!

[making my way through the bloggers – this week I’m hoppin’ round in an nonsensical way to where I’m not going from beginning to end nor end to beginning! It’s a random route I’m going to take this week!  Need to add commentary to the blogs I’m linking too as I’m moving up the list as I read a book!]

last update: 31July 2017 | finding blogs and leaving comments

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Do you ever find yourself equally surprised a WHOLE WEEK goes past you and you hadn’t realised you didn’t blog once – except for the previous week’s [Sunday Post]?

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{Sources: Post dividers and My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Comment Challenge 2017 hosted by Lonna @ FLYLēF and Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense. Badge used with permission. Blog graphics created in Canva: The Sunday Post badge using Unsplash.com (Creative Commons Zero) Photography by Hope House Press, Denise Chan and Pacto Visual as well as Jorie’s Box of Joy badge and #20BooksOfSummer badge. All Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com. Photo edits and collage created in Canva. Austen in August badge created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Carli Jean using Unsplash.com (Creative Commons Zero)}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2017.

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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)

read more >> | Visit my Story Vault of Book Reviews | Policies & Review Requests | Contact Jorie

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Posted Sunday, 30 July, 2017 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Birthdays & Blogoversaries, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Jorie the Writer, The Sunday Post




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6 responses to “The Sunday Post | No.3 | I am so wholly consumed by “The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds”!

  1. Hi Jorie!! I am kind of awe inspired by your blog. I just kind of tumble a few sentences together and am consistently amazed that people actually read it. Your blog is fantastic and I am super excited that we got paired together so that I found it. I love finding new blogs to read and making new blogging friends. Though I am terrible shy and horrid at comment. This is a new endevour so please bare with me for the month.

    • Hallo, Hallo Melissa Ann!

      :) Thank you for your beautiful compliment. I want to re-assure you again, we’re meant to have fun this month commenting on each others’ blogs. Don’t stress out about visiting me or even responding to the comments I’m leaving on your blog. Just ease into the month – let the words come as they come. You can write me short notes or long notes- whatever you feel comfortable with sharing. I have a lot coming up this August – so there will be plenty of posts for you to pick from and/or read. I think it’s quite a compliment your going outside your comfort zone to connect to another blogger – I’m humbled you chose the challenge and are happy with me as your partner! Like you, finding new bloggers to read, follow and chat with is one of my greatest joys as well. Remember: this isn’t a race – we have five weeks of blogging ahead of us and five weeks of getting to know each other! :) I’m excited. I know you are, too. Let’s just have FUN! :)

    • Hallo, Hallo Ms Cox!

      Thanks for including me – I especially liked seeing which part of my review was being quoted as it’s nice to know what we are saying affects those who read what we’ve blogged. I am finding talking about Poetry is coming a bit easier the more Poetry I am reading; I have you to thank for this! :) I hope a lot of readers and visitors alike enjoy finding her poetry as much as I have and perhaps will be inspired to click-through to the celebrations themselves!

        • Hallo, Hallo Ms Cox!

          I was so happy to be a part of the s/o for this collection of poetry! I had hoped at the time, my spotlighting of why I enjoyed reading the collection myself might have sparked new interest in the book itself! I never followed up with the bookaway to see if you had a lot of interest in the title – it is my hope I as I continue to share my wanderings in literary and poetic musings, others might feel inspired to take up their own paths and do the same. Always feels good to revisit a reading I enjoyed! Thanks for including me!

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