#WWWWednesday No.8: A #SpooktasticReads Update and a note about Sci Fi November (#RRSciFiMonth)

Posted Thursday, 2 November, 2017 by jorielov , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

WWWWednesday a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.

I ♥ the premise of this meme {WWW Wednesdays} due to the dexterity it gives the reader! Smiles. Clearly subject to change on a weekly rotation, which may or may not lead to your ‘next’ read providing a bit of a paradoxical mystery to your readers!! Smiles. ♥ the brilliance of it’s concept!

This weekly meme was originally hosted by Should Be Reading who became A Daily Rhythm. Lovingly restored and continued by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Each week you participate, your keen to answer the following questions:

  • What are you currently reading!?
  • What did you recently finish reading!?
  • What do you think you’ll read next!?

After which, your meant to click over to THIS WEEK’s WWWWednesday to share your post’s link so that the rest of the bloggers who are participating can check out your lovely answers! Score! Perhaps even, find other bloggers who dig the same books as you do! I thought it would serve as a great self-check to know where I am and the progress I am hoping to have over the next week!

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To help introduce you to the books I’m reading, the Synopses link to Riffle.

If you’d like an alternative to GoodReads, I highly suggest trying Riffle*.

I’m still boggled by the fact my Riffle Lists have been viewed  at least*21,824* times! I’ve only just started to curate the lists and embed them into my blog where I expand on why I created them, too! I have 18 Lists published out of 32 lists I’ve drafted! I am looking forward to revealling more of them this year! Yes, I know – attempted this last year but I am hoping to get round to showcasing them throughout [2017] instead. Sometimes our best laid plans have to be put on ‘hold’.

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Join the Convo via: #WWWWednesday

NOTE: Due to my recent migraine –

all posts have been delayed in arriving on #JLASblog.

Thus this is running on Thursday, this week!

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

What did you recently finish reading!?

I hadn’t foreseen a few unexpected wrinkles of lost hours erupting into the latter half of [October] which in effect changed how I was approaching my self-directed reading challenge of #SpooktasticReads! Ending the month with a migraine was quite special, too! Oy. I decided to extend my readings into November because to be honest – I feel like I’ve only just begun to make headway into the reading list I compiled – as I was moving in and out of different narratives, trying to get into the story-lines whilst figuring out each author’s individual style for crafting a Mystery, Suspense or Thriller I was dearly eager to be reading!

There are moments in our lives, where we get jettisoned ‘off-course’ where something *pops!* up unexpectedly and derails our previously joyous plans – in this particular case, despite having a heap of fun getting back into reading after my unexpected hiatus this [September] – accounting to the *23!* posts I happily shared throughout [October!] I still fell a bit shy of my personal goals regarding #SpooktasticReads!

I have also been delighting in watching Thrillers + Psychological Suspense films this past [October] as I wanted to supplement the stories I was reading with a few films I hadn’t seen such as the following: Miss Sloane & Snowden as well as the film I personally LOVE for Halloween: Gaslight – which was Angela Lansbury’s debut! The first two are Contemporary Thrillers in their own regard – as there is an intensity about them, even though their dealing with Current Events. I regards to ‘Gaslight’ – I love how the whole story unfolds – it reminds me a lot of how in Notorious (with Cary Grant) the lead female almost doesn’t ‘get out’ either – in regards to personal danger and the insidious situations they both find themselves inside. I personally love Ingrid Bergman – she has such a dramatic presence on screen but it’s how she approaches her characters which makes such a lasting impression on me.

I managed to duck into the opening chapters of The Visitors, but this was just ahead of my migraine, where I was finding it harder to ‘focus’ on what I was attempting to read. I wanted to dig into the next Willa Cather mystery Death Comes but I wasn’t finding traction in either. I hadn’t known then the migraine would take hold (as sometimes, they don’t) which is why I was happily surprised shortly after it started to release it’s hold on me, I could tuck into the cosy comforting world of an Anna Lee Huber Cosy Historical Mystery: This Side of Murder! On the latter, I had this to share with my readers:

It is within the earliest chapters of this first Verity Kent Mystery where I breathed in the essence of this new ‘character’ and felt as if I had truly known ‘her’ long before I met her; which is exactly how I felt about Lady Darby! Ms Huber is well on her way to perfecting how to pen serial mysteries which delight the historical reader with a cosied approach to crime and sleuthing!

One thing which struck me – is how clever it is to be inserted into two heroines whose husbands are absent from their lives – giving them unheard of opportunities to ‘carry on’ with their lives when society dictated otherwise – this was true of Lady Darby and it is true for Mrs Kent! The curious bit is how wholly unique both characters are constructed – they each have their own strengths, weaknesses and faults – they don’t feel too identical (as such) to each other, even if they have a few attributes in common. The joy for me was identifying how each woman separated herself from her peers, truly believed it possible to live an independent life from their peerage and seeing how they leveraged themselves for a future they would determine was best for them. In this, Ms Huber has my heart and attention on her heroines – seeking their next adventures with curious anticipation!

In short, Ms Huber is curating her own niche out of a sub-genre of Historical Fiction I happily applaud seeing developed because of her purposeful dedication to writing the stories which not only give us an emotional repose from our lives (because of how deft they’re written) but they give us a chance to re-step through history through a portal of folly similar to why the Dame of the Cosy was as well loved as she has become all these years lateron. They give us something to chew on and something to consider – whilst the mystery lover in all of us gets to play ‘sleuth’ and stay on the tip of our toes awaiting the outcomes!

Whilst happily tweeting this s/o as I was composing this update post!

I am dearly excited to see what becomes next for Mrs Kent – as next October shall be a wicked lovely month as it’s publication time for the second installment! Until then, I shall have the first Gothic Myths to dig inside as well as the sixth Lady Darby – expected to arrive in the Spring!

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Whilst getting back into the rhythm of listening to audiobooks – I did manage to make-up for lost time in regards to listening to The Supernatural Pet Sitter, which was the blog tour I had missed in September. Although, I admit I loved a lot of the quirkiness of this paranormal mystery series for Middle Grade readers, there were elements within it which frustrated me – all of which I identified on my review. The best bits though were how the witches and gnomes were co-habituating and realising they truly don’t have to be separated from one another! Here’s one of my favourite moments within the story itself:

We’re treated to knowing more about how Luna and Pepper met – (in school) whilst finding out how long Pepper has been in control of her ‘powers’ as a gnome. Even at a young age, Pepper and Luna formed a bond of true friendship as they both trusted each other without any doubts about their loyalty. Pepper had to resolve Luna would outgrow her as the main difference between Luna and Pepper is not just the fact they were different species but the two girls would ‘level out’ at different heights. Along the way, Pepper gathered the gist from her parents it was better if she didn’t let on how much she trusted Luna to them because they would not understand why Luna was important to keep in her life.

The two girls start to theorise why someone would want to kidnap familiar magic – as what would be the purpose of affecting the witch world on such a wide scale? It was a backdoor way of doing it too – by going through the familiars, but as Luna theorised, it would have devastating effects which would be far reaching. As Luna goes to investigate if Cranky the ferret was fairing well – Pepper found she could not have entered the house if Luna hadn’t been there! There is a clever moment of how a magical version of a security system is used to safeguard Cranky’s residence! I liked how inventive this service was being used and how clever the girls’ were to circumvent it. Their timing was apt, as something wicked was happening at this residence and Cranky had more reasons to feel anxious than previously only being put off by the impending storm!

This is definitely a story about ‘girlhood friendships’ and how sometimes, the best way to keep your best friend in your life is NOT to tell your parents about how ‘different’ she is! I also liked the elemental magic which was not always focused on as much as I had hoped – this one scene though, where Luna helps Pepper enter a house is one of the ‘best’ magical set perimeters I’ve come across in awhile! I didn’t want to spoilt it – it just was wicked #awesomesauce!

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Whilst I was predominately focusing my readings on Fiction explorations for #SpooktasticReads, I did have a few Non-Fiction titles I wanted to explore – starting with Paranormal Texas, as it felt like such a fitting ‘starter’ to get into what makes this past month such a spooktacular time to be reading these kinds of books! This was penned by Tui Snider, of whom I happily first crossed paths with on Twitter between #K8Chat (now defunct) and #StoryDam – this is what I had to say about her travelogue & guide for paranormal intrepid tourists:

As soon as you open ‘Paranormal Texas’ you feel as if you’ve sat down to have a conversation with Ms Snider in person – her Guide is happily conversational, easily accessible and happily quirky! By this I mean to say, she’s written it in a style of chatting with someone who shares her enthused love of the ‘paranormal’ and thereby, her personality shines through the context! She’s a bubbly sort of gal – anyone whose familiar with #StoryDam will attest to this – she’s one of the first to welcome you into the chat & the community which is enfolded through the convos themselves. She carries forward this welcoming hug of joy as a travel writer – something I was hoping to find and readily smiled when I did!Thanks for remaining patient with me!

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From here, I’m moving forward with my reading selections – knowing full well where I want to resume with them, too! I have been wanting to read Ms Courtenay’s ghost series for at least a week now and that darn! migraine cancelled my plans! It’s not quite Halloween or the days leading up to All Soul’s Day without a few ghosts! You can catch my ruminations on the first novel of this series The Silent Touch of Shadows whilst reading the Guest Post Ms Courtenay wrote on behalf of writing ‘time slips’ which are a personal favourite we both mutually find ourselves passionate about exploring! Likewise, I offered a conversation with Ms Courtenay along with an Extract from the novel for The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight!

Christina Courtenay Paranormal Time Slip series Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com. Photo edits and collage created in Canva.

Meanwhile, I’m preparing the stories I want to focus on this Sci Fi November –

as Rinn @ Rinn Reads is hosting #RRSciFiMonth for the 4th 5th Year!

I have considered November to be the [month] to be reading Science Fiction – ever since the very first year Rinn hosted the event! My follies of being involved can be happily seen in how the stories themselves touched my heart & how the genre has given me a heap of JOY to explore over the past years! It was through this event I first discovered #DoctorWho & where I celebrated my fond affection for #TheClanChroncles by Julie E. Czerneda. It’s a great month for sci-fi geeks & readers who love the incredible gift Science Fiction gives to all of us who seek worlds of wonder & delight.

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

What are you currently reading!?

Books currently reading November 2017. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com. Photo edits and collage created in Canva.

To read the definitive list of #SpooktasticReads I am reading, kindly refer to this Post!

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

If you look close at this picture, you might SPY which story I am kicking-off #RRSciFiMonth – did you see it? What are your thoughts? What are you reading during the first week of Sci Fi November? Is it a series or a one-off? Space Opera or a sub-genre of Steampunk? What do you think is going to excite you the most this Sci Fi November – a particular story you’ve itched to read or a particular series or film you’ve yet to watch?

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

What do you think you’ll read next!?

Sci-Fi November | Hosted by Rinn Reads

Despite having a bit of a rocky start this [November], I am undeterred in my pursuit of the SFF stories which are currently in the process of being consumed – especially since I have a special treat of anthologies I am most anxious to devour which are as follows:

* Far Orbit: Apogee (Synopsis)- from World Weaver Press (ie. the publisher behind FAE (see also review); CORVIDAE (see also review) and SCARECROW (see also review) who time after time present me with wicked brilliant anthologies full of shorts I am thankful crossed my readerly path. This time round, it’s off into the tradition of Space Operas and the exciting world of Hard Sci-Fi where I take to the interstellar worlds to chart new courses of interest and get to know new characters who are living life on the edge of the galaxy! This is a series of anthologies which has recently (read: as of mid-2016) become the motivating interest of the anthologist to self-publish the successive volumes by his own publishing company. I look forward to continuing to see where this anthology series leads me and hopefully pick up the first volume as well to see how it all began which is the volume which enticed Ms Czerneda to love the anthologist’s style.

* Frozen Fairy Tales (Synopsis) – also from World Weaver Pres – this collection of Wintry re-tellings or re-envisioned fairy tales felt like such a special treat! I have become keenly interested in how fairy tales can become bent into a new breadth of insight these past years I’ve been a book blogger, and to think this whole collection is charmed by the season I am most intuitively connected too by spirit and soul is a delish prospect of readerly delight! I cannot wait to dissolve inside it’s chapters – moving through the shorts and seeing how the writers charmed me with their Winter-inspired stories! You’ll find a dedicated section of ‘fairy tale re-tellings’ on in my Story Vault whilst noting Ms Chris writes a wickedly addictive altra-verse of fairy tales in her Tipsy Fairy Tale series, too!

* Nebula Award Showcase 2016 (Synopsis) – I was truly hoping to read this before the close of LAST YEAR, as I had become so hugged close to the offerings of the 2015 Showcase (see also review)! However, for those of you who are familiar with the events of last November, you know why I had to forestall a lot of what I was reading. There was something quite enigmatic about how the showcases are assembled and organised – you truly feel as if you’re caught up in the moment of the hour so to speak! What I liked the most about them is how unexpected they are and similar to other anthologies I’ve found to be my most beloved favourites – they are quirkily inter-connected! Anthologies simply have a hidden rhythm of their own nature which in effect give the reader such a heart full of joy to read.

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I should reflect I will be promoting my science fiction reads and reviews with my own tag in the twitterverse: #FuellYourSciFi whilst using #RRSciFiMonth whenever I want to interact with those participating in Sci Fi November directly, too. I am using (#FuellYourSciFi) to designate my own love and appreciation for the genre as it’s one of the first ones I felt so wicked happy for discovering all those years ago! Science Fiction has been part of my life even before I took to literary worlds to explore; as I was delighted by the film-makers and show runners (of tv serials) who found ways to bring the universe into a visual landscape of drama, adventure and topical events pertinent to living off-world.

Aside from SFF anthologies – I have a hearty shelf of stories criss-crossing through different areas of focus without Science Fiction and the lovely sub-genres we love to follow down rabbit holes of bookish joy! I have decided to start my readings this Sci Fi November quite differently – because of the recent migraine, I am going to be ‘pulling-back’ on having a ‘set schedule’ of posts – where I am not going to focus on the ‘time’ or ‘date’ I will be sharing reviews or other Sci-Fi posts I’ll be composing throughout the month. Rather, I’m going to approach this new month quite similar to [October] – spontaneously guided by my readerly muse whilst mindful of the stories I want to read without the increased stress of ‘specific deadlines’.

Each week, I will be composing a new #WWWeds – talking about which stories I’m moving inside, which stories I attempted to read the week prior and even a few surprises of stories I might not have mentioned I was going to have in queue to be ‘read’ this #RRSciFiMonth, as well! Originally, I had plans to host a #readalong for the series which starts with CINDER; however, due to different reasons, I am thinking this is not the right year to host a #readalong! I am hopeful I can get to CINDER before the close of the month, however I have a special Space Opera drama I want to highlight this year, as I unfortunately had to pull it’s focus last year – therefore, stay tuned for more information about this title and the author next week!

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

On the flipside, I have a lot of lovely non-fiction awaiting me – most of which is courtesy of Hachette Books – as I made selections of memoir, personal growth and religious or philosophical studies which are a good anchour of choices to my Prometheus Books non-fiction selections which run the gambit of ancient philosophies, cutting edge science and biography. I like to pick out non-fiction selections I can sink my teeth inside – where either the stories of living persons who’ve lived are not just captivating but inspiring or the topic of interest is something I am personally invested in exploring further – herein the topics of science, philosophy, or mathematics.

Books currently reading November 2017. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com. Photo edits and collage created in Canva.

  • Pray for Me by Rick Hamlin (Synopsis)
  • Blessed Life by Kim Fields (Synopsis)
  • Good Night, I Love You by Jene Ray Barranco (Synopsis)
  • God is for Real by Todd Burpo (Synopsis)
  • The Impossible by Joyce Smith (Synopsis)

I did recently review two new titles by Hachette Books – as I regularly review for two of their imprints: FaithWords and Center Street. The first one was entitled: The Mother God Made Me to Be (see also Review) and the second was the back-story behind why there are a lot of sexual harassment suits being addressed right now in the workplace: Be Fierce (see also Review).

Despite appreciating the two readings – I found both stories fell a bit short in the end. In the first one, as it’s an autobiography what impressed me the most is how we’re able to so readily ‘insert ourselves’ into the life of the writer – almost as if we’ve known her far longer than a few short chapters to gather our bearings before we’re fully absorbed into her life. It was the ending for me which felt short-changed – almost as if I had taken this incredible journey of growth with her only to feel as if the ‘ending’ was simply ‘not the right ending’ for the book? I felt something was simply missing and it is due to this absence I am still on the fence about my final thoughts on the story itself.

In regards to Be Fierce, I was quite shocked by how there was this thread of thought being carried throughout the narrative which seemed contrary to the point behind it’s publication. I was quite surprised I found references to this ‘oddity’ more than once, and in the end, I did mention on my review why I felt this was not quite the best way round of encouraging the audience who shares my own views to find common ground in the book itself. Both of these books have strong points which should be read and enjoyed for the merits of what they are sharing – but overall? I simply found them a bit wanting in the end – I didn’t quite like how they resolved their intentions but sometimes I find myself disappointed by stories I am reading – this is not limited to Non-Fiction.

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Concurrent to all of this, I have audiobooks I am excited about listening to which are quite thought-provoking in their own right! I have two releases by the audiobook publisher I happily had the pleasure of interviewing this past Summer: Post Hypnotic Press! I will be listening to two of their titles this Autumn: Greenwillow (Synopsis) and The Curve of Time (Synopsis)! Whilst I was happily SURPRISED finding Bonn has finally come ‘home’ so to speak – I’ve been eagerly awaiting listening to the Biographical Historical Fiction story set around Bonnie & Clyde by Jenni L. Walsh for most of this year! As you will find my notes on behalf of Bonn via the Book Spotlight Showcase featuring an Extract from the novel as well as my conversation with the author!

Recently, I finished listening to Life as a Spectrum Mom, which delves into the harried life of a mother of three Special Needs children who approaches it with a lot of heart, passionate devotion and a wise cracking needling of humour which is rather apt for the incredible situations her children find themselves in at times! What staid with me the most is the following:

Mrs Pellett has such a lovely way of fusing her ‘family life’ and the journalled memories of mumhood in such a way, as to make her feel approachable and a woman everyone can feel they can relate too simply because of how she finds the best way to greet each new day is simply to acknowledge it’s arrived! She doesn’t let preconceptions forestall what naturally occurs – meaning, you cannot ‘plan’ for everything in life – she’s become adaptive and reactive to what is necessary per each moment where being a Mum is a daily adventure! She has given us an inside view of her world – where locks, knobs, technologic gadgets and curiously ordinary objects can sometimes lead to some very unique situations where logic doesn’t quite enter into the picture! This isn’t always a ‘bad thing’ – sometimes parenthood is a reinvention of ‘seeing’ life through a new pair of eyes – where everything is ‘new’ and ‘possible’ – to where the concerns of the world are not ‘attached’ yet and where childhood ‘innocence’ takes on new layers of truth!

First though – I am ducking into the interstellar world of RimRider (Synopsis) for the first week of #RRSciFiMonth, which will walk in tandem with my readings of To Guard Against the Dark (Synopsis) – previously highlighted by this lovely Guest Post by Ms Czerneda!

I am also working on re-listening to Sharpe Shooter (Synopsis) before moving into the sequel: Sharpe Edge (Synopsis) which are part of my #SpooktasticReads selections! These are Southern Cosies – where you get the joy of reading a Southern Lit novel set in a small towne filled with the quirky characters you’d hope would reside there whilst noting the author has a definitive way of making this series ‘uniquely hers’ by how she adds a lot of breadth and depth to the background of the ‘mysteries’ themselves!

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my selections!

Did anything tempt you to pick up yourself?

OR have you read one of these already?

What are you currently reading?!

This post was composed whilst listening to the Adele channel via Pandora Radio.

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

{SOURCES: Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: The WWW Wednesday, all the Book Photography banners/collages (Photo Credit: jorielovesastory.com and the Comment Box banner. Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission. Post dividers provided by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. The #RRSciFiMonth (Sci Fi Month) banner was provided by Rinn @ Rinn Reads and is being used with permission.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2017.

I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life

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 Thursday, 2 November, 2017 by jorielov in Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Discussions, Books for Review Arrived by Post, WWW Wednesdays




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4 responses to “#WWWWednesday No.8: A #SpooktasticReads Update and a note about Sci Fi November (#RRSciFiMonth)

    • You’re very welcome! :) It does tend to sneak up on us every odd year, doesn’t it? I hope you have a lot of lovely stories lined up to read – drop back if you post an Introduction post of your own? Let me know where to find it.

        • Hallo, Hallo Michael,

          As you can see, I’m off to a bit of a slow start this Sci Fi November – as I was only able (thus far) to post my short Intro (which you’ve read!) and my first review (of Rimrider) to kick-off the month of digging back into a genre I personally love exploring! :) You’ll start to find more content arriving now as I start to recover from being ill. Blessedly, I have a bit over half a month left to read & share my explorations! I’m off to your blog now to see what you’ve been up to this #RRSciFiMonth! Thanks for being one of the first visitors of mine! Cheers to you!

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