#WyrdAndWonder Challenge on #bookTwitter (Prompts 1-10) | Seeking out the fantastical during our event as tweeters rise to prompts with their photos & replies!

Posted Monday, 18 May, 2020 by jorielov 0 Comments

#WyrdAndWonder 2020 event banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

Today marks my first entry into helping my co-hosts highlight some of the most lovely surprises we have as hosts – which is finding out how everyone is responding to our #WyrdAndWonder Challenge prompts! You’ve been apprised about whose blogging their replies in the book blogosphere and you have caught sight of those who are filling #bookstagram with their challenge replies as well – but today, I want to highlight those of us who are using the prompts on #bookTwitter! As I think we tend to get overlooked a bit for those who are following the prompts on blogs & on #bookstagram!

For years now, I wish we had a cool tag like #bookstagram to use on Twitter!

This is a place I regularly haunt myself and earlier in the month I was getting my rhythm to respond to the prompts and share my own replies by way of book photography and #unboxing videos! I had to take a short break from uploading those replies but will be resuming them this week. Today, I want to take a moment to look back at some of my favourite representations of Wyrd And Wonder and how this event is encouraging everyone to consider the prompts and to respond to them in a way which suits each individual who is participating!

I am going to be sharing 3x posts with you like this one today – as I wanted to highlight this prompt challenge in sequencing of 10x prompts per post. Therefore, today I am featuring Prompts One through Ten – in order to properly talk about them, showcase our Wyrd And Wonder community and to help you visit the tweeters who are creating such fantastical content right now! Part II will feature Prompts 11 through 20 and Part III will feature Prompts 21 through 31.

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Wyrd And Wonder Prompt Challenge 2020 graphic created by Imyril. Image Credit: Flaming phoenix by Sujono Sujono | Decorative phoenix by Tanantachai Sirival from 123RF.com.
Wyrd And Wonder Prompt Challenge 2020 graphic created by Imyril. Image Credit: Flaming phoenix by Sujono Sujono | Decorative phoenix by Tanantachai Sirival from 123RF.com.

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I am using the search feature on Twitter to find the responses to our challenge – if I’ve missed your post, please leave a comment and send me the link to your tweet – I’ll include it on this post as soon as I see you. These are the prompts in case you haven’t had the chance to find the full list – you can go in order, respond as it suits your mood & inspiration or even group them together – there are no hard fast rules to how you can respond! Also – you don’t have to share photos or videos – you can respond with your words, too!

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Like some of us participating this year, I didn’t quite have my act together at the start of #WyrdAndWonder – I had fully planned to have my sequencing of the which posts I wanted to feature and which interviews I wanted to space out throughout the month, whilst keeping mindful of which kinds of posts outside of reviews & guest features I wanted to post as well. Those were best laid plans – as I entered May with horrid seasonal allergies and a migraine. I lost my footing for a few days and somehow, as of now, I’m still finding my traction.

A whole fortnight was consumed and I’m still feeling as if I’m treading water for Wyrd And Wonder. The only good news though is that I’m finding I can resume reading and blogging again with a renewed sense of passion unlike I’ve felt in the past several months. I am sure I am not alone in feeling like reading hasn’t quite been able to hold my focus as it has in the past – if you’ve visited my feeds on Twitter you’ve noticed how oft I’ve been talking about my love of #AcornTV – as apparently #CosyCrime and police procedural dramas have been more my jam lately with Cosy Mysteries and sophisticated comedies!

When I went to look through the feeds early-on in the month, just as our event was starting to kick-off I was most impressed by the content being generated by our participants. They were honing in on the prompts which spoke to them and how they responded to those prompts is a burst of joy for us as co-hosts, as Lisa, Imyril and I love seeing how each prompt itself is interpreted and responded too.

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PROMPT ONE: YOUR WYRD AND WONDERFUL TBR

→ This one is a curious one – you can either respond with your ENTIRE TBR or just portions of it – which is the route I took myself. Let’s see how others elected to respond, eh? As I love peeking into everyone’s readerly life during our event and seeing (like everyone else!) what I can spy out to add to my own expanding TBR!

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Kicking-off Wyrd And Wonder with a s/o about their first book to be read was @DragonsnZombies wherein they showed a beautiful spread from “Wundersmith” by Jessica Townsend. Although this tweet wasn’t quite a TBR – I felt it was a good place to start because ‘to be read’ could also imply the ‘book you’re currently intending to read’ or ‘are reading’ as Wyrd And Wonder gets underway.  I decided to show their official ‘first’ tweet s/o for Wyrd And Wonder – as the event started a day ahead of us as their in Australia!

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Caroline (@asweetdevouring) followed suit – happily exclaiming how happy she was to begin reading “Priory of the Orange Tree” – a novel I was thankful to get back from my own library once they reopened! I have yet to actually ‘start’ PRIORY but that’s a story for another hour! lol 

The blogger whom I think caught most people’s attention with her creatively ‘outside’ stack of #WyrdAndWonder loveliness was Annemieke (@signourney). I admit, I nearly re-fetched a copy of Islington books myself until I was happily informed they are a bit too gritty on the violence angle for me to fully appreciate them. Likewise, after reading a review for “Ten Thousand Doors of January” – realised this was also not going to be my cuppa. However, I do enjoy hearing other readers read these stories because of how they’re talking about their readerly experiences. I like to takeaway something from those experiences even if I cannot follow them into the story directly.

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My delightful co-host Lisa (@deargeekplace) shared her lovely stack of stories she most wants to dive into this #WyrdAndWonder wherein I spied several authors we share in common! Or at least, common curiosity I ought to say? I borrowed the first audiobook for the Memoirs of Lady Trent series from my library this month whilst I am still trying to make progress into the #OctoberDaye series (currently seeking book two!) and “Gods of Jade and Shadow” is also a book I was curious about reading myself.

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Nils (@nilsreviewsit) over @ The Fantasy Hive shared what she was selecting to read during our event. The author on the left of the photo is one I felt was too aggressively graphic for me in the past and the one of the right, I felt was a more intriguing selection as I haven’t heard of that author previously. The title alone grabbed me! 

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Jen over @BookDen started to share the most library centric #bookphotos when she revealled what is currently on her #WyrdAndWonder TBR. I loved the look of these book photos and the dimension of foreground & background focuses she’s accomplished. Plus, I love readers who have a healthy *stack!* of books (like me!) their trying to dive and dig into during our event!

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Caitlin @ Realms of my Mind decided to go a different route and not have an active TBR for #WyrdAndWonder – I admit, sometimes that is the best way to approach our event!

Lisa posted a follow-up to her initial TBR with a peek into her latest #OctoberDaye novel!  KJ Mulder posted a very tentatively selected TBR as she wasn’t certain about her plans to join us overall due to work.

Katrina might have made a last minute entry on our second day – however, it was a fitting selection to reveal because its one of our #WyrdAndWonder RALs!! Peter decided to reveal his currently reading selections on the second day as well. Alan mentioned his two overall favourites – though I am unsure if he was re-reading them this year or just wanted to mention them on our feeds. Either way their definitely two to celebrate!

Jenna (@fallingletters) decided to grab two more books to add to her current #WyrdAndWonder TBR due to weather!

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#WyrdAndWonder 2020 Week One TBR banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photography Credit: © jorielovesastory.com.

(View the tweet) – posted to my feeds 4th May

I, on the other hand had such a late start into #WyrdAndWonder, I choose to announce my first week’s TBR which turnt into my second week’s TBR as well! I am thankful to say by the end of week two I finally had my rhythm of reading restored and I was actually making headway on this particular stack of novels to be read! The two I haven’t yet started are “A Turn of Light” and “The Fighter of Aldea” – though the latter is partially a re-reading from last year, as I never finished it. 

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PROMPT TWO: START HERE (GET INTO FANTASY)

→ I really liked this particular prompt because you could start anywhere you wanted to and really take up the challenge of trying to INSPIRE someone to choose to read a book or series you did in order to start their own journey into Fantasy.

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First and foremost, I think Dianthaa (@Dianthaa_Pia) took the gold star for this challenge prompt! Just look at how detailed and how dedicated she was to responding to the prompt itself! Whoa. Call me impressed!

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The Fantasy Hive (@TheFantasyHive) has been producing wicked #awesomesauce content for our #bookTwitter feeds since the event began. On this particular day, they pitched the question to their followers and to all of us alike – about which books would we recommend for someone just starting to read Fantasy? Also, did you notice the impressive short sword? Or is that a dagger? Hmm.

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Mike (@MikeEverestEvs) decided to share the stories he personally found were the inspiration to fall in love with Fantasy. And, for me – I felt he answered the prompt in the right way! As this is technically a similar approach I took myself – rather than strictly the stories which led me into Fantasy as a whole (as those were the Crown of Stars saga by Kate Elliott) – I decided to focus on a trilogy which tipped me into seeking out more #dragonfiction! Afterall, if we want to INSPIRE people to follow us down this beautiful rabbithole of intriguing stories and worlds – we ought to focus on the stories which give us the most joy to have read and discovered, right!??

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Even though I personally did not connect with this series – I do acknowledge its been one of the larger fandoms outside of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Jen (@BookDen) did a great job at showcasing the series and quickly telling her followers and us why!

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Rowena (@R_M__Andrews) highlighted two authors I’ve wanted to read but never seem to get round to reading! Isn’t that always the way!? I could be mistaken but I have half a mind to think that perhaps Tamora Pierce’s series might be a better fit for me than the dragons of Pern. I had picked up one of the Pern novels in the past, but I didn’t quite get on with it very well. This pre-dates my discover of the Leland Dragons – however, I found Pern to be a very complicated world to just ‘enter’ and feel as if you were welcome to stay.

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Adeel (@Adeel_Reads) jumped into our prompt challenge last might by giving a nod to a Wyrd And Wonder favourite series by Hobb. I was actively discussing this series and others by Hobb over the past few weeks – both on Twitter on our feeds and in the book blogosphere as I was making my way through the route of posts & features everyone has kindly been sharing. In the end, I discovered this series and author isn’t a good fit for me due to some of the revelations of what is inclusive of the series itself – however, I know this is also a perennial favourite amongst our participants and many lay claim it is how they developed a love for Fantasy.

I love seeing what we add to our #bookphotos and this giraffe reminded me so much of Australia Zoo! I love how the expression and the way in which it is sitting is almost like having it say “Ooh, thank you, I needed to sit for a spell and this stack of books is perfect!”

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#WyrdAndWonder prompt Start Fantasy Here banner created by Jorie in Canva. Using the book covers with permission of Seventh Star Press for the Leland Dragons series.

(View the tweet) – posted to my feeds 6th May

Ever since I first read this series, I’ve ached and hoped for a ‘sequel’ to turn this trilogy into a quartet in order to better understand what became of the Murkens. I felt the series ended on a cliffhanger as the Murkens storyline was not resolved. However, that doesn’t deter me fro wanting to re-read this lovely series one day in the future. Since I read them in print, the series has moved into audiobooks as well. I definitely feel this would be a great place to start reading Fantasy and reading #dragonfiction – because of how Gamber built her world within the scope of the series inasmuch as the dragon society she created which has fast become my favourite to read!

You can follow my passage into this series by reading my reviews: Redheart, Sela and Reclamation or you can read my series overview in which I talk about each of the books in sequence.

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Owen Crane (@owencrane) – an author I am reading during #WyrdAndWonder and our 3rd Indie Fantasy Guest Author for #SatBookChat (this Saturday, the 23rd!) chimed in with his favourite Fantasy series which was the Dragonlance series of stories

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PROMPT THREE: THE BEST THINGS COMES IN THREES

→ I know most responders were interpreting this to relate to ‘trilogies’ which in theory I was initially going to respond to as well. However, I decided to go a different way when I received 3x #WyrdAndWonder books I was expecting by post! Therefore it just proves that sometimes you can re-spin a prompt to something other than it was first intended to be!

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Acquadimore (@acquadimore) wanted to share how they were able to re-inspire themselves back into reading and reviewing – which I felt was such a high honour for the book series! Especially as it is quite true – there are some authors out there who can grab our attention @ hallo and truly change our readerly lives instantly!

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Rowena (@R_M__Andrews) couldn’t choose just one ‘threes’ to share with us and I love how that reflects most of us who were betwixt and between ‘what should I respond with’ and can I live with the choice because there are other stories/series/authors out there whom deserve the mention as well? I definitely *understood!* her dilemma here and faced it myself!

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Jen (@BookDen) have these impressively MASSIVE old school rockin’ bookends which truly made me itch to find a pair for myself! I loved how this created a different sub-aesthetic to her photos, too! Whilst at the same time, this is one author I know I have to continue to bypass – still. I gave a huge thumbs up for how this photo came out because of how visually appealling it was to see! 

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Isn’t it clever how you can get a group of readers together and each of them has a different sponse to the same question? I love when this happens and with The Fantasy Hive (@TheFantasyHive) it is a pleasure of joy having them in our Wyrd And Wonder fold to see what they each are inspired to share with us as they move through the prompt challenge!

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I was seriously impressed with how this book photo (by Nils @nilsreviewsit) was spaced and added further curiosity about how the books were placed in the foreground. I love seeing the techniques used in our responses to create the ‘photos’ themselves because each of us is trying to accomplish something different. Some are taking book snaps (quick snapshots), some are doing whole layouts and others are playing with dimension and space behind the camera! It is a wonderful Wyrd And Wonder for those who like to visually find book recommendations! 

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I am not able to embed the banner I created to share for my response about this prompt because it has a video #unboxing embedded into it. I received a new camera for my 7th Blogoversary which I celebrated on the 31st of March this year – wherein I can take more book photos and try my hand at vlogs and unboxing videos. I decided to create one for the three novels I was expecting to receive during #WyrdAndWonder which led me into creating this beautifully lovely tweet via Canva! For me, when you receive 3x lovely novels by post and all of them are connected to your showcases for Wyrd And Wonder, I personally felt the prompt was being celebrated in the best possible of ways!

Eamon (@EamoCleary) shared Jen’s love of His Dark Materials – sharing their photo of the series for “Best Things Comes in Threes”. Nat (@natrosette) felt they were coming in a bit late to this prompt (even though I try to remind everyone, there are no set deadlines & order to how/when you respond!) whilst sharing what they were excited about as it fit into this category of interest. Mike (@MikeEverestEvs) found it almost too daring of a prompt to answer properly and decided to round out his selections to 3x for the 3x – even though between you, me and the lamp-post it would have been clever if he could have squeezed in the full 9x he wanted to share in that tweet! Not to be overlooked James (@NotJamesLatimer) wanted to showcase the trilogies he had on hand!

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PROMPT FOUR: REBELLIONS ARE BUILT ON HOPE

→ This is the one prompt which threw me for a loop – however, I was trying to sort out which Fantasy epics I’ve read which included a ‘rebellion’ and similar to the ‘best things come in threes’ – I found myself struggling to think outside the #LelandDragons box! lol Although, I might have fallen back on the Crown of Stars Saga – but in theory, I’ve only read the first two novels of the series and am unsure if/where that one would actually fit into the prompts overall? I definitely knew it would also be “Start Fantasy Here” as it is where I started my own journey but I choose to highlight Leland Dragons because it prompted me to focus on dragons – so in theory, I suppose I had two separate ‘starts’ to reading Fantasy? I wonder – does anyone else spend this much time contemplating the prompts? lol Meanwhile, everyone else focused on ‘Star Wars’ which of course is what inspired the prompt!

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Acquadimore (@acquadimore) definitely had a green thumb – as their tweets have lovely plants inside them but it was the commentary on this s/o for a Fantasy novella which made me smirk into a laugh! Especially considering – I don’t think ANY of us want one of our books to suddenly reach out and grip us in their jaws! It also proves sometimes there are rebellions outside the ‘main’ one everyone thinks of readily AND wicked good stories can come in smaller packages! (as I’m a ready reader of shorts/novellas for Speculative Fiction, too! give me an anthology and I’m content!)

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I have to admit, I wished my Star Wars lego sets were within photo distance – however, like most of my personal library they are off somewhere in a box I cannot readily access. I have most of the first series of the sets which were released in the early 2000s save the two key ships in the universe which were a bit like chasing after an elusive #musthave set of the hour! They were constantly sold out and that is partially why I never had the chance to gather them. They even did an ‘anniversary’ re-release of the pair, too! Oy. One of these days I’ll sort it out. However, the reason I’m bringing this up is because I loved the eclectic nature of how these sets can be build into a visual glimpse into the universe Star Wars allows us to visit and journey through! Smashing photo! Thanks @TheFantasyHive)!!

When it comes to Dune though? I wanted to LOVE it but found it just wasn’t my cuppa.

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My lovely co-host Lisa’s (@deargeekplace) photo had me @ hallo – not because I recognised the stories/authors but because I loved how she set up the space in this #bookphoto! It draws your eye and it was a clever use of placement! I loved seeing how some of us were trying to honour Star Wars but also come up with a secondary choice in case that particular universe didn’t have cross-appeal to all readers.

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Rowena (@R_M__Andrews) takes us back into her childhood with her favourite book series which features a rebellion of its own. Peat (@PeatLong) wanted to be a bit philosophical whilst sharing which stories they felt were rebellious in their tomes. Mike (@MikeEverestEvs) rounded out why we ought to be clued into the Star Wars novels and why he appreciates reading about rebellions in Fantasy!

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PROMPT FIVE: CONFOUNDING EXPECTATIONS

→ I was trying to choose which story and/or series I’ve read in Fantasy which had one kind of expectation of what I’d find inside it and then, deliver a wholly different kind of feel and texture of a story. I fell short to answer this in a timely manner and left the prompt to those whose minds were working a bit faster to remember how they felt and which book/author/series befit the prompt itself! I will say though – this is the most regular emotional experience I have – where I feel a bit confounded by what I find in a book or series – not just within Fantasy but all genres as there are moments in my readerly life which do not align with what I expected to find within the story I’m reading. Sometimes this is a good thing but the rest of the time? I’m left with a lot of questions and not a lot of resolution! Is anyone else in that boat?

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Don’t you just love when a reader can’t name one but names two stories they loved dearly to read and which confounded their personal expectations for the stories themselves? Champion, Adeel!  (@Adeel_Reads) Thanks for sharing – plus I love how you used your props in these photos, too!

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I loved how Rowena (@R_M__Andrews) used the juxtaposition here – one was a digital book and one was a physical book and they both held her enthused and wholly intrigued into their plots!

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Jen (@BookDen) gave us a healthy stack of books to contemplate reading after her as she sought to respond to our call for which stories confounded her expectations! I loved how she also added how the surprises within these were of the wicked good variety! This was another stack of books I’ve not personally come across either which is always a fun experience!

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Mike (@MikeEverestEvs) wanted everyone to know which single book gave him a wicked good read despite not initially thinking it might not. Whilst Lisa (@deargeekplace) wanted to broach a question with her book recommendation – inspiring others to consider what she’s asking in contemplation of the book she’s choosing to highlight on the prompt! Nils (@nilsreviewsit) not only recommended a read for this prompt but promised a review was forthcoming! Peat (@PeatLong) gave more than ample reason why this book was the most confounding of all!

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PROMPT SIX: GOBLINS

→ When I first saw this prompt go live, I was a bit confounded myself if I could relate to the topic at hand. Which is why I took to our #WyrdAndWonder feeds and started to talk to those who were posting their replies! I need to dive back into the feeds this week – as I took a bit of time away from keeping up with them. I love interacting with our participants on the tag and monitoring the conversations – everyone is kindly sharing so much about what they enjoy about Fantasy, the whole event is a giant fantastical hug of joy! Speaking of things – it turnt out, I do know a bit more about goblins than I first realised!

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Acquadimore (@acquadimore) gave me something to chew on whilst contemplating another novella – plus, let’s face it, the plants almost ‘steal’ the spotlight on the photos! Best bit here though are the some takeaways about the story itself – I love how creative we can get by disclosing certain things about a story we’ve read whilst having only a ‘tweet space’ to do it!

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The Fantasy Hive (@TheFantasyHive) reminded me I do KNOW about Goblins – I still remember the wicked good convo I had with my co-host Lisa about “Labyrinth” as I live tweeted my reactions as we watched the film together! I am hoping we’ll have another chance to do this again sometime – as we did it for “The Neverending Story”, too. We want to have fellow co-host Imyril join us one of these days as well as she missed both of the previous viewings and tweet fests.

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It was Eamon (@EamoCleary) who shared such a clever capture of the goblin in the Harry Potter universe which reminded me that yes, although I don’t oft find goblins in the Fantasy stories I’m personally reading and/or watching in film – I do have fond memories of seeing Harry Potter in its entirety in the theaters! Plus, I, too desire to get the illustrated Harry Potter series!

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Jen (@BookDen) went old school and reminded us about how #Tolkien still has a strong presence of joy for those of us who want to dive into the fantastical realms he’s left behind for us to find. This of course sparked a bit of a convo about how I still want to read Middle Earth in the order of Middle Earth as I have the full Histories and at the time, I thought I had all the interlocking stories but this Wyrd And Wonder I am thinking I might be missing one or two!? Hmm.

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Mike (@MikeEverestEvs) brought up a valid point about ‘orcs vs goblins’ – which of course I also enjoyed discussing with him! This is another reason I like how the prompts encourage everyone to respond in different ways – as there are many different aspects to the prompts on the surface of them but in this instance, it was a question about which species of goblins do you want to highlight and of course, the debate about what really is the difference between orcs vs goblins, etc.

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Caroline (@asweetdevouring) inspired me into talking about my experience with Discworld whilst I contemplated following in her stead and seeing what I’d find in this book as I do admit, I am rather curious about goblins and they are just not the kind of fantastical creatures I get to walk beside very often!

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James (@NotJamesLatimer) gave a lovely nod of interest towards one of our 3rd Year RALs which is for “The Goblin Emperor” which I know is knee deep into its discussions! Peter (@Eldrazi56) wanted us to know which story truly encompassed what he wanted out of a goblin story! Chris (@calmgrove) reminded us that our prompts also relate to art – as this something I’ve been talking about throughout the event this year – Fantasy isn’t just limited to books and films; there are games, musical scores, fashion, artwork – the sky is the limit!

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PROMPT SEVEN: UNDER-RATED

→ I could nearly consider that all the stories I read and pick up are generally not the most well-known series/authors – most are from Indie Authors and Publishers – so a lot of the times when I”m reading something I consider the fact it is either ‘under-rated’ or ‘unloved’ by most readers because it hasn’t yet hit the mainstream. Not that all stories need to hit the mainstream but I meant in regards of finding more readers & having a readership who looks outside the regular channels to find their stories/series/authors to be reading. This is not exclusive to Fantasy, either! This is also why I opted out of responding to this prompt because I could no more limit myself to ‘one’ selection than I could choose my favourite celestial star!

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I LOVED how Adeel (@Adeel_Reads) elected to focus on the author who inspired them to read and how this story still holds such a special presence in their lives! I felt that was such a wonderful way to celebrate the prompt to help lock eyes on unknown authors whilst re-celebrating how you first picked up the joy of reading! Rock on, Adeel!

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Given my affection for Susan Spann’s 16th Century Japanese series of Cosy Historical Mysteries (the #HiroHattoriNovels) I am definitely going to seek out this series to see if it might be a good fit for me as I happen to love reading Historical Fantasy and stories set in Japan! Thanks to Eamon (@EamoCleary) for sharing such a beautiful snapshot of the series!

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Jen (@BookDen) is trying to entice us with another lovely stack of books!

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Alas, someone else has started to talk about Arthurian Fantasy and retellings!! I am going to seek these two out along with the others I’ve been finding recommendations for throughout Wyrd And Wonder this year because this is a special niche of space I love to seek, too! Thanks, @natrosette!

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Mike (@MikeEverestEvs) reminds us that there are certain authors out there who can tap into the kind of story we immediately drawn an insta-liking towards because of the interpersonal way in which we connect to the story, the characters and the world being built for us to explore. I definitely have had moments like these myself and each time I do, I celebrate the author & the story because it is a wicked sweet find to have found!

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The Fantasy Hive (@TheFantasyHive) chimed in with another collective response to the prompt challenge wherein everyone had their own spin on what they considered ‘under-rated’. Peat (@PeatLon) gives a nod towards the under-rated books in their life. Rebecca (@GirlDaveReads) wants us to remember the Indies whilst we’re grabbing Fantasy books to read! (totally agree!) Nils (@nilsreviewsit) couldn’t wait to recommend a series they could not devour fast enough! Lisa (@deargeekplace) wants her two selections to get MORE #BOOKLOVE you all! James (@NotJamesLatimer) shared not ONE but TWO different tweet selections for this lovely prompt!

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PROMPT EIGHT: CAN’T WAIT TO READ

→ I could have tackled this one – but to be real, all the books I listed on my TBR this year celebrate this prompt! As I cannot stress it enough, I dearly want to get into each of those stories and see how many I can read and ruminate over before the event concludes.

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Mugfullofbooks (@mugfullofbooks) truly gave me a bit of joy (as I tweeted) as I was happy to see someone else had earmarked one of the Arthurian books I wanted to begin reading myself! It is wonderful having so many different readers join us each year – some of us share books in common, others inspire us by their own readings even if their not a good fit for us personally whilst the whole community we’ve helped nourish is happily sharing their Fantasy selections with the wider audience of whom finds us on #bookTwitter and in the book blogosphere.

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Eamon (@EamoCleary) reminds us it is NEVER too late to tackle a book and/or series we’ve been itching to read for a very, very long time! Which is why I happily responded to this post – as we share a mutual curiosity about Earthsea. 

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Rowena (@R_M__Andrews) shared how a book series has comics as well! I have recently started to get back into reading Graphic Novels and am always looking for more authors/series to find within the Speculative realms as I think those might be a good fit for me rather than the adventure stories I used to read when I was younger. I was glad someone was also highlighting stories outside the traditional scope – as comics, graphic novels, novellas, short stories, etc are all viable stories to share this #WyrdAndWonder!

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Jen (@BookDen) posted a cry for help to know which of these lovelies she should move to the TOP of her #mustread hands this Wyrd And Wonder! I tried to boost this tweet to give her a better chance at an answer, too! I wonder, which ones she was recommended to read immediately next and which ones did she read?

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Natrose (@natrosette) shares her Top 3x selections as her #cantwaittoread choices! Peat (@PeatLong) gave us a riddle to solve from their stack of #mustread next stories! Rebecca (@GirlDaveReads) is attempting to finish “Priory of the Orange Tree” which is the one book I was hoping to dive back into myself this 3rd Year. I was able to get it back from the library but sadly, I haven’t had the chance to open it! The collective at The Fantasy Hive (@TheFantasyHive) shares their #mustread lists of fantastical stories which is always a lot of fun – as they each have such interesting readerly personalities!

Lisa (@deargeekplace) wants us to know her next 3x selections but has an equally delightful stash of food to go with them! Sahi (@sahitya0506) is wanting to dive into backlist titles and wants to remind everyone not to forsake them for frontlist! Great advice! Though I regularly move between both and sometimes even the ‘out of print’ ones, too! Mike (@MikeEverestEvs) reveals buying a different copy to read vs the copy he wants to keep for prosperity due to how lovely the copy was originally! (am I the only one who can relate to this!? hope not!! lol)

Rounding out the tweeters for this prompt is Peter (@Eldrazi56) who had a lovely selection of stories he’s hoping to get inside!

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PROMPT NINE: #STACKSATURDAY

→ I’ve been having so many starts/stops this #WyrdAndWonder – I decided not to show how many stories I’m trying to read and digest each weekend because honestly I’ve fallen a bit behind in my readerly wanderings. Not just for May, but for 2020 overall – I am sure others are rowing that boat with me. It took me awhile to feel motivated to read again – too many IRL crises and/or illnesses, though thankfully not too many migraines – this month is not an exception. I’ve had a LOT of things going on IRL and the hours where I can spend reading/blogging/tweeting have become elusive and fleeting. Thereby without sharing my #StackSaturday now that it is buckling a bit now!

Which is why I keep telling myself – chill, you can always finish whatever you don’t get into this May in June and any month thereafter! Oy! We’re always hardest on ourselves, eh?

And, of course I hadn’t thought to do a #StackSaturday about the stories I’ve loved already and have happily shared on my blog! Oyy. I think I’m overthinking the prompts!

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Adeel (@Adeel_Reads) tipped me off to realising I might have been overthinking the prompts this year – as I had forgotten to respin this one into the ‘stories previously read & stack worthy!’ There are days where I think I really do overlook the obvious! Thanks, for the nod of a reminder, Adeel!

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Lynn (@LynnsBooks) has an every reader issue – which book to grab next and which book do I think I’ll enjoy reading after the last one? I love how the fern is trying to give the stack a hug in case one of the books gets a bit impatient awaiting her selection! Don’t you wonder if our books get a bit impatient with us as we’re working towards reading them? #randomthoughts

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Nils (@nilsreviewsit) never disappoints – another epic TBR stack – loved how the flowers and the butterfly offset the stack, too! Beautiful light shining in the background – I try to use natural light whenever I can but sometimes I can’t quite pull it off as I would prefer! Smashing entry!

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I think my jaw dropped! It is enough #OctoberDaye for days in this lovely entry by Lisa! I mean, if I had that stack in particular I wouldn’t have to worry about the books I’m trying to borrow from the library as this series for whichever reason has the weirdest ‘smells’ attached to the pages whenever I go to borrow the print books! I’m going to try to listen to it via audiobook instead but the only downturn there is that I seem to lack ‘time’ lately for reading and audiobooks! Oyy.. It also served as a reminder I am still stuck on “book two” — thanks for the kind nudge to get back  into it Lisa (@deargeekplace)!

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Rowena (@R_M__Andrews) reminds us of her love of Tamora Pierce! The Fantasy Hive (@TheFantasyHive) has a rather IMPRESSIVE set of stacks, including 50x by Orbit Books! My goodness that’s a wicked high stack! Mike (@MikeEverestEvs) gets a bit cheeky by how he’s showcasing his ‘stacks’ in this clever photo wherein you get to see a bit into his personal world. 

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PROMPT TEN: SPINE POETRY &/OR MUM’S DAY

→ I might tackle the #SPINEPOETRY for a latter post on Twitter – or I might include into a book tag I’ve been attempting for some of the prompts I’ve missed featuring on Twitter this month. Either way, I would have gone with the poetry option as I don’t oft get to read stories involving Mums and mothers and cherish the ones I am finding. I do have a mini-stack o’ books about Mums I’m trying to get into this year as their on my backlogue of reviews – yet in regards to Fantasy? Hmm. That’s trickier!?

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SPINE POETRY :

Eamon (@EamoCleary) happily wrote out the #spinepoetry which is something I like to do myself – they didn’t insert extra words like I had during #SciFiMonth last year but the beauty is being able to align the poem both visually and in words! #awesomesauce!

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The Fantasy Hive (@TheFantasyHive) truly out did themselves this time round!

MUM’S DAY:

Mike (@MikeEverestEvs) found an interesting entry – I was hoping to find someone who was going to post about their favourite motherly or maternal characters, thanks Mike!

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Lisa (@deargeekplace) elected to celebrate the Mum’s Day prompt, too!

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I also hope Caroline was able to get some helpful advice when she posted this tweet asking us @ Wyrd And Wonder which books she should make a high priority over the others in order to get the most out of her reading hours for the event?

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I wanted to take a short minute to THANK everyone who is participating this 3rd Year of #WyrdAndWonder with us – Imyril, Lisa and I are enjoying celebrating your journey into Fantasy whilst commending you on your efforts to share your fantastical passion with the world of readers – through social media and your blogs! Together we are shining a positive light of #bookJOY and #Fantasy love during a particular year where I think everyone needs the healthy distraction!

Also, this week I was plagued by horrid seasonal allergies and some wonky connectivity issues (Monday!) which is why this particular recapture of our #bookTwitter entries is arriving on a Tuesday! Now that I have the journalled format layout down pat and I have a way to search our archives on Twitter to find your lovely posts & prompt replies – next week’s post will be able to reach you on *Monday!* alongside Lisa & Imyril’s Quest Logs!

I am wicked thankful they passed this part of the Quest Logs on to me as it has been such a heap of joy to help host a way to ‘look back’ at where we’ve gone with the prompt challenge and look forward to what is coming along next! Remember – if I missed your reply to one of these prompts, kindly alert me in the comments with a link to your tweet!

This list wouldn’t have been possible without Lisa giving me a Google Doc List she had begun which I am continuing to use – allowing me to organise links and use it as a check-off list to ensure I have everyone featured per prompt. I am dearly grateful to her for creating the list and passing the torch to me to carry forward! I look forward to continuing to run these features this year and I hope I can be in charge of them again in our 4th Year as well. I feel like I have a knack for it now! You’ll just have to forgive me this week’s is running a day late!

→ Remember – I might have missed entries which ran past the original prompt dates – I’d love to still feature them and so, add a comment on this post!!

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Wyrd And Wonder 2020 banner created by Imyril. Image Credit: Flaming phoenix by Sujono Sujono from 123RF.com.
Wyrd And Wonder 2020 banner created by Imyril.
Image Credit: Flaming phoenix by Sujono Sujono from 123RF.com.

This is part of my showcases for a Fantasy event I am co-hosting during our 3rd Year of #WyrdAndWonder – follow us socially via @WyrdAndWonder – stalk our tag (across social media) and/or join us in a month long celebration of how the fantastical realms of Fantasy give you wicked JOY.

Ideas of how you can participate – an initial welcome post by my co-host Imyril as well as the first Quest Log (map into the book blogosphere for #WyrdAndWonder) and the first Roll Call Log by my co-host Lisa!

Be sure to visit my Announcement & TBR List!

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{SOURCES: Wyrd And Wonder Prompt Challenge 2020 graphic created by Imyril (Image Credit: Flaming phoenix by Sujono Sujono | Decorative phoenix by Tanantachai Sirival from 123RF.com). Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Wyrd And Wonder 2020 banner created by Imyril (Image Credit: Flaming phoenix by Sujono Sujono from 123RF.com) and is used with permission. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #WyrdAndWonder Year 3 banner, #WyrdAndWonder prompt Start Fantasy Here banner (using the book covers with permission of Seventh Star Press for the Leland Dragons series),  and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2020.

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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 Monday, 18 May, 2020 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event




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