#WyrdAndWonder #BookMail | We’re Going On An Adventure: Celebrating my book gifts to ring in Year 4 of @WyrdAndWonder!

Posted Sunday, 2 May, 2021 by jorielov 9 Comments

May Blog Calendar banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!!

You might have noticed the ‘changing of the guard’ via my Twitter feeds – wherein I took off the notation about I heart ?? and replaced it with @WyrdAndWonder?‍!! As well as switching out “Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter?? for Jorie | #WyrdAndWonder?‍?!!! I decided to get started a bit early on this week in getting everything situated for the start of the event I LOVE co-hosting with Imyril and Lisa every May and October!!

May is when we all go a bit wild over our mutual love of FANTASY and this year, wells, you could say I’ve gone to the MOON in my ambitious reading goals but rather than fully disclose what those are going to be – I’ll be sharing them book by book as I chase after my favourite subniches of Fantasy, tuck into my comfort reads of Middle Grade & Young Adult Fantasy and move outside some comfort zones when it comes to Adult Fantasy, too.

Right now, I’m celebrating the fact its MAY

and this is the MONTH of #WyrdAndWonder!! Won’t you join us?!

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#WyrdAndWonder Year 4 banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Fantasy truly is much more than a genre – it is an exploration of hidden worlds & themes which are universally appealling to a wide audience – crossing through all boundaries and uniting everyone together who finds a niche of Fantasy their jam. This is why we wanted to create a happy space to celebrate this wicked wonderful section of Speculative Fiction – to find the joy in what others are finding for themselves & uniting together to highlight every which way to Sunday Fantasy gives us a burst of #randomJOY and lifts our souls!

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Welcome to *Wyrd & Wonder*

Imyril, Lisa and I have delightfully planned a wicked #awesomesauce month of FANTASY celebration for you! This marks our 4th Year co-hosting #WyrdAndWonder and we couldn’t be happier knowing so many lovely bookish spirits are joining us again for this event!! It truly warms our hearts as it started off as such a humble event and now has become a beloved anchour to @SciFiMonth – wherein every May as a community we celebrate Science Fiction and every May, we celebrate Fantasy. Imyril and Lisa run #SciFiMonth but I’ve been truly blessed by their friendship as we’ve co-founded and run #WyrdAndWonder together.

You’ll have to let me know if you’re participating this year with us during #WyrdAndWonder in the comments below this post! Be sure to share a link to your most recent post for the event and I’ll happily be visiting with you soon! I might have even found your post before you found mine – as one of the joys for me as a co-host for the event is getting to travel through the book blogosphere and spend time with everyone. I love the diversity in our choices of subniches of Fantasy as much as which authors and stories are giving us wicked good selections of the genre itself.

This is the beauty of #WyrdAndWonder itself- of being able to escape into the realms of Fantasy and seek out the fantastical – however which way that might personally appeal to the reader and the seeker! Let us help you adventure with us whilst seeing what you’ve decided to read, listen or watch throughout May! I hope some of the authors I’ve read and reviewed over the years have sparked a curiosity in you to seek out yourself and likewise, I know I’ve been wicked inspired throughout the years to seek out new authors myself.

I’ve technically hidden the list of stories I’m reading this year for #WyrdAndWonder – its actually in plain sight but you’d have to understand my method of organisation as a book blogger to find it! Laughs with mirth. I’ve gone to the moon with ambition this Wyrd And Wonder. I’ve had such a hard luck year with reading, I’ve nearly slated the entire month free of blog tours in order to soak into the Fantasy stories I’ve been dearly wanting to read for quite a few years now. Quite a large number of these stories are off my backlogue as well and others are simply taking me by surprise for having a stop-gap in reading a series for two years! Two in particular really shocked me that its been such a long while since I’ve gushed and blogged about their series — just another sign that sometimes we don’t realise how stressful our lives are outside of our blogs.

I don’t know about you but I can’t wait to see which become my #unputdownable reads this May as much as I can’t wait to see the worlds & characters these authors have created for us. It goes without saying, nearly all the stories I’ll be reading this year are by either Indie Authors and/or Self-Published Authors. The two terms are sometimes interchangeable but I’ve tried to separate the two to reflect an Indie Author is independently published by a publisher or press outside of Major Trade.

Whether this is your fourth year or your first, we welcome you to #WyrdAndWonder! Join us as we dip our bookish hearts into this region of Speculative Fiction which gets us wickedly giddy with expectations and imaginative blissitudes!

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DAY ONE: We’re Going On An Adventure,…

Yes, we are — the beauty of this fourth year is I get to experience the stories I happily hosted through guest interviews & features last #WyrdAndWonder from the Indie publisher Odyssey Books courtesy of the #bookhaul you’re about to see by my lovely parents. Those stories were itching to be read last May but it wasn’t in the cards for me to sort out a way to borrow them. Last year, my library was a bit indifferent to large interlibrary loan requests and they had completely shut down their purchase requests. Unthinkable, eh? However, I sort of understood why (ie. global pandemic!) but technically it put a wench into a lot of my plans last year.

This year, I wanted to focus on the lovely unexpected journeys I’m taking this Wyrd And Wonder rather than the pre-planned readings which I’ve been sorting out ever since last year’s event ended! Yes, I really did get back to work planning what I wanted to read during Years 4 & 5 (in 2022!). The following stories unexpected found a way into my life and truly gave me a heap of BOOKISH JOY to discover I can soak into these worlds and get to know these authors!!

One in particular was a gift I gave myself when I hadn’t realised a beloved author has a NEW BOOK out this year!! Imagine that?! I get so far behind on author’s news and despite trying to subscribe to their newsletters, I lose them quite frequently because I don’t read them as oft as I should. I tend to read them in batches – you know, like every quarter of the year? Despite that fatal flaw, I strive to keep in the loop with authors I love to read and this Wyrd And Wonder, I was able to make a purchase which inadvertedly helped me continue reading a series by this author, too! I hadn’t realised there was a connection when I ordered the book either! Isn’t that grand?!

The one book I hadn’t thought I’d be able to read AT ALL is our group read: THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER. When the poll was released about the RAL this year, I thought I was happily able to finally join the group read as my library had purchased THE UNBROKEN. However, the poll swung the other way and BONE SHARD won out. Guess who received a special surprise BOOKMAIL? Ooh, that would be me and it was such a wicked sweet lift of spirits — I had such a hard April with my health that it was such a brilliantly timed book to receive! So much so, I could start adventuring with everyone else during our kick-off weekend!!

As I chase my fantastical reads this Wyrd And Wonder, I wonder, are you going to join us on our adventures into Fantasy? And, if so, which worlds and authors are you excited about adventuring after!?

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A seriously lovely #bookhaul from Mum & Da:

#WyrdAndWonder #bookhaul collage banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: jorielovesastory.com

NOTE: “Esme’s Wish” and “The Monster Apprentice” were sent to me last year by the authors

I am so stoked I can read the sequel to “The Monster Apprentice” because I was captured by the world I had read last year to the point where by the time I reached the ending – I was deflated because I ached to know ‘more’ and to take the next part of the journey with those characters! I didn’t want to ‘let it lie’ there and not know what happened next! Similarly to how I felt after I read “Esme’s Wish” — I hadn’t known I’d have the chance to receive “Esme’s Gift” to read either! This one was offered by the author and the only book my parents did not purchase from the list disclosed below.

All the other novels were referenced, talked about and featured throughout Wyrd And Wonder’s Year 3 — each of them in turn were stories I would have loved to have read during the event but without a way to source them. Imagine my happy surprise realising my parents remembered that anguish and found a way to have me disappear into these stories and worlds and discover them for myself?! Talk about an EPIC adventure waiting for me !! Just to see them up close and personal is a treat for the eyes and I can’t wait to see what I’ll be inspired to discuss as I go through them one by one!!

Top cheers to parents and family who ‘get it’ and know how to gobsmack us with their surprises!!

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This lovely #bookhaul features stories from @OdysseyBooks (visit their website)
as you might remember, I hosted their authors last year:

* Felicity Banks (The Princess and the Pirate)
@FBanksBooks | Website
last year I read & reviewed The Monster Apprentice

* Carolyn Denman (Songlines)
@CDenmanAuthor | Website
last year I hosted an interview about the Sentinel of Eden series

* K.J. Taylor (The Shadow of the Skytree)
@WorldStitcher | Website
last year I hosted an interview about “The Shadow of the Skytree”

* Kathryn Gossow (Cassandra)
@KathrynGossow | Website
last year I hosted an interview about “Cassandra”

* Rachel Nightingale (All 3x stories of the Tales of Tarya!)
@NightingaleRA | Website
last year I hosted a guest post about the Tales of Tarya

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with one exception, I did receive one for review consideration:

* Elizabeth Foster (Esme’s Gift)
@e_foster3 | Website
last year I read & reviewed Esme’s Wish

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A wicked lovely gift from my friend & co-host Imyril:

#WyrdAndWonder readalong banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: jorielovesastory.com

I wasn’t even sure if I could handle this story – as I originally was going to host a RAL myself this Wyrd And Wonder for Marcus Lee’s Dark Fantasy series – wherein, I was going to host a reading of the first novel (see also Review). With everything that happened during the first quarter of the year, I decided to not re-examine that world at this time as it took so much out of me emotionally just to finish reading the trilogy (see also Review). However, I trust Imyril who knows my readerly habits and of course, I read the premise and knew even if it was outside my comfort zones – I wanted to read the group read book this year.

I regularly challenge myself to read harder and deeper into different genres – including picking up books I might not normally read and this particular book I knew was going to be a challenge which to be honest was the whole appeal for it to be read! Once it arrived though – wow. What a book! The interior was blessed with a map (though the font was hard for me to decipher) and the internal pages were lovingly designed. I have the UK edition which I prefer because it is such a lovely edition to be able to read!! I tend to have a preference for UK editions and so, this gift kept giving me reasons to SMILE and feel thankful to have such a keen friend to give me this unexpected JOY. 

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And, a *special!* surprise I gifted myself:

#WyrdAndWonder gift to self banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: jorielovesastory.com

As foresaid, I hadn’t realised Ms Chris had published a NEW book this year until a few weeks leading into Wyrd And Wonder. I read the premise for #TransWitch and fell hard for it! I have already LOVED her Trans-Continental series – as I listened to the first audiobook of the series 2x years ago (3x by this year’s #SciFiMonth) and regret I couldn’t pull my thoughts together into a review at the time. I was having back to back migraines and honestly, my brain was mush but the story! Ooh my! I loved the story and the universe it was set inside as it was a bit of a cross between Alternative History and Steampunk with a transgender main character — told through the lens of an #ownvoices author.

I believe you all might have noticed my affection and admiration for the Tipsy Fairy Tale series!? I regularly chatter about it on Twitter and throughout my blog – most of the series is comedic and wildly hilarious to read – however, when Ms Chris sent me “Mean Spirit” to read and review last year, I thought I was ready to tackle the dramatic conclusion – as at the end of the second novel in the trilogy things really got real all of a sudden. There are some darker undertones in the series and some heavy drama happening too but in “Mean Spirit” it all comes to a head and I knew KNEW it was going to be a seriously emotional read for me as a reader. (see also Blue Spirit and Restless Spirit)

I had already queued myself to read “Mean Spirit” this Wyrd And Wonder – but I hadn’t known about #TransWitch! When I found out, wow. I was captured by the premise and after it arrived I learnt it is inclusive of the universe in which she and Mr Sullivan (ie. RJ Sullivan) created as they share this universe through their characters which they each ‘borrow’ time after time – (see also this Info page with links about their shared universe via RJ Sullivan’s website) — so in theory, I stumbled into the ‘next’ story to read post-Tipsy Fairy Tales! Isn’t that grand?! I know I’m going to need a comforting read,…

And, technically I went on a bit of a #bookhaul – #TransWitch isn’t the only book I purchased but the rest of the books will have to be disclosed at a latter date – in particular when I announce my readings for #SciFiMonth! Shh!

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Have you read any of these lovelies!? Which authors did I feature last year that were added to your own TBR? Be sure to keep tabs on my readerly tweets throughout #WyrdAndWonder to know when I read and share a review for one of these titles if you want to see my reactions & ruminations! Not to mention – what did you think about finding out my favourite Urban Fantasy series featuring the fey has a new secondary series attached to the wilder universe in which it resides with the release of #TransWitch?

During Day ONE, I *devoured!* a Middle Grade Fantasy novel set in Turkey called “Dalya and the Magic Ink Bottle” (see also my Review) which was a book I discovered through NetGalley but had to seek a purchase request at my library in order to read and review. (long story!) I finished my journey with the Marvelwood Magicians as well – as it became quite the audio journey for me getting to spend time with a family of circus performers and peer into the darkness evading their world! You’ll be able to read that review on Day TWO.

As I queue myself to start reading the next two installments of the Magical Midway series – be sure to check out my thoughts on behalf of the following novels: Book One | Book Two | Book Three. Meanwhile, I’m going to disappear into the first 3x chapters of #BoneShardDaughter as our second day of Wyrd And Wonder starts to take shape around the world. Be sure to follow our feeds – all 3x co-hosts as well as the event’s feeds, too! Plus, Imyril is going to be doing her event logs every week to keep everyone connected.

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And, *drumroll!* if this is your first visit to Jorie Loves A Story during Wyrd And Wonder – let me introduce you to the stories & authors I’ve had the pleasure of reading throughout the past years:

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Year One : Wyrd And Wonder:

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Liminal Lights by J.M. Bogart (Middle Grade Fantasy)

Frozen Fairy Tales (anthology) by World Weaver Press (Fantasy)

The Magic Cup by Howard Behar (short story)

The Breedling & the Trickster by Kimberlee Ann Bastian (Magical Realism)

Heroes Best Friend (anthology) by Seventh Star Press

Unspun: Anthology (focus on) Kaki Olsen (Re-told Fairy Tales)

Woven by Bree Moore (audiobook) (Fantasy)

Shifty (anthology) by Marian Allen (Fantasy)

← technically this was our #SpooktasticReads mini-event!

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Year Two : Wyrd And Wonder:

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#25PagePreview for WyrdAndwonder feat.

Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha, Book One) by Tasha Suri (Epic Fantasy)

Adrift (Staying Afloat, Book One) by Isabelle Adler (Space Opera)

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (Dragon Fiction)

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Nebula Awards Showcase 2016 (edited by) Mercedes Lackey (Speculative Fiction Anthology)

Heir to the Lamp by Michelle Lowry Combs (Young Adult Fantasy)

The Sun and Moon Beneath the Stars by K. Parr (Upper YA Fantasy)

Mark of the Raven & Flight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse (High Fantasy, INSPY)

Lost on the Water by D.G. Driver (Fantasy, Ghost Story, YA Fantasy)

The Haunting of Hillwood Farm by Kathryn Knight (see also my Notes)

To Court a Queen by H.L. Burke (Fantasy Romance)

Tiger Lily by Wendy Dikec (aka Abigail Drake) (Urban Fantasy, Fantasy Romance)

Sea of Lost Souls by Emerald Dodge (Urban Fantasy, Mythological Fantasy)

The Magical Midway series by Leanne Leeds: (Cosy Mystery, Urban Fantasy)

Witchiest Witch On Earth (book one)

Life on the Lion (book two)

Unbearable Magic (book three)

library loan requests for #wyrdandwonder year two:

ADRIFT by Isabelle Adler *my purchase request (#ReviewPit author) (Space Opera)

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Year Three: Wyrd And Wonder:

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The Monster Apprentice by Felicity Banks (Middle Grade Fantasy)

Ultra Squad: Adventures Under the Strangebow by Julia Devillers (Graphic Novel)

Solomon’s Bell by Michelle Lowery Combs (YA Fantasy, Stories of the Jinn)

Ariella and the Curse of Dawnhaven by Owen Crane (Middle Grade Fantasy)

Cycles of Norse Mythology (Cycle One) by Glenn Searfoss (Norse Mythos)

Esme’s Wish by Elizabeth Foster (Middle Grade Fantasy)

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Kindly visit my co-hosts:

Lisa + Imyril

Be sure to keep a watchful eye on our @WyrdAndWonder feeds for the content we’ll be sharing our event has encouraged to be developed for the month! We are happily ready to start visiting blogs & start the Fantastical conversations which we know will be enjoyed by all who LOVE Fantasy!

Wyrd And Wonder banner 2021 (Pegasus) provided by Imyril and is used with permission. Wyrd And Wonder banner 2021 (Pegasus) Image Credit: by Svetlana Alyuk on 123RF.com.

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{SOURCES: Photography Credit: © jorielovesastory.com for all  book photography shown on this post. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Wyrd And Wonder 2021 banner and button created by Imyril (Image Credit: Pegasus by Svetlana Alyuk on 123RF.com) and is used with permission. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #WyrdAndWonder Year 4 banner, May Calendar banner, #WyrdAndWonder banners feat. Gift to Self, #bookhaul and Year 4 RAL and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2021.

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 Sunday, 2 May, 2021 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event




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9 responses to “#WyrdAndWonder #BookMail | We’re Going On An Adventure: Celebrating my book gifts to ring in Year 4 of @WyrdAndWonder!

  1. Hi Jorie!

    This looks like a wonderful list! I’m glad you enjoyed the Transcontinental series. I think I have that on my TBR right now (hoping to get to it someday). I’m also happy to see you’ll be participating in the read along of The Bone Shard Daughter even though it’s a bit out of your comfort zone! I hadn’t planned on reading it either, but the read along convinced me. Imyril does have good taste, so I’m sure it’ll be fantastic.

    • Ooh thank you for saying Middle Grade Fantasy is your comfort read, too!! Rock on, Zezee!! You’ll be happy to know I’ll be featuring more MG stories throughout May, too! Including a short story about Gnomes on audiobook!!

      I am wicked thrilled everyone is appreciating my retrospective on past years of W&W; I know we’re all striving to all we can each year but last May, with 5x migraines I was seriously impressed with both the stories I read and the author showcases I could feature. A good reminder to always do what we can and find happiness in what that can yield.

      Very happy you’ve swung by tonight!!

    • Hallo, Hallo Dianthaa,

      Wicked happy seeing you stop by my blog! :) If you journey and nose round my blog, due drop me notes on the posts you scope out — all comments are open!! :) I’d love to hear your thoughts/reactions and if any of what I’ve reviewed in the past whet a thirst of interest to be read or added to your TBR!

      Definitely, do! :) Grab the idea and use it next year!! I’m so grateful you’re the second person whose seen and loved this idea this weekend!! Eek. Love it when this happens!!

      Happy Wyrd And Wonder and I know — I had such a brilliant time overnight releasing 2x reviews and this Intro Post!! We’re off and running this Year 4!!!

    • *waves!* Hallo, Hallo Annemieke,

      I can’t wait to visit your blog this afternoon, per my tweets about #FindAGrave moments ago, I’m so overwhelmed by the heat & humidity trying to give someone a RAK – I’m listening to music, drafting my #UnconquerableRAL post (for the first week’s reads) and trying to sort when I can put the discussion therein whilst decompressing until my temperature realigns with itself. Aye. #hateSummer (yes it comes early here – we get zero Spring except for the POLLEN).

      Ooh that legacy list of reviews I started adding during my intro posts to Wyrd And Wonder – I think a few years back!? I knew new participants wouldn’t have seen them and regular adventurers might never had the chance to swing into my blog either – as we’re all working hard on our own fantastical adventures every May – so I did that as a lovely round-up for everyone to spy out #nextreads every May when we’re all announcing ourselves. Thanks for saying you thought it was a good idea!!! :) :)

      Ooh so do I!! I am off to a good start – I’ll be 3x for 3x by tomorrow with my reads & reviews and I released 3x posts overnight – day one & two’s reviews plus the intro and even managed the Twitter announcements, too! Eek. #WyrdAndWonder always helps renew my spirits and helps me reclaim my bookish soul. I’m so thankful for it every year.

      Yes!!! I hope so as well – I already had 4x weeks of horrid health and several off/on migraines in April so *fingers crossed* this MAY will be the first in the history of W&W where I’ll get through it migraine-free! Top cheers for that if it comes true!! Bless you.

      Thanks for stopping by… I’ll be by soon!!

    • Hallo, Hallo Rebecca!!

      Thanks for stopping by my blog and celebrating #WyrdAndWonder with me!! I am quite excited about seeing what everyone is going to be doing this year as well! I am actually ahead of schedule this year – which is incredible and blesseldy migraine-free so I can enjoy the event a bit more as well. I look forward to seeing what you’re sharing on your lovely book blog, too! Thanks for dropping by and I hope some of the stories I’ll be blogging about this month might interest you, too. Happy Wyrd And Wonder!!

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