Month: November 2022

#TopTenTuesday XXI: A #SciFiMonth Top Ten : Bending Time and becoming a time traveller

Posted Tuesday, 8 November, 2022 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

#TopTenTuesday banner created by Jorie in Canva.

#TopTenTuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

There are moments I’ve curated lists rooted in the official topics of this meme as shared by the host whereas at other times, I’ve gone a bit rogue like other book bloggers wherein we curate our own topics to respond to during the weekly share of #TopTenTuesday. I’ve also re-spun this meme to participate in blog tours and/or featured events within the blogosphere which are as follows:

Visit my #TopTenTuesday archives

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Bending Time and becoming a time traveller
during the 10 years of #SciFiMonth or outside of it
| Hostess List

#SciFiMonth banner for 2022 created by Imryil and is used with permission.
Image Credit: SciFiMonth artwork is by the amazingly talented Simon Fetscher.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

A bit about why I love reading stories of Time Travel,
Time Shift & Time Bent narratives in Science Fiction
or across genres of interest where writers fuse
time into the backbone of their stories:

I originally tackled this topic during #SciFiMonth when I shared this post about why I love travelling through time and what it is about time travel narratives in all their incarnations which locks me into their vortexes as a reader. That was written during the first year of @SciFiMonth in [2013] and I have expanded on my JOY of this section of Speculative Literature in the ten years since I wrote it. This post will explore those stories I’ve discovered and those writers who have continued to give me wicked good reads whilst travelling through time and bending my bookish heart into evocative stories which celebrate and champion our pursuit of travelling outside of our own lifetimes through fictional encounters of time winders and benders.

As aside from reading time bending narratives, I’ve also hosted an array of guest features and posts by writers who write these stories as well. In case you wanted to hop through my archives to find out which stories and authors were featured – here is a quick guide:

  • Guest Post: A Suffragette in Time by Connie Lacy
  • Guest Post: The Angel of Time series by E. Graziani
  • Interview: The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson
  • Interview: Daughters of the Silk Road by Debbie Rix
  • Interview: The Particular Appeal of Gillian Pugsley by Susan Ornbratt
  • Interview: about the Reincarnionist series by MJ Rose
  • Guest Post: On Time Slips by Christina Courtenay
  • Interview: About writing “To Live Forever” by Andra Watkins

I read a considerable selection of Time Travelling & Time Bending stories – all of which were wickedly delightful and devoured:

Whilst I’ve also featured a few of them as well ahead of reading:

As much as there were a few which left me conflicted after reading them:

And, there was one story that felt like a slip in time but wasn’t a traditional time slip novel:

You might also take stock of the fact I happen to read a heap of time narratives within the context and construct of Historical Fiction moreso than I actually do in Science Fiction. Although I would lament that ALL time narratives are part of Science Fiction on some level because of the ways in which time affects and intervenes on behalf of the characters and their journeys within those stories. However, I do hope I can start to read and seek out more time bent, time shift and time travelling stories within the main sphere of Science Fiction a bit more moving forward as I do have the tendency to become smitten and charmed by the writers of Historical Fiction who are giving me wicked good time adventures!

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

#SciFiMonth 2022 Top Ten Prompt graphic created by Imyril and is used with permission.
Image Credit: SciFiMonth artwork is by the amazingly talented Simon Fetscher.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Top tens for our tenth year

We loved having weekly Favourite Fives for Wyrd & Wonder’s fifth birthday, so it’s only right to go full Top Tens for SciFiMonth’s tenth! But what are those weekly topics?

  • Previously, On SciFiMonth: SFnal books / films / shows / games you enjoyed or were introduced to during SciFiMonth in the past
  • Turn Back Time: feature tales about time travel or shout about classic SF titles
  • To Boldly Go: contribute to RunalongWomble’s excellent #SmallPressBigStories initiative with a top ten focusing on stories published by independent and small presses
  • One Small Step: sure we love a sprawling space opera, but this week is for celebrating short stories, novellas and novelettes
  • Can’t Stop The Signal: SciFiMonth is all about the community – share your favourite SF blogs we should follow

as it was disclosed via Imyril @ There’s Always Room for One More

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

As you can tell, I read an incredible amount of time bending stories as a book blogger & as a reader who appreciates seeing how writers elect to bend time within their story and world. It is an interesting concept and everyone has a different spin on enticing us into their time slip, time bent or time travelling narrative. Narrowing this list down to a Top Ten List was most difficult because some of the stories I’ve championed in the past I decided to let shine in the background this time round and chose instead to feature other stories I’ve discovered in more recent years that are equally ringing true to me as being top favourite reads in this particular genre of interest.

You’ll also notice a bit of a trend – whereas I am sure others who are participating in this post challenge might be focused more on Science Fiction time bending stories — I’ve taken a bit of a different route of exploration! Mostly because a LOT of my travels in time are through the Historical Fiction realms moreso than Science Fiction! I’ve chosen to link to other reviews in the top half of this post in case you wanted to see which stories I’ve read which also parlay into this subject of interest and perhaps expand your own TBR as well. I decided to include guest features in case you wanted to see which authors responded to my topics and/or of whom conversed with me on different subjects interlinked to their stories.

A very hard list to compile this week – not to mention the fact it was doubly hard with a severe migraine which pushed me offline and kept postponing this to be shared! It was one of those sledgehammer migraines which affects me for days and takes more days to recover from — even by Saturday (the 12th) as I was working on the edits for this and backposting it to Tuesday when I originally wanted to have it featured — my head was throbbing and driving me bonkers! Yet, it proved to be a distraction I needed, and I took several breaks to give my head a break from the computer in order to get this finalised.

I look forward to visiting with others who have responded to this prompt, and I hope they will spend a bit of time on this response as well and let me know if any of the stories I’m featuring might become #nextreads of their own!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

No. 1 | Christmas Once Again by Jina Bacarr : Historical Time Travel

→ selected quotations are from my review of this novel

There are moments in our readerly lives where we discover a story and a writer who change our perception of how a story can both be told and experienced. I learnt a lot about this novel ahead of reading it but when my library purchased it for me in [2019] it was truly the gift I needed as a reader because I knew I didn’t have the ability to purchase the novel myself at that time. I still haven’t had the chance to gather a copy of this novel for myself — something I both regret and realise just couldn’t have happened at the time of its original release. It is definitely a book I want to gather as soon as I can however since I’ve read it and had such a strong connection to it as a reader – the title of the novel has changed to Her Lost Love.

And, yes, I suppose that makes sense – both in title and in the fact, I had a feeling it was done for marketing reasons as sometimes holiday specific titles are overlooked by certain readers (or so I’ve been told, this doesn’t apply to me personally!) but for me, the original title is truly at the heart of the story and what pulled me into the realms of the story itself. Sometimes I wish stories can just remain as they were and be celebrated as they are rather than having to become re-packaged. It is my goal to find a copy of this novel in its original state and hopefully one day it will be on my personal library shelves.

Read More

Divider

Posted Tuesday, 8 November, 2022 by jorielov in #SciFiMonth, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Sci-Fi November, Top Ten Tuesday

10 Bookish (& Not-Bookish Thoughts) XIII: A #SciFiMonth Top Ten : Stories & Inkslayers I discovered during @SciFiMonth!

Posted Thursday, 3 November, 2022 by jorielov 2 Comments

10 Bookish Not Bookish Thoughts banner created by Jorie in Canva.

I’ve honestly wanted to start participating in this weekly meme in 2014, however, I would always seem to get distracted during the hours leading up to Thursdays OR completely forget to compose my thoughts for this meme until into the weekend; at which point, the time had come and gone. I like the fact we can exchange thoughts percolating in our minds that run the gambit of the bookish world, creative outlets, or thoughts we want to share that might show a bit more about who we are behind the bookish blog we maintain. I am going to attempt to thread the journal of my 10 Bookish / Not Bookish Thoughts by order of the entries arrival into my life rather than a preference of 1-10.

BE SURE to visit my FIRST ENTRY: Bookish Not Bookish No.1

BE SURE to visit my 2nd ENTRY: Bookish Not Bookish No.6

And, my 3rd ENTRY: Bookish Not Bookish No.10
– a #SciFiMonth Book Tag AND Spine Poetry!

as well as my 4th ENTRY: Bookish Not Bookish No.11

my 5th ENTRY: Bookish Not Bookish No. 12
– a #SciFiMonth Book Tag, Spine Poetry AND Meet the SF Reader!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

A list of 10 Stories & Inkslayers I discovered
during the 10 years of #SciFiMonth
| Hostess List

#SciFiMonth banner for 2022 created by Imryil and is used with permission.
Image Credit: SciFiMonth artwork is by the amazingly talented Simon Fetscher.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

A bit about why I love joining #SciFiMonth every year:

*waves!* to my fellow Sci Fi Geeks who are embarking on their own literary and cross-media journey this Sci Fi November! I decided to continue to break the mould of how I am announcing my #SciFiMonth adventures here on Jorie Loves A Story by using the prompts provided by #SciFiMonth and using those as a stepping stone of entrance into the event as I truly enjoyed doing this in years past. Its become a NEW tradition for me during the event!

Ever since I was a Young Astronaut as a kid you could say I’ve had this long seeded appreciation for the Cosmos, Astrophysics, Astronomy, Cosmology and Astronautics. When it comes to sorting out which stories I want to endeavour to read during #SciFiMonth every year, I get wicked giddy about seeking out Space Opera stories and all the lovely sub-genres which pull us into the further reaches of space and the explorations we can seek out the universe.

This was more aptly seen when I was reading through the 3x trilogies of #TheClanChronicles which to this day is one of my favourite series I’ve read, blogged and ruminated over as a book blogger. It was such a transformative experience for a girl who loves the stars and a Spacer lifestyle. Do visit those reviews if you’ve ever wanted to seek out a Hard SciFi series which grips you from the first story and holds you glued into its heart until the very last page is read. It is both epic and dramatically emotional to read because of how Czerneda writes such a smashingly realistic series which feels as if you’ve lived those lives by the time you’ve reached the conclusion. The only part of the series I haven’t yet read are the “Stories of Plexis” which is a fan-based anthology of shorts set on Plexis and involve the characters and/or other aspects of life on Plexis which is set in the Clan Chronicles universe. And, that dear hearts is changing this #SciFiMonth! You’ll have to await further posts to find out how and why!

From the stories we read, to the tv series and/or films we’re watching as a purveyor of Science Fiction worlds & lives. We tend to ‘bear witness’ to the genre simply by consuming our own personal route of its content & consume a larger sense of our world through the stories which are speaking directly to our future selves inasmuch as they are trying to evoke a conversation with our modern world.

It is quite impressive how we have the chance to remain on the threshold of where a genre can direct itself forward – to be on the springboard of change & innovation and to celebrate the voices on the Indie side of the ledger who are shattering expectations and giving us wicked good reads. But most of all – we all bear witness to the community of Science Fiction whenever we come together as a community and continue the event founded by Rinn @ Rinn Reads.

We owe her a sincere note of gratitude for INSPIRING us to follow this pursuit and to continue to create the community in which we all have become explorers seeking what whets a thirst of curiosity to discover & share throughout November each and every year since [2013]. Here’s to Imyril & Lisa – for giving their devotion and dedication to an event which would not quite be the same without their tireless efforts to keep us united and to collectively build new bridges of community with everyone who is socially bookish and wants to share our mutual passions of Science Fiction with each other.

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

#SciFiMonth 2022 Top Ten Prompt graphic created by Imyril and is used with permission.
Image Credit: SciFiMonth artwork is by the amazingly talented Simon Fetscher.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Top tens for our tenth year

We loved having weekly Favourite Fives for Wyrd & Wonder’s fifth birthday, so it’s only right to go full Top Tens for SciFiMonth’s tenth! But what are those weekly topics?

  • Previously, On SciFiMonth: SFnal books / films / shows / games you enjoyed or were introduced to during SciFiMonth in the past
  • Turn Back Time: feature tales about time travel or shout about classic SF titles
  • To Boldly Go: contribute to RunalongWomble’s excellent #SmallPressBigStories initiative with a top ten focusing on stories published by independent and small presses
  • One Small Step: sure we love a sprawling space opera, but this week is for celebrating short stories, novellas and novelettes
  • Can’t Stop The Signal: SciFiMonth is all about the community – share your favourite SF blogs we should follow

as it was disclosed via Imyril @ There’s Always Room for One More

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

No. 1 | Doctor Who : yes, I became a Whovian during #SciFiMonth!

When I saw the first prompted topic, I *knew!* I had to mention becoming a Whovian first and foremost because the community of #SciFiMonth in 2013 quite literally had a hand in how I discovered Who and to which of the episodes and seasons I inter-library loaned through my local library in order to dive deep into the series whilst at the same time gathering a firm knowledge of what anchoured all other Whovians into the world of “Doctor Who!” Towards that end, if you’ve never read this post (ie. Diary of Nu-Whovian) I suggest that you make a segue over to it! Whilst at the same time, I also shared this post about my first week experiencing “Doctor Who” — from there I must admit, time was not my friend and as my Mum, Da & I all DEVOURED the Doctor’s adventures, companions and travels – it became quite apparent to keep blogging about those experiences would have been especially harder than the JOY it was giving me as a watcher!

I also had the pleasure of sharing a guest post by a fellow book blogger who was a devout Whovian herself and of whom shortly thereafter retired from blogging. We were meant to continue to write guest posts & features on each others’ blogs but it wasn’t meant to be sadly.

It was David Tennant and Matt Smith who captured my heart & eye for Who and afterwards, my next favourite Doctor was Peter Capaldi. Thereby, I loved Doctors 10, 11 & 12. I’m most eager to see the new 2023 series featuring the 15th Doctor as well. I attempted to watch the 13th Doctor but for whichever reason I simply couldn’t get a rhythm into that series and gave up trying to make it work for me. It was a bit ironic as well because I thought for sure I’d find that series to be my jam but in the end, I longed for the other series’ and other Doctors. Plus for me, I fell emotionally hard into Capaldi’s journey as the Doctor as I binged it one Christmas and after that, I think my heart just was wrecked to move forward so soon after that experience.

Read More

Divider

Posted Thursday, 3 November, 2022 by jorielov in #SciFiMonth, 10 Bookish (& Not-So-Bookish Thoughts), Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Sci-Fi November