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 its 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:
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What are you currently reading!?
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What did you recently finish reading!?
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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!
Join the Convo via: #WWWWednesday on all socials
Follow the host via Bookstagram!
Is it Spring? Or has Winter given us a few more days?
I am happy to have cooler weather lingering a bit before Spring grabs hold of us because Spring tends to be the jumpstart to Summer round here and Summer is a wrath of humidity & heat I daresay I could permanently take a vacation from seeing arrive!
At the end of MARCH, I will be ringing in my 12th blogoversary on the 31st! Can you imagine? I can barely fathom how a decade and two years have come and gone already! I still feel like I am still in the throes of my bookish and readerly goals – still seeking to explore more on my blog in regards to how and what I discuss in book world and wickedly delighted for the next stories I’ll be reading! I suppose that’s a healthy way to look at it too – knowing that you still have things to explore in literature whilst still happy to engage in the bookish community of book bloggers, too!
I know I’ve fallen a bit short on the engagement levels the last several years, but this year, I have a new organisational system I’m using to sort out where I’ve visited and to whom I want to visit with next and then, continue to make my rounds accordingly thereafter. It is helping me remember where I’ve been as with my work life – I find myself sometimes forgetting those details! I also want to be better engaged this year overall and this is my way of reaffirming those connections and happily getting back into communicating more with those who are blogging about the stories and topics I love to read about too.
I gave myself an *extra special* 12th Year Blogoversary gift, too, but mum’s the word until lateron in the month, okay!? It will be a lovely *big!* reveal – both on my blog and on my #bookstagram too!
For now, I’m *celebrating!* where I am with my readerly goals this month – I had a hard-won start to (2025) in respect to reading and finishing the stories I had started last year. I’ve been wanting to write so many WWWs and Sunday Posts since November it’s not even funny! I decided to return to WWW as a way to keep myself on target and also as a self-check of where I am currently with my readings. Again, I’m striving towards better work/life balance and when your work life is as chaotic as mine has become – you’d like to find what works for you and run with it! Laughs.
I was proud of myself of reading three books which took me far longer to read than I felt were possible between January and February. Whilst it was also a moment where I took a lark of a chance on a #newtomeauthor and came away with such a dramatically riveting read! She’s also become a wicked new favourite author for Cosy Crime! I’m still on the fence if I’d consider her series Cosy Historical Mysteries or Historical Cosy Crime – the difference being there are elements in her stories which breach traditionally ‘Cosy’ frameworks and are better suited to Cosy Crime which aren’t fully of those constraints. At least by my experiences as a reader. For me Cosy Crime is a slightly past traditional Cosy but not full-on Hard-Boiled either! It is like a step betwixt and between the two!
I’m also so EXCITED about the books on my shelf right now OVERALL. I have some seriously awesomesauce reads happening and more #bookpost news to share as the days move forward, too!
Yesterday, I was able to share my JOYFUL receival of the Chronos Chronicles series by Shami Stovall – as viewed here on my #bookstagram post about it! You’ll spy Time-Marked Warlock on this post!
And, without further ado, let’s dive into what I’m reading and which stories I’ve recently read!
What Jorie is currently reading:
My Heart is Hurting by S.E. Reed* (see also Review)
A Guardian Till Christmas by Danielle Thorne
Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall
And, two wildcard selections not pictured:
Death on the Golden Mile by Caleb Wygal
(Myrtle Beach Mysteries, Book Three)
In Every Life by Rea Frey
*this review went live ahead of this post
Originally, I was planning to feature this WWW last week rather than this week – but last week everything went to heck and a handbasket work wise and my heart just wasn’t into writing this post to be honest! Frowns. Therefore, my review for My Heart is Hurting went live on Friday, the 7th – even though technically it was meant to be featured on Thursday, the 6th. I was juggling everything and was overwhelmed greatly by ALL that was happening to the brink having it arrive on Friday was better suited for me personally and I hoped didn’t affect the overall blog tour by having it featured a day late. I had a lot of mixed emotions and reactions to this story, too. So much so, I am hopeful what I tried to convey about my own personal journey with the story resonates with those who read the review, and they understand the heartache I had with it.
It was one of those stories where there was eloquence and beautiful imagery of Magical Realism set into the everyday world which were just wicked awesome – yet, it was countered by brutal trauma and drama which I felt went over the top for where the novel had built itself into a foundation of reading into such a dearly different story! I was heartbroken for Jinny in the end and left with a sour aftertaste having finished the novel. I was very open with my thoughts in my review and discussing what was working and not working for me whilst owning to the fact I did not want to outright spoilt the story for anyone who hadn’t picked up the novel. I did my best to walk that line and tried to hold it as best I could – but there was so much to unpack and talk about after finishing it. I just felt in my mind, the author made a few left turns in the last quarter of the novel wherein up until then – it was reading and tracking to take us into such a different ‘place’ of exit. I was gravely disappointed.
And, this can happen whenever I take a chance on a new author to read. It was my first BBNYA authors to read, too, and despite the optimistic hope I had for Jinny’s story – I sadly realised overall the novel was just not my cuppa of tea. It definitely has a following and readership though – as I’ve seen this novel have wicked good traction with the readers on the blog tour I participated on.
I did give credit to the author for the things she did right in the story – as there was a lot of heavier topics and subjects, she explored throughout the novel. Here are some of those parting reflections on her writerly style and voice. You’ll find notes about Content Warnings on my review as well.
Reed has a very provocative voice in (Upper) Young Adult Fiction – holding back nothing from her readers, she gives you a hardened glimpse into the difficult lives her characters are living with bold honesty and an authentic voice. She tucks you close to her lead character Jinny and the story is rooted in her perspective of high school – from her social interactions with her peers to her quieter considerations of life after high school and the everyday chaos that has become her life with an absent parent in her mother. She opening discusses abandonment in the story – as Jinny has to deal with the fact she’s living on her own whilst her mother is away at ‘work’ for a week to two weeks at a time. It also puts into question how a child is parenting her mother rather than the mother parenting the child as Jinny is the responsible one in her family. This plays out in different ways and Reed does an excellent job of showcasing how Jinny has to be more of an adult than a teenager.
The beauty of how Reed intuits out the otherworldly presences of Jinny’s Everglades family is quite unique – it is part ethereal and dreamy with a paranormal twist to it. I loved how she let us feel what Jinny felt in those moments – experiencing it as if we were Jinny herself and feeling the gravity of those moments every inch as Jinny too. Where the swamp merged into Jinny’s living hours was beautifully crafted and visualised.
-quoted from my review of My Heart is Hurting
After such a disappointing read – I’ve been floundering a bit to sort out what to read next as sometimes certain stories you read linger and it is like a hard reboot to get back into a new story. If that makes sense?! Thereby, I decided to see if I could finally finish A Guardian Till Christmas and dive into Time-Marked Warlock this week. One has a bit of cheeky humour in it which echoes my love of the Wonderland Detective Agency – another series I need to finish listening to this year and is on my list of #mustread book series! And, the other one is by an author who gives me refreshingly uplifting reads set in small townes and gently told romances. I felt those might be the best ‘reset’ for me as a reader.
I started to listen to Time-Marked Warlock last year, but as the tides turnt turbulent at the end of (2024) I put my listenings to the story on hold as I was awaiting the print copy by the author. The mail of course was the culprit for delaying that even further as apparently sometimes my mail goes awry and ends up in someone else’s postbox. I was eagerly excited when it arrived at long last – as it came with a beautiful metal bookmark which is double-sided! I feel these two stories will let me disappear back into stories and etch away the stresses of work which have been a bit too extreme lately for me.
The reason I have two wildcard selections this coming week is because of the emotional read In Every Life was when I first began reading it as much as the fact I’ve been trying so dearly hard to reconnect into the Myrtle Beach Mysteries since I last read Death Washes Ashore. It is hard to believe the last time I read about Clark and Myrtle Beach was last JULY. Goodness. Where did all the months go? It is almost like time has its own pacing and we’re just drifting along at times – trying to ebb along with tides and not get caught in the undertow. I was on such a good roll too over Summer and thought for sure I’d sail straight into Death on the Causeway by August or September – giving me a good chase of moving into books five, six and seven before the New Year! Alas. Best laid plans, eh?
I shared my #bookpost for Rea Frey’s novel on #bookstagram (August, 2024) and despite my earnest attempts to get into the novel, the emotional status of the opening bridge kept me outside the book. I knew what the story was about before I agreed to consider it for review, but I think knowing what a story involves and then, trying to personally attach yourself emotionally into a story is sometimes a bit of a disconnect. This month, I want to try again to resume my readings of the novel and see if I can get further along – otherwise, I’m afraid that this might become a DNF and I’d hate to think that would happen as I was truly caught in the curiosity of how Frey would handle the storyline and journey of the character given her situation.
What Jorie read in January & February:
The Heart of the Uni-verse by S.D. Henke
Counter Attack by Patricia Bradley
(Pearl River, Book One)
Tales of a Paperboy (A Christmas Story) by Andrew J. Mair
Buddy the Knight & the Queen of Sorrows by Peter David
(this is being developed into a series!)
Murder on Oak Street by I.M. Foster
(South Shore Mysteries, Book One)
I received a copy of The Heart of the Uni-verse several years ago and I just had to keep pushing it forward to read. I didn’t want to delay reading it as long as I had but for whichever reason, the timing was always wrong and then, as I was reading it this past Sci Fi Month (ie. November) something just clicked, and I was able to settle into the plot, the characters and found such a wicked voice in the author of Henke! She merged narrative with poetry and gave me such a tremendously awesome read she’s left me hungry for more of her collective works!
As soon as I began reading The Heart of the Uni-verse – I knew it was going to be a special kind of novel to read because of how the voice of Pi resonates so deeply through the poetry Henke shares at the beginning of the story. It is almost as though Pi, himself has fused his internal voice into the poetry and that allows us a more interpersonal connection right at the start of where this story begins to involve us in his life. It has a unique tone and cadence of presence, too, as the poetry is almost a walking conversation with Pi – about his thoughts, his feelings and where he is in his young life in respect to understanding himself as he moves through childhood. Henke made a smart choice in using poetry in this setting and allowing us to peer into her lead character in such a clever way as if to find a new way to anchour us into the heart of a character altogether.
I loved how Henke equated a direct line about black holes in the galaxy with holes in the heart – such as the medical heart condition Pi has himself. He chooses to talk about his medical history in his poetry and through the poetry, his soul speaks his truth and the truths about how he observes things in this world. It was one of the more interesting revelations he shared – whilst he was introspective about it as well. Hence the earlier nods towards this novel being an ‘Inner Space’ story.
Henke’s style of narrative is a joy to behold – as she tucks us close to the emotional and psychological layers of her characters – giving us a closely personal narrative and a story which reverberates innate truths and states of conscience thought. I loved how she crafted the story to set round Pi and his science project and then enlarged the scope of the story as everything unfolded from there. She kept the story very real and relatable too – touching on real life by how Pi’s father was a deployed parent who couldn’t return home more than once a year if he could return then and how his grandfather (Big Paw) was experiencing early stages of Dementia and how that was affecting the family. The story is grounded and honest and gives a wicked good presentation of how despite the challenges we are facing in our lives – it is the attitude of our mind and our heart which bespeak how we will transition through the challenges themselves. Especially as of all the things we can’t control – we do have a say in how we approach life as it is lived. The fact she used mediation as a guiding force in the novel was one of the more enlightening ways, I felt she’d inspire the younger readers for whom the story was initially intended as an audience. And, yet, it is also a good reminder of how best to live our lives for older readers who might feel bogged down by the trials of life and need a kind nudge of encouragement towards seeking a better mindset to face their own challenges, too.
-quoted from my review of The Heart of the Uni-verse
This happened to be a selection I was given to read by the LibraryThing Early Reviewer programme – two years ago sadly as I lost traction with the story and never could myself to dive back into the story. Until I realised that I was making it harder on myself to resume receiving ER books and being the regular participant, I wanted to be in that programme. Thereby, I decided to buckle down and see if I could get into the story and find my way with it at long last. What I found inside was such a harrowing story and what an incredible lead character – who had to go through so much angst and heartache to come out the other side of the darkness that was slowly swallowing her whole.
I admit, I didn’t see the reveal coming – in many ways, the author truly wrote a story which tugs at your heart and gives you a riveting read. I’m curious to see how the series progresses from here – and although, there were a few things that didn’t sit as well with me in this installment, overall I did enjoy reading it. It has a very compelling heart of centre in the story and a wicked balance of Light vs Dark. It does uncover a lot about the dark web which I didn’t necessarily go into a lot of detail about on my review as I felt how the author chose to handle those situations and moments were good enough and I just didn’t want to rehash or dwell on them any longer than necessary as it was part of the plot.
I will say, it goes a bit darker than most INSPY Contemporary Thrillers I’ve read and although this is technically a Romantic Suspense – it was evermore real as a Thriller moreso than a Rom Suspense! I am glad it was an INSPY novel as I think if it had been mainstream outside of the world of INSPY it might have been a bit too much for me to read and take-on as a reader.
What I am appreciating about Bradley’s storytelling is how gently she tucks you into the lives of her characters. Alex lives a dedicated life as a cop working undercover and on the gritty side of the law. Whilst Nathan has a slight advantage of living in a smaller towne where the crime isn’t as bad as a larger city except when drugs get involved and start to undermine the serenity of his towne and the welfare of its people. Bradley guides you through their hours and lives with ease and gives you a glimpse of the realities they each face in both their professional lives without making you feel as if the plot will take you outside your comfort zones. I appreciate different kinds of Suspense and Thrillers – from mainstream to INSPY and the one connective thread between both styles of telling these stories is that there is an undercurrent of heart, Light and Hope. Even in the mainstream stories I gravitate towards reading – there is always a measure of Hope that Light will outshine the Darkness. For me, that is a benefit of feeling anchoured and secured in the stories and in the style of the author penning the story.
I liked how she named the series after the river that runs close to Pearl Springs: Pearl River. I had a feeling this might become a series of setting rather than connective characters and storylines. I appreciate how writers can re-anchour us to a particular towne or setting and carry-on a series from there. There might be connective elements of the stories, too, but I wasn’t sure if this was strictly a series of characters moving in/out of the stories or rather more focused on the general vicinity of the location where the stories take place. Time will surely tell me as I move into the second and third novel. I will say, ahead of releasing this review I did find out the second novel focuses on K-9 officer Mark Lassiter. His partner Gem was an integral part of the storyline in Counter Attack and his character faced a bit of a hard road of adjustment when Alexis took over as Chief Deputy. I was hoping his storyline might iron out at some point or expand and blessedly know I know the sequel focuses on his life!
I am eagerly looking forward to seeing how we pick up the pieces in the sequel Fatal Witness – as we walk alongside Mark and his partner K-9 Gem! I especially liked Bradley’s style of interweaving faith into the lives of her characters, too. She has a lovely way of keeping the faith in-step with her characters sensibilities and making it a living testament of how faith is integral to their lives without making it come across too strong. I love writers who knit INSPY stories like this as it is a real representation of how faith and life walk hand in hand.
-quoted from my review of Counter Attack
I had a lot of issues reading this novel – mostly the direction of the story shifted a bit too much for me and of course, the ending didn’t sit well with me at all. I could see a lot of potential in this novel but for the current state it was published in gave me a lot more questions than resolution. I’ll share some revelations from my book review which I think state it quite well the conflicted thoughts and reactions I had as I was reading the story:
Mair has a gentleness to his writing. He’s very upfront with the details which are affecting his characters’ lives, but he has a knowing presence all the same about how to approach the topics and subjects within the story. He gently moves you into the narrative and guides you along as you become familiar with the people in the story. I appreciated this approach because he anchoured you emotionally at the start of the novel and that allowed you to find interest to carry-on through until the end. Writers who can connect emotionally to readers are the writers I enjoy reading most because it gives you a visceral edge of awareness about the life you’ve entered and the world in which you’ve retreated.
I was disappointed by how the story ended. I think I would have preferred a less known ending – one where we knew Daniel was happy living with his grandparents and being with his neighbours who had become his friends and extended family. Instead, Mair concluded it with a bit of a rushed ending where it felt choking too hard to reconcile against the time we spent with these characters. Nothing bad happened per se, but I think I would have preferred where our ‘stay’ within their lives had ended and there was still the hope of knowing they were still there, still enjoying each other’s company and had left the door open for us to imagine ‘what came next’ vs how Mair chose to end the novel.
The biggest takeaway for me was how Mair wanted to showcase how to restore the spirit of Christmas through ordinary grace and kindness knitted out of keeping hours and moments with those in our local community. Through showing how Daniel pushed himself out of his comfort zone and reached out to the neighbours was a way of attesting that sometimes the best way to heal a heart and to recover from tragic loss is to become invested in others. Not just of service to others but to become vulnerable to others and to try to carve out a friendship through mutually shared hours with others. Finding small ways to leave positive impacts on their lives and in the end, finding yourself being a bit kinder to yourself too. Life is complicated but through the small mercies we discover as we live – we find ways to reconnect and rebuild our lives.
-quoted from my review of Tales of a Paperboy
The best news I can share about this reading experience was finding out from the author himself that this isn’t the first and last story about Buddy the Knight! He’s turning this into a series – and he is going to let the story and characters choose how many tales will become written in the series, too! I felt that was a smart choice. To await the journey, you’re going to take into a series as a writer and when the feeling is gone for having that same kind of JOY you had originally to write the stories – you’d just know the series would have arrived at its conclusion. I am wicked eager to revisit this wondrous world and see where Buddy the Knight and the rest of his friends take us next!
I was charmed truly by how David approached writing the character of Buddy. He is the epitome of a child’s teddy bear and companion – whilst David also describes him as a child might think about him, too. Complete with mentioning that once wounded he lost stuffing and how that loss affected how he could walk on his leg! It was quite ingenious and also kept the story within the tone you’d hope to find in a Middle Grade Fantasy. I loved the pacing of the story especially in the beginning – as we start off in the bedroom and get to see the room through the eyes of Buddy and his good friend Esteban. It is a larger space than it appears given their short stature and smaller legs to traverse it whilst at the same time, it encompasses all the toys who are truly their own sentient beings and who enjoy being in residence with a child who loves them.
Especially as throughout the story itself – David continues to pull us into his vision of this world. A world where toys and stuffed animals live such extraordinary lives and sometimes, their lives are put into dangerous situations. A credit to David for maintaining his incredible depth of world-building – as even as the quartet of heroes undertook their journey to the Queen of Sorrow – whilst facing Sirens of all things – even then, David kept us enthralled by how dark a life of a toy could become if they were cast aside and succumbed to the Darkness they found. A lot of his story is about Light vs Dark and how Light yields to Hope and how without Hope our lives would be unmoored. He has such a welcoming message in his novel, and I was thankful to have discovered his story.
I was keenly taken by the poetic verses and the back-histories knitted into the flashback sequences – wherein, we learnt about how Buddy and Aura were first paired and how we were given more insight into the Nameless Wizard who had first set Buddy off into the world to protect those who needed protecting. There was a lot of thought put into how this world was built and unravelling the layers was part of the beauty of reading this story.
There were several special passages of phrases and words which spoke to me in the novel however of all of them – the one which struck a chord within me was when David talked about imagination and inspiration and how the mind and heart must be harmoniously aligned in order to create. There are no truer words to share about the artfulness of creativity and the desires in which to create something out the ethos which was not yet seen or known until it was created by the artist. This of course includes the words painted into a world by the storycrafter who pens the stories we love to read, too. David put so much thoughtfulness of prose into his story. I would imagine younger readers especially would love finding those moments of enlightenment an uplift of possibilities and for older readers like me a kind reminder of what life can yield if we remember never to put limitations on ourselves.
I would love to see this spun into a series – either an on-going on or a duology, trilogy or quartet. I especially echo other book bloggers on this blog tour who were keenly curious about The Nameless Wizard and to see if we could learn more about him. Either his origin story or perhaps, his life behind the lives of these dear characters who meant the world to us as we read about them. I truly applaud the ways in which the story was written as Peter David found a beautiful way to capture the beauty of life – not just from the standpoint of living with heart but the greater gift of love and memory. He truly is a writer to keep an eye on for future stories – especially I hope there will be more within the Middle Grade Fantasy arena as he excels at this one quite brilliantly!
-quoted from my review of Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrows
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first delved into reading the South Shores Mysteries by I.M. Foster but what I found was a very layered and well-conceived dramatic crime series! Set in the Edwardian time in American History – Foster pulls together the era and the timeline of America in the early turnings of the century with such wicked authenticity that you can readily envision her characters in their settings and feel the gravity of their lives unfolding before your eyes. There is a bit of everything in this saga – from the cunning detective work on behalf of Daniel and the fiercely strong bravery inside Kathleen who has to come to terms with the realities and truths of her family.
This felt much more like a Historical Saga or Drama moreso than a Cosy Crime novel – as it wasn’t that straight-forward in of itself. It is so much more than mere Historical Cosy Crime – it has all the layers of a family and the plight of a community at its heart whilst reaching into the psychological effects of the villains you think you know and the ones who can be hiding in plain sight.
I did take issue with some of the stronger language inclusions as it was one of the reasons I felt it wasn’t necessarily a ‘Cosy Historical Mystery’ as spoken about earlier. For a glimpse into what I loved about the novel and why Foster’s style appealled to me so dearly much as a reader – here are some thoughts I can share with you to entice you to read my full review:
Foster has a way of charming you into the life of Daniel – as despite the brutality of the first string of murders in her storyline – there was a softness to her approach to writing the series, too. I appreciated this Cosier style within the Historical Mystery realms as I personally prefer Cosies over Hard-boiled Crime Fiction. When it comes to Cosy Historical Mysteries I can attest that sometimes the ones I gravitate to read are a bit grittier than most Cosies on the Contemporary side of the ledger would be themselves as per the Historical nature of the stories I read sometimes there are a bit more details on the crimes themselves and/or more attention to certain details from a Forensic standpoint too. It has become my own barometer really of what I deem Cosy Historical verse Historical Suspense or Thriller which would elevate stories out of the realms of Cosy completely. For me, the texture and feel of Foster’s writing keeps it comfortably Cosy. I would even consider this a Cosy Crime series – as she balances the crime scenes with the investigative and dramatic bits of narrative quite brilliantly. Nothing pushes the envelope for becoming grisly or gruesome and that means everything to me as a reader.
I appreciated how she drew the connective lines between Daniel and Kathleen as well – how, the unresolved case Daniel had from the city (two years on since we first met him) was actually the unknown murder of Kathleen’s step-brother’s father! And, that of course lead to a web of interesting interconnections and set the story afire. It gave pause to you as your reading the story – to see how the two lives were connecting – as Daniel still wanted to leave a mark on his professional life whilst Kathleen was earnestly hopeful to help her step-brother Patrick come to terms with incredible loss; both his mother and his father. What I was not quite prepared for though was the shock of truth that came out of this entire passage in the story and what the truth meant for everyone involved. In this way, Foster was also writing a riveting family drama set against the backdrop of a Cosy Crime narrative.
-quoted from my review of Murder on Oak Street
What Jorie is reading next:
Understanding Reading Chinese Fantasy Genres by Jeremy Bai
The Heavenly Sword by Alice Poon
(Sword Maiden from the Moon duology, Book One)
Five Ordinary Teens and the Monarchs of the Ten Dimensions by Andrew Dewey
(The Ten Dimensions series, Book One)
Murder on West Lake by I.M. Foster
(South Shores Mysteries, Book Two)
I haven’t had an easy start to the New Year and despite having some wicked AMAZING stories on my shelf to read – I just haven’t had the mental space to focus on some of them. One of the stories I’ve been truly excited to start reading is The Heavenly Sword as I even ordered the sequel The Earthly Blaze as soon as I could in January I believe it were? I knew once I tucked into that story, I would need the *sequel!* as I just have a feeling it is one of those kinds of stories – where you want to keep turning the pages and not STOP until you’ve reached the very end of it.
I first crossed paths with the author via #bookstagram and it was only after I found her feeds on there wherein the publisher offered to send me a book for review consideration. Hers as the first novel I wanted to request – as there was something wicked different about it. I took a bit of a journey after that initial interaction and have since realised that Wuxia has been in my life for a bit of time now! I never knew for instance that the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was in that same method of art and story. Wuxia in the most elementary definition to explain itself means ‘Martial Art Fantasy’. There is so much more to it than that but on an elemental level that is what it involves.
I even had the JOY of listening to a podcast Ms Poon was on talking about the original creator of this genre or at least, the one who inspired everyone else to follow suit – which as Jin Yong. I ended up purchasing a copy of “A Hero Born” by Yong at the same time I purchased “The Earthly Blaze”. I decided it might be a good idea to read his novel after I read Poons. I nearly considered reading it the opposite way round – but I chose to read hers first because she was the person who inspired me into taking this journey into Chinese Fantasy and I wanted her story to affect me first. Then, after I’ve finished her duology – I’ll dive into Yong’s series as he wrote a quartet.
Bai’s book is to be read in conjunction with Poon and Yong – as it offers itself as a bit of a primer of insight into Wuxia and other styles of Chinese Fantasy. As this is a new genre of interest for me – I felt it would be a quick way to get a bit of backstory on the genre and to learn about the components which give it such a distinctive style of story. Bai’s book was part of my #SpooktasticReads #bookhaul as I previously disclosed on #bookstagram.
As soon as Murder on West Lake arrived in the Post (as I’m purchasing these novels myself – waiting until I’ve reached the final quarter of each novel and then, queuing the next one to post) I was diving into the first chapter to see where we find Colin! This series had my full attention and it wrecked me that I couldn’t keep the momentum going and read it straight through – try as I might, I was just so exhausted after work, I had to keep pushing it forward to my days off (I have two a week) and then, read as hard as I could and see how far I could get into the evolving story. If you’ve read my review for Murder on Oak Street – you already know why I feel so dearly attached to Kathleen and Daniel. There was a LOT to unpack in that first installment but ooh, my! I am celebrating having the second book to read right now. Then, it is off into the third and then, of course, the wait until the announcements for the fourth,….
The one book I wished I could have started sooner is Five Ordinary Teens and the Monarchs of the Ten Dimensions – mostly as I was so dearly intrigued by the premise of it and how the Monarchs themselves interact with the teens. It is a layered story and one that plays out in different installments as you only get to know a portion of this world in the first installment – from what I knew ahead of starting the novel based on a conversation I had with Dewey. I just couldn’t get my head to wrap round the story due to everything that went on between November and now. I kept trying – but the timing wasn’t right until this time in March and for that I apologise to Dewey but am grateful I can now focus on it. I look forward to discussing this story and what I thought about how he presented the ten dimensions and the monarchs, too!
Overall, I am not doing too bad this New Year of 2025. I am settling into a regular pattern of reading and finding ways to interact with my fellow book bloggers, reviewers and readers as well as authors online again. Most of those interactions are going to be directly on their blogs or through interactive messages on BlueSky or commentary on Instagram. Those are the three places of interest I am focusing on this year – whilst endeavouring to participate on some blog tours which whet a thirst of curiosity to join as the months move forward. Those will be hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club and/or The Write Reads as those are the two touring companies I am working with this year.
Oh! I should have mentioned I am aiming to get more active in the Discord communities I joined but that is forever a work in progress as I am not as used to checking into those message boards on the regular! Laughs.
I’ve mentioned this previously but a lot of the touring companies I used to host haven’t announced any new tours in a few years. I’m not sure if their all on sabbaticals or if they have all closed. I’ve also been working directly with publishers (off/on) and/or with authors themselves – especially those who find my blog directly and engage with me through my Review Policy. I’m predominately working on reading my own books shelved in my personal library – whether in print or audiobook – whilst continuing to purchase the books which befit the goals, I carved out for myself as December merged into January.
I will be kicking off my 12th Blogovesary this month (the last week of March) by sharing a recap of what I loved reading last year in (2024) and of sharing my goals for 2025. I will also be sharing my wicked happy surprises for my 12th Year. So loads of good stuff arriving on my blog and #bookstagram later in the month. Until then, of course, I’m going to try to continue to blog regularly – at least two to three posts per week is my goal. Ideally, I’d love for those to include a WWW and a Sunday Post and either one or two book reviews to get myself back into a regular pattern of posts.
As time shifts forward, I’d like to potentially add-on more posts – such as from other memes I’ve enjoyed in the past, readathons or RALs and of course, come May – there will be a deluge of posts and features and reviews about Fantasy novels and series as we set to host #WyrdAndWonder!
For now, this is where I am and I am happy with my progress.
What have you recently read yourself?
And, what are you reading next?
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