Category: WWW Wednesdays

#WWWednesday No. XXII | Finding JOY in reading whilst betwixt and between Cosy Crime and Speculative Fiction!

Posted Wednesday, 12 March, 2025 by jorielov A Guardian Till Christmas, Andrew Dewey, Andrew J. Mair, Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow, Caleb Wygal, Chronos Chronicles series, Chronos Warlock, Counter Attack, Danielle Thorne, Death on the Golden Mile, Five Ordinary Teens and the Monarchs of the Ten Dimensions, I.M. Foster, In Every Life, Murder on Oak Street, Murder on West Lake, My Heart is Hurting, Myrtle Beach Mysteries, Patricia Bradley, Pearl River series, Peter David, Rea Frey, S.D. Henke, S.E. Reed, Shami Stovall, Tales of a Paperboy, Ten Dimensions series, The Heart of the Uni-verse, Time-Marked Warlock 0 Comments

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:

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

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

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.
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Posted Wednesday, 12 March, 2025 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, WWW Wednesdays

#WWWednesday Special Edition | #MyYASummer on Jorie Loves A Story | #JorieReads the young adult novels winking at her off her shelf!

Posted Wednesday, 28 August, 2024 by jorielov #MyYASummer, American Ballerina, Birds on a Wire, Boys and Girls Screaming, Chasing Eveline, Columbine's Tale, Ellen Plotkin Mulholland, How the Light Gets In, Katy Upperman, Kern Carter, Leslie Hauser, Nancy Lorenz, Rachel Nightingale, Stephanie Morrill, The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet 0 Comments

#ChildrensLit Summer | #KidsBooks Summer | #KidsLit Summer

#SummerReads | #SummerReading | #iReadYA

+ my own: #MyYASummer | #JorieLovesYA

(*) If you know of others, kindly add them to the comments!

reading from 1st July – September, 2024

→ DUE NOTE: Some of the books featured on #MyYASummer Reading List were books sent to me for review consideration at some point over the past years. A few were bookaways I won from the authors themselves. And, one was gifted to me by my parents (ie. Columbine’s Tale). Most of this post was written during the pandemic and shortly thereafter – I found it in my Drafts and decided since EVERYTHING within this post still applies to where I am right now as a reader and allows a bit more insight into my readerly life of the recent past and how long a road I’ve been taking to read more Young Adult Fiction – I decided to leave it nearly untouched and/or edited as it was originally written. Thereby consider this a TIME CAPSULE post which then shifts FORWARD to now.

A bit of background:

I have been wanting to read more #ChildrensLit for absolute ages – each time I would get close to tucking into these stories, something would divert my attention, and more hours were lost against the clock. This cycle has been repeating itself off/on for more years now than I dare say – if you take into consideration [2017] was the year my father recovered from his stroke (wherein I became his caregiver). Soon thereafter, I experienced a lot of different health afflictions mixed with a steady increase of frequencies in regard to my chronic migraines from [2018/19]. [2020] was the year which began on a rocky foundation – the fires were out of control in Australia, Puerto Rico had too many earthquakes and the whole world seemed to be holding in its breath. We had no idea what Spring would bring and that was an untold blessing in of itself. Uniquely enough – [2020] was also the year I saw a serious reduction in my migraines – wherein my first one which truly affected me was the weekend before I started co-hosting our 3rd Year of #WyrdAndWonder. Except of course for when June eclipsed that statistic and I was battling through more migraines, allergy attacks and toxic air issues than any person ought to have to deal with in a singular week. (see also tweets)

I had other things happening in the background of Jorie Loves A Story – both my parents had ER visits in March 2020; Mum and I were struck down by a serious cold in February 2020 (for three weeks!) and April 2020 to be honest just felt like a month to find a way to breathe again as March was seriously too overwhelming to process as it was lived. Not just for us as a family – but as a nation, as a global community and as a new path towards a future we’re all still sorting out as we shift out of the cycle of Covid-19. Nor how civil unrest and the cry for reform in social justice would write new chapters in American Civil Rights History in Spring and Summer, 2020.

Cue why March (2020) was far more involved than a global pandemic: I was so physically and emotionally spent by April 2020, I was streaming British & Aussie crime dramas via #AcornTV and had a true lack of interest and focus on reading, blogging and being socially bookish. Not that that is a bad thing – it’s just that I needed some personal space to re-group and find my groove again. We all do when we have little crises which arise in your everyday life. Of the two visits (to the ER) in [March 2020] – Mum’s was the most dire and thankfully had a happy ending. She’s nearly fully recovered from her injuries, and she did not have a TBI which was what put my heart in a lurch the moment the ER doc braced me for that possibility on the phone. Seriously – life happens in a series of blinks, you barely have time to breathe and have the courage to face whatever comes your way.

I have been working earnestly towards erasing my backlogue (of reviews) for several years and this challenge is helping me to become re-inspired to read after seasons of personal angst. Yet at the same time, I’ve been actively reducing my booked reviews and blog tours; a carry-over from [2016] when I first started to pull back my schedules on Jorie Loves A Story whilst being more mindful of what I want to read per each new Season which arrives which inspires me to seek out the genres I love most to soak inside.

Rewinding a bit: Let’s face it – JUNE [2018] was a wash-out. It barely blinked into view before it extinguished out of sight – I barely posted anything during its duration. The one thing I did accomplish was finding a way to bring ART back into my life and to resume KNITTING giving myself a way to put some Zen into my downtime. Especially imperative as I was ill more than well in Spring [2018 & 2019] as I had 5x migraines during #WyrdAndWonder Year 2 (May, 2019). It had been my hope on the arrival of the monsoon Summer rains starting as we entered into JULY (2019), I could hope my seasonal allergies would start to relent and give me back the clarity of calm I’ve missed all SPRING (for two years).

FAST FORWARD: [2019] marked the first Summer since [2015] I felt I could re-enter the stories and yet the only review I was able to release Summer [2019] when I first conceived this plan to read the initial batch of #MyYASummer was “Summer by Summer”. It proved to be a harder book to read than I first expected and yet, I still have good memories of the journey it took me on. Thus, this remains the ‘first’ book of this personal reading challenge and the rest was meant to follow suit this Summer (of 2020) – as I re-embark on my journey into reading Young Adult stories throughout the volcanic Summery months of June, July, August & September. [we’re just going to overlook the fact the first weeks of this re-genesis of a personal reading challenge was a bit delayed due to double shifts at work, volcanic heat and intensive lightning storms!]

Over the years from [2015-2020] I’ve strived to get current on my backlogue – encouraging myself with different readathons, personal challenges and goals and/or participating in book blogosphere events wherein I could interact with this beautiful community and/or find encouragement to reach my own goals as I move forward and backwards on my readerly journey. Each of these five years has held its own share of woes and challenges – as each of us has a lot of LIFE being lived #behindtheblog – yet, I have optimistically held the hope each new season, each new year would be the season and/or year wherein I could find the JOY again in spending time with these stories.

In August, of 2021 I did release another #MyYASummer review which was for the novel: The Twin Stars (see also Review) which was a very emotional read for me as well. It seems to be tradition now that each story I attempt to read for this personal challenge is not only emotionally convicting but difficult at times to get through the stories themselves.

Time Shift to 2024: I’d love to say I was able to host #MyYASummer during the last four years but despite an attempt to co-host this lovely event of mine with a fellow book blogger whose blog hasn’t been updated in a few years – I haven’t been able to bring this goal of mine into reality. Most of this post was written ages ago now but it gives a lot of insight into my readerly life and the angst of trying to focus on stories I dearly wanted to read during moments of my life which were far more adverse and challenging than originally thought. I decided to resume my readings of Young Adult Lit this Summer and even then, that particular goal shifted again. I had my sights on starting in June not August – but alas, I decided, ANY YA book I can read before the 30th of September is going to be a win for me as a reader because I’ve wanted to have a microfocus on this section of Literature for so many years now! It is my hope this kicks off a new journey each Summer (ie. starting in June hopefully in 2025!) and a tradition of reading YA for four dedicated months.

I look forward to your visits as I release my ruminations on these stories whilst if you have any suggestions for #mustreads after those stories are discussed, I’d love to hear your comments & receive a revolving list of recommendations. Kindly read my Review Policy in case you are not aware of my personal bookish turn-offs, etc. As I am rather particularly particular about the stories, I seek out to read and/or review.

The exact order of how I will be reading these stories is UNKNOWN as I am simply going to be picking them up to read and seeing how I get on with them. I will say that all of the titles I’ve chosen to read this year are very emotional reads and with intense storylines attached to them.

#MyYASummer Reads as they generate over the years:

Summer by Summer by Heather Burch | #SRC2015 via #YASRC 2015 | read in 2019
The Twin Stars by Bridgette D. Portman | read in 2021
Birds on a Wire by Ellen Plotkin Mulholland | DNF August, 2024
Columbine’s Tale by Rachel Nightingale
American Ballerina by Nancy Lorenz | sequel to The Strength of Ballerinas
Chasing Eveline by Leslie Hauser | #ReviewPit 2019
How the Light Gets In by Katy Upperman | publisher ARC 2019
Boys and Girls Screaming by Kern Carter
The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

#MyYASummer
2024 Backlogue Reviews

Posted Wednesday, 28 August, 2024 by jorielov in #MyYASummer, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, JLAS Update Post, Reading Challenges, WWW Wednesdays

#WWWednesday No. XX | My #SummerReads are off to a brilliant start!

Posted Thursday, 4 July, 2024 by jorielov A Home for the Twins, A.Y. Chan, Anna J. Stewart, Caleb Wygal, Clare Chase, Columbine's Tale, D.J. Williams, Danielle Thorne, Death Washes Ashore, J.S. Monroe, Prison Break Hostage, Rachel Nightingale, The Auctioneer, The Beekeeper Next Door, The Legendary Mo Seto, Their Surprise Wedding 0 Comments

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

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

Join the Convo via: #WWWWednesday on all socials

Follow the host via Bookstagram!

Hallo, Hallo Summer!

With such a hard start to my reading this year,

Summer is proving to be the season of renewing my bookish life. I’m off to a brilliant start, too and I can’t wait to share with you all the lovely stories which are happily being consumed!

For those who have been following my readerly adventures on Jorie Loves A Story for the better part of the last decade (can you BELIEVE this is my 11th year of book blogging?) — you know, I am typically the girl who DEVOURS stories – in all shapes and sizes – as well as floating between print and audiobook (at least since 2016!). And, yet, for the last few years my readerly life has suffered quite a bit and my blogging life has dwindled down quite a heap as well. A lot of those changes are credited to IRL challenges and adversities – as well as a lot of LIFE happening behind the blog, too.

To my credit, I haven’t lost the interest to read but rather circumstances have prevented me from reading for most of [2023 and 2024] which was explained in quite a lot of detail on #TheSundayPost. As I start to sort out where I want to resume my readings and listenings – I decided the best way was to start with small goals and ideally move forward into a long-term goal of mine which has been to focus on #MyYASummer (ie. stories featuring YA stories across genres interesting me to read) whilst adding in some wicked good Middle Grade stories, too. As I will be curating a particular concentration of stories – it will be a Summer of new discoveries and reading the stories I’ve ached to read for quite a long time now. While at the same time, I have other stories I’ve slated to be read before Summer ends – from Romance to Thrillers to Mysteries and a lot of lovely routes of genre betwixt and between!

Ideally I’d like to think I can maintain updating my readings through weekly #WWWednesdays but if I happen to miss a week or two, just know I’m still sorting out the balance between work and life outside of work. Laughs. I am sure I am not alone in that quest! Oy. Today I felt I’d start by focusing on the fact I have two new reviews up on my blog and more are coming soon (maybe even before the close of the weekend?!) into next week, too. Here’s to find my way back into STORIES and happily enjoying regenerating new chapters of engagement both on my blog and on my #bookstagram feeds, too.

What Jorie is currently reading:

The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y. Chan

The Beekeeper Next Door by Danielle Thorne

Death Washes Ashore by Caleb Wygal
(Myrtle Beach Mysteries, Book Two) (see also Review of Book One)

I’ve been happily receiving some lovely offers of review consideration recently on my blog and one of those lovely authors who reached out to me was Ms Chan. She has written a wicked lovely Middle Grade novel called: The Legendary Mo Seto about a a young girl who is a new heroine to adventure after as we pursue the truths of her family and how much courage it takes to overcome any challenge that crosses your path. She’s into martial arts which interested me as I am as well IRL though I haven’t pursued it in a long time. I loved the sound of the novel and although I initially started reading it as soon as it arrived in early June, between work and my injury, I lost hours to continue reading it until now. I can’t wait to dive back in as I know it will be read in a few sittings as its wicked good! Be sure to watch for my review forthcoming over the next week. I also announced this lovely new book via #bookstagram.
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Posted Thursday, 4 July, 2024 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, WWW Wednesdays

#WWWednesday No. XIX | Jorie’s Short Stack #WyrdAndWonder TBR and why she selected these stories to be read this May!

Posted Wednesday, 1 May, 2024 by jorielov #WyrdAndWonder, Borderlands Saga, Erin Morgenstern, Hannah L. Clark, J.D. Peabody, Jennifer Silverwood, Juliet Marillier, Silver Hollow, The Ink of Elspet, The Inkwell Chronicles, The Lemorian Crest, The Night Circus, Uncovering Cobbogoth, Wildwood Dancing 1 Comment

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

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

Join the Convo via: #WWWWednesday

the annual event which makes me wicked happy has returnt,
join me as I dive back into reading via #WyrdAndWonder!

About: *Wyrd & Wonder*

This year, we’re all celebrating the Comforts of Reading Fantasy – whether the routes you take within Fantasy are your regular comforting zones of readerly blissitude or if you’re a wanderer of paths unknown and unlock your own fantastical adventure one story at a time without limiting where your path will take you. I’m still sorting out how I want to respond to our prompts which are meant to run on Sundays on our respective blogs – however, most of this month of May will be aligning a bit topsy turvy on Jorie Loves A Story – just consider me bending time and posting out of sequence with the rest of the book blogosphere! Laughs. Having said that – one of the beauties I decided to grant myself this seventh year is a bit of peace of mind!

Reason being?

I gave myself licence to post a short stack TBR and I couldn’t be happier! I don’t even have the goal of consuming ALL the books in their entirety this year – as let’s be frank, my downtime is short and my ability to devour stories as I had in the past isn’t quite working out very well for me over the score of the last year since I undertook a second job that is quite taxing and quite rewarding in other respects all the same. I just can’t lay claim to having a lot of personal time as a result of the hours I’m working week to week between all (three, cough!) of my jobs. Blessedly one is a moonlighting gig and the other two are the mainstays – evenso, a girl needs a bit of space to unwind and just ‘chill’ outside of work. For me, the comfort has always been STORIES and reading – when I’m not akin to following in love with a tv serial or film. Stories whether written, narrated by audio or set in motion (by film or serial) have been quite the affinity and mainstay of my life.

This lovely graphic describes the Sunday Five topics wherein everyone is encouraged to respond on Sundays (or any day which works best for the blogger) to carry-on the discussion of what makes Fantasy our zone of Comfort to read and explore. Those posts of mine are still in the WIP stage but they will be arriving at odd intervals throughout May all the same. I felt I should include them with this post as I’m announcing what I’ll be reading and thereby, also discussing as well.

What Jorie is currently reading:

It wasn’t hard to select my #shortstack of books this Wyrd And Wonder : Year 7 because there were a few stories on my shelves where I knew I might find myself drawn to read quite immediately. I had hoped to dive straight into these lovelies as soon as May began, but now 12 days into the event and still editing my drafted posts to run during our first fortnight, some might say puts me at a disadvantage but for me, this year is more about the journey I’m on that the end results. Most years, reading one story after another was quite fulfilling but when your work life feels overwhelmingly exclusive of your TIME, just to draft and write and blog again feels like a milestone of an accomplishment! Smiles.

The Lemorian Crest is actually the sequel to Uncovering Cobbogoth (see also Review) which I fell in love with years ago now. The author and I were in touch for a short bit, and I had meant to follow up with her afterwards as she was going to writing another installment of this series but then, I noticed as the years progressed forward – a new story didn’t emerge but other projects of hers did. I also noted that she re-released the original first story of Cobbogoth but under a new title and new publishing house which I understood as I knew she was leaving Cedar Fort. This series goes back to my 1st Year as a Book Blogger and so, it holds a special place in my bookish heart. I’ll be re-reading through the first novel – jogging my memory and re-settling into the storyline – as despite the fact there are echoes of memories from having read it the first time – 2014 and 2024 is a decade’s worth of living between readings!

I will be thrilled just to be on the FRINGE of reading the sequel by May’s end and continuing to finish it as Summer takes hold. Though by all the crazy wicked weather we’re having stateside, most would argue Summer is already here and deadly chaotic to which I would heartily agree!

For those who might not know anything about this series – here’s some parting thoughts from my first reading:

Uncovering Cobbogoth is an adventure you know you can handle, but it keeps you suspended between the pages as much as the living story within its chapters is a suspension of time. Science was always a ready interest of mine growing up, as I had half a step inside the worlds of art and science within my childhood hours. I was drawn into the dimensional theories of Quantum Physics as I grew and examined different quantum realms on my own by my early twenties, because of the curiosity they engaged my mind inside. The theory of super-strings, hidden dimensions, black holes, and galaxies hidden within a space of a seed were an exciting read for me! I need to re-take up where I left off as I only just brushed the surface of what I wanted to study, but within that pursuit, I have noticed that the science within science fiction that enlightens my mind the most contains elements and theories woven around the concept of space-time dimensions and/or the continuum. This is not the first foray I have ventured on this year to read a story with time travel or the bending of time (as we see it peripherally) as its core center of scientific thought. The Skin Map uses the theory of ley lines whereas Cobbogoth is using the theory of hoption holes. In each of their own ways, they are breaking down a theory of how humans of any age can travel through ‘portals’ within the space-time vortex of dimensional space. And, I personally find that exciting!

Clark has a deft hand for writing the most scientific principles of the novel in a way that is not only easy to digest, but gets you excited to learn more than what has already been provided! The curious illustrations her sister, Ms. Shakespear contributed to the story’s element of past and present gave a visual reference for the sub-stories that draw out the focus on Cobbogoth itself rather than the story set in and around Cobbogoth on a whole!

I would say that due to the nature of the high-octane adventure and action sequences, as well as the brief passages of violence which take place as Norah’s life is thwarted by more danger than you could blink through, I do believe the classification of this novel as ‘YA Fantasy’ is rather apt. It would be a great story for a teenager to sink their teeth into because it is on the verge of leaving the formative years behind and entering the world on your own merits. Lessons of courage and fortitude of spirit are organically woven into the texture of the story itself. If you watched the motion picture “The Dark is Rising: The Seeker” you will not have any trouble reading this novel! At some point, I’d like to read the novel the forementioned film is based upon!

-quoted from my book review of Uncovering Cobbogoth

Posted Wednesday, 1 May, 2024 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, WWW Wednesdays

#WWWednesday No. XVIII | Jorie dives back into reading via #WyrdAndWonder!

Posted Wednesday, 10 May, 2023 by jorielov #WyrdAndWonder 2 Comments

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

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

Join the Convo via: #WWWWednesday

the event of fantastical JOY has returned,
join me as I dive back into reading via #WyrdAndWonder!

About: *Wyrd & Wonder*

Wyrd and Wonder is an annual celebration of the fantasy genre. Sign up to join the party as we explore worlds of myth and magic, re-imagine traditional tales, cheer on heroes (prefer villains? Sure, we won’t judge you) and discover the secret doors that lead from familiar streets to adjacent realms where a discourtesy or a misstep may land you in hot water.

This year we’re focusing on all things magical, whether that’s magic users, magical creatures, magic systems, or things that raise the hairs on the back of your neck (in a good way). As always, you’re free to read and post outside the theme – we love low fantasy too! – but magic will be the theme for our banners and prompts this year.

We’ll be reading books, watching movies, playing games and sharing our thoughts online through blog posts and social media with as many like-minded adventurers as care to join us – there’s always room by the fire for a newcomer with a tale to share.

_{(Paraphrasing official 2022/23 blurb) : visit Imyril’s Announcement for Y6}

You might be curious where the heck, heck Jorie has been these past several months as past a certain point, I was unable to continue to UPDATE my blog and the only time I was able to re-surface was via tweets celebrating my JOY over S3 of Star Trek: Picard. Something I will go into further details about when I formulate the words to anchour a life update into a forthcoming Sunday Post as it is all connected. For now, I’d like to take a breath and re-focus on my top favourite bookish event of the year — as I happily co-host our Year 6 of Wyrd And Wonder!

For those of you who are used to me being more visually present during the opening week of Wyrd And Wonder and for a chase-up to the event itself in the months ahead of May — this year clearly went a bit differently for me as a reader and as a book blogger. My best foot forward is actually visible on our #bookstagram feeds on Insta wherein I’ve been quite active this Year 6 by finding 12x different prompts to respond to visually with book photos and commentary. I’ve been enjoying that pursuit and learning more about Insta and layouts for text additions by Annemieke who has kindly been tutoring me on the ins/outs of how much to say and the ways in which to say what you want to share. FYI: For those of us who are longer winded (ie. bookish chatterboxes), adding graphics is an easier solution than lengthier posts which dip too much into the comment sections!

Smashing, eh?

I couldn’t be happier as working on those photos in a new environment (ie. flat) and having a blank canvas (ie. bookshelves) has had a bit of a cleansing effect on me. Whilst at the same time, as I have only a few boxes unboxed at the moment, my photos are a bit different than in the past as I don’t have any props to use except the books and the shelves themselves. Ergo, I am focusing on the themes of the prompts and using my words on the graphics or in the post itself to celebrate the theme of the day so to speak.

Also: note to self, where EXACTLY did I pack ALL my bookmarks!?

I do personally feel Wyrd And Wonder snuck up on me this year because I had a bit of an insurrection of personal time and space to prepare for it. When you have to undergo a major relocation which was both unplanned and unwanted in your life, it is hard to shift back into something that gives you a lot of JOY. I’ve found myself unmotivated to blog, read or participate in a lot of things socially online since February and it is all connected to the relocation. I do admit, I like living here better as it is a quieter space – there isn’t a lot of jarring outside noises (ie. sirens, heavy traffic or whatnot which came with living off a major highway) but at the same time, it doesn’t quite feel like ‘home’ either. The other flat was happily lived in for eight years and everything had its proper place and it was ‘cosy’. This one still feels like we’ve ‘just arrived’ and we’re just making do. Oy. Towards that end, I think it has affected my desire to read or listen to audiobooks – although, that does seem a bit silly in one respect because I have better set-up for reading now than I did previously and my books are easier at hand than they were as well. *le sigh* To say I just feel overwhelmed going into May would be an understatement. Plus, of course, last year and all years prior Dad was living with us at home, and I admit, that is still an adjustment for Mum and I.

I guess to be frank, this #WyrdAndWonder just feels a bit more muddling to me and I’m just trying to make the best of it as I go along with what I am attempting to read, blog and share socially. Likewise, I’m trying like mad to sort out a way to be more present on our feeds via Twitter for @WyrdAndWonder as well. I’d be thrilled if I could sort that out before week’s end.

I am sure others might feel this way too, this year, as I know some of my fellow co-hosts have had their fair share of strife as well this early half of the year. Whilst I am sure our participants might feel similar angst as us, too. Sometimes the timing just feels ‘off’ for whichever reason but I refuse to let it take all the JOY out of May for me and that is why each day/week I am striving towards participating in some small way even if I can’t fully achieve what I had hoped to do when I first set plans in mind last year.

What Jorie is currently reading:

→ Wyrd and Wonder’s RAL: Howl’s Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones, narrated by: Jenny Sterlin *audiobook

Week 1: Chapters 1 through 7 – hosted by Dear Geek Place
Week 2: Chapters 8 through 14 – hosted by The Fantasy Hive
Week 3: Chapters 15 through End – hosted by The Fantasy Hive
Discussions will be via Discord on our Other Worlds channel

Hosted by: @deargeekplace and @TheFantasyHive
Read the Announcement of the RAL via deargeekplace.com

So far, I can attest to the fact I am grateful for this choice as one of our RALs this year! I decided to borrow the book (in print) for my book photos during #WyrdAndWonder, but in truth I am actually listening to the audiobook which is narrated by Ms. Sterlin. Of whom is doing such a smashing job of getting my attention to listen to the story which on one side of the ledger is a bit scary (in respect to the Wizard Howl by the way in which he’s described!) and engaging on the other in respect to the girls’ themselves. I am quite charmed by Sophie who speaks to hats as I’ve long been fascinated by hatters and those who work in the shops where they are sold.
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Posted Wednesday, 10 May, 2023 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, WWW Wednesdays