Posted Tuesday, 14 April, 2015 by jorielov Cedar Fort Inc, Daily Tortilla, Front Table Books, Ricardo James 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Daily Tortilla” direct from the publisher Front Table Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
I have revealed bits and bobbles of insight of my adventures down in Mexico previously, as I recollected different aspects of my time exploring Mayan ruins, the Federal District (Mexico City), and the Yucatan; however, I am unsure if I ever clearly expressed how life-affirming and changing the journey of eight days with a sponsored trip for American teenagers truly proved to be for me. I was sixteen yet I was already a seasoned traveller who ended up helping her group with such a high frequency, I never considered myself ‘chaperoned’ because the roles were in reverse! I didn’t catch-on to learning Spanish in school (courtesy of being dyslexic with a syntax issue with a romantic language) yet what proved to be more efficient was knowing English, with an alert mind, and an eye for understanding the food, culture, and history of a country your visiting.
I had friends who took mission trips with their Lutheran churches who returnt not quite as wholly enthused as I had myself – to be honest, I did not stop dreaming of walking around the ruins of Uxmal for at least a few years, and even found my poetry igniting with ruminations of my time being ‘there’. I grew up in a multi-diverse (both culturally, religious, and ethnic) city where you have as many different denominations of faith and religion as you have cultural heritage inside restaurants and eateries. My favourite ‘big event’ was held at the convention center where you get to ‘walk around the world’ for a day, eating different foods (oh, yes even in elementary and middle school I was a ‘foodie’ at heart) whilst conversing with the people who were hosting the booths. I talked the most, enquired the most, and basically took getting my ‘passport’ stamped quite seriously! I didn’t just want to ‘walk through’ the moment, I wanted to live it, breathe it, and taste it too! I have a heap of fond memories from this faire but being in Mexico changed my life.
I didn’t take a mission trip (my churches had them, but honestly I wanted to do outreach in America which was unfortunately never an option) but what I did take was a solo journey of a teenage American who fell in love with Mexican food and cultural heritage! I loved visiting the Archaeological Museum where I learnt if I had had the ability to do this, it was only a ‘short hop and a skip’ in a chartered plane to visit a more rural ruin of the Mayans hidden within the folds of the Yucatan itself. I dreamt of taking that flight even after my time there ended and I was boarding the flight home. If only,… The flamingo dancers at the night club spoke to my dancer’s imagination — as I love performance art, theatre, and dance. The creativity and the colourful way in which stories are told through the motion and art of the music is a beautiful synchronism of eloquence.
What has withstood the most against all these years of time has been my memories — the heart memories of the foods I inhaled and consumed whilst I was living off my own moxie for staying ‘true to Mexico’ without taking any health risks like my classmate did when he picked up fruit from a roadside stand. Honestly, boys are silly sometimes to the determent of their well-being! I, meanwhile, elected to pick and choose off the menus of the different restaurants, opting for as authentically Mexican cuisine as I could afford to partake each time I ate whilst being given a crash-course in Mexican dining! I loved sorting out how to ‘order the food’ without speaking Spanish but rather sorting it out in this quasi-original way between the menu itself, my facial expressions and hand gesturing with English — personally I think it was my enthused curiosity to ‘try the foods’ which won over the chefs and wait staff!
Imagine then, my happy joy in finding “Daily Tortilla”!?
Daily Tortilla:
by Ricardo James
Source: Direct from Publisher
Sopes, Tamales, Pozole, Huevos Rancheros, you’ve never had Mexican food like this! Daily Tortilla starts with the basics of tortillas, beans, rice, and salsas, and then builds to an incredibly delicious repertoire of dishes found in any family dining room in Mexico. Say “adios” to Americanized Mexican food this is authentic, south-of-the-border flavor at its finest!
Genres: Cookery Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Published by Front Table Books
on 10th June, 2014
Format: Paperback
Pages: 271
Published by: Front Table Books (@FrontTableBooks)
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFort)
Available Formats: Paperback & Ebook
Converse via: #DailyTortilla, #MexicanFood, and #MexicanCuisine
About Ricardo James
Ricardo M. James grew up in a rural town in Wyoming. He studied Spanish Pedagogy at Brigham Young University where he also taught Spanish and directed study abroad programs to Mexico. He currently owns a consulting firm that provides technology solutions to K-12 schools across the United States and South America. He lives in Springville, Utah with his wife and five kids.
Website | Facebook
Posted Tuesday, 14 April, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Cookbook, Cookery, Debut Author, Indie Author, Jorie Loves A Story Features, Mexico, The Bookish Foodie
Posted Saturday, 21 March, 2015 by jorielov Berni Stevens (Illustrator), ChocLitUK, Coorah Creek series, Flight to Coorah Creek, Janet Gover 0 Comments
As you might have recalled, Flight to Coorah Creek was one of my favourite ChocLit reads of the past year, as I started reading novels by ChocLitUK authors in January of 2014. As I enter into my second year of reading ChocLitUK, I am overjoyed at the journey I’ve taken through their backlist and new releases thus far along, inasmuch as I have a wicked lovely ‘ChocLit Next Reads list‘ which continues to grow each month I find there is another ‘must read’ ChocLit novel being released!
A year ago, most new releases were available in print, however, in 2015 they are debuting in ebook versions prior to audiobook and print, which will follow suit in latter months. Imagine my wicked sweet surprise in being contacted by Ms Gover to host a special ‘book announcement’ and series spotlight on my blog overnight!? I had become enchanted with Coorah Creek for it’s representation of ‘small towne Romance’ and hearty fiction set within a Western / Outback world!
One of my happily devoured sections of Romance are the stories set in small townes, such as Serenity where we greet the women who make up the Sweet Magnolia’s (a sisterhood friendship amongst career women at different stages of their lives; sharing life, love, memories, and a lot of sweet tea!) penned by Sherryl Woods. Woods has a way of endearing you with realistic themes and compelling drama inside a series that remains true to itself per each new installment of the women who live in Serenity.
Cedar Cove came into my life years before the tv series came to Hallmark Channel, as I honestly encouraged Ms MacComber to pitch the series and her Angel stories to the network as I felt even back in the early 2000s, MacComber would be a ‘good fit’ for Hallmark’s collection of sweet romances and quality television in a sex crazy world where relationships are rarely seen on film. I loved Cedar Cove for it’s Pacific Northwest setting as much as I loved the familiarity of the characters from novel to novel. I am unsure of the translation of it to tv, as I missed the 1st season as it aired.
Coorah Creek wooed me with it’s rugged outback location, it’s salt of the earth quirky characters, and it’s willingness to not only become a safe harbour for someone seeking solace from the world at large, but a place of a new beginning where you can put down roots and carve out your own destiny. Coorah Creek has the beauty of a close-knitted community you find within small townes, against the eloquently vivid backdrop of the Outback; where horses, humans, and wild blue skies greet each other. Gover had me so over the moon for Coorah Creek, even as I read Flight to Coorah Creek I was envisioning myself returning; yet that felt strange, how do you return if a sequel isn’t even known?
There are other small townes and other writers who pen compelling instances of what I consider a wicked good read for small towne life, community connectiveness, nature and wildlife in close proximity to where you lay your hat, and the beauty of not being clogged inside the wheel of chaos each time you want to step outside your door as most larger areas give you the impression of whilst your there. I was bourne and bred in the city, but I had a chance to exchange it for the country; now my heart is half-tethered to both worlds; seeking a way to find balance between convenience and serenity of spirit. Not to mention a slower pace and a calming rhythm of being connected with neighbours, community members, and the natural world.
The news originally broke inside a #ChocLitSaturdays chat (prior to when I changed our tag) that Coorah Creek was not singularly defined by Flight to Coorah Creek but merely a first greeting in which to become acquainted and book our residence for a long-term stay at the only Inn in towne (it’s above the ‘better’ bar; smiles). A place where you can happily snuggle into jeans, boots, and a fedora whilst embracing the freedom of riding horses, kicking up dust in jeeps, and being there for your neighbours.
I was overjoyed to throw a Pub Party for Ms Gover on #ChocLitSaturday today! The details of which will partially be revealed on this post, but will also alight when I write up the compliment blog post for today’s convo! It was a happy hour full of #booklove, #bookjoy, and the camaraderie amongst friends who’ve only known each other for just shy of a year! At least, I’ve only known the ChocLit’ers for the twelvemonths I’ve been hosting the chat, as we’ve had the chance to get to know each other off-blog and out in life. The convos are the blissful happy moments I cherish, and to celebrate a new release by an author I already smashingly love reading, wells, what could be better?!
The Wild One {Coorah Creek No.2 } by Janet Gover
Previously I read and reviewed Flight to Coorah Creek
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK), 3 April 2015 (PRE-ORDER time!)
Available Formats: Ebook; more formats forthcoming!
Converse via: #ChocLit & #CoorahCreek
Illustrated By: Berni Stevens
@circleoflebanon | Writer | Illustrator
Genre(s): Fiction | Romance | Small Towne Fiction
the Australian Outback | Second Chances
Read More
Posted Saturday, 21 March, 2015 by jorielov in 20th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Australia, Australian Literature, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Cookery, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Novel, Divorce & Martial Strife, Domestic Violence, Family Drama, Family Life, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Horse Drama & Fiction, Indie Author, Life Shift, Medical Fiction, Military Fiction, Modern British Literature, Nun, Passionate Researcher, Photography, Psychological Abuse, Religious Orders, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Second Chance Love, Single Mothers, Singletons & Commitment, Small Towne Fiction, Western Fiction, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Friday, 6 February, 2015 by jorielov Cedar Fort Inc, Chandice Probst & Tana Besendorfer, Front Table Books, Gluten-Free On A Budget 3 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Gluten-Free on a Budget” direct from the publisher Front Table Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
My review on behalf of this cookbook from Front Table Books has me quite excited because I am always on the look-out for how to make ‘Gluten-Free’ foods & sweets without breaking the budget! It was quite ironic that the author of the book added ‘budget’ into the title because I rarely say ‘breaking the bank’ and/or ‘breaking the wallet’, as I tend to talk in generalities that I think relate to everyone; so being we all have a food budget, the word felt more akin to what is relatable to me! I have some wicked awesome GF ingredients I want to use and I’m hoping I’ll be inspired to try one or two of the recipes inside! This marks my third *gf!* cookbook to review! Too exciting for words!
– as shared on Jorie’s Box of Joy, No. 4
Although I was also hoping to find wicked good ‘staple recipes’ that you could sort out ahead of time, whilst having a bevy of ‘go to choices’ that could compliment any dish and/or meal you were planning to make as these are the general bits inside cooking that tend to give you the most heartache trying to sort out whilst ‘in-progress’ with a current meal! Biscuits, cookies, small cakes, or even accompaniments to a main dish are generally the tricky bits to sort out whilst you are going from cookbook to cookbook or in a last ditch effort hopping on the internet to run a ‘search’ for ‘whichever recipe you need’ at that hour it’s warranted to be found!
One thing I love about the cookbooks I’ve been discovering through Front Table Books is that they are each a piece of the overall meal planning puzzle! Let me explain after I give you an introduction to what you can find inside the book:
Gluten-Free on a Budget
by Chandice Probst
Source: Direct from Publisher
Eat Gluten-Free without Going Broke!
Keep those pennies in your pockets - your gluten-free lifestyle doesn't have to cost a fortune. Now you can enjoy all your family's favourite foods while cutting the gluten and the cost!
Try all the delicious recipes, like . . .
Crepes with Sweet Cream and Strawberries
Chicken Pot Pies
Mini Banana Breads
Chocolate Caramel Toffee Cake
From breakfast to dinner and dessert, this is a full-course cookbook on a one-course budget. And with food that's so delicious and so good for you and your bank account, this is one cookbook you'll want to use for every meal!
Genres: Baking, Cookery, Gluten-Free Cooking & Baking Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Published by Front Table Books
on 13th January, 2015
Format: Paperback
Pages: 240
Read More
Posted Friday, 6 February, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Bread Making, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Cookbook, Cookery, Dairy-Free Foods, Debut Author, Gluten-Free Foods, Healthy Baking, Indie Author, Jorie Loves A Story Features, The Bookish Foodie
Posted Sunday, 1 February, 2015 by jorielov A Woman of Fortune, Amy Durham, Asher's Mark, Becca Stevens, Berni Stevens, Brenda S. Anderson, C.A. Gray, Camille Eide, Chandice Probst & Tana Besendorfer, Dance Until Dawn, First Frost, Gluten-Free On A Budget, Henriette Gyland, Impossible, Katy Haye, Kellie Coates Gilbert, Letters to my Future Husband, Like There's No Tomorrow, Lisa McKendrick, Marilee Jackson, Midnight Runner, Pieces of Granite, S.C. Barrus, Sarah Addison Allen, Stephen J. Valentine, The Gin Thief, The Last Gatekeeper, The Lazarus Game, The Way of Tea and Justice, Up Close 2 Comments
One of the happiest moments for a book blogger is eagerly going to their postbox & seeing what delightfully wicked print books have arrived for their reading pleasure! I have always held a keen interest in postal mail, being a long-term postal letter correspondent which has given me such a heart of joy seeing envelopes & bundles of love arrive from dear friends around the world. Imagine my new excitement in seeing the books I am reviewing arriving by publisher, author, publicist, or literary agent! Such an exciting new chapter in postal splendor!
I have been wanting to blog about my excitement about being placed on certain blog tours and/or in receiving books for review direct from authors, publishers, or publicists. I originally came across a weekly meme on Mondays entitled Mailbox Monday and you could say, that my new feature on Jorie Loves A Story is an extended idea from the original! Except to say, with one minor switch-up! Although I attempt to write down when books arrive by Post, I am never quite as certain when the books arrive as I am always reading the next book in hand! Therefore, please join me as I get excited about the books on my shelf which are next in line to read!
I apologise I was not able to keep up with my posts for this Feature. Most of the latter half of 2014 was a bit difficult for different reasons, wherein I simply tried to read all the books I could whilst I had captured the hours to give to them. I was too wrapped up in my readings to realise I had forgotten to post about upcoming books of interest! You will happily see a resurgence of this post hitting weekly starting this Winter 2015!
I am working on completing my “End of the Year Survey 2014”:
Spring & Summer might have dissolved into each other and collided straight into Autumn, but I must confess I read a heap of beautiful writ stories! Enchanting my mind, endearing my heart, and enveloping me inside a knitted eclipse of story craft by writers who know how to give readers a pause out of their hours and a settling inside their spirits as they turn page after page of evoking narrative which never fully leaves you once you place the novel on your bookshelf!
By the time it came around for the *End of the Year Survey* to be written, I must admit I was still working on a few reviews whilst resting a bit after New Year’s as I love to watch the ball drop in Times Square! I have been compiling the survey for more than a month now, working on it off/on whenever I have a few free hours to go back over the books I read during the past year, inasmuch as sort out my final thoughts as where they might ‘fit’ into the survey itself. I plan to release my “Top Picks of 2014” and the completed survey quite soon! Stay tuned to see what truly captured my mind from last year!
I have several carry-overs from January,
of which I will be reading whilst tweeting about this week:
- Impossible by C.A. Gray (last book in the Piercing the Veil series: Book 1, Book 2, Interview)
- The Last Gatekeeper by Katy Haye (part of my readings for Sci Fi Experience 2015)
- The Gin Thief: Ep 1 by S.C. Barrus (manuscript I served as a betareader)
- First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen (part of Book Browse First Impressions)
- Up Close by Henriette Gyland (romantic suspense by ChocLitUK)
- Dance Until Dawn by Berni Stevens (vampire romance by ChocLitUK)
- A Woman of Fortune by Kellie Coates Gilbert (author contacted me about her books)
- *I will be talking about the library books I’m reading lateron in the week!
Read More
Posted Sunday, 1 February, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Book Trailer, Bookish Discussions, Bookish Films, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, Cookery, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Down Syndrome, Equality In Literature, Gluten-Free Foods, Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller Suspense, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction | Non-Fiction, JKS Communications: Literary Publicity Firm, Jorie's Box of Joy, Life Shift, New Adult Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Royal Social Media, Science Fiction, Special Needs Children, Steampunk, Street Team for Author, Time Travel, Time Travel Adventure, Women's Fiction
Posted Wednesday, 28 January, 2015 by jorielov Heather Webb, Penguin Group (USA), Plume, Rodin's Lover 2 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Rodin’s Lover” virtual book tour through France Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the publisher Plume, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
I barely had time to read the full premise of Rodin’s Lover when I signed up for the blog tour, as I had a sixth sense about this particular release! I had a strong feeling that after the success of Webb’s debut novel on behalf of Josephine Bonaparte, this next one would draw quite a large readership — partially out of curiosity and partially out of the fact all of us knew how intricate she layers the historical fact with the fiction; etching into our collective memories a full-bodied novel rooted in history, with characters who step off the page as if they were being given a second life to live in front of us!
I had heard an inkling about this being set in France and knew it had a strong impact on the world of art, but as far as what it was precisely about — that was something I was happily surprised to have found out much, much later! Rodin is one sculptural artist I do not know too much about overall, as I had mentioned on the interview I gave on this tour, most of the artists I am familiar with are Italian in origin! I had to smile when I realised this, as Webb’s art history appreciations lie in France, with mine further south in Italy! I never had thought about how different we (here refers to ‘everyone’ not merely Webb) approach what draws our eye into an artist, and what it is about that particular artist’s style and voice out of the medium and materials he/she uses that stabilises the connection for us. Even the country of origin can have a resounding effect on our peception and our acception of a particular era of art.
On my connection to Ms. Webb:
Ever since I first hosted her debut novel Becoming Josephine on her original blog tour in January 2014, I have happily had the pleasure of crossing paths with her in the twitterverse! We would share quite a lot of happy conversation rather spontaneously as the year carried forward. We have the tendency to duck inside the same Twitter events, chats, and/or follow or converse with writers in common whilst delighting in the bookish and writerly joy that extend out of our paths continuously crossing. I delight in the joy of being able to interact with writers I have had the honour of reading stories of inasmuch as the writers who become a delight to know in this virtual bookish community.
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her and have enjoyed our random conversations on Twitter. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time.
Rodin's Lover
by Heather Webb
Source: Publisher via France Book Tours
Book Synopsis:
A mesmerizing tale of art and passion in Belle Époque France
As a woman, aspiring sculptor Camille Claudel has plenty of critics, especially her ultra-traditional mother. But when Auguste Rodin makes Camille his apprentice—and his muse—their passion inspires groundbreaking works. Yet, Camille’s success is overshadowed by her lover’s rising star, and her obsessions cross the line into madness.
Rodin’s Lover brings to life the volatile love affair between one of the era’s greatest artists and a woman entwined in a tragic dilemma she cannot escape.
Genres: Art & Art History, French Literature, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Also by this author: Becoming Josephine, Author Interview: Heather Webb (Rodin's Lover), Cover Reveal: Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War, Last Christmas in Paris, The Phantom's Apprentice
Published by Plume
on 27th January, 2015
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Published by: Plume (@PlumeBooks)
an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) (@penguinusa)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse via: #RodinsLover, #HeatherWebb, & #FranceBT
About Heather Webb
HEATHER WEBB is the author of historical novels Becoming Josephine and Rodin’s Lover, and the anthology Fall of Poppies, which have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Elle, France Magazine, and more, as well as received national starred reviews.
RODIN’S LOVER was a Goodreads Top Pick in 2015. Last Christmas in Paris, an epistolary love story set during WWI released October 3, 2017, and The Phantom’s Apprentice, a re-imagining of the Gothic classic Phantom of the Opera from Christine Daae’s point of view releases February 6, 2018. To date, her novels have sold in ten countries. Heather is also a professional freelance editor, foodie, and travel fiend.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram | LibraryThing | FantasticFiction
Camille Claudel & Rodin:
Claudel is a self-sacrificing artist unto where she doesn’t see past her creativity and the ache she has to explore more with her mouldings of clay. She did not just give her light, heart, and soul to the art she fused every part of her being to the medium; lending an outside observation that without art, Claudel would no longer exist because art had replaced the words and experiences that manifest outside that scope.
You can see quite a bit about Rodin’s temperament whilst he is in conversation with Monet; both men were working in Paris whilst approaching their careers with equal passion yet with different trueness to their own individualistic character. Where Monet was melancholic due to tragic loss, Rodin is seen a bit too esteemed to defy the rules by which both men worked in order to make their livings. On Monet’s behalf, I believe he did not feel his course was set to break the rules but rather to fuse his own artistic joy into a visual element that would appeal to the public. Rodin on the other hand was a bourne rebel who did not want to be placed inside a pre-determined path nor adhere to a rule of how to sculpt when he himself would sort that out in his studio. Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Wednesday, 28 January, 2015 by jorielov in 19th Century, Adulterous Affair, Art, Art History, Auguste Rodin, Belle Epoque Era, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Camille Claudel, Cookery, France, France Book Tours, Historical Fiction, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Passionate Researcher, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Sculpture, Sociological Behavior, Taboo Relationships & Romance, Writing Style & Voice
