Category: Historical Fiction

Blog Book Tour | “The Spoils of Avalon” by Mary F. Burns a #cosy historical mystery which enraptures your head within a cleverly crafted suspense full-on of action & dialogue of centuries past!

Posted Monday, 17 November, 2014 by jorielov , , , , 2 Comments

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The Spoils of Avalon by Mary F. Burns

{ Book 1: A John Singer Sargent | Violet Paget Mystery }

Published By: Sand Hill Review Press (@SandHillRP)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback, & Ebook

Converse via: #TheSpoilsOfAvalon, #JohnSingerSargent & #SpoilsOfAvalonBlogTour

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Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “The Spoils of Avalon” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary ARC copy of the book direct from the publisher Sand Hill Review Press, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

A most auspiciously clever beginning:

I was most delightfully blissful to see where the reference to Holmes and Watson might have sparked a nodding glance by Ms. Spann, but before I could even dig deeper into the context of the novel itself, I was first greeted by such a curious note out of the pen of Ms. Paget herself — who auspiciously cast the most alluring footbridge into her introductory mystery! I always fancy writers who find a way to insert their lead character into the early bits of a novel’s opening sequence, wherein one of my favourite choices is the note ‘left for future readers’ and writ especially for the curious as to why this particular tale might be told and the merits behind it’s reading; alas, the reason I appreciate this most?! It allows a bit of an anchor between the writer, the chosen narrator of the story, and the reader who wants to take up the journey and see where everything of which is yet to unfold shall lead them to travel; as if vagabond to the action themselves!

The poem by William Blake highlighting a moment out of the life of Jesus was a special touch, as I had not had the pleasure of reading this poem previously and it knits together the setting of placing the story around Avalon most directly. I also appreciated the biographies of the two lead detectives: Sargent & Paget, as what originally appealed to me to read this particular cosy historical mystery is the fact the two lead characters are rooted within the historical past! Two individuals I am earnestly curious about learning more about and yet, never once in my pursuits of the fine arts did I see Sargent’s name mentioned; such a pity as I am drawn to watercolour painting techniques, as it works around my allergies to the more stringent oils.

A new foray of choice within the coattails of cosies are the ‘historicals’ which draw out such a breath of interest inside me heart that I am not even sure I will be able to read and appreciate all the lovelies I am seeking to read next! There is such a hearty breadth of choice these days for the historical reader who likes dig their chops into the art and skill behind sleuthing and murder mysteries! It has become a most delightful part of my blogging life to unearth such lovelies on blog tours therein having the honour of drawing a happy glow around the Indie Writers and the Indie Pubs who are producing such a wicked quality to the craft! It is my long-term goal to re-visit the authors I have previously reviewed, to see if their second or next novel in sequence have become released and thereby, potentially able to become acquired! I appreciate each cosy historical writer I am discovering for being uniquely different from each other and for capturing my passionate love of time travelling through the historical past!

Blog Book Tour | “The Spoils of Avalon” by Mary F. Burns a #cosy historical mystery which enraptures your head within a cleverly crafted suspense full-on of action & dialogue of centuries past!The Spoils of Avalon

The death of a humble clergyman in 1877 leads amateur sleuths Violet Paget and John Singer Sargent into a medieval world of saints and kings—including the legendary Arthur—as they follow a trail of relics and antiquities lost since the destruction of Glastonbury Abbey in 1539. Written in alternating chapters between the two time periods, The Spoils of Avalon creates a sparkling, magical mystery that bridges the gap between two worlds that could hardly be more different—the industrialized, Darwinian, materialistic Victorian Age and the agricultural, faith-infused life of a medieval abbey on the brink of violent change at the hands of Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell.

First in a new series of historical mysteries, The Spoils of Avalon introduces two unlikely detectives and life-long friends—beginning as young people on the verge of making their names famous for the next several decades throughout Europe and America: the brilliant and brittle Violet Paget, known as the writer Vernon Lee, and the talented, genial portrait painter John Singer Sargent.

Friends from the age of ten, Paget and Sargent frequently met in the popular European watering places and capitals, frequenting the same salons and drawing rooms in London, Rome, Paris, Florence, Venice, Vienna and Madrid. Both were possessed of keen minds and bohemian tendencies, unorthodox educations and outsized egos (especially Paget). Their instant, natural bonding led them to address each other as “Twin”, and they corresponded frequently when they were apart.

Henry James once described Violet Paget as having “the most formidable mind” of their times, and he was an active fan and patron of John Sargent, introducing him to London society and his own inner circles of literary and artistic genius.


Places to find the book:

Series: John Singer Sargent | Violet Paget mysteries, No.1


Also in this series: Intangible, Beneath Creek Waters


on 1st November, 2014

Pages: 300

About Mary F. Burns

Mary F. Burns

Mary F. Burns is the author of PORTRAITS OF AN ARTIST (Sand Hill Review Press, February 2013), a member of and book reviewer for the Historical Novel Society and a former member of the HNS Conference board of directors. A novella-length book, ISAAC AND ISHMAEL, is also being published by Sand Hill Review Press in 2014. Ms. Burns’ debut historical novel J-THE WOMAN WHO WROTE THE BIBLE was published in July 2010 by O-Books (John Hunt Publishers, UK). She has also written two cozy-village mysteries in a series titled The West Portal Mysteries (The Lucky Dog Lottery and The Tarot Card Murders).

Ms. Burns was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where she earned both Bachelors and Masters degrees in English, along with a high school teaching certificate. She relocated to San Francisco in 1976 where she now lives with her husband Stuart in the West Portal neighborhood. Ms. Burns has a law degree from Golden Gate University, has been president of her neighborhood association and is active in citywide issues. During most of her working career she was employed as a director of employee communications, public relations and issues management at various San Francisco Bay Area corporations, was an editor and manager of the Books on Tape department for Ignatius Press, and has managed her own communications/PR consulting business, producing written communications, websites and video productions for numerous corporate and non-profit clients.

A timeslip between the 19th & 16th Centuries: 

Each new journal entry gives you a further perspective of the events unfolding per each timescape we are entering; therefore where one chapter relates to us where Sargent & Paget are finding themselves a bit bemused by unexpected developments at the start of their journey towards understanding a riddle within the note which carried them to Uncle Chaffee’s village, we are also returning back to the Abbey in due course. It is a good pace to set the timeslip, because just before you gain too much information in one particular time dimension, you’re embarking backwards or forwards as the case might be to the other one! The unknown suspense needling out around the edges of both interludes is pleasantly suspended as if a spider is still knitting their web. Read More

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Monday, 17 November, 2014 by jorielov in 16th Century, 19th Century, ARC | Galley Copy, Art, Arthurian Legend, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Britian, British Literature, Clever Turns of Phrase, Cosy Historical Mystery, Cosy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Epistolary Novel | Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, John Singer Sargent, Story in Diary-Style Format, the Victorian era, Violet Paget, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice

Blog Book Tour | “Becoming Beauty” by Sarah Boucher a #retelling #fairytale of #BeautyAndTheBeast!

Posted Sunday, 9 November, 2014 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

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Becoming Beauty by Sarah E. Boucher

Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)

Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

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 “Becoming Beauty” direct from the publisher Sweetwater 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:

If you found a story with a teaser of a plot like this,
wouldn’t you want to devour it?

Claws. Long, filthy, and dangerously sharp.

They’re the first thing Bella sees after what’s been the worst day of her life. If Bella were the quintessential Beauty—gorgeous, kindhearted, and self-sacrificing—she might have a chance at transforming this monster into a man, but she’s never been the toad-kissing kind. Obsessed with landing a wealthy nobleman and escaping her humdrum life, Bella will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Which is precisely what landed her here, at the mercy of the Beast.

I do admit, the last time I was familiar with the fairy-tale Beauty and the Beast echoes back into my own childhood where the story originally stirred my heart and gave me such a felicity of spirit to wrap myself inside! It wasn’t until I hosted #ChocLitSaturdays on 8th November, 2014 I realised the main differences between the fairy-tale worlds I grew up knowing with such a fierce passion and the fairy-tales everyone else know themselves. For if I hadn’t thought to broach the subject about reading after canons and re-tellings for fairy-tales (an interest sparked alive by finding myself in positions to read re-tellings of late) I never would have realised where I stand on this issue.

I grew up with a warm glow of joy in appreciation for Beauty & the Beast, not only spun out of the Disney Animated Film Adaptation but for the tv series starring Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman — despite the re-attempt to bring this series to life, my heart is attached to the 1987 version. I love the beauty of a story where the bare bones of humanity can become integral and woven into the tapestry of where the characters lead our hearts to connect. As soon as I realised this was a re-telling of a beloved story, I felt a hitching of excitement inside my own heart. My spirit was simply eager to see where Boucher would take me on my journey within her debut novel. I suspected it would become a new favourite fairy-tale of mine and I daresay, I was mirthfully thrilled to bits to realise I had been right!

Blog Book Tour | “Becoming Beauty” by Sarah Boucher a #retelling #fairytale of #BeautyAndTheBeast!Becoming Beauty

Bella’s time at home has been spent fobbing off her responsibilities on her siblings,
weaseling new gowns out of her father, and daydreaming about the life she ought to be living as mistress of a wealthy household. When her father returns from an extended business trip, Bella’s life is turned upside-down and she is left with no choice but to call on the mercy of the Beast.

Refusing to be cowed, even by someone as dangerous and imposing as the Beast, Bella matches barbed comment for barbed comment while scheming to escape. Her plans are derailed when she catches a glimpse of the man behind the monster, and when Jack, the Beast’s sole companion, draws her in with his inherent kindness and offer of genuine friendship. With unexpected determination, Bella throws herself into her new role as the Beast’s maid and finds the work both challenging and rewarding. Surprised by the capability displayed by the “pampered princess,” the Beast begins to soften toward Bella and a tenuous relationship springs up between them.

Since her arrival, Bella has been haunted by strange visions of a woman named Rose. When she discovers a neglected bedchamber reminiscent of the one in her dreams, Bella’s curiosity is peaked. Her attempts to discover Rose’s fate and the part the Beast and Jack played in her disappearance will cost Bella more than she can imagine. However, if she can untangle the threads of the past, she may yet earn her own happily ever after.


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

on 11th November, 2014

Format: Paperback

Pages: 256

About Sarah E. Boucher

Sarah E. Boucher

Sarah E. Boucher spends her days instilling young children with the same love of literature she has known since childhood. After hours, she pens her own stories and nurses an unhealthy obsession for handbags, high heels, baking, and British television. Sarah is a graduate of Brigham Young University, who currently lives and teaches in Ogden, Utah. Becoming Beauty is her first novel.

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Is a man a Beast outright? And, what defines feminine Beauty?:

The Beast (as he is most readily known) aspires to cast fear into those he wants something in return from as his heart is cold and hardened due to circumstances not yet known. His entire physical appearance is set against what would be generally accepted as goodwill towards making a good first impression; he would prefer to have his beastly intentions known directly and remove any inch of kindness from being extracted out of his patterns of speech, mannerisms and the ways in which he carries on his daily business. He acts under the presumption it is his right as a man to either act perpetually grumbled against the nicer bits of living and life rather than to succumb to changing his behaviour as it would be better suited to polite society.

In contrast to his brutal inner rage simmering under his hairy exterior, Bella is a girl who never lifted a finger towards contributing to her family’s security and upkeeping of their household. She was the apple of her father’s eye to the near destruction of their ability to earn a living wage and enjoy a scarce amount of provisions to ensure their basic comforts. Bella rankled her siblings for her inability to see past her nose and for her discontempt for their station within the class of their birth. She always strove to seek a higher level of living without thinking first on how she could benefit her family before pursuing her own inclinations and dreams.

What then defines the innermost nod of a man to become a Beast and how does a woman elect to define her beauty? The story within Becoming Beauty seeks not only to answer this question but to re-define how the characters can grow out of their distrust of one another.

My Review of Becoming Beauty:

As a Janeite whose heart is evocatively attached to Pride & Prejudice, imagine the fluttering excitement to read the opening passages of Becoming Beauty whilst alighting inside a scene reminiscent of Ms Elizabeth Bennett first casting eyes on Mr Darcy? Across the crowded ball, a knowing presumption on a bloke’s character can be ascertained by his countenance inasmuch as his mannerisms; Bella plays the coquette and attempts to charm his heart rather than play a presumptive hand for his courtship. Unlike Elizabeth Bennett however, Bella is resentful of her family to a degree of wanting to expunge herself from their hold as she only has her heart set on making a match in marriage to alleviate her station and thereby resolving what she feels is unnecessary angst.

Becoming Beauty begins by giving us a background insight into who Bella is as we enter her life before shifting forward to where her ordinary life changes overnight. The descriptive choice to pair the unexpected return of Bella’s father with a churning storm as a back-drop proved to be quite clever as to draw the reader towards acknowledging the storm was not merely literally placed but figuratively working as a foreshadow of Bella’s transitional plight out of where she took shelter from the outside world yet was earnestly attempting to flee. The fact Bella strove so hard to shed her family and her life with them tipped her hand to not realising what is truly important in our lives; the love and comfort of family is not something to shirk away from but to cherish and uphold with sincere thankfulness. She is a young woman bent on yielding only to her next whim of materialistic glory without ever considering the sacrifices her own father had to give in order to grant her wishes.

As she starts to forge a new identity of herself whilst living with the Beast, she starts to uncover parts of her character she never knew she had within. Her tendencies towards pride-filled behaviour start to shed as she tackles the upkeep and running of an estate and she puts her own welfare last in regards to doing the bidding of the Beast first. Through her indentured state she is learning humility and how a hard day’s labour can re-instill the blessings you forsaked in the past. Her father I do not believed had intended her to grow without understanding a mindfulness of gratitude but without the guidance of her mother, Bella had grown into a spiteful and pride filled débutante.

I loved following the downward spiral of Bella’s tender grasp on reality and the psychological warfare of her mind accepting the feverish dreams of her slumber to be the truth behind the man within the Beast. This type of story is riveting to me because it plays into what I love about Ingrid Bergman’s performance in Gaslight (of which I mentioned during Horror October); the fragility of the mind and the heart of memory can either free or destroy a person’s sanity.

The true enjoyment for me reading Becoming Beauty is how without giving into grief and an allowance of time to heal from wounds never seen on the outside of your body; you can only lead a half-life. Never quite in the fulfillment of your soul nor contentment within your heart. You have to live life as true to the days which greet you during the hours in which you have to breathe through the adversity. Life is best lived by choosing how to align your attitude to the moments which challenge your compassion and your humanity. Love is the most renewable source of light and hope we have within us to give and to receive. I truly loved every inch of this novel, because the fairy-tale I had within my own mind’s eye on behalf of Beauty & the Beast was expertly taken to the printed page by the hand of Sarah E. Boucher.

On the writing style of Sarah E. Boucher:

Boucher does a brilliant job of counter-balancing the fairy-tale narrative we all know as Beauty & the Beast with a new curtain of insight into how Bella fits within the story arc of where the Beast’s presence is going to lead her towards the best discovery of all: seeing herself for the first time without a cloud of untruth glossing over her infractions and faults of character. The ruminative lingering thoughts and the flashbacks of another life having lived before her, I appreciated seeing where the original tale and this one merged into one; granting a stronger impression of the Beast’s devotion and a curious itch into how Bella could befall under the bewitching dreams of a woman who had not yet let go of her beloved Beast.

I simply adore style of conception and creation of fairy-tale re-tellings by Ms. Boucher, who breathes not only new life into a tale you know by heart but she gives a warranted exploration of the depth of the characters therein. Her own imaginative heart is both full of moxie and a redefinition of the classical canon of how a fairy-tale can be seen through the eyes of someone who believes there is a bit more depth out of the superficiality of misguided souls. She transitions herself into a niche of the world of Fantasy and has fully convinced me to keep my eye on her next releases where she embodies her tagline: Bringing Twisted Fairy-Tales to Life. (a note of gratitude to her cousin!)

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This Blog Tour Stop is courtesy of Cedar Fort, Inc:

Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Becoming Beauty Blog Tour via Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Virtual Road Map of the “Becoming Beauty” Blog Tour:

Visit the tour route to discover other reader impressions!

9 Nov: Jorie Loves a Story, Wondrous Reviews 18 Nov: Bookworm Lisa, Wishful Endings
10 Nov: R.K. Grow, I Love To Read and Review Books 19 Nov: Mel’s Shelves
11 Nov: A Casual Reader’s Blog, Author Cindy C Bennett 20 Nov: A Backwards Story, The Book Blog Experience
12 Nov: Readalot, Literary Timeout 21 Nov: Claudia Y. Burgoa
13 Nov: Getting Your Read On 22 Nov: Corinne’s Garden, Mom Loves 2 Read
14 Nov: Books Complete Me, The View From My Window 23 Nov: Enchanted by YA, Hannah L. Clark
15 Nov: Misty Dawn Pulsipher, My Book Addiction & More 24 Nov: Let It Be & Celebrate
16 Nov: Jo Ann Schneider, Inklings and Notions 25 Nov: Blooming with Books, Fire and Ice Reads
17 Nov: Katie’s Clean Book Collection, My Book a Day 26 Nov: The Phantom Paragrapher, Reader Girls Blog

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Previously I have read the following Indie YA Fantasy novels:

{ I appreciate seeking out well conceived worlds & fully fleshed out characters }

Redheart by Jackie Gamber

Sela by Jackie Gamber

Reclamation by Jackie Gamber

Uncovering Cobbogoth by Hannah L. Clark

The Dreamosphere by Laura Stoddard

Star of Deliverance by Mandy Madson Voisin

Intangible by C.A. Gray

Next I am sharing my thoughts during Sci Fi November:

Invincible by C.A. Gray

Impossible by C.A. Gray

Fade to Black by Sue Duff

Portals, Passages, and Pathways by B.R. Maul

Forthcoming in December will be: An Uncommon Blue by R.C. Hancock

Previously I have read the following fairy-tale stories:

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth a re-telling of Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm

Awesome Jones by AshleyRose Sullivan a superhero fairy-tale

Reader Interactive Question:

What draws you into a fairy-tale canon and/or after canon? What kinds of fairy-tale re-tellings warm your heart and ignite a feverish passion of anticipation in your soul? Are there fairy-tales you wish had a re-telling/sequel not already established in literature today?! Who are your favourite writers who have re-told a classic fairy-tale and/or re-envisioned one into a new vision of scope?

This post is being cross-prompted through my participation of:

SFN _ SciFi Month_bookreview#IndieWriterMonth Blog Feature of Jorie Loves A Story, badge created by Jorie in Canva

{SOURCES: Book Cover Art for “Becoming Beauty”, author biography, author photograph, book synopsis, book teaser and blog tour badge provided by the author Sarah E. Boucher and used with permission. Badge for Cedar Fort Publishing & Media is provided by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media and used with permission. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. SFN November Book Review badge, Cross-Posted badge for Riffle & #IndieWriterMonth badge created by Jorie in Canva.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

The live reading tweets in regards to “Becoming Beauty”:

{ favourite & Re-tweet if inspired to share }

 

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Sunday, 9 November, 2014 by jorielov in 19th Century, After the Canon, Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Castles & Estates, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Classical Literature, Coming-Of Age, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Fairy Tale Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Father-Daughter Relationships, Go Indie, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Re-Told Tales, Reading Challenges, Romance Fiction, Sci-Fi November, SFN Bingo, Sweet Romance, The London Season, the Victorian era, YA Fantasy, YA Paranormal &/or Paranormal Romance, Young Adult Fiction

tCC (the Classics Club) | The #Classics Spin #8 eek! too wicked awesome for words! my first tCC Spin!

Posted Friday, 7 November, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 11 Comments

The Classics Club badge by Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story

Official Blurb & Rules: 

It’s time for another Classics Spin for any who are interested. What is the spin?

It’s easy. At your blog, by next Monday, November 10, list your choice of any twenty books you’ve left to read from your Classics Club list — in a separate post.

This is your Spin List. You have to read one of these twenty books in November & December. (Details follow.) So, try to challenge yourself. For example, you could list five Classics Club books you are dreading/hesitant to read, five you can’t WAIT to read, five you are neutral about, and five free choice (favorite author, rereads, ancients — whatever you choose.)

Next Monday, we’ll post a number from 1 through 20. The challenge is to read whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List, by January 5, 2015. We’ll have a check in here in January, to see who made it the whole way and finished the spin book.

Try to challenge yourself: list five you are dreading/hesitant to read, five you can’t WAIT to read, five you are neutral about, and five free choice (favorite author, rereads, ancients — whatever you choose.)

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5 Choices to Celebrate my participation in Sci Fi November: (SPIN 1-5)

  1. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
  2. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
  3. The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
  4. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
  5. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

5 Choices of Novels I am trepideriously curious about reading: (SPIN 6-10)

  1. The Murders of the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe
  2. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
  3. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
  4. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
  5. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

10 Novels I am wicked happy about Reading Next: (SPIN 11-20)

  1. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
  2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  3. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (Lucky 13!)
  4. Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt
  5. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope by Rhonda Riley
  6. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
  7. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
  8. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
  9. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
  10. The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

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I honestly haven’t had the proper chance to participate too much in The Classics Club for the first year I am a tenure in the club! I felt for sure I’d be visiting a heap of lovely clubbers throughout the book blogosphere, whilst participating in all the wicked fun activities that the club puts together for us to enjoy! However, 2014 proved to be a bit more unique as time went forward and thus, I have found myself on the fringes of being in the tCC rather than being directly apart of the community itself! So much so, that I honestly only remember joining in for ONE (oy vie!) club check-in and recently and I only recently published my thoughts on a collection of ghost stories by Edith Wharton (one review in twelvemonths? ohh, dear!)!

I even lost the hours to join in the wicked joy of being a part of Austen in August — whilst reminding myself that Austen can be appreciated any month of the year, and this year, I am picking *December!* as my Austen in Reading month! I am going to be blogging my visits within the joy of my first readings of the following:

Mansfield Park | Northanger Abbey | Persuasion

And, if I hadn’t been tweeting about the ghost stories by Wharton, I never would have had the beautifully lovely convo with the Wharton enthused ladies I met who have inspired me to combine my readings of Austen with Wharton between December & January respectively! (shared the convo on my interview with Marcia DeSanctis) I am going to put together a bit of an official RAL for the authors, and encourage anyone who wants to join me to do so! Especially the ladies who were involved with the tweeting!

I read the tCC updates by email subscription, as when I first read about the Spin this time round, I misunderstood the deadline completely and therefore, when Lost Generation Reader sent out this tweet: 

I had the happy-go-lucky moment of realising I could FINALLY play the SPIN! It was a wicked sweet moment, truly! And, now without further adieu I wanted to explain my choices!

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells | One of my focus tracks during SFN is a continuation of exploring “Time Travel”, and as I had declared last year, I have never had the honour of reading the one book I always felt set the stage for the stories published after it’s release; The Time Machine is simply a classic on a lot of different levels! To read my thoughts on Time Travel as a Focus Track, please visit the post I wrote for SFN 2013 which will become expanded for SFN 2014 this weekend!

A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge | One of my favourite branches of science fiction in tv series & motion picture is Space Opera, except when I stop to consider how much I’ve honestly read within this sub-genre I come up short each time I try to set a list to mind. This is one of my choices to branch into a beloved section of the genre and to seek out stories that take place in the cosmos and beyond our share of the universe.

The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson | One of my favourite characters in the world of Star Trek is “Seven of Nine” who embraced the technology of nanos as much as giving credit to how a character you once would have feared has a way of transitioning into a character you are quite attached to rallying behind. This novel explores nanotechnology & artificial intelligence in a way that I felt befit exploring and taking a step outside the world of Trek.

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson | Ever since I was quite young scientists have been attempting to sort out ‘the next planet’ where man can continue to thrive within the range of planets outside our obit. Mars was always on the top level of choices and somewhere within the race to settle ourselves on Mars and the pursuit of seeing how far we have gone to create a plausible way to move there; I became quite enthralled in the science articles and non-fiction works which defended the choice. Robinson’s series was found whilst I was caught up in the race for Mars.

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke | Quite literally one of my regrets as a letter-writer was not reaching out by pen and paper to Mr Clarke who passed before I found the courage to draft a letter to him. The Rama series has been on my list of ‘next reads’ long before I discovered the online bookish culture and world of book bloggers; it felt fitting to include this on my first SPIN!

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The Murders of the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe | Although I established a newfound respect and admiration for Poe whilst reading Mrs. Poe on a blog tour earlier this year, I am still curiously cautious about reading his collective works! If any book would put me betwixt and between knowing whether or not I wanted to read it, this surely qualifies!

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh | Quite happily I found the newest adaption for this classic novel on dvd earlier in the year, and soon after I had joined tCC officially! It was one of two dvd collections based on classic novels I had hoped would not only encourage me to expand my tCC List but encourage me forward towards reading the classics on a more regularly basis! Clearly I sidestepped a bit from that goal, but there was always a twitch of anxiety to begin this one for me.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë | My only attachment to the Brontë’ sisters is my readings of Jane Eyre which began during the Septemb-Eyre RAL in 2013; a RAL I had meant to continue forward with in step with the reading pace of my classically passionate friend Maggie (previously of ‘An American in France’ thus redefined as ‘Macarons & Paperbacks’) — yet haven’t yet found the hours to pick up from whence I left off! This includes an attempt to read Eyre during Horror October! Oy vie. I have had my eyes on her sisters for awhile and felt it was a fitting time to include one of them on this list; yet a bit daunting too, as I know their styles are entirely different from one another!

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell | I am personally a champion & enthused reader of Gaskell without ever once reading one of her novels! I had an instant connection to Gaskell first and foremost as a fellow writer (the appreciation I am referencing here also applies to Austen) and then shifted into the merriment of a reader who was discovering the breadth of her work whilst researching the life she lived. This was actually a purchase request I turnt in at my local library whereupon they acquired a beautiful hardback copy of the novel and the BBC/Masterpiece PBS adaptation of the novel at the same time. In hindsight, I wanted to read the novel prior to seeing the mini-series yet I ended up seeing Part 1 of the mini-series and as I was left emotionally shattered I never picked up the book! I have since spoilt myself on spoilers and learnt at least that I can handle what happens in Part 2! Only just barely! Hence why this is under the 5 novels I’m a bit unsure if whether or not I’m ready to read them!

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy | I recently felt re-inspired to start reading War and Peace due to my recent visit with #LitChat where I had the pleasure of talking about the novel I have been attempting to read since February! In fact, my War and Peace main post will finally publish on my blog this weekend as I simply haven’t had the proper chance to conclude my thoughts on how I want to read it and why I felt 2014 was the right year to tackle the breadth that is Tolstoy! Therefore, this is an obvious choice for me to include under the thread of a ‘daunting’ read, as who tackles War and Peace followed by Anna Karenina!

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Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier | A lot of the books I want to read follow in sequence after reading Rebecca; within the last year alone I have stumbled across sequel authors and/or continuations of the story Du Maurier inspired from her original work. It is a novel I have wanted to start for a long time but I felt it might be the interesting to see if it comes up in the SPIN.

The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern | Of all the different start times I’ve tried to get into The Night Circus, it was last Christmas (2013) when I nearly found myself able to stay with the story! I heard a bit about this prior to becoming curious about reading it myself — but to be honest, I found it through my local library before anyone started to talk about it exclusively one way or the other. It is what I read on the opening pages that has kept my attention for nearly a full year! I want to know more of this story and perhaps now I can!?

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe | This was one of my personal gifts to myself for one of my birthdays, where I wanted to try to find a new author who was writing an incredible novel set in an era that either I had an interest to dig into more and/or was a new thread of story that held my attention as soon as I read the premise. Deliverance Dane fit that part of history where witch hunts and prejudice against people who were living a different life were running rampant against the truth of who they actually were.

Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt | Prior to reading Illuminations, I enjoyed learning more about the author via her website where I found a bit of a back-story on why she wrote Daughters of the Witching Hill and the measure of truth her own research yielded to become revealed on the historical women she rooted her story to focus on. It was such a captivating premise within an enriched part of the historical past that is not always given a focus in modern literature. I originally foresaw reading this alongside Deliverance Dane and will do so if one of them pops up in the SPIN!

The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope by Rhonda Riley | Even before one of the Mods for #LitChat approached me about conversing about reading this novel, I had already earmarked myself to read this particular title! This is another classic example of the beautiful books I discover through browsing my local library’s card catalogue! I get excited seeing which books are being added to the collection as a whole and which new authors are penning stories who write outside the regular releases to wink at you to read!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith | Earlier in 2014 or late in 2013, I had the pleasure of seeing a motion picture adaptation of this on Turner Classic Movies (TCM), although at the time I hadn’t been aware of that fact! There was a turning point in the film where I sort of put the pieces together for myself, to where I realised the title of the film and the fact it was a film based off a novel I had already thought to add to my tCC List! As even back in 2013, I was planning the books I would include on the list once I had my blog set-up to where I could join!

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender | A library find I was uncertain at first if I truly wanted to read because it was such a clever story that steps outside it’s own shelving spot! I like stories which push themselves out of a ‘genre’ designation because at the end of the day, I thrive on the craft of stories and the gift of story-telling; to me a story’s genre selection is not as important as the story within the pages of the novel! As I was setting up this list I saw the title on my tCC List and felt, “Why not?”

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery | I honestly attempted to borrow this from a local library attached to a church I was attending in 2013 but the hours were not in my favour as the borrow time was limited. What fascinated me the most is there was a whole new series of novels by Montgomery I hadn’t discovered when I was younger! I am not sure how I missed Emily of New Moon when I devourted Anne of Green Gables!?

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen + The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni| For my last two selections I wanted to take a bit of a magical diversion in my reading selections as both The Sugar Queen & The Mistress of Spices are selections I made for reading more “Magical Realism”. They are not the only ones I choose to focus on for this SPIN either, but these two particular novels have enchanted me since I first breathed in their book synopsises and/or since I saw the film adaptation! There is a beautifully eloquent Bollywood inspired film for The Mistress of Spices (of which I have blogged about in the past) whose dream sequences, musical interludes, and the setting of the story at a spice market left me bewitched! I have wanted to read the novel ever since I first saw Aishwarya Rai on screen for the first time!

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Reader Interactive Question:

Are any of my SPIN choices a novel that interests you?

Have you previously read one of them? IF so, include a link in your comment!

How do you curate your SPIN lists for tCC?

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UPDATE: 10th Monday, November 2014

Ooh, this is seriously beyond exciting!! Not only did I get a book I had put on my ‘short list’ of hopefuls to come out of the SPIN *but!* the tCC SPIN # is my LUCKY 13! I am over the moon in wicked sweet joy for this tCC SPIN READ! Ooh, boy! I’m simply bursting! Talk about a book I’ve been wanting to read for half an age and never could get myself motivated to pick it up!? Ooh, boy!

Lest I mention the tCC published a stellar survey for members!

Monday this week simply ROCKS!

For three key reasons:

  1. My SPIN # Choice is bang-on brilliant!
  2. I’m blogging & sharing my thoughts on book 2 of
    Piercing the Veil this evening!
  3. A new fun-loving survey about *books!* & my admiration for the *classics!*

How’s your Classic SPIN Monday going!?

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The first 5 Classic Science Fiction Book Selections are part of my contribution of:

SFN 2014 Participant badge created by Jorie in Canva

{SOURCE: Wildlife photography by Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story, badge edited & created in PicMonkey by Jorie. Sci Fi Month badge created by Jorie in Canva.Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Friday, 7 November, 2014 by jorielov in Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Discussions, British Literature, Children's Classics, Children's Literature, Classic Horror, Classic Mystery, Classic Science Fiction, Classical Literature, Crime Fiction, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction, Library Catalogues & Databases, Library Find, Literary Fiction, Literature of India, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, RALs | Thons via Blogs, Reading Challenges, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction, tCC The Classics Club, tCC The Classics Club SPIN, Time Travel

Book Review | “The Ripper’s Wife” by Brandy Purdy

Posted Friday, 31 October, 2014 by jorielov , , 0 Comments

Parajunkee DesignsThe Ripper’s Wife by Brandy Purdy

Published By:Kensington Publishing Corp. ()
Official Author Websites:  Blog | *previously this author had a website and Facebook
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, E-book

Converse on Twitter via: #TheRippersWife, #BrandyPurdy & #EmilyPurdy

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Acquired Book By: Whilst the blog tour for “The Boleyn Bride” was underway with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I was making my rounds to the different blogs who were hosting either an Author Interview or a Book Review, or a combination thereof. Although I was not personally connected to the blog tour myself, I oft-times find that the books which tour with HFVBT are ones that I am interested in and thereby my visits on their tour are a pure delight for me! As I am as bubbly on my visits as I am on my own blog as well as Twitter, I left some happy-hearted comments on behalf of this book & author. As she was a new-to-me author as at that point in time I had not heard of her works or known of her works as well as I do now. Shortly after my visits, I received a note from Ms. Purdy asking me if I would be interested in reading her novels. I previously received “The Boleyn Bride” and “The Queen’s Rivals”. Whilst I was working on my reviews for these novels, and putting together my interview with Ms. Purdy, she offered me to read her next release which was “The Ripper’s Wife”.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of “The Ripper’s Wife” direct from the author’s publicist at Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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On how I know Ms. Purdy: As I was contacted originally to read both “The Boleyn Bride” and “The Queen’s Rivals”, we came to find ourselves enjoying the conversation which flowed together rather organically out of that correspondence. I have appreciated getting to know a fellow writer, especially one who writes historical fiction as that is one branch of literature although I deeply appreciate to read, was always a bit trepiderious to pen! I give such a strong nod to the writers who write such delicious historicals, because they give us a way to drink in history in an agreeable manner! I am honoured to have been given the chance to get to know her better in the process of scheduling the reviews on my blog. She even kindly enclosed bookmarks which feature her novels, and I’ve been enjoying them as I read! Bookmarks have become one of my favourite surprises to find enclosed within a book I receive for review!

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her through the past few months by email. 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.

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A note about why I was interested in reading “The Ripper’s Wife”:

I think most readers of historical fiction have come across the story of Jack the Ripper at one point or another, as the legend and lore behind the criminal mind who was Jack the Ripper has long since been re-imagined, re-told, and attempted to be brought to life on the printed page. My interest was sparked after having a conversation on The Word Wenches blog in 2013 about whether or not the real identity of the person behind the crimes was actually known; as the debate on the identity was still thick with various reports of the evidential truth. The topic has continued to become a lively debate, with new evidence emerging out of a shawl (I believe it was a shawl) yet I am not sure if the whole story will ever truly be put to bed so to speak. Between the numerous tests and the variables of time dissolving away testimonials evidence of who was alive at the time everything happened; it sparks a wonder inside the mind of a writer who wants to take on the lore and dig deeper into the story behind the horror of what happened.

When Ms. Purdy offered me a chance to read her next release in time for Halloween, part of me was curious on the level that so much is known yet incredibly so much is unknown at the same time. For me, I approached this novel from the stand-point of it being a historical fiction true crime novel with the realisation that parts of the story would be a bit more disturbing than my regular faire of choices, but with a unique point-of-view to drive the narrative forward. On that note, I was curious to see where Purdy would take the story from ‘the wife of Jack the Ripper’ in this variation of the story. Read More

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Posted Friday, 31 October, 2014 by jorielov in #HorrorOctober, 19th Century, Based on an Actual Event &/or Court Case, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Bookish Discussions, Bookmark slipped inside a Review Book, Britian, Clever Turns of Phrase, Content Note, Crime Fiction, Excessive Violence in Literature, Geographically Specific, Good vs. Evil, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction, Horror, Indie Author, Jack the Ripper, Mental Health, Sociological Behavior, Sociology, the Victorian era, True Crime, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice

Book Blitz | 4 for Friday ! A special Book Spotlight of {four!} Young Adult novels from Month9Books!

Posted Friday, 31 October, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , , 0 Comments

4 For Friday Blitz via Chapter by Chapter for Month9Books

I was wicked happy when I found out about this special Book Spotlight arriving inside the book blogosphere for *Halloween Friday!*, as I quite literally have become quite fond of the publisher Month9Books through meeting Samantha Vérant on her Seven Letters from Paris blog tour! Lo and behold, when I found out she was publishing a Middle Grade novel entitled King of the Mutants, I was beyond impressed that she was launching her memoir & a fantasy novel at the same time! I did a bit of research on behalf of the publisher as a whole, and came to learn that they are an incredible publishing company staying on the cutting edge for Speculative Fiction releases whilst creating captivating cover art and offering such a wide variety of selections for the literary connoisseur!

I knew this would become quite a lovely surprise for those who have been following my blog for my Horror October posts this past fortnight, and wondering if I had disappeared completely! This is one special surprise I wanted to keep a secret, as I wanted to present four uniquely different suspense filled stories that I believe fit within the framework of the focus for Horror October. I love keeping my mind open to new possibilities in the different genres I dance through, yet as you will find on this post, these four novels offer something beyond unique inside their pages of wonderment!

This is the first time I am hosting on behalf of Month9Books via Chapter by Chapter, a blog tour hosting company who focuses on Young Adult, Middle Grade, & New Adult novels. And, if your curious about who Month9Books is and what their all about you might enjoy this short video:

Meet Month9Books via Month9Books

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Posted Friday, 31 October, 2014 by jorielov in After the Canon, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Blitz, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Detective Fiction, Equality In Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Good vs. Evil, High Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Inspired by Stories, Month9Books, Science Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction, Werewolves, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction