Category: Typewriter Culture

+Blog Book Tour+ Maggie’s Wars by Phil Pisani A war drama as lived through the courage of a woman re-defining her position in a man’s world.

Posted Tuesday, 26 August, 2014 by jorielov , , , 2 Comments

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 Maggie’s Wars by Phil Pisani

Published By: All Classics Books, an imprint of American Book Incorporated
(aka American Book Publishing, a defunct publisher)(author is actively seeking a new publisher)
Official Author Websites:  Site | Maggie’s Wars on Facebook | @PhilPisani1

Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Ebook

{I found the Trade Paperback available on Powells.com}

Converse via: #MaggiesWars

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Acquired Book By:

I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Maggie’s Wars” virtual book tour through HFVBT: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary ARC copy of the book direct from the author Phil Pisani, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Due to personal issues arising from self-hosting my book blog (Jorie Loves A Story) within the 24 hours ahead of my stop last Friday, the 22nd of August. I am posting my book review post-tour instead, and am grateful for the understanding of the author Mr. Pisani, of whom I spoke to on Twitter the day of my original tour scheduled stop.

Inspired to Read:

I have percolated my keen interest (and most dearest desire, mind you!) in vintage typewriters ever so often on my blog, and within the links (of which are temporarily ‘missing’ from my sidebar) threaded on my blog I have left a curious little nudge of this passion left within the mentions of ‘The Typosphere’ and all things geekily befit a girl bent on owning a retrofitted (vintage) typewriter from the 1930s-1940s. I have the mind of finding a workhorse (one so powerful the happy merriment of clacking away on my own manuscripts will not put it into an earlier grave) and one wherein only the occasional missive could be typed out for a friend. I daresay, once I start ‘growing’ my collection I’ll most likely be one of those lovely souls I see in ‘type-in’ photographs whose sporting a variety of machines, and letting everyone write-off a note to a friend of theirs to mail by post.

Part of what encouraged my interest in this particular novel, was not merrily the cover-art sporting a curious shot of a typewriter, but the very synopsis of it; of finding a wicked strong female character charging into a life bourne of men and a long honoured past of service where peers are not easy to come by and where a backbone of tenacity is commonplace! I am referring to the trade of journalism, and the strong boiled grit of any woman who wants to take-on a field so rife and known for being for men and men alone. I love stories where women are shown as not only courageous but trail-blazing forerunners for everyone else who rises after them in successive generations. I, also, happen to have a particular fondness for journalism – albeit in fictional stories, and most especially the newspaper trade! Mostly I have come to find stories in motion picture that whet my fancy of interest (i.e. “The Paper” starring Marisa Tomei & Michael Keaton; “One Fine Day” starring Michelle Pfeiffer & George Clooney; and of course, “I Love Trouble” starring Julia Roberts”. I also fancy classic films like “His Girl Friday” starring Rosalind Russell & Cary Grant and “It Happened One Night” starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable.) yet there are a few novels I have found as well over the years. One in particular was part of a series, but the publisher went under before the series could alight and find its footing. A bit sad on that note, as the lead character was a typing secretary with her own portable typewriter by which she travelled with job to job. Loved the premise and the fact she solved cosies as she typed or rather stumbled upon murderous circumstances made it even lovelier.

I have always wanted to seek out more story-lines in fiction, told by authors and settled inside the bounded pages of novels; the stories my mind is so fanciful to watch on film. Seeing an excerpt of this novel prior to electing to participate in the blog tour sealed the initial joy I had in reading the synopsis. Even seeing Maggie for a few short paragraphs, I knew I wanted to spend time with the feisty blonde who dared to carve out a path where most women would not have dared to walk! And, if typewriters were involved, ooh, all the more reason to dive into the heart of the novel! Dare I say, if she were a redhead Maureen O’ Hara would have played her on camera!

+Blog Book Tour+ Maggie’s Wars by Phil Pisani A war drama as lived through the courage of a woman re-defining her position in a man’s world.Maggie's Wars

Combatting wars on two fronts – one of fame and the other love – Maggie Hogan never wavers as a rare woman reporter on the battlefields of World War II, the Nuremburg Trials and the beginnings of the cold war. But she makes the mistake of falling for an officer, complicating her ambitions. Learn of what one woman feels she must do in order to make it in a man’s world, no matter what. Maggie’s Wars is a story about the ultimate battle between love and prestige, and how you can’t win them both.


Places to find the book:

Series: Maggie's Wars, No.1


Also in this series: Intangible, Beneath Creek Waters


on 6th November, 2013

Pages: 232

Author Biography:

Phil Pisani grew up on the north side of the railroad tracks in an upstate New York blue-collar industrial town in a rough neighborhood filled with the most colorful characters in the world. Factory and tannery workers mingled with bar and restaurant owners, gamblers and gangsters, good people and bad people, brash rogues and weak loudmouths, all spawned by the early immigrant movement to America. Italians, Russians, Slovacks, Irish, and Germans formed a rough and tough section of town where few from the south side dared to venture. He learned to fight at a very young age, both in the ring and on the streets. Fights became badges of honor. He also was a voracious reader. His mother worked in the village’s library. After school, or fights or sandlot football games he would curl away into the adult reading section. Enjoying the polished blonde oak bookshelves, tables and chairs, he would choose a book from the stacks and delve into its smells and contents. Reading soothed him.

He studied history and humanities in Pisa, Italy, and Oswego State in New York and later earned a MA in Political Science from Binghamton University.

He worked as a labor investigator for NY and rose in the ranks through the years but never stopped writing or reading. He currently lives in Albany NY, with his wife Joanne.

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Inserting yourself into a field wrought of men:

Maggie has more gumption than most women her age, older, or younger combined – she has the forthwith and stalwart attitude of never backing down when your in the right, and bending the conventional roles as far as she dared to re-direct them! She solidified in her own heart and mind, the will of a working woman in an age of war and with the determined grit to realise she was not going to be happy within a traditional role; expected by her suitors to take-on. No, Maggie was the rare breed of women whose bliss was attached to the hip of the adventure she was embracing, the pulse of the news breaking before her eyes, and the danger of being in a moment of raw horror. She took the courage in her veins to heighten her awareness of the living environment around her, as much as she credited her initial responses to living horror as a surviving method of acknowledgement as a reporter. To distance herself yet contain herself in the emotional angst all the while reporting the news with a modicum of sensibility and tact.

The callus way the men in her field short-change her abilities and throw her darts at her gender only further inspire her fire to be stoked inside her belly. To refute their sneers and vocal jabs by keeping her head bent on the assignment and her heart outside of swaths of emotional angst.

My Review of Maggie’s Wars:

typewriterThe Preface of Maggie’s Wars held within its simplicity an inspiring nod towards how serendipitously our lifepaths can unfold before us, and within the observations of where our feet have taken us a measure of kismet is always alongside the hopeful dreams we cast into the cosmos. A beautiful soliloquy of one woman’s fond remembrance of where her past led her into her future, and it was such a wonderful way to begin the story! By the time you enter into the first chapter, your quite aware of the author’s knitted style of giving breath to the craft of story-telling; allowing a fluidity of his lead character Maggie to overtake your senses, endear your heart, and ignite your imagination with a clarity of her driven passion for the life she’s lived. It is in the way he chooses to write in her observations, the manner of her speech, and the ticking nod of her essence, as she starts to bloom alive on the page. I knew from the moment I turnt page 2 I was in for a sweet surprise of narrative, underlit by a light of a joyful narrating current of story inked out of the author’s pen.

By page 15, I was curling into a smile, knowing exactly what was drawing my eye further into the story at such a fast clip: Pisani has written a war drama in the style and favour of a classic movie! Almost as if the characters and the setting were set behind one of the classical story arcs caught on camera, and your nestled in for the duration, popcorn a finger grasp away and eyes absorbing everything in as though your seeing this style of film for the first time. His approach to the craft is one that I appreciate, as he gently glides you into the world where Maggie has alighted; the cross-hairs between choosing a life of a reporter and the traditional route as a wife. She lingers over the choice until her room-mate Flora points out the obvious nature of her character. Flora is the classic best friend you want to room with whilst your living on your salt in Greenrich.

I only snuck a cursory glimpse at a review on this novel posted by a friend of mine (Erin @ Oh for the Hook of a Book), and it was at this passage of time I understand the words which lifted into my focus ‘he wrote a novel befit a noir motion picture’ or perhaps it was worded differently but the meaning was the same! Noir, oh, my yes, and how pleasantly I was to be surprised by this realisation! Generally speaking, Erin & I have the propensity to appreciate the same authors, novels, and styles of literary voice. Her reviews (like those of Audra @ Unabridged Chick) are always a delight to dissolve into after or even before, I’ve picked up the book myself! On this particular instance, I was saving my visits until afterwards,… as I sometimes do.

Maggie’s moxie of proving her worth as a reporter early-on whilst attempting to nail the coveted interview with Madame Chiang Kai-shek, murmured a stir of a memory of another strong-willed woman I always loved watching a fire light inside her eyes; the character of Tess (portrayed by Melanie Griffith) in Working Girl. Defining the role you’re given and taking it a step further is the making of any character who bends convention and attempts to supersede away from the norm. Pisani stitched in just enough moxie into Maggie to already know what her contemporary Tess would have told her: don’t wait for the story, go out and get the story! I love her ingenuity and her eagle eye observations on the politico world of New York City!

There is an undercurrent connection to organised crime as Maggie’s heart is attached to a curious cat known as Johnny Pero, er, Stone rather as he prefers to be called. She wasn’t flummoxed by this bit of information but rather guessed it herself yet respected him enough not to draw out an enquiry. He, on the other hand was bewildered by his feelings for this woman he first caught sight of on the street – back when she was first attempting to land a job at the coveted Trib; a journalist dream starting gate. Their two paths crossed at times in their lives where forging a relationship wasn’t quite optimal. His connections to organised crime and the exploits of his role inside the family therein are explained in full as you read Johnny’s perspective of the events as they unfolded. This is where Pisani makes a good choice in first revealing Maggie’s life from her own point-of-view before re-visiting it again from Johnny’s. He keeps the scenes tempered a bit, giving out the raw details but holding back just enough to where you get the gist and sometimes even more than that, but he doesn’t cross the line. I appreciated the honesty and the fact that despite knowing Johnny’s actions were outright unlawful, the man had a conscience.

As Maggie & Johnny equally started to have their fill of the war on the front lines, both started to question their motivations on going there at all. Maggie was high on the thirst for getting ‘the story’ — blinded by ambition and a zest for danger, she was absolutely clueless to understand what the she would witness in reality. Johnny on the other hand was forced into serving on a special unit, placing his life and his comrades on dangerous grounds the entire time he served. Pisani remains true to etching in the humanity of the story, the undertone is always focused on the hope even in the middle of the darkness of the battlefield. The story ends on the wings of a cliffhanger, as I have a feeling the story is not yet done. The saddest part of the novel is the knowledge that both Johnny and Maggie ended up being pawns for other people whose goals went against the logics of humanity.

On the writing style of Phil Pisani | a classic story-teller of the war era:

Pisani has written a war drama intermingled with an organised crime family angle that gives new definition to the offerings inside historical fiction overall. He draws you into this close-centered world of crime, drama, city politics, and the interior life of a button man on the job. Maggie happens to be the woman who draws the eye of the gangster without his realisation of how that would effect both their lives; their paths start to merge together even though both are not willing to commit. Pisani handles both of their characters with a grace and ease, he is honest and upfront about Johnny’s nefarious dealings in the neighbourhood (if your familiar with Mario Puzo, especially The Last Don; none of these sequences will be unfamiliar) as much as he counter-balances his life on the outskirts of society by giving him a chance to meet someone he never felt he could compliment.

The tone of the novel is underpinned by the desires of Maggie to prove her salt and worth as a reporter in a field as much as it is a juxtaposition of Johnny’s life on the streets and at war. Neither of them realised what they would be getting into once their agreed for their own reasons to be shipped overseas, and it is the drama of how they live through and what they gain back tenfold in experience and maturity that makes the story an enjoyable read. The fact that Pisani is creative with how he chooses his characters to ‘express’ themselves gave me a smile, as this is one question I am always quick to ask any writer who chooses to take the opposite route. This story is enjoyable because although a stronger word or two might be implied, it is how Pisani knits their personality through the words he uses that left me full of appreciation. And, the few times a word might have been used was very well placed.

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Blog Book Tour Stop,
courtesy of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Virtual Road Map of “Maggie’s Wars” Blog Tour found here:
I recommend this novel for anyone who loves reading Kate Mosse!
(review of ‘Citadel’)

Maggie's Wars Virtual Tour via HFVBTs

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

See what I’m hosting next for:

Bookish Events badge created by Jorie in CanvaHistorical Fiction Virtual Book Tours - HFVBT

and mark your calendars!

Reader Interactive Question:

What pulls you inside the narrative of a war drama the most!? This one was quite a unique story overall, as it the main point of view exchanges between the two lead characters; at times overlapping and conjoining to become one. I appreciated this style of story-telling as it added extra layers of depth and meaning. Which perspective do you prefer!? First person or two interchanging points of view like this one!?

{SOURCES: “Maggie’s Wars” Book Cover, synopsis, tour badge and HFVBT badge were provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and were used by permission. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Bookish Events badge created by Jorie in Canva. Typewriter clipart inserted through the ClipArt Plug-In via WP for the Open Clip Art Library (OCAL) – all clip art images are in the public domain and are free to use without restrictions. Tweets embeded by codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

The ‘live reading’ tweets I shared as I read & reviewed “Maggie’s Wars”:

{ favourite & Re-tweet if inspired to share }

Comments via Twitter:

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • Go Indie
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Posted Tuesday, 26 August, 2014 by jorielov in 20th Century, ARC | Galley Copy, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book for University Study, Bookish Discussions, Clever Turns of Phrase, Cliffhanger Ending, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Espionage, Film Music Book Typewriter Focus, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Good vs. Evil, Grief & Anguish of Guilt, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, Horror-Lite, Indie Author, Life Shift, Light vs Dark, Military Fiction, New York City, Organised Crime, Passionate Researcher, Psychological Suspense, The World Wars, Typewriter Culture, Vulgarity in Literature, War Drama, War-time Romance, Warfare & Power Realignment

*SFN* | Feature: Diary of a Nu-Whovian! Week One!

Posted Saturday, 2 November, 2013 by jorielov 10 Comments

SFN Feature badge created by Jorie in Canva

The music explodes you into this wonderful place where your itching with excitement, ready to brace yourself for anything that might alight in front of your eyes, except for exactly what emerges on screen! The Doctor and the content of the series is well-written, bang-on Brit(!), quirky, humour with a dose of heart, with a good dash of otherworldly charm to endear you to watch it! You adjust your sensory perceptions to allow for the pace of the series to settle into you, rather than fight the progress of how the story is being told, and somewhere between the opening sequences before the TARDIS jumps through the wormhole to the concluding scenes,… you realise, I AM A WHOVIAN! Who knew!? Seriously, WHO knew!? :)

Randomly Becoming Acquainted with a bloke called: The Doctor

I knew I wouldn’t have enough hours in the day to fashion myself a true Whovian, as I didn’t want to rush through the series, but rather take my time to soak into them! Absorb the characters, the setting, and the quirky TARDIS at a rate that befits the series and pays homage to the creatives behind the project! This is a series that has had such a well-established fan base that it revivals all the ones I have been a part of myself! :) Therefore, with Rinn’s quick-thinking to contact a few Whovians who could pick out at least 5 episodes that they deemed fit to help a person become acquainted with the series, I took up the challenge to accomplish the impossible: ILL (inter-library) loan the series in 5 dvd set increments!

These are the Who episodes as I watched them for the first time and the impressions they left me with afterwards! Consider this the Wide-Eyed Girl’s Diary of Doctor Who! And, for those who are curious how I came to settle on ‘how’ to watch the recommended episodes!? I compiled the list by ‘series’ and then made a bit of a haphazard erring on not always getting the ‘episodes’ in order of proper sequence! I felt The Doctor might smirk knowing that, considering he cannot sort out the difference between 5 minutes (of being gone!) to 12 years!! Time is temporal and is in a state of flux!

NOTE: There are SPOILERS in this post because its a reflection of my thoughts as I watched the series!

| Doctor Who – Series 5 |

1. Vincent and the Doctor

Overview Images on the DVD Menu: A sci-fi series that reminds me of Quantum Leap (for time travel), Star Trek (for alien creatures & citizens), most BBC mystery series; Alien Nation. Gadgets: James Bond, Babylon 5, etc. I could dig this! I really, seriously could see myself digging this! I don’t know why that lizard is extending its tongue but then again, maybe its weapon or warning device!? Everything I’ve seen in Star Wars & Trek make me aware of numerous possibilities! This is going to ROCK! :)

Impression of the Music: upbeat, adventurous, exciting, exploding with curious perplexities, possibilities that lie in the impossible, a gearing up for the unknown. I wonder if the music and score is put to soundtrack!? Ooh, boy! Wait. IF I seek out if this is true I just might have on my hands a whole new realm of soundtrack music to collect! Afterall, most of the music I listened to growing up (aside from the 50s-70s, classical, and contemporary singer-songwriters) came from sound for motion picture!

Opened with Vincent van Gogh in a cornfield painting which flicks back to Museé d’ Orsay in Paris. (clever imagery!) The Doctor finds an anomaly in the church painting with a monstrous face in the window. (reminds me of watching series on SciFi Channel – Dark Shadows? Night Gallery? One of them!) The curator tells the Doctor that Vincent painted the painting of the church approx. 1-3 June, 1890. Vincent actor looks a lot like the artist and takes his role seriously. Cottage full of his paintings. Vincent shares his philosophy of the wonders of the universe, including his view of how colours dictate the paintings. Creature with a tail comes out of nowhere to attack Amy, the Doctor, and Vincent in the courtyard garden. (okay this is SERIOUSLY reminding me of “The Land of the Lost” now!) First look at the TARDIS. I *love!* the typewriter! (scanner, printer, uploader of information – Sam’s Ziggy would be impressed!) The creature sequences reminded me of “The Land of the Lost”. Finally learnt the girl’s name is Amy as I didn’t catch it at first.

The creature was a “Graface” or such (did not understand the term) of a brutal race that solitary was left behind when the rest of its kind left the planet. Reminded me of being trapped in Jurassic Park when they were in the confessional vs the freezer/fridge. In the death of the creature Vincent felt remorse as he was not seeking to kill it. The creature died afraid, alone, and blind. He could relate to the desolation the creature felt due to how he was treated in towne. Whilst they were entwined with hands in circle on the ground whilst watching the heavens parade before them Vincent started to narrate what would shape his painting “Starry, Starry Night” for all to see. The TARDIS takes all 3 back to Paris and the Museum so that Vincent can see that he has worth and that people adore his art. Its nearly too much for him to take in, and I guess this universe with the TARDIS doesn’t mind going against the rules of not revealing too much too soon!? Amy was eager to get back to Paris to see if there were more paintings painted before he died, as she was certain he would not exit the world at age 37 now that she had interacted with him. The Doctor had to reassure her that every life is a mixture of good and bad and each part doesn’t erase the whole. A lot of heart in this episode, can see why it was recommended! Sunflowers was enscribed “For Amy” which made her feel better inside, but she felt so deeply for Vincent I know a part of her grieved.

Parting Thoughts:

Clearly this was not what I was thinking it was going to be like and these were the quick notes I took *whilst watching the episode!*, as I wasn’t keen on hitting the pause button the whole time! It was a mad dash to get the notes jotted down and not have my eyes off the screen for more than seconds at a time! By George, I did well, eh!? Seriously though, when I saw that mutant (& larger version!) of the rooster-bird, I knew right then and there I was going to be ‘in for it!’ Meaning that I have a sensitive heart, scare easily when it comes to freaky creatures who come at you from the shadows (i.e. Harry Potter (the motion pictures) pushed my limits tenfold!), to where I get freaked out of my skull very easily! Hence the reason I do not watch horror movies!! Ooh, my dear ghouls — no! Exception only applies to a limited filmography of Hitchcock (big Hitch fan!), and of course, classic film noir and psychological suspense from the 1920s-1960s which is truly called: classic horror, who knew!? (no pun intended that time! laughs)

Joking aside, this was an emotional episode because I felt for Vincent as much as I felt for Amy,… tears were surely welling because you could get inside the mind & heart of the artist of Vincent rather than perceiving him as his peers left him to be known. History I think has always been decidedly harsh on Vincent, enso, it was nice to see he was treated better in this retrospective piece! Definitely recommend you have a tissue box handy to watch this episode’s concluding scenes! The Museum scene when they take him to see the Gallery featuring his paintings!? Ooh, my dear ghouls — gutting!

Makes you wonder if everyone who struggled as much as he did in life could have had someone intercede on his behalf and turned around the ending of which we all know happened!? The episode pointed out a few things to this regard, and its always true that a person who has a friend is a person who is in better spirit and health! There was so much heart in this episode! My heart was warm and overflowing with emotion! Its a brilliant one to start with I can tell you that!

Mum saw most of this episode with me but she didn’t get to see the others except for a brief viewing of the next one.

2. The Eleventh Hour

Dangling outside the TARDIS over London (I think!?) and TARDIS is on fire, appears to be self-destructing. (now there is an opening sequence for you!) Decidedly British. Slingshots through space. Crashed at a house of a young girl who bore the striking resemblance to Amy! The Doctor was soaked straight through because he was in the pool which was placed in the library of which he had to climb out of to get to the surface on the rope! She needed help with a crack in the fissure of time that was in her bedroom wall! The TARDIS meanwhile spilt into two. Bubble of light came out of the Doctor and his fingertips glowed bright gold. (is this an indication of his regeneration/reincarnation?) Started to crave apples. Then, yoghurt, bacon, beans, bread & butter, and finally settled on fish fingers & custard which reminded me of a woman who was withchild and experiencing cravings of her own! Laughs. The same repetitive message said “Prisoner Zero Has Escaped”. Giant eye in crack flicked a card out into the world where the Doctor caught it and read the same message. Highly eccentric Doctor and disheveled. (love it!) TARDIS starts to work again. Amelia packed her suitcase and waited outside in the garden for the Doctor to return. Which he did, but he thought it was only 5 minutes when it had been 12 years! She hand-chuffed him to the radiator which made me smirk to no end! I had a feeling she wasn’t a bobby too! :) Prior to this, I knew there was something to ‘do’ with the extra door opening and closing but I was not quite prepared for what emerged! :( (remember: sensitive heart!? creatures from the depths of the ocean do not bode well either!)

The quick switch to the coma patients threw me off a bit, but I resettled into the pacing of Who, as it takes a bit of adjusting to learn the series quirks, trades of mannerisms, fade ins/outs, and the pacing of the stories as their told. Once you get the hang of it, it glides rather easily and you can just soak up the stories! Amelia Pond became Amy Pond. I liked how she said she went through several shrinks. Of which is how I presume she put her ‘fantasy’ of the Doctor to bed once she created the cartoon and stories of him!? Loved how they had 20 minutes to the end of the world due to a misunderstanding of the statement by the aliens wanting to collect the errant prisoner. He keeps collapsing and grabbing his chest, but I cannot fathom as to why!? Is that the key that speaks to him in such a physical manner or can his own race communicate with him internally through pain!? Lost on that note! Revealed he’s not just a time traveler but a time lord!

A hint of the back-story! I picked up on the psychic link for a dormant mind bit. The freaky scary images I had to get used too  but I think I’m in for a long ride of them! Laughs. The eye ship for sure was less intense than the prisoner which was too much like a creature that lives in the bottom depths of the sea with those bone sharp scary teeth that gives me chills! :( Loved the firetruck that went through the hospital! Two years later from the date he left Amy he finally returns! I oft wonder how he loses track of time so easily!? Offers Amy to go with him which she does! Loved seeing the inside of the TARDIS again even though I have yet to know why its called a “TARDIS” which I know is an acronym!?

Parting Thoughts:

What I appreciated about this episode is that it shows the way in which the Doctor met Amy and how she came to travel with him in the TARDIS! I loved the interplay between the two of them, and can we just say that the Doctor has some of the best facial expressions for an actor that I have ever seen!? I didn’t catch his name, but he is fast becoming my ‘favourite’ Doctor,… is he the 5th Doctor because this was the 5th series!? Or, am I making the wrong presumption!? I just loved how he put his whole being into playing the part, giving me the impression that he loved it dearly! I liked how Amy was meant to travel with him, and I had a feeling that the crack in time meant more than they were saying, because I distinctly remembered a ST: TNG episode where a similar crack in time caused a LOT of havoc! I cannot think of what else to say, because I was so enthused about watching it!!

Except to say, I thought it was hysterical how he kept saying he had a new face and with it comes a whole new palette for food! I was wondering, truly, if I was starting to see glimpses of who the Doctor is on a personal level and how he is able to be seen as he is. I suspected he was not of Earth but rather a traveler from another place in the universe but I wasn’t confirmed on this note until I saw the Weeping Angels episodes that made me have shivers and chills up my spine! Oyy.

3. The Time of Angels

Gun is a laser to open a safe to get a message to the Doctor by having an object called a home box placed in a Museum. The box was stolen 12,000 years prior to when the Doctor would find it! Love the wide shifts in time continuum! (even if I could not sort out where ‘time’ began for Amy and where it had taken them both next?) I liked the opposite of the black box is the home box. Clever. Timens!? Professor Riversalt, no Riversoul? no Riversong! She looked so familiar to me! I kept thinking is that Beatrice!? (only to google her name and realise that it is actually Dr. Corday from ER! apparently my memory took a hiatus!) (Alex Kingston) (Corday by the by was always a favourite of mine, hence the familiar recognition even if this is one time I couldn’t place where I knew the actress!) Wicked exit and entrance to the TARDiS in space. Diary of her past and his future. (now that is a juicy tidbit to hear!) The troops arrive which I thought was interesting as they were led by Father Octavian and Clerics serving under him instead of a traditional army — did I catch the Doctor say 51st Century!? The Weeping Angels were what led them to where they were on a planet I barely caught the name of! Amy & the Angel on the tv was a close call but even I knew that was a foreshadow for a greater problem down the road! When I saw Amy had the itch in her eye I knew I was right! There was a rumouring of what the Doctor doesn’t know but should know but can’t know at the same time. The Angel in question was hidden in a catacomb of statues. Although those statues turned to be an army of Weeping Angels and the crash of the ship was not an accident but a rescue attempt as they needed an energy source! (reminded me of several Trek episodes!) When Amy’s hand turned to stone I feared which direction this would take me next!?

Parting Thoughts:

Honestly, I now understand why everyone thought I’d dig this series due to my passion for Trek! Its so blatantly obvious to me now that its laughable to consider that I held off so long in watching it! Oyy vie. I think the reason I couldn’t pull forward where I knew Alex Kingston from is because I have sort of shelved my memories of ER over the years to where all the lovely memories of those episodes are slowly erasing a bit in my memory. I had to let them go because it was too difficult for me to keep them after what happened after Season 5.

The Weeping Angels were some of the most intense villains I have ever come across!!! Although I haven’t seen a lot of Who I would have to imagine that for Whovians, they might agree with me that the Angels are the most intense!? I tried not to think about some of the more shuddering bits of this episode but reflect more on Riversong’s presence and her affect on the Doctor!? He revealed more bits about himself in this episode and for every random fact given, I had a swirling of questions floating inside me! This is a series that makes you want to ask ‘questions’ but without SFN I wouldn’t have the option to ask!

4. Flesh & Stone

They find the oxygen factory-forest in the ship. Crack in the wall of Amy’s room apparently meant more than they let on previously as it re-appeared on the ship. An angel grabbed the Doctor but failed to capture him. As Amy started to die in the forest, they had her close her eyes so that the angel inside her couldn’t see and therefore would delay the reaction of being consumed by death. She was supposed to remember what the Doctor told her at the age of 7, but even I struggled to remember which specific thing he said that had the impact he was looking for in that moment!? Mind you, being so new to Who I was trying to absorb everything in one night as the set was due back the next day! :( Stonecage is a prison where Riversong was kept after killing a good man, which made me think she killed the Doctor in a future timestream. Not sure why I felt that but I did. The time crack was still happening despite the Angels being cast into it to seal. Amy had to walk with closed eyes through the forest before being transported the rest of the way. The Doctor thought at first he had to go into the time crack but released the gravity instead to send the angels. Amy learns that she’s a time traveler now officially and that it alters her perception and memory of everything she experiences. The Doctor felt good about realising that time can be re-written which lends to reason he wants to know that for a future time. Amy kisses the Doctor who is completely gobsmacked by her attentions after learning she was meant to wed another in the morning! (I thought for sure she intended to wed him!) He told her he was 907 years old and that he wouldn’t age anymore but she would. She kept trying to engage him romantically but he finally realised that he had to address the other matter of the time crack, the fact that it was referencing Amy Time as the base code of the universe. And off they went in the TARDIS and I wished I had had more time to watch more episodes!

Parting Thoughts:

This one brought up a lot of questions in regards to the Doctor himself and his position in the life of Riversong! There is something ‘there’ but I am not sure what ‘it’ is! The crack in time also reminded me of ST: Generations (film) by the by! Mostly due to the emotional keel of this episode I was a bit disappointed I had not an extra one to see that might have been a bit lighter in tone as getting through two episodes with those Angels was trying! :( On the level of production, I loved how they created the ‘effect’ of the Angels, especially in how they were portrayed and how they kept increasing towards the actors!

| Doctor Who – Series 5 | Concluding Remarks

Ooh, my dear ghouls why did I not watch this series SOONER!? No, seriously, I am wayy over the moon in happiness for being in a position to watch Doctor Who!! The humour is bang-on Brit and the methodology of the production is very British too which is an asset because the Brits know how to make motion pictures & tv serials like this one shine and rock! I like the fact that everything in our known reality and universe is simply suspended! Including, some of the ethical choices from other series (i.e. Star Trek, Quantum Leap, etc) where there was always a borderline knowing of when to cross the line and when not to cross the line. I was highly surprised to see Vincent walk into the Museum in other words! Happy, overjoyed, but surprised!

I spied titles of other episodes as part of the Series 5 set, but I promised myself I’d limit myself this month during SFN to ‘stick to the plan’ by watching *ONLY!* those episodes that were sent to me in a list by Rinn! I can always resume where I left off by re-attempting to get all of them back afterwards!! :) I am sure my local library will think I jumped straight to the moon at that point, but perhaps, one day they will get the Whovian Universe in the catalogue!? One can hope!!

I’m itching to see more Who, and I have to be patient because between my posting schedule + my ensuing book tours, I have to balance the time I have to give to SFN + to my blog! Therefore, through patience and persistence I shall be watching the rest of the Who sets that arrive!! I have a heart full of gratitude to Maria & Rinn, as well as the 2 others who tweated about my foray into the world of Doctor Who based on my previous post! Warmed my heart, you all! I’m not in the social media realms (aside from the bookish blogosphere of course!) due to time constraints, but my appreciation for those who are active and think of others whilst they are tweating or Facebooking is limitless! Bless you for spreading the word! :)

Will I make it!? There is only one way to find out! Come back each *Saturday!* to see my progress!

I yield to the Whovians who are participating in SFN to help me understand better the bits of Who that befuddle me and of the pieces of which I might understand if I had had the time to watch each serial straight-through rather than in the bobblements that I am choosing to do! I look forward to seeing your comments! I like how this is taking shape as its seriously a “as I watch Who, I am writing about Who” diary! My eyes are WIDE OPEN! Cheers!

This feature is brought to you by:

Sci-Fi November | Hosted by Rinn ReadsIn conjuction with: A Wide-Eyed Girl Slips into the Whovian Universe!

{SOURCES: Sci-Fi November Badge provided by Rinn Reads for participants to advert the month long event and to encourage people to follow along with those of us who are contributing! SFN Feature badge created by Jorie in Canva. Post lovely provided by Shabby Blogs with edits by Jorie in Fotoflexer.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

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Posted Saturday, 2 November, 2013 by jorielov in #SciFiMonth, Alternative History, Britian, Doctor Who, Library Love, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction, TARDIS, Time Travel, TV Serials & Motion Pictures, Typewriter Culture

*SFN* | Feature: A Wide-Eyed Girl Slips Into the Whovian Universe

Posted Saturday, 2 November, 2013 by jorielov 20 Comments

SFN Feature badge created by Jorie in Canva

Did the Whovians get back with you in regards to which “Doctor Who” episodes/series, I should attempt to watch!? I only ask as my time window to watch them is greatly reduced from a few weeks ago, and if I could start to watch them as soon as I can, it would be quite helpful! :) A general overview of their Top 5s and your ‘go to’ Who, would be extremely helpful…

And, so began this seemingly innocent introduction into “Doctor Who” as I decided it was high time that I get my tail into gear and sink into a tv serial that has consistently been recommended to me over the years! I remember that some of the interested parties attempting to convince me when the ‘right moment’ to watch ‘Who’ would be (generally it was ALWAYS a right now, don’t wait kind of talk!) engaged in such a lengthy discussion of who “the Doctor” is but without giving me anything truly tangible to hold onto! I would be given little curtain glimpses of who he was, what the series was about, but it was more OR less a conversation that frittered around certain terminological Whovian codes: TARDIS, time lord, screwdriver (that was a unique tidbit!), time slips and time travel, and other words I have long since forgotten but as I watch the episodes some of what I learnt over the years is coming back to me!

I never wanted to read too much about the series, as I kind of like the idea of getting to know a character (especially one of this particular nature!) through watching their growth over the score of a serial! I started to ILL (inter-library loan) BBC dramas and comedies (i.e. As Times Goes By, The Good Life, Rosemary & Thyme, Monarch of the Glen, etc) a little over three years ago when my local library was encouraging us to ILL the series that were not yet in our collection! I’ll never forgot how they ordered the Complete Serial of “As Times Go By”, including the Anniversary Specials whilst we were unable to fetch them through ILL channels! That simply rocked our (my parents & I) world! I had it in the back of my mind to start to fetch “Who” but I simply shrugged it off.

The few times I pitched the idea, I noticed that my Mum & Da simply weren’t into seeing ‘Who’ as much as I was, so I let it slide a bit, as we were starting to get into Downtown Abbey, Sherlock (with Benedict Cumberbach), and finishing through Monarch of the Glen! (in 2012) When SFN started to come together, I knew it was time for ‘Who’ once and for all! I mean, all those years of people referring me to this serial (who knew my heart lie with Roddenberry’s Starfleet and Lucas’ Star Wars) must have been a recommendation that I could trust! I decided that even though I am going to post ‘diary entries’ for the episodes and series I watch for SFN, I wanted to make this a family affair! Therefore, with the exception of All Saint’s Day, my Mum & Da are watching ‘Who’ alongside me! They were the original inspiration behind why I have a sci-fi heart which is why it makes sense that on the brink of discovering a ‘new serial’ we engage in it together!

The fascinating bit to watching BBC tv serials on serial dvd, is that for the most part my local library has grown their own catalogue of resources to this end at least tenfold since 2009! However, the few that are not yet available I must say that the consortium by which my local library is a member of is a great one to get ‘complete and whole sets’ through ILL!! I realise that dvds and most media materials are ‘not’ available at all local libraries for ILL. (the reasons vary, but generally its because they do not loan out the same materials themselves) For this one reason, I am extra thankful that despite an initial hiccup, our second attempts to get ‘Who’ in time for SFN has been successful! Ooh, I had forgotten to say, that the most fascinating bit to watching the BBC in this fashion is that you never know what your in for as you slip in the disc, sit back on your couch and settle into,… the unexpected!

When I first heard the ‘music’ of Doctor Who I was simply transfixed! You see, this is not the first time traveler I have come across as although I had limited feeds for “Time Trax” I always was endeared to the character and his quirky sense of humour! Dr. Beckett was my mainstay for time traveling which I touched on yesterday in my feature “Seventeen to Seven“. And, lest I forget to mention “The Traveler” from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” who had the greatest impact on Wesley Crusher!? Yet. My fascination and concentration of time bending characters doesn’t stop there! Ooh, no! There was the young boy in “Flight of the Navigator“, the curious hovering ships in “Batteries Not Included“, the quirky adventures of Doc Brown & Marty McFly in “Back to the Future“, as much as trying to keep up with my favourite Starfleet Captains in the original five series of Trek!

The music brought back an inertia of happy memories of my ENTIRE EXPERIENCE in the science fiction universe which is not even limited to the few serials I have already mentioned! At some point, they all start to blur a bit in my mind’s eye, because I have literally watched a science fiction or fantasy tv serial as long as I have been watching murder mystery serials! Between the two, I could fill a voluminous tome of a journal! Here were my first tick-tocking reflections as a bit of a beat of a clock was present in the overtures: upbeat, adventurous, exciting, exploding with curious perplexities, possibilities that lie in the impossible, and a gearing up for the unknown!

I’m a wide-eyed adventurous girl slipping herself into the Whovian universe, geared up for excitingly curious escapades spent traveling with a quirky Professor-like Doctor, whose as mysterious as any person she’s ever greeted in a sci-fi series! Let these first adventures be the start of many more to come in the near future! As time is temporal and constantly in flux!

And, without further adieu here are the select episodes I will be viewing in order to achieve:

| A Crash-Course in Doctor Who |

[by order of suggested viewing]

[list complied by: Emma, Annie, Charlene, Rebekah, Rinn, Lianne, & Christine]

[anything in bold was cross-suggested by the Whovians!]

(Series One) Episodes: Rose, The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances, Dalek, Father’s Day

(Series Two) Episodes: The Christmas Invasion, The Impossible Planet / Satan’s Pit, Tooth & Claw, Army of Ghosts, Doomsday, School Reunion,  The Girl in the Fireplace, New Earth

(Series Three) Journey’s End, Human Nature / Family of Blood, Blink, The Runaway Bride, The Shakespeare Code

(Series Four) Turn Left, Midnight, Silence in the Library / The Forest of the Dead, The Fires of Pompeii, The Unicorn & the Wasp

(Series Five) Vincent & the Doctor, The Eleventh Hour, The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone (to be seen with Blink)

(Series Six) The Doctor’s Wife

(Series Seven) Nightmare in Silver

How far will I reach into the Doctor Who universe!? How much of his world and life will I understand when November starts to fade from view and the Christmas holiday season enters into view!? What beautiful things will I learn from the Whovians taking part in SFN?! Where will the conversations and discussions lead me next!? And, just how fast can I re-Que the entire series in order to watch each set in its entirety!? Join me on *Saturdays* during November to find out!!

Meanwhile, I am going to open up my first-ever discussion thread here on JLAS!

You have the option of sharing in your own blog post about how you came to know Doctor Who, which series stood out to you thus far, and/or you can focus on one or more of the episodes I will be watching from the above list speaking about why you are captivated by it yourself! Be sure to come back to this post to attach the link of your post in the comments! ONLY link directly to the post you created on this topic, DO NOT link to the main page of your blog! I will be checking! Thank you! I cannot wait to see what everyone’s post!! :)

This feature is brought to you by:

Sci-Fi November | Hosted by Rinn Reads{SOURCES: Sci-Fi November Badge provided by Rinn Reads for participants to advert the month long event and to encourage people to follow along with those of us who are contributing! SFN badge used with permission. SFN Feature badge created by Jorie in Canva.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

Related Articles:

Doctor Who – (en.wikipedia.org)

TARDIS – (en.wikipedia.org)

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Posted Saturday, 2 November, 2013 by jorielov in Alternative History, Bookish Discussions, Britian, Doctor Who, Library Love, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction, TARDIS, Time Travel, TV Serials & Motion Pictures, Typewriter Culture

Spontaneously Museful About the Curiously Random Bits that Lift our Spirits

Posted Wednesday, 16 October, 2013 by jorielov , 1 Comment

Whilst Ms. Spektor passed through my state touring with Keane, I had the unexpected joy of seeing her perform LIVE and I must confess, it was a smashingly brilliant concert!! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but her vocals and her raw energy to perform is what has staid with me, and in two years, that makes a full 10 years since I saw her last! Her command of the stage, the diverse vocality of her range, and the experience she gives to her audience is unlike any performer I have seen prior and after this particular performance of hers! I cannot recollect which albums I brought home with me, but I have at least the first two of hers which were produced and released! I like to seek out musicians, songwriters, and artists who walk a creatively unique path in the world of sound and music, imparting a special insight into the human spirit and the joy of living our adventures!

Equally, I like to duck into the typosphere every blue moon, seeing what is new, and to keep tabs on the typewriters that are being retrofitted and restored, as its my secret dream to own a power-horse of the 1930s or 1940s (as incredibly incredible as that sounds!) to simply cart off my words and purge-pin them to paper, imparting my fictional words and my thoughts in equal blissitude! Whilst on such a sojourn tonight, I stumbled across this video that spoke to me, as much as it visually lifted my spirits due to the creative imaginative imagery that befits the song, by which Ms. Spektor gave to the world to listen with a pensive ear! This isn’t the first video out of the typosphere I’ve wanted to share with you, dear hearts, but its the first of which has made it to my blog! Laughs. Consider this a spontaneously musing post about the particulars of the unexpected hours and the joys that alight in our lives at such randomly chosen moments of discovery!

What did this evoke out of you after you listened to the words and soaked in the video!?

IF you want to follow alongside me as I make other random discoveries that are visually expressive in the format of film, please take a gander at my Bookish Films!

Regina Spektor “Eet” [Official Music Video] by Regina Spektor

Regina Spektor Official Website

{SOURCE: The music video by Regina Spektor had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share more about this song and the artist who gave it a voice.

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

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Posted Wednesday, 16 October, 2013 by jorielov in Film Music Book Typewriter Focus, Jorie Loves A Story, Spontaneous Musings, The Typosphere, Typewriter Culture, Typosphere Film Find