10 Bookish (& Not-Bookish Thoughts) No.1: from the BBC to @ChocLitUK to Indie #SFF & a dash of #HistFic; this #bookblogger is celebrating quite a heap! Including a special note of gratitude to her #library in regards to the #SRC2015!

Posted Thursday, 14 May, 2015 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

10 Bookish Not Bookish Thoughts banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Week of Thursday, 30th of April thru 7th 14th of May, 2015 | Hostess List

I’ve honestly wanted to start participating in this weekly meme in 2014, however, I would always seem to get distracted during the hours leading up to Thursdays OR completely forget to compose my thoughts for this meme until into the weekend; at which point, the time had come and gone. I like the fact we can exchange thoughts percolating in our minds that run the gambit of the bookish world, creative outlets, or thoughts we want to share that might show a bit more about who we are behind the bookish blog we maintain. I am going to attempt to thread the journal of my 10 Bookish / Not Bookish Thoughts by order of the entries arrival into my life rather than a preference of 1-10.

NOTE: This list was originally meant to publish on the 7th of May, however, due to unforeseen reasons which delayed it’s posting, I had intended to share it on the 14th of May when I came down with a migraine, thus taking me away from finishing the edits as I found out a few things earlier in that second week I had not known originally on the 7th. I am back-posting this on the 14th (today) on the 19th of May, as that is the day it belongs hereafter to be seen. A new list will be generated for this upcoming Thursday, the 21st!

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No. 1 | Borrowing the BBC through my local library

One of my favourite joys of being a regular library patron is the access to the BBC through either direct  purchases made by my local library OR the ability to ILL serial dvd collections for mini-series, tv serials, or motion pictures! For the past two to three weeks, I’ve had the incredible joy of being able to catch up with one of my favourite BBC serials: Foyle’s War! I have a soft spot for war dramas and for mystery series because I truly grew up on murder mysteries on tv!

Michael Kitchen plays the title lead as Foyle, and it is such a convicting narrative of stories pulled out of research by the series creator and writer Anthony Horowitz. I knew of his works previously through Alex Rider, as I watched the motion picture hoping there would be more installments; however, this was a bit like hoping the latest Nancy Drew film would have sequels starring Emma Roberts. I cannot even express how much I celebrated there is a Series 7 and a Series 8, except to say, it equaled the joy I had in realising there is a Series 3 for Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries!

You’re taking back to the world wars of the early 20th Century going straight through to the start of the Cold War; the transition in Series 6 to 7 is impressive because Horowitz has amazing continuity by giving his audience the pleasure of staying with characters they are attached too and seeing them move forward with their lives. The only characters I regretted not seeing come forward were Foyle’s partner Paul Milner and of course, Foyle’s son Andrew. Andrew was portrayed by singer Julian Ovenden and his exit I believe was nearly predicted by the fact his career took off. I was thankful I could participate in a live chat with him via PBS last year, and he even answered one of my questions! This was not in reference of Foyle’s War but for his guest starring role on Downton Abbey.

To see Honeysuckle Weeks return as Sam and Foyle to be back as the moral backbone of MI5 is such a true delight of authenticity, I can only hope others are seeking out Foyle as much as I am! He has become such a delight to watch, my family hopes like I do that we have much more Foyle yet to come! It is definitely a series where fans are helping guide the series forward, as it was cancelled and revived!

After Foyle, I wanted to keep the joy of selecting to see new BBC serials, (either newly released or past releases still unknown) which is why I selected to watch Last Tango in Halifax. A drama about two families that are on the verge of coming together due to the fact their Mum and Dad have fallen in love with each other after reuniting after living 60 years apart! It’s such a tragic opening to the story, where a lost letter does not get delivered and they each went their separate ways!

They find each other on social media and as they meet-up for the first time after all these decades, learnt that they are still very much as important to each other as they were then. However, the drama of what ensues is both honest and representative of a families in transition and shifting in/out of difficulties that arise whilst life continues to carry on. The last episode of the 1st Series nearly put me under, because of what happens to Alan, but thankfully, we read up a bit about the series finding that as this is based on a real-life couple who found each other and wedded after a 60 year absence, the series is thriving on fans in the UK who love the show! Already in it’s 3rd Series and moving towards it’s 4th, I can say we devourted the 1st and are about to embark on the 2nd! Read More

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Posted Thursday, 14 May, 2015 by jorielov in #SRC2015 | BookSparks, 10 Bookish (& Not-So-Bookish Thoughts), Blogosphere Events & Happenings, CSI: Cyber, Foyle's War, Last Tango in Halifax, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, NCIS, When Calls the Heart

Blog Book Tour | “The Shepherdess of Siena” by Linda Lafferty

Posted Thursday, 14 May, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I originally found BookSparks PR last Spring, when I came upon the Summer Reading Challenge a bit too late in the game. I hadn’t forgotten about it, and was going to re-contact them this Spring to see if I could join the challenge this year instead. Coincidentally, before I sorted this out, I was contacted by one of their publicists about Linda Lafferty’s Renaissance historical novel.  I received a complimentary copy of “The Shepherdess of Siena” direct from the publicist at BookSparks in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

I will be blogging about my contributions and participation in the Summer Reading Challenge 2015 because something quite remarkable happened to allow me to read the first six novels of the ten I selected to blog about. Mum’s the word until I post a very special edition of ’10 Bookish / Not Bookish Thoughts’!

On reading about the Renaissance and stories about strong women:

I fell in love with Renaissance Italy as a child, swept away by the artisans and artists during the re-genesis of creative voice and freedom of expression across their societal divides. The Renaissance is fraught with drama depending on where you alight during it’s different periods of time, but one thing remains: the will of the people to not only overcome what is happening but to dig deeper into a well of strength to overtake what is wrong and shift forward into the future on a sturdier path towards change. It was an incredible time in history, and it is the stories of the people that I am always drawn towards most when I pick up a historical work of fiction.

To tuck inside a commoners or royals life, seeing what they might have seen or felt what they might have bled out of their hearts whilst surviving or yielding to the fray of the hour. Historical fiction I find is enriching because it presents a different worldview than our contemporary timescape; it knits together ideas and motivations to conquer issues which have had lasting results even in our own generations. I like seeing how the people rose to the occasions they were presented with living through but moreso to that end, I like reading about their ordinary lives. Even a royal family at the end of the day are merely who they are behind closed doors — the circumstances of their royal origins do not limit their curiosity but rather increase it, as who are they when the world is not looking?

On the opposite end of it, I love unearthing little unknown pockets of the historical past, elements of how time, life, family, and evolution of thought can expand itself into a boiling stew of passion and declaration for liberty to live on one’s own terms. Strong women in fiction is awe-inspiring, but my favourite preference is finding the women who lived so very long ago held within them a chalice of strength written into the fiber of all women before and after them.

Blog Book Tour | “The Shepherdess of Siena” by Linda LaffertyThe Shepherdess of Siena: a novel of Renaissance Tuscany
by Linda Lafferty
Source: Direct from Publicist

The Shepherdess of Siena takes us to the rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside in a lush drama of untamed horses and wild hearts played out in historic Siena.

Linda Lafferty, bestselling author of The Bloodletter’s Daughter, releases her fourth novel The Shepherdess of Siena. This riveting new novel is based on the real life tale of Virgina Tacci who at age fourteen rode the Palio Horse tournament in 1581 bareback. Linda’s love of all things equestrian and her extensive travel to Italy paints a vivid picture of Tuscany with passion and truth.

Raised by her aunt and uncle amidst the rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside, young orphan Virginia Tacci has big dreams of competing in Siena’s Palio horse race. As a shepherdess in sixteenth-century Italy, her peasant class and her gender supremely limit Virginia’s possibilities. Inspired by the daring equestrian feats of Isabella de’ Medici, who rides with the strength and courage of any man, Virgina’s dreams don’t seem so difficult to reach.

The Shepherdess of Siena brings alive the rich history of one of Tuscany’s most famed cities and this lush, captivating saga draws an illuminating portrait of one girl with an unbreakable spirit.

 

Genres: Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Published by Lake Union Publishing

on 31st March, 2015

Format: Paperback

Pages: 616

Published By: Lake Union Publishing
Available Formats: Paperback, Audiobook, and Ebook

Converse on Twitter via: #ShepherdessOfSiena

About Linda Lafferty

Linda Lafferty taught in public education for nearly three decades, in schools from the American School of Madrid to the Boulder Valley schools to the Aspen school district. She completed her PhD in bilingual special education and went on to work in that field, as well as teaching English as a second language and bilingual American history.

Horses are Linda’s first love, and she rode on the University of Lancaster’s riding team for a year in England. As a teenager, her uncle introduced her to the sport of polo, and she played in her first polo tournament when she was seventeen.

Linda also loves Siena, Italy, and the people of the region and has returned to the city half a dozen times in the past three years to research her novel. Linda is the author of three previous novels: The Bloodletter’s Daughter, The Drowning Guard, and House of Bathory. She lives in Colorado with her husband.

Lafferty's Author Page on Book Browse

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
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Posted Thursday, 14 May, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 15th Century, Audiobook, Audiobook Excerpt, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, BookSparks, Catherine de Medici, Catholicism, Coming-Of Age, Father-Daughter Relationships, Grief & Anguish of Guilt, Historical Fiction, Horse Drama & Fiction, Indie Author, Isabella de' Medici, Italy, Library Love, Literary Fiction, Literature of Italy, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Nun, Orphans & Guardians, Religious Orders, Renaissance Tuscany, Sisterhood friendships, Soundcloud, the Renaissance (14th-17th Centuries), Tuscany, Vulgarity in Literature, Women's Rights

Author Guest Post | An Introductory explanation behind the heart of what inspired Dr. Litchfield to write ‘Enslaved to Saved’ an extraordinary look inside the path left behind by Christ for us to follow.

Posted Tuesday, 12 May, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Author Guest Post Banner created by Jorie in Canva.

In January of 2015, I received an invitation to an upcoming Spring blog tour for Cedar Fort direct from the author, as one of the benefits of working with Cedar Fort as a book blogger is being able to engage with their authors; generally with enough lead-time before you even know of a pending tour that is coming up next or during the time where the blog tours are being scheduled, allowing you the benefit of interacting directly with the authors as you make your choices. For me this has been beneficial on several levels, as if a book (novel or non-fiction; I am developing a fondness for non-fiction of late) interests me, but I feel I might be on the fence to read it (at this point in time), I find it quite comforting to know I can reach out to the author and ask a few questions pertaining to the context of it.

The title of this book implored me outright to become interested in reading it as I have had a curiosity to uncover more about Christ (as a man as much as the Son of God) in regards to who He was whilst He lived on earth and how the legacy of His teachings left behind for us to find after He left. On a similar vein, Mum and I have wanted to dig inside the women of the Bible, to uncover more biographical bits about who they were and the lives they lived because too often we only get to know fragmented pieces about the men and women who lived centuries ago yet who have such a crucial part of our shared religious history. As far as the women go, I know we want to seek out Biblical Historical fiction as a gateway, but when I saw this non-fiction release about Christ, it was definitely a moment where I felt as if I had stumbled across a book I was meant to read ‘at this moment in time’.

Books are serendipitous discoveries — they have the tendency to alight inside our lives right at the moment we’re meant to read them.

I find they are as joyful as butterflies and as challenging as finding the rainbow after a horrific thunderstorm or natural storm system has wrecked a bit of havoc in your towne. Books which endeavour us to gain growth and humbling insight are the little lightning bugs of unexpected mirth giving us seed to thought and a propensity towards developing our awareness of what is happening in our lives and around us at the same time.

Although I do not often broach the subject of Religion directly on my bookish blog, I do refer to the fact I am a hybrid reader who reads across mainstream and INSPY (refers to ‘Inspirational’ and is not religious specific as it can be Christian, Jewish, Amish, Buddhist, Hindi, Catholic, Quaker, etc; most classify their readings as “Christian Fiction” however, the umbrella of the whole is “Inspirational Fiction” because it’s a full compass of all recognised religions.) markets. As I grow as a reader and as a book blogger, I am finding myself wanting to bridge the gap between the two markets and be more bold in my selections of the works of literature that speak directly to me and perchance will inspire someone else after I’ve shared my own thoughts, views, and impressions.

I do keep my own spiritual path tucked under my hat, as I do not believe we have to declare outright where we are on our own walk of faith, however, I do mention time to time I was raised Protestant and continue to be today. I applaud Cedar Fort to bringing these books to readers and for encouraging their authors to engage in open-minded discussions with their book bloggers because I find the open exchanges invaluable. You may find other works of non-fiction alighting on my blog time to time, even though my main focus is on fictional works of literature, I have to admit, I have a healthy appetite for stimulating literature wherein you can find ‘a story of enlightenment’ as riveting as any fictional world can develop and yield to provide!

I wanted to share a snippet of my initial enquiry about the book I had sent to Dr Litchfield as a stepping stone to explain why I was drawn to the book itself:

Most of the non-fiction I take a pass on if I feel the subject matter would apply more directly to an LDS church member, as I am Protestant and have felt some of the titles are more directly poignant to those who attend a Mormon church. However, in this particular instance, the one verifiable thread of connection between the churches I attend and yours, is Jesus Christ. He’s quite central to Christianity (both for Catholics & Protestants alike) but also, an important connective thread for LDS, as I had a wonderful conversation with two missionaries of the LDS faith who visited my local area. Our entire conversation was on Jesus Christ, and how his teachings befit the world at hand, as much as how to embrace his ideals with the perspective of acceptance, tolerance, and curating a more positive world out of love and charity. It was quite a stimulating conversation to say the least!

I nearly took a pass on submitting a tour stop for this book, not due to a lack of interest, but as I wasn’t quite as sure how it was going to be writ or to be honest, if it would be conflictive from my point-of-view compared to an LDS. I requested only one LDS specific non-fiction release, where in the end I had to affirm it was truly for LDS families, as the outlook within it was more narrow than expansive. I felt badly for it, as I research my family histories through Family Search, carrying on the tradition of my grandfather and Mum. Mum and I want to expand our efforts at some point, but with Family Search we have benefited from connecting pieces of our past we otherwise might not have known. Therefore, the previous book I had hoped would be for everyone who wanted to research their ancestry rather than one point of reference.

When your email arrived, I clicked through to your website and read the expanded synopsis you included with your email — I clicked open the PDF file for the cause/reason for Christ’s death, and noted your method of relaying facts was both informative but easy to follow as a layreader. I am presuming you carried forward a pace of thought similar to that or perhaps even evoking a bit of narrative to dig deeper into the history of this topic in “Enslaved to Saved”.

Dr. Litchfield went on to present an explanation similar to the one he’s prepared for me to share ahead of the blog tour, as my key questions were the following:

The key for me was the very last expressed thought in the synopsis: surrender to the will of Christ, which could even be inclusive of my own approach to believe and trust in the will of God (as the trinity is together & one but we all have a different path towards how our own hearts, minds, & perceptions align to root our faith into our lives). Is this then an explanation of how despite having free will in our life, we still need to take precedence and heed towards the wider picture of how our lives fit within the realm of the spiritual; to where we are being guided if we seek consul and if we remain open to what is being revealed, we are then living directly in align with God’s will?

The word ‘slavery’ is a transitionary word in your book — from what the word meant to those who were enslaved by the Pharaohs of Egypt straight through the early origins of Christianity in the time of Harold & others, to how the foundations of the Deep South were entrenched in the slavery of Africans who were brought here for cheap labour; to the modern variants of how there is still slavery in existence to those who are not yet free. I was curious do you focus on this quite heavily in the book or is it more of a juxtaposition piece where the word is explored by how the definition of what it implies has altered and changed through history? To how bending to the will outside of ourselves is not a resolute exit from our own conscience and will, but rather a lifeblood of how to live in tandem of Christ and thereby God?

The New Testament interests me greatly, which is why I have been seeking out fictional Biblical stories as much as non-fiction works which delve into the individual lives of those who lived during that timescape. Oft-times I like to approach history through fictional stories as it helps envision the world in those eras for me a bit more than reading a technical specific non-fiction which might give way to a harder point of origin for me to visualise. I wanted to ask — is “Enslaved to Saved” writ with a fluidity of context that reads like a story being relayed to the reader or is it more of an academic tome of knowledge taken out of the research you conducted? Either way, I’m interested, but I simply wanted to know how it flows — did you break it down by topical reference points or in sections of how what is known is stitched out of what can be perceived between the texts of your research?

Do you go into any kind of graphic detail about slavery or about Christ’s more difficult history? I cannot handle graphic violence or even imagery that could sour my stomach because I have a sensitive heart.

I should mention that those of us who are sensitive to violence and/or graphic descriptions, I was assured that the necessary bits about slavery from the stand-point of the Roman Empire are how they were needed to be written in order to have an authentic tone to the passages. As I haven’t yet come across that section, I cannot relay my own thoughts on the matter, but when I post my review next Monday, I will make a notation about it.
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Instead of sharing my thoughts on what he has written in this guest feature, I am going to hold my comments until my review as a reflection of how I extended myself from our conversations prior to the blog tour, my further understanding via this guest feature, and how I was able to internalise and understand the basis of where Enslaved to Saved led me to journey as I read his book. I hope that this guest feature will be beneficial to those who might have developed a curiosity about Dr Litchfield’s impressive tome on scholarly insight into Christ or if any reader or visitor of mine has become curious about how the LDS church and other Protestant churches inter-relate to each other, as they are under the same branch of Christianity. I know I had originally misunderstood where the LDS church fell, and was pleasantly surprised to find we’re all Protestant Christians together!
Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Enslaved to Saved by W. Reid Litchfield

Published By: CFI (imprint) of Cedar Fort Inc (@CedarFortBooks),

an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Add to Riffle | Public Library

Converse on Twitter via:

#EnslavedToSaved, #ChristCentered, #BibleStudy & #ChristianNonFiction

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Posted Tuesday, 12 May, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Christianity, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Lessons from Scripture, Mormonism, Non-Fiction, Religious History, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, World Religions

Blog Book Tour | “Keep it Real and GRAB a Plunger: 25 tips for surviving #parenthood” by Julie K. Nelson

Posted Sunday, 10 May, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

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 “Keep It Real & Grab a Plunger” direct from the publisher Plain Sight Publishing (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Inspired to Read:

I’ve been a bit vocal over the past year as I’ve explored topical fiction and non-fiction which open the door of insight into motherhood and adoption about my own path I’m walking towards becoming a Mum through foster care adoption. I’m a Prospective Adoptive Mum as I’m gathering resources that will be beneficial to myself to read ahead of proceeding into the journey to become a mother as much as I am happily finding inspiring fiction to introduce to my future children. Not only on the merits of giving them healthy choices for adoptive literature but for Children’s Literature as a whole, as that is why I maintain an active and evolving Children’s Literature page on my bookish blog. Most of the titles originate inside my Story Vault and are then archived inside this secondary page.

I am planning to adopt multiples, as I feel led to adopt a sibling group of boys – siblings here is a bit loose and broad, as it can infer a biological connection between the boys or a friendship developed into a close-knit bond all brothers share as sometimes un-related boys grow close due to being placed in the same foster home or group home. To me, siblings is a general term and can apply both ways, especially in unconventional families where family is stitched together by heart and faith, moreso than traditionally being placed and raised in the home in which you were bourne.

What intrigued me about this particular book is how the author herself has raised five children, and I felt this might be a wicked good book to read as a future Mum of siblings!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Blog Book Tour | “Keep it Real and GRAB a Plunger: 25 tips for surviving #parenthood” by Julie K. NelsonKeep it Real and Grab a Plunger: 25 Tips for Surviving Parenthood
by Julie K. Nelson
Source: Direct from Publisher

You might suspect that a college professor, frequent parenting guest expert on tv and radio, and popular blogger like Julie K. Nelson would be immune to the realities of actual  parenting. But in fact, she's been there -- through all the late nights, huge messes, and tough moments.

Now she combines her expertise with her own experiences to reach you how to

* overcome any manipulative and authoritarian parenting tendencies

* foster your child's self-discipline, respect, and emotional maturity

* and get through the sticky stuff with grace

Humourous, insightful, and authentic, this is an entertaining and pragmatic book all parents will enjoy.

Genres: Motherhood | Parenthood, Non-Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Published by Plain Sight Publishing

on 10th March, 2015

Format: Paperback

Pages: 176

Published By: Plain Sight Publishing (@PlainSightBooks), an imprint of Cedar Fort Inc.
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse via: #KeepItRealAndGrabAPlunger

About Julie K. Nelson

Popular radio personality, university professor, author, and TV expert Julie K. Nelson combines her professional expertise with her personal experience as a mom of five in this book. Humorous, insightful, and authentic, this must-read will help you enforce rules without manipulation or coercion and addresses a wide variety of essential parenting topics.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

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Posted Sunday, 10 May, 2015 by jorielov in Adoption, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Chronicles of a Prospective Adoptive Mum, Content Note, Education & Learning, Fly in the Ointment, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Journal, Memoir, Mother-Son Relationships, Motherhood | Parenthood, Non-Fiction, Siblings, Sociology, Vignettes of Real Life, Wisdom of Life Threaded in Devotions