Happy #SpooktasticReads 2024! | Exploring ‘Hidden Universities and Schools’ as talked about during #WyrdAndWonder

Posted Wednesday, 30 October, 2024 by jorielov (Narrator) Bahni Turpin, (Narrator) Imani Parks, (Narrator) Sophia Nomvete, #SpooktasticReads, #WyrdAndWonder, Amari and the Night Brothers, B.B. Alston, Conjure Island, Eden Royce, Greenwild, Pari Thomson 0 Comments

We LOVE challenging each other during #WyrdAndWonder with prompts which inspire responses which can be taken literally by the words of the prompt itself or become explored more creatively by what sparks a response from the reader, blogger or social Fantasy lover to share with us during the month of May. This year, I’ve decided to post complimentary discussions featuring the prompts I am responding to via Instagram on our @WyrdAndWonder feeds. As it was a goal of mine last year but not one that I could fulfil properly.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I originally shared this post about ‘Hidden Universities and Magical Schools’ during #WyrdAndWonder this past May – however, I had intended to expand upon why I picked the stories I had to feature and what drew me into the stories which resonated with me to continue. However, as you might have gathered time was not on my side this year and the hours evaporated before I realised the month had concluded. I had intended to share this as a chase towards #SpooktasticReads but in the end, I’m sharing it as our lovely event starts to come to a close as Halloween is truly only hours away.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with our lovely mini-event – we host 13 days every October to devour and read as much spookified reads we can lock eyes and hands upon which give us a bit of a chillingly fantastical read within the pages of Paranormal Fantasy, Cosy Horror intermixed with Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, stories of the Fae which might prove to be more Unseelie than Seelie as well as any darker corridor of Fantasy realms which might celebrate the darker veils of Autumn. It is a time to get our spook on and walk alongside witches and familiars as well as explore the stories which befit the season of changes as Summer’s wrath has led into a lovely respite of cooler weather!

I felt it would be quite fitting to re-explore this topic now as I have the tendency of reading a heap of lovely #WitchyFiction, stories of the Paranormal and Urban Fantasy during our Spooktastic Reads celebrations and events as much as Autumn is always the season in which I am in the proper mood to explore this side of Fantasy. Some of you might already be familiar with these stories – if you’ve read them or want to read them be sure to let me know in the comments.

We all have come to love the Magical School and/or Universities as a setting in Fantasy Literature for a long time now. Many of us have travelled through popular corridors of this niche in the genre too. I have been attempting to seek out the lesser-known corridors for awhile now and my favourite discovery by far was TransWitch by E. Chris Garrison. Of which you can happily find reviewed here. It is hard to believe I visited the lovely world Ms Chris created within that University two years ago! Time has had a funny effect on me recently – as stories I think I’ve read just ‘last year’ or ‘just a few short months ago’ have the tendency of having longer distances away from me. I credit what has been going on in my personal life with my Dad – as time has been a bit of a vacuum of space these last few years.

I was truly overjoyed by my discoveries at my local library this year – as I wasn’t thinking they would have such a wide selection of choice when it comes to this topic. Mostly as my library doesn’t quite carry the larger selection of titles when it comes to certain branches of literature but every so often, they surprise me. I decided to cast a rather large net of choices and that is how I came upon the titles I showcased during #WyrdAndWonder as I responded to this prompt on the challenge this year.

Similar to other prompt responses I’ve been sharing throughout #SpooktasticReads, quite a few of the stories I’ve been smitten with to listen in full will be further explored as Autumn continues to grace us with its presence ahead of Winter. I am truly captivated by the narrators, the stories and the new voices in literature I’ve been discovering. It has been quite the lovely readathon for me and a kind respite from my work life, too.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

#SpooktasticReads 2024
#WyrdAndWonder

Posted Wednesday, 30 October, 2024 by jorielov in #25MinutePreview, #SpooktasticReads, #WyrdAndWonder, Jorie Loves A Story

Answering the prompt : Unseelie | Find out why #JorieReads about the fae this #SpooktasticReads!

Posted Tuesday, 29 October, 2024 by jorielov (Narrator) Jake Urry, (Narrator) Katie Marchant, #SpooktasticReads, #WyrdAndWonder, Alyssa Roat, Mountain Brook INK, Wraithwood 2 Comments

We LOVE challenging each other during #WyrdAndWonder and #SpooktasticReads with prompts which inspire responses which can be taken literally by the words of the prompt itself or become explored more creatively by what sparks a response from the reader, blogger or social Fantasy lover to share with us during the months of May and October. This year, I’ve decided to post complimentary discussions featuring the prompts I am responding to via Instagram on our @WyrdAndWonder feeds. As it was a goal of mine last year but not one that I could fulfil properly.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I have been seeking out stories about the fae since I first started my journey on Jorie Loves A Story in (2013). I’ve been considerate of the different kinds of fae written about in Speculative Fiction – as it was a quick-study on my behalf to sort out the differences between the Unseelie and Seelie Courts of the fae. Yet, even then, I noticed there was a particular trend that ran through those narratives too: regardless of which Court the fae belonged there was a grey line amongst them. Meaning, not all of the fae considered Seelie are without darkness and not all of the fae considered Unseelie are without light.

All of the fae have a unique personality about them as much as inherent natures which are sometimes hard to understand as they are not entirely predictable. One of my top favourite series involving the fae is the series by Ms Chris called: the Tipsy Fairy Tale trilogy. (you’ll find all those lovely reviews, vlog interview and posts here) However, there have been other stories of the fae explored throughout the years as well. Such as reading the first novel of the October Daye series (see also this Post), Fly Free (the first novel in a trilogy) by Allison Rose (see also Review), To Court A Queen by H.L. Burke (see also Review), Silver Hollow (the first novel in the Borderlands series) by Jennifer Silverwood (see also Review), Liminal Lights (the first in a series; the only one I read as I couldn’t continue with it) by J.M. Bogart (see also Review), FAE – the anthology of short stories by World Weaver Press (see also Review) and A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court edited by Scott M. Sandridge (see also Review).

As you can see – it is quite the diverse array of stories involving the fae and quite a few series as well. This was the first year I decided to dip my toes into the Unseelie Court rather than staying within the Seelie side of the ledger. Mostly as I was charmed by the premise, and I was happy to find an #ownvoices author and story. Even the content warnings felt like ones I could handle even if a few of them gave me a bit of pause to contemplate before I purchased the audiobook. All of these stories I’ve gravitated to read held my interest for different reasons – yes, they all involve the fae in one way or another – but it was the style of voice within the narratives themselves which pulled me in their worlds. Each writer approached writing about the fae differently and that has made my journey exploring the fae so wicked amazing as I get to see different elements of the fae and their societies per each new writer who conceptionalises a way for us to see them.

I would still like to attempt to read the October Daye series with my Mum – who enjoyed the conversations I had with her about October Daye whilst I read Rosemary and Rue. Whilst I still intend to continue reading the Borderlands Saga as I purchased the third novel in the series this past May during #WyrdAndWonder (shh! I haven’t mentioned that yet!) and I also intend to purchase the second and third novels after Fly Free. Like most stories I am keen on reading – certain genres and series take me a bit longer than expected to fully engross myself into their worlds and installments. I will get to them but sometimes the timing is not my own to choose.

One thing was certain, for a reader who likes to challenge herself to go outside her comfort zone I can definitely say, I took a firm leap outside mine by purchasing Unseelie! Which I think was part of the joy for me this #SpooktasticReads in finding a novel like this one – it presented a challenge to tuck into the part of the fae I’ve explored the least and it gave me a path back into reading about the fae which I’ve longed to do since I concluded the Tipsy Fairy Tale trilogy.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

#SpooktasticReads 2024

Posted Tuesday, 29 October, 2024 by jorielov in #25MinutePreview, #SpooktasticReads, Jorie Loves A Story

Blog Book Tour | Re-visiting “A Home for Christmas” (a #shortstory collection) by MK McClintock

Posted Monday, 28 October, 2024 by jorielov A Home for Christmas, MK McKintock, Trappers Peak Publishing 1 Comment

Acquired Book By: In (2014) I was selected to be a tour stop on the “A Home for Christmas” virtual book tour through Book Junkie Promotions. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author MK McClintock, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein. I am re-visiting this collection for a new blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club in (2024).

Re-visiting “A Home for Christmas”:

It isn’t often I get the chance to re-visit a book I’ve read and reviewed in the past on Jorie Loves A Story. However, recently whilst in search of blog tours to host and new companies to host for as a lot of the touring companies have shut down in recent years – I found The Coffee Pot Book Club! They celebrate and champion Historical Fiction – with the same passion and dedication as the company I previously hosted tours for which was Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. Uniquely enough – I originally reviewed this title for the sister company to that one which was Book Junkie Promotions. Out of the eleven years I’ve been a book blogger, I hosted blog tours with HFVBTs for ten of those years – and it is a lovely new chapter in my life as a book blogger to continue seeking out new voices in Historical Fiction and revisiting and reacquainting myself with the authors I’ve previously discovered whilst hosting for The Coffee Pot Book Club!

Whilst it wasn’t my intention to miss my first tour stop for this new company – I had a difficult week at work and with the exhaustion that went with it – my blog was the farthest thing on my mind to be honest. I was filling in shifts and working extra hours and somewhere whilst just trying to get through a hard week, I had forgotten to release this post on my tour stop which was Friday, the 25th. I try to pre-schedule posts during these kinds of weeks and although I thought I had set everything correctly to go live apparently, I missed the fact it was still marked as private. Therefore, my full apologies are extended to Cathie @ The Coffee Pot Book Club and to the author, Ms McClintock as this was not the way to put my best foot forward as a new tour host!

When I originally read “A Home for Christmas” I was simply immersed into the setting, the characters and the stories which are gently told and completely uplifting to read. I love the style of McClintock’s writings, and it is still my intention to read more of her stories. In particular the stories about Crooked Creek are catching my eye as they are serial short stories and there are three installments of them, too.

If this is your first time finding her stories, you will be in for a treat because one of the best ways to get a sense about an author’s voice is to read their short fiction. This is one reason I oft-times try to seek out anthological collections by authors or a collection of authors. In short style fiction (ie. short stories, novellas, etc) you can get a firm idea about how writers approach writing their stories but also, have a lovely new way of seeing how their stories flourish in a shorter space than a novel.

I also appreciated reading this collection as it is rooted in one of my favourite times of the year – Christmas! I am definitely that kind of girl who binge watches Christmas films on television and in particular Hallmark Channel. Though NOT until after Thanksgiving and never before or just after Halloween – despite the fact the network trying to convince us otherwise. I like to ease into the Christmas season and observe the other holidays which lead into it, too. One of those ways I like to celebrate the holiday seasons is by reading seasonal reads – and that includes finding stories which are set in and around Christmas.

It truly is a joy of mine as a book blogger to re-showcase a collection of stories I read during my first year as a book blogger whilst I’m in the midst of my eleventh year. Be sure to keep this earmarked for your Christmas Reads this year and/or consider giving it as a gift to a friend or family member who loves these kinds of stories as much as I do.

A Home for Christmas
Subtitle: Collection of Three Heartwarming Historical Short Stories
by MK McClintock (2024)
Source: Author via Book Junkie Promotions

Will six strangers find hope, love, and family at Christmas? A collection of three historical western short stories to inspire love and warm the heart.

CHRISTMAS MOUNTAIN
In search of family she barely knows and adventure she’s always wanted, Katherine Donahue is saved from freezing on a winter night in the mountains of Montana by August Hollister. Neither of them expected that what one woman had in mind was a new beginning for them both.

TETON CHRISTMAS
Heartache and a thirst for adventure lead McKensie Stewart and her sister to Wyoming after the death of their parents. With the help of a widowed aunt and a charming horse breeder, McKensie discovers that hope is a cherished promise, and there is no greater gift than love.

LILY’S CHRISTMAS WISH
Lily Malone has never had a real family or a real Christmas. This holiday season, she might get both. From an orphanage in New York City to the rugged mountains of Colorado, Lily sends out only one wish. But when the time comes, can she give it up so someone else’s wish can come true?

If you love inspirational romance and heartfelt holidays, then you'll enjoy this trio of stories as we remember the true meaning of love any time of the year.

Genres: Anthology Collection of Short Stories and/or Essays, Short Story or Novella, Historical Fiction, Western Fiction, Christmas Story &/or Christmas Romance

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780996507653

Published by Trappers Peak Publishing

on 5th November, 2014

Format: Trade Paperback

Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse via: #MKMcClintock, #AHomeForChristmasBlogTour, #ShortStory, #SweetRomance

About MK McClintock (2024)

MK McClintock is an award-winning author of historical romantic fiction about chivalrous men and strong women who appreciate chivalry. Her stories of romance, mystery, and adventure sweep across the American West to the Victorian British Isles with places and times between and beyond.

MK enjoys a quiet life in the northern Rocky Mountains.

•••

Her works include the Montana Gallagher, Crooked Creek, British Agent, and Whitcomb Springs series. She has also written A Home for Christmas, a heartwarming collection set in 1800s Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, and The Case of the Copper King, a romantic and adventurous western mystery set in 1899 Colorado.

Posted Monday, 28 October, 2024 by jorielov in 19th Century, American Old West, Anthology Collection of Stories, Blog Tour Host, Book Junkie Promotions, Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Father-Daughter Relationships, Grief & Anguish of Guilt, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Orphans & Guardians, Short Stories or Essays

A #SpooktasticReads Audiobook Review | “A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking” by T. Kingfisher, narrated by Patricia Santomasso

Posted Sunday, 27 October, 2024 by jorielov (Narrator) Patricia Santomasso, #SpooktasticReads, A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, Recorded Books, T. Kingfisher, Tantor Audio 0 Comments

Borrowed Audiobook By: I started to listen to audiobooks in [2016] as a way to offset my readings of print books whilst noting there was a rumour about how audiobooks could help curb chronic migraines as you are switching up how you’re reading rather than allowing only one format to be your bookish choice. As I found colouring and knitting agreeable companions to listening to audiobooks, I have embarked on a new chapter of my reading life where I spend time outside of print editions of the stories I love reading and exchange them for audio versions.

I currently have subscriptions to both Audible and Everand (previously known as Scribd) as well as Spotify whilst I used to borrow audiobooks via CloudLibrary and occasionally Libby (though the latter rarely has books I’m interested in reading). I regularly purchase audiobooks via Audible whilst for other titles which are part of the Plus Catalogue of audiobooks, I can ‘borrow’ them as part of my subscription. Similar to how Everand works as well as Spotify. Spotify does limit how many hours you can listen to audiobooks per month whereas the limits are higher on Everand and Audible. So far, it has always worked out for me as a listener though this is the first year I’ve attempted to listen to audiobooks on Spotify.

As I listened to an audiobook copy of “A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking” as part of my subscription to Audible, I was not obligated to share a review on its behalf. I am sharing my ruminative thoughts for my own edification and for continuing to share my bookish and readerly life on my blog Jorie Loves A Story and/or on social media of my choice. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

And, so it begins! Happy #SpooktasticReads:

I happily listened to A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking whilst #SpooktasticReads was getting underway this year and I couldn’t be more delighted to announce it was my first listen to finish, too! Except to say, it took me a bit longer to finalise the review on its behalf because it became a bit of an emotional read for me and there were portions of the story, I listened to quite extensively without writing any notes down. As I was colouring as I listened, I also made a lot of progress in my Halloween themed colouring book – full of sugar skulls, pumpkins, haunted houses and other delights which befit a Halloween colouring adventure! Laughs.

The main reason it took me awhile to reconcile my emotions with the story is because I had a rather hard-hitting week at work. I was filling in for different people and working extra hours as a result and at some point, the exhaustion won out over anything else. By the weekend, I felt done in and had a long satisfying rest to recover my energies and spirits. Also, this story starts out with such a burst of hilarity I wasn’t quite prepared for the shift in gears to where it took such dramatic turns in the story – both for the characters themselves and for us as readers listening to the narration. You sort of get caught off-guard as there is so much humour laced through the opening bridges of the story until everything gets turnt quite serious and then, there is less to laugh about truly as it is a very serious story by all counts.

I was just lost in this world – completely consumed by the vision Kingfisher had for it and rallying behind her characters who had the odd stacked against them and never once felt like throwing in the towel without at least attempting to survive despite the realities of what they were facing. It was a very strong message about coming together as community and fighting fiercely for what you believe in whilst never allowing your enemy to get the better of you either. There were supporting characters who were equally quirky and courageous whilst the persons in power were humble and vulnerable like the everyday citizens of their kingdom, too. It was a very well-rounded tale and one that I felt was wickedly narrated too.

I will definitely have to purchase this audiobook at some point because it was definitely a beloved read of mine this #SpooktasticReads and I was quite chuffed it was available to listen to via Audible’s Plus Catalgoue! Quite the find, indeed! Thereby if you’ve been wanting to listen to this story yourself – it is on Audible but it is also available through Everand, too.

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
by T. Kingfisher
Source: Audible | Subscription
Narrator: Patricia Santomasso

Genres: Fantasy Fiction, Paranormal Suspense, Spooky Reads for Halloween, YA Fantasy, YA Paranormal Suspense

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781614505242

ASIN: B09FNLS5RY

on 12th October, 2021

Format: Audiobook | Digital

Length: 8 hours and 30 minutes (unabridged)

Published by: Tantor Audio | @tantoraudio via Insta
(a subsidiary of Recorded Books)

Follow the author: Site | Insta

Formats Available: Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook

Converse via: #YAFantasy + #AudioReads, #Audiobook
and #SpooktasticReads or #SpooktasticReads2024

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

#SpooktasticReads 2024

Posted Sunday, 27 October, 2024 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Audiobook, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Book Review (non-blog tour), Clever Turns of Phrase, Fantasy Fiction, Humour & Satire in Fiction / Non Fiction, Indie Author, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Witches and Warlocks

#BookSpotlight for #TheWriteReads | A wicked new Middle Grade novel: “Terra Electrica” (The Guardians of the North, Book One) by Antonia Maxwell

Posted Sunday, 27 October, 2024 by jorielov Antonia Maxwell, Neem Tree Press, Terra Electrica, The Guardians of the North series 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I apologise I am a bit behind with my blog this week – as I had a wreck of a week in some respects as exhaustion took over before the mid-point. I also didn’t have my usual schedule of hours and as I was filling in for different people on some of my shifts and extending my shifts on multiple days, you could say the week got the better of me and my blog suffered a bit as a result as I fell off my schedule for sharing posts – both for The Write Reads and for Spooktastic Reads.

I was hoping my copy of “Terra Electrica” was going to arrive by Post, as I was expecting a review copy by mail – however, it never arrived and thereby, I fetched the ebook copy which was given to members of the blog tour as I wanted to sample the story in order to write a spotlight on its behalf. What really drew me into wanting to read this novel was the fact it was written for the Middle Grade audience, focuses on the Environment and has a very convicting premise which I felt was a good starting point for IRL discussions with children about the state of our Environmental issues and the concerns we all have for the health of the planet and what we can actively do to help even as everyday citizens.

I’ve been interested in the ecological health of our environs since I was a young girl. The biggest impact on me as a child was the film “Medicine Man”. And, a visiting Environmentalist in the fifth grade who first opened my eyes to the global impact of the environment and how globally we’re all in this together. This was long before they started calling it Climate Change and the effects of humans on the interworking environments around the world and how our choices in energy and consumption of energy is costing a heavy price on our air and the quality of life. And, of course it is much more complicated than that, too, and involves a lot more than just energy – but I didn’t want to get into everything all at once and decided to just focus on mentioning energy which is one of the top issues we have right now.

Except to say, for the polar ice caps on the brink of melting has been a mainstay of concern since I was growing up, too. The sea levels rising as a result of a major melt has been a huge concern especially for certain states which sit below sea level right now as it were and how that impact of erasure would have on the United States as a whole as there would be missing parts of our country once the sea rises to the point where parts of the land would outright disappear beneath the new levels of the sea. It gives you pause to think about the wider issues rises in sea levels would have on a global scale as much as what would happen if all the ice melts? What other imbalances and changes would that cause globally as well?

Thereby whenever I can find an Environmental focused story – especially in MG or YA literature, I am definitely the reader who is excited about that kind of story. Therefore, someday I do hope to have a copy of this novel to read but until then, I am happily spotlighting it to help promote the book and maybe encourage others to seek it out too!

Terra Electrica
Subtitle: The Guardians of the North : Book One
by Antonia Maxwell
Source: Publisher via The Write Reads

This is the first novel in an action-packed dystopian adventure series set in the near-future post-melt Arctic.

The last ice cap has melted, and the world is on the brink of collapse. A deadly force—Terra Electrica—has been unleashed. It feeds on electricity. It is infecting civilization.

In this chaotic, rapidly changing reality, 12-year-old Mani has lost her family and community to the Terra Electrica. Armed only with some ancestral wisdom and a powerful, ancient wooden mask she was never meant to inherit so soon, she suddenly finds herself responsible for the fate of the world.

Can Mani piece everything together and harness her newfound powers in time to save humanity?

Genres: Children's Literature, Middle Grade

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1915584113

Published by Neem Tree Publishing

on 4th July, 2024

Format: epub | PDF editon

Published by: Neem Tree Press | Follow via Insta (@neemtreepress)
an imprint of Unbound Publishing

Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

Converse via: #MGLit, #MiddleGrade
as well as #TheWriteReads & #TerraElectrica

About Antonia Maxwell

Antonia Maxwell is a writer and editor based in North Essex and Cambridge, UK. With a degree in Modern Languages and a long-standing career as a book editor, she has a lifelong curiosity for language and words, and a growing fascination in the power of story – the way it shapes our lives and frames our experience.

Posted Sunday, 27 October, 2024 by jorielov in #TheWriteReads, Blog Tour Host, Cli-Fi, Climate Change, Dystopian, Environmental Conscience, Environmental Science, Science Fiction