Tag: Anne of Green Gables

An Audiobook review feat. during #AudiobookMonth | “The Widow’s Redeemer” by Philippa Jane Keyworth I am dearly in awe of the narrator Alex Lee who completely changed my mind about this author!

Posted Thursday, 7 June, 2018 by jorielov , , , , , 0 Comments

Audiobook Review Badge made by Jorie in Canva.

Acquired 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 your 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. Through hosting for the Audiobookworm I’ve expanded my knowledge of authors who are producing audio versions of their stories whilst finding podcasters who are sharing their bookish lives through pods (ie. AudioShelf and Talking Audiobooks; see my sidebar). Meanwhile, I am also curating my own wanderings in audio via my local library who uses Overdrive for their digital audiobook catalogue whilst making purchase requests for audio CDs. It is a wonderful new journey and one I enjoy sharing – I am hoping to expand the percentage of how many audios I listen to per year starting in 2018.

I received a complimentary audiobook copy of “The Widow’s Redeemer” via Audiobookworm Promotion in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Why I wanted to take a second chance on a novel by Ms Keyworth:

Last year, I was first introduced to the writings of Ms Keyworth on the Historical Fiction blog tour showcasing Fool Me Twice, for which I had this to impart upon that reading:

Keyworth has a different approach at writing her Historicals, as she’s very matter-of-fact and doesn’t spoilt you on long descriptive passages of what is happening ‘in scene’ but rather gets to the heart of the truth whilst disclosing the details which are necessary to understand her lead protagonists’ motives. It took me a bit to adjust to her style, as all writers have their own written voice and style of narrative. I have the tendency to read more writers who opt for descriptive narrative over the blunter style of only giving out parse details, but both have their place in Historicals, as sometimes the focus is not on the settings nor the period of the story itself but rather the angst of the situation we meet the characters.

Despite finding myself appreciating a few things within the story itself, overall, I couldn’t find myself attached to the novel. I was taken out of it’s depths more than once, finding it was ill-matched for my preferences of the genre but I never quite ‘let go’ of reading one of her other stories. In fact, even after I attempted to read this first novel of hers, I mused to myself, one of her older titles might be more to my liking – in effect, I had made an error in where to insert myself into her stories!

Thus, when I saw this title was going on an audiobook blog tour, I immediately listened to the sampler – finding myself smitten by Ms Lee’s approach especially for her clarity of ‘place’ and of ‘person’. You immediately feel drawn into her narrative styling due to how she fuses her heart into what she is narrating – she is as immersively captivating as the narrator for the Kay Hunter series (Alison Campbell) due to her passionate approach in voicing the characters themselves!

I was thankful I had a chance to re-approach her writings so soon after discovering them initially. I had a good feeling about going into listening to this audiobook, as sometimes, you can rather quite a lot about a narrator through the samplers – in this instance, I felt like I might have blessed myself tenfold: a new narrator to champion and a writer who redeemed my opinion of her writerly style. Technically, this happened earlier this year, when I borrowed a copy of an audiobook version of Cotillion by Georgette Heyer; a novel I previously could not attach myself inside. Narrators have an uncanny way of presenting stories in such a way as to heighten the words left behind by the authors which cannot always translate through a print edition!

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An Audiobook review feat. during #AudiobookMonth | “The Widow’s Redeemer” by Philippa Jane Keyworth I am dearly in awe of the narrator Alex Lee who completely changed my mind about this author!The Widow's Redeemer
by Philippa Jane Keyworth
Source: Audiobook via Audiobookworm Promotions
Narrator: Alex Lee

A penniless young widow with an indomitable spirit. A wealthy viscount with an unsavory reputation. London, 1815: After her husband's untimely death, Letty Burton comes up from the country with her domineering mother-in-law. Hiding a past she wishes to forget and facing an uncertain future, all she wants is to navigate London Society as a silent companion.

A chance meeting with London's most eligible bachelor sets in motion a series of events that will bring her quiet life under the unfriendly scrutiny of the ton. With the net of scandal, debts, and rivals closing in, will she let her dark past dictate her life forever? Will she learn to trust again? And most importantly, will she allow herself to love?

The Widow's Redeemer was a finalist in the 2012 RONE Awards (Reward of Novel Excellence) hosted by InD'Tale Magazine.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ASIN: B07CH4F4WL

Also by this author: Fool Me Twice

Published by Madison Street Publishing

on 19th April, 2018

Format: Audiobook | Digital

Length: 9 hours and 35 minutes (unabridged)

Published By:  Madison Street Publishing (@MStPublishing)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Ebook and Audioook

Stories by Philippa Jane Keyworth:

Fool Me Twice by Philippa Jane KeyworthThe Widow's Redeemer by Philippa Jane Keyworth

The Unexpected Earl | Synopsis

The Widow’s Redeemer

Fool Me Twice (see also Review)

Converse via: #HistFic + #HistRom

About Philippa Jane Keyworth

Philippa Jane Keyworth

Philippa Jane Keyworth, known to her friends as Pip, has been writing since she was twelve in every notebook she could find. Originally trained as a horse-riding instructor, Philippa went on to become a copywriter before beginning a degree in History. A born again Christian, Philippa lives in the south of England with her handsome husband.

Philippa has always written stories and believes that, since it is one of her loves and passions, she always will. In her early writing career, she dabbled in a variety of genres, but it was the encouragement of a friend to watch a film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that began her love affair with the British Regency. Since then, she has watched every Regency film and TV series she could get her hands on and become well acquainted with Georgette Heyer’s novels which gave her the inspiration to write her own.

Both as a reader and a writer, Philippa believes it is important to escape into a world you yourself would want to live in. This is why she writes stories that will draw you into the characters’ joys and heartaches in a world apart from our own. Her debut novel, The Widow’s Redeemer (Madison Street Publishing, 2012), is a traditional Regency romance bringing to life the romance between a young widow with an indomitable spirit and a wealthy viscount with an unsavory reputation. The novel has been received well by readers and reviewers who have praised the heartfelt story and admirable characters. Her second novel, The Unexpected Earl (Madison Street Publishing, 2014), explores another romance in the Regency era when an impetuous young woman has her life turned upside down by the reappearance of the earl who jilted her six years ago. Her third novel a Georgian romance will come out at the end of 2016.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Thursday, 7 June, 2018 by jorielov in 19th Century, Audiobookworm Promotions, Blog Tour Host, Britian, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Epistolary Novel | Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Inheritance & Identity, Inspired By Author OR Book, Life Shift, Postal Mail | Letters & Correspondence, Pride & Prejudice Re-telling, Romance Fiction

The Sunday Post | No.4 | Jorie gets knitty during lightning storms, falls in love with Hachette colouring books & devours audiobooks! Before she unexpectedly took a hiatus from blogging!

Posted Sunday, 1 October, 2017 by jorielov , , , , , 5 Comments

The Sunday Post badge created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

My participation in this meme was directly inspired by my new bookish friends: Avalinah + Savanah via this post!

[Official Blurb] The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies. Link up once a week or once a month, you decide. Book haul can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books..share them!

  • Enter your link on the post- Sundays beginning at 12:01 am (CST) (link will be open all week)
  • Link back to this post or this blog
  • Visit others who have linked up

A note about the format I am using to journal #TheSundayPost: I am finding I like being able to give my readers who cannot visit my blog each time a new post, review or guest feature goes live a digest journal of what is happening on #JLASblog each week! If you are familiar with the style in which I journal my readerly adventures via #WWWednesdays (see also Archive) you’ll know why I like this journalled style for #TheSundayPost!

It’s a way of talking about what is bookishly on my mind whilst sharing where my travels in Fiction & Non-Fiction took me through the last seven days! Quite stellar – so very thankful I was encouraged to participate as I love being able to think about which stories settled into my heart and which of the stories I am most eager to see arrive by postal mail and/or via audiobook! It’s a bit of a lovely way to journal your bookish life and have a weekly reminder of the experiences of you’ve gathered and love to remember! In regards to getting back into the groove with #WWWeds – I’m either going to make the meme bi-monthly or monthly which I’ll decide within the next fortnight.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Hallo, Hallo, dear hearts!

Jorie gets knitty during lightning storms,

acquires a knitting injury & devours audiobooks!

Whilst finding lightning storms to be a true consternation when attempting to B L O G!

[27 August, 2017]

IF anyone were to ask me what is my main bone of consternation during the [Summer] it would be simply L I G H T N I N G – the wicked awful curse of having MAJOR electrical storms which not only muddle my connectivity but they simply eradicate all HOPE of having a regular blogging and readerly life during the Summer, even if said blogger makes ill attempts to circumvent the insanity by pushing her blogging hours past the brink of what is healthy and upturnts her hours to where I think only midnight staff and truck drivers would understand her woes!

The key issue truly is how nauseatingly frequent they are now and how intense they are on arrival – these are not light storms with infrequent lightning – no! their the kind of storms where the electrical girth of electrical field is so wide and so boldly illuminating in the skies, you wonder if / where it strikes, how any living thing could survive the voltage!

Despite this – the week of [6th August] was the main week in which I felt the most productive as despite accruing an injury from ‘over-knitting’ (yes, this can happen if you consider I knitted about 15+ hours consecutively over 2 days!) and there were multiple lightning storms each day to where everything electronic was never plugged in except a few hours a day – you could say, it somehow became the best moments for me to KNIT! And, KNIT I did – dear hearts – to where one of my prayer shawls which was in the opening stages of being created is now nearly at the halfway mark of being ready to donate! Score! And, I knitted a new pattern, which is not only teaching me new techniques in the world of knitting but it is giving me a chance to create a different kind of shawl – one which I will be sending to a dear friend of mine once it’s complete. Meanwhile, I alternated between this prayer shawl and another one – which are the colours of sunshine – bold swatches of white and gold – stitched into a basket weave pattern! Read More

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Posted Sunday, 1 October, 2017 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Birthdays & Blogoversaries, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Jorie the Writer, The Sunday Post

Audiobook Blog Tour | “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery (narrated by Colleen Winton) published by Post Hypnotic Press!

Posted Saturday, 5 August, 2017 by jorielov , , , 3 Comments

Audiobook Review Badge made by Jorie in Canva.

Acquired Digital Audiobook by: I am a new blog tour hostess with Audiobookworm Promotions wherein I have the opportunity to receive audiobooks for review or adoption (reviews outside of organised blog tours) and host guest features on behalf of authors and narrators alike. When I saw the blog tour for ‘Anne of Green Gables’ I was wicked excited – as I have been wanting to re-read the series for a bit over a year and a half when I first saw a collection of the paperbacks at a thrift store! Mum surprised me with them but for the life of me, I never felt it was the ‘right time’ to read Anne. Seeing the blog tour was featuring the narrations by Post Hypnotic Press – the same publisher of the Betty MacDonald memoirs, I knew I wanted to take part as I love their quality and dedication to how audiobooks are produced!

I received a complimentary audiobook copy of “Anne of Green Gables” via the publisher Post Hypnotic Press (of whom was working directly Audiobookworm Promotions) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I wanted to read Anne in August:

I have many fond memories of Anne of Green Gables – except to say, it was not until after I requested to join this blog tour, had I realised I do not believe I actually read the stories in my youth! I was meant too – as my grandparents gave me a lovely boxed set of the series inasmuch as they gave me the boxed set of the original adaptation for the series starring Megan Follows. I also actively watched Road to Avonlea which was simulcast on the Disney Channel.

I have a fond spot in my heart for August being dedicated to reading Jane Austen (both the canon and the after canon stories) through my participation in #AustenInAugust (via Roof Beam Reader’s event) which has a new tag where we add RBR on to the main one we used to use all the time. I’ve grown so used to using the original tag whenever I am talking about it, I sometimes forget to use it on Twitter. Oy. I digress. What I wanted to say, is despite the fact August is Austen for me, I wanted to take-on another beloved author and a series which has meant so much to me for so very long. I have been wanting to read more of the titles on my Classics Club List as well and this felt like a good month to attempt to put more Classics on my readerly path.

I’ll never remember truly – did I read the first book of Green Gables before I opted to see the film adaptation and tv series? Or, did I read passages of the book and still watched the adaptations? It’s hard to know for sure as too much time has gone past between then and now. I do know I knew Anne so very well – but how I came to know her originally is lost to time. Sometimes I forget which books I read and which stories I knew better in their film adaptations – this is one which hinges between memory and time. Which is why of course, when I first started listening to the adaptation by Post Hypnotic Press, I was a bit confused to know – was this the Anne of my memories or was this the Anne I hadn’t properly been introduced all those years ago?

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Audiobook Blog Tour | “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery (narrated by Colleen Winton) published by Post Hypnotic Press!Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery
Source: Direct from Publisher
Narrator: Colleen Winton

Anne, a young orphan from the fictional community of Bolingbroke, Nova Scotia (based upon the real community of New London), is sent to Prince Edward Island after a childhood spent in strangers' homes and orphanages.

Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, siblings in their 50s and 60s, had decided to adopt a boy from the orphanage to help Matthew run their farm. They live at Green Gables, their Avonlea farmhouse on Prince Edward Island.

Through a misunderstanding, the orphanage sends Anne Shirley. Anne is described as bright and quick, eager to please, talkative, and extremely imaginative. She has a pale face with freckles and usually braids her red hair.

When asked her name, Anne tells Marilla to call her Cordelia, which Marilla refuses; Anne then insists that if she is to be called Anne, it must be spelled with an e, as that spelling is "so much more distinguished".

Marilla at first says the girl must return to the orphanage, but after a few days she decides to let her stay. Marilla feels that she could be a good influence on the girl and had also overheard that another disagreeable woman in town might take Anne in instead.

Genres: Children's Literature, Classical Literature



Places to find the book:

ISBN: 978-1-927817-06-3

Also by this author: Anne of Avonlea, Anne of of the Island

Also in this series: Anne of Avonlea, Anne of of the Island


Published by Post Hypnotic Press

on 2014

Format: Audiobook | Digital

Length: 10 hours, 7 minutes (Unabridged)

Published By: Post Hypnotic Press (@Post_Hypnotic)

The Anne of Green Gables series by Post Hypnotic Press:

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery, narrated by Colleen Winton produced by Post Hypnotic Press.Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery, narrated by Colleen Winton produced by Post Hypnotic Press.Anne of the Island by LM Montgomery, narrated by Colleen Winton produced by Post Hypnotic Press.

The publisher is considering adapting the rest of the series and is looking for feedback on behalf of these adaptations by both the bloggers who are listening to them for the blog tour and the readers who are finding them along the tour route itself – to gauge if the rest of the series would have a readership who would appreciate hearing them. I, for one, am hoping they do produce the rest of the series as these adaptions are great addition for all of us who grew up knowing Anne.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2017 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
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Posted Saturday, 5 August, 2017 by jorielov in Audiobook, Audiobookworm Promotions, Blog Tour Host, Canada, Canadian Literature, Childhood Friendship, Children's Classics, Children's Literature, Classical Literature, Indie Author, Juvenile Fiction, School Life & Situations, Teacher & Student Relationships

The Sunday Post | No.3 | I am so wholly consumed by “The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds”!

Posted Sunday, 30 July, 2017 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

The Sunday Post badge created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

My participation in this meme was directly inspired by my new bookish friends: Avalinah + Savanah via this post!

[Official Blurb] The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies. Link up once a week or once a month, you decide. Book haul can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books..share them!

  • Enter your link on the post- Sundays beginning at 12:01 am (CST) (link will be open all week)
  • Link back to this post or this blog
  • Visit others who have linked up

A note about the format I am using to journal #TheSundayPost: I am finding I like being able to give my readers who cannot visit my blog each time a new post, review or guest feature goes live a digest journal of what is happening on #JLASblog each week! If you are familiar with the style in which I journal my readerly adventures via #WWWednesdays (see also Archive) you’ll know why I like this journalled style for #TheSundayPost!

It’s a way of talking about what is bookishly on my mind whilst sharing where my travels in Fiction & Non-Fiction took me through the last seven days! Quite stellar – so very thankful I was encouraged to participate as I love being able to think about which stories settled into my heart and which of the stories I am most eager to see arrive by postal mail and/or via audiobook! It’s a bit of a lovely way to journal your bookish life and have a weekly reminder of the experiences of you’ve gathered and love to remember! In regards to getting back into the groove with #WWWeds – I’m either going to make the meme bi-monthly or monthly which I’ll decide within the next fortnight.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Hallo, Hallo, dear hearts!

I am so wholly consumed by “The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds”!

I can honestly say, the ONLY book I have been reading this week is Ms Siak’s – of which I was even talking about during #ChocLitSaturday – as once you find a story whose narrative has a way of washing over you to such a degree of joy, you find every opportunity you can to talk about it. I was also trying to inspire some readers to pick it up for themselves, as it’s one of the most beautiful cultural exchanges of tradition and identity. I am truly captured by the metaphoric folklore, the dramatic story-line and the way in which Chye Hoon continues to grow, mature and develop as a woman on the verge of different transitions in her life. Not just in girlhood but also to mumhood and finding the strength to realise her own worth in what she can do to help her family. It’s one of those stories you cannot read quickly – the narrative is dense and alive with this woman’s life story to where you want to let her experiences soak through you in order to gain the full effect of the novel.

Whilst I wasn’t reading this story, I was thinking about what I wanted to talk about during my guest post for #AustenInAugust – as this was the first year I decided I might fancy contributing something to the event. I do not often write guest features on blogs, but this year, I felt I might give it a try and I ended up with a piece I am hoping others can relate too.

I caught sight of a way I could start to work on my own writings – a new idea which materialised to mind and heart as soon as I saw a project I wanted to become a part of – if I could – which has a bit of a tight deadline. I am going to start to flesh together my initial idea this week and next, whilst honing in on the research I want to do to make sure I get things accurate. The interesting bit to note though is that this project is the first I’ve taken on in nine years as a writer. If you discount Jorie Loves A Story, as I started blogging five years after I won Nanowrimo. It is high time I start to get back into the groove of where my pen inspires me to embrace my own creative worlds and characters. I’ve felt this coming on for awhile now – but perhaps this is the Summer for sorting it out?

I also found myself on Twitter quite a bit this week at key moments where something quite extraordinary was happening – whether this meant a threaded conversation, a life-affecting historical decision of the Senate or the realistic artistic portrayal of animatronics in Canada – this was the week, where it would appear being socially engaged on Twitter is a happenstance blessing for anyone in the 21st Century!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Celebrating the 1st Year Anniversary of “Sari & A Single Malt”:

Saris and a Single Malt by Sweta Srivastava Vikram

I still remember how evocative this collection was to read, how powerfully stirring the poems were to find inside this raw and honest collection of poetry. I’ve been blessed many times over through my participation on Poetic Book Tours showcasing Contemporary Poets, of whom, I would not have otherwise crossed paths. This is what originally inspired me to work with Ms Cox, as I loved her philosophy of finding the story-tellers you might overlook or never discover, if her keen eye hadn’t first introduced you to their collective works. She works yearly with poets and the story-tellers who choose Small Trade & Indie routes of publishing.

Read the Guest Post by Ms Vikram

Saris and a Single Malt is a slimline paperback collection of poetry, speaking to the humble heart of truths where life and death merge into the legacy of a soul. The collection is precipitated by a quotation about ‘life, loss, and recovery’ where you gather the ending result for the author is in accord with it’s truism about how as devastating as loss can bleed your heart and affect your emotional well-being, there is a turning tide where all will become calm, where memories return and love forevermore is a lasting impression upon your heart. Healing takes time, as hours cannot be measured nor grasped how long a period is needed to recover from the shock of a loved one’s absence and their death which permanently shook them out of our everyday reality.

In an unusual method of cathartic release, the poems, connective thoughts and essays are presented in a living sphere of conscious and emotional anguish as the author herself, flew back home to India to say her good-byes to her mother. An emotionally raw moment for anyone to come to terms with the sudden death of their Mum, much less for a writer whose pen can sometimes become unable to compel the words to fit against a blank page – somewhere in that emotional chaos, Vikram found her path towards healing her mind, spirit and heart through the words she’s left behind inside Saris and a Single Malt.

Quoted from my Review of Saris and a Single Malt

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Quotes from the Blog Tour:

Chick with Books said of the collection, “Heartfelt, raw, honest and thought-provoking.”

Jorie Loves A Story said, “Vikram bleeds her emotions through words.”

Taken from this portion of my review: A harbinger of solemnity and of the truth of realising that you cannot escape the sorrows of your life, Vikram bleeds her emotions through the words of “I Write” with such heart-wrenching clarity as to be accurately representative of what you feel inside that moment of ‘how does time renew itself from here?’ How does one recover themselves to the point where ‘getting on’ with life doesn’t feel so empty and apathetic?

Diary of an Eccentric said, Saris and a Single Malt is a touching tribute to Vikram’s mother, a love song from a grieving daughter.”

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Posted Sunday, 30 July, 2017 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Birthdays & Blogoversaries, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Jorie the Writer, The Sunday Post

The Sunday Post | No.2 | Lightning storms are enough to vex a book blogger’s spirit!

Posted Sunday, 23 July, 2017 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 12 Comments

The Sunday Post badge created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

My participation in this meme was directly inspired by my new bookish friends: Avalinah + Savanah via this post!

[Official Blurb] The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies. Link up once a week or once a month, you decide. Book haul can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books..share them!

  • Enter your link on the post- Sundays beginning at 12:01 am (CST) (link will be open all week)
  • Link back to this post or this blog
  • Visit others who have linked up

A note about the format I am using to journal #TheSundayPost: I am finding I like being able to give my readers who cannot visit my blog each time a new post, review or guest feature goes live a digest journal of what is happening on #JLASblog each week! If you are familiar with the style in which I journal my readerly adventures via #WWWednesdays (see also Archive) you’ll know why I like this journalled style for #TheSundayPost!

It’s a way of talking about what is bookishly on my mind whilst sharing where my travels in Fiction & Non-Fiction took me through the last seven days! Quite stellar – so very thankful I was encouraged to participate as I love being able to think about which stories settled into my heart and which of the stories I am most eager to see arrive by postal mail and/or via audiobook! It’s a bit of a lovely way to journal your bookish life and have a weekly reminder of the experiences of you’ve gathered and love to remember! In regards to getting back into the groove with #WWWeds – I’m either going to make the meme bi-monthly or monthly which I’ll decide within the next fortnight.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Hallo, Hallo, dear hearts!

Photo Credit: Unsplash Photographer Brandon Morgan. (Creative Commons Zero)
Photo Credit: Unsplash Photographer Brandon Morgan. (Creative Commons Zero)

Lightning became a bone of contention, this week!

I found a photographer who actually captured those ‘thick & dense’ bolts I witnessed this past week! This wasn’t taken locally but lightning is ‘lightning’ and these bolts are super-strong! Look at that power!

If I had to contend with one lightning storm per day, I might not have felt as rattled as I had – but to contend with upwards of four lightning storms (due to circling storm systems) per day, it’s a wonder I have any hair left! I just felt like this was the week the monsoon season’s wrecking lightning storms were pushing me over the edge! I had to keep unplugging my electronics like a mad banshee – listening to the surge protectors shrill their sirens (for which electronic actually likes living without power?) and hoping against hope I’d have enough hours left to find in order to be able to continue with my plans to blog and review the books I had scheduled to appear this week.

Although most of the reviews posted, there were a few I had to hold back and of which will be read and reviewed next week instead (specifically The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds, When The Future Comes Too Soon and Magic Sometimes Happens) as I honestly could only find enough hours to post what I did. The worst bit is the severity of the storms makes me worry inwardly about the potential for tornadoes – as the skies can turn so violent, so quickly – it’s a wonder how I can appreciate rainshowers because the storms I am conditioned to having round me are such monstrous affairs, my nerves should be gone by now!

It is true – the Summer Season is our worst for storms (for most readers this is true I am sure!) but when your a blogger, it feels overly complicated because technically speaking, we rely on technology in order to communicate and to blog. Ergo, a lot about this Summer is reflective of the Summer of 2015 where I had a solid 90 days of lightning storms which of course cancelled a lot of posts and reviews I had planned that year – leading to a lot of books ending up on my backlogue list as a result of the insanity of what happened that fateful Summer where lightning was frequently causing me to be offline and disconnected. Last year, of course, by September we had an epic storm and this is how I lost my computer outright – as the storm killed a lot of my electronics. This year, despite knowing my new computer is fully insured and is replaceable isn’t a balm to my spirit because honestly, I love this computer and who wants to go through the heartache of losing another one?

I also saw a slight return of my chronic migraines – something which bothered me more than the lightning, as I have gone without them for several months now. They seem to re-appear when I least expect them in my life and they disrupt my days more than I wish they wouldn’t. I am thankful they only teetered on the edge of going supernova (those really aching migraines where only rest and no light will be of any help) and the medicine I take at the onset of them truly did help (as I prefer natural medicine over conventional choices as much as I can); but what bothered me a bit is they were trying to ‘resume’ where they left off. This also played into lost hours outside of the lightning issue as I cannot read digital screens when I’m in the throes of one nor can I spend a lot of time digitally engaged on my blog after one occurs. Whilst my migraines irked my ire in the background of my health woes – I was still recovering from the stomach flu this past week as well. *le sigh* Tricky balance this week!

I am amazed I was able to do as much as I did this week – including visiting new book bloggers and taking part in the memes – somehow I was even able to host my chat #ChocLitSaturday before the next storm overtook my region! Honestly, the lightning storms are a bone of contention, but I refuse to give in to defeat! I might not have been able to get to every story this week, but I am proud of the posts I was able to share with you.

Here’s to a new week and hopefully a reduction in storms! I’d like to get into Anne of Green Gables and start to make enroads towards working on #20BooksOfSummer, too! Let’s see what the week will bring and hopefully none of you are dealing with severe storms whilst you’d rather be reading and blogging!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

My latest #WaitingOnWednesday!

The following story was sent to me in exchange for an honest review by the author and publicist.

As I previously revealled – I was giddy about this #unboxing project since it was first pitched to me!! However, it was especially lovely getting the chance to read the novel! Despite the difficulties I had in finding ‘time’ to blog my thoughts about the story (ie. those naughty lightning storms!) – I was truly swept away by the world in which Ms Night created for us to find. Croswald has a lot of heart inside it and a lot of incredible magic. It is a literary find for those of us who are still captured by the unexpected and the fantastical! I was personally thankful this story was one I could read without feeling it went too over the top – there were moments I felt this was a story fit for an Upper Middle Grade reader, as it felt to me like it was written for readers who were ready to cross into YA whilst noting all MG readers would appreciate it – I think it would depend on each reader who finds it – as I stated on my review, even adults who love Fantasy are going to be charmed by this one! Read More

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Posted Sunday, 23 July, 2017 by jorielov in Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, The Sunday Post