Tag: #WyrdAndWonder

The #WyrdAndWonder Challenge | Lean into Jorie’s Swept Away Straits!

Posted Friday, 3 May, 2024 by jorielov #WyrdAndWonder, Harlequin's Riddle, Rachel Nightingale, Tales of Tarya 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!

By the third day’s prompt, there was ONLY one series in particular which I felt best befit the category of choice – as it was meant to be focused on a narrative and/or characters’ arc you simply did not want to remove yourself from and thereby, make either an immediate return or revisit it as oft as you dare shortly after having concluded your stay within the story or stories. For me, the bar was set especially high by the writerly wisdom and clarity of serial arc within this narrative by Nightingale herself. There are other series out there where I have felt an equally strong affection for and oft return inside multiple times to carry-on with the rhythm of their tales and the adventures of their characters – but for me, in particular, this series is quite the special experience and I felt was celebrating the theme of being ‘swept away’ into the straits of Nightingale’s imagination and not quite knowing if I knew the way back into our own world by the end.

Posted Friday, 3 May, 2024 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, Jorie Loves A Story

#WWWednesday No. XIX | Jorie’s Short Stack #WyrdAndWonder TBR and why she selected these stories to be read this May!

Posted Wednesday, 1 May, 2024 by jorielov #WyrdAndWonder, Borderlands Saga, Erin Morgenstern, Hannah L. Clark, J.D. Peabody, Jennifer Silverwood, Juliet Marillier, Silver Hollow, The Ink of Elspet, The Inkwell Chronicles, The Lemorian Crest, The Night Circus, Uncovering Cobbogoth, Wildwood Dancing 1 Comment

I ♥ the premise of this meme {WWW Wednesdays} due to the dexterity it gives the reader! Smiles. Clearly subject to change on a weekly rotation, which may or may not lead to your ‘next’ read providing a bit of a paradoxical mystery to your readers!! Smiles. ♥ the brilliance of it’s concept!

This weekly meme was originally hosted by Should Be Reading who became A Daily Rhythm. Lovingly restored and continued by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Each week you participate, your keen to answer the following questions:

What are you currently reading!?
What did you recently finish reading!?
What do you think you’ll read next!?

After which, your meant to click over to THIS WEEK’s WWWWednesday to share your post’s link so that the rest of the bloggers who are participating can check out your lovely answers! Score! Perhaps even, find other bloggers who dig the same books as you do! I thought it would serve as a great self-check to know where I am and the progress I am hoping to have over the next week!

Join the Convo via: #WWWWednesday

the annual event which makes me wicked happy has returnt,
join me as I dive back into reading via #WyrdAndWonder!

About: *Wyrd & Wonder*

This year, we’re all celebrating the Comforts of Reading Fantasy – whether the routes you take within Fantasy are your regular comforting zones of readerly blissitude or if you’re a wanderer of paths unknown and unlock your own fantastical adventure one story at a time without limiting where your path will take you. I’m still sorting out how I want to respond to our prompts which are meant to run on Sundays on our respective blogs – however, most of this month of May will be aligning a bit topsy turvy on Jorie Loves A Story – just consider me bending time and posting out of sequence with the rest of the book blogosphere! Laughs. Having said that – one of the beauties I decided to grant myself this seventh year is a bit of peace of mind!

Reason being?

I gave myself licence to post a short stack TBR and I couldn’t be happier! I don’t even have the goal of consuming ALL the books in their entirety this year – as let’s be frank, my downtime is short and my ability to devour stories as I had in the past isn’t quite working out very well for me over the score of the last year since I undertook a second job that is quite taxing and quite rewarding in other respects all the same. I just can’t lay claim to having a lot of personal time as a result of the hours I’m working week to week between all (three, cough!) of my jobs. Blessedly one is a moonlighting gig and the other two are the mainstays – evenso, a girl needs a bit of space to unwind and just ‘chill’ outside of work. For me, the comfort has always been STORIES and reading – when I’m not akin to following in love with a tv serial or film. Stories whether written, narrated by audio or set in motion (by film or serial) have been quite the affinity and mainstay of my life.

This lovely graphic describes the Sunday Five topics wherein everyone is encouraged to respond on Sundays (or any day which works best for the blogger) to carry-on the discussion of what makes Fantasy our zone of Comfort to read and explore. Those posts of mine are still in the WIP stage but they will be arriving at odd intervals throughout May all the same. I felt I should include them with this post as I’m announcing what I’ll be reading and thereby, also discussing as well.

What Jorie is currently reading:

It wasn’t hard to select my #shortstack of books this Wyrd And Wonder : Year 7 because there were a few stories on my shelves where I knew I might find myself drawn to read quite immediately. I had hoped to dive straight into these lovelies as soon as May began, but now 12 days into the event and still editing my drafted posts to run during our first fortnight, some might say puts me at a disadvantage but for me, this year is more about the journey I’m on that the end results. Most years, reading one story after another was quite fulfilling but when your work life feels overwhelmingly exclusive of your TIME, just to draft and write and blog again feels like a milestone of an accomplishment! Smiles.

The Lemorian Crest is actually the sequel to Uncovering Cobbogoth (see also Review) which I fell in love with years ago now. The author and I were in touch for a short bit, and I had meant to follow up with her afterwards as she was going to writing another installment of this series but then, I noticed as the years progressed forward – a new story didn’t emerge but other projects of hers did. I also noted that she re-released the original first story of Cobbogoth but under a new title and new publishing house which I understood as I knew she was leaving Cedar Fort. This series goes back to my 1st Year as a Book Blogger and so, it holds a special place in my bookish heart. I’ll be re-reading through the first novel – jogging my memory and re-settling into the storyline – as despite the fact there are echoes of memories from having read it the first time – 2014 and 2024 is a decade’s worth of living between readings!

I will be thrilled just to be on the FRINGE of reading the sequel by May’s end and continuing to finish it as Summer takes hold. Though by all the crazy wicked weather we’re having stateside, most would argue Summer is already here and deadly chaotic to which I would heartily agree!

For those who might not know anything about this series – here’s some parting thoughts from my first reading:

Uncovering Cobbogoth is an adventure you know you can handle, but it keeps you suspended between the pages as much as the living story within its chapters is a suspension of time. Science was always a ready interest of mine growing up, as I had half a step inside the worlds of art and science within my childhood hours. I was drawn into the dimensional theories of Quantum Physics as I grew and examined different quantum realms on my own by my early twenties, because of the curiosity they engaged my mind inside. The theory of super-strings, hidden dimensions, black holes, and galaxies hidden within a space of a seed were an exciting read for me! I need to re-take up where I left off as I only just brushed the surface of what I wanted to study, but within that pursuit, I have noticed that the science within science fiction that enlightens my mind the most contains elements and theories woven around the concept of space-time dimensions and/or the continuum. This is not the first foray I have ventured on this year to read a story with time travel or the bending of time (as we see it peripherally) as its core center of scientific thought. The Skin Map uses the theory of ley lines whereas Cobbogoth is using the theory of hoption holes. In each of their own ways, they are breaking down a theory of how humans of any age can travel through ‘portals’ within the space-time vortex of dimensional space. And, I personally find that exciting!

Clark has a deft hand for writing the most scientific principles of the novel in a way that is not only easy to digest, but gets you excited to learn more than what has already been provided! The curious illustrations her sister, Ms. Shakespear contributed to the story’s element of past and present gave a visual reference for the sub-stories that draw out the focus on Cobbogoth itself rather than the story set in and around Cobbogoth on a whole!

I would say that due to the nature of the high-octane adventure and action sequences, as well as the brief passages of violence which take place as Norah’s life is thwarted by more danger than you could blink through, I do believe the classification of this novel as ‘YA Fantasy’ is rather apt. It would be a great story for a teenager to sink their teeth into because it is on the verge of leaving the formative years behind and entering the world on your own merits. Lessons of courage and fortitude of spirit are organically woven into the texture of the story itself. If you watched the motion picture “The Dark is Rising: The Seeker” you will not have any trouble reading this novel! At some point, I’d like to read the novel the forementioned film is based upon!

-quoted from my book review of Uncovering Cobbogoth

Posted Wednesday, 1 May, 2024 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, WWW Wednesdays

#WyrdAndWonder Year 7 | #EnterTheFantastic this MAY and celebrate COMFORT ZONES with us!

Posted Tuesday, 30 April, 2024 by jorielov #WyrdAndWonder 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!!

You might be a bit confused by how my #WyrdAndWonder24 posts are arriving on Jorie Loves A Story this year – as generally speaking, I usually have my bookish blog kicked into high gear before and during Wyrd And Wonder! However, this year in particular, I’ve had a hard restart to my blog – I’ve been fighting for both the mental space to focus on it and the time required to write the posts for it. Both my jobs tax my energies and my stamina, as I have two jobs I work five days a week (ie. one is days, one is nights) but blessedly, recently, I spoke to my boss at my day job and requested a schedule change: one that would allow me to have a full day off and/or two full days off (from both jobs) and that has been making a marked difference! Both in my health and my outlook overall, as it would oft-times feel as if I’m working more than I am living outside of both jobs! Oyy.

This year, I knew I wanted to pair down what I wanted to commit to reading, which is why via #bookstagram when we launched our feeds for Mount TBR this Seventh Year, I revealled a short stack of books I wanted to focus on. I knew in my heart, that I’d love to spend HOURS doing nothing but reading or listening to fantastical audiobooks, but in reality, I don’t have that many hours to spare on such things anymore due to my work life. Ergo, I decided to hone in on what was speaking to me this month to read or explore via audiobook and that became my passage into Wyrd And Wonder. Some of the stories I was earmarking didn’t make the photo as their still a work-in-progress and others, will be revealled as the month shifts forward. Overall, I wanted to keep this year’s event a bit stressfree for me but also inspiring to realise I could focus on certain stories and authors and still find enjoyment out of the event, even if my downtime is more limited than in years’ past.

Also, new this year for me will be my #bookstagram feeds via @joriestory3 where I will be posting more content (especially the bookish variety!) throughout the month! I’ve been a bit stalled in exploring my feeds on there and have only had a few scant update posts instead! Oy. All good things come to those who are patient and my patience has been a bit thin of late since most of my ideas go sideways. I’m still hopeful for what I can do on there this May as well as continue the legacy of joy I’ve had in presenting content and images for our main @WyrdAndWonder Insta feeds, too.

As previously disclosed last year: One series in particular I’ve tried to read and dive inside is Night’s Edge by Julie E. Cznerneda. For those who have been following my blog throughout the years – you might remember how wicked happy I was to be on the latter novels blog tours for her Science Fiction Space Opera series #theclanchronicles and the journey I took inside that particular series (as I read and reviewed the series by order of the Clan).

I received the first two novels in her Night’s Edge series closer to the time I was concluding my visit within The Clan Chronicles. However, as I was soul-attached inside the other series, I found my transitions into her Fantasy world a bit difficult. I no longer have those issues with transitioning series but as I attempted to dive back into this last year (2023) without success, I’ve decided to break it down a bit easier on myself this year and focus on chapter readings and then, moving into longer spurts of reads within the novel in order to find a rhythm of the story rather than focusing on the fact its a lovely HUGE read which generally I would devour in a few sittings rather than over the course of a month or two like I believe it might take me now.

Part of why I have wanted to focus on this particular series because I knew there was a third novel in the series that would be announced as some point, too. Blessedly, that year has finally arrived and the new novel is called: A Change of Place and will be released in September, 2024.

→ I’ve been hard at work sorting out books to borrow from my library this week, as I wanted to include books I haven’t yet read and stories I’ve been murmuring a curiosity about to read as well. I’ve found inspiration from the challenge prompts this year – as certain topics spoke to me moreso than others and I’ll be hosting those prompts via our main Wyrd And Wonder feeds. For those who might be eager to know which topics I’m focusing on ahead of time, they are as follows:

Swept Away Straits : which featured The Tales of Tarya by Rachel Nightingale – you might recollect my review for Harlequin’s Riddle.
Hero’s Journey : featuring Quest Fantasy novels : 12th May
Cosy Cottage : featuring the cosier slice of life fantastical novels : 14 May
Standalone Isle : one-off Fantasy novels : 16th May
Dragon’s Pass : all sorts of stories of Dragons! : 18th May
The Waters of the Past : Historical Fantasy novels and stories : 27th May
The Hidden University : magic schools and their environs : 28th May

Which of these prompts inspires you as well as reader!? Do you have any books or authors you’d like to recommend to me? I have been enjoying the discovery process as much as I’ve been enjoying re-finding the stories which befit the prompts, too.

→ One BIG change this year is that I am NO LONGER on Twitter and sharing my bookish life on that platform, so I won’t be hosting chats with authors and chattering via tweets anymore. I left my feeds where they were of course, and if things ever change for the better on there I might reconsider being active again (as I was one of the last hold-outs of my circle) – but for now, its my blog and Insta as well as whenever I sort out BlueSky, too! Laughs.

May has always held a special joy for me as a book blogger and social reader. I am wicked thankful that our community of Wyrd And Wonder continues to grow and encompass so many different routes of exploring the genre of Fantasy and celebrating what gives us such a fantastical presence in our lives. From books to films to games to music and everything else inbetween.

Are you ready to start the fantastical celebration?

What do you want to do this Wyrd And Wonder? And, will you join us?!

Fantasy truly is much more than a genre – it is an exploration of hidden worlds & themes which are universally appealling to a wide audience – crossing through all boundaries and uniting everyone together who finds a niche of Fantasy their jam. This is why we wanted to create a happy space to celebrate this wicked wonderful section of Speculative Fiction – to find the joy in what others are finding for themselves & uniting together to highlight every which way to Sunday Fantasy gives us a burst of #randomJOY and lifts our souls!

Posted Tuesday, 30 April, 2024 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event

#WaitingOnWednesday No. XIV | Waiting on Wyrd And Wonder, 2024!

Posted Wednesday, 13 March, 2024 by jorielov #WyrdAndWonder 0 Comments

a word about ‘waiting on Wednesday’:

I have decided to start participating in this book blogsphere meme with a few small changes of how it’s regularly blogged about by my fellow book bloggers. I will either be introducing my current reads of upcoming releases as I am in the process of reading them and/or I might be releasing a book review about a forthcoming title by which I had been blessed to read ahead of publication. The main purpose behind the meme is to encourage readers and your fellow book bloggers to become aware of new books being released which caught your eye and which held your interest to read. Sometimes if your still in the process of reading the books, its the titles which encouraged your bookish heart. I look forward to spending the next seasons of the year, talking about the books I have on hand to read, the books I’ve been reading and the books I might not even have a copy to read but which are of wicked sweet interest to become a #nextread of mine.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I intended to return to my bookish adventures on Jorie Loves A Story ever since late Autumn, 2023 – and, as my absences have attested, you will happily rejoice in finding my voice on my blog returning this Winter & Spring, 2024! I am knee deep into the lovely sequel of Anna J. Stewart’s Hawaiian Reunions series – whilst, I am re-writing my latest #TheSundayPost to reflect the last, er, wells, four or five months?! It’s been a bit, hasn’t it? Aside from that I have some wicked happy news to share with you all – as you know, for the past six years we’ve been bringing you a lot of bookish and celebratory joy in engaging in conversations and adventures of the fantastical through our community of #WyrdAndWonder!

Which of course means, (2024) marks our SEVENTH year of Wyrd and Wonder!!

This has parlayed itself into a lot of different interpretations and explorations – from books to film to television to music to gaming and even, board games! I, in particular, will be discussing a board game myself this year! (ooh, wait – was that meant to be a secret?!) Laughs. Here’s what I love about Wyrd And Wonder: the community continues to expand each and every year and whilst we have a lot of returning bloggers and voices on socials joining us – we happily welcome NEW PEOPLE to join us each May, as well as through the community we can continue to shine lights on new avenues of Fantasy to explore for ourselves each and every year thereafter.

And, that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it? To continue to seek out new voices of Fantasy – whilst encouraging each other with our own reads and fantastical adventures across medias of interest and exploration!? It is a wicked good way to celebrate the genre every year and it is a wonderful outlet of joy to find like-minded souls to share your passion for Fantasy, too.

As one of the co-hosts and co-founders, you will be happy to know I’m going to be quite active this May, as last year, eh, I wasn’t as active as I had hoped but that was a major turning point for me in my work life as I was embarking on a new job and that particular job has become my main job as the months have progressed forward. I still work nights and I still moonlight at another job every odd moon but for the most part, that leap of faith I took last May turned out to be the best choice for me in regards to work and a career. It is also the reason why I am not as actively ‘seen’ online as the work hours can go above 40 or as the last week proved 50 hours — but thankfully that isn’t every week! I am not sure how I’d manage it if it were!

It took me a hard moment to realise what I did to participate last year – it was the Wyrd And Wonder I was mostly on Insta and attempting to read our RAL: Howl’s Moving Castle! Oyy. What a long year its been when a girl can’t even remember how she participated in an event that means so much to her like this one means to me! :( Oyy.

This is the first moment I’ve had to re-group and come back to my blog and to my readerly life and I am wicked happy it was a moment of celebrating the return of #WyrdAndWonder! As all work and nothing else is not exactly the best balance for me as a creative soul nor as one who loves the exploration and discovery of STORY.

Posted Wednesday, 13 March, 2024 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, Waiting on Wednesday

#WWWednesday No. XVIII | Jorie dives back into reading via #WyrdAndWonder!

Posted Wednesday, 10 May, 2023 by jorielov #WyrdAndWonder 2 Comments

I ♥ the premise of this meme {WWW Wednesdays} due to the dexterity it gives the reader! Smiles. Clearly subject to change on a weekly rotation, which may or may not lead to your ‘next’ read providing a bit of a paradoxical mystery to your readers!! Smiles. ♥ the brilliance of it’s concept!

What are you currently reading!?
What did you recently finish reading!?
What do you think you’ll read next!?

Join the Convo via: #WWWWednesday

the event of fantastical JOY has returned,
join me as I dive back into reading via #WyrdAndWonder!

About: *Wyrd & Wonder*

Wyrd and Wonder is an annual celebration of the fantasy genre. Sign up to join the party as we explore worlds of myth and magic, re-imagine traditional tales, cheer on heroes (prefer villains? Sure, we won’t judge you) and discover the secret doors that lead from familiar streets to adjacent realms where a discourtesy or a misstep may land you in hot water.

This year we’re focusing on all things magical, whether that’s magic users, magical creatures, magic systems, or things that raise the hairs on the back of your neck (in a good way). As always, you’re free to read and post outside the theme – we love low fantasy too! – but magic will be the theme for our banners and prompts this year.

We’ll be reading books, watching movies, playing games and sharing our thoughts online through blog posts and social media with as many like-minded adventurers as care to join us – there’s always room by the fire for a newcomer with a tale to share.

_{(Paraphrasing official 2022/23 blurb) : visit Imyril’s Announcement for Y6}

You might be curious where the heck, heck Jorie has been these past several months as past a certain point, I was unable to continue to UPDATE my blog and the only time I was able to re-surface was via tweets celebrating my JOY over S3 of Star Trek: Picard. Something I will go into further details about when I formulate the words to anchour a life update into a forthcoming Sunday Post as it is all connected. For now, I’d like to take a breath and re-focus on my top favourite bookish event of the year — as I happily co-host our Year 6 of Wyrd And Wonder!

For those of you who are used to me being more visually present during the opening week of Wyrd And Wonder and for a chase-up to the event itself in the months ahead of May — this year clearly went a bit differently for me as a reader and as a book blogger. My best foot forward is actually visible on our #bookstagram feeds on Insta wherein I’ve been quite active this Year 6 by finding 12x different prompts to respond to visually with book photos and commentary. I’ve been enjoying that pursuit and learning more about Insta and layouts for text additions by Annemieke who has kindly been tutoring me on the ins/outs of how much to say and the ways in which to say what you want to share. FYI: For those of us who are longer winded (ie. bookish chatterboxes), adding graphics is an easier solution than lengthier posts which dip too much into the comment sections!

Smashing, eh?

I couldn’t be happier as working on those photos in a new environment (ie. flat) and having a blank canvas (ie. bookshelves) has had a bit of a cleansing effect on me. Whilst at the same time, as I have only a few boxes unboxed at the moment, my photos are a bit different than in the past as I don’t have any props to use except the books and the shelves themselves. Ergo, I am focusing on the themes of the prompts and using my words on the graphics or in the post itself to celebrate the theme of the day so to speak.

Also: note to self, where EXACTLY did I pack ALL my bookmarks!?

I do personally feel Wyrd And Wonder snuck up on me this year because I had a bit of an insurrection of personal time and space to prepare for it. When you have to undergo a major relocation which was both unplanned and unwanted in your life, it is hard to shift back into something that gives you a lot of JOY. I’ve found myself unmotivated to blog, read or participate in a lot of things socially online since February and it is all connected to the relocation. I do admit, I like living here better as it is a quieter space – there isn’t a lot of jarring outside noises (ie. sirens, heavy traffic or whatnot which came with living off a major highway) but at the same time, it doesn’t quite feel like ‘home’ either. The other flat was happily lived in for eight years and everything had its proper place and it was ‘cosy’. This one still feels like we’ve ‘just arrived’ and we’re just making do. Oy. Towards that end, I think it has affected my desire to read or listen to audiobooks – although, that does seem a bit silly in one respect because I have better set-up for reading now than I did previously and my books are easier at hand than they were as well. *le sigh* To say I just feel overwhelmed going into May would be an understatement. Plus, of course, last year and all years prior Dad was living with us at home, and I admit, that is still an adjustment for Mum and I.

I guess to be frank, this #WyrdAndWonder just feels a bit more muddling to me and I’m just trying to make the best of it as I go along with what I am attempting to read, blog and share socially. Likewise, I’m trying like mad to sort out a way to be more present on our feeds via Twitter for @WyrdAndWonder as well. I’d be thrilled if I could sort that out before week’s end.

I am sure others might feel this way too, this year, as I know some of my fellow co-hosts have had their fair share of strife as well this early half of the year. Whilst I am sure our participants might feel similar angst as us, too. Sometimes the timing just feels ‘off’ for whichever reason but I refuse to let it take all the JOY out of May for me and that is why each day/week I am striving towards participating in some small way even if I can’t fully achieve what I had hoped to do when I first set plans in mind last year.

What Jorie is currently reading:

→ Wyrd and Wonder’s RAL: Howl’s Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones, narrated by: Jenny Sterlin *audiobook

Week 1: Chapters 1 through 7 – hosted by Dear Geek Place
Week 2: Chapters 8 through 14 – hosted by The Fantasy Hive
Week 3: Chapters 15 through End – hosted by The Fantasy Hive
Discussions will be via Discord on our Other Worlds channel

Hosted by: @deargeekplace and @TheFantasyHive
Read the Announcement of the RAL via deargeekplace.com

So far, I can attest to the fact I am grateful for this choice as one of our RALs this year! I decided to borrow the book (in print) for my book photos during #WyrdAndWonder, but in truth I am actually listening to the audiobook which is narrated by Ms. Sterlin. Of whom is doing such a smashing job of getting my attention to listen to the story which on one side of the ledger is a bit scary (in respect to the Wizard Howl by the way in which he’s described!) and engaging on the other in respect to the girls’ themselves. I am quite charmed by Sophie who speaks to hats as I’ve long been fascinated by hatters and those who work in the shops where they are sold.
Read More

Posted Wednesday, 10 May, 2023 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, WWW Wednesdays