#Victober | #FraterfestRAT | #SCAREtober and a #CosyMystery Book Club! – October 2018 is spooktacular on #JLASblog!

Halloween graphic designed by Freepik used with permission for personal use on a website.
Designed by Freepik

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

Jorie is getting her #Spooktacular groove on!

It isn’t enough to be hosting my own #SpooktasticReads marathon reading jam for *13!* days leading into Halloween – this year, I’m spreading the JOY by joining a few other readathons & a keenly lovely #BookBingo challenge whilst joining my first #CosyMysteryBookClub to boot!

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

#Victober banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Clark Young.

When I first spied this tag floating round the #bookishTwitter I was keenly curious as there is a short list of novels I’ve been trying to read and get into for a few years now! I hate to even admit that – but there are moments in our reading lives where we can’t re-attach into the STORIES we desire most to be reading. It’s a truth all readers face and for book bloggers who are consistently working on exploring their literary wanderings – sometimes we fall into ruts where we cannot focus on the stories we seek most to read at any singular moment. (insert a variety of reasons)

I KNEW rather immediately which books would be my DREAM #Victober List of #mustreads and they are the ones I am working through starting the weekend of the 11th:

Jane Eyre (finishing!) by Charlotte Bronte (see also Part I ruminations)

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

All Hallows at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray (book one)

Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray (book two)

The Visitors by Rebecca Mascull (debut novel)

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There is a specific reason why I elected to read these stories during #Victober 2018:

I have been attempting to read the concluding chapters of Jane Eyre since I first began reading the story in September of 2013. It has been a struggle to re-alight inside the novel and despite a rare moment of focus, where I not just resumed my ruminative thoughts on behalf of the text but felt myself re-attached to Jane & Rochester, I lost my footing again and had to retreat. I would like to finally say I’ve read Jane Eyre and reach the point where I can re-see my favourite adaptation of the film (from 1996 starring  Charlotte Gainsbourg) whilst seeking out other adaptations and seeing which of them are my favourite.

A bookish friend I crossed paths with early-on as a book blogger is Charlene, who has not just maintained websites dedicated to Jane Eyre and the after canon re-tellings & sequels but she shares a passion for the story, the character and the ways in which Bronte gave us something remarkable to champion. I encourage others to use her website: The Eyre Guide to continue their own reading and wanderings!

I was intending to borrow a copy of ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ from my local library but had hoped there was an audiobook available instead via #Scribd – however, in lieu of both options, I found a lovely page about this book on SparkNotes! The beauty of it of course it goes into more extensive detail and has a way of breaking down the key components of the story – I can read those bit by bit as if I were reading a series of blog posts and then sort out how this story relates to the original canon before moving into the after canon series by Ms Gray.

I had hoped to have read the first two novels of this trilogy closer to when I received them for review, however, this year, whilst we’re celebrating #Victober, I felt the timing was not just right for me to read them but how lovely I can help other readers find them and see what my own reactions shall be in the process of finally discovering what is inside their chapters! These are two stories on my #backlogue I have dearly looked forward to read with wicked anticipation!

Lastly, I received a lovely first edition of the debut novel by Ms Mascull – I can’t remember what kept me outside of the pages of this novel but when I attempted to read this last October, I did find myself a bit unable to attach myself into the narrative. I wasn’t sure if it was because it was a bit spookier than I originally felt it would be OR if I simply had attempted to read it at a time which wasn’t right for me. Either way, I wanted to re-attempt it this year and the beauty of it being in the Victorian era it will be my last entry for #Victober! Whilst blessedly erasing another story off my backlogue!

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

#Scaretober banner created by Jorie via Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sašo Tušar

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Scaretober created by Reader Voracious and The Bibliophagist. Bingo Card being used with permission.
Scaretober created by Reader Voracious and The Bibliophagist.
Bingo Card being used with permission.

DETAILS: Posts only count for the Bingo card if they are posted October 19 – 31. Each row that you complete (Bingo) counts as one entry. If you post all 13 days you will get a bonus entry.

Hosted By: Reader Voracious | @kalventure

AND: The bibliophagist | @Bibliophagist90

Reading list forthcoming!

This was the second reading challenge or readathon I found for October but as I’m proceeding to join a few others ahead of this one – I am refraining from disclosing what I am reading in case my list might become altered before the event begins!

I will reveal which stories made the cut on the 18th of October!

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

Cozy Mystery Book Club banner created by Jorie via Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Toa Heftiba

October #CozyMysteryBookClub selection:

A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

I never heard of this author and I was wicked overjoyed knowing the audiobook is available via #Scribd as that is my new resource for subscription-based audiobook listening! I can’t wait to see what the story is about and the wickeder bit is the fact the next two books in the series are already on #Scribd, so if I am enjoying the characters, I don’t have to wait to start listening to books two & three! Isn’t that grand!?

As you can tell by my tweeting, I was overjoyed to find a Cosy Mystery group to join as I personally have been spending most of my life reading them and now I can find others who love to talk about the stories we’re enjoying to read!! A perfect discovery! Isn’t Twitter the best for being #bookish and #geeky!? You literally can find others who share your passions & have mutual  interests!!

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

#FraterFestRAT banner created by Jorie via Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Marko Blažević

DETAILS: Read or Listen Between Midnight October 11th and ending at 11:59 pm October 16th read or listen to thrillers, mysteries, paranormal, horror, supernatural, witchy, ghostly, fantasy, or serial killer novels and novellas. (to clarify..these can be cozies and include romance. No need to sleep with the lights on if you don’t fancy a good scare!) Share your progress on Twitter or Instagram using #FraterfestRAT

Hosted by: Caffeinated Book Reviewer | @kimbacaffeinate

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The Butterfly Conspiracy by Vivian Conroy (Cosy Historical Mystery)

Murder on the Marshes by Clare Chase (Contemporary Thriller)

Fatal Mistake by Susan Sleeman (Contemporary Thriller)

& I might select something else if I have time to read a fourth!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

I truly wasn’t sure which direction I might head into for this readathon as I LOVE ghost stories & Gothic Suspense don’t get me wrong, but I’ve had to put off reading two stories of Mystery & Suspense since August and September due to health reasons afflicting my father and myself.

The latest Cosy Historical Mystery I’m wicked excited over is ‘The Butterfly Conspiracy’ as I had the joyful pleasure of chattering with Ms Conroy in two separate Twitter chats about how she built the world in which this story resides but also, about the lead & supporting characters who give the story dimension and purpose. In effect, I have hungered to begin reading this and am wicked thankful I can finally soak into the story-line!

The suspenseful Thriller of ‘Murder on the Marshes’ was my first pre-order for an audiobook via Audible. This is an author I have loved reading in the past and as she has a new publisher featuring a new series – I can’t even put it into words how excited I am to be finally able to lay heart and mind into her new world! I happily hosted an interview for this release wherein you will find out how much Ms Chase & I truly love reading *and!* watching stories of murder, mystery & suspense!

The third story is a Contemporary Thriller I wasn’t sure I was quite prepared to be reading as the premise is more involved than I gave it credit for when I first read about it! However, I love a tightly taut Thriller and as this one is from an INSPY author I have been curious about reading – I am hoping I can brace myself for what will be disclosed! I am hoping she writes in a similar vein as Dee Henderson of whom is my go-to author for INSPY Suspense since Deeanne Gist never wrote a second one past ‘Beguiled’ which I found #unputdownable!

What will make these reads #SpookyReads for Jorie is how heart-stopping their going to make her nights as she moves through this readathon!!

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

{Sources: Post Dividers are from Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission. Halloween themed images by Freepik are being used for personal use on my website with permission (as I am using attribution). Scaretober created by Reader Voracious and The Bibliophagist. Bingo Card being used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #SCAREtober banner created using: (Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sašo Tušar); #Victober banner created using: (Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Clark Young); #FraterFestRAT banner created using: (Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Marko Blažević); #CozyMysteryBookClub banner created using: (Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Toa Heftiba).

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2018.

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