Wednesday, May 25, 2016

What are you Reading? ~ May 25, 2016

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What are you Reading?  Let me know what your current read is, what you recently finish reading, and what you plan on reading next! 

Here's my list: 

Now: I'm just starting Lady Susan by Jane Austen. I hope to join the discussion with the Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge group, but we have company coming this weekend so I don't know how much computer time I'll have. 




I finished reading Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here by Anna Breslaw. I really loved this quirky story! 








What's next? I'm not sure. 


FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!


I'm linking up with This Week In Books hosted by Lipsyy Lost & Found.


Check out what she's reading!



This week I spent more time sewing than reading!  I broke out my sewing machine and worked on a few projects. I made a couple of baby blankets, a big slouch bag, and some flannel PJ bottoms. 



How about you? Reading anything or working on any projects? 

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

What are you Reading? ~ May 18, 2016

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What are you Reading?  Let me know what your current read is, what you recently finish reading, and what you plan on reading next! 

Here's my list: 

I've just started reading Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here by Anna Breslaw. It looks like it will be a cute book. We shall see!






I finished reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It was really good. I like Scout, and I liked seeing this story through her eyes. I'm not sure if I want to read Go Set A Watchman because I don't think I want to see Atticus in a different light. 



What's next? I'm thinking about reading Lady Susan by Jane Austen with the Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge Group on Goodreads.  








FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!


I'm linking up with This Week In Books hosted by Lipsyy Lost & Found.


Check out what she's reading!


On Saturday, I attended the JASNA-SW Spring Meeting. It was held on the Queen Mary, which was really cool! One of the speakers was Bernie Su, the creator of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Emma Approved. He and some of the cast members were there to talk about the making of Emma Approved



Plus, I won one of the prize baskets that were raffled off that day! Woot! 



So, how was your week? Are you reading anything good? 

Monday, May 16, 2016

"Side By Side, Apart" Blog Tour ~ Excerpt & Giveaway


Hello, Friends! I'm delighted to be part of the Side By Side, Apart Blog Tour! My stop brings you an excerpt from Ann Galvia's new book Side By Side, Apart! I hope you enjoy! Be sure to read to the bottom for details of the giveaway




From: Chapter Three

Darcy’s first attempt at a Jane Austen impression…

“I fear you will be disappointed with my storytelling regardless, for I did not kidnap you to the Continent and lock you in a decrepit castle until you agreed to marry me. Those are the stories that ladies find most captivating.” 

“I am not looking to be captivated,” she replied, not feeling equal to continuing this game. Another time, she might find his attempts at teasing and humour pleasing. “My only wish is to understand.” 

Acceptably chastised, Darcy returned to the story of their courtship. “I was made very angry,” he admitted, “by your refusal.” Elizabeth had been well aware of that at the time. She hardly needed it explained. “I had persuaded myself that you were expecting my addresses. I was humiliated to be wrong, felt myself ill-used, and indulged in a fair bit of self-pity that was entirely beneath me.” 

Elizabeth opened her mouth to defend her actions, but Darcy silenced her by raising his hand. She was the only one who could not recall the events of the following morning, she reminded herself. She was the only one who had not discussed the event so thoroughly that it no longer wanted for discussion. Darcy knew her feelings on that evening. Darcy knew why she had said everything that she had. She had no reason to repeat it; he obviously had no desire to hear it. 

“When I rose the next morning, I wrote you a letter. At the time I wrote it…it has been years since we last discussed this topic, and I dislike dwelling upon it.” He sighed. “At the time I wrote it, I felt myself calm and composed. Afterwards, I realised it was written in a dreadful bitterness of spirit, and parts of it had been intended to cause you pain.” 

Mr. Darcy had been growing in her estimation. He had displayed generosity, goodness, and care. But this Mr. Darcy, vengeful and cruel, was closer to the man she expected. Given her situation, she could have no satisfaction in being right. What sort of man could claim to love a woman yet, upon not getting his own way, immediately intend to harm her? If that was Mr. Darcy’s conception of love, she wanted nothing to do with it. 

“My object in writing to you,” he explained further, “was to defend myself against the accusations you had made. I was not in such a frame of mind to rationally discuss the incidents involving your sister or Mr. Wickham that evening, but after I left you, I realised I could not let it lie. I wrote a letter to explain my actions, which I delivered to you while on the grounds at Rosings. I took care that we would be unobserved. Subsequently, you were kind enough to read it.” 

“Where is it now? I should like to read it.” 

But that was to be impossible. “You burnt it upon my request. As I said, some of the letter was composed with the intention of causing you pain. After you accepted my hand, I did not wish for you to have the option of reading it again; I feared your feelings might change should you think on my phrasing. You were not concerned with such a possibility, but you were kind enough to do as I asked.” 

“I seem to spend a great deal of time being kind enough to do what you wish me to do,” Elizabeth observed. 

“I was born the heir of a great estate,” he replied, “and became master of my own destiny at too young an age. I was accustomed to getting my own way, and it took you some years to train me out of it. In the interim, you occasionally condescended to obey me on matters I felt strongly about.”  



Book Blurb: 

“You see what a strange circumstance it is,” she said, feeling some fleeting relief. “You know our acquaintance has not been easy.” 

Elizabeth Bennet—stubborn, quick to judge but slow to revise her opinions, and entirely prejudiced against the man who had just proposed marriage at Hunsford—awakens to learn she has been in an accident. Bedridden in an unfamiliar house, she learns eleven years have passed since the last moment she can remember. 

She finds herself a married woman, the mother of four, and pregnant yet again. Her children are strangers, and most mystifying of all, Fitzwilliam Darcy is her husband! How could she have married a man she loathes? 

Confined to the house by her injury, Mr. Darcy’s company is inescapable. But is just being side by side enough to overcome their differences? What happens when Darcy, improved in manners and happily married to Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy, is faced with an obstinate, bewildered Miss Elizabeth Bennet?

Buy: Amazon
Free Kindle book preview.
Add to Goodreads

FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!




About the Author


Ann started writing sometime before she knew how letters functioned. Her first books were drawings of circus poodles heavily annotated with scribbles meant to tell a story. Upon learning how letters were combined to represent words, she started doing that instead. This has proven to be much more successful.  

Sometime after that, she decided she wanted to study Anthropology and sometime after that, she decided she liked cats more than dogs. And sometime after that, she decided to become an educator and teach a new generation of kids how to combine letters to represent words, and use those words to express ideas.

And sometime after that, she realized all she really wanted to do was write, which probably should have been evident from the beginning. 




Side by Side, Apart by Ann Galvia
Blog Tour Schedule

5/2: Guest Post & Giveaway at My Jane Austen Book Club 
5/3: Review at Half Agony, Half Hope
5/4: Excerpt & Giveaway at Romance Novel Giveaways 
5/6: Review at Just Jane 1813
5/8: Guest Post & Giveaway at My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice 
5/9: Review at Diary of an Eccentric
5/10: Guest Post & Giveaway at More Agreeably Engaged 
5/11: Excerpt & Giveaway at Best Sellers and Best Stellars 
5/12: Guest Post & Giveaway at From Pemberley to Milton 
5/13: Review at Margie’s Must Reads
5/14: Excerpt & Giveaway at Liz’s Reading Life 
5/15: Review at Babblings of a Bookworm
5/16: Excerpt & Giveaway at So Little Time… 


* * * GIVEAWAY * * *


It's giveaway time!! Meryton Press is doing a group giveaway! There are FOUR paperbacks and FOUR e-copies up for grabs, and EIGHT different people will win! Giveaway is open Internationally! To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter below and leave a comment.

  • Only one copy of Side By Side, Apart per winner.
  • Winners picked randomly by Rafflecopter at the end of the Blog Tour.
  • Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once a day and daily commenting on a blog post for the tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented (which will be verified). If an entrant does not do so, that entry will be disqualified.
  • Open Internationally.




a Rafflecopter giveaway


Many thanks to Ann Galvia for this lovely excerpt! *sigh* I just love Darcy! Also, while setting up this post, I took the time to read chapters one and two (from the Kindle preview), and I have to say, this sounds like a wonderful story! 

Also, a big thanks to Jakki at Leatherbound Reviews for organizing this blog tour, and to Meryton Press for this generous giveaway! 

Don't forget, to enter the giveaway you must fill out the Rafflecopter above, and leave a comment below! Thanks and good luck! 

What did you think about the excerpt? 

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

What are you Reading? ~ May 11, 2016

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What are you Reading?  Let me know what your current read is, what you recently finish reading, and what you plan on reading next! 

Here's my list: 

I'm currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I'm really enjoying it! I've seen snippets of the movie, but never really knew what the story was about, or that it was from a little girl's POV. It's good so far. :)




I recently finished reading Joyride by Anna Banks. It was a little slow in the beginning, but the ending was exciting! I enjoyed it! 






What's next? I think I'll read Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here by Anna Breslaw. 









FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!


I'm linking up with This Week In Books hosted by Lipsyy Lost & Found.


Check out what she's reading!


Another 2 weeks until summer break! I can't wait! I'm looking forward to reading, catching up on my reviews, sewing, and maybe some papercrafting! How about you? 

Don't forget to let me know what you're reading! Thanks!

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

What are you Reading? ~ May 4, 2016

* * Post contains affiliate links. * *


What are you Reading?  Let me know what your current read is, what you recently finish reading, and what you plan on reading next! 

Here's my list: 

I'm currently reading Joyride by Anna Banks. So far it's good. Not great, but good. I'm not quite a third of the way through yet, though.  






I recently finished reading Sketching Character by Pamela Lynne. I really liked this Pride and Prejudice retelling. What ifs are my favorite! 





What's next? I'm not sure. I have a couple of books I want to read. One is Scarlet Epstein Hates it Here by Anna Breslaw, which was April's Uppercase book. I like to get those read before the next one shows up. The other book I want to read is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I've never read it, but always wanted to. Which do you think I should read? 





FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!


I'm linking up with This Week In Books hosted by Lipsyy Lost & Found.


Check out what she's reading! 


So, let me know what you're reading!

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

'Fine Stout Love' Blog Tour ~ Guest Post and #Giveway!

Hello, Friends! I'm super excited to be part of the Fine Stout Love Blog Tour! Author Renee Beyea is here with a post that has me rethinking my thoughts on short stories! 




Six Reasons to Read Short Fiction

The August following college graduation found me exploring Vienna while my host was at work. One day I meandered into Mozart’s apartment museum, and music beckoned like laughter. I chased the notes across creaking floorboards and stumbled upon gilded music stands, unlit candles, and a chamber ensemble rehearsing for a concert. The intimacy of the music caressed me, now lilting, now longing, not as complex as that produced by an orchestra but no less moving. I was enraptured. 

If a novel channels the magnificence of a symphony orchestra with its larger cast of characters and complex plots, then short stories are chamber ensembles, beautiful and transfixing in their own right. That’s the comparison I make in the preface to A Fine Stout Love and Other Stories, the first volume of my Pride & Prejudice Petite Tales. 

While I’m passionate about writing short stories (find out why in my blog tour guest post at Babblings of a Bookworm on 7 May), I also love reading them. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading novels too, but I’m always surprised by how many novel readers haven’t given short stories a chance. So, here are six reasons why short stories are worth reading:

1) Fresh authors. Short fiction is a low-commitment and often low-cost means to find new authors. It doesn’t require the lengthier time investment of a novel, yet still introduces a writer’s style and voice. Single stories and the increasingly popular “prequel” novella are inexpensive and sometimes free. Anthologies and collections allow readers to sample multiple authors or multiple pieces by the same author. Don’t care for a particular story? Simply skip to the next one.

2) Foreign worlds. Short stories invite us to worlds we might not otherwise visit. Try a contemporary variation when we usually read Regency--or vice versa. Try a different genre. Where we might not choose a steampunk novel or first person present narrator, short stories lend themselves to experimenting. My favorite genres are historical romance, space opera, and high fantasy. Odd assortment, I know. It’s unlikely I’ll pick up a mystery novel, but I’m game to try a mystery short story. All the better, if it’s an Austenesque mystery.

3) Friends old and new. Short stories are eminently suited to Jane Austen fan fiction. Most readers are well-acquainted with the characters already and don’t require much backstory, which means we can dive into altered circumstances immediately. With their limited casts, short stories often spotlight hero and heroine, equating to more time with beloved characters. On the other hand, short stories can improve our acquaintance with secondary characters to the degree we might be willing to risk an entire novel.

4) Resonance and reflection. Paradoxically, the tight construction of short stories can demand more focused attention in a single sitting than a novel that’s put down and picked up at will. Yet the compact length, condensed language, and less complex plots also make it possible to remember the entirety--with the result that short stories resonate with our emotions and linger in our memories. Writer Michael Hartford said it this way, “Reading a story is a quick plunge into a bracing pool: its ultimate effect occurs more on reflection than while submerged.”

5) Immediate gratification. This one almost goes without saying. Short stories are perfectly suited to waiting rooms and lunch hours, commuter trains and children’s sports practice. For readers like me who must know what happens next, who repeatedly say “just one more chapter,” short stories won’t keep you up until 3 a.m. In short, a well-crafted story can offer the entertainment and pleasure of a novel in a fraction of the time.

6) Repeat resolution. Short stories deliver the joy of repeat resolution, or at least anthologies and collections do. Regardless of length, stories and novels follow a general structure of setup, conflict, and resolution. The angst of rising action juxtaposed with the “ahhh” of denouement grants readers pleasure. A novel usually affords this pleasure once; an anthology or collection does so with every story. In A Fine Stout Love and Other Stories, that’s Darcy and Elizabeth finding their happy-ever-after five times in a single volume. Ah.

There you have it: six reasons for reading short stories, but many more exist. What are yours? Of the reasons listed here, are there any in particular that speak to you? Please join the conversation and leave a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts.



My heartfelt gratitude to Candy for hosting a guest post and giveaway at So Little Time… and for participating in A Fine Stout Love and Other Stories blog tour!




BOOK BLURB 

Discover what happens when Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy meet fancy and fantasy in this novella-length ensemble of Regency stories. 

- What if two inexplicable trails of words led to the Meryton churchyard on the same blustery morning?
 - What if Darcy stumbled across suggestive lines of verse following Elizabeth’s stay at Netherfield? 
- What if a rumored engagement so thoroughly shocked Lady Catherine that she could not interfere? 
- What if Elizabeth learned the last man she would ever marry was the only man she could marry? 
- What if every Bennet family member read the love poem Darcy intended only for his bride? 

With all the intimacy and lyricism of a chamber concert, these five whimsical shorts will inspire the heart, prompt a smile, and entice readers to many happy returns.

Buy: AmazonB&NSmashwords
Add to Goodreads

FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!


About the Author


Renée Beyea holds an undergraduate writing degree from Taylor University and a Master of Divinity from Fuller Seminary. She serves as full-time wife, mother to two sons, and ministry partner with her husband, an Anglican priest and chaplain. Her free time is devoted to crafting stories and composing poetry that delight the senses and touch the soul.





BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

5/2: Excerpt & Giveaway at From Milton to Pemberley 
5/3: Guest Post & Giveaway at So Little Time… 
5/4: Excerpt & Giveaway at Half Agony, Half Hope 
5/5: Review & Giveaway at The Calico Critic
5/6: Guest Post & Giveaway at Austenesque Reviews 
5/7: Guest Post & Giveaway at Babblings of a Bookworm 
5/8: Review & Giveaway at Delighted Reader
5/9: Review & Giveaway at Austenesque Reviews 
5/10: Interview & Giveaway at Savvy Verse and Wit 
5/11: Review & Giveaway at Diary of an Eccentric 
5/12: Review & Giveaway at Just Jane 1813 
5/12: Excerpt & Giveaway at Laughing with Lizzie
5/13: Review & Giveaway at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell 
5/14: Excerpt & Giveaway at My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice 
5/15: Excerpt & Giveaway at Best Sellers and Best Stellars 
5/16: Review & Giveaway at Margie’s Must Reads

Many thanks to Jakki @ Leatherbound Reviews for organizing this tour, and to Renee Beyea for this generous giveaway! 


* * * GIVEAWAY * * *

It's giveaway time!! Renee Beyea is giving away EIGHT copies, (FOUR e-copies and up to FOUR paperbacks) of her book Fine Stout Love.  This is a group giveaway! Giveaway is open Internationally! To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter below and leave a comment.

  • Only one copy of Fine Stout Love per winner.
  • Winners picked randomly by Rafflecopter at the end of the Blog Tour.
  • Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once a day and daily commenting on a blog post for the tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented (which will be verified). If an entrant does not do so, that entry will be disqualified.
  • Open Internationally.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Remember, to enter the giveaway you must fill out the Rafflecopter above and leave a comment.

It was a pleasure to have you here, Renee! Thank you for this post! I enjoyed it. I think 3, 5, and 6 speak to me the most. 
- 3. Already knowing the backstory is a huge plus for a short story. 
- 5. I find myself staying awake far too late at night trying to finish a story! 
- 6. Yep! Love having that "ahh" moment over and over! 

What about you, friends? Did any one of the six reasons Renee listed above speak to you? Do you have any thoughts on short stories? 

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