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Saturday, December 31, 2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

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Since I've taken a mini vacation to spend more time unplugged this holiday season and haven't posted anything since the 21st I had to end the year and wish everyone who reads Turning the Pages A very Happy New Year from the mister, herd babies and I . Thank you for welcoming me back to this whacky community of book lovers and making me feel like I have never left. Here's hoping that 2017 will be better than 2016. Please be careful if you're going out tonight, don't let anyone drive impaired. Take keys away if necessary and just enjoy ringing in the new year weather you're partying or like the Mister and I, watching a Harry Potter Marathon and snuggling with the cats.
Best Wishes from the Turning the Pages family!


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Wednesday, December 21, 2016

[Review & Giveaway]* Occult Paris: The Lost Magic of the Belle Époque by Tobias Churton





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Occult Paris: The Lost Magic of the Belle Époque

Summary:

How fin-de-siècle Paris became the locus for the most intense revival of magical practices and doctrines since the Renaissance 

• Examines the remarkable lives of occult practitioners Joséphin Peladan, Papus, Stanislas de Guaïta, Saint-Yves d’Alveydre, Jules Doinel, and others 

• Reveals how occult activity deeply influenced many well-known cultural movements, such as Symbolism, the Decadents, modern music, and the “psychedelic 60s” 

During Paris’s Belle Époque (1871-1914), many cultural movements and artistic styles flourished--Symbolism, Impressionism, Art Nouveau, the Decadents--all of which profoundly shaped modern culture. Inseparable from this cultural advancement was the explosion of occult activity taking place in the City of Light at the same time. 

Exploring the magical, artistic, and intellectual world of the Belle Époque, Tobias Churton shows how a wide variety of Theosophists, Rosicrucians, Martinists, Freemasons, Gnostics, and neo-Cathars called fin-de-siècle Paris home. He examines the precise interplay of occultists Joséphin Peladan, Papus, Stanislas de Guaïta, and founder of the modern Gnostic Church Jules Doinel, along with lesser known figures such as Saint-Yves d’Alveydre, Paul Sédir, Charles Barlet, Edmond Bailly, Albert Jounet, Abbé Lacuria, and Lady Caithness. He reveals how the work of many masters of modern culture such as composers Claude Debussy and Erik Satie, writers Arthur Rimbaud and Charles Baudelaire, and painters Georges Seurat and Alphonse Osbert bear signs of immersion in the esoteric circles that were thriving in Paris at the time. The author demonstrates how the creative hermetic ferment that animated the City of Light in the decades leading up to World War I remains an enduring presence and powerful influence today. Where, he asks, would Aleister Crowley and all the magicians of today be without the Parisian source of so much creativity in this field? 

Conveying the living energy of Paris in this richly artistic period of history, Churton brings into full perspective the characters, personalities, and forces that made Paris a global magnet and which allowed later cultural movements, such as the “psychedelic 60s,” to rise from the ashes of post-war Europe.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 528 pages (Hardccover)
Source: Review Copy
Genre: Non-Fiction
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Publication Date: October 30th 2016 by Inner Traditions



I've always had an interest in the occult and I does have a penchant for books about France especially the history of France. I've read a few novels set in the time of the Belle Époque so it was nice to get a bit more of a historical context especially since many of the novels I have read deal with some of the people mentioned in the novels a background for me. 

I was a wee bit surprised by just how dense this tome was but in the end I found it very informative. Occult Paris was full of interesting tid-bits about the A-List people of the scene and I enjoyed reading how everyone seemed to know everyone else and learn a bit about how they got on with one another, have glimpses into some scandals and the motivations of the people who history has seem to have if not forgotten...require a little extra research.

I found myself really appreciating the lengths that the author went through to present this book dealing with side of history that isn't really at the forefront for whatever reason. It deals with the underground community of artists, free thinkers and the odd revolutionary and I definitely learned a lot from reading The Occult Paris, and I am not afraid to say that I am going to have to re-read the book because there was so much to take in in terms of all the details that I'm going to need another pass at it. I found the parts covering the topics of symbolism and mysticism particularly interesting and enjoyed how they were presented.

I thought it was presented very well and my only critiques would be to perhaps transition more smoothly. I sometimes found the seques into different topics or lines of thought to be jumpy and/or rushed in some spots but it wasn't a deal breaker.

I'd recommend this title to all those with an interest in France in particular during the early 1900s with an interest in the fringe factor of society at the time. If you want to know about the who's who of the Parisienne art and music scenes  and other visionaries who were not afraid to test societal norms by asking the blasphemous questions and delving into religion. It's one the I recommend reading in parts else running the risk of being overwhelming but enjoyable and interesting nonetheless.

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Tobias Churton
is Britain’s leading scholar
of Western Esotericism,
a world authority on Gnosticism,
Hermeticism, and Rosicrucianism.
An Honorary Fellow of Exeter University,
where he is a faculty lecturer,
he holds a master’s degree in Theology
from Brasenose College, Oxford,
and is the author of many books,
including Gnostic Philosophy and
Aleister Crowley: The Beast in Berlin.
He lives in England.

Visit his website.
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Giveaway:
You can enter the global giveaway here
or on any other book blogs participating in this tour.

Be sure to follow each participant on Twitter/Facebook,
they are listed in the entry form.


Visit each blogger on the tour:

tweeting about the giveaway everyday
of the Tour will give you 5 extra entries each time!
[just follow the directions on the entry-form]


Global giveaway open to all:
3 winners will receive a print copy of the book



Waiting on Wednesday #149

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine and is where we can talk about books we are looking forward to being released.


Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery


Summary:

For the first time ever, a young adult novel about the teen years of L.M. Montgomery, the author who brought us ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.

Fourteen-year-old Lucy Maud Montgomery — Maud to her friends — has a dream: to go to college and become a writer, just like her idol, Louisa May Alcott. But living with her grandparents on Prince Edward Island, she worries that this dream will never come true. Her grandfather has strong opinions about a woman's place in the world, and they do not include spending good money on college. Luckily, she has a teacher to believe in her, and good friends to support her, including Nate, the Baptist minister's stepson and the smartest boy in the class. If only he weren't a Baptist; her Presbyterian grandparents would never approve. Then again, Maud isn't sure she wants to settle down with a boy — her dreams of being a writer are much more important.

But life changes for Maud when she goes out West to live with her father and his new wife and daughter. Her new home offers her another chance at love, as well as attending school, but tensions increase as Maud discovers her stepmother's plans for her, which threaten Maud's future — and her happiness forever.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 400 pages (hardcover)
Expected Publication Date: April 25th 2017 by Razorbill Canada

Why I'm Waiting:

As a Canadian L.M. Montgomery is an institution. We read her like Americans read Huckleberry Finn and I really can't wait to see what this YA novelization of her teenage years ends up like. I hope it's as lovely as a read as the cover.

The Hate U Give

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 464 pages (Hardcover)
Expected Publication Date: February 28th 2017 by Balzer + Bray

Why I'm Waiting:

This is one I can see being controversial, but it's one that needs read. I've been waiting to put this on my WoW list for a few weeks so I'm glad I could put it on today's post. Where ever you stand on the BLM movement I think this is one that has to be read with an open mind and I can't wait to read it.




Tuesday, December 20, 2016

[Blog Tour Review] You're the Cream in My Coffee by Jennifer Lamont Leo



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You're the Cream in My Coffee

Summary:

In 1928, Chicago rocks to the rhythm of the Jazz Age, and Prohibition is in full swing. Small-town girl Marjorie Corrigan, visiting the city for the first time, has sworn that coffee's the strongest drink that will pass her lips. But her quiet, orderly life turns topsy-turvy when she spots her high school sweetheart--presumed killed in the Great War--alive and well in a train station. Suddenly everything is up for grabs.



Although the stranger insists he's not who she thinks he is, Marjorie becomes obsessed with finding out the truth. To the dismay of her fiancé and family, she moves to the city and takes a job at a department store so she can spy on him. Meanwhile, the glittering world of her roommate, Dot, begins to look awfully enticing--especially when the object of her obsession seems to be part of that world. Is it really so terrible to bob her hair and shorten her skirt? To visit a speakeasy? Just for a cup of coffee, of course.

But what about her scruples? What about the successful young doctor to whom she's engaged, who keeps begging her to come back home where she belongs? And what, exactly, is going on at the store's loading dock so late at night?

Amid a whirlwind of trials and temptations, Marjorie must make a choice. Will the mystery man prove to be the cream in her coffee--the missing ingredient to the life she yearns for? Or will he leave only bitterness in her heart?
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 292 pages (Paperback)
Source: Review Copy
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Publication Date: September 15th 2016 by Smitten Historical Romance/Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas

There's something about the holiday season that makes me want to read feel good stories. They don't have to be really cheerful a but they do have to have a good story with a character I really like and a good ending. 
You're the Cream in My Coffee was just what I needed to read this past weekend. I enjoyed reading this historical fiction novel set in the roaring 20s during the height of prohibition in Chicago. I'm not sure whether I've read anything set in this time period before so I was quite excited to give it a try and Jennifer Lamont Leo did a lovely job imparting the feel of the era into her book in terms of how people talked and in her descriptions of the characters, and surroundings and she definitely has me interested in reading more books set in the time period so thanks to the author for getting me hooked on a new era. 
I really enjoyed Marjorie's story. It was an interesting one about a small town Idahoan girl who left home for the big city and ended up getting a lot more than she bargained for in her quest for answers about her long lost love and what she is and isn't willing to do to get those answers. Her story was told in a fun way and flowed very well, and I found myself really liking Marjorie. She seems like a character that while a bit naive for my tastes sometimes, was someone I could see being friends with. She may have been a bit lost in the big city but I did enjoy her slips and stumbles along the way, she seemed like a real person to me and I really enjoyed seeing her change not just outwardly but mentally as she grew throughout the book. 
I found the rest of the cast of characters to be well rounded as well. They played their roles in Marjorie's tale in finding love and her true self very well. There were lots of laughs in this book and I found myself really getting invested in how everything was going to turn out in the end and the ending (which you'll have tot read about on your own) was just what I wanted. 
I found this to be just what the doctor ordered and I'm glad to have given this book a try. The inside of the book more than matches the delightful cover of this book and I can't wait to read more of Jennifer Lamont Leo's books in the future. If you're interested in a good clean read that will leave you feeling uplifted and like you've just gotten back from a trip 90 years in the past than I highly suggest you giving this romantic read a try.

Really Liked It

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Buy The Book:


AMAZON 

BARNES & NOBLE 

 BOOKS-A-MILLION 

 INDIEBOUND


About the Author:

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With a passion for all things historical, Jennifer Lamont Leo captures readers’ hearts through stories set in times gone by. She is also a copywriter, editor, and journalist. An Illinois native, she holds a deep affection for Chicago and its rich history. Today she writes from the mountains of northern Idaho, where she shares her home with her husband, two cats, and abundant wildlife.
For more information, please visit Jennifer’s website and blog. You can also follow her on FacebookTwitterPinterest, and Goodreads.

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Top Ten Tuesday #93

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. 

Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree 
COOKBOOK EDITION: 

Outlander Kitchen: The Official Outlander Companion CookbookMastering the Art of French Cooking: Vol. 2Slow Dough: Real Bread: Bakers' secrets for making amazing long-rise loaves at home

1. Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders - I've been following her blog for years now and would love to feed my Outlander addiction with this.
2. Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child & Simone Beck - I picked up Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1 2 years ago from the thrift store as a birthday present to myself and I love it! It's a beautiful first edition copy that I covet and I'd love the second one.
3. Slow Dough by Chris Young - I love baking and while I'm not super adventurous when it comes to bread baking because I don't have any equipment no Kitchen Aide mixer no blender or food processor so I love that this one is all about making bread by hand.
A Homestead Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Our Hearth to YoursGreat British Bakes: Forgotten Treasures for Modern BakersTwist: Creative Ideas to Reinvent Your Baking

4. The Homestead Kitchen by Eve and Eivin Kilcher - I love Alaska the Last Frontier so much! I find their way of life really inspiring and I love how much they love each other. Plus I love seeing all the goodies whipped up on the homestead.
5. Great British Bakes by Mary-Anne Boerman - I was a huge fan of Mary-Anne when she was on The Great British Bake Off and I love cookbooks that delve into the history of dishes so this is one I would love.
6. Twist: Creative Ideas to Reinvent Your Baking by Martha Collison - She was the youngest competitor of The GBBO and I really liked her bakes and think her ideas are amazing!

The Cardamom Trail: Chetna Bakes with Flavours of the EastBIY: Bake it Yourself: Over 80 sweet and savoury recipes to make you an expert bakerHow Baking Works: ...And what to do if it doesn't

7. The Cardamom Trail by Chetna Makan - Loved her Indian twists on GBBO
8. BIY: Bake It Yourself by Richard Burr - Loved his can do attitude on GBBO, he did very well and I loved his ideas. 
9. How Baking Works by James Morton: Another young contestant from GBBO but one that I definitely need on my shelves

Scandinavian Comfort Food: Embracing the Art of Hygge

10. Scandinavian Comfort Food by Trine Hahnemann - I loved her book Scandinavian Baking so I'm really looking forward to getting my mitts on this one.

What's on your Top 10 List?

Monday, December 19, 2016

[Release Day Blitz]* Something There In Between by S. Ferguson

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Something There In Between by S. Ferguson Publication Date: December 19th, 2016 Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis:

After a life full of cruelty, Bree is left with no one to turn to—except him.
Declan, who's suffered his own fair share of tragedy, sees the girl on the park bench with the sad eyes and Converse shoes as a kindred spirit —and a chance to redeem himself. He couldn't save his mother. Maybe he can save her.
But is Bree too broken to let him in?
Declan may be her only hope for solace, if he's strong enough to break down her walls. Will she risk letting him in ... or let her pain consume her?
This book is intended for readers 18 and older. It contains violence and references of rape and child abuse
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Add to Goodreads

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Purchase Links:

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Meet S. Ferguson:

Ferguson is a military wife and mother of three. She loves to find beauty in the flawed and broken.

Connect with S. Ferguson

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #130



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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It's a great post to organise yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog   and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

 Read Last Week:


Occult Paris: The Lost Magic of the Belle ÉpoqueYou're the Cream in My Coffee

Currently Reading: 

The Christmas Angel Project

Up Next: 

Betrayals (Cainsville, #4)IQ



Saturday, December 17, 2016

Saturday Snapshot #20

West Metro Mommy Reads

To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on West Metro Mommy Reads' Blog. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.


Here's the newest photos taken on my phone this week:


Peeper the one eyed wonder.


Peeper and Cloud


Our first heavy snowfall of the season on Tuesday, we're getting the same amount today.


Alfie being adorable


Friday, December 16, 2016

Feature & Follow #29


The Feature & Follow is a Friday meme hosted by Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. The idea is very simple as it name explains it itself, is about to follow and meet new bloggers. Follow for Follow and comments for comments.

This Week's Prompt Is:

What protagonist is most like you?

I like to think that I'm most like Anita Blake from Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series.... Cool with the violence, a mean temper and a wacky sense of humour. I'm not petite like her at all (5'10) but our attitudes on a lot of things are very similar. She's one of my favourite characters, strong, smart and braver than people would give her credit for. 

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Wednesday, December 14, 2016

[Cover Reveal]* Come Closer by Brenda Rothert



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Today we are sharing the cover reveal for COME CLOSER by Brenda Rothert. This book is a contemporary romance, standalone, title that will be released on February 7, 2017. Check out the pre-order links below to reserve your copy now!

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Come Closer by Brenda Rothert

An adult standalone, contemporary romance

Coming February 7, 2017!

PRE-ORDER IT NOW!

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | B&N

Book Blurb:

Sometimes appearances deceive. Take me, for instance. I look like a respectable doctor with his shit together, but the rural Montana mental hospital I work at is actually a sanctuary from my demons. At just thirty-five years old, I’ve already failed on an epic scale. Treating patients at Hawthorne Hill is part of my atonement. I’ve found peace when a new patient turns me inside out. Allison Cole is a beautiful, haunted survivor who fell into silence after witnessing a murder. But even without words, I’m drawn to her. The closer we get, the more I’m tempted to cross my professional boundaries and give in to my desire. Soon I find myself in a desperate race to put the pieces of Allison’s silence together. Her life becomes inextricably entwined with mine as I fight to save the second chance I never thought I’d have. I’ll break whatever rules I have to in order to protect this woman who’s been to hell and back. For her, I’ll do harm.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION:

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Brenda Rothert is an Illinois native who was a print journalist for nine years. She made the jump from fact to fiction in 2013 and never looked back. From new adult to steamy contemporary romance, Brenda creates fresh characters in every story she tells. She’s a lover of Diet Coke, chocolate, lazy weekends and happily ever afters.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | | Wattpad | Amazon

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