2017 Love-a-Thon: X Meets Y

The Love-a-Thon is hosted by Alexa of Alexa Loves Books, Cee of The Novel Hermit, Kristin of Super Space Chick, and Mel of The Daily Prophecy. Follow along on social media using the hashtag #LoveaThon

My Love-a-Thon posts so far:
Introduction
Mad Libs: Fairytale Edition
Mix and Match Challenge

Book Spine Poetry

Sweethearts Candy Messages

Other places to find me this weekend:
Bookstagram
Twitter

♥  ♥  ♥

The idea for this challenge is for us to combine the books and TV shows/movies we love in some way, in order for other people to find new recommendations for things to check out.

I took three of my favourite TV shows and paired them with three awesome books with similar themes or characters.

If you like Doctor Who, try Jackaby by William Ritter. When it first came out, it was being advertised as 'Doctor Who Meets Sherlock', which a) excited me because I love both, and b) made me slightly wary since those are two popular shows and books advertised that way often don't like up to their hype. However, this is one of those books that totally does live up to it. It definitely has a Doctor Who and Sherlock vibe with its own unique elements and characters. 

If you like Sherlock, try Every Breath by Ellie Marney. The premise of this one is 'What if Sherlock Holmes was the boy next door?' and it is SO. FREAKING. GOOD. Set in Australia and featuring a female 'Watson' character, this is one of my absolute favourite Sherlock-related books.

If you like Supernatural, try Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. This book is so spooky and creepy, and is totally the type of thing you'd see Sam and Dean dealing with in an episode of Supernatural.

Do you watch any of these shows? Have you read any of these books? Are there other books you'd pair with my choice of shows?

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Review: Beastly Bones by William Ritter

Beastly Bones by William Ritter 
Series: Jackaby #2
Published: September 22nd, 2016
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
296 pages (ebook)
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction/Fantasy/Mystery
Acquired this book: Won
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

 In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, are called upon to investigate the supernatural. First, members of a particularly vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens. A day later, their owner is found murdered, with a single mysterious puncture wound to her neck. Then, in nearby Gad's Valley, dinosaur bones from a recent dig go missing, and an unidentifiable beast attacks animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Policeman Charlie Cane, exiled from New Fiddleham to the valley, calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

 

Two years ago when Jackaby came out, it was being promoted as 'Sherlock meets Doctor Who'. Now, for someone who loves both those things, that was setting the bar pretty high. From my experience, comparing a book to another book/TV show/movie is rarely a good idea because it often sets impossibly high expectations for diehard fans. I was relieved and thrilled when I read Jackaby and discovered it was very much Sherlock meets Doctor Who, with its own unique and fun premise and characters. I was excited to carry on with the series and went into Beastly Bones with high hopes. While the book was mostly entertaining and had quite a bit going for it, I was disappointed.

Where Jackaby was fun, quirky, and fast paced, I found Beastly Bones dragged quite a bit. It started out well; the story picked up right where the last one left off, and we’re thrown into a world - Jackaby’s world - where paranormal happenings are commonplace. Abigail was getting used to her boss’s peculiarities and to the fact the world holds much more than most people are aware of. I still enjoyed Abigail’s voice and her observations, and thought she was a great match for Jackaby. There were some new character additions too, and they added a lot to the story.

There was nothing ‘wrong’ with Beastly Bones. The characters, plot, and premise were all great. There was just something about it that was underwhelming. The entire middle of the book dragged. Things happened at a very...slow...rate. There was too much technical talk. I kept thinking of it as ‘dino talk’ or ‘science talk’ - either way, it had my eyes glazing over more than once. There was also something lacking when it came to Jackaby himself. As I said before, as a huge fan of both Sherlock and Doctor Who, Jackaby appealed to me because he was a mixture of the two, with his own special, unique quirks thrown in. His social awkwardness and chaotic energy made for some hilarious dialogue, and I liked that he was a bit of a mystery. Those things were still the same, and while he did have some amusing remarks and observations, I didn’t find myself laughing as much or feeling as engaged or curious.

Overall, Beastly Bones was good but not great. With a bit more action, the book could have been great, but the sluggish pace affected my overall enjoyment. This could be solely a ‘me’ thing though, so I’d recommend reading it if you enjoyed Jackaby, and I’ll definitely be reading the third book, Ghostly Echoes. There was fantastic set-up for the third book throughout Beastly Bones, so I’m hopeful that it’ll have the magic and that special something that made me love Jackaby.  

 

{My review of Jackaby by William Ritter}

Have you read Jackaby or Beastly Bones? What did you think? If you haven't read them, do you plan to? How do you feel about books being compared to other books/movies/TV shows? Can you think of any examples where the comparisons were warranted?

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Wanderlust Wednesday: British Fandom Edition

 

Check out my previous Wanderlust Wednesday posts.

My trip to London, Paris, and Rome in June gave me a lot of ideas for Wanderlust Wednesday posts. With a few exceptions, I'll likely spend the rest of the year doing trip-themed posts every Wednesday. I hope you'll enjoy them!

This week's post is dedicated to fandom-related discoveries in London. Three of the things I love most are Sherlock, Harry Potter, and Doctor Who, and I got to see things related to all of them!

221B Baker Street, Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station, and the TARDIS!

Our first fandom-related stop in London was North Gower Street, where BBC's Sherlock is filmed. We got to see the facade of Sherlock and John's apartment, as well as Speedy's Sandwich Bar and Café, which you see in every episode of Sherlock. It was so exciting to know we were right where Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman film the show! Note the crooked knocker on the door of 221B - this made me laugh, because Mycroft is always straightening it and Sherlock purposely knocks it off-centre.

 

The next day, we went to Baker Street, where the Sherlock Holmes Museum is. We purposely went after it was closed so it would be quiet around for taking pictures. After peering in the windows and seeing a bit of the inside, I decided the museum will be on my list for the next time I'm in London. Sherlock and John Watson may be fictional characters, but after years of watching movies, TV shows, and reading countless Sherlock-related books, they're very real characters to me, so I loved getting to visit Baker Street.

That night when we went out for dinner, treacle tart was on the dessert menu, and I've always wanted to try it because it's Harry Potter's favourite dessert. It was delicious!

The souvenirs I bought at Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross: a Hogwarts Express train ticket, a Ravenclaw pin, and a billfold. 

If you go to Platform 9 3/4, prepare to wait in line quite awhile. Once you get up there, you can choose a house scarf and wand, and there's a pair of Harry's glasses you can wear. There's a professional photographer who takes pictures that you can buy inside the gift shop (they're crazy expensive), or you can have someone take pictures on your own camera/cell phone, which is what we did. It's a fun experience, and I'd say it's a must for any diehard Harry Potter fan.

If you're in London and looking for the TARDIS, it's outside Earl's Court tube station!

  

Do you like Sherlock, Harry Potter, and/or Doctor Who? Have you been to any of these places? What's the coolest fandom-related thing you've ever done/seen? Let's talk here or on Twitter! 

   
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Wanderlust Wednesday: My London-Paris-Rome Trip Recap!

 

Check out my previous Wanderlust Wednesday posts.

It's taken three weeks, but I finally did it - I have a trip recap! Warning: it's a really long post! I tried to keep it as short as possible, but it is two weeks' worth of stuff, and I didn’t want to leave anything out. I hope this will interest some of you and that a few of you might even get through the whole thing. ;-) I've highlighted the highlights in case you don't want to read the whole thing, but just want to know what I did, where I went, what I saw, etc. There aren't many pictures, but most of my Wanderlust Wednesday posts from now on will be themed posts about my trip, including lots of pics. Next week’s WW is the British Fandom Edition, where I’ll share pictures of 221B Baker Street, Gower Street, Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station, and the TARDIS we found! In the meantime if you want to see more pics, visit my Instagram, because I posted some pics as we went, and I'm still posting pics there fairly regularly.

Here we go! 

Marie and Krista Do the UK and Europe

 
Day 1 - Bye bye Canada!

• We left around 3pm for Pearson International Airport in Toronto, which is about a 2-hour drive. Checked in, got through security (I'd been worrying about security for months, not knowing what to expect, but we breezed through it in minutes and it was super easy, proving that I am often neurotic for no reason). Grabbed some food, charged our phones, people-watched, then boarded our plane. We didn't want to pay $35 each for reserved seats when we booked our flights, so we ended up sitting on opposite sides of the plane - boo! I sat with a lovely woman and her teenage daughter from Texas, and Krista sat with a guy from London, so she got lots of tips and tricks for the trip, which was great. We had a yummy dinner (I always hear how plane food sucks, but I thought the food was delicious), I watched Paddington, slept a bit, and overall had a pretty good flight.

Day 2 - London, baby!

• We arrived at Heathrow shortly after 8:30am, got through customs, grabbed our bags, then went through the airport to the tube (subway), where we bought our Oyster cards (a travel card you put money on and then simply tap to ride the trains - best thing ever, for so many reasons. If you're travelling to London and you're curious about this - or anything else I talk about in this post - please don't hesitate to contact me to ask questions). Luckily the tube runs straight from the airport to our stop, so we didn’t have to change, but the ride took about an hour, and we ended up standing, balancing against our luggage, for the whole ride. We went straight to our hotel (less than a five-minute walk from Russell Square station, yay!) and miraculously were able to check in right away, despite check-in technically being at 2pm. We were both tired and felt gross (my eyes were so tired and dry, I could barely see), so it was nice to get settled into the room. We had planned to do a ton of stuff that day to avoid jet lag, but unfortunately, we were both so out of it, it took us ages to work up the energy to leave the hotel.

• We finally dragged ourselves out and wandered around the area. I was specifically looking for Gower Street, where BBC’s Sherlock is filmed, since I’d read it wasn’t far from the hotel. We kept getting turned around, but we ended up seeing some really pretty parks and interesting buildings, and finally ended up at Gower Street by accident. It was so cool to see the facade of the building where Sherlock is filmed, plus Speedy’s Café, which you can see in every episode. Very cool! From there, we grabbed the tube. We’d intended to get to Tower Hill, but ended up in Leicester Square, where we decided to wander around. We discovered we were in the City of London, which was one of our goals; Krista's brother sent her this video before we left, explaining the difference between London and the City of London, and we were fascinated. We were completely lost, looking for a place to eat, and I just happened to see one of the City of London crests, so that perked us up right away. We finally found a place to eat (my first meal in London? Fish and chips, naturally!), then headed back to the hotel.

Day 3

• Took the tube to Piccadilly Circus. Wandered around, stopped at Caffé Nero, had a real British scone, complete with clotted cream and a tiny pot of strawberry jam - heaven! I also had my first ever macchiato, which was also really good.

• Went to the Household Cavalry, saw the cavalry guard, went through the museum

• Saw Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey went through St. James Park (where we stopped for ice cream and sat to watch the birds and ducks), saw Buckingham Palace, Wellington Arch

• Around 5pm we went to meet my friend JK. She moved to London last November and is working as a librarian in a school on a 2-year visa. We met her after work at Baker Street tube station, went to see 221B Baker Street (the museum was closed, but we hadn’t intended to go in anyway, although now that I’ve seen the outside and peeked in the windows, going inside is on my list for my next trip to London), then went for dinner, wandered around Oxford Street, and then parted ways since it was getting dark and we were all tired.

Day 4 - Day trip out of London

• We left early in the morning to meet up with a tour going to Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge.

• We did a tour of Windsor Castle, which was huge and beautiful. AND...Queen Elizabeth was in residence! We were there during the Royal Ascot, and I guess the queen is always at Windsor (her favourite home) for that. It was exciting knowing she was there. On our way out, we saw part of the changing of the guard, but we were in a hurry to catch the bus, so we couldn't stay long. I definitely want to go back to Windsor, do a more thorough tour of the castle, see the chapel, and check out the town itself.

• From there we drove to Bath. We saw the cathedral from the outside, and got to do a tour of the Roman Baths. Krista and I both drank from the spring, which is apparently full of minerals and healing properties. It was hot and gross, but it’s fun to say we did it! Next time I go to England, I’d love to spend at least a full day, if not a couple days in Bath. It was so beautiful, but we didn’t get to do anything other than the Roman Baths.

• From there, we drove to Stonehenge. I’ve wanted to see Stonehenge my whole life, and it didn’t disappoint. We took our time doing a full loop of the circle before making a mad dash back to the bus.

• After that it was time to head back to London. It was a whirlwind day, and it didn’t feel like we had enough time to see everything properly, but considering it was a 12-hour day and we spent over half of that just driving from place to place, it would have been impossible to spend more time in each place. I’m happy I got to see what I did, plus our tour guide was incredible, and gave us several tips for things to do in London, some of which we actually ended up doing.

Day 5

• We met JK in the morning and headed to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard

• Wandered the streets for awhile (okay, we got totally turned around, but we ended up seeing some pretty cool things, including the London Ritz, where I’d love to go for high tea someday).

• Said goodbye to JK, then Krista and I headed for the British Museum. We were there for several hours, then got some yummy waffles from a cart outside and sat and watched people come and go.

• 6pm: Contiki group meetup! We met our tour manager and the people on our tour, then had a group dinner before meeting our coach driver and setting out for a quick tour of London. We ended up at Buckingham Palace at dusk, which was nice because there were only a few people milling around instead of the usual massive crowds.

Day 6

• We set out with some of the people from our Contiki group and started the day at the Tower of London. This little history nerd was very happy! We did one of the tours guided by a Beefeater, had ice cream while we waited in line to see the Crown Jewels, and then went up in the White Tower.

• From there we went for lunch, then did a cruise on the Thames River. We got off at Westminster Pier, where we took the tube to King’s Cross Station and...saw Platform 9 3/4! We had to wait in line for quite awhile, but it was totally worth it once I was up there, wearing a Ravenclaw scarf, holding a wand, and going off to Hogwarts (at least in my own vivid imagination)! I got a few neat little things in the gift shop for myself and my nephews, then we headed back to the hotel to drop everything off and head straight back out to meet our Contiki group for...

• A Jack the Ripper walking tour! We walked through the streets of Whitechapel, seeing the murder sites and the buildings from the 1880s that are still standing, and heard about the murders, theories about the murderer, and what life was like in the late 1800s in London. I’ve had this sick fascination with Jack the Ripper for years and our tour guide was fantastic, so this was definitely a highlight for me.

• After the tour, we walked to a nightclub, where about half the group got in, but then the rest of us were turned away because it was too full. We headed down the street to a pub, which was PACKED. We were like 'meh' and so were the girls we were with, so we caught the tube at Piccadilly and headed back to the hotel, where we met up with a few other people who had skipped the bar, and we had dinner and drinks with them in one of the hotel’s restaurants.

Day 7 - Last day in London *sniff*

• Did a tour of Westminster Abbey. We spent probably two hours exploring. I got to light a candle for my dad, Grama, and Poppy. Again, the history nerd in me was happy...and it was exciting to walk down the aisle where Duchess Kate walked to marry Prince William!

• Had a delicious lunch at a pub near the Abbey (I had steak and ale pie, which was one of the best things I ate on the entire trip), then walked through St. James Park again, but it was a different section than Day 3 and we got to see pelicans! We just happened to be walking by and the guy who feeds them was coming out and they all rushed out of the water, along with a bunch of herons, for feeding time. They were massive! I’m so glad we got to see them.

• Went back to the Household Cavalry (Krista’s obsession - cute, uniformed boys on horses), and this time we were in time to see the changing of the guard, so she was extra happy.

• More wandering led us to Trafalgar Square

• From there we went to Kensington Gardens and saw Kensington Palace

• On our way back to the hotel, we ended up having to change trains at Earl’s Court, which is where our tour guide from Day 4 told us the TARDIS was...so we did a lap of the station and found it! There was definitely some squeeing on my part!

• Back to the hotel to get ready for a night out to see Mamma Mia! We knew a West End musical was included on our tour, but we didn’t know what it would be. Mamma Mia was my top choice/wish, since I love Abba and the movie is one of my favourites, so I was beyond excited, and it exceeded my expectations. 

Kensington Palace, current home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka Will and Kate) and their beautiful little munchkins Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as Prince Harry

Day 8 - Cheerio, London!

• We left London early and drove to Dover to cross on the ferry to France...or at least that’s what we were supposed to do, but when we reached the port, we were told the workers in France were striking (something we’d soon learn they love to do), and we couldn’t cross.

• Went to Dover Castle to put in time, then drove half an hour to Canterbury, where we spent a couple hours waiting for word on the border opening so we could leave England.

• We ended up leaving Dover around 5:30pm, which was the time we were supposed to be arriving in Paris. It was a 90-minute ferry ride to Calais, then another 5-ish hour drive to Paris, where we arrived around midnight, checked into our hotel, and called it a night.

Day 9 - Oui oui, Paris

• We were supposed to have a group dinner and a coach tour the night we arrived in Paris, but since we arrived so late, we were reimbursed for the dinner. Our coach driver had exceeded his driving hours the day before and wasn’t allowed to drive until later in the day, so we all hopped on the Metro to Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower from a great picture-taking vantage. We were supposed to go up the Tower that morning, but they were striking (ha!), so we had free time.

• Went to the Arc de Triomphe (which we climbed to enjoy the view of the city), then Notre Dame Cathedral. Saw the Louvre (we didn’t go in because we didn’t have time; luckily I went on my first trip to Paris in 2001, and Krista and the girls we were spending the day with ended up going in that night while I went to Moulin Rouge).

• Met up with the group at Place de la Concorde (where they were setting up for the Tour de France) and had the city tour we missed the night before.

• That night: Moulin Rouge! This was another highlight of the trip for me. A gourmet 3-course meal, wine, a glass of real champagne, and a show like no other. It was incredible. Afterward, the coach was there to take us back to the hotel or we could go out, so a bunch of us went next door to a famous bar called O’Sullivans for drinks and some dancing.

View of Paris + the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc de Triomphe

Day 10

• Did a tour of the Palace of Versailles.

• Went to the Musée d’Orsay. I love Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh, so this was another highlight for me.

• That night we had our farewell dinner since we were all parting ways. Some people were going home, some were staying in Paris, some were going on to Amsterdam, and others were going to Rome. We climbed the stairs in front of Sacre Coeur Basilica, then went to dinner at a fancy restaurant in Montmartre.

• How we ended our evening: Eiffel Tower by night! We finally got to go up, see the city, then watch it sparkle, which it does every hour on the hour from dusk.

Day 11 - Au revoir, Paris!

• We flew from Paris to Rome, where our comedy of errors continued. There was a fire that morning at the airport we were supposed to land at, so we were detoured to the other airport in town, where we were supposed to be picked up, but there’d been a mix-up so we ended up camping out on the airport floor for several hours. It was actually kind of fun because we all bonded while we were sitting around sharing food and stories.

• That night we went for dinner with some of our group. I was looking forward to eating ALL THE FOOD in Rome, and the gorgonzola pizza, tirimisu gelato, and prosecco didn’t disappoint.

Day 12

• Country #4: the Vatican! Went to St. Peter’s Basilica, then climbed the dome, which seriously just about killed me. We took a lift partway, but still had to climb 320 stairs in an airless, tight, windy tower. I wanted to kill Krista for making me do it, but the view of St. Peter’s Square and Rome were incredibly, plus I was so freaking proud of myself when we got back down and I knew I’d accomplished something amazing and concurred a huge challenge.

• Back to Rome, where we wandered around the ridiculously beautiful city, ate gelato, and visited Santa Maria del Popolo Square and the church.

St. Peter's Square (which, as you can see, is actually a circle) from the top of the Dome at St. Peter's Basilica

Day 13 

• Roman Forum

• Palatine Hill

• Colosseum

*Both of us history nerds rejoiced yet again at all this incredible, ancient history, despite the crippling heat and the need to seek shade every 5 or 10 minutes. I got a wicked sunburn, despite applying sunscreen twice. That night, we were supposed to meet some of our group for dinner, but we somehow missed them, so we went out in search of food on our own. I'd seen a restaurant earlier in the day that looked good and wasn't far from the hotel, so we walked a bit and when I thought I saw it, we paused for a second outside, and a waiter swept out the door, said 'buona sera' and handed us glasses of free prosecco, so we were like 'ok, guess we're eating here' haha. We ended up having an incredible dinner (and more prosecco after our free glass). It was a great night.

Day 14

• Spanish Steps

• Trevi Fountain - There's a legend that if you throw a coin in the fountain and make a wish, you'll return to Rome one day. The fountain is under construction, which I knew beforehand, but I thought it would be much worse because in the last pictures I saw, it was under heavy construction and covered in scaffolding. I was so, so happy when we got there and saw it wasn't as bad as expected. Even though there wasn't water in the fountain, you could still throw your coin over the glass into the empty basin, so we did!

• The Pantheon (which was closed because it was a holiday, which nobody bothered to tell us. We were so bummed!)

• Lots of wandering, visiting squares, a bit of shopping

*I was absolutely dazzled by Rome, especially on that last day. There's something magical about the light in the city, plus I swear I've never seen a sky so blue. 

Day 15 - Arrivederci, Rome!

• Flew home! One of the longest days of my life, with a few more hiccups (because why not, consider we had them the whole trip lol), but we made it home safely and were extremely happy to be back on Canadian soil after a whirlwind trip.

  

Three weeks later, I'm at the point where the whole thing feels like a crazy, amazing dream. I still can't believe I got to do and see so many things I've fantasized about my whole life. I've been so busy with work I haven't had time to sort through all 2,100 of my pictures, but I'm working away at it and setting aside the ones I want to share for future Wanderlust Wednesday posts. I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip! If you have any questions, you can leave a comment, email me, or chat with me on Twitter! 

   
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Book Review: Jackaby by William Ritter

Jackaby by William Ritter

Series: Not that I can see on GoodReads, but it definitely has series potential!

Published: September 16th, 2014

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers

304 pages (eARC)

Genre: Young adult historic fiction/paranormal/mystery

Acquired this book: From the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Warning: May contain spoilers

{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.

Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.

 

I knew I had to read Jackaby from the moment I saw the cover. Then I read the synopsis, which touted the book as ‘Doctor Who meets Sherlock’. After my initial squee-fest, I realized that was a pretty bold statement, especially considering the number of die-hard fans of both shows (including myself). Well…I’m pleased to say Jackaby didn’t disappoint. It definitely had a very strong Doctor Who/Sherlock vibe, with its own unique twists and characters.

Jackaby is a fast-talking, intelligent yet scatterbrained detective who has the unique ability to see things others don’t. When Abigail Rook arrives in New Fiddleham in search of a job and a place to stay, she starts working for Jackaby, despite people’s warnings to stay away from him. A lady in a previous life, Abigail is in search of adventure, and she finds that in the employ of Jackaby.

This book had me laughing within the first few pages. Jackaby definitely reminded me of a combination of Sherlock Holmes and the Doctor - slightly manic, brilliant, and eccentric, with the tendencies of a sociopath. I was fascinated by him, and the wonderfully bizarre things he said and did. His physical description made me think of him as a combination between Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock and David Tennant’s Doctor - lanky, unruly hair, basically ridiculously sexy in an unintentional way. How could I not love him? Abigail is a combination of John Watson and one of the Doctor’s companions - she’s along for the ride in a lot of ways, but she’s also intelligent and quick-witted and can definitely hold her own. 

I loved the paranormal aspects of this book. Besides Jackaby’s ability to see things nobody else can, we got to see creatures that aren’t often written about. I won’t give any specifics because it gets into spoiler territory, but I think Ritter did a fantastic job. The mystery was also well done - there were enough twists and turns to make the ride exciting and keep me guessing.

Ritter has the ability to weave a story that’s both completely ridiculous and yet somehow believable, with characters you can’t help but love, and creatures you want to shrink away from. Laugh out loud funny, full of great characters, fast-paced, and wonderfully strange, Jackaby is a must read, whether you’re looking for mystery, paranormal, or historical fiction. 

 

Have you read Jackaby? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you like Sherlock and/or Doctor Who? How do you feel about books being compared to other books, TV shows, movies, etc? 

 
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November 2013 Recap

November has been a pretty crazy, amazing month. I can't believe how fast it's gone by. It feels like it was just Halloween and now all of a sudden it's the second last day of November. I'm doing this a couple days before the end of the month because I'm leaving on a trip Friday morning, and I've scheduled this post ahead of time. A bunch of friends and I are taking off to New York State to do some Christmas shopping. It's my first time doing Black Friday and I'm terrified. I'm not a big shopper to begin with, I don't like crowds, and I'm not aggressive, but it's the only time everyone else could go so...say a little prayer for me! lol

Here are some of the highlights of November:

I went to the 3rd annual Ontario Blogger Meetup on November 2nd. It was my first time going, and I had a blast. I went with Kathy from I Write, I Read, I Review, and got to meet a bunch of bloggers I've been talking to for years, plus even more bloggers who were new to me. We exchanged books, talked about books, had a great meal, and it was just overall a fantastic, memorable day. 

Kathy and me

On November 5th, I released my fourth book, a Christmas novella called The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. I wrote this book last December and waited anxiously for months to finally release it into the world. This story is really special to me, and I hope people will enjoy it.

My sister-in-law, mum, and I took my nephews and niece to have professional pictures done. We were supposed to do family photos but decided last minute just to get pics of the kids done. I've wanted to go to a specific photographer for years, and I finally got to go to her. She was definitely worth the wait - the pictures turned out amazing.

Noah (11), Logan (3), Maddy (5 months)

On November 16th, my sister-in-law and mum told me we were going out for dinner and that it was my brother's surprise birthday party (his 40th birthday was November 26th, my 30th birthday will be December 16th). When we arrived at the restaurant, I was the one surprised - it was a party for me. A bunch of my friends, including my childhood best friend who I hadn't seen all year, were there. After dinner, it was my brother's turn to be surprised - we went to a friend's place and had a surprise birthday party for him. How many siblings get to celebrate their birthdays together? It was pretty special, and a lot of fun.

Top: Me and my mum; my cake (my nickname is Mimi in case you were wondering who Mimi is lol). Middle: The gifts my sister-in-law gave me (a cupcake stand, and a huge set of kitchenware - utensils, knives, measuring cups, etc); me and my brother. Bottom: my childhood best friend and me; everyone (13 in total - my lucky number!).

My sister-in-law and I went to see About Time. I adore Rachel McAdams and anything to do with time travel, so I was really excited about this movie and it lived up to my expectations. It made me laugh and made me cry, and I can't wait until it comes out on DVD so I can watch it over and over. It's from the creators of Notting Hill and Love, Actually, which are two of my all-time favourite movies. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it.

I also got to see The Day of the Doctor (the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special) in the theatre in 3D (!!!!!). I thought I would miss it entirely because I don't get Space or BBC, and I didn't think it would come to my city, but it did! I preordered tickets, and I ended up getting to watch it on a live stream (thanks to Patricia Lynne) Saturday afternoon. Getting to see it in 3D in a theatre full of Whovians was an incredible experience. I had no idea how many people to expect - I saw a special one day only U2 concert in 3D in the theatre in January and the theatre was only about 1/3 full. When we arrived at the theatre for The Day of the Doctor, there was a huge line-up in front of the auditorium. When we finally got in and got seats, the theatre filled up quickly, and it turned out to be a sold-out show. There were quite a few people dressed up - one girl was wearing a Tardis dress, a guy was dressed as Ten with red and blue 3D glasses, a couple guys were dressed as Eleven, and one guy was dressed as Four (people applauded when he walked into the theatre). Several people had Doctor Who t-shirts on, and even more people seemed to have sonic screwdrivers. 

As for the show itself...I was so excited to see that there was a special theatric preview of sorts with Eleven and Ten. Eleven talked about theatre etiquette, and then Ten came on, warning people about how things in 3D were often alarming...like Eleven's chin. *snickers* It was hilarious. PLUS...David Tennant on a giant screen in 3D. *swoons* It was like heaven. I laughed, I cried, and I cheered and clapped along with everyone else at the end. The only thing that sucked was that there was a making-of featurette at the end, but my mum and I had to leave early because we had to catch the last bus. It was either that or pay a fortune in cab fare, and I'm saving every cent for my trip to the States (plus the tickets were pretty expensive to begin with). I'm sure the extras will be on the DVD, but I was bummed because I wanted to see it on the big screen. 

It was still an amazing experience, and I'm incredibly grateful to my mum, who has absolutely no interest in Doctor Who, but who went with me because she's the best mother ever.

On my brother's actual birthday, we had a small family party - dinner, cake, and presents. He really appreciated it. 

See the cupcake stand? That was one of my early birthday presents from my sister-in-law

And finally, in November I participated in NaNoWriMo for the second year in a row. I 'won' on November 27th, hitting (and surpassing) 50,000 words. My WIP is called After the Storm, and it's a standalone companion novel to my third novel Waiting for the Storm. I still have about 10,000 words to write, but I'm hoping I can finish in the next week or two. You can read a teaser from the book and find the GoodReads link here.  

So that was my month in a nutshell. How was your November? What were some of the highlights? If you did a recap, feel free to post the link in the comments!

 

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