Friday post 10/05/24: was this a good buy, or not?

Posted on May 10, 2024 by The Librain

Hello and welcome to today’s post. This week a new scarf arrived. What a surprise! Well, no it isn’t really because, as regular visitors and friends know, I am a total scarf maniac!

Usually these days I buy scarves from brands that are familiar to me. This time, however, an advert caught my eye and I fell into a whirlpool of, well what should I call it, stupidity or foolishness?

Why? Because I didn’t research the company before I purchased the scarf! Luckily for me I still like it and my own experience with the company was without any issues, but do read on…

First we have the reveal:

The packing box – OK, not very exciting!
The opened box – this looks interesting!
The rather nice card inside the box
Why am I so obsessed with this box?

Here are the images from the website…

Views of Vesuvius scarf by Camilla

Aren’t the colours lovely? We have blues, aqua, turquoise, a golden brown and white. There are bronze silken tassels at the corners and tiny glittering multicoloured crystals. The whole scarf is very pretty and glamorous. Even the pretty labels match the scarf! By the way, there are other items available in this fabric: kaftans, dresses, blouses etc.

I took some quick photos and put them into a slideshow…

Then, I tried on the scarf with two of my cotton short sleeved jumpers from Lands’ End, one in cobalt blue and the other in turquoise. I also have summer dresses that would work too.

Cobalt blue top – Lands’ End
Turquoise top – Lands’ End
Views of Vesuvius with cobalt
Views of Vesuvius with turquoise
Views of Vesuvius with cobalt
Views of Vesuvius with turquoise

Here’s one of my summer t-shirt dresses from Marks and Spencer, which would work with this scarf…

Jersey V-Neck Midi T-Shirt Dress – Marks and Spencer

Right, so now you have seen the good things about this scarf and the company, Camilla (the link is to the UK site). Now to the rest of the story. Let me emphasise that the scarf arrived, well packaged, with no issues. I had explored the Camilla website, looking at all the gorgeous prints on scarves, clothing and accessories. The prices are very high, but I could afford a scarf. My first issue is that the fabric of the scarf doesn’t feel like silk, although the website says that it is. The material is crepe and feels like polyester!

The second issue is totally my fault for not reading properly. I thought that the company is based in Europe, but it turned out that my parcel was shipped from Australia! Not very Green of me!

Then we have the third issue. As I said above, I had no problems with Camilla’s service, but when I looked at the reviewing sites like Trustpilot I had quite a shock. There are loads of very negative reviews, mainly about customer service.

So, have I done something idiotic? Well, I will certainly learn something from this and retrieve my librarian instincts!

Now, is that silk or polyester or something else?

Happy Weekend to you all,

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 08/05/24

Posted on May 8, 2024 by The Librain

Wednesday’s Reading Roundup post has arrived again! In last week’s post I mentioned that a lovely friend had recommended an author who might help me during my gloomy moments. Fortunately, I found one of the books on our library’s ebook site and here it is…

Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon

The book was Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon. Here is the blurb:

“Breaking up is hard to do. Especially when he’s left his wife for you . . .

What to do if Matthew, your secret lover of the past four years, finally decides to leave his wife Sophie and their two daughters and move into your flat, just when you’re thinking that you might not want him anymore . . .

PLAN A: Stop shaving your armpits. And your bikini line. Tell him you have a moustache that you wax every six weeks. Stop having sex with him. Pick holes in the way he dresses. Don’t brush your teeth. Or your hair. Or pluck out the stray hag-whisker that grows out of your chin. Buy incontinence pads and leave them lying around.

PLAN B: Accidentally on purpose bump into his wife Sophie. Give yourself a fake name and identity. Befriend Sophie. Actually begin to really like Sophie. Snog Matthew’s son (who’s the same age as you by the way. You’re not a paedophile). Buy a cat and give it a fake name and identity. Befriend Matthew’s children. Unsuccessfully. Watch your whole plan go absolutely horribly wrong.”

Well, the book turned out to be just what I needed! A great way to dispel some of my dark thoughts! This is my response on the Goodreads website:

Getting Rid of MatthewGetting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was suggested by a kind friend as a way of lifting my mood. Whilst not condoning adultery, I found the book very amusing, especially the descriptions of the wayward husband. The group of nasty co-workers very also funny, although I am glad that I have never come across such a cabal in real life.

So, this served as a perfect pick-me-up! Many thanks!

View all my reviews

Some people on Goodreads feel very strongly about the adultery in the book and have written very negative reviews, by the way. I just found Helen’s predicament very funny indeed!

After that, I have returned to the work of a favourite author. One who writes with very dark humour! Who is this? Well, you will have to wait until next week’s Reading Roundup post to find out!

Happy Reading to you all.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 03/05/24: with peacock feathers

Posted on May 3, 2024 by The Librain

So, it is Friday again and time for a post. It has been a bit warmer in this part of the UK, although we have also had grey skies and far too much rain!

Over the last few years we have had bursts of higher than usual temperatures, lasting for a few days. When the Summer months come around, the sun shines into our bedroom during the latter part of the afternoon and it gets very hot in here. As I spend so much time in bed, I decided to buy a more powerful fan, just in case we have a repeat of those higher temperatures in the coming weeks/months. Anyway, it has just arrived and I put it together straight away. I think/hope it will do the trick!

I have worn a couple of nicer outfits this week, although not with any of my Hermès scarves. Here is the first one with a lovely small scarf by Bien Abayé and a navy cotton top by Lands’ End…

Peacock silk scarf by Bien Abayé

This is a larger image of the scarf. More information about the scarf, plus a slideshow with closer photos, can be found in this post.

Peacock silk scarf by Bien Abayé

In addition, I decided that the cute hummingbird earrings that I bought the other week from the John Franklin Jewellery sale would work well with the colours in the scarf…

Hummingbird earrings by John Franklin Jewellery

Another outfit this week incorporated some elements from Ancient Greek architecture: columns! I didn’t take a selfie, but here are the t-shirt and earrings.

Classical Order t-shirt by Identity Inventory
Ionic column earrings by Meg on Ko-fi.com

Last week I promised to wear my gorgeous Hermès scarf Dans un Jardin Anglais. I haven’t managed to do so this week but I will get it out of the box in anticipation!

Happy Weekend to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 01/05/24

Posted on May 1, 2024 by The Librain

Welcome to the first Reading Roundup of May 2024! Some of you might remember that I have been struggling to read books for a few weeks. I seem to have lost the ability to focus and concentrate on reading my usual type of ebooks – science fiction, thrillers, crime, fantasy – usually with a dark twist. Instead, my mind has been flitting from worries to fears to trivia found on social media to horrors in the news to card games on my iPad.

So I put out a call on here and Facebook last week for more soothing and easy books and had some helpful responses. I also had a look through my ebook collection and chose something that I thought would be a suitable distraction…

Realm of Dragons by Morgan Rice

The book was Realm of Dragons by Morgan Rice, #01 Age of the Sorcerers. After the previous week’s attempt to re-acquaint myself with Anne McCaffrey’s work, dragons must have been lurking in my mind! Anyway, the book appeared to be a fairly straightforward Young Adult fantasy. Here is the blurb:

“REALM OF DRAGONS (Age of the Sorcerers—Book One) tells the story of the epic coming of age of one very special 16 year old boy, a blacksmith’s son from a poor family who is offered no chance of proving his fighting skills and breaking into the ranks of the nobles. Yet he holds a power he cannot deny, and a fate he must follow.

It tells the story of a 17 year old princess on the eve of her wedding, destined for greatness—and of her younger sister, rejected by her family and dying of plague.

It tells the tale of their three brothers, three princes who could not be more different from each other—all of them vying for power.

It tells the story of a kingdom on the verge of change, of invasion, the story of the dying dragon race, falling daily from the sky.

It tells the tale of two rival kingdoms, of the rapids dividing them, of a landscape dotted with dormant volcanoes, and of a capital accessible only with the tides. It is a story of love, passion, of hate and sibling rivalry; of rogues and hidden treasure; of monks and secret warriors; of honor and glory, and of betrayal and deception.

It is the story of Dragonfell, a story of honor and valor, of sorcerers, magic, fate and destiny. It is a tale you will not put down until the early hours, one that will transport you to another world and have you fall in in love with characters you will never forget. It appeals to all ages and genders.”

This is my response on Goodreads:

Realm of Dragons (Age of the Sorcerers, #1)Realm of Dragons by Morgan Rice
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a very standard fantasy story aimed at the YA market. It was OK, but not an outstanding read. As the first book in a series, lots of characters were introduced and short chapters followed them in turn to advance the plot. I found this very confusing as it was difficult to remember so many characters. The main ones were the usual types: beautiful princess, brave prince, nasty prince, bookish prince, ill princess etc. Then some ordinary people. The plot was quite similar and certainly not anything outstanding or new.

I’m sure that some people will enjoy this author’s style, but it’s not for me and I won’t seek out the sequels.

View all my reviews

Well, after that I am now reading a book suggested by a kind friend after last week’s post. I will tell you how I get on in next week’s Reading Roundup.

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 26/04/24: with a lovely Spring scarf

Posted on April 26, 2024 by The Librain

It’s Friday already! Today’s post is going to focus on the one Hermès scarf that I have been able to wear this week: Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs.

I like to wear this pretty scarf in the Spring, because the colours – yellow, blue and turquoise – are so suitable for the season. Here is an image of the scarf:

Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs - Hermès
Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs by Hermès (90cm)

And this is my photo from this week. I wore the scarf with a turquoise cashmere jumper, a Halcyon Days bangle and my new earrings:

Outfit of the day 24/04/24 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs scarf

I thought I would show you some outfits based around this scarf from previous years. My hair colour has changed a lot! If you click on any of the collages, you will be able to see a larger version.

Outfit of the day18/04/17 with Hermès' Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs
Outfit of the day 18/04/17 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs
Outfit of the day 20/04/17 with Hermès' Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs
Outfit of the day 20/04/17 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs
Outfit of the day 26/04/18 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs
Outfit of the day 26/04/18 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs
Outfit of the day 28/02/19 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs scarf
Outfit of the day 28/02/19 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs scarf

The image of the scarf at the top of the post is very small and rather blurred and I cannot find a better one, so here is a slideshow showing some closeups of the details. The whole design is very finely drawn with tiny birds, flowers and plants.

Back in 2017 I wrote a Scarf of the Moment post profiling Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs. The other colourways and sizes are there, although it could do with a little updating. I will try to get around to it soon.

Next week, I am hoping to wear my other Spring scarf. This is one of my favourites: Dans un Jardin Anglais. I will think of a nice outfit to complement the lovely colours and the gorgeous design. Here is a quick taster:

Outfit of the day 25/08/18 with Hermès Dans un Jardin Anglais scarf
Outfit of the day 25/08/18 with Hermès Dans un Jardin Anglais scarf

Here’s hoping for some lovely warm springlike weather!

Happy Weekend to everyone!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 24/04/24

Posted on April 24, 2024 by The Librain

Welcome to this week’s Reading Roundup!

Regular visitors and friends may be aware that we have been struggling as a family with a range of issues. Personally, I have been suffering from bleak thoughts and serious depression, brought on by these issues and my own state of health. All of this has meant that I have been unable to read books! My usual taste is often for dark themes in thrillers, crime, fantasy and science fiction. However, for the last couple of weeks, I have been unable to concentrate enough to cope with books, rather than flitting from websites to blogs to social media trying to escape from the darkness.

So, I tried something different. I went back to an author whose work I adored in my late teens and twenties:  Anne McCaffrey. Over the years, I have read most of her books and collected many of the print versions. My favourites were the Pern series and also the Crystal Singer. As I am now in my sixties, I thought it would be interesting to revisit her work with the perspective of experience, age and time. My plan was to lose myself, and my present poor state of mind, in a nostalgic reading of my favourites from a better time in my life. Does that make sense?

Well, did it work? Yes, in some ways. No, in others.

The experiment certainly helped my mood in that I found myself amused by how dated my chosen book had become. The world has moved on so much. OK, we haven’t achieved the level of space travel, but the technology we have now in terms of computers has totally outstripped McCaffrey’s imagination of all those years ago. Also, attitudes to women’s roles have, thankfully, changed a great deal, even though we have still so far to go. There are other serious issues with her work when seen from a modern perspective.

I did finish one book and I have decided not to name it here. The experiment has been interesting but has brought me to the conclusion that I will just leave her work as a happy memory from my youth.

Now I need to find something uplifting and joyful to read. Some escapism that will leave me feeling optimistic and happy.

Any ideas?

Happy Reading everyone!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 19/04/24: with a variety of scarves

Posted on April 19, 2024 by The Librain

Welcome to today’s post. As I wrote on Wednesday, this has turned out to be a week of real ups and downs. There has been a lot of stress in the house and my health has been very poor. So, today I am showing you some miscellaneous scarves from my collection. Apologies for the quality of the photos. It’s difficult to do selfies when you feel this bad!

Chiffon scarf by Liberty
A Feminist at Heart scarf by Karine Assaf
Zebra Pegasus gavroche by Hermès

These pics were all taken during the week before I had my hair cut last Friday. On the left, the chiffon scarf is from Liberty of London. The central scarf is one of my favourites: “A Feminist at Heart” by Karine Assaf. On the right we have an Hermès gavroche (45x45cm), Zebra Pegasus. And, yes, I was sitting in bed and forgot to take my glasses off!

Anyway, here are larger images of the scarves:

Chiffon scarf by Liberty
Feminist at Heart by Karine Assaf
A Feminist at Heart by Karine Assaf
Zebra Pegasus gavroche by Hermès

They are all lovely in their different ways!

Happy weekend to you all.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 17/04/24

Posted on April 17, 2024 by The Librain

I am sorry to say that there isn’t a proper post today. Over the past week we have been struggling with family issues and my poor health, in addition we are trying to prepare for some building repairs on the house. Lovely Husband also has an important hospital appointment soon and he is very worried about that.

Because of all these issues, I have been unable to concentrate. I did try to read the first few chapters of several books, but nothing felt quite right. Either the plot was too grim for my mood, or I simply couldn’t get interested enough to carry on.

Anyway, I am keeping my fingers crossed for a more peaceful time and for the building work to go smoothly and not uncover something disastrous! We also need some good news about LH’s health issues.

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 12/04/24: a haircut and a treat!

Posted on April 12, 2024 by The Librain

Hello everyone! Well, today I am very pleased. Elder Son kindly accompanied me to the hairdresser and then for a treat. I am now back in bed again feeling happy that I actually managed to leave the house.

Anyway, these are the usual before and after pics:

Before and after hairdresser 12/04/24

I took the left hand “before” photo with my old iPad and the right hand “after” photo with my newer one. You can see that there is a real difference in quality.

Today, I followed a suggestion from a kind commenter on this blog: wearing the gorgeous Hermès Jaguar Quetzal scarf with this multi colour cashmere jumper from Marks and Spencer. I really think that she was right. They look great together! I tied the scarf in an asymmetric wrap with this jumper.

Here is a collage to show the elements of my outfit:

Outfit of the day 12/04/24 with Hermès Jaguar Quetzal scarf

The jeans are by Klass, amethyst earrings by Blue Nile, the enamel and gold bangles by Halcyon Days, and the handbag by Massaccesi.

I must show you are larger image of this amazing and beautiful scarf:

Jaguar Quetzal by Hermès (90cm)

Before I saw this scarf I was determined, for some strange reason, to buy scarves with true to life colours. I have no idea why! This one totally changed my mind. If you would like to see the other colourways and read more about the scarf (and the shawl and twilly versions), do have a look at my Scarf of the Moment post.

Happy Weekend to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 10/04/24

Posted on April 10, 2024 by The Librain

Welcome to my blog! On Wednesdays I write a post about the books I have read during the previous week. As I keep track of them on the Goodreads website, I use their links to put my short reviews/responses on here. Today’s post is about two very different books. Here is the first one…

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris

I think that I have read most of Robert Harris’s books, so I was really looking forward to this one: Act of Oblivion. This is the blurb:

“From what is it they flee?’

He took a while to reply. By the time he spoke the men had gone inside. He said quietly, “They killed the King.”

1660 England. General Edward Whalley and his son-in law Colonel William Goffe board a ship bound for the New World. They are on the run, wanted for the murder of King Charles I–a brazen execution that marked the culmination of the English Civil War, in which parliamentarians successfully battled royalists for control.

But now, ten years after Charles’ beheading, the royalists have returned to power. Under the provisions of the Act of Oblivion, the fifty-nine men who signed the king’s death warrant and participated in his execution have been found guilty in absentia of high treason. Some of the Roundheads, including Oliver Cromwell, are already dead. Others have been captured, hung, drawn, and quartered. A few are imprisoned for life. But two have escaped to America by boat.

In London, Richard Nayler, secretary of the regicide committee of the Privy Council, is charged with bringing the traitors to justice and he will stop at nothing to find them. A substantial bounty hangs over their heads for their capture–dead or alive. . . .

Robert Harris’s first historical novel set predominantly in America, Act of Oblivion is a novel with an urgent narrative, remarkable characters, and an epic true story to tell of religion, vengeance, and power–and the costs to those who wield it.”

And this is my response on Goodreads:

Act of OblivionAct of Oblivion by Robert Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To be honest, I am really unsure how I feel about this book. It was clearly well researched – the historical detail was quite stunning. The descriptions of the landscapes and the settlements in 17th century America were really interesting. The book was about a period in history of which I have very little knowledge, apart from a favourite book which I loved as a child: Captain Marryat’s The Children of the New Forrest!

Some sections were really interesting descriptions of events during and after the Civil War. Other parts of the plot involved more exciting moments of hunting and escape, extending over many years.

However, all of this was so patchy and not well paced. The ending was also very sudden and abrupt. I feel that Harris has definitely written better books.

View all my reviews

After finishing this book, I had something very different waiting in the queue…

In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan

The second book of the week was Jo Callaghan’s In the Blink of an Eye. Here is the blurb:

“In the UK, someone is reported missing every 90 seconds.
Just gone. Vanished. In the blink of an eye. 

DCS Kat Frank knows all about loss. A widowed single mother, Kat is a cop who trusts her instincts. Picked to lead a pilot programme that has her paired with AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock, Kat’s instincts come up against Lock’s logic. But when the two missing person’s cold cases they are reviewing suddenly become active, Lock is the only one who can help Kat when the case gets personal. 

AI versus human experience. 
Logic versus instinct.
With lives on the line can the pair work together before someone else becomes another statistic?”

I was very intrigued by this blurb and was really looking forward to reading the book. This is what I wrote on Goodreads:

In The Blink of An Eye (Kat and Lock, #1)In The Blink of An Eye by Jo Callaghan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and read it quite quickly. The partnership between a human police detective and an AI detective was an intriguing idea and it worked well in this first book. I assume it is going to be a series. I also expect that AI will become a very popular theme in fiction writing, so this was an interesting introduction for me.

That being said, I am not sure whether I will continue with the series, as I began to find the AI interventions extremely irritating as I got closer to the end of the book. But, that’s just me. I am sure that other readers will really enjoy this book.

View all my reviews

Both of this week’s books were four out of five stars for me, which is pretty good going! I have now begun another, after a couple of false starts, so I will write about that next time.

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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