It’s Friday, so it’s blog writing time! Well, this has been a great week for me. I have managed to exercise every day and also tick quite a few useful tasks on my list. So, I feel really positive and uplifted!
Most days have been dry, so I have taken a walk around our new area for around 15 to 20 minutes on those days. This is a lovely part of our town. Each house is different and many have pretty gardens. There are a few people around and I have greeted the dog walkers, the afternoon strollers, the pram pushers, and also an elderly man trimming the grass verge outside his home. Each and every one has responded with smiles and the occasional chat. I am enjoying living here!
I have another plan developing in my mind. We have a nice hotel quite near to us, just within reach of my short walks. I only need to push myself a little further. A few days ago I contacted them to ask if they would furnish me with a pot of tea and something sweet if I called in. The response was very promising, so I am aiming to do just that very soon. That way I can have a short break half way through my walk and also enjoy a treat. I wish Lovely Husband could accompany me, but he is unable to walk that far and both of us have had to give up driving.
Daily exercise, plus the completion of useful tasks, has really helped to lift my mood. When I spoke to my counsellor yesterday, she quickly noticed the improvement and suggested ways in which I can try to sustain this over the coming week. I really hope that I can do this.
I have also managed to wear some lovely outfits on some days. Here are three photos with gorgeous scarves…
The scarves are all by Hermès: De la Mer au Ciel (silk, 90cm), Plumes en Fête (cashmere/silk 140cm), and Sous le Charme d’Orphée (silk, 90cm, double sided). For more information about these stunning designs, have a look at my Scarf of the Moment posts. The links are in the sidebar.
Here are the larger images…
De la Mer au Ciel by Laurence Bourthoumioux for Hermès Plumes en Fête by Aline Honoré for HermèsSous le Charme d’Orphée by Alice Shirley for Hermès
I am so fortunate to be able to wear such beauty! Scarves like these really help to uplift my mood.
It’s Wednesday, so it’s time for my reading post! I actually managed to finish two books this week, both from the same series. Here is the first one…
From Unseen Fire by Cass Morris
The series I am currently reading is the Aven Cycle by Cass Morris and the first book is titled From Unseen Fire. This is the blurb…
“The Dictator is dead; long live the Republic.
But whose Republic will it be? Senators, generals, and elemental mages vie for the power to shape the future of the city of Aven. Latona of the Vitelliae, a mage of Spirit and Fire, has suppressed her phenomenal talents for fear they would draw unwanted attention from unscrupulous men. Now that the Dictator who threatened her family is gone, she may have an opportunity to seize a greater destiny as a protector of the people — if only she can find the courage to try.
Her siblings—a widow who conceals a canny political mind in the guise of a frivolous socialite, a young prophetess learning to navigate a treacherous world, and a military tribune leading a dangerous expedition in the province of Iberia—will be her allies as she builds a place for herself in this new world, against the objections of their father, her husband, and the strictures of Aventan society.
Latona’s path intersects with that of Sempronius Tarren, an ambitious senator harboring a dangerous secret. Sacred law dictates that no mage may hold high office, but Sempronius, a Shadow mage who has kept his abilities a life-long secret, intends to do just that. As rebellion brews in the provinces, Sempronius must outwit the ruthless leader of the opposing Senate faction to claim the political and military power he needs to secure a glorious future for Aven and his own place in history.
As politics draw them together and romance blossoms between them, Latona and Sempronius will use wit, charm, and magic to shape Aven’s fate. But when their foes resort to brutal violence and foul sorcery, will their efforts be enough to save the Republic they love?”
As someone who studied Ancient Rome at university, this blending of history and fantasy really intrigued me. I enjoyed the book immensely, particularly the three central female characters. The plot was fast moving and interesting so I was gripped right until the final pages. The writing may not be the best, but the author definitely knows how to tell a good tale! I liked the book so much that I bought the next two books straight away.
After finishing this first episode, I downloaded the second ebook in the series straight away…
Give Way To Night by Cass Morris
The second book’s title is Give Way To Night and this is the blurb…
“Latona of the Vitelliae, mage of Spirit and Fire, is eager to wield her newfound empowerment on behalf of the citizens of Aven–but societal forces conspire to keep her from exercising her gifts, even when the resurgence of a banished cult plots the city’s ruin. To combat this threat, Latona must ally with Fracture mage Vibia, the distrustful sister of Sempronius Tarren.
While Latona struggles to defend their home, Sempronius leads soldiers through wartorn provinces to lift the siege of Toletum, where Latona’s brother Gaius is hemmed in by supernatural forces. Sempronius must contend not only with the war-king Ekialde and his sorcerers, but with the machinations of political rivals and the temptations of his own soul, ever-susceptible to the darker side of ambition.
Though separated by many miles soon after their love affair began, Latona and Sempronius are united by passion as they strive to protect Aven and build its glorious future.”
This was an excellent sequel. The depiction of Ancient Roman life from a female point of view, with added magical abilities, was deftly done. A great deal of research must have been done behind the scenes! The plot was written from the point of view of several characters, including the enemies of some of the main protagonists. Characterisation continued to be excellent with great development.
Without giving anything away, I must say that the use of a very female regular occurrence at a crucial time in the plot made me laugh out loud! I don’t think that I have ever read a fiction book with such a twist and I commend the author!
I have now started the third book and was surprised to see that a fourth episode is in the pipeline too.
Well, it has been a roller coaster of a week! So many ups and downs in the same day. We have had some very difficult family issues, which I will not explain here for reasons of privacy. My close friends have been so supportive and have really helped. On the positive side, I have been able to go out around our new neighbourhood for longer walks and these have given me a real sense of achievement. Walking, plus ticking off household tasks from my to-do list, helps greatly to lift my mood.
And the gorgeous Spring flowers really help too!
I have also managed to wear some nice outfits with my beautiful scarves. I love bright colours! This week’s scarves have been the Tulipomanie 45cm gavroche and the Plumes en Fête 90cm silk twill, both by Hermès. The blues of the Plumes en Fête are quite stunning! It was interesting to wear it with two different clothing colours: turquoise and cobalt blue. Anyway, here are some photos…
The Tulipomanie gavroche is tied simply and worn with a turquoise cotton twinset by Lands’ End. Then I tried the same outfit with Plumes en Fête in a criss-cross knot using a scarf ring from MaiTai. The same scarf looked gorgeous in a half bow knot using the same scarf ring with a cobalt blue cotton jumper also from Lands’ End. Such wonderful scarves and colours accompany me on my walks!
These are the larger images of the scarves…
Tulipomanie 45cm gavroche by Aline Honoré for Hermès
Plumes en Fête 90cm scarf by Aline Honoré for Hermès
If you would be interested to read further information about these two beautiful designs by Aline Honoré please click the links to my Scarf of the Moment posts in the sidebar.
Now I will go back to reading my book and also, occasionally glancing out of my bedroom window to see the pretty daffodils. Here they are (not the best photo or even the best view, but this does satisfy something in my soul…
Every Wednesday I try to write about the book I have just finished reading. For many years I read over 100 books each year, but these days this has probably halved. I usually manage to read one book per week. So, this is last week’s book…
Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon
The book was Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon, #01 The Deed of Paksenarrion series. This is the (short) blurb…
“The first volume in The Deed of Paksenarrion saga. Paksenarrion defies her father’s orders to marry the pig farmer down the road, instead, she’s off to join the army. So her adventure begins – the adventure that transforms her into a hero chosen by the gods to restore a lost ruler to his throne.”
I really wanted to like and enjoy this book. There were great reviews and the idea of the life and deeds of a female mercenary appealed to me in some way. The story began quite well and it appeared to have the potential for being an exciting and absorbing read. In some ways it was just that. Parts of the plot were very good. However, the interminable marching from one oddly named place through numerous other oddly named places to a host of even more oddly named places really finished my interest!
Somehow, I persevered to the end. A few battles and journeys were gripping enough, but I don’t think I can bear to read the rest of the trilogy if it is all like the first book!
I have made so many fabulous book choices recently, but this one broke my good run! Anyway, I have now moved on to my next read and will write about it next week, assuming that I will have finished it by then.
Friday has come around again, so it’s time to update this blog. As I sit here in bed I can look out of the window and see the daffodils beginning to open out into their gorgeous yellow trumpets. It’s so lovely to see our new front and back gardens developing into Spring for the first time. Daffodils are my favourite flowers because they bring with them a feeling of happiness and hope!
This week has been similar to the last one with some very difficult days leavened with more pleasant ones. The days when my bleak depression comes over my mind have been very hard to manage. One of the antidepressants has been causing intense sweating, which is horrible, so my psychiatrist has prescribed a different one. The downside is that I might have some issues during the adjustment process, but I am hopeful that this side effect may at least lessen over time.
On my better days I have managed to do a few useful tasks. Elder Son has a huge collection of films on DVD. For his birthday we gave him a TV with an integral DVD player. I also helped him to put all of his DVD collection into alphabetical order. It took hours even with my librarian skills! I think that he has close to 500! Anyway, he has been happily watching some of his favourites during the evening. He has invited me to join him occasionally, but I am definitely not going to watch the one about killer spiders – eeeeeeek!!!
During the weekly session with my counsellor I mentioned that I have an extensive scarf collection and also told her about this blog. So, she has suggested that writing the blog and wearing the scarves could be part of my therapy! I must admit that I love the idea of Scarf Therapy. Anyway, here are the two that I managed to wear this week…
Cyanotype cashmere scarf in blue by Clarissa HulseLe Premier Chant by Sophia Andreotti and Edouard Baribeaud for Hermès
Here are more images of the scarves. First the one is by Clarissa Hulse. The fabric is a very fine cashmere…
Cyanotype cashmere scarf in blue by Clarissa Hulse
And this is Le Premier Chant by Hermès. It is a silk twill 90cm scarf…
Le Premier Chant by Hermès (90cm)
I am full of hope that today will be one of my good days (I am writing this at 12.00, so we shall see).
I also hope that all my friends and visitors have a great weekend!
Love and best wishes,
Anne
💕💗💖💗💕
PS: If you would like to read more about the gorgeous Hermès Le Premier Chant design, my Scarf of the Moment post is here.
Welcome to my weekly post about my reading. Since last Wednesday I have finally finished the truly amazing series by James Islington: The Licanius Trilogy.
The Light of All That Falls by James Islington
This final part is called The Light of All That Falls. Let us begin with the blurb…
“The Boundary is whole once again, but it may be too late.
Banes now stalk Andarra, while in Ilin Illan, the political machinations of a generation come to a head as Wirr’s newfound ability forces his family’s old enemies into action.
Imprisoned and alone in a strange land, Davian is pitted against the remaining Venerate as they work tirelessly to undo Asha’s sacrifice – even as he struggles with what he has learned about the friend he chose to set free.
And Caeden, now facing the consequences of his centuries-old plan, must finally confront its reality – heartbroken at how it began, and devastated by how it must end.”
This series has been pretty incredible and quite difficult for me to read at times. Struggling with my mental health, as I am, the sections of bleak, desperate, darkness were perhaps not good for me. However, James Islington’s writing and imagination are pretty incredible and so, despite the extremely long books, I did persevere until the end.
I am finding it difficult to know what to say in response to this book and the trilogy as a whole! The four main characters are engaging and very well drawn, the setting is excellent and the plot drives along at a fast pace. The ending was a great surprise and very satisfying.
I do feel that the books are overlong and the magic systems became over complicated and confusing at times. So, those are my reasons for knocking off one star! It seemed to me at times as if Islington was simply adding in a new magical attribute to get his plot and characters out of awkward and dangerous situations!
Anyway, I love his writing and will continue to read his books as soon as they are published.
After reading all of James Islington’s published work I think that I need something a little easier and less complex. I have already chosen my next book, so you will find out next week if it matches those criteria.
So it’s Friday again and time to write a blog post. This has been an extremely difficult week for me. My depression has been deep and dark on many days and I have been struggling to cope with life. I am on a lot of medications for my physical and mental issues, but I can’t seem to find any kind of equilibrium. Our NHS only gives six sessions of counselling, I think, and even these are weekly and only last 30 minutes! It’s just not enough and perhaps not even what I need and what would work for me.
My kind friends have supported me on Facebook, but family members are struggling to cope with me. Yesterday, I contacted a counsellor who I saw some years ago. He knows a lot of my past and the issues that I have to manage and so I am hoping that he will get back to me soon. I am also hoping that he is prepared to do sessions by telephone as I can’t travel to his town these days.
There have been some days when I have felt “normal” and have been able to do some useful tasks around our home. These always lift my mood as they give me a sense of achievement. Also, on one of the rare sunny days, I went out for a ten minute walk around the block. It was nice to get outside and do a short exploration of our new area. I love this time of year when you can see the flowers emerging after the cold and frost of winter. The snowdrops are such a cheerful sight and there were even some daffodils coming into flower. I love daffodils so much!
It is going to be interesting to watch our new garden through the next few weeks and months. It has obviously been carefully designed in the past, but there are some patches that are covered with weeds, so they will need some attention and probably replanting.
Illness prevented me from wearing my scarves during most of the week, but I did manage to tie my first ever Hermès 90cm silk, La Promenade de Platon on one day. With it I wore a lovely turquoise cotton twin set and navy cord trousers from Lands’ End. Not my best photo as I was not feeling brilliant!
Outfit of the day 17/02/26 with Hermès’ La Promenade de Platon scarf
I wish I had a better image of the whole scarf, but this one will have to do…
La Promenade de Platon 90cm silk scarf by Hermès
If any of you wish to see my Scarf of the Moment post about this lovely scarf design, the link is in the sidebar and also here.
Happy Weekend!
Love and best wishes,
Anne
💕💗💖💗💕
PS: I have made use of WordPress’ AI for the first time! I wasn’t entirely happy with my title for this post. It was very negative. So I looked at the AI’s suggestions, generated from the finished text. This one, with a bit of tweaking, was so much better. I don’t think I will make a habit of using AI for my writing, but this time it has given me a positive experience and I could definitely do with more of those! What do my readers think?
This week’s Reading post seems to have come around very quickly. Today I am writing about the second book in James Islington’s Licanius trilogy: An Echo of Things to Come.
An Echo of Things to Come by James Islington
The book title is An Echo of Things to Come and here is the blurb…
“Darkness spreads across a land in need of heroes.
In the wake of the devastating attack on Ilin Illan, an amnesty has been declared for all Augurs – finally allowing them to emerge from hiding and openly oppose the dark forces massing against Andarra. However, as Davian and his new allies hurry north towards the ever-weakening Boundary, fresh horrors along their path suggest that their reprieve may have come far too late.
In the capital, Wirr is forced to contend with assassins and an increasingly hostile Administration as he controversially assumes the mantle of Northwarden, uncovering a mystery which draws into question everything commonly believed about the rebellion his father led twenty years ago. Meanwhile, Asha begins a secret investigation into the disappearance of the Shadows, determined to discover not only where they went but the origin of the Vessels that created them – and, ultimately, a cure.
And with time against him as he races to fulfil the treacherous bargain with the Lyth, Caeden continues to wrestle with the impossibly heavy burdens of his past. Yet as more and more of his memories return, he begins to realise that the motivations of the two sides in this ancient war may not be as clear-cut as they first seemed . . .”
And this was my response on the Goodreads website…
James Islington’s writing is incredible. The way he handles the plot strands with the four main characters is brilliant, in my opinion. I really loved this book and have continued the tale by reading the final part of the trilogy. The only quibble that I have is with the multiple characters and places. I must admit that I found it all quite confusing at some points. At the beginning of the third book there is a synopsis of the story so far and this helped me to sort it all out in my head before plunging in to the final part! I can’t wait to find out how he rounds this all up, especially because of the surprises in the final sections of this central book in the trilogy.
As this second book was so long, as is the third, I had better get back to my reading. Is that a good enough excuse for spending so much time with my ebooks?
Today’s post is going to be very short. It’s Elder Son’s birthday today and we have been very busy organising some new storage in his bedroom. He has a massive collection of DVDs and we bought some IKEA shelving for them. Over the last couple of weeks we had a real muddle to sort out with the delivery of damaged shelves which had to be exchanged. Then IKEA sent one parcel without the fittings! Those missing parts have now arrived so I helped ES to arrange his DVDs in alphabetical order (my librarian skills were very useful!).
Anyway, with all of this, plus struggling with my health issues, I haven’t had enough time to write a proper post. I will try to do better next week.
It’s Wednesday, so time to update about my reading journey! The last couple of Reading Roundup posts have been about my discovery of James Islington’s Hierarchy series. Now that I have finished the published books I have turned to the trilogy that he wrote first: The Licanius Trilogy…
The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington
Here is the blurb for The Shadow of What Was Lost…
“It has been twenty years since the god-like Augurs were overthrown and killed. Now, those who once served them – the Gifted – are spared only because they have accepted the rebellion’s Four Tenets, vastly limiting their own powers.
As a young Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war lost before he was even born. He and his friends are despised beyond their school walls for the magical power they wield: a power that Davian, despite his best efforts, cannot seem to control. Worse, with his final test approaching and the consequences of failure severe, time to overcome his struggles is fast running out.
But when Davian discovers he wields the forbidden power of the Augurs, he unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events that will change his life – and shake the entire world.”
Having read the first two books in Islington’s Hierarchy series, I was looking forward to reading his debut. I was not disappointed! It is clear that his writing skills have developed since this book was published, but even in the early days his ability to handle multiple characters, detailed scene setting and very complex plots is exceptional. He uses some familiar themes: a school, a journey, the development of magical abilities, but in a refreshing way. His plots give the reader many surprises and are often ingenious. I would love to know who are his own favourite authors and which books!
I am really looking forward to reading the rest of this trilogy. What a treat!
In fact, I am about half way through the second book in the series, An Echo of Things to Come, so should be ready to write about it next week. Mind you, it is an extremely long book! Over 800 pages!
Former professional school librarian, now retired through chronic illness. Trying to keep cheerful by reading, drinking lots of tea, blogging my new life, and my love of bling!
The Librain
The Librain......retired 
Dear Lauren, thank you so much for this kind and lovely comment! Love & best wishes, Anne XXX