Welcome to my weekly post about the books I am reading. Since last Wednesday I have enjoyed one very long ebook…
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
I had already read one of Kate Morton’s books, Homecoming, so I looked on the Library’s ebook catalogue and reserved some of her others. So I had been waiting for The House at Riverton for quite a while. Here is the blurb…
“Summer, 1924. On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.
Winter, 1999. Grace Bradley, ninety-eight, one-time housemaid at Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet’s suicide. Ghosts awaken, and memories, long-consigned to the dark reaches of Grace’s mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge; something history has forgotten, but Grace never could . . .”
This was a long book, but the strength of the writing and characters, the beautifully written setting and the obvious depth of research that must have gone into this book made the whole experience immersive and enjoyable.
I liked the way that the story was told by a woman in her nineties for a beloved grandson. Some parts were from the past, the early twentieth century, other sections were from the old lady’s life in the 1990s. I found the structure of the book interesting and it held my attention throughout.
The changing social attitudes and how they affect the characters were very important to the plot and reminded me of the TV series “Upstairs, Downstairs” and also “Downton Abbey”.
I noticed a couple of interesting hints towards the end, which tied up some loose ends – or did they? Anyway, the book is well worth reading.
Hello and welcome to my blog. I usually post twice per week: on Wednesdays I write about the books I have read over the previous week and on Fridays I ramble on about a range of things, mostly scarves!
It was my birthday last Friday and I had a lovely day, thanks to my “chaps”: Elder Son and Lovely Husband who live here. I was fortunate to receive some gorgeous gifts and I have made a collage below…
Birthday gifts 2024
My presents were:
Stupendously amazing Sous le Charme d’Orphée cashmere/silk shawl by Hermès (this is also my Christmas 2024 present from LH).
Incredibly pretty jewellery in blue and silver by Lovisa – I asked for blue stones to go with the Hermès shawl.
Gorgeous and spectacularly soft scarf by Park Lane. The colours are stunning!
Do you like all of the superlatives in the above list?
ES also gave me some scrumptious chocolates from Lindt. I am trying to eat only two per day so that they last!
Lindt LINDOR Raspberry & Cream Truffles
Regular visitors will have already seen images of me wearing the shawl, but I am posting the full picture of it here and you could look at my detailed Scarf of the Moment post about the design.
Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl by Alice Shirley for Hermès
The lovely soft scarf has gorgeous shades of purple, orange, pink and a light grey. My sister said that she chose the bright colours to cheer me up! The scarf looks lovely with my purple clothes and accessories and I think it would also work with pink, although I don’t have any cold weather items in the right shade of pink. Perhaps I will remedy that some day.
Here it is with a Lands’ End purple top and amethyst earrings by Blue Nile…
Scarf by Park Lane
And a close-up of the scarf…
Scarf by Park Lane
To finish, these are the earrings and top with some other purple accessories…
Clockwise from the top left:
Purple suede boots by Duo Boots.
Amethyst and silver earrings by Blue Nile.
Amethyst and crystal necklace – present.
Purple leather bracelet by Ferragamo.
Purple cotton top by Lands’ End.
Purple necklace by Grand Tour Collection.
Now I need to build up my strength so that I can actually go out wearing some of these lovely things.
Welcome to this week’s post. So, I have just finished a book that was really not the kind that I usually choose, but then it had…
Librarians!
…on horseback!
One of my friends posted about this book on Facebook and I was so intrigued that I just had to read it. Here it is…
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
The book was The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. Friends recommended this highly and the blurb was also interesting…
“Set in Depression-era America, a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond.
When Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve, she escapes her stifling life in England, but small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books on horseback as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically. What happens to these women—and to the men they love—becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity, and passion.
Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, enthralling, it is destined to become a modern classic—a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.”
As a retired librarian I had to read this book! I really love the idea of getting the right book into the right hands. I tried to do this all of my career and I feel so privileged that I was able to work as a librarian.
In the book, however, these intrepid women were not in a (usually) warm, comfortable and well stocked library building, but battling through the countryside with rain, snow, floods and mud on horseback! They also had to contend with hostility, rejection and even violence from their potential “customers” and from some local townspeople. The bravery of women like this, working to bring a wonderful service to people scattered around in tiny settlements is awe inspiring.
The main characters were really interesting and there were well written interwoven storylines with definite romantic elements. The customs and traditions of the time and the ways that the plucky women dealt with them were gripping in parts. Plenty of heroines and heroes to cheer and villains to boo!
The book is based on real events in the USA in the 1930s and 1940s and I would love to know how widespread the service was and whether it continued in some areas.
Yes, it’s my birthday today! I have had some lovely presents and treats and I feel so grateful. As I want to relax today, I am just writing a basic post and will show you my gifts next week.
We have reached the first November reading post already! This week I am writing about two books in the Darwath series by Barbara Hambly. Regular visitors might remember that I have been recently rereading the first three books that I first came across decades ago. Then I discovered that Hambly added two more books to the original trilogy in the 1990s. And I hadn’t known about them, let alone read them already! I was so pleased and quickly went to download them. Anyway, here they are…
The Mother of Winter by Barbara Hambly, Darwath #04Icefalcon’s Quest by Barbara Hambly, Darwath #05
So, we shall begin with The Mother of Winter, Darwath #04. This is the blurb…
“A RETURN TO THE REALM OF DARWATH…
Five years after the departure of the Dark from Darwath strange occurrences begin to develop in the Vale of Renwath. There are geological upheavals and an increasing amount of ‘slunch’ – a heavy, inedible, juiceless fungus. Cave bears, woolly mammoths and sabretooths seem to be flocking to the area. Even stranger are the sightings of ‘thaght’n’ – creatures who possess a kind of magic which even magician Rudy Solis cannot defeat or deceive. Thus as Gil, who crossed the void from present day California, and her lover, the wizard Ingold, return to the Keep from the flooded delta city of Penambra, they realise that something is desperately wrong …
Something, somewhere, is attempting to terraform the world by the use of magic to accelerate the rate of chilling until the temperature reaches the point that it – whatever ‘it’ is – finds comfortable …”
I was so pleased when I found out that Hambly had written two more books in the Darwath series. As I had just been re-reading the first three after a break of many years, the discovery was like the cherry on top of the cake! Hambly has clearly developed as a writer over the intervening twenty years or so from the first book in the series to this one.
It was so nice to get re-acquainted with my favourite characters in a setting five years on from the original trilogy. They are facing new enemies and obstacles in this book. The plot is exciting and gripping, although I continue to wonder how Ingold Inglorion manages to survive, given the detailed descriptions of his numerous injuries at several points in the tale!
When I finished this book, I went straight on to Icefalcon’s Quest, Darwath #05, feeling a little sad that this is the final book in the series. Oh, I am such a sentimental reader! I grow to love some of the characters in long series and feel rather bereft when I have to leave them. That’s probably why I reread my favourite books so often.
Here is the blurb…
“The Icefalcon’s first mistake was to rescue the old man named Linok. His second mistake was to leave Tir, his young charge in the old man’s care…
Linok was not as he seemed, and when he disappeared, snatching Tir away with him, the Icefalcon begins a desparate quest to rescue his charge. But this will be no ordinary struggle, for against the Icefalcon come hellish furies – an army of ghostly soldiers horrifically constructed, demons of the air and magic so dark it terrifies him. There is also Hethya, the young woman who was once in Linok’s care. She claims to be possessed by a spirit who lived in the Time of the Dark and believes it knows the secret in the crypt below the Keep, the target against which all the forces of darkness are gathering…”
Once again, I enjoyed being drawn in to the world of Darwath and this is what I wrote on Goodreads…
This final book in the series was my least favourite, but there were definitely good parts of the book:
* The Icefalcon’s character had not been very developed in the preceding books. We were told quite a lot about his appearance, skills and weapons, but he seemed to be quite distant and austere. In this book, he really grew as a person and it was really interesting to read about the changes.
* There were intriguing descriptions of magical technology that had been, apparently, hidden away for thousands of years of years, but were resurfacing for a variety of reasons.
* Many parts of the plot were exciting and well written as were the descriptions of the various settings.
* It was nice to encounter well-loved characters from the previous books now and then. I also enjoyed reading about Tir and how he was growing up.
However, some sections of the book did not work well for me. The “spirit walking” became irritating and there was a strange jump in the plot with the arrival of our hero-wizard. Also, everything was too rushed at the end to kind of round off the tale.
It is definitely worth reading this book if you have read the rest of the series first, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a standalone.
Welcome to today’s post. Once again I have spent a lot of time revising and editing one of my Scarf of the Moment posts. This time it was the one about the gorgeous Hermès’ Sous le Charme d’Orphée double face silk scarf and my new cashmere/silk shawl. There was certainly a lot of new information and photos to add.
As usual, please let me know if you find any errors or have information that I could incorporate. I hope you find the new version of Scarf of the moment: Sous le Charme d’Orphée interesting and useful…
This is the last Reading Roundup post for October – wow! I have been really enjoying working my way through old favourites from my younger days. One of the things that I love about books is that you can discover new aspects of the plot or characters each time you read them. This has definitely been the case for me with these wonderful books.
The Armies of Daylight by Barbara Hambly
So last week I finished the final book in the Darwath trilogy, The Armies of Daylight, and then found out that Barbara Hambly had written two more books in the same world! I felt so happy to think that I could read more about her great characters such as Gil, Rudy and Ingold Inglorion. Anyway, here is the blurb for Armies of Daylight…
“Since the Dark Ones returned, the world has been laid to waste.
The wizards have been slaughtered, cities destroyed, and people have scattered in terror.
Few have witnessed more of the destruction than Rudy and Gil — two ordinary Californians who found their way across the Void, and took up arms in defence of a strange and magical world. She learned the ways of war, while he found within himself the powers of a great wizard. Both of them will need all their strength to survive this final challenge. Ingold, the master wizard, has devised a spell to hide the user from the deathly stare of the Dark, and he intends to use it to strike at their very heart.
Finally, Rudy, Gil, and the rest of mankind’s survivors will take the offensive, bringing an end to this terrible war, for better or for worse.”
This is a great ending to the original trilogy (two more books set in this world were added some years afterwards). The characters continue to develop as do the political shenanigans. Hambly is so insightful with her understanding of how humans might behave in such terrible circumstances: their world crumbling around them, having to flee their homes, the death of family members and friends, terrifying alien creatures devastating and crushing human existence, law and order falling apart.
Gil and Rudy use their different skills, learning and knowledge from the modern day USA to help solve mysteries and support the battle for human survival. Great stuff!
I am writing this post at 12.00 UK time. Later on today, I may finish the next book Mother of Winter, Darwath #04. If that happens, I will try to add the details to this post. If not, I will write about it in next week’s Reading Roundup. Mind you, I am really enjoying the book and don’t want to spoil the experience by rushing to the end!
Friday is here again and it is time for a new post! This week I have been out of the house wearing one version of a gorgeous scarf design, and have taken lots of modelling photos with different scarf ties of another version. Confused? Well, let me explain…
The answer is that I am so fortunate to own the Alice Shirley for Hermès design “Sous le Charme d’Orphée” both as a 90cm silk scarf and as a 140cm cashmere/silk shawl.
Here they both are, the scarf first, then the shawl (obviously not to scale!)…
Sous le Charme d’Orphée scarf – Hermès Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl – Hermès
So, on Monday I had to go for a blood test at the surgery. Elder Son agreed to accompany me and I suggested that we could go into town afterwards and have lunch together. I am really pleased that this plan worked out well, after a wobbly by me! This is the outfit that I assembled for the occasion: Sous le Charme d’Orphée silk scarf, tied to show the reverse side, with clothing and accessories in grey and silver.
This is a collage of the outfit…
Outfit of the day 21/10/24 with Hermès’ Sous le Charme d’Orphée scarf
And here are two photos to show how the scarf ties (by the way, this is a criss-cross knot with a MaiTai mother of pearl scarf ring)…
Outfit of the day 21/10/24 with Hermès’ Sous le Charme d’Orphée scarfOutfit of the day 21/10/24 with Hermès’ Sous le Charme d’Orphée scarf
I was very happy to see how this outfit worked out.
Now for the gorgeous, amazing, superb and wonderful shawl version! I have managed to take some modelling photos this week. Some show my face and others focus on the attempt at a tie/knot. I’m not very skilled with arranging a shawl of this size yet, but I did try!
For these photos, I wore a bright cobalt blue short sleeved cotton top by Lands End. The shawl will also complement well other colours in my wardrobe. In fact I have just realised that the clothing that I would wear with that amazing bright Tulipomanie giant triangle would be perfect with this shawl. Let’s have a look…
Yes, these will work! The collage shows some possible items in cashmere, wool and cotton from my wardrobe, by John Lewis, Lands’ End and Marks and Spencer.
Do you want to see the slideshow of the shawl details again? OK, here it is…
One final thing: you might remember that I mentioned a bangle that I have that would work with this shawl? Well, this is it: Ianthe bangle by Liberty of London…
Ianthe bangle by Liberty of London
Ooh! I can’t wait for the suitable occasion and weather for this shawl! Mind you, to get the value from this purchase I should wear it every day. And that would be a pleasure 😄.
Happy Weekend everyone!
Love and best wishes,
Anne
💕💗💖💗💕
PS. Yes, I know I need to update the Scarf of the Moment post to include this shawl. I will have to do this slowly on days when I am able to. My health is very poor and I seem to be adding even more nasty conditions to the already long list!
Wednesday’s reading post is here! I have been really enjoying reading the Darwath series by Barbara Hambly again. This week I finished the second book and am halfway through the third. I have also found out that Hambly has added two more books to the original trilogy, so I have just bought them as ebooks and am looking forward to reading them soon.
The Walls of Air by Barbara Hambly
The cover on the left is for the ebook that I have just finished, while the one on the right is for the paperback that I have downstairs on the shelf!
Here is the blurb for Barbara Hambly’s The Walls of Air #02 Darwath series:
“Once upon a time, Gil and Rudy lived simple lives.
Until they met Ingold, Gil was an ordinary PhD candidate and Rudy was a drifter, whiling away his life riding motorcycles under the California sun. But wizards have a way of complicating things. Ingold brought them across the Void, where an evil known as the Dark threatened to devour civilization whole.
Civilization’s hopes rested on an infant prince, and to protect him Gil and Rudy had to draw on newfound powers — she as a warrior, he as a wizard. With Ingold’s help they escaped the Dark, and led a hardy band of survivors to a far-away keep, where humanity could be safe for a time.
But now that time is past, they have been found, and there is nowhere to hide from the Dark.”
I first read this series back in the 80s and have re-read it a few times since then. Coming back to it now for nostalgia reasons, I am so glad that I decided to do this. The first volume was great, but this one takes the story much further with epic journeys and huge shocks. Of course I remembered a lot of the plot, but I noticed a lot more: the character development, the world building, the careful plot arcs.
The book is definitely of its time and some things that were OK for the 80s probably are not so acceptable now (the developing relationship between a powerful man in his 60s with a woman in her 20s, no matter how strong she is).
One tiny quibble. This ebook version has various errors, but they did not detract from my enjoyment of the book.
When I have finished the third book, which I will write about next week, I will take a break from all of this nostalgia and try something new from the library. I have quite a few ebooks waiting on the library app!
A new Friday Post is here again! I will begin with an apology: I kind of promised that I would take some modelling photos with my new Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl and post them today. To be honest, the darker evenings plus my health issues have put me off wearing the shawl. I have been fighting severe depression to the level that I seriously thought of returning the shawl because I felt that someone like me shouldn’t spend that amount of money on a frivolity. “I don’t deserve expensive items like this”, kept going round in my head.
My family is really struggling as I have written about many times. The three of us in this house all have different health problems and we desperately need something positive to happen. We must move house and before we can sell this one we must have a lot of quite serious repairs done. Nothing is working out for us. Lovely Husband and I are trying to support each other when we are down and we also attempt to keep our sense of humour, but there seems to be very little progress.
Right, I must stop having a moan!
Even though I didn’t wear my new shawl this week, I did manage to put on a lovely outfit on one day. I dug out my beautiful Johnstons of Elgin cashmere stole…
Pixelated Check Cashmere Stole in turquoise by Johnstons of Elgin
These are two quick photos that I took on Monday…
Outfit of the day 14/10/24 with Johnstons of Elgin’s cashmere stoleOutfit of the day 14/10/24 with Johnstons of Elgin’s cashmere stole
And here is the outfit…
Outfit of the day 14/10/24 with Johnstons of Elgin’s cashmere stole
Outfit details:
turquoise cotton mix cardigan, Lands End.
navy t-shirt, Sainsbury’s Tu.
grey stretch trousers, Cotswold Collection.
navy, blue and white crystal drop earring, present from Elder Son.
turquoise, navy and grey cashmere stole, Johnstons of Elgin.
I will definitely try to take photos of my new shawl soon, as well as work on the Scarf of the Moment post, but it all depends on my mental and physical health. Anyway, that’s all for now and I hope that you have a good weekend.
Love and best wishes,
Anne
💕💗💖💗💕
PS. There’s more information about this scarf here.
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 House At Riverton by Kate Morton
The Librain
The Librain......retired 
[…] If any of you wish to see my Scarf of the Moment post about this lovely scarf design, the…