Reading roundup 16/10/24

Posted on 16/10/2024 by The Librain

Welcome to this week’s post. I have now gone way past my Goodreads target for the year – 50 books. Because I am working my way through old favourites, some of them haven’t registered on my count, so I have actually read quite a lot more.

This week I returned to another favourite from my youth: Barbara Hambly’s Darwath series. I read the first three books in my twenties and it has been interesting to revisit the first one in the series…

Time of the Dark by Barbara Hambly

I thought I would show you the newer ebook “cover” and an older version as a comparison! Anyway, as you can see, the book I read was Time of the Dark by Barbara Hambly, #01 Darwath Series. Here is the blurb…

“A California medieval scholar is pulled into a far-off magical world—and a fight to save mankind—in this novel by a New York Times–bestselling author.As a student of medieval history, Gil Patterson is a woman familiar with dark stories. She knows well the Crusades, the Black Death, and the other horrors of the Middle Ages, but it is another kind of atrocity that has begun to haunt her dreams. She sees forces of evil assaulting a beleaguered kingdom, whose kind people are on the brink of annihilation, and awakes each morning in a cold sweat. Gil dismisses the dreams until a wizard appears in her apartment. He has crossed into her dimension, passing through the fraying fabric of the universe, to ask her help. For mankind to survive he must protect an infant prince, whom he plans to hide in Gil’s world. The student of history is about to get much closer to evil than she ever imagined.”

And this is my response on Goodreads…

I have had to use a screenshot image above because the usual HTML code wasn’t there. Anyway, you can get the gist. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series before turning to a different book. There are a few in my ebook collection that look interesting.

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 11/10/24: Whoop! Hurray! Stunning! Amazing! Gorgeous! and so on…

Posted on 11/10/2024 by The Librain

Well, what has made me so thrilled and excited? You will have to read this (rather hysterical) post to find out!

Yes, I have a reveal for you. A terrific, wonderful reveal!

Here we go…

What have we got in the parcel? The largest Hermès box I have received so far…
On my bed and ready to open…
Yes, we know it’s an Hermès box. Please get on with it!

Alright, alright, here we go…

A shawl! Sous le Charme d’Orphée to be precise!
Let’s flip it over…

Yes, it’s Sous le Charme d’Orphée designed by Alice Shirley for Hermès. I already own this design as a 90cm reversible silk scarf, but this time it’s a cashmere/silk 140cm shawl. The purchasing code is H244177S 09 and the colours are Gris Chine/ Bleu Electrique. Here are the images from the Hermès website…

Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl by Hermès

Here are some closeups in a slideshow format…

I love how Hermès uses a design in different formats. This is my colourway of the silk 90cm double sided scarf…

Sous le Charme d’Orphée scarf by Hermès

Next Friday I will try to write a post with modelling photos. I am feeling too weak to do this today, so I hope that this post is enough! Also, I will add more information to the Scarf of the Moment post as soon as I feel able.

Well, I did manage to take a very quick snap with my John Lewis cobalt cashmere v-neck…

Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl with John Lewis cobalt cashmere v-neck

Ooh, I can see a bangle in that image that will look perfect with this shawl! Anyway, more about that next week.

Happy Weekend everyone!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 09/10/24

Posted on 09/10/2024 by The Librain

Welcome to the weekly post about books and reading. When I retired from working as a librarian, due to my health issues, I decided to track my reading on Goodreads. Every Wednesday I write on this blog about the books I have read. Since I had a stroke five years ago, I have to read ebooks because I can adjust the print to suit my damaged eyesight. In addition, I have memory issues which are extremely annoying when I try to read long complex books!

This week’s book choice was a science fiction classic. I had vaguely heard about it already, but hadn’t read it in the years since it was published in the 1980s.

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

The book was Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Here is the blurb…

“It is the 29th century and the universe of the Human Hegemony is under threat. Invasion by the warlike Ousters looms, and the mysterious schemes of the secessionist AI TechnoCore bring chaos ever closer.

On the eve of disaster, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set fourth on a final voyage to the legendary Time Tombs on Hyperion, home to the Shrike, a lethal creature, part god and part killing machine, whose powers transcend the limits of time and space. The pilgrims have resolved to die before discovering anything less than the secrets of the universe itself.

Winner of the Hugo Award for best novel, 1990”

It has taken me quite a while to reach the end of the book, but it was definitely worth my time and effort. This is my response on Goodreads…

Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1)Hyperion by Dan Simmons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have give this incredible book four stars rather than the full five because I really struggled to read it. It is incredibly complex and the structure was difficult for me. Although I once lived in Canterbury, I have never read the Tales. In Hyperion, Simmons uses the structure of Chaucer’s famous work, by having each main character tell a story, which eventually weave together.

The language and writing of the book is extraordinary. I can understand why it has become such a science fiction classic. I knew that it was written some years ago, but was surprised when I saw that it was first published in 1989. Simmons description of AI, future technology, political systems and the amazing complexity of life on the teaming worlds is just amazing.

There are several more books in the series, but I don’t know if my intellect is up to reading them. Perhaps I should have immersed myself in them a few years ago before I had the stroke!

View all my reviews

I will give serious thought to the question of whether I might tackle some of the other three books in the series, but I think I will try to find something lighter for my next read!

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 04/10/24: so the scarf and shawl designs for Hermès Spring/Summer 2025 are peeking over the parapet!

Posted on 04/10/2024 by The Librain

Friday is here! I must apologise for this short post, but I have been struggling again with my health this week and haven’t felt strong enough to change out of my pyjamas. In addition, I have attempted to help with more household tasks than usual!

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will be aware of my love for Hermès’ scarves and shawls. They arrive in two seasons each year: Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. Early photos of the Spring/Summer designs are slowly beginning to appear online and the thread for these has been started on The Purse Forum. They are eye-wateringly expensive as well as beautiful! But I love seeing them as they emerge.

Here is the link to The Purse Forum thread:

…..Hermès Spring/Summer 2025 Scarves…..

I cannot find any really good photos yet, but there are a few on the above thread and I am certain that there will be hundreds more as the weeks and months pass.

Happy Weekend to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 02/10/24

Posted on 02/10/2024 by The Librain

We have arrived at the first post of October already! This year is just flying past. I have finished one book this week and am about halfway through another. Here is the book cover…

The Stranger From Berlin by Melissa Amateis

This book, The Stranger From Berlin by Melissa Amateis, was a random choice from our Library Service’s ebook catalogue. I thought that the blurb seemed intriguing and I must admit that I also liked the cover! Anyway, this is the blurb…

“She doesn’t know if she can trust him. But she’s determined to save him . . .Nebraska, 1943:

Jenni Fields’shusband Danny was killed in action two months ago. Now pregnant with another man’s child, Jenni is determined to keep her secret from the small community of Meadow Hills.  Man Koenigfled Germany in 1938, escaping the Nazis and leaving behind a dark secret of his own. Employed to translate a historic German-language diary, Max moves to Meadow Hills, but the overly patriotic community isn’t happy to have a German in their midst.   When the diary goes missing, the whole town thinks Max is the thief. And when local businesses and landmarks start being vandalized with German graffiti, the residents naturally point the finger his way.   Jenni is the only one who believes Max is innocent. Clearly, the diary holds information someone in the town would rather keep quiet. What happened in Meadow Hills all those years ago? And will Jenni be able to prove Max’s innocence before it’s too late?”

This was a great read and I was surprised to find out that it is the author’s first book! Here is my response on Goodreads…

The Stranger From BerlinThe Stranger From Berlin by Melissa Amateis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has mystery, danger, intrigue and romance all rolled into a gripping tale about how prejudice and fear of discovery can whip up a community until the members are prepared to commit horrors upon the innocent. The author also writes an excellent and courageous heroine in this story.

The setting is a small town in Nebraska during WWII. The people live with a dark and evil secret that has been casting a dark cloud for many years. A German professor, Max, who has travelled to America to escape the war in his home country takes a job in the town. He is racked with guilt from past actions and the truth about these unfolds slowly. A range of despicable acts are committed in the town and Max is blamed for them. Only one person, Jenni, who is protecting her own secrets, believes in his innocence. All of these strands lead to an explosive conclusion.

I will definitely look out for this writer’s next book.

View all my reviews

The book I am now reading is a real science fiction classic. It’s quite long, so I will probably only manage this one book before next week’s post.

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 27/09/24: two nice outfits and a hairdo!

Posted on 27/09/2024 by The Librain

As I write this post I am sitting up in bed feeling a real sense of achievement! I have actually managed to go out twice this week – whoop!

OK, the first time, yesterday, was for a doctor’s appointment. But, today it was for a haircut and a lovely lunch. Elder Son accompanied me on both occasions, as I need his help and reassurance. I have become quite weak and wobbly. Anyway, I treated him to a lovely “Lemon Mess” pudding after the main course 😊.

I decided to try a little experiment with my outfits for these two events. First I chose navy and turquoise as the two main colours, then selected some items in those colours…

Turquoise and navy items from my wardrobe

The suede shoes and the twinset are from Lands’ End (the colours are much closer than in the above collage. The navy linen trousers are by Cotton Traders, the navy t-shirt by Sainsbury’s Tu and the metallic navy handbag is by Massacecesi.

I then chose a range of jewellery and two scarves which would compliment these items:

Turquoise enamel and gold bangle by Halcyon Days
Hera bangle by Liberty of London
Blue enamel and gold bangle by Halcyon Days
Australian opal and rose gold brooch
Blue topaz and gold earrings
Peacock feather brooch

So here is a quick photo of Thursday’s outfit:

Outfit of the day 26/09/24 with Hermès’ Bateau Fleuri gavroche

And this is the cute little scarf:

Bateau Fleuri gavroche by Hermès (45cm)
Outfit of the day 27/09/24 with Hermès’ La Promenade de Platon scarf
Hermès’ La Promenade de Platon in a necklace knot
Outfit of the day 27/09/24 with Hermès’ La Promenade de Platon scarf

As you can see above, my visit to the hairdresser went well – I think so anyway!

This is a picture of the lovely scarf. It was my first Hermès purchase:

La Promenade de Platon by Hermès (90cm)
La Promenade de Platon by Hermès (90cm)

I think that is all for now. The experiment kept me amused, so I might try it again. Now, which colours should I choose next time?

Happy Weekend to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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PS. If you would like more information about these two scarves, including colourways, detailed photos, scarf ties, background information and so on, please look at these posts below:

  1. Scarf of the moment: Bateau Fleuri
  2. Scarf of the moment: La Promenade de Platon

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Reading roundup 25/09/24

Posted on 25/09/2024 by The Librain

Well, it’s Wednesday once again, so time for my weekly post about my reading. This week I decided that I really should finish a book that I had put aside for a while (if you can say that about ebooks!)…

Black Sun Rising by Celia Friedman

Yes, I finally finished Black Sun Rising by Celia Friedman, #01 The Coldfire trilogy. Here is the blurb:

“Over a millennium ago, Erna, a seismically active yet beautiful world was settled by colonists from far-distant Earth. But the seemingly habitable planet was fraught with perils no one could have foretold, and the colonists found themselves caught in a desperate battle for survival against the fae, a terrifying natural force with the power to prey upon the human mind itself, drawing forth images from a person’s worst nightmare or most treasured dreams and indiscriminately giving them life.

Twelve centuries after fate first stranded the colonists on Erna, mankind has achieved an uneasy stalemate, and human sorcerers manipulate the fae for their own profit, little realising that demonic forces which feed upon such efforts are rapidly gaining in strength. Now, as the hordes of the dark fae multiply, four people – Priest, Adept, Apprentice and Sorcerer – are about to be drawn inexorably together for a mission which will force them to confront an evil beyond their imagining, in a conflict which will put not only their own lives but the very fate of humankind in jeopardy …”

That seemed intriguing! To be honest, I am unsure how I feel about the book, probably because it took me so long to read it. I did give it four stars. Perhaps I was being generous. Anyway, this is my review on Goodreads…

Black Sun Rising (The Coldfire Trilogy, #1)Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This must be the first time that I have read a Fantasy/Science Fiction crossover. Friedman melds the two genres together in quite an interesting way, especially in her scene setting. The descriptions of the planet where the story takes place are a novel mix with alien creatures as well as “fae” forces and powers which act upon the planet and its inhabitants.

Unfortunately, some of the characters are less well drawn and the plot often drags in places, which is why I put the book aside for a while. The last third, or thereabouts, was probably the best part, but I am not sure whether I will read the rest of the trilogy.

View all my reviews

Now I am going to return to the book I am currently reading…

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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PS. By the way, on my wanders around the web I came across this list of the late David Bowie’s favourite books on the New York Public Library’s site. I must admit that I haven’t read many of them – he must have been far more erudite and intellectual than I am! Anyway, it’s certainly a very interesting list…

In Memoriam: David Bowie’s Top 100 Favorite Books

By Lauren Weiss, Social Media Marketing Associate

January 11, 2016

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Friday post 20/09/24: final Summer outfit?

Posted on 20/09/2024 by The Librain

So Friday has come around again and here is this week’s post. I haven’t been able to leave the house and have spent most of my time in bed. To keep Lovely Husband company, I try to go downstairs every afternoon to watch some TV with him and do the household chores that I am still capable of. On Monday, for example, we have our weekly Tesco delivery and I am able to assist with that quite a lot. LH now uses a stick, so finds it very difficult to carry things. Of course Elder Son is fit and able to help and he gives us a lot of support – we are very grateful for this.

I did manage to to put together a nice outfit on one of my better days. Here is the collage…

Outfit of the day 16/09/24 with Jaipur Blue Throwover by One Hundred Stars

This is what the throwover by One Hundred Stars looks like from the back…

Jaipur blue throwover by One Hundred Stars

I will now have to think about more autumnal outfits as the days cool. The linen, fine fabric kimonos, cotton dresses, sandals and vests will begin to make way for my cotton knit twinsets, jeans, shoes and boots…

AND

Scarves!!!!! Bring out the Hermès again! (And some others).

Time to sort them out, ready for wearing. This is a great example…

Sous le Charme d’Orphée double sided silk scarf by Hermès

Happy Weekend to you all.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 18/09/24

Posted on 18/09/2024 by The Librain

Welcome to my weekly post about the books I am reading. Last week, I finished another reread of a Guy Gavriel Kay book: The Last Light of the Sun. Then I had trouble choosing my next book with a few false starts. Finally, I decided to return to a book I was reading before the recent episode of depression. Unfortunately, I still haven’t finished it yet, so will have to write about it next week (assuming that I do get to the end).

So, that’s all my reading news!

Here’s the cover of the GGK book:

The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 13/09/24: with two lovely kimonos

Posted on 13/09/2024 by The Librain

Welcome to this week’s Friday post! I managed to wear a couple of pretty outfits recently. Both were based on kimono jackets that were purchased from One Hundred Stars.

These are the jackets…

Kimonos by One Hundred Stars

To go with the kimonos I chose sleeveless vests (one white, one grey, both Lands’ End), trousers (navy Cotton Traders, grey Cotswold Collection), suitable earrings and the same necklace for both. Here are the collages for each outfit…

First the blue outfit:

Outfit of the day 01/09/24 with China Tree kimono jacket by One Hundred Stars

And the second:

Outfit of the day 08/09/24 with Ancient Columns kimono jacket by One Hundred Stars

I’ve just noticed that I have almost the same expression in the above photos! Not sure how I did that.

Anyway, I think that is all for now, so I wish you a Happy Weekend!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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