So, after an extra day in February we have finally reached March! It’s beginning to feel like Spring is not far away, despite the miserable weather here. I am looking out of my window at grey clouds, but thinking about better days to come.
I was going through my photos on the iPad this morning and realised that I hadn’t written a post about another purchase from One Hundred Stars. Regulars will probably have realised that I love their clothes. The prints are wonderful! I fell for one in blue and white ages ago and finally decided on this throwover…
Jaipur Blue Throwover – One Hundred Stars
I think this will be great in the Summer over a white or navy vest and linen trousers. This pattern is also available in a range of other items, even a velvet throw 💙, so I’m very tempted! Their new season prints are also really gorgeous.
Here is the throw…
Jaipur Blue Velvet Throw – One Hundred Stars
We have put the wheels in motion to have quite a lot of minor work done on the house over the next few weeks. Most are fairly small repair jobs which have been annoying us for ages. Let’s hope it all goes smoothly and doesn’t raise too much dust! We will be so relieved when it’s all done.
Welcome to this week’s post! Today I am writing about the first two books in a trilogy that I kind of stumbled upon.
This is the first in the Fallen Gods trilogy:
Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
So, the first book was Godkiller by Hannah Kaner, a new author. This is the blurb:
“You are not welcome here, godkiller
Kissen’s family were killed by zealots of a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing gods, and enjoys it. That is until she finds a god she cannot kill: Skedi, a god of white lies, has somehow bound himself to a young noble, and they are both on the run from unknown assassins.
Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, they must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favour.
Pursued by demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning – something is rotting at the heart of their world, and only they can be the ones to stop it.”
I was really intrigued when I saw this book (OK, it was on offer!!!). Anyway, I am glad that I didn’t overlook it as I really enjoyed it, giving it four stars. Here is my response on Goodreads:
A really enjoyable Fantasy read with interesting characters and an intriguing background – all of those “gods”! As a first book, it was very well written and engaging with plenty of surprises. The use of differing viewpoints is something that usually irritates me, but in this case it was important to the tale.
I have immediately downloaded the second book and am almost halfway through that one! Can’t wait for the final episode.
It was definitely worth paying more for the second book…
Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner
As you can see above, the second book is titled Sunbringer. This is the blurb:
“Return to the world of Godkiller in this thrilling sequel to the #1 internationally bestselling fantasy debut
When Middren falls to the gods, your kind will be the first to die.
Gods are forbidden in the kingdom of Middren—but now they are stirring, whispering of war. Godkiller Kissen sacrificed herself to vanquish the fire god Hseth, who murdered her family and endangered her friends. But gods cannot be destroyed so easily, and Hseth’s power threatens to reform with even greater strength and a thirst for vengeance. As tensions rise throughout the land, the kingdom needs its Godkiller more than ever.
Still reeling from the loss of Kissen, young noble Inara and her little god of white lies, Skedi, have set out to discover more about the true nature of their bond. As the divide between gods and humans widens, Inara and Skedi will uncover secrets that could determine the fate of the war to come.
Meanwhile, Elogast, no longer a loyal knight of King Arren, has been tasked with killing the man he once called friend. The king vowed to eradicate all gods throughout the land, but has now entered into an unholy pact with the most dangerous of them all. And where his heart once beat, a god now burns. . .”
Once again, I became really immersed in this tale and here is what I wrote on Goodreads:
Before I write a proper response, I just want to say how amazing the covers are for these first two books! Really gorgeous.
I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down! The characters continued to develop and some quite surprising new directions were followed. In a way, I am sad that the book was published so recently because that probably means that the third one will take a while to appear. The world building and ideas behind this series are excellent and I am sure that Kaner has a lot more to bring to Fantasy writing in the future. Perhaps more based in this world?
I had to go to a Very Important Meeting yesterday. The sort of meeting that makes you nervous for several weeks/days in advance. The kind of meeting where the outcome is crucial. The sort of meeting where you need the boost from looking your best.
To help a beloved family member, I had to find all of my courage to leave the house and dig deep to support him. Yes, outfits are rather trivial in all of this, but giving some of my attention to the trivial helped. It really did.
I tried to make a collage from these items, but couldn’t get it to work, so I have simply uploaded the images. There isn’t a photo of me wearing this ensemble as I was shaking with nerves!
Hera handbag – MassaccesiNavy v-neck – WoolOvers Plumes en Fête by Hermès (90cm)Bracelet in Persian Green – MassaccesiNavy cord trousers – Lands’ EndBlue topaz earrings
The outfit was based around my new Massaccesi handbag with its glorious Persian Green leather, plus matching bracelet. I chose navy clothing as a background: a v-neck jumper from WoolOvers and cord trousers from Lands’ End. My scarf was the beautiful Plumes en Fête by Hermes with its blue, green and purple shades. The shoes and jacket were also navy and I wore earrings in blue topaz.
Here is a larger image of the scarf:
Plumes en Fête by Hermès (90cm)
And the outcome of the meeting? Positive 😁. Now we can have a rest and then face the future.
Welcome to this week’s post about my reading. As I have been very busy preparing for a difficult meeting tomorrow, this is going to be a very brief post. I have only read one book this week…
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Once again, I made a random choice from the library’s ebook offer: The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. As I was so distracted by family issues, it took me most of the week to finish and, because I continue to be distracted, I could only manage to write a very brief response. I hope that my normal habits can be resumed very soon!
Anyway, here is the blurb, to begin with:
“Marissa and Mathew Bishop seem like the golden couple . . . until Marissa cheats. In a desperate attempt to repair her family, Marissa takes a chance on maverick therapist Avery Chambers, who lost her licence due to controversial methods.
If Avery Chambers can’t fix you in ten sessions, she won’t take you on as a client. She helps people overcome everything, from domineering parents to assault. Her successes almost help her absorb the emptiness she feels since her husband’s death.
When the Bishops glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course they never expected. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger. Not all of them are who they seem, and matters are about to turn deadly…”
An interesting and twisting thriller, told from two points of view and written by two authors. There were parts of the book which dragged a bit, but, overall, it was well worth reading. I was surprised by the final chapters (must be losing my touch!).
Welcome to today’s post. I am happy to announce that the package I have been eagerly awaiting since last Summer arrived the other day! Those of you who connect with me on other platforms may have spotted this already, but won’t have seen the “proper” reveal.
Here it is in all its glory!
The classic Massaccesi dust bag appearsFirst view of the glorious colour and the intriguing strapMassaccesi midi Hera laid out on my bedShowing the lovely sage fabric liningMassaccesi midi Hera
Yes, I ordered a new-to-me handbag design from Marco Massaccesi: the midi Hera. The amazing leather is Persian Green Diamond calf, with silver hardware. The colour is a greenish turquoise (or you might say turquoise-ish green) and will look amazing with my navy outfits. It is such a statement bag that will probably work best without other stand out items to distract from its beauty. Having said that, I had a look through my scarves and realised that these two would possibly work with it…
First, Hermès’ Plumes en Fête:
Plumes en Fête by Hermès (90cm)
And also Hermès’ De la Mer au Ciel:
De la Mer au Ciel by Hermès (90cm)
Both of these scarves have lovely blues and greens in the pattern. Here are a couple of photos of the scarves with the handbag. What do you think?
Massaccesi Hera handbag with Hermès scarves
In real life the colours go really well together. The lighting in this room is not the best. The Plumes en Fête looks particularly lovely with the bag, but the whole effect might be too much! I will have to try on the whole outfit and see: navy cashmere v-neck jumper, navy trousers or jeans, navy boots and fairly unobtrusive silver earrings.
I have a big and very serious meeting coming up and an outfit like this will really help my confidence, which is shot to pieces at the moment along with my health!
Oh! I almost for got this! I already had a small amount of the same beautiful leather: this wrap bracelet that I bought ages ago. This would go with the outfit too…
Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! The stressful family issues are still continuing, but they are taking a little break at the moment. So, here is a catch up post.
I have read three books since I last wrote one of these posts. Here is the first one…
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
After tackling a really long and complex book, Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Lords of Uncreation, I should have chosen something much shorter and easier to read. Instead, I decided to try Robert Galbraith’s The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike #06). Perhaps not the best choice when struggling mentally and physically! Anyway, here is the blurb:
“When frantic, dishevelled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart , Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie’s true identity.
Robin decides that the agency can’t help with this – and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart .
Robin and her business partner Cormoran Strike become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie’s true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits – and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways . . .”
It took me a long time to finish the book and this is my response on Goodreads:
I enjoyed this book immensely, but I must admit that it was very long indeed. When you suffer from memory issues, it’s hard to manage a book of such complexity and length. However, I enjoyed the “dance” between Robin and Strike very much. The book was very well written and, for once, I didn’t work out the “baddie”. All of the online fuss about these books is totally perplexing and utter nonsense. Just shows that so many people make silly judgements about books they obviously haven’t read at all!
In my present condition I am so thankful that ebooks are available. I really struggle to remember character names and certain incidents in the plot, from one day to the next. At least I can use the search tools to remind myself, when I need to!
Anyway, on to the second book…
The Sentence by Christina Dalcher
I wonder if this was the best choice as I was suffering from really horrible dark moods! Or maybe the book was somehow cathartic. Anyway, The Sentence by Christina Dalcher became available on my library reservations, so I downloaded it. Here is the blurb:
“A law intended to end capital punishment.
Prosecutors who seek the death penalty put their lives on the line if the guilty are later found innocent.
A lawyer convinced beyond reasonable doubt.
Justine Boucher is presented with overwhelming evidence in a brutal murder case. Her request for execution is granted.
But what if she’s wrong?”
Although this was a very difficult book to read, because of the subject matter, I did read it very quickly. This was my review:
I am glad that I am British and that we ended the barbaric practice of capital punishment so long ago. Having said that, it was interesting to read this thought provoking book from that angle. I found it well written, gripping and heart-breaking in turn. Dalcher is a brilliant writer who makes the reader pause and think. In many places, I found it very difficult to read on and the open ended conclusion was somewhat annoying, but, at the same time, an understandable way for the author to finish the story.
My feeling is this: what loving mother could bear to leave her young child without either parent and with such a horrifying legacy?
My final book was a completely random choice from the ebook catalogue…
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
The selected book was Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney. This is the blurb:
“After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.
The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…
Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.”
So, it appears that I chose another darkly themed book! As I am now in a much better mood at the moment, perhaps these books helped. Apologies for the very sparse “review”…
I have given the book four stars, but I am still rather unsure about what I really feel about it. The story takes a common “whodunnit” theme, which was an OK thing to do. All I can say about the main characters is that I am glad I am not related to people like them! I did guess some of the ending, but not everything, which was good, and enjoyed the reading experience.
I will certainly look for other books by Alice Feeney.
This is just a short post to say that I am taking a week’s break from the blog. I am going through some really difficult health and family issues at the moment and am struggling badly. So, I think that it would be the best idea to have a break whilst I try to sort out all the issues I am dealing with.
Yet again I am struggling on a Friday. I have had a horrible coughing attack and also some kind of brain problem today involving frightening memory issues. So, instead of trying to write a coherent post, I am putting up an image of my new lovely lapis lazuli earrings. I bought them to go with my Hermès shawl: Le Jaguar et Le Colibri. The square shape echoes the patterns of the amazing border…
First, a reminder of the shawl:
Le Jaguar et Le Colibri shawl – Hermès
Then, a close up of the border:
Le Jaguar et Le Colibri shawl – Hermès – border image
And these are the earrings that I bought recently from Etsy – Noqra Designs.
When I wear them with this shawl, I turn them slightly so that they mimic the patterns in the border.
Lapis lazuli earrings by Noqra Designs on Etsy
I will try to have a restful afternoon and weekend and, hopefully, my health will improve next week.
Welcome to this week’s Reading Roundup! At last, I have managed to finish the book that I mentioned last week. I had to pace myself with it, to do it justice, so it took me a long time to read it.
Here it is…
Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Lords of Uncreation is the final book in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s The Final Architecture trilogy. This is the blurb:
“He’s found a way to end their war, but will humanity survive to see it?
Idris Telemmier has uncovered a secret that changes everything – the Architects’ greatest weakness. A shadowy Cartel scrambles to turn his discovery into a weapon against these alien destroyers of worlds. But between them and victory stands self-interest. The galaxy’s great powers would rather pursue their own agendas than stand together against this shared terror.
Human and inhuman interests wrestle to control Idris’ discovery, as the galaxy erupts into a mutually destructive and self-defeating war. The other great obstacle to striking against their alien threat is Idris himself. He knows that the Architects, despite their power, are merely tools of a higher intelligence.
Deep within unspace, where time moves differently, and reality isn’t quite what it seems, their masters are the true threat. Masters who are just becoming aware of humanity’s daring – and taking steps to exterminate this annoyance forever.”
And now we have my response as written on Goodreads:
This was a great ending to a fantastic series. I knocked off one star because the first half of the book was a bit slow and somewhat overloaded with all of the different points of view. However, I must credit the person or people who decided to put lists of the characters, a timeline, and a recap of the story into the book. These were so helpful to someone, like me, who has problems with memory!
The second half really picked up the pace and lead to satisfying resolutions to the different aspects of the plot. Tchaikovsky is such an inventive writer with an incredible imagination. I am in awe of how his mind comes up with such amazing ideas, characters and scenarios and cannot wait to read what he comes up with next.
I think I will have to choose something completely different for my next read. Tchaikovsky’s work is brilliant and amazing, but it takes a huge amount of concentration, which I struggle to achieve!
Sorry folks! There isn’t a proper post today because I haven’t got the time to write one. I have a lot of work to do – filling in complicated forms and writing letters – for Elder Son who can’t do all of this for himself. It’s all giving me brain ache, but I have to do it.
Anyway, I hope that normal service can be resumed next week. At least I can post something lovely to look at…
Screenshot from @ArtNouveauDeco on Twitter – accessed 17/11/23
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