Reading roundup 11/08/21

Posted on 11/08/2021 by The Librain

It is so nice to be back this week and to be able to say that I have actually finished a book!

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

The book which has taken me so long to read is To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini. First of all, we have the blurb:

”Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds.

Now she’s awakened a nightmare.

During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she’s delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.

As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn’t at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.

While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity’s greatest and final hope . . .”

Here is the review that I have just written on the Goodreads website:

To Sleep in a Sea of StarsTo Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow! I am usually a fast reader, but this mighty tome took me some considerable time. I must admit that I almost gave up at some points, when the story began to drag, but it became more difficult to cut my losses when I had already read 500 pages, or 700, or even more.

There was a lot of good, exciting writing in this book – this kept my attention. There were also some glaring and some silly errors, which were hard to forgive. This is a science fiction book after all! I won’t go into a load of negativity but one glaring, and almost funny, mistake involved the author forgetting that Kira had lost one arm and writing that she held a cup in her “hands”!

I really feel that the book should have been somehow re-shaped into a trilogy. It was far too long as a single volume. Or it should have been cut down and edited into two or even one volume. There was a lot of unnecessary repetition, in my view.

All in all, however, I am glad that I persevered with the book and I am sure that the story will stay with me for quite a long time. I am left with a feeling of awe and wonder about the Universe in which we live and what may be waiting out there for us to discover in the future!

View all my reviews

I know that I repeat this next statement rather frequently, but it really is worth reading other responses to this book, as well as mine. My reviews are coloured by the effects of my very poor health, especially the stroke. Perhaps I am not always as unbiased as I should be. Anyway, bear in mind that the book is the Goodreads Choice 2020 Winner of the Science Fiction category!

I am not sure which book I am going to read next. There are a few queued up for me, so I will check through the blurb first. I think I need something shorter and snappier this time!

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes

Anne

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Update 09/08/21

Posted on 09/08/2021 by The Librain

Doesn’t Monday come around so quickly? I must admit that I am really enjoying the absence of the “Monday morning feeling”, now that I have retired.

I am still struggling with a very painful back, so, in between doing some recommended exercises, I am spending most of my time reading. Also, I haven’t yet decided which Hermès shawl I am going to get – it is a really big decision for me as it involves a huge amount of money! Of course, I will tell you all when it arrives.

So, I will leave you with this amazing image…

“Storm over a lavender field Provence France”, photography by Antony Zacharias

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 06/08/21 with more shawl pondering

Posted on 06/08/2021 by The Librain

Well, we are now at the end of another working week. For me, as someone who is retired, one day tends to merge into another and I find myself surprised when I realise that the weekend is near. I have attempted to reserve my Friday posts for “Outfit of the Week” updates, but, yet again, I have spent the week in pyjamas. Unfortunately, I have had quite severe issues with my back for a while and the pain has been really awful this week. As Lovely Husband has struggled with his back for a very long time, he has been able to help me with appropriate exercises and meds. I just hope that the pain goes away soon.

On Monday, I showed you some possible Hermès shawl options as I am planning to purchase one during the second half of this year. I still haven’t decided which one I like the best, despite suggestions on this blog and on Facebook. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus!

These were the options that I posted on Monday:

  • Kawa Ora H243274S 07
  • Bingata H243530S 07
  • Kawa Ora H243274S 12
  • Jardins de Soie H243534S 11
  • Bingata H243530S 09
  • Jardins de Soie H243534S 01
  • La Danse des Amazones H243593S 08
  • Les 12 Leopards H243762S 07
  • La Danse des Amazones H243593S 06
Possible shawl choices for Autumn/Winter 2021

Since I uploaded Monday’s post, I have found out that the two Kawa Ora shawls are not available from the Hermès online shop, so that rules them out for me. As it is such a huge purchase I have to make the correct choice and I wish I could travel to London and try on loads of the shawls!

Anyway, there are definitely a couple of designs and colourways in the running and I am going to leave a hint here! When I was 21, my parents bought me this silver charm bracelet for my birthday and, over the years, I have added lots of charms that really mean something to me. These bracelets have now gone out of fashion and I haven’t worn it for years. I even have more charms that need to be fixed on to it. So, I just came across it again when tidying my dressing table and enjoyed a few moments reminiscing about the occasions that the charms represent for me…

… and one of them relates to a possible scarf choice. Can you work out which one?

Silver charm bracelet

OK, that’s all for this week. 

I do hope that you all have a good weekend!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 04/08/21

Posted on 04/08/2021 by The Librain

Well, this week’s post is going to be rather short. You see, I haven’t actually finished a book! It turns out that the book I chose – To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, by Christopher Paolini – is so long that it could have been divided up into a trilogy. I am really enjoying it so far and I am about a third of the way through. Let’s hope that it continues to interest me and that I will be able to finish it and write about it in time for next week’s Reading Roundup post.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

OK, well that’s all for this week! I do hope that you will all have an enjoyable time with your own reading.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 02/08/21 with some choices to consider

Posted on 02/08/2021 by The Librain

I do hope that my readers had a good weekend. Unfortunately, I am still struggling with my health and haven’t been able to get out of bed and go downstairs. I really want to be able to get up and go for a walk to begin working on my fitness levels, but the horrible chronic cough won’t let me.

So, I am trying to think of nicer things. I am wondering if I can save up for another Hermès cashmere/silk shawl. Last year, I put together enough of my own money, plus birthday and Christmas presents, to be able to afford the gorgeous Plumes en Fête.

Here it is as a reminder…

Hermès’ Plumes en Fête shawl (H243433S 04)

And this is what it looks like with grey clothing…

Outfit of the day 01/12/20 with Hermès’ Plumes en Fête shawl

I also have a 140cm size cashmere/silk Hera shawl from Liberty…

Outfit of the day 20/01/20 with Liberty’s Hera shawl

So, if I did decide to save up for another Hermès shawl, which pattern and colourway should I choose, bearing in mind my wardrobe colours? These have evolved over the last few years as I have grown out my grey hair:

Base colours: navy and grey.

Accent colours (shades of): turquoise, blue, purple, pink, white.

I am completely flummoxed as to which colours I should choose? Or do I go for something completely different? Mind you, that would mean that my other accessories wouldn’t work.

Choices, choices!!!

Anyway, let’s look at some of the shawls that I am considering (note: some of these are from previous seasons)…

  • Kawa Ora H243274S 07
  • Bingata H243530S 07
  • Kawa Ora H243274S 12
  • Jardins de Soie H243534S 11
  • Bingata H243530S 09
  • Jardins de Soie H243534S 01
  • La Danse des Amazones H243593S 08
  • Les 12 Leopards H243762S 07
  • La Danse des Amazones H243593S 06
Possible shawl choices for Autumn/Winter 2021

Any suggestions would be really welcome and I am open to ideas about other designs/colourways.

Please help me choose!!!

Right, I think I had better have a rest from writing now – back to my book!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 30/07/21

Posted on 30/07/2021 by The Librain

This will be a short post today. I have been struggling with my health all week and haven’t been strong enough to get dressed properly. So, no “Outfits of the Week” post, sadly.

Instead, I have been watching a lot of TV on Netflix and am currently addicted to old episodes of Call the Midwife, amongst other programmes. Anything to take my mind away from present concerns. I also had a telephone appointment with my Consultant on Tuesday and managed to talk to him myself, rather than asking Lovely Husband to handle it all.

Elder Son often amuses himself with silly animal videos on YouTube and rushes into my bedroom when he finds something that really makes him laugh. This was the latest…

It is now raining heavily outside, so I will try to do something useful before my usual afternoon tea with a slice of jammy bread!

Happy Weekend to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 28/07/21

Posted on 28/07/2021 by The Librain

I really struggled to concentrate on reading ebooks during the recent heatwave. I simply couldn’t think properly! Despite this, I do have two books to write about this week.

Geiger by Gustaf Skördemam

So, my first read of the week was Geiger by Gustaf Skördemam, #01 Sara Novak series. This is the blurb:

”The landline rings as Agneta is waving off her grandchildren. Just one word comes out of the receiver: ‘Geiger’. For decades, Agneta has always known that this moment would come, but she is shaken. She knows what it means.

Retrieving her weapon from its hiding place, she attaches the silencer and creeps up behind her husband before pressing the barrel to his temple.

Then she squeezes the trigger and disappears – leaving behind her wallet and keys.

The extraordinary murder is not Sara Nowak’s case. But she was once close to those affected and, defying regulations, she joins the investigation. What Sara doesn’t know is that the mysterious codeword is just the first piece in the puzzle of an intricate and devastating plot fifty years in the making.”

I chose this book from the library ebook collection completely at random. This is the short review that I uploaded to the Goodreads website:

Geiger: The most gripping thriller debut since I AM PILGRIMGeiger: The most gripping thriller debut since I AM PILGRIM by Gustaf Skördeman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book had one of the most unexpected beginnings I have ever read. I was so pleased that I had chosen to read it! Scattered through the rest of the book were similar sections of really exciting thriller writing with plenty of twists and turns. Unfortunately, much of this was marred by the extensive pieces of very tedious historical exposition. These made the book far too long.

View all my reviews
The Pact by Amy Heydenrych

My second read was The Pact by Amy Heydenrych.

This is the blurb:

”What if a prank leads to murder?

When Freya arrives at her dream job with the city’s hottest start-up, she can’t wait to begin a new and exciting life, including dating her new colleague Jay. However, Nicole, Jay’s ex and fellow employee, seems intent on making her life a misery.

After a big deadline, where Nicole continually picks on her, Freya snaps and tells Jay about the bullying and together they concoct a revenge prank. The next morning, Nicole is found dead in her apartment . . .

Is this just a prank gone wrong? Or does Freya know someone who is capable of murder – and could she be next?”

And here is my review for this book – only worth two stars, in my opinion!

The PactThe Pact by Amy Heydenrych
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Oh dear! This book started off quite well and it was easy to read at first, but it quickly fell down the slope of unlikeable characters, confusing timelines and didacticism. The feminist message was fine at first, but soon became too much. Just about everyone was either extremely horrible or extremely wet. So much could have been easily sorted out by skilled techie people and what were loads of the characters… skilled techie people!

View all my reviews

Well, I don’t seem to be choosing the right kind of books at the moment! Let’s hope I have more luck with the next batch – you will find out next week.

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 26/06/21 with some new arrivals

Posted on 26/07/2021 by The Librain

Well, that was a hot and sticky week! With my large collection of health issues, steamy weather conditions are really difficult. I really struggled to breathe properly and had to fight to stay comfortable. Thankfully, everything has now cooled down and I feel a lot better.

During the week, two parcels from “Toast” were delivered, containing some really gorgeous nightwear. You have already seen the first one, the nightdress, in cobalt cotton with a pattern in a golden beige. The other parcel held a pair of pyjamas in the same colours. I had a bit of a hassle with the delivery of these items as it took almost two months from the date of ordering, but I have decided to keep them both as I really love them!

Here they are:

Marigold block print cotton nightwear in cerulean blue – Toast

You may remember that I originally ordered the large size of the nightdress, but decided to swap it for the smaller medium so that I can wear it as a dress. The medium is perfect for me and will look lovely. My current shape is pretty awful these days, but this “dress” makes me feel good!

The pyjamas are in the large size, but, as I do intend to use them as lounge-wear and in bed, they will do nicely. Both items were very pricey indeed and I usually don’t spend a lot of money on clothes (accessories are a different matter!!). In this case, however, Lovely Husband insisted on buying them for me as a special treat!

Anyway, the Toast website is worth exploring if you can afford a splurge.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 19/07/21

Posted on 19/07/2021 by The Librain

Hi! I do hope that you all had a great weekend! We are having a heatwave here in the UK. I know that many people love hot weather and I am happy for them that they can enjoy the sunshine.

Unfortunately, for me the heat is unbearable and I can barely cope. For that reason, I have decided to have a week’s break from the blog as I can’t think well enough to write. Also, I don’t think I will be able to read any ebooks this week as I can’t concentrate. So, Amazon Prime and Netflix will be my entertainment!

I will be back soon!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Scarf of the moment: Lazy Leopardesses

Posted on 16/07/2021 by The Librain

As I write this post, the new Hermès Autumn/Winter 20/21 designs are emerging and we are now able to purchase from the lovely range of scarves, twillies and shawls. At first (this usually happens to me), I had my eye on some designs, but, as the images began to appear online, I completely changed my mind!

My (first?) delivery of the season was Lazy Leopardesses by Arlette Ess. This is a 90×90 cm silk twill scarf in colourway #03, Rose Vif, Anthracite, Miel:

Lazy Leopardesses by Arlette Ess for Hermès

Description

This scarf is really a study in pattern and colour and, if you care to follow some of the links below to Ess’s work, you will discover she has designed other scarves like this before. Here, a group of five leopardesses lie in a languid, tangled heap, showing their glossy spotted coats. In colourway #03, some of the cats are depicted in lovely honey/beiges, tans and brown. Others are shown in shades of grey and black. Mysterious blue/green eyes look at us and one leopardess shows part of pink tongue!

Ribbons in a greyish white unfurl across the top and bottom of the scarf, showing the title “Lazy Leopardesses” and “Hermès, Paris”. The artist’s name and copyright sign can be found at the sides of the scarf in small letters.

What drew me to this particular colourway? Well, it was the luscious pink background and paler pink rolled hem. This scarf is going to work beautifully with my grey cashmere v-neck jumper, grey tops and winter coat! Shall I break my wardrobe planning colours altogether and invest in a camel cashmere jumper this Autumn?

Colourways

These are the colourways for the Autumn/Winter 2021 silk twill 90cm scarves. I have added in the codes to help those of you who wish to purchase this scarf.

  • H003779S 03
  • H003779S 04
  • H003779S 07
  • H003779S 15
  • H003779S 16

Design Story

“Often known as a panther in popular culture, the leopard has always embodied poise and royalty. This endangered species is now subject to a hunting ban in most countries where it is known to occur. Swiss designer Arlette Ess, who won third place in the Grand Prix du Carré Hermès launched internationally in 2019, chose to depict the felines resting and enjoying a well-deserved nap.”

Details

Here are some closeups of my scarf in a slideshow format:

How I wear the scarf

I haven’t worn the scarf properly yet, but have tried it on and attempted various ties with it. Some of you may remember my post about a couple of scarves by Fetolia from earlier in the year. One of these had colours very similar to this. Below, you can see the collage that I put together to show a suitable outfit for the Fetolia scarf and next to it is the same collage with Lazy Leopardesses. I think that the pink will give the whole outfit a different look!

I wonder what the two scarves would look like worn together? I will have to try! Anyway, when I have worn the scarf properly, I will upload the collages here.

  • Olympian Gods by Fetolia
  • Lazy Leopardesses by Hermès

Scarf ties

These are a few quick ties that I made to show the details and colours of the scarf. As it was brand new, the silk was crisp and rather stiff, so I haven’t yet tried more flowing ties such as the waterfall knot. I must apologise for the poor quality of the photos, but the sun was shining directly through my bedroom window and, I must admit, I’m a pretty awful photographer!

Lazy Leopardesses – scarf ties

Clockwise from the top left: asymmetric wrap, triangular drape knot, half bow knot, asymmetric wrap, basic bias fold, necklace knot with a gold scarf ring, basic bias fold, and a criss-cross knot using my mother-of-pearl scarf ring. Both scarf rings are by MaiTai.

Background information 

I have been able to find some information about Arlette Ess:

Arlette Ess
Arlette-Ess.com
The artists own website. This is really worth exploring to see her lovely scarf design, including some very similar to this one. A must for dog lovers, I think!

Eudon Choi
Eudon Choi uncovers/ Arlette Ess
An interview with the artist with photos of her and her work.

Facebook
Arlette Ess
The artist’s Facebook page. You can see some of her comments about this scarf design, beginning 6th July 2021.

Greige
Meet… Arlette Ess
An interesting interview with the artist, showing some of her work.

Vogue India
Art meets fashion in Hermès FW’21 collection of silk scarves
A short article including this scarf.

Wolf & Badger
Arlette Ess
Some of her work is available to purchase on the Wolf & Badger site.

And for all of you Big Cat lovers, here are a few Leopard links:

Wikipedia
Leopard
Extensive article.

Panthera.org
Leopard
Comprehensive information about these magnificent creature with photos.

I hope readers have found this exploration of Lazy Leopardesses both interesting and useful. Once again, if you find any errors or have any additional information that I could add, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Posted in Scarf of the moment, Scarves, Wardrobe | Tagged | 4 Comments