Update 05/06/20 with a special treat!

Posted on 05/06/2020 by The Librain

You didn’t think that I would manage to avoid spending money during lockdown, did you? I need the occasional treat to keep me going, even if I choose something rather impractical! You will see what I mean in a minute…

We have a local boutique in the village, that I follow on Facebook. The owner posts photos of some lovely clothes and I fell for a rose-coloured denim jacket by Joules. I thought that it would fit nicely into my wardrobe and could be worn with navy, mid-blue, denim and white. When it was offered in the sale, I was really disappointed to discover that my size had sold out. I wanted to buy from the local shop, but it was not to be. Then I saw that the jacket was on sale at John Lewis in my size…

So, here it is: Imogen denim jacket by Joules, in rose (it is also still available in several sizes and in blue):

Denim jacket in rose by Joules

It looks really lovely on. Unfortunately, my varied medications have given me a really odd shape. I have lost my waist and have developed a horrible “tum”, which upsets me. But we have to dress the figure we actually have, not the one that we used to have or wished we could have again! Traditional denim jackets (I used to have a lovely one by Levi’s when I was young) are totally the wrong shape for the “new” me.

These are some of the clothes and accessories that I might wear with the jacket. First, a warm weather collage with a sleeveless vest and a linen skirt:

Joules denim jacket with warm weather clothing

Next, a collection for cooler weather, with cashmere, denim and boots:

See, it fits in very well!

Now, I had better hold back before doing any more shopping because I am not actually leaving the house! But wouldn’t some rose pink earrings look nice, or maybe some in mid-blue…

Have a lovely weekend!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

💕💗💖💗💕

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Reading roundup 03/06/20

Posted on 03/06/2020 by The Librain

I have really enjoyed my reading this week, having finished two great books and now being half-way through a third.

A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness #1) by Joe Abercrombie

The first book was A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness #1) by Joe Abercrombie. Here is the blurb:

The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities. But old scores run deep as ever.

On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal’s son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments.

Savine dan Glokta – socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union – plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control.

The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of the Long Eye. Glimpsing the future is one thing, but with the guiding hand of the First of the Magi still pulling the strings, changing it will be quite another…

And this is my quick review on Goodreads:

A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness, #1)A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really love Joe Abercrombie’s writing and have read all of his books so far, I think! So, I was chuffed to bits when I saw this one. It is quite a long time since I last read one of his books and I have had a mild stroke in between. This meant that I struggled at the beginning of this one. First of all, I couldn’t remember much about the previous books. A few names, perhaps, but very little of the plots. Secondly, I couldn’t keep all of the new characters and their plot lines clear in my mind. Maybe some guiding at the beginning of each chapter would have helped?

Luckily, as the book moved on, the power of the writing, the vivid characters and the dark humour gripped me as usual and things became much clearer. I really enjoyed the whole riotous tale and cannot wait to read more!

I suppose that the stroke has given me a fantastic reason for reading all of Joe’s books again! What a treat 😄!

View all my reviews

Ooh, I think there is another book available in the series, so I will go and investigate after finishing this post…

Perfect Kill by Helen Fields

My second read of the week was a return to a favourite series: Perfect Kill (D.I. Callanach #06) by Helen Fields. This is the book’s blurb:

Alone, trapped in the darkness and with no way out, Bart Campbell knows that his chances of being found alive are slim.

Drugged and kidnapped, the realisation soon dawns that he’s been locked inside a shipping container far from his Edinburgh home. But what Bart doesn’t yet know is that he’s now heading for France where his unspeakable fate is already sealed…

DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach are working on separate cases that soon collide as it becomes clear that the men and women being shipped to France are being traded for women trafficked into Scotland.

With so many lives at stake, they face an impossible task – but there’s no option of failure when Bart and so many others will soon be dead…

And this is my verdict:

Perfect Kill (D.I. Callanach, #6)Perfect Kill by Helen Sarah Fields
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great series and a really great read! I have enjoyed the five books before this one and found the sixth equally absorbing and entertaining. There is a really good balance between the writing about the personal lives of the main characters and the crimes they are investigating.

The author certainly enjoyed writing her rather graphic accounts of those crimes – at times they almost became too much for me, despite my strong stomach. The whole book was exciting and inventive and I hope that it isn’t the last in the series. I think these characters could carry on for a long time yet!

View all my reviews

Cambridge Blue by Alison Bruce

I had a browse around the public library ebook catalogue for the next book and chose a book by a new-to-me author. My verdict will be revealed next week…

Until then: Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne📚📖📚📖📚

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Update 01/06/20 with some updating!

Posted on 01/06/2020 by The Librain

As I mentioned a while ago, my post about The Purse Forum and Hermès scarves from 2017 needed checking and updating. It has been one of the most popular posts on the blog and I am so pleased that it has been helpful to many visitors. So, I spent some time yesterday checking the links and adding a few more. I hope that the post continues to be useful to H scarf addicts!

The Purse Forum is a very informative and entertaining site – certainly worth exploring, whether you are interested in handbags, scarves, fashion or a range of other matters.

Anyway, here is a screenshot and link to my post: Wardrobe Planning #15: Hermès Scarves – The Purse Forum


Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Outfit of the day 29/05/20

Posted on 29/05/2020 by The Librain

I am rather pleased with myself today because I have managed two walks around the block this week! It feels like an achievement even though it only takes me ten minutes each time. But that is ten minutes of fast walking in the sunshine, admiring all of the lovely gardens on my route and listening to the birdsong.

Otherwise, I am spending most of my time on my iPad. I was trying to imagine, the other day, what this lockdown would have been like before the days of all this technology. Say, when I was a child in the 1960s? I would have read loads of books, then re-read them over and over. Perhaps I could also have played the piano quite a lot before driving my parents mad! Mum would have insisted that we help clean the house, Dad would have roped us into gardening and washing the car. My siblings and I would have played in our garden for hours – we had lots of imagination.

But if I had been the grown-up version of me it would have been very hard. Without modern technology I would be really stuck: no ebooks, no news websites, no streaming TV, no emails or chat apps.

So, there are reasons to be thankful after all!

On my walk, I wore another of my Lands’ End sleeveless cotton tops, plus Isle linen-mix trousers, with this cute necklace from Bill Skinner and lovely silver earrings by RR Designs on Etsy…

Outfit of the day 29/05/20

I do hope that you have a great weekend!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading Roundup 27/05/20

Posted on 27/05/2020 by The Librain

Oh dear! I have to admit that I haven’t finished a book this week. Perhaps I have been busy with other things? I am not sure. So, I will write about my current book next week as I will definitely have completed it by then…

…I expect!

This is the book I am enjoying at the moment:

A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness #1) by Joe Abercrombie

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

📖📚📖📚📖

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Update 25/05/20

Posted on 25/05/2020 by The Librain

Our days seem to have settled into a rhythm now, depending on whether Elder Son is working or not. They are all so repetitive that there is very little to write about on this blog, sadly. I am too weak and tired to get dressed on most days, so I stay in a t-shirt and pyjama trousers, occasionally adding a necklace or earrings. Usually, I get up for lunch and Lovely Husband and I sit together and watch TV, then I do a couple of jobs and return to bed to entertain myself with my iPad.

The weather has been quite lovely and warm for weeks, but I think I have become so used to staying indoors that I have developed a mild phobia towards sitting outside. I only feel safe in bed. I need to get over this so that I can get the benefit of the sunshine!

I didn’t manage to update the Wardrobe Planning post over the weekend, but will try to do so as soon as I can. Instead, I am sharing this link with you – I found it thoroughly entertaining!

Boredpanda: Museum Asks People To Recreate Paintings At Home, Gets 30 New Impressive Photos

Here is an example…

#9 The Great War By Rene Magritte

It is really worth scrolling down the page. People can be so inventive!

Right, I am now going to drag myself out of this gloomy mood. Maybe I will go sit in the garden!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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P.S. I sat outside and read for an hour or so, after writing the post. Tried not to look at the weeds and lush overgrown areas!

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Outfit of the day 22/05/20

Posted on 22/05/2020 by The Librain

I should really begin a series called “Outfit of the Week”! During present circumstances, I am finding it very difficult to make myself get properly dressed. Unless I feel strong enough to go for a walk (I have managed this twice during the week), I cannot raise either the energy or the enthusiasm to get fully dressed. Most days, I wear my pyjamas all day or just a nice top or t-shirt with my pyjama trousers and, perhaps, a necklace.

Anyway, here is a very quick collage of one of my outfits this week. I cannot bring myself to include a selfie because I look so bedraggled! My hair has grown almost to my shoulders and looks a real mess.

Outfit of the day 22/05/20

Today’s outfit:

  • Pond blue cotton sleeveless vest – Lands’ End.
  • Navy linen trousers – Isle Collection.
  • Navy, neutral and blue horn necklace – via Etsy.
  • Blue, black and white enamel and rose gold bangle – Ianthe – Liberty of London.

Every time I wear one of these Lands’ End vests I feel that I should recommend them. They are produced in a range of colours each year and are made in lovely thick cotton fabric. The shoulders are cut wide enough to hide bra straps. I usually buy new ones in the sales!

One of my most visited posts seems to be “Wardrobe planning #15: Hermès scarves – The Purse Forum”. This was written when the blog was quite new, back in April 2017. I took a quick look at it the other day and realised that it needs updating. If I feel well enough over the weekend, I will try to work on it, checking the links and making sure everything is current. Hopefully, it will be ready for Monday.

Anyway, I hope that you all have a good weekend.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

💕💗💖💗💕

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Reading roundup 20/05/20

Posted on 20/05/2020 by The Librain

I have just finished this week’s book – Phew! That is truly the right word and you will soon see why, if you stay with this post…

Dark Age by Pierce Brown

Just a reminder: back in September 2019, before I had my stroke, I was engrossed in Pierce Brown’s Dark Age (Red Rising Saga #09). After my time in hospital, I didn’t have the vision or the cognitive function to carry on reading the book and so I set it aside for a few months. In the end, I bought it in ebook form and restarted reading it from the very beginning after last week’s Reading Roundup post. This was certainly the correct path as I could only remember small details from the plot. So, I really immersed myself in the book and I had better give you the blurb before I link to my review on Goodreads:

For a decade Darrow led a revolution against the corrupt color-coded Society. Now, outlawed by the very Republic he founded, he wages a rogue war on Mercury in hopes that he can still salvage the dream of Eo. But as he leaves death and destruction in his wake, is he still the hero who broke the chains? Or will another legend rise to take his place?

Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile, has returned to the Core. Determined to bring peace back to mankind at the edge of his sword, he must overcome or unite the treacherous Gold families of the Core and face down Darrow over the skies of war-torn Mercury.

But theirs are not the only fates hanging in the balance.

On Luna, Mustang, Sovereign of the Republic, campaigns to unite the Republic behind her husband. Beset by political and criminal enemies, can she outwit her opponents in time to save him?

Once a Red refugee, young Lyria now stands accused of treason, and her only hope is a desperate escape with unlikely new allies.

Abducted by a new threat to the Republic, Pax and Electra, the children of Darrow and Sevro, must trust in Ephraim, a thief, for their salvation—and Ephraim must look to them for his chance at redemption.

As alliances shift, break, and re-form—and power is seized, lost, and reclaimed—every player is at risk in a game of conquest that could turn the Rising into a new Dark Age.

This is my review:

Dark Age (Red Rising Saga, #5)Dark Age by Pierce Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I finished this book I couldn’t stop shaking for quite some time. I was almost speechless in response. The sheer horror of the multiple deaths and gore-fest battles was quite overwhelming. The bleak darkness was almost too much to handle.

Before I started writing this response, I thought for a while about how I would phrase it and also how to rate the book fairly. One part of me wanted to give it no stars at all and write something really negative and scathing in this box. So many millions of deaths! Such huge destruction! Evil blood-thirsty characters!

But, you know what? This is only a book. It is fiction for goodness sake! It is not real! If all of this could happen in real life – terraformed planets with billions of people being destroyed by hordes of giant armoured maniacs – then, of course, horror and disgust would be suitable responses. But in the middle of a real world-wide pandemic, this ill and depressed person found just the right book to take her mind away from her own real problems for a few hours.

Therefore, I am now eagerly anticipating the final(?) book in the series with great hopes for a wonderful ending to the whole saga. These imagined worlds are so amazing and the tale so gripping that I can’t wait…

View all my reviews

After this epic read, I can’t decide what to tackle next so you will have to wait until next week to find out!

Until then, Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

📚📖📚📖📚

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Reading roundup 13/05/20

Posted on 13/05/2020 by The Librain

I read a book by my favourite author this week. In fact, he is my favourite author of all time! Even more gratifying was the discovery that I had actually missed the fact that not just this book, but another had been published in recent years. So, I am lining up this other book to be read very soon. How wonderful!

Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay

The author is Guy Gavriel Kay and the book was called Children of Earth and Sky. Here is the blurb:

From the small coastal town of Senjan, notorious for its pirates , a young woman sets out to find vengeance for her lost family. That same spring, from the wealthy city-state of Seressa, famous for its canals and lagoon, come two very different people: a young artist traveling to the dangerous east to paint the Grand Khalif at his request-and possibly to do more-and a beautiful oman, posing as a doctor’s wife in her role of a spy.

The trading ship that carries them is commanded by the clever younger son of a merchant family -with ambivalence about the life he’s been born to live. And farther east a boy trains to become a soldier in the elite infantry of the khalif-to win glory in the war everyone knows is coming.

As these lives entwine, their fates-and those of many others-will hang in the balance, when the khalif sends out his massive army to take the great fortress that is the gateway to the western world…

Here is my review on the Goodreads site:

Children of Earth and SkyChildren of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I simply cannot give less than five stars to this book, because I am completely in awe of GGK and always have been since my close friend recommended his writing. I love the way that he has created an alternate world, with two moons, which mirrors events in this one. I must admit that I don’t know anything about this particular period and the parallel events in our world, but that did not prevent me from immersing myself in the plot and characters. His plots and characters are always so interesting.

His writing always haunts me with its beauty. The way connections are made between the characters, then unmade as events take hold, then sometimes remade again. When I finish one of his books, they keep a hold on me for years. They are the only books that I have read and re-read multiple times, often for comfort. I still find new discoveries amongst the echoes of the previous reading.

As I can now no longer read print books, since I had a stroke, I am going to make sure that I have his entire work as ebooks, for those times when only the escapism of a GGK book will do!

View all my reviews

Many times I have recommended reading other reviews on Goodreads. In this case, it would be helpful to read other people’s reaction to this book, rather than my paean of praise!

Dark Age by Pierce Brown

I have now finally returned to the book I was halfway through back in September 2019: Dark Age (Red Rising Saga #05), by Pierce Brown. It is such a long book that it will probably take me more than a week to read! I cannot remember any of the book that I had already read, so it is like starting again and that is actually a bonus.

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

📖📚📖📚📖

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Update 11/05/20 with our back garden

Posted on 11/05/2020 by The Librain

This is a very short post today as I couldn’t think of anything to write! My brain is trying to avoid thinking too much about the horrible looming crisis and how poorly our government is behaving. I have absolutely no confidence in our leaders. So, I am blotting it all out by reading and binge watching TV shows – the current one is the brilliant “This is us”.

Last week I said that I would post a photo of our garden. This one isn’t the best, but it gives an idea of what it is like. We live in a three-bedroomed semi-detached house, built in the 1930s. In those days, houses often had quite big gardens. Ours is long and narrow, about 100 feet long and broadening out for the last third. There are mature trees on the right-hand side and at the end. The neighbours on the left cut down all the trees on their border with us some years ago. I really love our garden and, during the almost twenty years that we have lived here, have worked hard to develop it. I don’t like anything too manicured, which is just as well! Sadly, I have been unable to do anything in the garden for a few years because of my multiple conditions. We do have a great guy who cuts the lawn and does some weeding, but the garden is really showing my enforced neglect.

In the near distance, you can see a filled in pond (for safety), then we have two inter-locking flower beds with patio furniture on decking. The path goes under an old swing then we have a large open grassed area where Younger Son used to practise his bowling (cricket), many years ago. I find it hard to go out into the garden because I feel so guilty looking at the weeds and mess that I cannot tackle. In fact, I haven’t been able to force myself in it yet this year, despite the lovely weather we have had.

Anyway, these quick snaps give you the idea…

Garden 10/05/20

Garden 11/05/20

I will try to take some better photos soon. Oh, this post has ended up at a normal length after all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

🦋🌳🌹🌼🌹🌳🦋

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