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Month: May 2024

A Fountain Pen Rainbow

Posted in Fountain Pens

Tomorrow starts Pride Month, and as a proud pen collector, I couldn’t let it go by without a pen rainbow. It was hard to narrow down a single pen for each color, and even harder to stick to pens that are primarily one color — I didn’t fully succeed there. Maybe I’ll do another one of these later in the month with the Bi flag. We’ll see.

Proud pen addict button/pin

There are plenty of pen pictures, so this one could count as a pen porn post, too. To include more pens, I cheated a bit and added brown, black, and white. I know they aren’t actually part of the rainbow, but I doubt anyone will complain.

If you want to have some extra fun, try to guess what pens are in the “rainbow.”

Pen rainbow photo blocked out by the colors.

Pen Porn: Sakura Nagare Comparison

Posted in Fountain Pens

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.

Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉

About a year ago, I bought myself the standard size Sailor Pro Gear Sakura Nagare. About a month ago, Jim bought us the King of Pen size Sakura Nagare. I don’t mean the new 1911 version that released last year(?) I mean the original, 2010 Pro Gear KOP.

Since we now have both original versions, I thought it would be interesting to compare them. Especially because, to my surprise, they are not identical in design.

The standard and KOP versions side by side

Review – Undoing

Posted in Book Blogger

Undoing

by L.L. Diamond

Book Cover: Undoing

Genres: Historical British Fiction, Historical Regency Fiction, Historical Romance
Release Date: March 27, 2020
Pages: 439
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★★☆

Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Bennet had always hoped to marry for love – that is until she surrenders to her mother’s demands and marries the handsome Duke of Leeds. Thrust into a society disinclined to accept a country nobody who somehow entrapped one of their most prominent members, Elizabeth holds her head high, ignoring their whispers and stares and a husband whose indifferent behaviour confuses her. Her marriage of convenience is nothing like what she expected.

Fitzwilliam Darcy is a man torn. After meeting the Duchess of Leeds at a ball, he is fascinated by her intelligence and humour, but how does one maintain a respectable friendship with a lady – particularly when that lady is the wife of his cousin and godfather? His father and his sister both love Elizabeth, and he quickly realises he loves her as well, though not as one loves a cousin or even a sister. His feelings must stay hidden from everyone, particularly Elizabeth, but how is he to keep himself under such strict regulation when he is constantly thrown into her company? How does one prevent their own undoing?

Contains scenes with adult content.

Ink Battle: Vinta and Vinta

Posted in Ink

This ink battle is between Vinta Inks Ibid (Sailfin Green) and Vinta Inks Sirena. Both inks are in a pen fitted with a #6 Jowo M nib. The paper is Muji plain loose leaf refill.

This is another battle of bottle versus sample. I didn’t realize that these two are so similar. For those unfamiliar with these inks, Ibid has shimmer, but I let it settle since Vinta shimmer settles almost completely.

You can assume I have no problems with any ink that appears in an ink battle. The point of the battle is to choose a winner of the two colors. I use a pair of similar inks in pens with the same nib, then test them out to see which I like better. Generally, I’m trying to decide which ink to keep, but sometimes I’m trying to decide which to buy, or if I should buy one ink when I already have a similar one.

I may find out that, when used with the same nib, they’re sufficiently different to own them both. Depending on how these battles turn out, I may tag some of the posts as ink dupes as well. You can find all of the ink battles posts on the tag page.

Review – Thaw

Posted in Book Blogger

Thaw

by Anniina Sjöblom

Book Cover: Thaw

Genres: Historical European Fiction, Historical Fiction Short Stories
Release Date: December 19, 2019
Pages: 138
Purchase from: Amazon
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

It is a truth universally acknowledged that one false step can involve a lady in endless ruin. On a rainy November day in 1811, Miss Elizabeth Bennet finds herself wondering why no one ever bothered to tell her about this.

A few blithe steps on a morning walk, taken after a succession of rain, lead to unexpected events that irrevocably change the course of Elizabeth’s life, placing her fate in the hands of the haughty and conceited Mr. Darcy – the last man in the world she had ever thought to marry.

As long winter days slowly pass, she writes letters to her loved ones, trying to come to terms with her new role as a wife and the Mistress of Pemberley. But can she ever learn to love her husband? Will he overcome his arrogant notions of rank and circumstance?

And most importantly – will the shades of Pemberley ever recover from being thus polluted?

This novella is based on the beloved characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Ink Battle: Troublemaker and Diamine

Posted in Ink

This ink battle is between Troublemaker Butterfly Dream and Diamine Classic Green. Both inks are in a pen fitted with a #6 Jowo EF nib. The paper is Muji plain loose leaf refill.

This is another battle where I own a bottle of one color (Butterfly Dream) and a sample of the other. I like Classic Green, but wasn’t sure it made sense to buy a bottle.

You can assume I have no problems with any ink that appears in an ink battle. The point of the battle is to choose a winner of the two colors. I use a pair of similar inks in pens with the same nib, then test them out to see which I like better. Generally, I’m trying to decide which ink to keep, but sometimes I’m trying to decide which to buy, or if I should buy one ink when I already have a similar one.

I may find out that, when used with the same nib, they’re sufficiently different to own them both. Depending on how these battles turn out, I may tag some of the posts as ink dupes as well. You can find all of the ink battles posts on the tag page.