A repeat of a reading poll we did in 2011 and 2012.
Please recommend a great book to add to our summer reading lists, and tell us what fragrance we should wear while reading it.
Note: top image is Hardcover book gutter and pages [cropped] by Horia Varlan at flickr; some rights reserved.
I ordered The Shining Girls; while I wait, I’m reading Game of Thrones BEFORE i start to watch the series!
And I always recommend anything by Francesca LIa Block! I think Necklace of Kisses would be a great summer read for anyone!
Ah, yes I have finally finished the Game of Thrones books, so now I feel ok requesting the DVDs from the library. I did the same with Hunger Games, and I don’t regret it!
Related, but perhaps OT, I saw a Tshirt the other day that said “The book was better.” I was very tempted to buy one. 🙂
Marjorie Rose, I would buy that T-shirt! Trying to finish Game of Thrones before moving the the DVDs. Just finished Gone Girl, perfect portrayal of sociopathy in marriage – chilling, plan to read Gillian Flynn’s other books this summer. Also recommend Susan Hill’s detective series for summer distraction. Will hunt up the Mary Roach too.
Sotd: SL L’eau, total scrubber. Daim Blond would be perfect for reading in a darkened room; for the beach might choose Azemour, although the new Nicolai sounds promising. Anyone tried it yet?
I enjoyed Gone Girl too! Read it because of all the hype, but the “twist” caught me totally off guard!
I agree about L’eau! NOT one of his better scents. Mary Roach’s book is really quite fun. Although she certainly discusses the science, it’s as much a series of portaits of the researchers who are brave enough to study such taboo topics. And she’s very funny, to boot!
Gulp! was great! Funny, enlightening, smart, thought-provoking. Loved it. And I feel deep compassion for Elvis. What suffering he endured, if what they postulate is correct.
SOTD: Opus VI
Mary Roach is awesome. I don’t know if you’ve read her others, but besides Gulp, “Stiff” and “Packing for Mars” are definitely worth your time and belly laughs. (I’m less enthralled with “Spook” or “Bonk”, although they both have interesting and/or hysterical moments.) I’d even recommend a book she *edited*, the 2011 Best American Science and Nature Writing. Last year’s collection was not nearly so good, somehow.
Gone Girl has been lingering on my list for ages. It was a bookclub pick, but I missed that month and didn’t read it. I’m moving it up on my list (and adding a few others from the comments below, too!)
Gone girl is great.
I’m also reading Game of Thrones this summer, but I have a feeling it’ll arc into the fall. I’m about halfway through the first book. I’ve also horribly spoiled myself by reading the Game of Thrones wiki and watching clips of the TV show on YouTube, but it doesn’t take much of the fun of reading the books away, actually.
I’ve been thinking a lot about perfume and these books. Enough that it might be worth writing more in depth about later. 🙂
I’ve just started reading GOT, halfway thru book 1. I watched the first two seasons on DVD and became addicted. It was so good. I’m glad I watched first, because now I see the scenery and visualize the characters. Reading the story now seems like an enhanced version. It is great!
I’m reading The Keep by Jennifer Egan. It’s written in a really compelling and interesting style. Some people find it confusing but I am enjoying it.
I’m also reading Wolfe Hall due all of your recommendations and while I like it I often find it difficult to figure out who or which Thomas is being referenced in a particular passage. This book requires a lot of undivided attention, at least for me.
Tara, The Keep is one of those rare novels that I felt compelled to reread. I loved it, and even passed it on to my son. If I was still in a book club I would have recommended it there as well. I also recommend Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, but I preferred The Keep. Funnily enough, I’ll be reading Wolf Hall soon as well, as soon as my mother is done with her copy. We must be book twins!
I’m a huge fan of Wolfe Hall and have also read Bring Up the Bodies and can’t wait for the third book in the series. I had to buy them as real books not Kindle ones in order to have the big chart of who’s who provided at the beginning of the book. Because Cromwell has traveled a lot and become rich he has some refined tastes in food. I remember some great descriptions of cooking and meals. Somehow the thought of ginger and other spices comes to mind–maybe in certain ginger biscuits or candied something? Keep on the lookout for those. A ginger scent would be good for these books!
I can’t wait for the next one too! Mirror and the Light, I think.
Calypso, I haven’t gotten to the food parts yet. I’m still at only about 10% (whatever that is) of the book according to the Kindle. Isn’t strange how the Kindle changes the perception of reading.
Jirish, I am wow-ed by how Jennifer Egan writes and how she weaves the stories together. It’s so compelling. I have a party to go to tonight but I’d rather stay home and find out what happens with Danny, Howie and Ray.
Since we are book twins 😉 what else are you reading? Have you read Where’d you go Bernadette? Or Gone Girl? I really enjoyed those books.
This is so funny, because I finished Where’d You Go, Bernadette? just a few months earlier, and am looking forward to reading Gone Girl. Do you like Murakami? I also just finished rereading 1Q84, but if you haven’t read him before I’d suggest The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles or Kafka on the Shore first. Have you read Cloud Atlas? I thought that was brilliant and somewhat similar to The Keep in having a complicated structure with interlocking stories.
I read Wind-up Bird Chronicles (last summer?) due to this very reading list last year. And, consequently, just got Kafka at the Shore today at the library. Seems like good summer reading to me!
I’m reading The Wind Up Bird Chronicles, too–but became annoyed after seeing somewhere that the English translation edited out a chunk of the original (toward the end, I think). Did you find that it flowed properly?
Oooh, I have a giant spring/summer reading list, pretty much exclusively consisting of popular science. I’ve found a like-minded group of folks so we’ve got a little nerdy reading club thing going.
I’m going to recommend James Watson’s The Double Helix about his and Crick’s discovery of the structure of DNA. It’s under 200 pages long, pacey, gossipy, fun and reads like a detective story. I finished it in 2 evenings.
Another great book that I think I might have mentioned before is Chopin by Adam Zamoyski.
Wear Patchouli 24 for that great smell of old books.
Double Helix sounds good! I sometimes consider showing the movie Race for the Double Helix to my students. I think it’s good for kids to see that scientists are people, too. Sounds like the book continues in that vein!
Doooo it, Marjorie Rose! It will probably be the first and last time that any of them will hear about poor Rosalind Franklin!
I’ve almost finished reading ‘The Best of Everything” by Rona Jaffe, about a group of young women in NYC in the 1950s and their pursuit of love, careers and friendships – so far, really enjoying it.
It has a few scented references in it – one character is a beauty editor and is tasked with promoting the perfume ‘Wonderful’, another character’s scent is described as smelling like ‘little sweet flowers, lots of them, not any special one’. I imagine an Estee Lauder fragrance, since Lauder does abstract florals so well and embodies the department store beauty counter that made perfume accessible to women with modest incomes in the 1950s.
I love finding perfume mentions in books 🙂
It’s almost as much fun as seeing perfume bottles in decorating magazines. I get out the magnifying glass sometimes to see them better, which I also do to see books in people’s libraries.
Oh, that sounds fun too!
That sounds terrific! I’ve just read the opening pages via Amazon. A must-buy – many thanks!
I fondly remember the TV show from the distant past. With the advent of the Internet, I was able to google more info about it. I must get the book!
I don’t usually read books but lately I’ve managed to get the following from the library: One Fifth Avenue, Lipstick Jungle, and Summer in the City, all by Candace Bushnell and suitable for reading at the beach or pool.
My reading list is always too long and much of it gets pushed to the summer for when there’s an illusion of more time.
Most recently, I’ve read Mary Roach’s new book, Bonk!: the Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, and Amy Webb’s Dating: A Love Story. (A bit of an adult-themed reading list latey, I guess!)
Bonk! is pretty fascinating (and not nearly as naughty as the title suggests), but I think would be well-paired with an off-beat, intellectual scent–maybe something from Serge Lutens or perhaps FM Dans Tes Bras?
For Data: A Love Story, I say wear your favorite first-date scent. She discusses how she used mathematical modeling to inform her online dating profile and find her husband. It is an optimistic, if exceptionally nerdy, view of online dating. So, for me, I like Lipstick Rose or OJ Woman for a good first impression.
I’m adding both of these to my reading list – I love hearing your dating stories! I did a lot of online dating but no long-term luck. Taking a mini break from the online world. I find that most have the “OOO! Shiny” syndrome. They like you for, like 5 minutes, until they see something shiny (i.e. the next girl…)
Anyway – back on topic – First Date Perfume is a great idea to wear while reading these. I did have a museum date last week and wore Infanta en Flor – I think I need a different first date perfume.
Hello, CM!
I know what you mean about being distracted by something new and exciting or feeling like you are simply someone’s latest new, exciting connection. I described online dating to a friend a few weeks ago as a repeating cycle of optimism and disappointment.
But a huge part of it is rejecting potential matches or being rejected by them–and often it’s just in the unsatisfying form of silence. You chat for a while, and *poof!* you never hear from them again. I think taking a break when you don’t have the stamina for that makes total sense.
In any case, back on topic, I can’t decide if the suggestions from Amy Webb are relatively good and universal, or if she tries too hard to generalize from her experience. But it certainly gave me some things to think about, and I *did* tweak my profile after reading it.
Oh, and how did you like a museum for a first date? I’ve often considered suggesting that instead of food, since I *love* art, but I wondered if the lack of a real starting and stopping point might make it awkward. Or did you choose a *small* museum?
It’s a great place because there’s lots to look at and talk about – the larger ones usually have a café so you can have lunch or a drink after an hour or two. If you go, choose a couple favorite areas and don’t try to do too much – after all, you can always come back to see more! We skipped a lot of the museum choosing to focus on the visiting (limited) exhibits (4 in total that day!) and then his favorite area, and my favorite area. Was a really fun day and we got to see some new things and old favorites.
MR – I should have kept reading before making my previous comment: you’ve read and liked Bonk. Again, I highly recommend “Stiff” and “Packing for Mars”.
Erin, thank you for the recommendations! I can’t decide about Stiff. I might not be able to handle the subject matter. But I will put Packing for Mars on my reading list!
I love browsing through Your choices, I always get some inspiration. I’m off to the library on Monday, so it is the perfect timing:)! Thanks!
I have plenty of ebooks waiting for me (and the summer holiday), such as The Sugar Queen and Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, or The Time Traveler’s Wife (finally), A Fevre Dream by George R.R.Martin, and I just finished Life of Pi which I couldn’t stop thinking about, it was so good… I also finished Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go a few weeks ago, and I liked that one enough, though I found it made me a bit depressed.
One of my friends gave me a book he said was the thing he’d have been crazy about at the age of 12, too bad it has just been released, it is Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I am looking forward to reading it, it looks deliciously creepy and strange:). Maybe I’ll start with that one.
Oh, and my Mom lent me Susan Loomis’s Tatin-book (don’t know the proper English title), which is a kind of a gastro-novel, and looks quite enjoyable. Oh, man, spending a summer just cooking and reading and eating, that would be fun, wouldn’t it?:)
Okay, I can’t stop talking when it’s about books.:P
Have a peaceful weekend Everyone!
Never Let Me Go is on my list too. I’ve read most of his other books, really like his writing.
I read Never Let Me Go a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Definitely a somewhat disturbing topic, and somber at times, but his writing style is so engrossing that it was hard to put down.
Nicole
I’m a big murder mystery fan and love the Scandinavian ones in particular. I just read Jo Nesbo’s novel The Redeemer which is the fourth one in his Harry Hole series set in Oslo (they have been translated out of order, so this is in Harry’s past). The plot is complicated and concerns some young officers, male and female, in the Salvation Army which seems much higher status in Norway than USA. There’s also a hit man from Croatia. It’s all set in freezing cold at Christmastime. I think maybe Parfum Sacre? This is a good entry into the Hole thriller series, but be warned that some of the later books are quite violent.
Ooh, I have a copy of The Redbreast somewhere in my iBooks which was one of the iTunes Christmas freebies a couple of years ago. Have you read that one? Any thoughts?
Ooo, I like him too. I just read “The Snowman” last month.
I like Jo Nesbo too.
Oooh, I love Scandinavian mysteries too. I have not read any by Jo Nesbo as yet…there are so many — would you suggest starting from the oldest to the most recent or in any order?
As to other Scandinavian authors, Jussi Adler-Olson writes the Dept Q series, with the first one entitled The Keeper of Lost Causes. His books should be read in order.
Yes, I’ve read the Department Q books and really enjoyed them too. There are a couple of good Icelandic series too. Arnaldur Indridason’s Inspector Erlendur is really good. Yes it’s good to read the Jo Nesbo series in order. I think the translation of the first one is going to appear shortly. Also, I did like The Redbreast but not quite as much as some of the other ones.
I really need to start reading Nesbo. Have you seen the movie Headhunters? I haven’t read the book, so I have no idea how it compares, but it stars that handsome Danish Jaime Lannister actor from Game of Thrones. It’s a pretty exciting thriller.
No, I missed it, so I can’t say how it compares, but I agree the guy in the ads looked quite hot!
I am reading “The Age of Miracles” by Karen Walker. Poor title, great book. What if Earth started to slow it’s rotation? Days become 40 hours of sunlight followed by 40 hrs of night? Tides affected, gravity changes, peoples biological cycle thrown off, plants and crops start to die. Politics, religion (when is official Jewish sundown on the sabbath if days now last 80 hours?). All told through the eyes of a young girl as a slow-motion disaster is set in place. VERY good! As the main character is 12 years old I would wear Love’s Baby Soft to capture those early teen years. Add in a swipe of strawberry Lip Smacker and relive my youth.
Oh that *does* sound good! I’m often drawn to apocalyptic fiction, and this sounds right up my alley! 🙂 I like to think about how people would deal with a natural or manmade disasters. How do societies collapse and rebuild? Fun questions for fiction to explore!
I really enjoyed this one. Have you seen the movie Another Earth? The plots aren’t really the same, but they remind me of one another.
I’ve just started Kathryn Harrison’s Enchantments–can’t say whether it’s gripping just yet, but I quite enjoyed 2 of her earlier books, The Binding Chair and The Seal Wife. Never read her most well known book The Kiss–think it’s either autobiographical or semi-autobiographical, about incest–doesn’t sound very escapist.
Enchantments is a novel about what becomes of the czar’s family following Rasputin’s demise. I’ve been fascinated by their story ever since reading Radzinsky’s Last Tsar.
The story calls for an opulent scent, so I’ve been wearing either Tubereuse Criminelle or my recently acquired Le Smoking.
I read The Kiss years ago and found it quite absorbing. The subject matter is very difficult to be sure, as it is an account of her incestuous relationship with her father in her late teens/early twenties, but Harrison completely avoids cheap shock and tries to understand why she did what she did by telling the story.
I thought “The Kiss” was beautifully written, as well, though difficult subject matter to be sure.
Oh, I’d almost forgotten that book…now it comes back to me and I’ll try to forget it again. Worth reading though.
Well, the last book I read was Alyssa Harad’s Coming to My Senses, an autobiographical account of falling down the perfumista rabbit hole and getting married. Of course, I wore Ginestet Botrytis and other perfumes that she writes about as she discovered them. Many remain unnamed in the book, but you can find most of them on her website. It’s a wonderful book and a great way to enjoy the perfumes she mentions.
I’ve also been browsing Roads of Arabia, the companion book to the art and archeology exhibit of the same name that was at the Sackler and Freer Museums in DC a few months ago. It deals with the incense and pilgrimage routes, so Tauer Perfumes L’Air du Desert Morocain, Armani Prive Bois d’Encens or BK Pure Oud would be ideal.
The website is still up (just google Roads of Arabia), with information on the exhibit and links to articles including this one on oud:
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200006/the.hidden.history.of.scented.wood.htm
Also, the exhibit is scheduled to travel to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh June 15 to November 4, 2013; the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston December 22, 2013, to March 9, 2014; and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco October 17, 2014, to January 18, 2015. Very much worth seeing if you have a chance!
So wish I’d seen that, thanks for posting the schedule!
It’s worth a trip – with luck, maybe the SF perfumistas will organize a Sniffa around that time?
Sadly, DC would have been the most likely place for me. But you never know!
Thanks for the link, I’m glad to see it’s coming to Houston!
Calypso, I hope you enjoy it! Don’t put off seeing it until the last day, as I did – there’s a lot to appreciate and study, and some really unusual pieces that one is unlikely to see again.
I finally got around to reading Stephen Colbert’s last one, “America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t”, which was really funny. And now I’m reading David Sedaris’ new book, “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls”. I’m not sure what I’m going to tackle after I’m done with this one. I have a bunch of books I’ve just accumulated over time and haven’t gotten around to reading, some fiction and some science.
Diabetes with Owls is on my list. My son ADORES that Colbert book and has read me so many bits that eventually I’ll have had the whole thing read to me.
These sound wonderful, Sweetgrass!
I am currently reading Inferno by Dan Brown. I do love his references to Florence, Venice and Istanbul because coincidentally, I will be in Venice and Istanbul this summer. The book is fast-paced, but too unrealistic for me…which of his books aren’t anyway so I was not surprised.
… and no scent recommendations while reading the book other than my current obsession with Bvlgari Black.
Yay for Venice & Istanbul! Haven’t read the book though.
I hope the political turmoil will have settled down in Istanbul by then…
I’m in Istanbul as I write this! 🙂 (the Taksim drama is easily avoidable) I’ve been in Turkey for a fabulous month, 2 days to go 🙁 Since I’ve been here I’ve read Pierre Loti’s “Aziyade” of which a small spritz of said PdE frag would go perfectly (though maybe not in the heat of summer?), and I’m now reading “Istanbul” by Orhan Pamuk. I plan to get copies of his fiction work once home again, but both of these books have been wonderful in enhancing my view of this enchanting place and its people. My chosen frag for most of my journey has been Roma Imperiale by Profumi del Forte. Wrong city but it so many places I’ve visited have been part of the Roman Empire it fit very well 🙂 and it has a wonderful blend of fresh greenness and a warmth like that of sun warmed rocks that fits almost all weather.
My Name is Red and The Museum of Innocence are both wonderful…
Besides Game of Thrones, which as I wrote above will likely take up most of my summer and beyond since I don’t have a large amount of reading time per day, I also recently won M. J. Rose’s new book Seduction in a draw and I’m super-excited to read it.
I was also going to read Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series… but I got one of the books and I’m finding it just… bad. I was curious because I remembered the goings-on in her days in the Harry Potter fandom. Might just watch the movies on that one.
Oh, and I still need to read the last Hunger Games book.
I am still not happy about the end of the Hunger Games. That’s all I’m saying 🙂
I’m not spoiled on the ending, but I’ve multiple people imply it’s sad… thus why I’ve been putting it off! 😛
🙂
Loved Peter Carey’s The Chemistry of Tears! Bonus points: it mentions three men’s fumes 🙂
That looks like a great book…the only Carey I have read is Oscar & Lucinda.
I’ve also read his Bliss and My Life as a Fake, which were nice enough, but this one I found the most enjoyable. Have you read The People’s Act of Love, by James Meek? That one was really good. Also, Mo Hayder’s Tokyo/The Devil of Nanking.
Nope, don’t know either of those. Having a nice time at Amazon today, looking up everybody’s favorites. Thanks!
De nada! 🙂
Last night I finished A Girl Named Zippy, which had me laughing out loud in several places (in spite of a lot of icky things related to critters). I need to find a fragrance that reminds me of graham crackers dipped in cold milk for these nostalgic memoirs…
I need something funny, I’ll look that one up, thanks!
Just finished the wonderful The Interestings by Meg Wolitizer. She’s an exceptional writer, very smart. A group of teens meet at a summer camp on the east coast, and the book explores their friendship and all the successes and failures they experience over the span of 40 years. SSS Fireside Intense would be ideal to conjure up that smoke-in-the-woods feel.
That name sounded very familiar…but I looked her up, don’t think I’ve read her.
Wow what a great idea for the lazy weekend. I was with clients today and it’s really hot here, so my mind is too fried to read books today.
However I just finished reading two excellent books about scientology: “Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief” and “Beyond belief: my secret life inside scientology and my harrowing escape”. Partway through the first book I started craving perfumes with civet and various other “bum” smells, so broke out my samples of MKK and L’air de Rien. I also sprayed the books and myself with an aromatherapy energy “scrubber” spray I use in my treatment room.
I just started reading “The Glass Palace” by Amitav Ghosh. Probably going to inspire perfume.
I recently got Going Clear and am interested to read it soon. I finished Janet Reitman’s Inside Scientology: the Story of America’s Most Secretive Religion recently. It was pretty good. I am interested to see how Wright’s version compares. Not a Scientologist — just find it fascinating. Perfume to go along will probably be something light and airy like Marni or Keiko Mecheri Mulholland.
Nicole
I enjoyed The Calcutta Chromosome by Ghosh. I might try BK Cruel Intentions for that.
I’ve been working on his early novel, In an Antique Land: History in the Guise of a Traveler’s Tale, for years. Ghosh lived in Egypt as a graduate student and did research related to a manuscript by a 12th century Tunisian Jewish merchant based in Cairo who acquired an Indian slave/servant/business administrator, Bomma. He writes about his own life and Egypt, and attempts to reconstruct the story of Bomma. I’ll get out my Neela Vermeire sample set the next time I delve into it.
Yes! In an Antique Land was given to me as a gift by someone who absolutely loved it. Sadly, I found it really hard to get into and it’s been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years. Maybe a little perfume will help me to revisit it. I’m sure the rewards are there, but for some reason I got kind of confused by the beginning of the story.
I like your Neela idea. Maybe that will be the ticket!
I have a never-ending book list and these polls just add to it- love them! I’ve recently read ‘Gone Girl’ which was excellent and has sent me in search of Gillian Flynn’s other novels. I do love a dark twisted story. Lars Kepler’s ‘The Hypnotist’ was very good as well as was ‘Her Fearful Symmetry’ from Audrey Neiffenegger- very
atmospheric and unsettling. I’ve just picked up ‘Wool’ on several recommendations, it is a dystopian thriller in the vein of Hunger Games. Looks promising! Next up is The Humans by Matt Haig which I am enormously excited about reading. Friends have raved about it and the reviews have been wonderful!
Ok, just added Wool to my reading list!
Wool sounds great. I put it on my Amazon wish list a few weeks ago and it looks like there are some sequel books to that. I really like dystopian books as well. Loved Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. And I liked Justin Cronin’s “The Passage”. I think there is a sequel out to that as well. Not sure what perfumes would go with those books lol!
It’s winter where I live and that means staying home and reading the novels of Georges Simenon (the French crime and thriller writer – Inspector Maigret is is famous detective).
During the week I bought no fewer than 18 of his novels as a single lot on eBay. I was so thrilled to come home one day and find this wonderful chunky package waiting for me (so different from the little perfume packages I usually get)!
So I spent a rainy afternoon yesterday reading *Maigret on Home Ground*, drinking chai and wearing L’Heure Bleue. Maigret novels are very atmospheric and I always think of wet streets, damp wool, pipe smoke, anisette, and the wonderful old orientals and chypres I imagine his female characters would have worn. Guerlain and Caron for the middle and upper class women. Coty, and who knows what other now-forgotten brands, for the poorer women and the prostitutes.
I definitely imagine Madame Maigret in Guerlain. He would have been proud of his ability to buy it for her. Not L’Heure Bleue – I think she is a bit too brisk and no nonsense for that . But Mitsouko or Vol de Nuit maybe.
It is winter here Annemarie…but luckily, so far, it is still mild here. I find I cant get into anything too heavy, just don’t have the time to commit to reading anything too deep and meaningful, so I am reading Miranda Harts book “Is It Just Me” -such fun!
It is winter here Annemarie…but luckily, so far, it is still mild here. I find I cant get into anything too heavy, just don’t have the time to commit to reading anything too deep and meaningful, so I am reading Miranda Harts book “Is It Just Me” -such fun! Oh and perfume -i ‘m not sure-something cheerful.
Oh how did I do that? Posted my comment twice!!
Twice as good! Hope you find something cheerful to wear. I tested Prada Candy yesterday and found it a mood lifter.
Oh, Annemarie, I love Simenon’s stuff. I discovered him through the New York Review of Books Classics series and have been working my way through their offerings. I think Dirty Snow is the most recent one I’ve read, and there are a couple more languishing in my to-read pile. This probably sounds perverse given the subject matter, but Simenon’s books have become my go-to beach/vacation reads — they’re quick, yet satisfying.
Love your perfume picks, too.
Another huge Simenon fan checking in…have read all of them, and might be time soon to start re-reading them all. For a more modern (and somewhat/sorta similar) French series, highly recommend Fred Vargas, the Commissaire Adamsberg series.
You’ve read ALL of them? Woman, you amaze.
Seriously. Robin deserves some kind of medal for that achievement.
Hey, I’m old. I’ve had time. 🙂
And oh, let me back up — have read all of the Maigret, but only 1 or 2 of the non-Maigret.
Yes, I tend to treat them as recreational too, but they are really quite subtle, so I’m trying to slow down and observe Simenon’s technique. He is certainly a master of ‘show don’t tell’.
You’re so right about showing vs. telling, and I think that’s a large part of why I enjoy his work so much. Wish my French were still good enough to read him in the original language.
I’m continuing to read Kij Johnson’s “At the Mouth of the River of Bees” — short stories. I started it in January and picked it up again today. Some of the stories are almost too intense for me, but I adore “21 Monkeys, also the abyss”. It is beautiful and moving and perfect. Dzing! is perfect to wear while reading this book because many of the stories involve animals and the monkeys are a kind of traveling carnival act.
I have not read it, but what a fantastic title. Off to look at Amazon.
My most recent reads have been Kindle Daily Deals: Judith Merkle Reilly’s The Oracle Glass (I love her); and the two I’m currently reading, Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers (my first one!) and the Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen. This one is based on the true story of the freed slave, Mary Bowser, who ended up as a spy during the Civil War.
Next up on Kindle – Seducing the Princess (dumb title) by Mary Hart Perry. This is the second in a series of historical fictions based on Queen Victoria’s daughters,
I forgot to scent these. Definitely Bal a Versailles for The Oracle Glass. Maybe Voleur de Roses for Strong Poison. Mary Bowser has me stumped. In the book, she talks about missing the scent of Southern flowers when she’s away at school in Philadelphia so maybe a gardenia or honeysuckle or a linden. Don’t have any of the above in my collection though!
I loved the Dorothy Sayers books! I’m sure Lord Peter would have worn something terribly proper, but I’d like to think of him in Heeley Verveine, not that it existed then. If this is also about what WE would wear while reading them, I’d definitely break out the Heeleys and wear whichever one fit my mood.
Me too, have read them all twice I’m sure.
Woo hoo!! I happily discovered that I had downloaded another Sayers’s book several weeks ago when it was the KDD: Gaudy Night. Can’t wait to start it, but I *have* to vacuum first or it will never get done!
Rappleyea, Dorothy Sayers is one of my all-time faves! I named my son after Lord Peter (haven’t told him though). And Harriet Vane is one of my role models.
What scents would you choose for them? May have to go re-read the books this summer, and The Canon too …
You don’t get to know Harriet too much in this first one, and actually, I was thinking of her sitting silently in the courtroom with the roses dropping petals on the judge’s bench when I suggested Voleur de Roses. Lord Peter definitely in something veddy, veddy English – maybe a Creed?
Will have to sample Voluer de Roses. Not familiar with Tabac Blond, which austenfan suggests, but it sounds daring. One of the Creeds sounds plausible for Lord Peter, as does Eau Imperial, in a lovely bee bottle. And the redoubtable Bunter – he’d be very proper in something citrusy and restrained – Creed Millesime Imperial?
After only one book, I’m not very familiar with Harriet yet, and by the end of the book, she seemed very withdrawn and defensive, rebuffing Lord Peter’s proposal. So maybe a cool chypre like Mitsouko or Unspoken would work.
I thought about the Guerlain eaux for Lord Peter, but I “smell” him in something drier, woodier… maybe a sandalwood? And I think you’re spot on for Bunter.
Sayers is my all time favourite crime writer, and I like the Vane novels best amongst her writings.
Considering Harriet’s bold, uncompromising character I suppose something along the lines of Bandit, Tabac Blond, Aromatics Elixir would have caught her fancy. I suspect Lord Peter to have enjoyed something along the lines of Eau de Guerlain or Eau Impériale.
As I said to Anngd above, after only one book, I feel like I hardly know Harriet. It will be fun as I read others to see her personality evolve. Bandit would definitely fit the woman Harriet was when she lived with Philip Boyes.
I recommend reading them in the order they were published. That way you get to know Harriet best. In my opinion she remains the bold lady she was born to be. My favourite is Gaudy Night, by the way.
Oh good! I just read the first couple of chapters after discovering that I had it on my Kindle. I get the feeling though that there was another book or two between Strong Poison and GN? There’s usually a website somewhere that will list the books in order. Sayers can really turn a good phrase.
In chronological order it is:
Strong Poison; Have His Carcase; ( a brief mention of Harriet in Murder Must Advertise); Gaudy Night and finally Busman’s Honeymoon. There is another mention of them in two short stories: The Haunted Policeman and Talboys both are in Striding Folly.
Sayers was incredibly well educated. She was one of the first female Oxford graduates. Towards the end of her life she did a very highly praised translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy, although she wasn’t really familiar with Italian when she started reading Dante’s work. She loved language and I suppose it shows. I’m not a native English speaker but one of the reasons I enjoy her work is the richness of her language.
Thank you for the list! Sayers’s erudition shows in her writing, but also her wit – I love it! Intelligent writing is extremely high on my list of what I look for in a book. It’s amazing how many N.Y. Times bestsellers sound like the Dick and Jane primers.
If you enjoy Sayers so much you may want to try P.D.James and/or Ruth Rendell /Barbara Vine as well. Neither shares Sayers’ wit but they are very good writers of intricate mystery novels.
Arms raised as I am a Ruth Rendell / Barbara Vine fan!
Oh boy! I love getting new book recommendations. Here are a few I have loved recently….I just re read Bel Canto by Ann Patchett and it was so great the second time. It did not lose any of it’s thrill. Carnal Flower by Malle for that book. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller is a gem. A man’s struggle to find himself and a good life after the apocalypse. It was surprisingly sweet and soulful and I would read it again. It is also a page turning thrill. Le Labo Vetiver 46 would suit the protagonist and reader just fine. Island Beneath the Sea is another Isabel Allende novel I love. Although, I pretty much love everything she writes. Indole by Lubin’s opening notes of rum soaked sugarcane would go well with that book. Or maybe a great Gardenia perfume. And I could go on and on with ideas here, but the steaks are almost off the grill. Lastly, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. A fantastic fiction set in Japan during it’s colonialization by the Dutch. Wicked good. And here I defer to my readers who could help think of a fragrance that evokes an ancient civilization with notes of tea and cherry blossom and the smell of the sea rolling throughout the scent.
I don’t have a fragrance to suggest, but just agreeing that The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet was a terrific book!
3rd that, one of the best books I’ve read this year.
OK, I have to butt in with a confession: I know Peter Heller. I met him at a friend’s wedding. He was an usher. My god he was beautiful. Dark and soulful. I fell madly in love at first sight. He recited poetry to me as we walked the canyon. “Anecdote of the Jar” I remember, still. His favorite song was “Melissa” by the Allman bros. My crush knew no bounds. We wrote torrid but chaste handwritten letters back and forth for, I think, more than a year, maybe two. We loved each other’s writing. I was obsessed. I finally confessed my feelings for him and that I wanted to “run off to Mexico” with him. I was serious. I would have left grad school, everything. I’ll never forget his answer on the phone: “Honey, I’m not your savior. I’m a self -involved pain in the ass. And…I’m getting married in a month…” I was crushed. But, I got over it.
Anyway, glad you liked his book. I almost bought it at the bookstore. It’s odd, seeing his picture, now. He wrote a great article about China and a very sad debacle involving a raft/kayak incident in…1990, I think. It was brilliant. One of my best friends was with him, when a man drowned in this river accident. Peter wrote about it, in Outside magazine. Check it out. Ah, memories.
Oh, what a romantic story! I also have a weakness for creative sorts–lots of artists and musicians have wended their way through my life! But, I suspect he was spot-on–self-involved! I sometimes wonder if it takes that sort of introspection-towards-narcissism to be both creative AND commercially successful. I think I have the introspection part down, but I suspect I’m not narcissistic enough to be a successful artist. I think that in order to believe in yourself and your work enough to go through all the necessary rejection, it’s a very useful trait!
Oh, Mough, this story is heartbreaking! And it makes me furious at him on your behalf!! You all exchanged letters for a year or two and he failed to mention that he was seeing someone, getting serious about someone, and finally, asked that someone to marry him?!? His description of himself was too kind.
Too right!
Agree, there is a big difference between ‘self-involved pain in the ass’ and manipulative piece of s$%t.
Mough, a great crush is an art form in itself. It also allowed you to finish grad school, it sounds like. I don’t know about you, but I think I’ve often subconsciously chosen crush material not only because these types are so exciting but because I wanted to retain my freedom.
I recently read Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt. I think something like Ormonde Woman or Forest Walk would have gone well with it (didn’t think of either at the time, though!)
I spent the last week on vacation reading light books. I highly recommend the very charming Enchanted Inc. series by Shanna Swendson. Lite, chic-lit, fun and sweet and great summer reading. Essentially, a girl immune to magic finds job and boy wizard – adventure and sparks fly! I’d recommend something sweet and bubbly – I wore a lot of PdN Eau Turquoise, but LaP Ananas Fizz would be nice too.
I’m currently re-reading The Passage by Justin Cronin (Vampire Virus World Catastrophe) in preparation for Book 2 – The Twelve. Excellent read, and just as compelling the 2nd time around. Don’t know what perfume works for this genre – maybe a rose chypre of some sort? I’ve been craving florals and incense while I read this but don’t have anything that fits the bill in my collection.
Next on the list: Dance of Dragons. After I finish one of those books, I feel like I need a reading vacation – hence my binge listed above!)
Ooooh I have an Incense Floral for you, recommended by Patty of Perfume Posse fame. It is an Oliver Durbano called Heliotrope. It is kind of weird/good. One of those scents you can’t stop sniffing and you are not sure why you like it. Anyway, it has stayed on my desk top, uncatalogued for 3 days now, meaning, I will test it everyday till I figure out if I love it or not, It could just be what you are looking for….
Hmmm – I have a sample of that Heliotrope and was really excited to try it but it didn’t leave an impression. Think I’ll dig it up and try it again. I do remember LOVING the color of the sample… unexpected magenta, if memory serves. Thanks for the tip – going to re-sample as I re-read!
Maybe FM Portrait of a Lady? Intense shocking attractive repellant rose patchouli.
PoAL is perfect for reading this!
I just received a copy of The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro which I won in a draw. I’m looking forward to reading it. I’ve been reading a lot of gardening books lately because it’s that time of year. I suppose any floral would do for that type of reading. I have a whole bunch of books ready and waiting on my kindle so I need to make some time to read them. I always feel like I have more time to read in the winter.
Lanvon’s My Sin would be perfect for that book – indeed, it is mentioned. Not that many of us have a vat of vintage My Sin lying around …
‘Lanvin’ of course. Stupid fingers.
Okay dinner over, and I just had to add a few more. If you are an animal lover, the book: Modoc by Ralph Heller is the true story of The Greatest Elephant Who Ever Lived. The story is almost unbelievable in it’s epic saga like tale of a German boy born on the same day as the elephant Modoc. They grow up together, trainer and performer, with a journey that belies belief. And it is stone cold true. I could not put it down. I have never smelled Dzing, but if it really smells like a circus then, that would be appropriate. Oh, and keep the Kleenex handy. And here’s one that caught me off guard…The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani. It is a story starting in the Italian Alps of a young man, and a girl whose lives change dramatically and they both, separately, end up in New York City. It is like an Italian version of Little House on the Prairie. There is the same heartfelt emotional pull of Ingals Wilder here, and I fell head over heels in love with this book. I am thinking of a very simple, plain, evocative perfume for these two characters. Something with rosemary or lavender or sage. I am drawing a blank here. Maybe Invasion Barbare?? Well, all I know is that this lazy weekend thread combines my two biggest loves, reading and perfume. what more could a girl want?
This summer I really hope to get back to my reading. One of my favorite pastimes, but with 2 1/2 year-old twin boys I haven’t had much spare time. To say the least! So, in addition to Lawrence Wright’s Going Clear about Scientology, I think I will revisit some old favorites.
Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha is on the list. I loved it, even though I wasn’t sure I would like it at all. For perfume, I am thinking Ineke’s Gilded Lily or Evening Edged in Gold.
Also, John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. A longtime favorite. Perfume for this one will probably be SSS Jour Ensoleille because of the oakmoss, which reminds me of Savannah.
Other than that, reading mindless vampire centered fiction. Find it interesting that the two separate series I am reading have completely different perspectives on vampire mythology. Perfume? Maybe SL La Fille de Berlin?
Happy weekend all!
Nicole
I finished two books this week: Bring Up the Bodies, and Cheryl Strayed’s Wild. I’ve just put a bunch more on my reading list thanks to your recs here! Happy weekend, everybody.
Thanks to y’all for the book recomendations! My mid-upper back kind of gave out this weekend after many many months of not doing physical exercise, so I was looking for something to read and stay in bed.
I just finished re-reading Isaac Asimov’s Nemesis (science fiction – space travel) and I was thinking of taking on Charlane Harris Sookie Stackhouse novels. I am a fan of the True Blood TV show and I’ve been postponing reading the books for quite some time.
I wore Terre d Hermes parfum while finishing the asimov book and I’m thinking of wearing something with jasmines and magnolias, reminiscent of Louisiana, for the Sookie novels.
I am intrigued by the “Thousand Autumns” books as I love Japan (platonically, never been there) and its history. PLUS the dish on the author makes it so interesting now, oy! Hehehehehe
Hi, Kaos! Don’t stay in bed too long – some walking would be good for your back, if possible, as it helps to reduce tension. I’d also recommend the fitness assessment and exercise book Framework by Nicholas DiNubile and William Patrick plus a good physical therapist.
I read all of Asimov’s books when I was in high school and college. I’ve got the Foundation Trilogy on my shelf to reread when I retire. Not sure why but I think I’ll break out Paco Rabanne Calandre when I do – maybe it’s just the futuristic packaging, and I love the scent.
Thank you Noz!
About the Calandre.. perhaps the metallic in it reminds you of machines and “the future” 😉
So sorry, hope it is better soon P!
It is better already today! thank you!
And I didnt even have to break in the heavy artillery, just a couple of ibuprofen gel caps thank God!
Next week its gym time for me… no more excuses. The body is speaking up! hehehehe
Hi Kaos, I also love the True Blood series but I read part of a short story by Harris (she edited a book of supernatural short stories) and I didn’t like it enough to even finish the short story! I would be interested to hear another person’s response though.
Also, I recently finished an anthology of Lovecraft stories ‘Cthuhulu and other Weird Stories’. His works definitely fit the science fiction genre as well as the horror. I would wear something salty or marine with his stories, maybe Eau de Merveille. (in reality I never match book to perfume…)
I don´t match them either.. it kind of “Just Happens”.
I will let you know how I like her prose….
I enjoyed Harry Potter and The Lord of The Rings trilogy on screen, but I must say that I don´t like Tolkien or Rowling’s prose at all.
I hope it doesn´t happen the same with Harris! (crossing my fingers!)
Hello everybody– I have book club this week (same group has been together for more than fifteen years) and we read JUST KIDS by Patti Smith–fantastic, she is a wonderful writer, and since we are “of an age” I am very familiar with the world she describes. Do read it, and wear something heavy on the patch, incense or herbal oils. In looking back over our list of books, some of the favorites include: Sacred Hunger (Unsworth); Empire Falls (Russo); The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Chabon); East of Eden (Steinbeck); Peyton Place (Metalious); The History of Love (Krauss); The Night Circus (Morgenstern); The Round House (Erdrich); and The Snow Child (Ivey). Happy reading, and let me know what you think!
Great list! Erdrich reminds me of a book I loved by her late husband, Michael Dorris: Yellow Raft on Blue Water.
Whoops, I just posted The Round House below because I missed your list. That, The Snow Child, and The Night Circus are three of my favorite books from the last few years. Have you read The Light Between Oceans? I bet you’d like it (keep a box of Kleenex handy, though).
No I haven’t…thanks for the tip. I am trolling through this weekend pole to add to my potential reading list. It just keeps growing. so many books, so little time…..
Boy I’ve been having fun reading everyone’s suggestions. This is one of my favorite polls. I would like to suggest Amber Spark’s May We Shed These Human Bodies. A very short collection of stories, some of them only one page and maybe more prose poem than short story, at least to me. Very beautiful and strange. I think I’d wear Dzongkha while reading it. Another great book I’d recommend is Swamplandia, the story of a family running a alligator-farm type tourist attraction in Florida. Dreamy prose, skirting on magical realism, great on presenting the consciousness of a young girl. In a completely different vein, I can also recommend Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains, the incredible inspiring story of Paul Farmer, a doctor who has established a hospital and healthcare system in rural Haiti. It’s the kind of book that will make you ask more of yourself.
I just read Mountains Beyond Mountains, too – and boy, do you feel like a lazy, self-involved so-and-so after reading it. Just in case my guilty conscience wasn’t pricking me enough after the Kidder, I followed it up with Stephen Lewis’ “Race Against Time” – yikes, another inspiring, and yet dispiriting, one.
The best thing I’ve read recently was The Round House by Louise Erdrich. It’s a coming-of-age novel slash crime story that takes place on an Indian reservation in the 1980s. The book doesn’t shy away from the usual issues of poverty and alcoholism, but it also does an amazing job showing the sense of community. I loved it. It reminded me of To Kill A Mockingbird.
Like everyone else I know, suddenly, I’m reading and enjoying George Saunder’s “Tenth of December”. So glad to find it so good, because I really loved “Civilwarland in Bad Decline” and “Pastoralia” and then he seemed to get lost for a little while, and the next two books weren’t as good, though he was writing some very fine, angry essays at the time.
It’s good to be reading some fiction, too, as I’ve been on another non-fiction kick and was somewhat alarmed that no recent fiction recommendations sprang to mind. R, you know I loved “Bring Up the Bodies” and I’m still really digesting how much I like Mantel’s favorite “Sword of Honour” trilogy by Evelyn Waugh, particularly the first two books, up until the invasion of Crete. I read “Son of the Morning Star”, as I vowed to do after Connell died, and it was great. Otherwise, lots of science books, another Tim Park Italian memoir and lots of biography: I’ve particularly enjoyed the Martha Gellhorn one (action-packed! And Sybille Bedford appearances!) and Claire Harman’s classic on Sylvia Townsend Warner. Also, still harping about everyone needing to read Andrew Solomon’s Far from the Tree.
There was a great sale on certain titles from the New York Review of Books Classics series a while back, and I’ve been working my way through my acquisitions. I recently finished The Vet’s Daughter by Barbara Comyns and The Ten Thousand Things by Maria Dermôut — both otherworldly, but in very different ways.
I can’t even begin to think how I’d scent The Vet’s Daughter — maybe a cheap animalic rose of some sort? — but the perfect scent for The Ten Thousand Things would have to be Manoumalia. Both because of the tropical island setting, and because of the lush, haunting quality of Dermôut’s writing. Or one could go the spice/incense route, both of which figure prominently in the book. Maybe Aftelier Ancient Resins?
Currently reading The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, by Brian Moore — so, something that smells like damp air and cheap whiskey, I guess. Too depressing to contemplate further.
I always like to split my summer reading selections into 3 categories: A good novel, a biography, and a work of Literature (with a capital L).
My Literature last year was the Complete Works of Oscar Wilde. The novel, or novels in this case, was the complete works of Agatha Christie featuring Jane Marple. The biography, was Art/Lover: a biography of Peggy Guggenheim. I really enjoyed that one.
This summer will begin with Inferno- the new Dan Brown novel. After that, I might tackle the real Inferno: Dante’s.
I was at a bookstore this afternoon and saw a new biography of Cristobal Balenciaga by Mary Blume. I’ll certainly be getting that one.
Happy Reading!
Oups! I forgot to scent things up.
For Dan Brown, I choose Santa Maria Novella Classica. It is a simple summer citrus, but since the action takes place in Florence, this one will do.
For Dante, I’m thinking Etro’s Messe de Minuit for the gothic doom and gloom. I’ll make sure to read just at night. MdM in 100 degree heat and hight humidity might be a bit much.
Balenciaga will be easy: Crstobal pour homme, Ho Hang Club, and Balenciaga pour Homme. They will each get their day.
If, like me, you do not speak Italian, and need a translation, I would recommend the Anthony Esolen versions. He has done Inferno, Pergatory and Paradisio. While he keeps it in verse and has a good rhythm, he does not strain to keep the Italian form and rhyming scheme.
I try to alternate between a good novel (which might or might be not literature) and a good biography. And not only for summer.
I am eyeing Keith Richards bio at the moment. But the Balenciaga seems tempting too!!
I tend to enjoy the Marples more than the Poirots, but I have never been very systematic about collecting and reading them. About how many Marples are there, would you say?
I think there are about 10, not including the short stories.
I like the Marple ones slightly better as well.
Her best mystery novel ( in my opinion) though features neither of them. I think it is now called: And then there were none.
Including 2 books of short stories, there are 14 in total.
My favorite non-Marple (or Poirot) book is Endless Night.
Thank you to everyone for your suggestions! This is a great poll, Robin! I have quite a list! I’m working on the 3rd book of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The first book was enjoyable, the second one was ok. Curious to see if the 3rd one picks up.
Madonnas of Leningrad, scented with Juozas Statkevicius. Perfect for our rainy, cool Seattle summer!