It's June — time for the annual summer reading poll!
Please recommend a great book to add to our summer reading lists, and tell us what fragrance we should wear while reading it.
Note: image shows Ikea celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Billy bookcase with a one day outdoor library at Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia. You can find more images of the event at PopSugar.
I have two big ones to read this summer:
1. The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee. The story of an opera singer in 19th-century Paris – far too complex to describe in this short space, but it’s an amazing book. As close as one can get to time travel. Perfume: Amouage Lyric Woman.
2. SPQR by Mary Beard. Because I love Ancient Rome. I don’t have any Ancient Roman perfumes, so I’ll go with 4160 Tuesdays Goddess of Love and Perfume, because it was inspired by Venus herself!
Chee’s novel was WONDERFUL. If you liked it and haven’t watched the Max Ophuls movie Lola Montes, you should check that out! (And then the rest of Max Ophuls’ work.)
A Roman detective series? That sounds intriguing. Thanks for the rec!
Sorry, that was meant to go below. I saw a Max Ophuls film as part of a college class, but nothing since then. I’ll look up Lola Montez!
I can also second the Lindsay Davis recommendation! The books are a lot of fun.
Do you like Lindsey Davis? I love her series featuring Marcus Didius Falco, a Roman detective during the reign of the emperor Vespasian. I need to put Mary Beard on my list of books to read.
Mary Beard has very witty and entertaining documentaries, too. Check out Meet the Romans, Caligula, and Pompeii, all on Youtube.
I’ve read the first couple of those. They’re really fun.
I was just going to post about Queen of the Night myself, so I’ll just add a thumbs up under your post. Fabulous book, interesting characters, wonderful descriptions of clothes and perfume plays a small role LOL
I can also recommend The Girl with All the Gifts, post apocalyptic tale about a girl and her teacher, and Sweetbitter, non-fiction story of behind the scenes at a restaurant.
Picking up The Girl with All the Gifts today, and excited to have your recommendation!
The characters mention Lubin perfumes quite a bit, so I would recommend Lubin Black Jade as another perfume match.
I really want to read SPQR as well. Love Ancient Rome as well. Did you watch the HBO series Rome? I named one of my cats after Titus Pullo.
Oh, Titus Pullo! Ray Stephenson did a great job with that part, he stole every scene he was in. And I loved the ending “So, let me tell you about your father.” That is a great series. I have it on Blue-ray, and watch it haphazardly when nothing else is available.
Yes! I have a not-so-secret crush on Marc Antony, shhhh, don’t tell my husband! 😉
🙂
Yes! Love that series so much, characters, images, recreation of ancient world. I wish they’d gone on and on.
I’ve been meaning to read Mary Beard!
I just got a new book about the Medici family on audible. Adorable hubby and I have been watching DaVinci’s Demons, which is a silly show, but the portrayal of Lorenz d’Medici is interesting, so I got the book to listen to. Obviously one should wear something from Santa Maria Novella when reading about the Renaissance!
I just noticed that on the SMN website, they sell something called Rose Deodorant for Cats- S20.00. LOL
Will it make them smell less like butt after using the catbox?
I suppose that is the plan. It is presented in the middle of a list of alternating colognes and body lotions, just like it is an obvious thing one would want. I am just imagining what my barn cats would do I I sprayed them with that!
Body lotion on a cat?! Uh, no. (And for the record, there’s no way I’m following my cats around to spray their butts, either. 😀 )
I’ve certainly had some very entitled cats, and cats who liked to destroy cut flowers. Maybe they were trying to nudge me toward this spray the whole time?
Ha ha ha! Those Medicis had some fine-smelling cats!
i Profumi de Ferenze has one called Caterina de Medici. It was a powdery floral IIRC.
Oh, very interesting! I’ll see if I can find it somewhere.
Somewhere turned out to be… (drum roll) Amazon! $106 for the larger bottle. I didn’t get the price of the 12 ml one. It’s on my list now…
Yes! They make a small size of that one. I think it might have been too powdery for my liking- something of the Ombré Rose or Kenzo Flower ilk.
Yes, I had that one for awhile, got it in a swap, tried to give it to my SIL and she returned it – not her thing either. Then I either swapped or freebied it away to someone here? It was just way too much of an old fashioned flower scent for my taste (probably hot stuff in Catherine’s time, but not for me)
I’m reading Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Science fiction with a healthy dose of moral questioning and his trademark gallows humor. It might be difficult to wear perfume in space; something close to the skin like Amouage Fate might work.
On the list: The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith. Perhaps SL Gris Clair.
SOTD Jour d’Hermes.
Oh, I will check this out. I loved Snowcrash, but I have found some of his later books , ummm, tedious.
Did you read Diamond Age? I thought it was also easier to read than some of the others. (Although I loved Cryptonomicon.)
Yes, I like Diamond Age. Crypto is one of the ones that was too cryptic for me. I think I tried reading it when I was stressing about something. Maybe I will try it again. I have Reamde on the exercise bike, and I dont read it.
I ended up “reading” Reamde on audiobook. It was ok, but I never got really sucked into it like I can some of his earlier books. Cryptonomicon is decidedly dense, although WORLDS better than the trilogy. I think my favorite book of his might be Anathem. It’s one of those books that really stuck with me, and I still think about and consider the ideas from time to time.
I loved Cryptonomicon too! After it, I started reading every book by Stephenson I could find. He somehow manages to write either books I don’t care about (snow crash, reamde) or books I completely love (Cryptonomicon, The Baroque series)
You definitely have the be in the right frame of mind. Reading the System trilogy was a workout, but I loved it. Love all his stuff. Seveneves is more thriller than history, a fast read.
Ooh! Ooh! There’s a new Neal Stephenson book?! Is it one of his fast-paced thriller types or one of the elaborate histories?
It’s real science fiction taking place in the near future after the moon explodes. I enjoyed it but not as much as The Diamond Age or the Baroque trilogy. But I am a serious science fiction fan.
I enjoyed Seveneves but liked Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson even more. For science fiction fans I highly recommend the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Yes the Mars Trilogy is one of my favorite reads.
I love the Mars Trilogy, but I think my favorite by Kim Stanley Robinson is The Years of Rice and Salt. Alternate history if the Muslim world took dominance after the dark ages instead of Christianity. Fascinating!
Yes that sounds relevant. Another of my favorite books is The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T E Lawrence. It gives me a pespective on what goes on in the midale east I never had before. It is basically the history of how the inteminable conflict was put in place.
From what I’m told by my NASA friends (and from my reading), space smells a bit like gunpowder. Spaceships though… they stink. All of those human smells have no where to disperse to. So in Seveneves they may really need perfume. Tabu. Vintage Tabu by the bucket. A 5000 year supply.
I was depressed by it. I think I’ll go read Startide Rising, and splash on some Bronze Goddess. The dolphins would approve.
I haven’t read anything good recently. But I did put Jane Slayer on my Kindle. It’s supposed to be a twist on Jane Eyre and we will see how this goes. Today I am going to an Irish festival and since it will be hot Nicky will fit the bill.
Jicky, stupid auto correct.
I thought Hot Nicky must be the star of the Irish Festival 😉
1. A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler. I really can’t explain why Anne Tyler’s books about ordinary family life move me so much but they really do. This one is riveting. Perfume: Yardley Lavender
2. The Mountain Shadow by Gregory David Roberts. (A sequel to his other massive hit book, Shantaram) It’s all about the hero’s journey through the seedy underworld of Bombay’s mafias. The main character is quite a romantic guy with a big heart, but he’s also a bad boy with a motorcycle in love with a seemingly unattainable goddess woman. There are multiple mysteries in the plot and also a guru with some pretty cockeyed teachings which annoyed me, but I skimmed through that part. At nearly 900 pages it’s an awesome awesome escapist beach book. Perfume: Amma’s perfume oil (rose and sandalwood oil)
I’ve read all of Anne Tyler’s books except this one, which I just checked out of the library. I really like how she develops her characters!
Yes, how does she do that? I always feel like they are real people who I’ve known for years.
Wearing Prada L’Eau Ambree, courtesy of Marilee and the freebiemeet. Thank you!
Music- check out Courtney Barnett. Articulate, intelligent, garage pop from an out lesbian. Fantastic!
Saw her in concert two weeks ago with hipsters half my age.
Sweaty, draining and invigorating.
Carpe Diem. 😉
I really dug Courtney Barnett’s album! Her stuff is a little melancholy, too. It’s great.
Oooh! Yay for the summer reading poll! I am anticipating needing to force myself to sit an read this summer, so I look forward to suggestions. I always get the best books from NST recs!
On my list for the summer–Muscle Beach by Marla Matzer Rose. I’ve become fascinated by the scene there half a century ago, especially the women involved like the amazing Pudgy Stockton. I can’t imagine the personality and hutzpah necessary to be a woman weightlifter when even the men were seen as outsiders! I *still* feel a bit alienated lifting at the gym sometimes, and a whole ‘lot of women have blazed the trail for me.
Oops. Forgot a fragrance rec. For Muscle Beach it’s gotta be something beachy, right? Maybe Francesca Dell’Oro Ambrosine, which I’m continuing to test. It’s got a saltiness to it that I find fascinating and a bit difficult. But salt/amber/soft flowers could go well in the sun.
I’m pretty sure I was the only woman who ever used the gym at my grad school. It consisted of two interconnected rooms, and whenever I would enter one room, the fellas would slowly finish what they were doing and drift to the other room… and then when I went into *that* room they would all drift back. It was like watching bacteria avoid penicillin in a petri dish. (Not that I think men are bacteria!)
Lol! I’ve observed that behavior at hardware stores. I guess they never outgrow that fear of cooties.
Wow. I would have found that fascinating and annoying in even amounts, I think!
To be fair, my little community center doesn’t boast many folks who are lifting focused (especially with free weights). But of the minority who do, I’m the *only* woman I’ve seen regularly lift. Once in a while I get excited and see some lovely, strong woman lifting, but inevitably, she’s either passing through town on a trip or ends up going to another gym, it seems.
I started lifting a couple of years ago on the advise of my doctor: menopause weight gain was proving my undoing! 🙁 I go to the local Y and the weight area tended to be dominated by young hispanic seemingly gang members with all the tattoos. I’m taking full back Our Lady of Guadalupe LOL They ended up being the most welcoming kind men I could hope to find. They were funny, helped me spot, answered my embarrassing beginner questions, formed a workout family I never would have expected. Once I joked I felt very out of place and maybe should get some temporary tattoos. They thought that was hilarious.
🙂
I’ve heard that gyms can create really wonderful communities. I guess I keep hoping I can help make that happen at mine. I’m always smiling (when I’m not grunting) and offer to hep folks who seem confused or lost. There’s regulars, but it’s not a *lifting* gym, and I suspect that makes a difference.
It’s a great image to consider an mature lady lifting with some young rough-and-tumble guys!
*help not hep
Love that story!
Midnight, Texas series by Charlaine Harris. There are currently 3 books in the series and supposedly, that’s it but I’m hoping I’m wrong. I also understand that there will be a mini TV series coming out in the Fall. The series is about a town and its quirky residents, each with his/her own open secrets. Cat lovers will be tickled by the talking cat and Sookie Stackhouse and Aurora Teagarden series fans may be happy with some cross-over. Although the series is probably more appropriately read in late Fall, wearing a noirish leather like Le Labo Cuir 28, I want to recommend it “off-season” because it is so good. It would be fun to scent the characters at some point.
Off-topic: Does anyone have recommendations for an iPad word processor? What do you like / dislike about it? Thanks.
I have Microsoft Word, Google Docs (in Drive), and of course, the Notes app. Word is probably the “best,” but it pales compared to the real deal on a PC. I do like that I can pretty easily open docs from my computer onto my iPad for editing, and I can send things from my iPad to my PC and have them mostly formatted correctly. I use a lot of tables and charts, though, and the formatting is decidedly less inspiring–fewer options, clunkier, doesn’t always translate how I’d want it to.
On a side note, I have a Belkin keyboard for my iPad and it’s pretty good. A little glitchy, but I can type like I’m at a real computer. I had a logitech one before, which was a better keyboard, but the magnet wasn’t quite strong enough and it kept falling off. After 4-5 times crashing to the floor unexpectly as I walked around with my iPad, I had to replace it because it got bent out of shape and keys started falling off. (You could solve this problem by not walking around with your iPad open, of course, but this is something I seem to do a lot.)
I jad one of the hard-shell keyboards for my iPad mini and while it felt protective for the iPad, it was a pain to attach and detach. Because I am a klutz, i have once or twice snapped in the shell backwards. Anyway, I will be checking out an easier to use keyboard. Thanks for the Word recommendation!
Best thing about my Belkin keyboard is it’s always attached (there’s a fabric/leather hinge), so when it “falls,” it doesn’t actually become detached and fall to the floor.
Thanks. Book one e-book checked out from NYPL.
Hope you enjoy it!
Charlaine Harris is prolific! I haven’t read any of the Midnight series, but will seek them out. In addition to the Stackhouse and Teagarden protagonists, there’s also Lily Bard, a very interesting and hard-to-like character.
Oh yes, Lily Bard. I think there’s one character cross-over from this series as well. Then there’s the Harper Connelly series. They are all good reads, albeit with no shortage of violence.
Just finished this trilogy!
Did you like the series?
I read the first in the Midnight, Texas series but haven’t persued the latest two.
I haven’t gotten my mind around any interesting books lately but I’m hoping to have some more time soon and catch up by finding something interesting at the library.
SotD was Van Cleef & Arpels California Reverie.
Now also running a first test of Amouage Myths Man
Oooh, I lookk forward to your Myths Man review! (Actually, I look forward to ALL your reviews, sweetie.)
That’s the one that I will review (even though it doesn’t suit the warming weather)
On the other hand Myths Woman… I will just remain silent for this one (you should know what it means :P)
I love it when I have a good nose for a scent twin 😉
Oh, and I see you’re compiling for another MQS!
If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. 😉
I’ve been enjoying Adrian McKinty’s trilogy of novels set in the time of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. His hero is a Catholic detective in a largely “Prod” force. The first one was “The Cold, Cold Ground.” A big part of the reason I’ve liked them is the narrator (on Audible), Gerard Doyle. He captures the heart and humor of the central character so perfectly. A perfume to accompany this would need to be gritty, long-lasting, and with a touch of romance or beauty, and I am not coming up with anything. I’m counting on you, perfumistas.
My SOTD is Hermes Cologne.
Sounds interesting. Haven’t done Audible in a while. Might be the ticket for drives to the Cape and Maine.
I need a new mystery series…will see if I can get these at the library, thanks!
How about Hermes Equipage?
After Roxane Gay said nice things about it, I read Curtis Sittenfield’s Eligible – a retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Generally, I’m quite leery of the Austen-derivatives, but this one was intelligent and funny, nicely in line with the spirit of the original novel. (And perfect for summer.) Not sure what to pair with it, though!
SOTD: I’m giving Dame Perfumery’s Desert Rose one more shot, hoping the heat will make it bloom.
I read Prep by Curtis Sittenfield a long time ago!
I was in high school when it came out, and I remember thinking the last thing I wanted to read about was . . . more high school. But I liked Eligible so much, maybe I’ll check out her other stuff.
Heh, kind of like reading Catcher in the Rye and we didn’t have a choice 🙂
I have pretty much hated every Austen derivative so far, but will have to look that up. Austen derivatives are such a good idea in theory…
I really only like Georgette Heyer, or instances where the retelling is well-disguised – Clueless, The Cookbook Collector.
Robin, have you read “Longbourn” by Jo Baker? The Bennetts are in the background in that book and I think it’s better for it.
No, but it’s been in my Amazon wishlist for ages while I think about it. You thought the writing was good?
Better than the few other derivatives I’ve read. It’s really the story of a servant who happens to work in the Bennett household (somebody had to clean all that mud off Miss Elizabeth’s gown, right?)
They just really show what a stunning writer she was; making the mundane fascinating.
Adorable hubby is deep into zombie territory, but I am refusing to watch The Walking Dead with him. So, I just got a copy of “Pride, Prejudice and Zombies” for us to watch together. I hope it is not to horrible. Part of what creeps me out about zombie movies is I keep thinking about how they would smell if they really were animated rotting corpses staggering around for any length of time…they’d be infested with maggots…ugh!
I read Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan over the holidays. Not sure what would be a perfume match? Something stunning expensive and vulgar for one of the nouveaux? Penhaligon’s for one of the anglophiles? Expensive almost-water, which the Asian market supposedly wants? A little something whipped by the designer since they’re a personal friend? Ah, the possibilities…
China Rich Girlfriends, the sequel, is out in paperback now. Both great beach reads.
Yes! I.have not read the book but oh the possibilities! Let’s see, a bespoke By Kilian fragrance with 2 matching purses, one cross-body micro-mini purse just large enough to hold a lipstick and the other one barely big enough to hold a cell phone which will be carried by a maid or a security guard or both trailing after the precious one.
LOL, so perfect, hajusuuri!
I’m reading I’ll Be Right There by Shin Kyung-sook. Beautifully written and trsnslated, about a Korean woman reflecting about death and her college career in politically tumultuous 1980’s South Korea. I’m only ⅓ through but I’m riveted, even without an urgent plot. My friend who lent it to me called it calmly turbulent.
I can’t think of a perfume immediately for it but maybe Iris Silver Mist would suffice. Downcast but lovely.
This sounds good. Going on my list.
I’m enjoying it a lot! I imagine it would be helpful to someone dealing with a loss.
Putting it on my list too.
I love getting these book recommendations, especially since I discovered the vastness if the NYPL e-book catalog. Someone here put me on to the Joe Grey cat series, which I though was a hoot. Michael Connelly is good for those who like LA locations and police/crime stuff. The movie adaptation of The Lincoln Lawyer was one of the best book-to-movie I’ve seen. When I was first laid up recently, I binge-watched the second season of Amazon’s Bosch series. Karen B – if you enjoy Ireland location, check out The Fall on Netflix if you have it. Very dark. A new side to Gillian Anderson.
On frag front, I did a mini splurge at Duane Reade yesterday after farmers market visit. A lot of the Boots Extract body butter and other products were on sale. I think they are re-packaging. Bought the Bergamot and Almond butters. And a Mediterranean shower cream with fig, tomato leafe, olive.
I just read The Crossing! I jave to check out my local library’s e-book offering.
Mini splurge at DR.. ha,ha,ha
Is there any place a perfumista is safe?
The Fall is such a good show!
I can heartily recommend The Wild Places by Robert MacFarlane, if you’re in the mood for non-fiction. It’s an account of his travels to a series of far-flung corners of the British Isles where the landscape still retains something like genuine wilderness character. It’s fascinating reading, beautifully written, and moving in that he gradually realizes the fallacy of defining “wilderness” as a place where human traces are absent. While you’re at it, his book The Old Ways is also wonderful — an exploration of ancient travel routes in Britain and beyond, many nearly lost or barely known, all of them hauntingly described.
Perfumes for either: Corsica Furiosa, Flowers Barrow, CB I Hate Perfume’s Wild Hunt or Black March.
MacFarlane is one of the few writers my husband squeezes into his busy life. He loves his work. I have promised to read them all… Eventually.
They sound marvellous! Thanks for the recs!
Sounds great, thanks!
Love those books! Kathleen Jamie’s Findings and Roger Deakin’s Waterlog are also great, in a similar thoughtful, observant way. Would recommend both. And your perfume choices seem spot on to me.
Thanks for the reminder about Roger Deakin — I’ve been meaning to read his work. Just ordered up a copy of his Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees. Did not appear to come with perfume. 😉
My samples of SSS came in yesterday .
I am layering Chocolate saffron body oil and Amber Incense perfume.
Reading is only baby books these days, Time magazine, the New Yorker.
That layering sounds so good!
Nice!
I’m reading Anthony Powell’s A Buyer’s Market – second volume of the Dance to the Music of Time series. SOTD is Apres l’Ondee and they go quite well together.
Getting ready for friends coming over for lunch tomorrow and also trying to eradicate an ant’s nest at the foot of my new washing line. They are extremely tough ants.
Loved that series! On my to do list for the summer (who knows if I’ll get to it) is to watch the tv miniseries.
I loved that series when I read it many years ago! There was a TV miniseries? (I went through TVless periods.) Must find it. Thanks to you both for reminding me of the books.
I think Acorn tv has it.
Netflix too, on DVD.
My parents would reread Dance to the Music of Time every few years. I feel negligent because of I’ve only read them once!
On a related note, we have a free library box at the end of our street. It is a pretty painted cabinet with glass doors that is on a pole, and anyone can leave books or take books, keep them or return them…. It is fun to see old folks, kids, people out walking their dogs, visitors, standing there perusing the books. Anyway, I was looking at the offerings yesterday and was enjoying looking at the children’s book offerings. I picked up a dog-eared copy of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and was feeling a little melancholy that the days when my kids would have read the book were now passed. I was lost in thought when a voice piped up at me, “hey is there anything in there that I’d like to read?” I looked down at a little girl, about 8 I would guess. I said that as a matter of fact there was, and handed her the O’Brien book and told her what it was about. When her babysitter caught up to her, she thanked me, and tucked the book under her arm, and off they went.
I’m reading Mark Landler’s Alter Egos just now, which is extremely well written, enjoyable, and sheds lots of nuance on current events… Highly recommend it if you are a politics junky. Fragrance for reading it? Hmmmm… An old friend, whatever perfume/s that might be. Something to hang out with while you sort through the ways of the world.
Mrs. Frisby! That was a good one. I miss those days too.
You altered the very course of that child’s life! This made my day. Plus, Little Free Libraries are brilliant…
We have one in our street. They are called Lilliput Libraries here….really popular and so cute.
Love that the little girl wanted a book! We have a few of those little libraries on my L.A. street. It is always fascinating to check the titles, and leave a few behind. Recently, I got “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by the great Sherman Alexie for my fourteen year old son (but it is great for everyone) and left “Dear Mr. You” by actress/author Mary-Louise Parker, which was a kind of bittersweet, funny love letter to the different men in her life. The street with the books is lined in eucalyptus trees, dusty in the SoCal sun. So maybe one of those strong, inky green Kneipp’s bath oils while cracking the new summer read in the tub?
There are two little free library boxes in my neighborhood. I fondly remember NIMH, so mysterious, so exciting.
Recently I stopped at a little free library box and picked up a copy of Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos for my teen daughter. She loves children’s and youth fiction, and she loved Theodosia, She read the series in a week and hopes there will be a fifth novel one day soon.
I am dumbfounded–little local free library boxes?!!!! Who takes care of them? Are they sponsored by your city libraries? On whose land are they? Are all of you who have them in the same area or state? Big cities? This is an amazing concept. I love it. I could supply such a place all by myself. How did they get started? Are they vandalized ever? Ohhhhh. I want to bring the concept to my area of central Florida. Oh, please somebody fill me in.
Looks like I’ll be putting pen to paper tomorrow night to capture all the great book recommendations. Love this poll!
I’m really enjoying the late John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee novels, and perfect summer read as they seem to all take place in Florida and on McGee’s boat, the Busted Flush…
Suspenseful, entertaining and quite a witty observer, McGee’s keen insights into women and the dark recesses of the mind make for not your typical mystery novel.
I’d probably couple this with L`Eau à la Foli for its citrus and mojito notes.. and perhaps a dab of Juste un rêve to get some coconut in there too.
I’ve yet to figure out what I’ll wear today but it will have to be something fitting a visit to the Morgan Library to see the new Rembrandt exhibit with my best friend, my hubby.. perhaps I’ll go with Mohur extrait.
LOVE the Travis McGee series! I’ve read them all several times, once in chronological order (which was interesting). MacDonald was a very thoughtful writer, and a very sort of lyrical writer at times. His non-McGee novels are quite good too, but considerably darker than the McGee series.
Ooh, enjoy the Morgan Library!
Yes!!! I’ve dreamed about opening a library on the beach… no better place to read, right? And easy access…
Brilliant.
Our local beaches have library cabinets on the sand in the summer months.
If you like a wallopin’ good historical true -crime book that doubles as a really heavy doorstop, try “They All Love Jack” by Bruce Robinson. Wear some Tokyo Milk Arsenic while you read it, for reasons that Robinson will (eventually) supply. ????
Pretty long book, but sounds really good. On the list it goes.
True crime books are my guilty pleasure, but I’m so fascinated by messed up stuff that really happened! This goes on my list too …
I am almost done reading The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber. It is about a prostitute in London in the late 1800’s who would like a better life for herself. It is very good, but very long. Not sure the best perfume to wear. I am thinking something kind of seductive. Maybe Chanel Coco.
I am not usually a Stephen King fan, but in the last few years he did a mystery/action trilogy that has been wonderful and the last book just came out so have that next on the “to read” list. I think maybe the perfume could be Byredo Pulp since it is fun and different – like these books have been. They are so different from his usual horror books.
I adored The Crimson Petal and the White! It’s one of my “desert island” books.
Me too!
Mine too!
His (I think) latest novel ‘The Book of Strange New Things’ is amazingly good.
I just finished reading Faber’s first novel, Under the Skin, which is deeply creepy and sad. I think even in this shorter book he wildly overwrites, but there are things that will be stuck in my mind forever from this and his most recent book. The Crimson Petal I’ve read and remember not one word of!
Can’t think of perfume for Under the Skin. Something that is simultaneously metallic and animalic.
You are right Amy – he does overwrite. That is why it is taking me a long time to get done with it.
Have you seen the movie version? Even creepier, because it’s almost dialogue-free– the silence is so unnerving.
I remember when it came out how creepy it looked. Must watch now that I’ve read the book.
Under the Skin really stuck with me, and then I had to watch the film version, which has such memorable images. Seriously creepy.
There are a number of ways you could go with this, for example, the weirdness of a Le Labo, like Ylang. OTOH, she is transfixed by the natural abundance of earth, so I can imagine her encountering the scent of roses. Or how about fur, something with costus.
My friend Hilary Liftin’s book ‘Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper’ is just out in paperback and would make a great summer read. It’s a very thinly veiled account of the TomKat marriage. If I had it on the beach, I’d be reading it again while wearing Bond’s Fire Island.
Hope everyone is having a terrific weekend!
I’ve heard about that book, but I keep forgetting what it’s called! Thanks for the reminder.
Love these book recommendations. I’ll have time to read today, since my plans for afternoon tea and perfume shopping with my niece had to be rescheduled due to my niece coming down with a stomach virus. So I suddenly have a free day, and am consoling myself with a pot of blueberry green tea and Black Orchid.
I have 3 books waiting for me at the library now: Patti Smith’s M Train (I can only hope it’s nearly as good as her Just Kids), The Girl With All The Gifts, and At The Bottom Of The River. The best thing I’ve read recently was The Buddha in the Attic, a beautiful novel about the experiences of Japanese picture brides.
Oh, that’s a bummer! You were so looking forward to that special outing.
I’m sorry about your plans!
I love Black Orchid and was recently horrified by a new sample. It smelled horribly thin. I hope that was a weird batch….
Think it’s technically considered a YA book, but am about to read Girl in the Blue Coat by WaPo writer Monica Hesse (I find her weekly Thurs chats entertaining). It’s a coming of age story set in WWII, and I’m typically drawn to both coming of age stories and historical fiction. Accompanying scent would be the original Miss Dior.
I’m currently reading the first of the Outlander series. I haven’t been watching the television series, so don’t tell me what happens! 🙂 The book failed to grab me the first time I picked it up a year or so ago, but over the spring I tried it again and am now hooked. Not sure what fragrance to pair with it though – one of the Memo scents maybe, or something austere and mineral-y. SOTM is Gris Montaigne, whose name kind of goes with Outlander, but whose scent really doesn’t somehow.
Claire wears L’Heure Bleue in the WWII years.
I read those years ago. A fun series.
Oh! I love the Outlander series! I read the first book in maybe -97 and have read and re/read them many times. I’m happy that theft series is so good, would have been sad otherwise. L’heure bleu is of course fitting. But maybe also vagabond prince Enchanted forest?
I’m one day late on my Fake it Friday scent. I’m in Pacifica Nerola Orange Blossom, which is a great (albeit discontinued) substitute for Tom Ford Neroli Portofino or any non-sweet neroli scent.
Summer reading! I have a perfect book to recommend: The Rook by Daniel O’Malley. It’s a supernatural-espionage-comedy! First line:
“Dear you,
The body you are wearing used to be mine…”
While reading it, you should wear a perfume you’ve never worn before or something you think ‘isn’t you’–to match Myfanwy’s predicament.
Wow. That was a good sell. I just added it to my Abe Books “cart.”
Just put it on hold at my library. What a great opening sentence.
Yes, this sounds like another goodie.
Definitely beats “It was a dark and stormy night, “!
Ha,ha
Add me to the list, I want to read it too!
I just finished The Rent Collector by Camron Wright which is very short, surprisingly funny, touching and engaging. It is about life imitating art imitating life, being human, becoming a hero, love…everything. I would probably wear Bois Farine mixed with Timbuktu. It takes place in a garbage dump in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Oooh, that sounds intriguing.
I have had mixed luck with new authors recently, so my reading has been concentrated on new(ish) releases by tried-and-true writers. Laurie L. King has a new book in her Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series called “The Murder of Mary Russell.” Thankfully in this one they are not galivanting around the Middle East, but are at home. Jacqueline Winspear released a new Maisie Dobbs, “Journey to Munich,” that I enjoyed a lot. However, the best thing I have read recently is the non-fiction “Lab Girl” by Hope Jahren. She studies trees, and climate, and adaptation, and she writes beautifully about being a woman scientist, about her 20+ year platonic relationship with a rather odd man who is both her best friend and her lab partner, and her diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Insofar as scent is concerned, Mary Russell wouldn’t wear anything lest she be smelled by an enemy, Maisie Dobbs probably wears something floral by Penhaliagon’s, and Hope Jahren always naturally smells of dirt and chemicals. I am wearing Labdanum 18 today.
Ding ding ding!!! Sold me on Lab Girl. I heard Jahren interviewed a couple of times and enjoyed her thoughtfulness and enthusiasm about her vocation.
Isn’t that series terrific? I have the new one on my list.
Glad there’s a good new Mary Russell. I can only re-read (well, listen no) Justice Hall so many times while I wait. I’m behind on the series because I just couldn’t get through The Pirate King and I can’t bear to skip a book, but I think I’ll pick them back up now.
Maisie Dobbs might have picked up a some attars in India that she dabs on for serious meditation. 😉
I love the summer reading poll; I’ve already added another 10+ books to my TBR list!
Hands down the best book I’ve read recently is Anthony Marra’s “The Tsar of Love and Techno.” Set in the former USSR and modern-day Russia, it’s short stories are interwoven, one building upon the other. It’s a beautifully written, moving dazzler of a book. I don’t think there’s a perfume that could capture the emotions of this book, but if there were, it would be both beautiful and melancholy.
I’ve also enjoyed Helen Dunmore’s “Exposure” (espionage and betrayal – great character studies) and Lyndsay Faye’s “Jane Steele” (a re-imagining of Jane Eyre, sort of).
One of the joys of second-hand book shops is the occasional oddity one finds. This spring I stumbled on a copy of a book published in the 1950s, a memoir of Canadian housewife’s solo hitchhiking trip from British Columbia to Alaska and back called “As Far As You’ll Take Me.” Can’t imagine anyone doing that trip today!
I enjoyed The Tsar of Love and Techno, too. Beautifully written, like you say. You might like the book Nothing is True, Everything is Possible as a nonfiction companion piece.
Thanks for the suggestion! On the TBR list it goes. 🙂
I love second hand book stores! There’s one I love dearly and go once a week! Today was my day and I found two beautifully illustrated children’s anthologies from the 70’s. I love folklore from around the world, especially for young readers, and they both looked so charming.
I started reading Far from the Madding Crowd recently. I’m resisting watching the film until I’ve finished the book. I’m imagining AG Nuit Etoilee. I’m actually wearing PdN L’Eau a la Folie since it’s warm and muggy out, and because I don’t own the AG.
I have a humongo bottle of Nuit Etoilee EDP…will add a decant to the freebie package!
Thanks Hajusuuri! That’s very kind.
Far from the Madding Crowd! Haven’t thought about that one in a while. The movie, the one with Julie Christie? She teases those guys, looking lovely, but, you know, aspiring above her station. Not sure it adds anything to the book, but, you know, Julie Christie.
I was thinking of the newer version from last year, but if that one doesn’t satisfy, I’ll go back to the older film. After I finish the book, of course 😉
Lol! Didn’t catch the new version!
The new film version has a very handsome leading man
Read that when I was a young and loved it!
So far, it’s entertaining, though I just want to smack this girl.
I haven’t read a new book in ages. Mostly because I can’t sit down to read with my husband around. He just can’t stand to have anyone sitting still and has, in fact, come in to tell me four irrelevant things as I have typed this. I do listen to audiobooks but finding books I like with a narrator I can tolerate is rough.
On an almost perfume related note, I discovered just how unobservant I can be when in a hurry. I have watered my plants twice since we got home and didn’t notice my plumeria is finally blooming until my husband mentioned, “that big green stick-thing that we keep in the garage all winter has either buds or a weird growth.”
Did I mention this in an earlier post? Very sorry if I am repeating myself …but for audiobooks Christopher Timothy’s reading if All Creatures Great and Small is so much fun. I am still sad that I’ve finished it! Hilarious and easy to listen to in interrupted pieces.
If you did, I missed it. I’ll check him out. Thanks!
I wish there was a way to share audible downloads! But it really is a terrific listen.
My husband gets the silent stink-eye if he ever interrupts me while reading so he has learned not to. I, on the other hand, interrupt him quite a lot while he is reading.
Heh, same here. I get wrathful if anyone interrupts me, but I’m afraid I’m probably not great about resisting interrupting others…
Hahaha, “big green stick-thing” … That made my day, so funny. And my boyfriend also talks AT me all the time while reading or watching tv 🙄
Yep. That’s it, talking at me. I usually am only half listening so when he interrupts me later to show me what he meant about the air intake sensor or whatever car part he was droning on about, I’m completely lost.
Oh. My. Goodness. So the can’t-leave-you-alone-while-reading/-thinking/-being quiet thing happens to others to?! My fiance (the otherwise wonderful Mr. Spicebomb) CANNOT leave me be. It’s like he’s desperate for a connection. But only when I’m reading or sitting quietly. I’ve taken to going upstairs so I can get some uninterupted time.
It is an un-correctable flaw, I’m afraid. My mother still swears that I was born solely as a means of distracting my father (“it worked!” she keeps hinting).
I have learned that if I can get him wrapped up in something I can sneak off for a bit, but he comes looking for me eventually. When he is really stressed out he does sometimes binge on video games and that does actually give me some peace, but I hate when he’s that frazzled so it isn’t worth it.
I consider it flattering that he likes me enough to want to share, but still…
I have been interpreting it as an introvert/extrovert thing. He enjoys the interruptions and connections and external processing (ie. telling me insignificant things randomly, sharing a tweet he just got, etc.) while I need the internal processing/down time. I guess I’ve been hoping I could *explain* that I’m happy being quiet and he’d get it . . . eventually. You make it sound like my just-go-upstairs strategy is a good one! 😀
Same here… Super annoying. Plus it’s always trivial crap I have no interest in whatsoever, or showing me silly photos on facebook or making me watch inane tv clips. Argh!!
I’ve just finished Peter Pomerantsev’s Nothing is Possible and Everything is True. Pomerantsev worked as a documentary film maker for Russian TV in Moscow for 9 years and writes about the politics and contradictions of life through various interactions with locals. Great, easy read but thought provoking, funny and poignant. Itwon the Samuel Johnson prize for non fictionand Guardian first book award. Would wear a smoky, boozy scent if i could name one!
Also reading Selma Lagerlof’s The Saga of Gosta Berling…a bit of a classic. Maybe lumiere blanche would be a good match?
Finally, would recommend Hideo Yokohama’s Six Four if you like big, meandering crime novels…for people who don’t read ‘crime’ . More about Japanese culture than a police drama. Maybe Kyoto?
Oh, and check out Australian author Charlotte Wood’s latest novel ( if you like writers like Sarah Hall, Wolf Border, or Emily st John Mandel). Dystopian, beautifully told. She is a great writer.
Sorry, forgot to mention the name of Charlotte’s book: The Natural Way of Things. If you only read one book by an Australian author this year….etc.
Oh will check her out ASAP.
I’m reading Vera Caspary’s Laura, about the apparent murder of a beautiful young New York advertising executive. I saw the great, noir film before reading the book.The book and film are both very haunting and sensual.
Laura’s perfumes are described as ‘varied and heady’, but any mid-century chypres and florals would fit. Rochas Femme , obviously (although it had not been released in 1942 when the book is set), but the early Diors and would do, or Piguet’s Fracas (not Bandit think). I’ve never smelled Iris Gris but it sounds perfect for Laura.
I used to read a lot when I was younger; now it feels like I only read professional literature. And great as that can be, I can’t in all conscience recommend it as Summer reading. :^)
Yesterday and today I have been enjoying my FBs and old perfumes as I’ve been at home 4 days – very unusually, and only because I had a training course – one of those re-certifications that comes up every 5 years. Yesterday I ran through a few drops of Lalique “Encre Noir” before showering, then the last of my Hermès “Epice Marine” in the morning, Caron “Yatagan” during the day, and finally SL “Chêne” for a night out at the Opera (Cav & Pag). I preferred Pagliacci while my partner enjoyed Cavalleria Rusticana more, which added to the enjoyment (as did the occasional whiff of boozy oak from the Chêne). ;^)
Today I started in a little Hermès “Brin de Reglisse” before showering and now in Salvatore Ferragamo “Vendemmia”, which is maybe more an Autumn scent, but as today is grey and showery I’m enjoying the richness of this one. Flying back to Paris this afternoon so there may be time for another perfume before this weekend is over. :^)
I don’t have any Kenzo perfumes for next Friday’s community project, so instead I am planning a week of Guerlains. All of them new to me (but very familiar to many NST folk, who will probably be amused/ offended if I go through the week wrinkling my nose and shaking my head! But who knows, maybe I’ll love them all).
I may wrinkle my nose but I won’t judge you – LOL. I’m looking forward to your picks and commentary. BTW, if you haven’t tried Byredo, head on over to Undina’s blog 🙂
Some friends and I went out to our city’s local Pride fest despite the ridiculous heat and humidity last night and had a wonderful time. This morning I still smell a hint of Chinatown and the guava body scrub I used and it smells lovely.
For reading material, I read a lot of suspense and general fic with the odd horror novel thrown in. The last novel I rather enjoyed was All Things Cease to Appear and read that one over several days so don’t recall what perfumes I wore. Most recently I finished an M. R. James compilation while nearly finishing off Malle Une Rose. Today while I have some quiet this morning, I’ll get back into The House of Shattered Wings and think maybe some Carnal Flower would be a sultry opposition to the subject matter.
As an aside, has anyone had any luck purchasing Creed frags from the discounters? I seem to recall this brand being one that turns particularly quickly, but the mainstream department store prices are so much higher than the discounters so I’m in a bit of a bind but would love to spend a good deal of the summer in Virgin Island Water.
Thanks and happy reading, everyone.
I haven’t purchased Creed specifically but have had good luck on the major discount sites, in general, especially when brands are introducing new packaging and the old gets sent to the discounters, it appears.
I bought a tester of VIW from a discounter two years ago and it still smells the way it should.
I’m belatedly reading Truth & Beauty, after many years of avoiding for fear it would be too upsetting–I’m not done yet but I’m happy to report that at least so far, it’s lovely and not nearly so grim as Autobiography of a Face.
As for a fragrance to go with, hard to say! I figure many of us might have ideas about what scent represents truth and beauty to us. It’s probably an answerable question, though, what the protagonists were wearing. Next time someone’s at an Ann Patchett reading, will you ask for us?? 🙂
Very little is as grim as Autobiography of a Face, which I’ve read more times than I can remember. Lucy Grealey captures how badly a childhood and a life can be damaged and a person can still somehow survive in a way like few others. I wonder what you think of Truth and Beauty. There were some great scenes that have stuck with me over the years, but it also made me dislike Ann Patchett.
Oh interesting–still reading but would be very interested to hear how it made you dislike Ann Patchett. You know, I think I was expecting to have that reaction, because I knew LG’s family objected to the book and (like any reader of Autobiography, I imagine) I myself felt very protective of Lucy, but at least so far I have had less negative reaction to the book than I was anticipating. If anything I feel a little sad for Ann Patchett because she seems so much to cast LG and herself in this star/sidekick dyad that seems both inaccurate to actual human relationships, and also just a sad way to view your own life…
Interesting. I read it right when it came out and didn’t realize that the family objected. But you are probably right to feel sorry for her mytholigization of their friendship rather than angry about it. I can’t remember at what point I started getting annoyed.
Oh yes, now that you mention it I do see how that mythologizing inclination could be an irksome quality as much as pitiable. Makes me wonder about the degree to which she really sees their relationship that way, versus perhaps a choice to evoke how she saw it at the time. Though of course, a premature death can have a way of freezing a dynamic forevermore at the age you were when you lost the person. (I mean obviously so, in the sense you necessarily have no new experiences with that person but I guess I wonder whether for AP, thinking about Lucy is necessarily an exercise in thinking about a more younger, not to say immature, perspective.)
Still I am enjoying the book–it’s very absorbing to me to read about two different women’s writing careers side by side. And AP has some truly lovely, moving passages and turns of phrase, I think.
Here’s the essay Lucy’s sister wrote in response to Truth & Beauty, for anyone interested: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/aug/07/biography.features
I think I read Truth & Beauty before Autobiography of a Face. I never read info about Lucy’s family, that I remember, and the Guardian article was very interesting. The sister suggesting that Patchett “hitched her wagon” to Lucy’s star is ludicrous in the most passive/aggressive way. I only know about Lucy because of Ann.
I read these books some time ago; cobwebs cover my original thoughts. But there is no denying Patchett’s writing ability and the thankless aspect of analyzing a friendship with a complicated and emotionally and physically fragile person when their family is watching.
Currently reading The Rabbit Back Literature Society, a surreal dark comedy set in Finland. You need a good chilled perfume to wear with this. Maybe FM’s L’eau d’hiver!
Yesterday I went to Arielle Shoshana for the trunk show with Barbara Herman and her Eris perfume line. (She is also author of the book Scent and Subversion and the blog Yesterday’s Perfume.) Barbara explained how she and perfumer Antoine Lie (Tom Ford, Givenchy, Comme des Garçons, Etat Libre d’Orange, and others) developed Eris as “a take on vintage perfume styles but with a modern twist.”
http://www.yesterdaysperfume.com/
She had also organized scent strips with the main ingredients of each perfume, such as Animalis 02 or jasmine sambac. It was fascinating to smell both individual notes and the finished compositions.
Thanks to Holly, we also got to see a number of DC area perfumistas again, including Steve (The Scented Hound), and meet Mark Behnke (Colognoisseur). So that was four perfume bloggers and many other delightful perfumistas at one event!
I liked all three Eris perfumes and finally chose Ma Bête. It was especially fun and enlightening to sniff the same perfume on different people and see how different notes or facets emerge.
Barbara will also be at Arielle Shoshana from 1-4 pm today:
https://www.arielleshoshana.com/pages/events
Sampler sets are also available on Luckyscent if you are outside the area. (no affiliation)
I often wear Wonderwood – my only Antoine Lie perfume. It is perfect for cold days at home. The Eris perfumes look good. And thanks for the introduction to Barbara Herman’s book and blog.
I want to try more of his perfumes now, too. Barbara was delightful in person, too: smart, funny and insightful.
This sounds like so much fun!
We are really lucky that Arielle Shoshana is bringing new lines to the area and providing a focal point for events like this and Ari’s own seminars.
Just finished the autobiography of French cycling champion Laurent Fignon and slowly making my way through Nicolas Bouvier’s travel book about Japan in the 60’s and Jean-Pierre Issenhuth’s La Géométrie des Ombres. Perfume is Amouage Lyric.
I actually used to have a bit of a crush on Laurent Fignon when I did a lot of long hilly rides. I would always do a final sprint to the top of the hill pretending to be him. I think it’s because we both wore glasses…and he was French ( and cooler thanGreg LeMond). Does he seem like a nice guy? I also like Jenny Longo for girl power.
I have several books I haven’t started and two that I haven’t finished. If I do go to the beach (or have a staycation), I will finish the two and start on one of the others. The perfume I will be wearing will be a beachy scent–especially if I have a staycation, which is most likely. I will choose a different one each day–Imaginary Authors Yesterday Haze and Falling Into the Sea, Heeley’s Cocobello and Sel Marin, Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino Aqua, Soleil Blanc, Fleur de Portofino and Mandarino di Amalfi, i Profumi di Firenze Brezza di Mare, or Il Profumo Aria di Mare.
I wear many of these to bed in the winter to remind me that there will be a summer!
Thoughts and prayers for anyone impacted by this latest horrible mass shooting in Orlando.
Thank you. This is literally close to home and heart-breaking.
Thinking of you and everyone in Orlando
I am so sorry for everyone affected.
Yes, sending out my love to others in the community on this awful day.
Just stricken. I send my whole heart.
Yes, so sorry for everyone involved. Even though we live in Western Canada we also own a property in the Orlando area so we consider Orlando our “second home” My heart especially aches for all those affected.
I’m currently reading The Brothers Karamazov and really enjoying it. It’s definitely a big book, so great for summer and beach reading (I like heavier books for beach reading). Perfume would either be monastic or debauched, Zagorsk is perfect for the Russian monastery aspect. Not so sure for debauched – maybe I need to explore some of this vintage animal bombs 🙂
The best book I read recently was DiBruno Bros House of Cheese. All about cheese, divided into sections by cheese personality with fun descriptions, food, beer, and wines pairings, and a few recipes. If you’re into cheese you should check it out!
I think Naomi Goodsir could to both here! Bois d’Ascese and Or du Serail.
I just read a batch of novels and the best by far, although at times very painful, was Garth Greenwell’s What Belongs to You. It’s about a young American in Bulgaria and his relationship with an even younger hustler. Really emotionally and politically astute and beautifully written. There is definitely a perfume equivalent here, something cheap and trashy but subtly moving. I don’t know what exactly.
Like some others, I tend to dislike the Austen or Bronte tag along novels, but Carly Phillips’ The Lost Ones makes fascinating use of Wuthering Heights while also telling a story about race and childhood in the 20th century UK. Also a great book. For this I’d wear HYLNDS Pale Grey Mountain or something I don’t know that even more fully evokes the moors.
Aravind Adiga’s (he of the White Tiger fame) Last Man in Tower is highly recommendable. Also, I can never pass up the opportunity to plug Kate Atkinson’s sublime Life after Life.
I’m reading Karl Ove Knausgaard’s “My Struggle, Part 1”, which I find strangely hypnotic and calming. And there are 5 more parts after this one! Part 1 jumps around Scandinavia, but spends a good deal of time in remote northern Norway, so I’d need to wear something woody and green and watery. Maybe HYLNDS Isle Ryder? Or Pacific Forest by SSS? Probably too on the nose, but still…
The last two things I read that affected me permanently were the four Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante ( Odeur 71 by CDG, for the dusty and strange aspects of a mysterious lifelong friendship set in post-war Naples) and “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara. Not sure what to wear for “A Little Life”, something rich and urbane but sad and bitter too, wrapped incredible warmth. Whatever that is, I want to smell it.
Also reading “How to Raise an Adult” by Julie Lythcott-Haims, as I have a just turned 14 year old son starting high school in the fall. For that book, I’ll filch a few sprays from his bottle of Terre d’Hermes (I may need to write the book, “How to Raise a Frago-Nerd”)
I don’t think I’ve yet sniffed the perfume worthy of A Little Life!
I agree. That book slayed me.
Oh, you read my mind when you suggested How to Raise an Adult, just requested it from my library. I have two teens who are giving me a run for my money. 🙂
Something different some of you might enjoy is the novel “Tender” by Belinda McKeon. It’s the story of an intense relationship between a young gay man and a straight woman in college in Dublin in the late nineties. I heard an interview with the author on NPR, which led me to buy the book and tear right through it. I’m sure it would be possible to scent both Catherine and James, and probably they even wore perfume in the book, but right now I’m just not up to it.
I’ve been evaluating my life and where I want to be. Stay in Alaska, or apply to jobs in LA and Charleston. So I’m reading a collection of the works of Ralph Waldon Emerson, and figuring out how to blaze a trail instead following a path.
Which means complete self indulgence. A glass of wine, and L’Heure Bleu layered with Hermes Mandarine Ambree.
Sounds like some interesting choices and the potential for something very different in terms of environment. Good luck.
Hey, everyone, let’s make today, tomorrow, this week the time to give someone a hug, whether we think they need it or not. Let’s call someone who has been on our minds, or who might be hurting. Let’s send a friendly e-mail, give a like, give a +1, give a heart, or a 🙂 .
I’ve been catching up on memoirs. Here’s what’s been on my mind reading-wise:
–Raising My Rainbow: Adventures in Raising a Fabulous, Gender Creative Son
–A Different Kind of Daughter: The Girl Who Hid from the Taliban in Plain Sight
Both stories show what can happen when a parent really and truly listens, then allows their child to live and be comfortable in their own skin. And clothes.
Scent-wise, for Raising My Rainbow I’d choose Coco. The author tells the story (on her blog) of losing a parent and grandparent. When I read that story, I imagined that Nana Grab Bags wore Coco.
For A Different Kind of Daughter, I would suggest Desert Rose, a rose that can be worn by anyone. Maria is strong and beautiful. She deserves a scent that is like her.