The cold weather version of our summer reading poll: tell us about a great book to curl up with on a frosty winter night, and what fragrance we should wear while reading it.
Note: top image is reading [cropped] by Rosmarie Voegtli at flickr; some rights reserved.
Triple strength coffee
Extra long workout
Getting ready to make Anise Biscotti
Magie Noire EDT which is reminiscent of Bandit today
YMMV
Snowing so I will recommend a easy thriller
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄
Carpe Diem
Peace
????????☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
*AN easy
Autocorrect is incorrect! !!
Yeah, I said it…..
LOL ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Anise biscotti, mmmmmmm. Can I come over? 🙂
Sure! The more the merrier! ????????????????????
????????????????????☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕????????????
????????????????????????
I love Nesbo but people should be warned perhaps that it’s got some very graphic violence in it.
YES, this! I read a few and couldn’t take it anymore. They are well written though.
I’ve read lots of great books in the last six months, but I think I will recommend a translated re-print from NYRB, one of my favourite publishing houses, “Arabia Felix: the Danish Expedition of 1761-1767”. It’s a great story, non-fiction, written to be as pacey as a novel, and it’s perfect for a frosty night because it reminds you that at least you’re not dying of malaria in the desert outside Mocha. SOTR: La Via del Profumo Mecca Balsam, of course. (One of the goals of the expedition was to send a cutting of a Mecca Balsam tree back to Linnaeus.)
Erin, was just thinking of you last night: finally got around to watching the first quarter of Dance to the Music of Time miniseries, which at some point I thought I’d already seen but now that I’m watching it, no, definitely had not seen it. VERY abridged, as you’d expect, so much so that it loses the point, perhaps. I might just re-read the books too — been doing a lot of re-reading this year.
I read a series titled, I think, The Music of Time, by a British author back in the ’60s or 70s. Are they by any chance the same, and where can I watch it? Thanks.
No, not the same I don’t think? A Dance to the Music of Time is by Anthony Powell, and Netflix has the miniseries on DVD but not streaming.
I have that and also greatly admire NYRB–must read. Thanks for the reminder.
I looove NYRB! I could gush but this isn’t really the format! They have a subscription service that I’ve been contemplating for awhile.
I’ve contemplated it, too! The postal charges on the subscription are pretty hefty for Canadians, though. I do try to support them as much as I can, they are gush-worthy.
After devouring the Book of Dust, I decided to re-read Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy and I think the amber/gold/ancient forests aspects of it will be well served by Mitsouko. It’s also my go-to holiday scent so it all fits very nicely. I am planning to mix vintage extrait (on fabric – I do have a designated Misty shawl) with modern EdP.
Incidentally, in the Book of Dust there is a description of Mrs Coulter’s scent, but it is vague enough to warrant the “what perfume would the beautiful villain wear?” exercise..
Aha, see my comment below — I may go back and read Dark Materials again too. So far contented myself with re-reading Lyra at Oxford, and realized he did another short which I’d never read, The Collectors, so that is next on my list.
I just got The Collectors as well – somehow I also missed that one!
Wearing SDV for coziness on a cool foggy morning. I just read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I enjoyed it, but not sure I’d recommend it for a cozy winter read. I’m now reading The Help (I’m always a little behind everyone else), but this strikes me as more of a summer read for some reason. How about The Book Thief?
On another note, I just wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes for Mr. SP. The neurologist appointment went well and we really liked the doctor. Mr. SP is not completely fine, but it wasn’t the diagnosis that I feared and there is even hope that his issues will get better. So thanks! Happy Saturday!
Happy to hear the news was not as bad as you were anticipating. Now, we will all focus on sending good vibes for a decrease in his symptoms. ✌????
Great news. What a relief for you both.
Glad you got good news!
I listened to “The Absolutely True Diary…” in my car not long ago. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
And glad for your good news as well!
I’m happy for your good news – sending positive vibes to you and Mr. SP!
Oh I’m so glad to hear this. I’ve been burning up candles for him and you. Hopefully he WILL be completely fine soon.
Thank you for all the candles. It was a comforting feeling to think that someone was lighting candles for us!
Glad for the good news. Sending healing thoughts.
GLad to hear the news is better than expected. Continued healing vibes!
Thanks, all – I really appreciate the thoughts!
Glad to read about the good news!
That is good news! That book is hilarious, I enjoyed it too. He (Sherman Alexie) has a memoir out about his mother titled, You Don’t Have to Say I Love You. It’s on my list.
So glad for u both, so nice to hear good news.
Congrats on the good news!!!
I’m about two-thirds of the way through rereading the Lord of the Rings trilogy. There’s so much more in the books than they were able to fit into the movies, and so many things I had completely forgotten. Example: everybody remembers Tom Bombadil, but who remembers that he had a girlfriend named Goldberry? Nobody, that’s who!
Anyway, SOTM is Lazy Sunday Morning, but will switch to something elegant for my niece’s wedding this afternoon.
Oh, I remember Goldberry.
But I’ve read the books many times. And I have always honestly thought that JRRT could have VASTLY benefited from a good editor. It seems that his publisher’s attitude was that this was a series of books for children, and oh well, who cares about that, so we have extraneous, confusing, and boring events taking place that really should have been excised (and definitely would have been, had it been published any time since, oh, the mid-70s): the oddball and unrelated-to-the-story-goal visit to Tom Bombadil’s house taking up so much story space, for example. Not to mention ALL. Those. Chapters devoted to Hobbits Trekking. Through. Endless. Empty. Space in Two Towers.
I mean, I love Tolkien, I do. But as a writer with a background in history, his general MO was to write down every teeny little thing, even if it was unnecessary to the story.
THIS. This this this this. THANK YOU.
I read the entire LOTR series to my daughter, beginning when she was about 8 (and then to my younger son when he was 10). That was when it really came home to me how unwieldy they are.
OMG so so true.
I struggled with the trilogy as a kid (who read adult fantasy, not Harry Potter!) and being unable to keep the story straight. I should go back one day….
I don’t know if you’re still a fantasy head but I absolutely adore the Kingkiller trilogy by Patrick Rothfuss. We’re still waiting on book 3 but 1 and 2 are gorgeous. A bit smaller in scope than Tolkien but just as rich.
+1 waiting on book 3. We won’t discuss the wait for any further Game of Thrones books…
I remember Goldberry too!
Well, who knew so many of you would remember Goldberry! I’m reading in e-book format, from a combined set of all three books, and just crossed over from Book One to Book Two last night. Looking forward to mals’ predicted Slogging Endlessly Through Misery for the next thousand pages or so. 😉
I remember Goldberry. :-). And, I knew that part was going to be cut out of the movie, so I wasn’t disappointed. (Why didn’t they cut a bit more while they were at it, like some of those endless orc battles?)
Anyway, if you can find it, do grab a copy of Bored of the Rings. It was put out by the Harvard Lampoon ages ago, and it made me double over in laughter. You will never envision Tom Bombadil and Goldberry the same again. 😀
That sounds scary, yet intriguing. 🙂
Have read 2 books recently — the new Philip Pullman, La Belle Sauvage, which was entertaining if not nearly so good as Golden Compass / Northern Lights (and it is a sort of prequel to that book). Pullman fans will definitely want to read it.
Someone recommended Natasha Pulley’s Bedlam Stacks to me, and it is a sort of steampunk historical fantasy, very enjoyable, needed a really good editor.
Right now reading Ursula Hegi The Vision of Emma Blau, which shares characters from her book Stones From The River, but I read that so long ago that I don’t remember anything other than that I liked it.
I will have to come back with perfume recs, brain not working well enough right now!
Oh, for Bedlam Stacks, one of the classic Penhaligon’s, Hammam Bouquet probably.
Someone recommended Bedlam Stacks to me last week, so this makes +2 for that one.
Two unrelated but magnificent events overlapped in my week: I finally read Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch AND received my four Heeley samples, Hippie Rose, Cardinal, Sel Marin, and Iris de Nuit. I fell under the spell of every one of them, but primarily the novel and Hippie Rose. Readers’ opinions were mixed on the book but did not sway my awe of the writing. I don’t have any idea of perfumstas’ opinions about the Heeleys, but I know my nose isn’t the most sophisticated and will remain undaunted in my enthusiasm. What a week!
And does anyone know what scent Cardinal reminds me so strongly of? I’m sure I have it but can’t think of its name.
Cardinal might remind you of Avignon?
I can’t wait to read The Goldfinch, but I don’t plan to until 2019. Back in January this year I read Tartt’s The Secret History and was crazy for it. I immediately picked up copies of her two other books and plan to read one a year in chronological order. So in 2018, I’ll read The Little Friend.
I loved The Goldfinch! So much so, I’m working my way through it a second time on CD audio book in the car. I recommend the audio version also – all those wonderful heavy Russian/Ukrainian accents!
The Goldfinch is fantastic! I also have and love Hippie Rose and Iris de Nuit, but still haven’t tried Cardinal.
The secret Hitory is a favourite, but I personally found The Little Friend disappointing,
I really struggled with The Goldfinch after enjoying The Secret History, and can’t really put my finger on why I found Goldfinch so impenetrable.
Delurking because books. Loved The Goldfinch. One of those books where I abandoned my sense of self, time and place to the author and the story. Other books in this category (YMMV): Gravity’s Rainbow, Wide Sargasso Sea, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Wolf Hall, Snowcrash. Not sure there’s a common scent theme here; perhaps outliers like PoTL and the older chypres, where nothing is as it seems?
The Goldfinch was amazing. The parts about the furniture making led me to research reproductions. I also loved her ability to make the reader feel cozy (in Hobie’s workshop) and also strung out (when they were in the tract housing neighborhood in Vegas). She’s great at creating mood. I’d pair Iris Prima from Penhaligons. It wants to be a floral but its so dry and leathery and..well depressing.
I mentioned last weekend too that I’m reading Jeff Vandermeer’s Southern Reach trilogy. I’m right in the middle of the second book, Authority, but it’s on hold until a fresh copy arrives from Amazon today. On Thursday my water bottle came open in my bag, and the water damage ruined my book. ???? Sigh. So far, I’m crazy about the series. I was consumed by the first book, Annihilation. He also writes great scent descriptions, and a rotting, sickly sweet honey smell is a prominent feature. I don’t think anyone wants to smell sickly sweet, but I’ll pair the series with DSH Perfumes Lush Honey, which is just as it sounds. There is also a movie based on the first book coming out in February. I was prompted to look into the book series after being intrigued by the trailer.
Alternatively, I also started reading The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron while waiting for my replacement copy of Authority to arrive. It’s a bit revelatory for me with just the small chunk I’ve read so far. I’ll pair it with burning your favorite incense or wearing your favorite incense perfume to represent the opening of the mind and self discovery. My choices are a stick of pure Copal and Aedes Copal Azur.
Love the Southern Reach trilogy! Am really interested in seeing how that movie turns out, as it seems like a book that would be difficult to translate to film. Will have to try Lush Honey, as I love honeyed perfumes.
I agree on the difficulty to translate to film. After finishing Annihilation, I read the movie synopsis and was disappointed to see that already they changed something major. I’m waiting until I finish the series to rewatch the trailer.
I’ll definitely seek out more by Vandermeer’s, including his recent Borne. It comes out in paperback early 2018.
I read Borne this past summer. There were a few unexpected twists that I enjoyed very much.
Thanks, that’s good to hear.
I have just been given the most beautiful picture book called Lost Words by Robert McFarlane illustrated by Jackie Morris. It was created in response to the words from the natural world ( bramble, bluebell, wren, conker , fern etc.) dropped from the children’s dictionary and is written as a spell book to bring them back, and honour nature. It is a large format book and so beautiful it is a book that makes you remember how you used to treasure books when you were a kid, and keep them for ever. It’s aimed at 8-15 year olds probably, would be a wonderful Christmas present…esp. For northern hemisphere readers ( it features newts, otters and ravens which aren’t down here). Perfume match: Bracken or Blackbird. The other book is Outsiders, a biography of five women writers by Lyndall Gordon….all white, middle class but still very interesting. And a NZ book: Bird Words ed. Elisabeth Easther..an anthology of NZ writing on birds ( fiction, poetry, nonfiction). Beautiful and interesting….match with your favourite fougere or marine scent.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/oct/02/the-lost-words-robert-macfarlane-jackie-morris-review
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing this. I most often use my neighborhood library these days, but The Lost Words is now at the top of my shopping list.
Love these suggestions – adding to my list.
What a lovely project, thanks for the link! I am sort of astounded at some of the words. Acorn, goldfish, almond — really? And buttercup and empire. Then again, I never had anything like a junior dictionary in my life so not sure why it is bothering me so much.
Thanks so much! I just ordered it for my niece. It looks amazing, and important.
Thanks, Kanuka. I just ordered this for my granddaughter. I agree with Robin, this deletion of words representing the natural world is very unsettling. If you don’t have the word for something, how can you appreciate it, or preserve it?
I have always been a reader but I have fallen out of the reading habit. Taking care of my elderly parents, now just my mother, just wipes me out and reading feels like a chore, don’t know why. I’ve started The Summer Before the War a couple of times now and I just can’t concentrate. I read articles on the internet and fall into TV instead.
Wearing vintage Obsession today, we’re having our first real snow 🙂
I was a huge reader most of my life but sort of fell off the wagon for a good long while, while raising my son I guess? I never stopped reading entirely, but it is only recently that I’m getting back to always having a book or two in progress, and starting to think about what I’ll read next before I’m done with what I’m on. So it might come back to you, who knows?
I am much quicker now to start a book and not finish it if I am not enjoying it.
Snowing here too, we probably have about an inch on the ground.
I think if something really intrigues you, you would read it. I often only read a few pages at a time – like when I get in bed at night.
Maybe try a different book. I really enjoyed both The Weird Sisters and The Trouble with Goats and Sheep.
SP, I’m happy to find someone else who enjoyed The Trouble with Goats and Sheep!
ringthing, there was a point in my life when I just couldn’t concentrate enough to read for pleasure (and I’d been an avid reader all my life). Then one day, I picked up a book on a subject that really interested me and I was a voracious reader once again. All sorts of things come and go throughout our lives, and the books will still be there if you start feeling like reading again. 🙂
Yes, it was a fun book!
I definitely sympathize with you concerning the strains of eldercare. Like you I too am doing much more now to help care for my mother. It’s very draining. I have realized I need to find a support group of some kind. Also, I’m thinking of writing about it, because it may be a way for me to process it, and may end up being of some value or interest. Best wishes.
I agree with Robin. I think all big readers have a few periods where they just can’t do it for a while, but the enjoyment usually comes back later. I find it’s especially tough to put away a lot of pages when you’re looking after somebody who’s ill or has high needs. I read a lot fewer long books last year, before and after my father died, and a lot more magazine and internet articles. I just didn’t have the concentration for some of the non-fiction books I usually read at that time. But I’m back to my usual pace lately.
I’m not a huge reader of nonfiction but read a series of books on biowarfare this year that were riveting. I’d recommend both “Plague Wars” by Tom Mangold and “Biohazard” by Ken Alibek. The latter is a book written by the man who ran the Russian secret biowarfare program during the Cold War, and who later defected to the US when he realized that the Russian propaganda about the US bioweapon program was all a lie. It’s quite amazing to read a first hand account of a secret bioweapons program.
The former starts off REALLY gruesome. I would recommend skipping the first chapter which goes into extreme detail into Japan’s program from during WWI. That chapter may leave you wondering about the human potential for evil. Other than that one chapter, it is not gruesome. It’s not at all a propaganda or sensationalist book (which several other books in the subject ARE). It even has a chapter on North Korea.
For fiction, I would recommend both “Moonglow” by Michael Chabon and “Here I Am” by Foer.
Oh good, someone else recommended Moonglow so I will move it up my list. I am not up for books about biowarfare at the moment!
Ha! I know it must sound like an odd topic, but I was shocked to realize how little I actually knew about the politics and science on the topic. Perhaps other people know more about it naturally than I do— it’s posaibke that I’ve just had my head in the sand all of these years. Today, we grow up in a time free of so many illnesses that my parents and grandparents worried about, and we have such great vaccines. It’s easy to be completely uniformed on the topic.
Oh, I did not think it was an odd topic! Lately I am just trying very hard to watch my own stress levels, which means that reading & tv need to be kept “lighter” than they used to be.
Adding that Moonglow is what started me down the rabbit hole on bioweapons, though it didn’t talk about it at all. It discussed Operation Paperclip during WWII. I knew very little about that, googled it, and ended up researching the biological research side more than the missile stuff.
I’ll sneak this in since the recommender is likely not reading, but I couldn’t stand Moonglow. Don’t know why I finished it. Ditto the Foer. But to each her own!
Adding that these are the sort of books that a person might like if he/she enjoyed “The Looming Tower” by Lawrence Wright.
I’ve been reading less in the last few years due to vision issues and more often listen to audio books to help me fall asleep. Because of the sleep thing, I generally stick to books which are narrated by a voice I find soothing and relaxing, and don’t pay much attention to content. Terrible, I know!
I only brought one book with me since there is a premium on space. It’s my high school copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Yellowed, slightly crispy, with loose pages that fall out continuously, a hot messing a paperback. I’ve said this before, but this book encompasses the ENTIRE human experience- the good, the bad, and the very, very ugly. It’s unpretentious, complex, honest, unadorned, heart-breaking and also hopeful. It universal in its portrayal of human proclivities, although it takes place in the southern US.
As for perfume, something floral to give a nod to Miss Maudie who was always working in her garden- a rose scent? Or maybe magnolia?
SOTD is SSS Yin/Ylang, which is a floral, so I’m halfway there????
I should re-read Mockingbird, have not read it in years.
Ok, this another I always mention, because if you like satire, you will love this. I’m posting the first paragraph (if I’m breaking any laws, delete me please!) of A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Not sure how anyone could resist after this first paragraph…
“A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once. Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black moustache and, at their corners, sank into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs. In the shadow under the green visor of the cap Ignatius J. Reilly’s supercilious blue and yellow eyes looked down upon the other people waiting under the clock at the D. H. Holmes department store, studying the crowd of people for signs of bad taste and dress. Several of the outfits, Ignatius noticed, were new enough and expensive enough to be properly considered offenses against taste and decency. Possession of anything new or expensive only reflected a person’s lack of theology and geometry; it could even cast doubts upon one’s soul.”
I loved that book! It’s another I have not read in years and should re-read.
Just placed a hold on the audiobook for Confederacy of Dunces at my local library. Sounds wonderful.
I’m lucky enough to co-teach 10th grade students with an English teacher, and TKaM is part of her curriculum. This science teacher loves the opportunity to re- read it every year with our students – it’s such a great book, but it’s amazing how much reaction and connection our 15-16 year old students form in response to it. They’re shocked when they realize it wasn’t written in the last 20 years. (I do live in South Carolina, and it does hit very close to home.).
It’s timeless, isn’t it? Even though it’s set in such a specific place geographically, the scope of it is huge. That’s a sign of an exceptional book, IMO. I love the fact that the kids are “shocked.” Not being moved in some way by this book can only mean something essentially human is missing from ones DNA. Every time I read it, I’m appalled all over again, but also hopeful.
Agreed! I taught US History for 19 years and we did a cross curricular unit with Language Arts. I taught Jim Crow and she did TKaM. Powerful. Kids would shout out in my history class “That’s how they are in Maycomb!”. Powerful.
Since summer I’ve enjoyed re-reading the Harry Potter series. I am now 70% through the final book and so reluctant to finish. JK Rowling created some lovable characters (and some evil ones too, of course!Who could love Voldemort?)
A perfume to match, hmm. How about Aveda’s limited edition Shampure perfume mist – calming to get through the action scenes 😉
I read the first 4 (or 5?) Harry Potter books when my children were young. Need to finish the series, but my teen daughter seems to be always reading one of them. She has loved those books to bits.
Your daughter has great taste in book friends 😀
I was in my late teens when the first few were published, and wasn’t interested at all. The. Picked up the first one, randomly, flew through it, and made an emergency run to Barnes & Noble to buy the second (made it half hour before the store closed, lol).
The whole series is free with kindle unlimited/Amazon prime reading..
Because I have no shame, I will admit to waiting in line at brick and mortar stores for the midnight release of some of the Harry Potter books- And I was a full blown adult! They are very special books????
I remember going to B&N with my teen daughter and standing in line at midnight to get them the minute they were available. Good memories.
The trendy book for that age group seems to be the Land of Stories by Chris Colfer (of Glee). They don’t stay on the shelves right now at school. And the latest series by Shannon Messenger – can’t remember the name of the series but the latest book is called Nightfall – is super popular too.
Great, I will try these! Thank you 🙂
From Nine to Nine by Leo Perutz
It’s one of the most thrilling novels that keeps your mind at the peak of excitement during the whole course of the story. It is the kind of book you read in one breath and after you’ve finished you feel some sort of heartache that you won’t read anything like that for a very long time… And you can’t read it again for the first time:)
I envy those who will read it for the first time this winter! 🙂
Wear something intelligent yet thrilling:) It better be vintage or at least a modern classic.
Vol de Nuit for me, but I didn’t want to sound too predictable:)
That sounds like terrific book. Will definitely search it out.
Ooh. Will have to look for that one.
I looked it up on Amazon–I think the correct title is Between Nine and Nine–just FYI because there’s another book called From Nine to Nine.
I recently read Salvage the Bones by Jessamyn Ward. It’s about a family just days before and after Hurricane Katrina. Despite the brutal story the prose are so incredibly beautiful. I was completely invested in the characters. A fragrance the match?…something soothing to calm the nerves!
A lighter read would be Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It’s a young adult dystopian novel that is a complete ode to the 80’s. This book was is much fun! Any 80’s fragrance would be fitting…Lauren comes to mind since it’s what I was wearing in the 80’s when I was the age of the characters.
Salvage the Bones is on my (lengthly) reading list! And I’ve read and enjoyed Ready Player One. Book twins? Ready Player One is coming out as a movie soon.
Hi twin! Read it next! This one really stuck with me!
Can’t wait for the movie! Spielberg – expecting great things!
Salvage the Bones was heartbreaking and lovely.
Agreed! I’m looking forward to reading her recent release, Sing Unburied Sing.
I wore Lauren back in those days too. 🙂
My great perfume regret is tossing (in the trash!) a half full bottle of Lauren during a move years ago. Sigh…
I’ve recently re-read Christmas Carol by Dickens. I generally find Dickens a good read for winter. A scent to go with Christmas Carol? Something Christmassy – incense, fir, pine…
Talking of incense, I am wearing Shanaan today. I fainted for no apparent reason in the morning, so I picked Shanaan as a calming and relaxing fragrance.
Oh! I hope for no recurrence of the fainting episode (or at least a diagnosis and course of treatment).
Scary! I hope you don’t faint again. Please take care of yourself.
Shanaan is wonderful, hope it is helping you feel better.
Ah, I do that! Infrequently, but most of my life. Have only recently begun to suspect I have what they call silent migraine, but still not positive.
Anyway, stay safe, and hope it does not happen to you again.
I love reading everyone’s suggestions here. My favorite recently read book is Lincoln in the Bardo. Bardo is the Buddhist concept of the liminal space between worlds, and the novel is set in the cemetery where Willie, President Lincoln’s beloved son, is recently interred. The cemetery is inhabited by the spirits of the dead who have, for various reasons, been unable to pass on to the next world. I found the book deeply affecting, so much so that I plan to soon re-read it. It’s hard to think of a scent to match it – maybe Dzongkha. My SOTD is Fille de Berlin. I am wearing roses in the snow today.
That has been on my reading list since it came out, glad to hear you loved it. I might save it for a more cheerful time, does that sound like a good idea? (In other words, is it deeply affecting but also depressing?)
I would not call it depressing. There are parts that are heartbreaking, but other parts that are hilarious. In the end, I found it a great reminder to appreciate life.
Thanks Jirish!
I found parts of “Tenth of December” more upsetting. I think Saunders always has a lot of sorrow and anger in his work, but also a lot of belly laughs, and while he is not sentimental exactly, even the most ridiculous of his characters redeem themselves. He’s never unrelentingly sad.
That’s good to know. This is the first of Saunders’ work that I’ve read, and I’ve been interested in reading his short stories now.
Don’t know which collection to recommend – they all have fantastic stories and then a few just good ones, and I wouldn’t want you to miss any of the brilliant bits. Probably my fave is “CivilWarLand in Bad Decline”, just because I’ve been with him since the beginning and it was such a spectacular debut, but I love “Tenth of December”, too. “Pastoralia” is mostly interesting in view of ToD, because you can see where he was going, working his way up to the best stories in the latter (“Victory Lap”, “Escape from Spiderhead”) and “Lincoln in the Bardo”.
Yeah I would say not depressing because of Saunder’s humor. It was inventive and funny as well as sad.
I recently read Gone Girl (sadly, I’d already heard the details of the twist, so the reveal was less impactful than it might have been) and thought it was interesting, though I found myself hating all the characters and not really caring how it would end.
Another recent discovery was Joe Hill’s Heart Shaped Box. A bit dark, to say the least, but there is a redemption of sorts. Hill is the son of Stephen King, and has clearly learned some storytelling skills from Dad.
I am now decorating for Christmas (except the tree; it’s too soon to get a cut tree IMO), so SOTD is of course Alahiiiiiine.
I haven’t read Gone Girl, but saw the movie and was satisfied with that. Maybe one of those books that is better as a movie than a book? I hate it when I can’t connect with any major character. The Corrections was like that for me – in fact, no-one in my book club at the time like any of the characters there.
There are a surprising number of (well-regarded) books in which I despise the characters. Waste of good paper. 🙁
Even if it’s digital.
I agree. If I don’t invest in the characters, either supporting them or waiting to see their downfall, I don’t finish the book. The exception is if the setting is interesting. That’s why I continue to read John Irving novels even though I haven’t liked any since Owen Meaney.
Yes, Irving might be another exception where I dislike most of the characters but still find the book compelling.
(Owen Meany is my favorite Irving.)
Joe Hill! He’s one of my favorite modern authors. I was reading his 20th Century Ghosts book of short stories while waiting for my car to be serviced, and one of the stories affected me so much that I started crying and had to go hide in the bathroom of a Subaru dealership and pull myself together. I haven’t read Heart Shaped Box yet, but just checked it out of the library. Thanks for the reminder.
Oh man. Note to self: find more Joe Hill. . .
I’ve already read all of his my tiny local library had on the shelves (i.e., not much), so maybe it’s time to head over to the local university and see if I can get a card over there. I bet they’ve got more.
I had pretty much the same reaction to Gone Girl, mals. It’s hard for a book to keep my interest if I loathe the characters.
Yeah.
(Except, of course, I hate every single character in Great Gatsby AND Wuthering Heights, yet find those two books compelling. Weird.)
🙂
I think the Hunger Games series was better as movies than the books. I didn’t loathe characters but I wasn’t a big fan of Katniss…absolutely no character development through the books. I thought there was more progression in the movies.
I read those with my daughter (who was a teenager when they came out), and we decided that the first book was probably structurally the most coherent. After that, the story of what’s going on enlarges beyond Katniss’ comprehension, and her first-person POV is more and more inadequate, so by the third book she’s spending tons of time unconscious (!) and being told what’s happened in the outside world. Disappointing, and then that afterword was entirely unfulfilling from a character standpoint and from a storytelling standpoint.
Yes.
I read Gone Girl during a bit of a reading hiatus— it’s a real page turner because you keep wondering what will happen next, but I totally agree that it lacks an emotional element that makes a book really good. I read a few of her other books too. They struck me as the equivalent of those mass market fruitchouli perfumes: they are nice enough and lots of people like them, but they don’t compare to the true art of Cuir de Russia or Mitsouko.
Nice analogy!
I haven’t read much lately – I’ve been re-reading Lovecraft short stories for what seems like months now, but I only have the energy to read a few pages at a time. The last book I read that really stood out to me was The House of Mirth – where the heck was the mirth? Great story, wonderful writing, but bleak bleak bleak.
I also really enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Maybe I need to start choosing more cheerful books?
I need to read more Lovecraft soon. Last year in the fall I read At the Mountains of Madness and Other Tales of Terror. I loved the title story and The Shunned House. I tried to read The Lurking Fear and Other Stories in October, but I put it down because I needed something faster paced. I look forward to reading it when the time is right.
Since it sounds like you’re a Lovecraft fan and enjoy strange tales, I think you may enjoy the Southern Reach trilogy that I mentioned above, especially Annihilation. I see a lot of Lovecraft’s influence in that book.
Oh, really? They’ve just shot to the top of my list! Thanks!
The second book in the series is quite different in tone than the first. And I can’t speak for the third yet. But the beginning of the series is really promising.
I remember trying Lovecraft as a teen and fleeing in terror. Maybe now that I am (a lot) older I should try again…
The annual meeting at work was very nice, the party ended at 4:30 AM the next morning.
No hangover for me as I didn’t drink much but I’m tired because of getting much less sleep than usual.
I’m wearing Emeraude Agar from Atelier Cologne today because it’s cold and snowing.
I have no books to suggest but I put 2 titles on my ‘letter to Santa’ list, and these are Sarah J.Maas ‘A Court of Wings and Ruin’ & Carlos Ruiz Zafon ‘The Labirynth of Ghosts’
SotD = Après L’Ondée
Currently reading Crowned and Dangerous, which is volume 9 in the light and frothy Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen. I like to imagine the heroine, Lady Georgiana, would have worn Après L’Ondée even in her relatively impoverished circumstances.
Next on my reading list is L’appart: the delights and disasters of making my Paris home. This one is by chef David Lebovitz. He also wrote The Sweet Life in Paris, another title from his collection of perfect armchair travel. Now I need a perfume that smells like a French bakery – citrus, flour, yeast, butter, a hint of chocolate and almond, then a gentle waft of vanilla. Yum.
I love Apres l’Ondee but… never wore it in cold. Must remedy that.
Oh, yes, please do give Apres l’Ondee a try in cold weather. It’s wonderful. 😉
I don’t have a specific book but a publisher’s series. Poisoned Pen Press has a series called the British Library series. These are reprints of lesser known mystery and spy novel authors of Britain’s Golden Age of mysteries.
SOTD is Cocoa Rose from Smell Bent.
Is anyone else struggling with next Friday’s project? I am so glad I got the Zoologist Discovery Set.
I’ve been trying to think of perfumes for the next community project other than Zoologist too. I’ll probably wear Zoologist perfumes 3 days next week. Some others I’ve thought of so far are Les Nez Let Me Play the Lion and The Unicorn Spell (I decided unicorn counts lol), Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant, SSS Bee’s Bliss, Smell Bent Little Miss Panda (Smell Bent may have others), Malbrum Tigre du Bengale, PG Arabian Horse, and House of Matriarch Albatross and Orca. If you google “perfumes with animal names,” a Basenotes thread on the topic comes up. There are a lot more mentioned there!
Nice list, thanks!
Dame Dark Horse
Smell Bent Glamour Yeti
Olympic Orchids Blackbird
and Mechant Loup! If it has to be an English speaking animal, Luca Turin did refer to it as Wet Dog 🙂
I have just started Feeding My Mother by Jann Arden about living with her mother’s Alzheimer’s disease and just finished Padma Lakshmi’s memoirs Love, Loss and What We Ate. More similarities in genre than one would think.
Is this the same Jann Arder that is the singer/musician? I love her music! If so, I will need to investigate this book…
Yes it is. She has written a couple of other books too and she is hilariously funny.
SOTD = Jo Malone Ginger Biscuit
i love me some gourmands and this is right up there. From a decant shared by a lovely NSTer which makes it sweeter! (darn, on laptop so no emojis)
Books! I am waiting my turn for the next Louise Penny and Jussi Adler-Olsen. Y’all already know Louise Penny. Jussi Adler-Olsen is a Danish writer. The Department Q series is a series of mysteries about cases being solved by a team of police department misfits. I suggest reading this in order.
Randomness:
– I tried the Bruno Fazzolari Ummagumma (which I keep calling Ummagaga in my head). Very nice…reminds me of Serge Lutens Collection d’Or L’Incendiaire. Do I need both? Yes…but i haven’t bought the Bruno Fazzolari as yet….waiting for 20% off somewhere before buying.
– Also tried the Puredistance Warszawa. Not a love on first try but will try again. Perhaps it is money saved!
– I am going to a concert tonight at the Kirkpatrick Chapel in New Brunswick. I have to head off soon due to the snow. This is an annual ritual with some friends. We got very good tickets this year (Saturday 6PM showing) so we can have a nice long dinner afterwards (also helps in less alcohol consumed because drive home). Oh, and I will top up Ginger Biscuit AND layer with L’Incendiaire.
– The birds did not get the memo about the snow today. I saw a bunch of them flitting about on the ground. i slowly drove forward so as not to crush any of them and they very slowly few off, as if their wings were weighed down. Poor birds!
Have a great weekend everyone!
I managed to order Ummagumma with the Twistedlily 20% off coupon, but it hasn’t arrived yet. Not sure what’s going on at TL, the customer service seems to have fallen off a cliff. Can’t get anyone on the phone and no response to emails. There is clearly someone working in the warehouse, as the orders do eventually ship, albeit slowly. Maybe only one poor person packing boxes?
Hey now! We are perfume ordering twins! Still waiting for my bottle too, but it’s a “General Delivery” address which seems to throw shippers off because everything takes longer to get to me. I guess General Delivery went out with Mayberry…
It is the same thing for me with TL. You are right – their customer service has fallen off the cliff
Eeek, that is disappointing. I hope they’re OK. My Black Fridayish order was fine. I sat out the one that ended earlier this week.
I also took advantage of the 20% off with TL and still waiting. No answers to emails or phone calls. I was getting concerned, but I see now I am not the only one experiencing delays. Patience then!
I finished the last Louise Penny a week ago — it wasn’t my favorite, but like a lot of series authors, she seems to want to “up the ante” each time? So I did enjoy it, but it required fifty times more suspension of disbelief than the first in the series.
I thought Dept Q series did that too, although I have not read all of those, only the first few.
And if you like Dept Q you might also like the Van Veeteren series!
I know what you mean about upping the ante; thinking of course that it is a set-up for the next book where a main character will have some kind of shocking conclusion. I got tired of Patricia Cornwell and Elizabeth George although I probably will go back to Elizabeth George at some point. And Greg Iles…I think he lost his way maybe 4 books ago and I stopped reading him.
I have to check out the Van Veeteren series – thanks for the recommendation.
I burned out on Cornwell too. Too much gore, too much weirdness, and way too many three-page chapters with shifting POV. And George lost me for a while with the four books coming after “What Came Before He Shot Her,” but I think she’s found her feet again. The last two have been good (and I’m so glad to see Havers finally getting some well-deserved attention).
Putting the first Jussi Adler-Olsen on hold at the library now. They only have the large print version, which makes me feel a little old, but I do love a good mystery.
I’ve read both of those and was disappointed in the Louise Penny. I agree with what others have said, and I also found her writing less good–more repetitious, more filled with portentous claims that didn’t quite seem plausible. But on the other hand, the latest Department Q book was the best in the series, imho. I like the Van Veeteren books too but to me their stories are a bit too prosaic. I can recommend Leena Lehtolainen’s Maria Kallio series set in Finland. Just finished the latest which is 8th in that one.
I was surprised to not enjoy the two Louise Penny novels I picked up on the recommendation of several people. Not that they were bad, at all, just not to my taste.
Should I try again? Did I happen to check out the only two unengaging ones, or can I cross her off my list and just go reread my Agatha Christies?
I think they are mostly of the same quality, so it may be you just don’t like her. They are somewhat too “cozy” for my taste, but I’ve read them anyway, I suppose just because I enjoyed the character and setting.
If my Goodreads account is any judge, I’ve been a reading fiend this year. I haven’t read anything that made me want to grab a friend, stick a book in his/her hands and declare: “you’ve got to read this!” but I’ve read a few that have been really good at taking me away from my reality:
The Lost City of the Monkey Gods, by Douglas Preston. A true story of adventure, danger, legends, ruins, a curse, terrifying animals, treasure, and secrets all set in the rain forest of Honduras. This one calls for Manoumalia, with its scent of jungle decay.
The Wildling Sisters, by Eve Chase. It’s probably because I read “Rebecca” at an impressionable age, but a juicy, gothic novel set in a British country house? Sign me up! Lush and atmospheric with secrets, sibling rivalries, and odd relatives aplenty. Very British, so I’ll pair it with Penhaligon’s The Revenge of Lady Blanche, a “green, narcotic floral.”
Wildling Sisters sounds interesting.
It’s not great literature, but really good escape reading.
I love those escapist, travel adventure books. Really good ones (like those by Tim Cahill) teach you something about the human experience. Have you read “A Wolverine is Eating My Leg”? The title is tongue and cheek and he talks in the book about the ironic choice. It’s part travel essay, part journalism, with multiple essays from his life. It’s quite good and one of my favorite books in the genre.
I have been known to use the term “pecked to death by ducks” in more than one work situation….
Papillon Tobacco Rose for me today. I’ve been doing only light reading: Bill Bryson’s « A Walk in the Woods » and « In a Sunburned Country ».
Oh, but great light reading! Really like Bill Bryson, although did not like his last one (Little Dribbling) — he got grumpy by 2015 😉
Love Bill Bryson, and Walk in the Woods is hilarious and sad. I had his whole oeuvre before I donated my books. If you like travel writing, you may want to check out Peter McCarthy, who passed too young. You don’t even have to be of Irish descent to enjoy????
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_McCarthy
As a few others here have mentioned, I don’t read like I used to. My eyes are too tired to read after staring at a computer screen all day, so I don’t have any good book recommendations.
My SOTD is Shaal Nur. A successful blind buy. An enabler pin for Robin whose comments led me to try it in the first place.
Yay!
You smell great! And you get an enabler pin since I purchased a fire extinguisher for the van after you suggested it. It’s a very cute mini extinguisher. Now I feel a bit more prepared for random stove explosions ????
Yay! Not as exciting as perfume but it’s nice to feel safe. ????
Well done, you, for getting a fire extinguisher for the van!
I don’t get to read for pleasure as much as work generally, but I am looking forward to reading Ishigo’s Never Let Me Go and Attenberg’s All Grown Up this month, and perhaps rereading an old favourite, too…
I’m wearing Coeur de Vetiver Sacré today, in the “use up evaporating decants” category, and this one is fine, but not as good as Vetiver Pour Elle…
I had forgotten they made a movie of Never Let Me Go, and I have not seen it. Great book though.
I thought the movie was a very credible adaptation; worth watching. Plus, I love Keira Knightly and Carey Mulligan. 🙂
What a lovely poll! Books & perfumes- two of my most favorite things “sigh” 🙂 I’m wafting Dior’s Eau Noire while reading Ali Smith’s “Autumn”. Enjoying both immensely and they oddly suit each other- dreamy.
I’ve always wanted to try that one! Sounds delightful
Ooh, Eau Noire is good. It’s about the only lavender I’ve ever liked, and I like it very, very much. So oddly chewy.
I haven’t found anything worth reading come recently. Finished Jen Lancaster’s Bitter is the New Black. Spent most of the day in Noontide Petals and about to switch over to Shalimar. I am happy that I am on vacation this week and I can wear what I want, not just the work safe stuff.
Hello everyone,
It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here, although I’ve been on a few times in the last month or so, really enjoying all the comments. Probably you don’t remember me I’ve been away so long. I’m living in India till Spring and like to have stuff to do at home in the evenings, so downloaded some books onto ibooks to read on the computer. I’m just finishing “Lillith’s Brood”, the three books in the Xenogenesis series by Octavia E Butler in which she tells the tale of the inter-relationships between humans and aliens in a post apocalyptic world.
SOTE: a little jasmine oil
Of course I remember you. It’s so nice to. Hear from you and hope all is well.
All is well. Thank you!
Welcome back!
Good to be here and read the posts. I brought a mini of Coromandel with me this time. Just a tiny daub blooms here in the heat and humidity, I wouldn’t have thought it could be a warm weather scent. Other than that, I’m mixing jasmine oil with water as a hair and face spritzer. I have a tiny fridge and keep it in there. I brought along about 3mls of mysore sandalwood oil, ironically you can’t get it here anymore, I bought it in the states a few years ago.
Also, I just finished watching a new documentary about Joan Didion “the center will not hold” on Netflix. Recommended but make sure you have some kleenex in reach. I found it very moving and would like to read Year of Magical Thinking. Anyone read that?
It is a curious book and I found it exasperating. I only got about halfway through. The last time I culled books, I kept it, so perhaps I will go back to it at some point.
I do think it will most appeal to people who already love Didion’s writing. If you already find Didion too cold and self-centered, it is not likely to change your mind.
I have read most of Didion’s work. “Year of Magical Thinking” is so sad but beautifully written. I recently read her “West and South” and thoroughly enjoyed it. She really captured the Mississippi Delta of bygone eras…
We saw that recently in a theater. Didion is one of my husband’s heroes from the day I met him so many years ago. He loves her writing and considers Democracy her best novel. He’s always said he sees me in the Run River character. (Not sure how I feel about that). I got a cheap Kindle of Slouching Toward Bethlehem recently and Where I Was From just came through from my hold list.
A lot of tragedy in that family.
I think The Year of Magical Thinking is a tremendous book. She’s Didion, so yes, the self-absorption is there, but it is also so sharply written and her refusal of self-pity so acerbically sad. Blue Night (is that the right title?), about the death of her daughter, is also good, although not quite as so.
I prefer to wear Coromandel during summer too. It smells more incensey and less like cola. A beautiful perfume either way.
Yes it is very beautiful and I agree about the incensey quality, I couldn’t put my finger on what was different and that’s it!
Hi! Hope you are enjoying India. I just finished her earlier Earthseed books. How did I miss reading her work til now??
I know, right? I’m just about to start the Earthseed books. I was very moved by Lilith’s Brood. Octavia Butler is a wonderful writer, very insightful about human nature, how we deal with differences, and such a great understanding and creative visionary approach to biology and science. Me too, I had never heard of her but she won the Hugo and Nebula awards and was also awarded the McArthur genius prize. Of course I had to google her and found out that she was an African American woman who was raised by her mom who worked as a housemaid (her dad, who died young, was a shoe shine guy) I was really inspired by her story.
Of course we remember you! Hope you are enjoying India and nice to see you check in.
Thank you!
Of course I remember you and I LOVE Octavia Butler and this series is my very favorite of hers. Good reading!
Went to a terrific concert last night- Hot Sardines holiday show. So fun! But a little 5yr old girl stole the dance floor ???? omigosh she was having so much fun, what must it be like to have that much energy! And she was entranced by the tap dancer guy. Go see them if you can!
I suppose I should recommend a book or two huh. Mostly reading SF these days.. Ann Leckie’s latest. On the lighter (sorta) side, Charles Stross’s Atrocity Archives series is entertaining.
Hi all, I’ve really enjoyed reading all the book recommendations and already put a couple on my Amazon wish list, also found one to buy as a Christmas gift for a friend (the Michael Chabon)–so thanks to everyone! Today I’m wearing Amouage Myths Woman from a sample. It’s one I’ve dithered over buying, never quite getting there. My reading preference is for the dark Nordic noir mysteries and American hard-boiled detectives like Harry Bosch. I’ve recently discovered Nick Petrie who has two novels in the Peter Ashe series with a third coming out in January. The first two are Drifter and Burning Bright. The hero has PTSD from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he can’t stay indoors. The first is set in Milwaukee and the second in Seattle with lots of scenes in the California redwoods forests. They’re gritty and well-written page-turners. I should know of a scent to go with the redwoods but can’t think of one now–perhaps someone else could come up with one.
The Australian author Peter Temple is a good crime writer. Two novels: The Broken Shore, and, Truth are worth reading. They have an Australian setting
Oh, yes, I’ve read all of his! They’re great! Someone recommended him to me when I was in Oz last summer. Wish I could see the TV shows, too!
SSS Pacific Forest is a possibility for the scenes in the redwoods.
I thought there might be one from SSS but I am not familiar with their line.
As is typical, I see book recommendations, go to NYPL site and either get or put in reserve. Then all those on reserve come through at same time….
The newest Michael Connelly just came through yesterday – new character introduction. I’ve really liked most of the Bosch books. And the movie version of The Lincoln Lawyer was a very fine adaptation. So, I expect to immerse in The Late Show over the next few days or week. …In between rushing to finish knitting that scarf for my husband….thank goodness he’s always heading out to see movies downtown and leave me alone. Although Auntie Mame and Meet Me in St Louis are coming up at Metrograph soon. Two movies that are an entirely different experience in the big screen.
I do need to go through my Kindle to see what’s there. I keep intending to reread Tale of Two Cities, which is just so beautiful.
And, as we head out soon to see what’s left of the snow, I think I might be wearing Gourmand Coquin. Yum.
SOTD is Salomé from the FB I bought when I went sniffing in Portland. I’ve been through 2 decants, so even though it was quite expensive, I think it’s a good value for me. So I tell myself anyway. I know some find it gross, but on me it could be a signature fragrance, if I wasn’t afraid of long term relationships and commitment????
In other non-perfume news, it has been super cold the past few nights! Dipping into the 20’s and I wake to frost all over the windows and the dogs water bowl frozen over. It’s been a long time since I have been in this kind of cold, but so far we’ve been warm and comfy at night in the sleeping bag. Yesterday, I was stunned again by my little T-Rex, who used to be a sweet and cuddly doll of a dog but now has morphed into something else.
We were at the dog park, with a million other dogs. I have been keeping her on a leash since she got salty with a couple of dogs last week. Anyway, walking along and all of a sudden, T-Rex makes a giant leap straight up in the air, pounces down face first, buries her head into a hole and triumphantly emerges with a mouse dangling out of her mouth, squeaking to beat the band! Kind of like this: https://youtu.be/dP15zlyra3c
She dropped it when I told her “out,” but the poor thing was so stunned it just lay there for a minute before unsteadily scampering off. I hope it’s not dying a slow and painful death somewhere. This dog is fast as lightning. I’m so envious!
Sounds like she’s part Terrier or fox, or, maybe part terror!????????????. I’ll bet you were startled but what a smart girl!
Smarter than her person, that’s for sure????
My cute little fluffball Papillon is a squirrel dog extraordinaire. She caught 3 this summer (I made her drop them of course). And she is 10 years old. You’d never guess by looking at her. Our girls are huntresses!
Those papillons are smart little dogs. I used to train with someone who was showing (obedience competition) a papillon, and that dog gave her a run for her money. Super smart and sooo mischievous! Great sense of humor packed into those little bundles. They are quite long lived, no? Yours is probably just hitting her prime. Watch out squirrels ????
In light of your comment, that video is truly hilarious! ????
Ha! That’s her exact routine and it worked again this evening. She caught ANOTHER ONE! But, being a fast learner, she gave it “the shake” before I could get her to drop it. RIP Mr Mouse. At least it was quick. Hate to see anything suffer. ..????
Today I am wearing Loukhoum. I just started reading “Into the Water” by Paula Hawkins (who also wrote “The Girl on the Train”).
Feeling indecisive between 1996 and Dries van Noten. They are both big loves.
I’m spending the day weeding out my umpteen million samples and decants. I swear they multiply while I’m asleep.
This has been a heavy time at work, and I’ve been rereading old theory stuff (Walter Benjamin mostly) for a lecture series that I’ve just finished, so off hours are for pleasure between the covers if possible…
Days of bracing moral pessimism: short stories by Graham Greene
Days of nursing flagging optimism: Jeeves stories by P.G. Wodehouse
When winter break comes I’ll get into something Russian, I hope, or just more Graham Greene because I love tormented existential Catholics and he was a favourite of my mother’s…
Suave days: Habit Rouge
Barely-there days: Caron Pour un Homme
Tough-yet-sensitive-fougere-weather: Caron Le Troisieme Homme
P.S: Proraso Red (sandalwood) shaving soap should have entered my life years ago, but I’m not complaining, it’s here now.
Just finished Joan Juliet Buck’s autobiog The Price of Illusion. What a life! Thoroughly recommend it. Riveting to say the least.
SOTD – well thanks to nostalgia I sent for a large sample of Byzance recently, which I used to love in the dim past. Sadly this time around it does absolutely nothing for me. Never mind, it will soon be finished and Coromandel will be taking over as my main winter perfume.