The cold weather version of our summer reading poll, edition 7, Neil Gaiman's birthday 2018.* Tell us about a great book to curl up with on a frosty winter night, and what fragrance we should wear while reading it.
Extra credit: scent Neil Gaiman, or a character in a Neil Gaiman book. (And yes, there are actual fragrances based on his books.)
*Further reading: Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell on why we need libraries – an essay in pictures in The Guardian. Or, watch Neil Gaiman read The Raven by a fire on YouTube.
Oh yay, I love these reading lists. NSTers have some excellent choices. SOTD is Encens Mythique d’Orient, because I haven’t worn it in a while and wanted to remember it. It’s got a nice, quiet, aldehydic sparkle to it
(Has EMdO ever been called quiet before?)
I used to LOVE libraries! I rarely go to physical libraries nowadays, and when I do, I’m always rushed and looking for something specific, so I’ve lost a lot of the joy. I do, however, have a great time perusing my library’s online Kindle collection.
Here are some books I have read and enjoyed recently: White Teeth by Zadie Smith, Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin, the Mothers by Brit Bennett (extra shoutout for this one!), Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen, and Sourdough by Robin Sloan.
Here are some books I have read and disliked recently: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders was the biggest waste of time since I read As I Lay Dying some 15 years ago, The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher was nowhere as entertaining as their author was in interviews, both Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and the Year of the Fog by Michelle Richmond started out promising and then got incredibly boring and repetitive, and the Perfect Nanny may have been decent in the original French but was dreadful in translation.
The next books on my reading list are Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, and This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett.
I sometimes feel like I read too much literary fiction, but…that really is my favorite kind of writing. For now. (Forever? My first favorite author was F. Scott Fitzgerald.) I enjoy the occasional scifi or historical romance, but I guess I’m still waiting to be drawn to some genre fiction the way I am to whatever nebulous category is defined by literary fiction.
“Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders was the biggest waste of time since I read As I Lay Dying some 15 years ago” -> I loved AILD but this really made me laugh, thank you!
I loved AILD too! Brilliant book.
Agree 100%. Breath taking.
I’m just showing my plebeian, prosaic colors, I suppose
Ha, you already gave us your reading list so I don’t think so.
At this stage of my life I spent the larger part of my reading time on mysteries, so I am prepared to defend plebeian reading choices to my last breath, anyway.
I’m with you Koyel. As I Lay Dying was so irritating. Loathed Anse Bundren.
I didn’t like it, either.
Which one?? Whichever it is, I feel comforted not to be alone!
Have you read Tenth of December? I liked Lincoln in the Bardo but only because I was prepared to give George Saunders so much leeway on account of how brilliant Tenth of December is. I would not hesitate to recommend it wholeheartedly even to someone who hated Lincoln.
Heh. I haven’t read all of Tenth of December, but I’ve read some of his short stories (I’m not actually sure if they’re in ToD or not), which is what encouraged me to read LitB. But I really should just read ToD, I guess. LitB just had so much hype about it!
I of course am contrary and sort of liked LotB and don’t much care for the short stories. But I had some problems with LotB too.
Shyly steps forward: I really liked Lincoln in the Bardo.
Hey, you’re definitely not alone! Ten years ago, I would’ve been very shy to say I didn’t like a book acclaimed by people whose opinions I value. It took me ages to acknowledge my distaste for As I Lay Dying, for example. If you liked LitB, you’re in agreement with a ton of very smart people!
Me, too. It did win the Booker, after all. I thought it was a very ballsy pick by the committee, given the structure and voices, and was delighted. (‘A Brief History of Seven Killings’ was another recent brave pick and most definitely NOT a book for everyone, though I loved it.) I’ve been a huge fan of Saunders since 1997 and ‘Civilwarland in Bad Decline’, though. He’s the only writer other than science journalist Mary Roach that makes me laugh aloud until tears come on the subway with every single book.
I LOVED Lincoln and I usually don’t even like experimental stuff.
I loved Americanah, but I read it in French. Maybe the translation helped it.
Haha. I should start reading more stuff in French.
(It’s not trivial to find much French stuff in my Kindle library. Maybe I just need to get access to a better French Kindle library!)
Agree with you on LitB and The Princess Diarist- (sorry Carrie- we miss you, but you were so much better than that) Fell down a Zadie Smith rabbit hole lately- read “Feel Free”, “Swingtime” and “On Beauty”. I read “White Teeth” long ago. I find Ms Smith fascinating. Wearing Angelique Encens on this snowy morning.
I think I need to read more Zadie Smith! I’ve been really intrigued by On Beauty especially.
Book love, much like perfume love, is very subjective. I find your honesty quite refreshing.
I’m in the middle of “LaRose” by one of my top 5 authors, Louise Erdrich. I’ve been reading her books for years and she never fails to delight with her top notch skills. Her books are works of art.
Forgot perfume this morning and so I’m smelling like Eau de Deodorant.
Started the day of with a bang after the wife of a patient flew at me, screaming in Vietnamese because I have him tap water when he didn’t want the ice water at his bedside. Apparently, tap water is poisonous and she wanted water from the ice machine (which is just tap water!). Ay-yi-yi! ????
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/05/22/books/review/larose-by-louise-erdrich.amp.html
NYT book review ????
THAT BOOK looks amazing Deva, thank you! I just ordered it so an enabler bookmark goes to you!! ????
I am pretty sure that I will read more than one of her novels. Is there any particular order that i should follow?
Some are linked and some are not. Some take place in current times and some are more remote, and some are both in the same book. She’s a time traveler! . The Master Butcher’s Singing Club and The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse are stand outs, but really, there’s not a bad place to start. I believe she also has a collection of poems as well, although I’ve not had a chance to explore those. I hope you enjoy your choices!!
Thank You Deva!!
Seriously, where did the woman think the ICE WATER came from? Deva, you are a saint for dealing with that stuff.
If she is recently here, she may be assuming the tap water is dangerous, and ice is made from purified water, as is the case in some places in Vietnam.
But you should not scream at nurses, or presumably, anyone.
No, she actually speaks English as well. She wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise to explain, so I walked away. Then she really got upset. I think she was just looking to engage. She was in the room earlier screaming at the patient. And the roommate ????????♀️
That sounds like a really rough work day, I’m sorry
Gotcha. Sorry for the crap. Thank you for being a nurse. I couldn’t do it.
Oof. There’s reasonable objections, and then there’s just being objectionable. I know where she fell.
Sounds like she was generally wound up, sorry you have to deal with that. I cannot handle working with the public.
Neither can I ????
I admire Louise Erdrich greatly and have read all her books too. I recently finished LaRose as well. I am so happy you mentioned her because I think she deserves to be more widely read.
Oh, so happy to meet another fan! If I could be a writer, I would want to be like her. She is totally under appreciated! Between the two of us, we can shout her name long and loud!????
I’m so sorry you had to deal with that. Unfortunately, from what I’ve read, workplace violence in nursing is on the rise.
I hope your next shift is calmer.
Armistice day here, 100 years since the end of WW1. It always stops me short when I see the graves of so many young men killed in war way over in France during my morning walks.
Favourite Neil Gaiman is The Day I Swopped My Dad for 2 Goldfish. This book came with a CD that we listened to . GReat story for little kids, the search to retrieve the dad after he’s been swopped. Best goldfish perfume: Monsieur Li.
Lots of books being read. NZ Book, Tina Makereti, The Lives of James Poneke . Historical novel about a Maori taken to London to be exhibited but this turns the gaze the other way. Australian book, an oldie, Christina Stead,The Man who loved children. Biting, it is et in USA , there is a great review of this book written by Jonathan Franzen French Annie Ernaux, The Years. Terrific personal narrative 1945-2006, impressionistic.. Lots of non fiction but for recent poetry Kathleen Jamie’s collected poems, recent collection, beautiful Scottish writer, also her book of essays from about 10 years ago Findings is superb . I have bought myself a subscription to the London Review of Books as a Xmas present and I enjoy that on a weekly basis, the reviews by David Runcimann on politics are brilliant. Crispy, sunny morning, wearing Plum at the moment.
I did not know until recently that Stead’s book was originally set in Australia and she redid it. Made me want to read it again.
I really don’t know very much about her – except about her later life . The only NZ author we were taught at school was Katherine mansfield (who is wonderful) and I can’t remember reading any Australians until I was at university. Same with NZ history (nothing at school). So, lots of catching up.
Oh my, and I forgot or never knew that Katherine Mansfield was from NZ.
I used to read the London Review regularly when I lived in the UK
The problem is that the reviews are so long and well written that they almost make you believe you have read the book.
NY Review of Books is the same. Plus, took so long to read that it detracted from my actual book-reading, so I gave it up after a few years.
I totally relate. Too many things to read and just not enough time. I wish I could hibernate in a lovely wood paneled and leather chaired library all winter
In my household, we call those, the ‘perfect storms’, that is as in the book The Perfect Storm, which neither my husband or I read. But we read so many reviews and listened to so many interviews with the author Sebastian Junger in the late 1990s that we feel we are authorities on not only the book, but possibly the whole genre!
LOL — yes, someone asked me if I’d read Tara Westover’s Educated and I said yes, and a couple minutes later I had to circle back and say no, but I did hear her talk to Terri Gross.
Yes! Knausgaard, in my case.
I loved reading The Day I Swopped My Dad for Two Goldfish to grade 1’s. We once got in quite a discussion about what they thought they could get as a price for a dad vs. a mom.
Fantastic.
Here too, the remembrance has a special resonance because of the 100th anniversary, I listened to the ceremony on the radio. I read the Annie Ernaux in French, some years ago, enjoyed it very much, very thoughtful and quiet, glad there is a translation too.
What I thought about was how all the roses and flowers are blooming here , and it’s warmish and yet . by contrast, how awful it must have been in Europe with the thought of another winter. And then for the war to be followed by the flu pandemic, all that death upon death.
I wish I could read French
I’m cozy in my sample of Ummagumma. Housework and cooking today–having old friends over for lunch (all of which I am happy about).
I worked at our small town library (MANY years ago) while I was in high school. I absolutely loved it. I’ve always loved reading and I loved helping people find books. That was back in the day when that’s mostly how we used our library…
Still working my way through The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R.Tufte, but I’m ready for another (lighter) book, too. I usually have 2 or 3 going at a time.
Ooo, makes me think I need to retry Ummagumma now that it’s “chilly.” I disliked it in the summertime, but it’s a heavy scent. Is it very chocolately for you?
I think I commented to you months ago that Visual Display is such a good book! It’s on the edge of a bookshelf, heavily referred to here.
Yes, I get chocolate. I love to eat chocolate but I haven’t found a chocolate fragrance that I like very much. This one is the best so far and I think it’s because of the additional woods and incense. I’m not finding it super heavy, but I did just dab from a sample.
Yes, I remember you commented about the book – ha, and it WAS months ago. Thus proving how slooooowly I am reading it.
It’s a slow reader, for sure. Lots of bits and angles to absorb.
I’ll def retry now based on your feedback, springpansy!
If you are looking for a chocolate fragrance, I highly recommend this one from En Voyage perfumes
https://www.envoyageperfumes.com/collections/perfumes-only/products/cafe-cacao-eau-de-parfum
It’s wonderful, and layers well.
Yes, been meaning to hunt out Shelley’s work! Adding to and promoting to the top of my list!
If you haven’t tried it: Amouage Lilac Love is not what the packaging and name suggest. Not really chocolate, but a wonderful (well, I like it!) frisson inducing combination of dry florals and cocoa.
Amouage is usually overwhelming for me, but will definitely check this out. Not the first time I’ve heard lilacs and chocolate coming together in the same odor field either, tbch…
Thank you!
If you come across it, Missoni Gianduia is worth sampling, ambery chocolate, a lot of the old Missoni are good like Molto Missoni for a cinnamon scent and the bottle looks wonderful and I’m not even much into bottles.
On. My. List!
Also: Missoni sweaters…
I worked at the city library too when I was a teenager. Loved that job. I worked in the cataloging department but would occasionally get asked for help from patrons while filing in the card catalog. Those were the good old days.
Happy Saturday, all.
Well, it’s chilly and smoky in Los Angeles today, so truly this weird confluence of shivering and concern as, in one turn I’m fishing for the “winter” clothes (i.e. sleeved; more-than-cotton [it was 59ish this morning here, yes, deride our atmospherically challenged ways THE SUN HAS NOT HIT MY APARTMENT YET]) and another reaching out to everyone who’s affected by the fires, and yeah… what a world.
Anyhow, I had the pleasure of being at the 2nd Biennial Scent Fair this past weekend and I was able to finally sample the full line of Jolie Laide perfumes. They are all-natural and perfumer Heather Kaufman studied with Mandy Aftel, so there is a clear influence (and challenge therein) of that. Kaufman names her scents after French New Wave cinema (gettin’ lit-eratured up, anyone?) and they are all a bit sleezy/skanky, and I like that, especially on this chilly day.
So, I’m wearing a touch of Masculin Féminin which is this seductive green tobacco-inflected, slightly weedy chypre-esque sheath that wears beautifully on my skin. Not as skanky as some of her other work, but it’s the morning so trying to attenuate my flaunt. I get some facets of geranium, davana, beeswax, tuberose (and I hate tuberose but this is suave here) or carnation… it’s really well-done. Usual all-natural beefs, diffusion and tenacity, but honestly when you’re watching your home turf burn down in an instant, time and expanse really come into question.
In all honesty I’m gonna curl up later with Human, All Too Human by Nietzsche later, because these two together will help restore my optimism for joie de vivre and humanity. Also, Friedrich would *totally* rock this scent.
Wait — Nietzsche will restore your optimism?
Truth.
He’s *quite* misread and an ethicist/humanist at heart. Reading his work in German can bring you to tears — of joy AND futility.
Ultimately he attempts to speak to a spirit of revolution and revitalization — his downfall, if it is one, is writing in a manner that heavily relies on sarcasm as a way of argumentation, and translating that from German into English doesn’t always come across as perfectly as it should. And, you know, Germans are *masters* at sarcasm to begin with…
I had no idea and, unfortunately, speak no German. Very interesting, thanks.
Yes and yes! The arguments I’ve had about this over the years . . .
Right!? Like when Sarah Palin brought him up on the stump .
I ordered a sample set from Jolie Laide sometime back. Very impressed. They don’t last well on me but they are old school lovely in depth. Enjoy
Yeah, I got a good four hours effusive and about eight hours intimate skin-close, but it was really lovely. A good break from the norm.
Those wildfires are concerning. Be safe!
It’s been really frightening here! The air was unbreathable yesterday and air quality authorities are recommending masks today, too. Uggghhhh.
We turned the heat on in the house for the first time here in San Diego this morning, it was chilly.
My favourite Nietzsche quote:
« When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago. »
Y E S
I have triple asterisks next to this passage on a double-dogeared page.
“trying to attenuate my flaunt”
Good on ya! Me? Mustering all the flaunt I can, but happy at the thought of you trying to attenuate yours.
Thanks for the smile this evening!
SOTM is Dior Homme – so yummy. Scent of the house right now is bacon (baaaaaaaacoooooonnnnnn) that Mr. G is making for breakfast/brunch. I beat him at both crossword puzzles this morning, so am feeling smug.
I’ve been reading odd books lately – finished The Bone Clocks recently, which completely weirded me out but simultaneously made me think about the many ways the human trajectory could go from here. Am now about a third of the way into Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, which is wryly light-hearted yet somehow provokes deep thoughts about the places where ancient methods and traditions intersect with modern technology.
I loved the Bone Clocks! Have you read Cloud Atlas?
No, I haven’t – do you recommend it?
I highly recommend it although as others are pointing out it takes a little commitment in the beginning but it pays off. A very memorable epic. And the sound track to the movie adaptation is lovely
I really loved Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet but cannot seem to make headway in Cloud Atlas. Need to try again.
Cloud Atlas changes DRASTICALLY after the first chapter, and is one of my top favorite books. If you can get through that first chapter I hope you will love the rest.
(Every chapter is written in a totally different style. I understand why the first one is the way it is, but sometimes wish he had not made the hardest going first, since it puts many people off at first!)
But that does seem to be the way to do it — shed the lightweights right off
The Thousand Autumns might be my favorite of his books, but I also love Cloud Atlas.
Oh, good to know! Between your recommendation and Robin’s, I will definitely check out the Thousand Autumns. Will probably give Cloud Atlas a try as well, but after a bit of a break. The Bone Clocks jumped around among the various characters and their stories enough to be quite disorienting, and I think I need continuity in my next few reads.
I need to read that one. And also Slade House
I looked up Slade House and it looks too scary for me. (I’m a wimp. And now I need an emoji of someone hiding their eyes.)
☕☕☕????????????????????????☕☕☕????????????????????????????????????????????
Rereading The Winter of Our Discontent. John Steinbeck.
Timeless.
Timely.
Costume National Scent redux.
Talking Heads.
Remain in Light.
????????????✌????????
<3 <3 here for all of this.
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Any chance you’ve purchased Angelique Kidjo’s covers of Remain in Light and can speak on it? What I’ve heard, I liked, but I buy so little music anymore. . .
OMG — sudden pangs of Angelique Kidjo’s “Shango” now ring in my ear… wow.
It is a pleasant homage to the original album.
She has a beautiful voice, the polyrhythms with the emphasis on different aspects than the originals, and percussion combine to enhance relistening to the Talking Heads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygjm2cX2klY
????????????✌
Interesting… I’m writing a series of short stories called The Winters of MY Discontent. They are very slow reads ????⛄❄
Serenity NOW !!!! ????????????????????✌
How funny. I stayed up until midnight last night watching Talking Heads live performances on You Tube . I completely lost track of time. They were so good and so cool and stylish (the concert in Rome with King Crimson) . I like the ‘Heaven’ clip with the empty stage behind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGW-Bhh3z3A
If you’re bodysuit-phobic, do not watch ! ????????????????????????
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5fT7k4jvSg
That suit is incredible. Love the song. Thanks.
Oh, The Winter of Our Discontent! It’s been years. Must revisit sometime this winter.
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Always reminds me of the Red Green Show…The Winter of Our Discount Tent ????????
Wacky Canadians, lol!
OMG That is hilarious! I used to love the Red Green show.
Sampling Tardes and Costarela today.
The former is spicy honey and the latter is orange popsicle in the best possible way. ????
Hmmm, orange popsicle is always tempting.
Mmm, orange creamsicle. Diptyque Eau d’Élide and Profumum Dulcis in Fundo are my go-tos.
I’m so behind with my reading that I’m not going to make any recommendations. #guilty
Having long weekend on the occasion of 100th anniversary of Poland’s independence!
Today’s SOTD is Prada Day for Night.
Happy Independence!
Coincidentally, I’m having a long weekend too for Veterans’ Day!
Happy Independence Day!
Happy holiday to you. 100 years it’s worth celebrating.
I don’t know why, there is no connection to content, but I have this tradition re-read Pride and Prejudice every Christmas, so I have come to associate that with winter. Same with the Harry Potter books, they make for a lovely cozy winter break read.
Scent of the day is Atelier Cologne Camelia Intrepide, which, as it turns out, projects much better in cooler weather. The drydown that used to be a skin scent envelopes me like a warm, comfy cloud now. One of the happier discoveries of the week.
The unhappy one was the Timbuktu reformulation. I got dangerously close to the end of my sample, so I ordered the 10 ml version from discovery set via ebay. It is a shadow of the older version – the opening is sharp, I can only make out the incense, no mango. After about 15 minutes it develops into something that’s almost like the old version, the resins come into play and it is very lovely. The projection is much less powerful, it is overall less lush and refreshing. Once I use up this travel sample, I’ll look for an old bottle to be sure. (To be fair, if I never tried the old one, I’d be impressed with it, it is still unique. But not the same.)
I’m also trying to make up my mind about Eau des Merveilles Bleue. Every time I test it, I’m shocked by how beautifully refreshing it is, only to end up talking myself out of getting it in some form, thinking I’d get bored with it soon enough. But it really is magnificent, and I keep coming back to the idea of getting a decant or something.
I would love to re-read all the Harry Potters.
The HP audiobooks are fantastic and an easy way to “reread” again and again.
That sounds perfect!
It’s great! Requires some time though…
The Comoran strike series by Rowling are very good too
The newest one is finally out, too! Just put a hold on it through my library. No audio yet, but this will be one to curl up with.
Oh yay! Thanks for mentioning that
If it’s as dark as the previous books in the series, maybe curl up in broad daylight with a reassuring candle burning. . .
Interesting that you read the HPs in winter — for me they are the perfect long beach vacation read!
Like Lucasai said below, it might be because a lot of the plot takes place in cold times… I definitely remember lots of description about them freezing. Or also because the whole HP world makes me feel warm and fuzzy, perfect for the holiday atmosphere.
Love Harry Potter too. I agree it’s more of a winter read. I wonder if it’s because a lot of the plot takes place in cold months.
That is a very good point!
It soumds like the Eau des Merveilles bleu is really speaking to you. Maybe grab it now before any reformulation?
Yes, good point, I’ll go ahead and put in on my list to buy.
I love EdM Bleue! The mineral note I get from it makes it a fantastic warm weather perfume.
That sounds great! I think I only tested it in cooler weather but it seems to work to battle smog as well.
EdM Bleue is beautiful. I think I… I mean you should go for it.
Not sure if I can participate in this weekend lazy poll, since I don’t read any books ???? ????
More later , busy weekend
Hope it is a fun kind of busy!
I love sci-fi/fantasy so I’m finally getting around to a classic: Dune. Wearing Heeley Cardinal for a good dryness while reading about a desert planet.
One of my favorite books of all time. It affected me deeply as an adolescent, and I have read it many times since.
You smell great.
Thank you!
I first read Dune when I was 13 and it changed my life. The second in the series was OK, and after that they got terrible. But that first one–such a great book! I don’t think anyone will ever be able to make a film that captures the extent of it, because so much of the action happens inside the characters’ thoughts. But I can sure see the appeal of trying, because that setting is so singular.
Same same, same same same, same – what you said!
I kept hearing such good things about it so figured it was time to bite the bullet and try! The last big series of sci-fi I read was the Silo series by Hugh Howey (so amazing!) These big books are so perfect for colder weather.
I am wearing Cardinal today, and it smells soooo great! Dry and incense-y and just wonderful
You smelled so good yesterday!
SOTD is Carner Barcelona D600. Never feels wrong. I have mostly been working my way through audiobooks so I can listen on walks with my dogs and in the car. Guilty pleasures are the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series and the MC Beaton Agatha Raisin series. Trying to read them in order since there are references to past books in each one. The meaty one is by Amor Towles, “A Gentleman in Moscow” about a Russian nobleman who is confined to lifelong house arrest in a hotel in Moscow in the years following the Bolshevik revolution. Really enjoying it. Next up, if I can manage right, will be “Manhattan Beach” by Jennifer Egan. For “A Gentleman in Moscow,” I would wear Shalimar or a similar Guerlain (maybe Cuir Beluga) since a lot of the story is in the 1920’s and it fits with cold weather, fur coats, etc.
Oh, and I need to finish “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate. A light read, but based on a true story of a time during the Depression when babies and young children from poor families were stolen from them and put up for adoption for hefty fees.
That’s so harrowing – I had no idea that happened
You smell pretty. D600 is my favorite Carner scent.
I loved “A Gentleman in Moscow”!
You smell fantastic, my dear. I have A Gentleman in Moscow in my Kindle reader app and I am halfway through but have gotten distracted so I now read it every so often. What I’be read, I’ve enjoyed!
A Gentleman in Moscow was fantastic. Beautifully written prose.
Ah, sorry I did not notice this earlier, I too am reading A Gentleman in Moscow right now, although I am not even as far as hajusuuri — according to kindle I am 20% through, which means will not even finish it before it is due back and then I’ll have to wait all over again
I’m listening to it on the Overdrive app through our library. About 60% through and had to re-check it out (was lucky to get it back pretty quickly). I may wind up having to check it out a third time to finish since I don’t have that much time by myself to listen.
I strongly recommend “Start Where You Are” by Pema Chodron. It’s a nonfiction/essay on Buddhist lojong teachings— but basically it’s a book about how to be a happier and kinder human.
On the flip side, I really enjoyed “World War Z” which is a fictional account of a zombie apocalypse— but it’s written as a series of interviews with people after the event. In its own way, it too is a book about what it means to be human as the world changes dramatically and has people questioning everything.
Tried Terre d Hermès bar soap. Very good but leans rather more masculine than the frag, to my nose.
Ah, interesting — I should get a bar of that soap.
(And should also be a happier and kinder human, but the soap does seem easier to obtain.)
gville! You need to try Carner Barcelona D600, if you haven’t already – Iris, Vetiver, cardamom, vanilla!
Ah! Thank you for the rec. I think I have a sample of that as an extra from a recent swap! I will pull it out!
Hope you are good, hajusuuri!! I might have missed them this week but didn’t see your normal volume of commuting woes.
I find Pema’s teaching to be – well it is a lot of things – but for me, it is mostly just sane. I always hear myself agreeing with her in my head, muttering “Of course, that is so clearly true,” under my breath, nodding when she says something that strikes me as self-evident.
I have many books on my reading list that I haven’t yet read, so I can’t say if they should be recommended or not yet! Currently on my sidetable–Alice Isn’t Dead, by Joseph Fink. Love the podcast, so I’m expecting good things!
SOTD is Aqua di Colonia Ambra, which has actually been my SOT Week. We still have the house set up for showings (anyone want to buy a cute place in Portland, OR?!), and most of my bottles are tucked away. I’ve decided to put a bottle or two at easy access in a cabinet so I can still smell pretty. Ambra and Mitsouko have been in heavy rotation now that there’s a chill in the air.
Have you found a new place, Marjorie Rose?
A place we love and can afford has been on the market for ages. Sadly, they’ve rejected our last (contingent) offer, and we feel like we have to wait a while before we try again. I longingly look at pictures on zillow from time to time. . . sigh.
Hang in there Marjorie Rose! Hopefully patience and persistence will pay off.
We got outbid on the house I wanted last year, so I know your pain. Do hope you will find the perfect house!
I agree, hang in there. I’ve always been of the thought that when you least expect it, something absolutely perfect for you will pop up.
I’ve been looking for an apartment for three years, gave up for several months and just on a whim, went on Craigslist yesterday. In the space of a few hours, after years of searching, we found an apartment and signed a lease.
And should say, thank you for asking! Hope you are well!
My mind immediately went to The Bone People by Keri Hulme, since it involves a hermit woman who lives in a tower and there’s a storm. That probably makes it sound like fantasy but it’s actually realism set firmly in the modern world in New Zealand, she just happens to have a cool tower house and live by herself. It’s really wonderful, but don’t read it if physical abuse is a serious trigger for you. But don’t let that stop you if you can stand it; it’s seriously beautiful. I think you could wear Tweed while you read it.
In Bel Ami today; Nurgle the cat says hi.
Loved that book, but have not read it in years and should read it again.
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=okarito+township&rlz=1C9BKJA_enNZ646NZ646&hl=en-GB&prmd=imnv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiKjL_2q8veAhUKVH0KHZ86BSoQ_AUIEigB&biw=768&bih=909#imgrc=rI9dpuya7ODwUM&imgdii=w9aj2qfh2tAcPM
For many years Keri Hulme lived alone in a place called Okarito , population around 50, in a remote west coast area of the south island of NZ. She built an octagonal crib ( cabin) there and it is where she wrote and set The Bone People. The beach is on the Tasman sea, gravel with thundering waves. Lots of grey rain.There is a beautiful lagoon and then just wikderness, dense native bush with kiwi etc. i tried to find you a picture of her house but couldn’t but hopefully some of these pictures will show you enough to give you an idea. She left a couple of years ago because the place was becoming too developed with houses rather than fisher/ white baiting shacks. If you google Andris Apse and Okarito you will see more pictures.
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=okarito+beach&rlz=1C9BKJA_enNZ646NZ646&hl=en-GB&prmd=imnv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjwm4Hqr8veAhUCfSsKHWLFA9oQ_AUIEigB&biw=768&bih=909#imgrc=7IDehBLV1ZP0QM
These might be better pictures showing the beach
https://ngaitahu.iwi.nz/our_stories/te-ao-o-te-maori-keri-hulme/
Found it! Sorry about all the links but here is her old house with the little tower
Ok I am hooked – just downloaded a sample and I will
begin it today.
ThankYou Kanuka!
Sounds like a book I would really like. Thanks!
Sotd is Hypnotic Poison, so delicious in cold (snowy) weather.
Reading (still?) Ernie Pyles’s newspaper columns from the 1930s. They are soothing, and are a wonderful reminder of time past in the United States. It’s so easy to forget where we come from. Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone.
You smelled great yesterday (I am late) and that sounds like the sort of de-stressing thing I should be reading.
Obviously it’s non fiction, which I rarely read, but novels about earlier times are soothing too. Steinbeck of course but Edna Ferber novels are evocative too sometimes; Giant started a love of Texas that turned into a move that changed my life. For a while I was reading Pulitzer prize winning novels in chronological order, I should go back to that. Old fiction takes me away more than modern fiction does, most of the time.
It’s a beautiful day here and my beloved and I have been for a walk around the waterfront. There were crowds of people for a 100 gun salute at 11am, marking the end of WW1.
I’m wearing Annick Goutal’s Honeysuckle, which is completely appropriate for the day.
I’m reading a book recommended by someone here – Other Minds, the Octopus, the Sea and the Deep Origin of Consciousness, by Peter Godfrey-Smith. I’m really enjoying it.
Oh, that was me! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! I found it just so interesting and deep (in many ways, ha ha!).
I just read “Picnic at Hanging Rock”, which was thrilling. My favorite books lately have been “American Gods”, “The Difference Engine” and “The Portrait of Dorian Gray”. (Full disclosure: these are re-reads).
Wearing Hanami by Phlur and reading American Gods. I think Wednesday would wear Jicky, and Shadow would wear Black March.
Have you seen the movie of “Picnic”? I haven’t watched it for years, but it was very striking when it came out.
I went there the last time I was in Australia and walked up through the rocks. There were a lot of people (selfies), and a campsite at the foot of the cliffs so it was difficult to experience much sense of atmosphere, despite trying. I think there is a recent remake of the film but I haven’t seen it.
I love Peter Weir! Interestingly, just re-read “The Year of Living Dangerously” (by C. J. Koch), which Weir adapted to film and which I loved, despite having never liked Mel Gibson. (I disliked him before it was cool.) But, yes, the film of “Picnic at Hanging Rock” is a favourite, along with the incredible ‘Fearless”, which was also based on a novel, which in turn was based on the 1989 crash of United 232… which is also the source of one of my favourite non-fiction books Laurence Gonzales’ “Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival”. Whew!
Sampling a whole bunch of incense perfumes today, including Memo Tiger’s Nest, trying to decide if it is FBW among my already extensive collection of incenses. I should probably pass, due to my current excess, but will continue pondering.
I am reading a buddhist philosophy book in French by Mathieu Ricard, the official French translator of the Dalai Lama, but want to read The English Patient now after all of Lovestosmellgood’s quotes this week.
I hope you enjoy the English Patient. I think he could be a poet first, a novelist second.
I have read Ethics for the New Millennium by his HH Dalai Lama which was good. I have been studying Buddhism on and off for the last 15 years. One day a week, we read the kids one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s children’s books. Just trying to practice mindfulness is hard enough…
Wondering if any NST’ers can provide a reputable source for 5 or 10 ml decant atomizers and parafilm from either ‘the bay’ or elsewhere.
I wore a couple healthy sprays of my No 5 oil again today. It’s so very nice and unobtrusive. Plus the additional benefits of moisturizing your skin; it’s a win-win.
I’m looking forward to my vacation (for a whole month!) very soon. I plan on taking a couple Diana Gabeldon books from the Outlander series with me!
I bought parafilm from Amazon probably 6 years ago and I’m not even half-done with it (and I use it on all my decants). I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/Parafilm-Roll-250-Length-Width/dp/B005KDF3X6
Decant atomizers I also buy recently from Amazon – for example, these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B071KF8RZ1
Great!! Thank you Undina.
I buy parafilm off ebay and decant bottles from http://www.bestbottles.com.
Thank you! They have some nice ones!!
I have the same parafilm roll as Undina, and have had very good luck with Riverrun bottles for decants (believe I have ordered thru both amazon and direct from rivverrun’s website).
Thank you!!
A few books I’ve enjoyed recently – “Ma’am, Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret.” Not in any way a traditional biography, and all the better for it.
” Fruit of the Drunken Tree”. Colombia in the 1990s and how two young girls, one from the “invasion” (The barrio) and one from an upper middle class family deal with the difficulties of those times.
“The Witch Elm”. I’ll read anything Tana French writes!
Is the witch elm a new tana french?! I though I had read all that she had written
Yes, The Witch Elm is her newest.
Just watched Patrick Melrose and it made me want to read the Princess Margaret book!
Diptyque L’ombre Dans L’eau today, Vanille Incensee last night.
I love mystery novels, the whodunit variety. Eapecially if its a series with well developed characters and surprising twists.
Some recent favorite authors: Faith Martin, Louise Penny, J.R. Ellis, Agatha Christie, Robert Dugoni, J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts pen name), P.B. Ryan.
I also love Georgette Heyer, both her detective and romantic comedies. So readable and re-readable, with lovable characters and excellent pacing.
Have you read the magpie murders by Horowitz? It’s a detective whodunit that goes meta on the genre. Very good
Thanks for the recommendation!
Neil definitely needs some chypre mousse behind his ears.
I just finished A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Beautiful book made me grateful for my life. No perfume necessary, just some everyday Indian incense lit in front of the deities and prayers of thanks ????
OH! I meant to read that years ago. Thank you, adding it to my list again.
Loved that book
Am reading a book published a few years ago of selected writings by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “In My Own Words.” On my flight home from LA yesterday I fell asleep with the book in my lap. When I woke up, the lovely woman next to me took pains to assure me that RBG was mending well and was able to work from home. Same woman told me that she had been evacuated from her home in Calabasas and was trying to get her 96 year old mother out of her home where fires were threatening. The air where I live is terrible now with the smoke and debris–Everyone is a little on edge. I am so sorry for the folks who live in communities in the direct path of the fires. Cristalle’s stemmy hyacinth felt right for facing down the soot demons this morning. Stay safe everyone!
I live in the middle of the country and am so far removed from the real human toll that the fires are causing. It’s heartbreaking. My thoughts are with all of you!
The devastation looks terrible. I hope there is some improvement soon.
That air quality is no joke. Stay inside and breathing OK, Oakland Fresca! I used to live in CA, and am so glad not to be there right now.
I am hearing so many stories of loss and the pictures of the devastation are just horrific.
We are housing friends of my nephew who were displaced by the fires in Butte County. They have an adorable Boxer named Riley – SmokeyToes is not amused, regardless of their situation. It’s been an interesting weekend here for sure!
Currently reading The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell, beautiful writing by both, it contains a lot of letters extracts from CB.
After visiting the hygienist in central London, I went to John Lewis to smell a little. Dior Joy has absolutely no character, and made the following sniffing of Mon Guerlain Eau Florale very enjoyable: there is a good almond note to my nose in that one. Also enjoyed 2 Jo Malone scents: Pomegranate Noir and Myrrh and Tonka.
I enjoy both of those Jo Malones. I imagine they would layer nicely as well.
Thank you very much for the tip on layering, such a good idea. I was so pleasantly surprise by both scents, the only JM I have is French Lime Blossom which I truly adore but recently after so many years it’s been discontinued
I have that one too!! I bought myself the huge bottle a few years ago for a significant birthday…only have a few mls left.
I love Mrs. Gaskell’s Life of Charlotte Bronte!
Hello NSTers
Late to the poll, but am sharing my recent reads for the people out there who love biographies and history. The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett – a history of recent outbreaks eg Ebola, HIV, Lassa etc. Also why we are seeing more and more pandemics. Tom Holland Dynasty – the times of the house of Caesar, Claudians and Julians. These people were ruthless. No Need for Geniuses, Steve Jones. Set around the time of the French Revolution when France really was the centre for the Enlightenment. Happy reading, all.
I looooved The Coming Plague. I don’t really enjoy nonfiction books on virology (there’s probably a more elegant way to explain it …) and went on a bender last year reading other books on the same subject after reading that one. One of the perks of being married to a professor is that I have access to an amazing library of nonfiction books. I can even request books from other libraries— but many public libraries across the country allow you to do the same. There are so many amazing books written by people with first hand accounts From people working in virus research— including those researching using it as a weapon. It’s soooo fascinating and horrifying.
Adding them to my list, yay!
Do many NST’ers listen to podcasts? Just wondering.
I do! Most recently Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell. Really liked it
I’m a fan of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and Radiolabs in podcast form.
Yes! We listen to lots of podcasts, mostly in the car. We do all of Serial and This American Life. Plus, selected shows from Marc Maron/WTF, Fresh Air, Planet Money, and Alec Baldwin’s interview show that I can’t remember the name of. Sometimes Wait Wait, like Sheri, and sometimes New Yorker Radio Hour. We used to listen to Car Talk and do sometimes listen to old shows.
Currently obsessed with My Favorite Murder.
Meant to respond yesterday, but my internet was down for a bit.
MFM is my favorite podcast! I saw it live last month.
I don’t read nearly as often as I used to when I was younger. Earlier this week I did read Gone Girl. I read it over the course of a couple dreary days that were good for reading and watching tv. Currently on my nightstand is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle given to me by my college age son who read it over the summer. I’m having a hard time getting in to it. Ironically, it is mentioned in Gone Girl by one of the main characters. What are the odds?
Scent of the past few days has been Vanille Insensee. Such an easy, background vanilla.
This is my weekend to work, but I am off today, so now I feel all discombobulated. My coworkers were disappointed I wouldn’t be there today either, Sunday is the day I always bring donuts.????????
I love Haruki Murakami but preferred Wild Sheep’s Chase to WUBC.
I’m currently reading Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel – I never knew courtly intrigue could be so intriguing. It’s the sequel to Wolf Hall which I really enjoyed.
Last night I went to a party and wore a Middle East market exclusive by ST DuPont called “royal edition”. It’s a very sweet incense and smelled a lot like the beautiful incense the Sudanese hostess was burning.
I love this thread and am taking notes on people’s recommendations. After my shower I will try the Mohur extract sent me a lovely NSTer. I’m hoping it will be stronger then Mohur, which disappears basically instantly on my skin. So does Bombay Bling! So weird cuz that’s not what others are reporting.
Loved Bring up the Bodies, and just can’t believe how long it is taking her to write The Mirror and the Light — looks like maybe 2019.
And btw, Kevin loves her book about the French Revolution, A Place of Greater Safety. I have a copy (he might even have sent it to me) but I have never managed to get more than halfway through. It does have great reviews, though.
I also tried to read the much shorter “The Giant, O’Brien”, and couldn’t get into that one either.
I am a HM fan but thought the French Revolution book was by far the most boring thing she’s ever written!
Well, good that I’m not the only one!
Huge fan of Mantel, but interestingly, APofGS was the one I couldn’t get into either. Besides the Cromwell books, I LOVE “Fludd”, one of my favourite magical little books, and really enjoyed but am scared of “A Change of Climate” (hugely distressing, that one), “Beyond Black” and “Eight Months on Ghazzah Street”. I don’t remember much about “An Experiment in Love”, so that one made the least impression, I guess.
Adding Fludd to list, thanks Erin! I’m *still* not doing hugely distressing.
Oh I didn’t know she was working on another novel. Will keep an eye out
The Netflix series of wolf hall was very good
Yes, that is why I wish she’d written faster…I want to see Mark Rylance finish the series!
Don’t have anything I’m reading right now, especially nothing that pairs with a scent. Winter tends to draw me to writers like Austen or Dickens…where the sentences are long and I need to slow down my reading because in the middle of that long, dense paragraph is a key plot or character point.
Trouble With Angels movie was fabulous. (I soooo wish someone would do a Hayley Mills retrospective.) Like Bear, my husband teared up. Then we took a long walk through Central Park, looking at leaves and listening to the wind through the trees (which is one of my absolute favorite sounds in life.)
Today is church, then a quick lunch and a ballet performance by Columbia University Ballet Ensemble. A student friend of ours is directing and dancing in Swan Lake. It’s been such a joy the past few years to see her various performances with this and other groups.
Trying to decide on scent this cold, crisp day. I always want to reach for Angel Muse, but I may go for Jasmins Marzipane.
My heart breaks for those in CA within the fire zones – so sickening to see entire towns and communities wiped out.
I love the sound of the wind rustling in the leaves too. And both the scents you mentioned.
Last minute direction change. Went with Oeillet Bengale from Aedes. The spiciness called to me.
You smell great!
I’m also coming in late to the discussion, but very much enjoying all of the suggestions, and amazed by the wide variety of tastes and subject areas. I haven’t been reading much recently because I’ve got too much academic work to get done and so it’s all more or less work-related, but I did re-read Sophocles’ play Ajax as part of this work, and found it much more interesting than I’d remembered. I can also recommend this interesting book about it by Paul Woodruff, a friend of mine: The Ajax Dilemma: Justice, Fairness, and Rewards, Oxford U Press, 2014. He connects the issues from the play up to more contemporary issues from politics and business. Honestly, there’s no obvious way to scent poor Ajax, so I’ll leave that alone. But, on the topic of perfume, I visited my local perfume mecca, Kuhl-Linscomb in Houston, and they now have Grandiflora Boronia. It’s a beautiful and interesting scent by Duchafour of a floral I don’t know anything about. Alas, it had almost no staying power even though I’d sprayed it on pretty lavishly.
I blind bought a bottle because I love the scent of boronia bushes but also found the perfume had almost no staying power despite more and more sprays. It lacked a little oomph.
Well, I’m both glad and sorry to hear that–sorry it’s a disappointment, but glad it wasn’t just me. I’ll stick with Queen of the Night, which I love!
I’m visiting Houston next week – is Kuhl-Linscomb the go-to place for niche?
Yes, I’d say so. It’s also just a fun shop in general. It has 5 or so buildings–with different things–perfumes are in the main building. Both Saks and Neiman-Marcus in the Galleria have quite a vast selection too, including the usual things plus some of the less typical like Agonist, Le Labo, MFK, etc. And the Galleria would be a somewhat more central place with lots of other things going on there. K-L isn’t near a lot else except a big Whole Foods. I’d offer to meet up with you but I’ll be going to Michigan next week–too bad. What day might you want to be perfume shopping? There is a standalone Le Labo next to an Aesop shop in Montrose, which is near where I live.
Oh what a coincidence – I live in Michigan! So we are switching places for that weekend – you will get to see some snow and I some sun! Thanks for all the recs – I’m going to Houston for a girlfriends reunion and since the other ladies are not that into sniffing the galleria might be a good option to make everyone happy.
Sunday morning here, hot and dry with the Santa Ana winds. Wearing a bit more of my sample of Memo Tiger’s Nest. It reminds me of something – Jaisalmer or Taklamakan maybe? Will continue sniffing through my collection to figure it out.
I love days when I sniff through my collection. Especially the ones that don’t get alot of sniff time. It’s very relaxing.
Sunday morning and I’m on my 2nd cup of joe. Snow is falling and I’m about to make pancakes- yum. Wearing Creed’s Angelique Encens. Currently reading Anne Lamott’s “Almost Everything”. I admire her humble optimism- even though I am often challenged to find any these days
I recommend “The Great Believers” as a good read- hear it is up for the National Book Award. Have a wonderful day!
Going for the extra credit- “Good Omens” character Agnes Nutter wearing Union Gunpowder Rose. Isn’t “Good Omens” being made into a series?
I think it is being made into a movie. I saw a preview and am now…hesitant to go see it. From the preview, it did not look like it would live up to the book.
Second The Great Believers rec!!
Oh, I have not read AL in years and always liked her, I should see what I’ve missed.
Just reading through the Ruth Galloway Series b y Elly Griffiths, Nice anthropologic Mystery, set in Northern England. Can recommend them.
Still working in my decant of Sung Pure. Happy when it will be finished, very boring floral….
I read those as they come out too
I’m late to the thread but I really enjoy the Ruth Galloway books! I’m halfway through the third right now. I’d recommend them as well!
Monday , still air and scent of rhodendrons filtering in. I went to see the Russian adventurer Fedor Y… ‘s rowing boat in the harbour and it is tiny, so small it filled me with a kind of dread as I thought about his round the world attempt. Years ago I was in Hobart and went aboard the Australian ice breaker and listened to stories about massive waves containing blocks of broken ice the size of cars breaking over the deck and I thought of that when I looked at the little red rowing capsule yesterday ( a day when the harbour was a mill pond). Watched a documentary about Armistead Maupin last night. Neil gaiman was on it, talking about Maupin. (Netflix). Wearing Santal Majascule but thinking I might finally buy Concrete.
Oh, I love Armistead Maupin and Neil Gaiman…. off to go search Netflix. Do you recall the name of the documentary?
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin. It’s his life story, really.
Thanks, I found it and just binged it
Now off to finally tackle those breakfast dishes. You’ve made my day!
I’ve yet to read anything by Armistead Maupin, I should rectify that!
We had a banned books week at our Library, he personally called into our office to RSVP he’d attend, you should have seen the look on our receptionist’s face! It was priceless.
Oooh, books and perfume—my two favorite things!
The best winter read I’ve had recently was The Boneless Mercies by April Tucholke. It’s a feminist fantasy retelling of Beowulf and the descriptions of coming winter make me want to curl up in front of a roaring fire.
I’d say Boudicca Wode would be the perfect pairing for The Boneless Mercies, but since my sample ran out I had to settle for Alkemia’s Amber Gris instead. Both are fantastic scents though!
That sounds like a great book.
SotD = Beau Kwon Tuberai
I sampled this a while ago and am enjoying it again. Weird plastic-leather-tuberose thing.
Just finished You’re on an Airplane, Parker Posey’s memoir. The storytelling is odd-quirky-charming like she is. I think she’d wear Tuberai and enjoy it.
Looking forward to reading everyone’s reading suggestions!
Recently, I’ve needed a lot of “brain candy” reading to get my mind off some of the state of the world. I like mysteries for that purpose, and the two I’d recommend are The Ratcatcher’s Olympics by Colin Cotterill and Unseemly Science by Rod Duncan. They are both parts of series.
For a fun winter read, I’d recommend The People in the Castle by Joan Aiken, a collection of her short stories. They tend toward the supernatural and horror/twilight zone end of things, so they are perfect for reading on a cold night all curled up under a blanket.
For a more serious winter book, there’s Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, which is all about the things that matter to us at the end of life, and questions around end-of-life care in hospitals and hospice. As the year dies, so it is good to contemplate our inevitable passings.
On being mortal has been recommended to me by so many people – I really need to read it
It’s really good, but be prepared to sob while reading.
Huge weeper! I was prepared, having read some of the chapters in The New Yorker and every single one of his books and essays before ‘Being Mortal’, but then I cried all over again at the Sara Monopoli chapter and nearly threw in the towel on the chapters about his father dying.
Oh, I did not remember who Gawande was until you mentioned the New Yorker. He is fascinating, and missionista, even his short pieces there have made me cry.
Being Mortal is excellent. I listened to it.
Late arrival- must go back and re read all your comments and get book recommendations! I am jumping to the end as it is quite late….
Neil Gaiman: “The Ocean at the end of the Lane”- my 1st of his novels and wow, what a ride!! A great fun read!!
I have started and stopped atleast 5 books that have dissapointed me on the past few months!! One success was: “I Let You Go”. It’s terrific!! It will keep you off balance and keep you guessing.
Oh and p.s. Black Alchemy perfumes has many scents named afrer his marerial
BlackPhoenixAlchemyLabs.com
This is the NST Poll I look forward to, I’m taking notes! Chiming in late as we’ve been apartment hunting (no small feat in San Francisco) the good news is we signed a lease last night and can move in! I work in a library, I’m always adding to my reading list.
-The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden (Russian Folklore retold, it’s beautifully done)
-Interview with The Vampire by Anne Rice
-Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough (you will not see the end coming)
-The Rabbi’s Knight by Michael Cooper
-Lilac Girls: Martha Hall Kelly – True story of a New York Socialite who participates in the French resistance against Nazi Germany and rescues several Polish Jews and she has a yard full of prized lilacs
-A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy by Thomas Buergenthal (Judge in the International Court of Justice in the Hague)
-Notes of a Native Son: James Baldwin
-Just Kids, by Patti Smith, a tale of one of America’s great poets and songstresses, about her life with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe set against the backdrop of NYC’s East Village
-Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol
-Good Germs, Bad Germs by Jessica Snyder Sachs
-Strangers In Their Own Land: Arlie R. Hochschild
-West with the Night: Beryl Markham (this book was given to me by my grandmother when I was seven)
-The Orphan’s Tale: Pam Jenoff (based on a true story)
-Rules of Civility: Amor Towles
-Falling Leaves: Adeline Yen Mah, a true story about triumph of the human spirit, forgiveness and redemption
-The Perfect Horse: Elizabeth Letts – about the WW II rescue of Vienna’s Lipizzaner stallions by George Patton’s troops
-The Strain: Guillermo dell Toro and Chuck Hogan
-Let The Right One In: John Lindqvist
-The Last Kingdom: Bernard Cornwell
-The Iron King: Maurice Druon (George R. R. Martin is a fan)
-Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
-Circe by Madeline Miller
-The Bull From the Sea by Mary Renault
-The King Must Die by Mary Renault
-The Crystal Cave: The Arthurian Saga by Mary Steward
-The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova ~ a twist on Bram Stoker’s Dracula
-Frankenstein by Peter Straub
-The Eyes of the Dragon, Salem’s Lot and Talisman by Stephen King
Oh, and SOTD is Patchouli Leaves by Montale.
Wow, this list!
Congrats on your new place!! And what a list.
Thanks Robin! It has a partial view of the Golden Gate Bridge too!
It’s a little more than what we wanted to pay but it’s rent-controlled and an easy commute to both the hubby’s and my jobs and it’s in a relatively quiet neighborhood.
Oh how lovely! Nicer to read when you can look up every so often and catch a glimpse of water + bridge.
And don’t forget the surfers! I saw a few cuties on the way over. I am married but I think window shopping is allowed.
Great list, I especially second Arden and Miller!
Oh, and Just Kids and Baldwin!
Ah, I just noticed this. I have the BPAL Mama Ji oil created veeringly I think for a character in American Gods, one of my favorite books. I wear the oil when I am going to be outside. It tends to be intense in closed spaces.
So many other good books suggestions!
My 2018 Goodreads list (19,342 pages and counting) says I’ve hit fewer favourites this year than last year, which was a banner one. And I see I already raved about Rosling’s optimistic ‘Factfulness’ in August. I’ve been on a nonfiction kick lately, and so most of my recommendations probably lean that way currently: my favourite newly published one is probably Sam Anderson’s “Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-class Metropolis”. (Ann Faidman approved, Robin!) Also enjoyed the UK essay collection “The Good Immigrant”, Edward Luce’s “The Retreat of Western Liberalism” (ack, sad), “Blood in the Water” about the Attica prison riots, Lawrence Wright’s “God Save Texas” and am currently enjoying Dr. Lucy Jones’ “The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us”. In the stupidly-didn’t-realize-they-were-siblings category, also quite enjoyed both journalist Masha Gessen’s “The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia” and Keith Gessen’s novel “A Terrible Country” (also starring Russia). I’m quite impressed with the Goodreads Choice Awards for once, as I got to vote for Anderson as well as Jones and Ingrid Rojas Contreras’ great “Fruit of the Drunken Tree” besides.
Taking notes (and I enjoyed Rosling, too). Gessen has been on my list and if you liked her book, I recommend Timothy Snyder’s The Road to Unfreedom.
I enjoyed (although that is not the word at all) Snyder’s “Bloodlands”, so will definitely add the “The Road to Unfreedom” to my list. Sounds like it is on a similar topic to Luce’s “The Retreat of Western Liberalism”, which I think you would particularly enjoy, though it’s much less optimistic than “Factfulness” — they probably should be read as companion volumes!
I am too much of an emotional coward to read Bloodlands… But as you are a Snyder fan already, I’d recommend Unfreedom even more strongly. The title is a bit misleading, as it focuses more on Russia than one might expect. I’ve been considering Luce’s book and also How Democracies Die. There are just too many good books.
If Ann Fadiman says it’s good then it must be! (Just kidding, because really every book YOU have ever told me was good turned out to be good, although your intake of depressing non-fiction far exceeds mine. I did finally finish Ta-Nehisi Coates We Were Eight Years in Power, and that might be it for me for another year. And don’t know if I told you that I did finish The Wine Lover’s Daughter.)
Ha! I read the Coates, too, and almost included it in my list. I keep forgetting I read it this year, because as with the Gawande, I had already read “Fear of a Black President” and “The Case for Reparations” (the best chapters, in my opinion) earlier. And the feeling is mutual — I always look forward to your recommendations, cheerful or not.
Way late but I love books too much not to chime in. Currently reading “Her Body And Other Parties” by Carmen Maria Machado. Not sure what the right perfume is for these strange, disturbing and funny stories, which sometimes test your patience but always reward it in the end, in my opinion. Something skanky and weird. Maybe Vero Profumo Onda, sadly my sample has run out. From what I have, could work Bandit or Zoology Civet. But I’m trying to caffeinate my body today with Sultan Pasha Cafe Ambre Noir.
Just finished “Less” which for me was a fun but mostly forgettable read, with a few great lines. Perfect for scenting though — would go well with all kinds of fougeres, something cherry blossom for Japan, something Neela Vermeire for India and beachy for San Francisco….
Oh, I need to pick that Machado up again! I started, but got distracted…
A very, very late contribution, but I must!
Unlike Koyel, I loved Lincoln in the Bardo – it has probably been my favourite literary fiction read of 2018. I was completely absorbed and all those fears I had about the book being gimmicky turned out to be completely unfounded (for me, at least).
I think the most enjoyable thing I’ve read recently was Madeleine Miller’s Circe. I accidentally left my paper copy in the office and had to buy the book on Kindle so that I could finish the last 100 pages, as I couldn’t wait for one day. I think Sally Rooney’s much-hyped books (Conversations with Friends and Normal People) are well worth reading, the same goes for Otessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation. All three are very zeitgeisty, though, which is not everyone’s thing.
For those who can do SFF, I cannot recommend N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy higly enough. It is breathtaking and there is nothing else like it. And for an even smaller subsection of people who love highly complex space opera (a la Ann Leckie and Iain M. Banks), I very much recommend Yoon Ha Lee’s The Machineries of Empire series (starts with Ninefox Gambit). It demands focus, but will blow your mind.
I’ve been reading quite a bit of non-fiction recently. On the more personal side, I thought Tara Westover’s Educated was stunning and The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg was a little gem – written in post-war Italy, but with such a modern voice. I also finally read Didion’s The White Album and loved it.
On the more educational side, I’ve seen Factfulness mentioned already. Timothy Snyder’s The Road to Unfreedom is an important book and so intellectually impressive. Harari’s latest less so, but he is accessible and fun to read. If you are interested in space travel, try Michio Kaku’s The Future of Humanity and if you are starting to forget your Greek myths, Stephen Fry’s Mythos is a lovely retelling.
For poetry: Claudia Rankine’s Citizen (not traditional poetry, I know), Emily Wilson’s new translation of The Odyssey and Wislawa Szymborska. In comics, Saga continues to reign supreme, but Monstress is an amazing newcomer.
And my favourite Gaiman is Neverwhere, because it was my first.
I absolutely loved Circe!!
I was just captivated by the story.
I agree–it was a very enjoyable read.
….And two more go onto my reading list!!
Gosh. I’ve been reading books, but haven’t had much time for looking at websites. Way behind here, obviously. I’ve read some political books after watching CNN in the evenings, but don’t want to get into a political discussion.
I’ll read some cozy mysteries, but my gore tolerance is very low, so I usually don’t get into “hard-boiled” or police procedural mystery, or read thrillers and suspense.
The Berkley Prime Crime imprint has books where a character’s profession or hobby plays into the mystery. There are many where the amateur detective likes to sew or knit. I never learned to do that, so those are lost on me.
I like the ones where the main character likes to cook or garden. I don’t cook much, but I enjoy reading the recipes. I do garden. I like books where the main character works in a bookstore or library.
I get upset about sympathetic characters being killed off, so I like romances that are more on the cozy side, too. At least I know the protagonists will survive! My taste in romance runs the gamut from sweet to trashy. I’ll read historicals and contemporaries. I’ll read some with paranormal and/or magical elements. Lately I’ve been reading some steampunk.
I’ve read a number of Jordan L. Hawk’s books. One of their series combines elements from H.P. Lovecraft’s weird fiction and a sweet gay romance. Yes, friends have told me that some of the things I read are very, very niche! (lol)
Up until a very few years ago, I didn’t know there was a paranormal historical m/m romance niche. K.J. Charles has written books in that niche, too, books with historical and magical elements.
Hollis Shiloh has also written some stories in the steampunk and magic niche, set in an alternate world not long after that world’s version of World War I. She’s also written a contemporary series with werewolves, and quite a variety of other stories. Her stories tend to be sweet, though some have a good bit of emotional angst. I like books where one character just needs a chance in life to be able to do useful work and have a healthy emotional relationship, and gets that chance.
As one might guess, I like books with kind-hearted main characters. I find characters with flaws more interesting than characters without flaws, but I don’t want to read from the perspective of a malicious narrator. Real life can be rough enough. I’ve been reading more fluffy books than anything else for the past couple of years. (Sorry, readers of literary fiction!) Clearly I’m all right with weirdness in the books I read, but I want the main characters to be people who try to improve others’ lives.
So, there we go.
For Veterans’ Day itself, my father, who is a proud veteran, was sick with bronchitis, but we noted the eleventh hour of the eleventh day on U.S. Eastern time. We were both history majors and read a lot of military history.