PSA: the swapmeet is open through Tuesday! Meanwhile, it's almost May so it must be time for the spring reading poll (or, if you're reading this on Sunday, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit and welcome to May).
Please recommend a great book to add to our reading lists, and tell us what fragrance we should wear while reading it. Or, as always, just talk about something else.
What I've read since our winter reading poll:
Starting with fiction... I finally finished Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen, which I kept having to return to the library before I'd done with it, and then had to wait on hold all over again. You could pick any perfume from Erin's 5 perfumes: Best of the 1970s, but pick something happy because it's not a cheerful book and it is just as well that I read it in stages. I followed that with Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet (loved it, and Jean Couturier's Coriandre would be the perfect match) and Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (loved that too, and I would pick Eau de Rochas for a quick reference to a "first-rate" cologne in the book).
Then I re-read Jane Austen's Emma and Persuasion before turning to Admiring Silence by Abdulrazak Gurnah (another not-quite-happy book, so maybe Aftelier Candide to keep your spirits up). I picked up Pachinko by Min Jin Lee at the library two days ago and love it so far, so thanks go to Lovestosmellgood for mentioning it.
I read zero non-fiction this quarter, but instead an absolute pile of mysteries, starting with three by Dervla McTiernan (The Ruin, The Scholar and The Good Turn), then a sort of steampunk thing by T.A. Willberg (Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder).
After that, I read all of the John Banville ( aka Benjamin Black) Quirke and Strafford series, slightly out of order: (Snow, Christina Falls, The Silver Swan, Elegy for April, A Death in Summer, Vengeance, Holy Orders, Even the Dead, April in Spain and The Secret Guests). And this week I polished off The Wintringham Mystery by Anthony Berkeley. Most mysteries smell like Diptyque Tam Dao or Philosykos since that's what I tend to wear when staying up too late reading in bed.
Note: top image is 0894 Reading in the garden [cropped] by GSV at flickr; some rights reserved.
Love this poll. I have been reading a Spanish author called Javier Moro, his books are excellent historical novels.
Also, a brilliant Brazilian book called Torto Arado. Its about two sisters growing in an Afro-Brazilian community, struggling for survival and justice. This book talks about human affection and dignity in a beautiful way.
Two authors I am unfamiliar with, thanks Gabriela!
Thanks to you for creating this wonderful space to share beauty, grief and perfume.
The author of Torto Arado is Itamar Vieira Junior.
🙂
Thank you for these recommendations, Gabriela. I’m unfamiliar with the authors.
Reading poll!
On the last “book” of To Paradise.
This book is soo long ..
My local library has a cute “spring romance” list of romance novels on their site
https://linktr.ee/nypl
Many I am adding to my list!
Curious to read others comments
I have so many books to tell you about but right now I’m off to do my farmers market routine 🟢
Also SOTD Royal Elixir
💕
Look forward to your list, really am liking Pachinko.
I’m wearing Carthusia 1681 for a desperately needed haircut this afternoon. It’s not long overdue (or even overdue at all) — it just grew a LOT this month. Maybe a sign of spring?
For the poll, I’m slowly making my way through Samantha Powell’s The Education of An Idealist (long and a bit of a slog, but fascinating nonetheless) and am slowly re-reading Frank Herbert’s Dune (there’s so much detail I didn’t remember, and beautiful writing aside from the constant barrage of “inner thoughts”). But what I’ve most recently started is a John Updike novel I’d never heard of before, called S. That’s all, just S. It’s set in the early 80s, I think, and is written in the form of letters from a woman who has just left her doctor husband and run off to join an ashram in Arizona run by a charismatic grifter. The first chapter or so was hilarious — a letter to her husband gives the reader an image of her former well-to-do but boring suburban life, and includes her very amusing justifications for having drained their joint bank and investment accounts — but her story is turning darker now. She is (for now, at least) smart enough to keep her actual finances secret from the ashram personnel, but since this is Updike I expect some satirical juxtaposition of the ashram’s money-grubbing tactics versus the husband’s. We shall see.
I forgot to include fragrance pairings for the books (no wonder, since my post is practically a book itself). Samantha Powell, I bet, doesn’t wear scent, or else she wears the same thing every day — one of the JMs perhaps. For Dune, I’d scent Lady Jessica in Rochas Femme, or maybe Byzance. And for the suburban runaway? Well, I’m only on chapter 3, but at this point it would have to be CdG Ganja, of course. 🤣
I read S probably about when it came out, and had forgotten all about it! Should consider re-reading some Updike.
I have *still* never read Dune. I should be ashamed.
If you haven’t read A Month of Sundays by Updike, give it a try. It’s a sort of diary of a disgraced minister who has been sent to a converted motel for a month (with a bunch of other similarly situated men) for penance and self-reflection/reeducation. And golf. Dense prose, but very, very dryly humorous.
Thanks…have definitely never read that one.
I know how you’re feeling about the haircut situation. I’m getting mine cut exactly two weeks from today and can’t wait!
It’s such a relief! And drying takes half the time.
Reading Jack Kérouac’s Dharma Bums and Bruce Chatwin’s What Am I Doing Here? Very à propos for my current housing situation. 😉
Want to wear Eau My Soul but will need to find it first…
Have read both authors but neither of those books. Is the housing situation better than last time?
Marginally more tolerable.
Ok. Marginally happy for you…wish it was better.
Reverend Mother, I have sinned.
Just placed a Luckyscent order. They have some really good GWPs right now. I ordered the Chabaud Gourmand Discovery Box, Arte Profumi Discovery Set and samples of Pentimento, Cafe Chantant and Perdizione. I requested samples of Annabel’s Birthday Cake, Panettone, Sundowner and Feu Patchouli…will see how compliant they are. Also got Patchouli Magnetik as the GWP.👍🏻
Haven’t read anything recently but I am listening to Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work by Melody Wilding on Audible right now. I want to stop overthinking about work not perfume just to clarify.😆
I’m the queen of overthinking— will check this book out!
I am enjoying it and think much is applicable to both professional and personal life.
She-ra! I saw your comment about your sister during the week and I am so happy. So happy for you both and all who love her. Sisters are the best. Sending a huge vanilla hug and I hope you enjoy every drop of perfume you’ve bought!
Thanks so much, DolceVita!🤗 Vanilla hug received.
My sisters call me the Queen of Overthink, so I’m making a note of this one.
Thank you for mentioning it! 🙏🏻
Just finished PG Wodehouse’s The Mating Season, classic Jeeves & Wooster. Bertie might try something new and outrageous for his cologne, but Jeeves would soon put a stop to that. Only a classic fougere in a subtle dose would do.
Recently re-read Paul Theroux’s The Happy Isles of Oceania. He wouldn’t wear a scent, but he describes the smell of salt and tiare.
Re-reading Charles Stross’s Laundry Files novels. Need something dark and strange for those… nothing comes to mind at the moment.
Read the first book in Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series. We’ll go with JM’s for our finishing school girls.
Also read Tilar Mazzeo’s The Widow Cliquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It, a biography (somewhat imagined, due to lack of historical documentation). I suppose Mme Cliquot would have worn something appropriate to the times, but I’ll gift her some Viktoria Minya Hedonist for fun. Apparently champagne used to be a lot sweeter than it is nowadays.
SOTD is Miller Harris La Fumee.
Oh was the Mazzeo a good read? I read her Chanel No.5 one a few months ago and was tempted by the champagne, but I was wondering if it would be too lightly written (I don’t want an academic history but I do want some substance). Would you recommend it?
Yes, it was interesting.
Thanks!
I have discovered so many good books and authors through this poll!
I recently enjoyed Laila Lalami’s Conditional Citizens, George Packard’s Last Best Hope, Oliver Burkeman’s Time Management for Mortals and Holy Envy by an author whose name I forgot. These are all nonfiction works and deal with political, moral and religious philosophy (yes, even the time management one!)
For fiction I have been enjoying the new to me Elin Hilderbrand.
I just also picked up a novel called Base Notes about perfume! Anyone read it??
In Coromandel- I had to decant some for swapmeet and it’s just too good!
Base Notes sounds familiar, but have not read it. Good?
Haven’t started yet but it’s a murder mystery so should be a quick and fun read!
This does sound fun, thanks for mentioning it!
I started reading and it’s good — on page 4 a mention of Salome by Papillion!
Hello everyone! I don’t usually read and comment at the weekend (I catch up later in the week) but it’s a three-day weekend here so hey, I’m changing my routine for the fun of it. Began in Masque Milano Russian Tea, as I was meeting a friend for tea outdoors, and now in MM Love Kills (neither of these names appeal to me today, but the perfumes certainly do). Robin, can I ask what you thought of the Gurnah novel? I have recently read By The Sea by him, which is extraordinary – I found I wanted to spend a lot of time reading and re-reading it (I rarely do this, instead I zip through a book pretty quickly once I get going). I was also amazed I had the concentration to read so carefully as well…It’s a beautiful work, very serious but with some lightness to it too. Any recommendations for books that sound a bit like this would be very welcome! Good wishes to you all.
Enjoy your three-day weekend!
I will add the Gurnah novel to my list.
Thanks Tulipani! Hope the new house is working out very well for you. I’ve read some interviews with Abdulrazak Gurnah online and he sounds great. Maybe I’ve started with his best novel already, who knows, but it was remarkable and I’m looking forward to reading more.
Gurnah sounds wonderful, has anyone read any other books from him?
Admiring Silence was really good but rather bitter so also a bit bitter to read. I picked it somewhat at random after he won the Nobel and will certainly read others…By The Sea is listed here too:
https://www.nobelprize.org/what-to-read-books-by-abdulrazak-gurnah/
Great, thanks Robin!
Robin, I’m so glad you mentioned Hamnet because I’m going to pick it up from the library but couldn’t remember who recommended it!
I’ve not been reading too much lately. Slowly making my way through Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking.
I’m wearing Chanel Boy on this lovely sunny day, about to head to the farmers market and just very happy it’s the weekend. There are a few more areas in the new house I have to sort out. They are toughies, areas where we still haven’t decided which pieces of furniture to keep and “stuff” I still need to declutter before fully unpacking.
Did anyone sign up for the Essential Parfum discovery session offered by Beautyhabit? It’s coming up mid-week. I received the sample set a few days ago. It’s the first time I’ve signed up for one of these, so I”m very curious!
I would normally be on but maybe it’s a good thing I’m not. Do tell after!
Hamnet was an Xmas present (or maybe birthday, can’t remember) and I did really like it.
And I am glad you mentioned Dirt…how is it? I read a piece about it when it came out and then forgot all about it.
I signed up for it, but then a dinner that I cannot skip got planned for the same time, so I’ll have to miss this one. 🙁 At least I got to try all of the samples.
All of the BH events like this that I’ve participated in were laid back and friendly. You hear some history/info about the brand, sniff through each of the samples, and share your thoughts if you’d like. The chat section is usually active, so I’d recommend having that section of Zoom open on your screen. Have fun!
It’s a long May weekend here due to public holidays on the 1st and 3rd.
Today I’m wearing Lavande 44 from Rania J.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc-WDUdjCve/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Fun, enjoy the holiday weekend Lucasai!
I love the reading polls! This quarter has been a mix of books that made me think deeply and fun escapist stuff. On the thought-provoking non-fiction side, there is Amy Bloom’s “In Love.” Her husband is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and opts for assisted suicide in Switzerland. She has to make the arrangements before he becomes too impaired to legally consent. I also read again “Touching The Void” by Joe Simpson, a classic adventure/survival story. Joe and Simon are climbing in the Andes when Joe falls into a crevasse and can’t get out. Since the two are roped together, Joe’s weight is pulling Simon into the crevasse. Believing Joe dead, Simon cuts the rope, and Joe eventually falls out of the bottom of the crevasse and survives. I found myself wondering if I could cut the rope and decided I couldn’t, so I would be dead and my climbing partner, too. I also read “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell, which reminded me of Ishiguro’s work. It’s science fiction the way Ishiguro is science fiction, and provokes questions about faith and hope. John Hersey’s “Hiroshima” was awful but good at the same time.
In lighter reading, I thoroughly enjoyed “Miss Benson’s Beetle” by Rachel Joyce. Ben Aaronovich has a new book, “Amongst Our Weapons,” Jacqueline Winspear has written her 17th Maisie Dobbs novel, “A Sunlit Weapon,” I read all the Harry Dresden novels, about a journeyman magician, and I’m reading a couple of series about vampires and shapeshifters. If you are into that, I can recommend the Magic series by Ilona Andrews. I’m waiting on the 4th Sparks and Bainbridge book, An Unkept Woman, due out in July.
Scenting all of these? I am thinking an incense scent might cover them all; maybe La Liturgie des Heures? Today I am wearing BDK Rouge Smoking.
I did not read Touching the Void, so thank you for reminding me. The 2003 documentary film was riveting and still gives me chills when I think of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtnqVZEktyg
Just watched it, brilliant. Difficult decision whether to cut the rope or not…
In Love is top of my list for non-fiction. I heard her on Fresh Air, and was deeply moved by the story.
I loved Touching The Void, both the documentary and book. I, too, figured I probably wouldn’t cut the rope. No judgement, though, about the alternative decision!
The only Ishiguru I’ve read was Remains Of The Day. Wondering if Klara And The Sun was a good read.
Yes! Klara And The Sun was good but Never Let Me Go is still my favorite Ishiguro.
Currently reading The Man Who Died Twice – second of the Thursday Murder Club mysteries. Fun read. My namesake, Elizabeth, seems like a Chanel No. 19 gal. That or maybe Bandit.
Laying low today. Have had a bit of a sore throat last couple of days. I only got a little achy and tired from the booster…Tylenol took care of it. But I’m feeling like I have a low grade cold or something. Took one of the home COVID tests. Negative. A nap might be called for. Perfect day for it. Rainy.
I hope you feel better soon!
I thought the Thursday Murder Club mysteries were great fun cozy books…will read the next one when it’s out.
My reading these days seems to be mostly perfume blogs 🙂
I’m halfway through an unputdownable SF novel by Peter Hamilton, but I did put it down weeks ago to read something due back to the library at work and haven’t gone back to it.
I’m now reading another library book on risk and probability called What are the chances of that? by Andrew Elliot. I’ve just realised that a perfect perfume would be Sortilège, which means a drawing of lots. I’ll have to wear that when reading in bed tonight.
Ooh Sortilège is a lovely perfume! I received a sample ages ago when I bought something else (not by Le Galion) and I much preferred it to what I actually bought that day!
I carried on rereading Hemingway with The Snows of Kilimanjaro and a collection of short stories of his summers in Michigan, v. good. I have also started rereading Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence. Lily Bart would wear Le Dix.
This is a long weekend in the UK so I’ve planned to start on spring cleaning but I had a lazy day and am in a cloud of White Diamonds, I wear it seldom because it’s such a commitment but I was in the mood for it.
That’s a classic list! I thought the Ken Burns series would inspire me to re-read Hemingway but so far it has not.
His short stories might be your gateway to rereading him, as for EW she’s like an easy Henry James for me, I pick up her books quite often.
I have re-read most of Wharton, although not in years. Good point about the Hemingway short stories!
Edith Wharton twins! I’m in the middle of listening to the audiobook of The Age of Innocence and reading The House of Mirth.
I am making my way thru yet another Washington biography; this one is older (copyright 1948) and is first in an eight volume set. The book compensates for the lack of personal info on George’s really early years by painting a portrait of what life was like in the Virginia Colony in the 1730’s – 1750’s, and further back as well.
Soup Of The Day: Florentina. I liked the powdery-ness of it and possibly, iris? i think maybe it was?
8 volumes! That will take some dedication.
I may hold off on Vol. 2 for a while after this one’s finished, 😉
How do you like the biography? Mr. Vee’s bday is an avid reader of all things GW-related, so I’m always looking for ones he hasn’t read yet to give as bday and xmas gifts, but it is difficult to judge the quality of the more obscure ones.
I would recommend it. Like I had said, the first volume doesn’t cover much of George’s actual life since there was scant documentation (I’m guessing) during his formative years, so it makes up for it by presenting a history lesson on colonial Virginia. Most of it is interesting, a bit of it is snooozy; I am at the point in the book where George is more prominent and the author can delve into character portraiting, lifestyle, and such. I believe Hubby would enjoy it! 🙂
Great! His bday is coming up and now I know what I’m getting him. Thank you!
I just finished The Time Traveler’s Guide to Regency Britain, which I recommend to any fan of Jane Austen or Bridgerton. It’s non-fiction and delves into what life was life for all classes, gender, and races of the time in a very conversational tone. I think a good perfume match would be a simple violet or rose water.
I have never heard of this series, but I just looked it up and I am really looking forward to reading it. Thanks so much!
Freebies from hajusuuri
U.S. only. These freebies are for NST “regulars” only, you know who you are. Since these are one of a kind, I cannot replace them if the delivery goes astray. Please do not dibs here; instead, email me by clicking on my username, use subject NST Freebies and include your top 3 pack choices.
Unless otherwise noted, each pack will also include 2 – 6 manufacturer’s / perfume boutique samples (some new, some used). All items listed here are new, unused, unopened and boxed if it came with one. The Earth Day packs were from BeautyHabit’s 2021 Earth Day gifts.
1. Baggu Pack – Baby Baggu Reusable Bag (Strawberry) and assorted face & body care packettes
2. Chanel & La Mer Pack – Chanel Sublimage Eye Cream (3mL), Chanel Sublimage Face Cream (5mL) and La Mer The Moisturizing Matte Lotion (3mL)
3. Earth Day 2021 Pack A – NEOM Perfect Night’s Sleep Scented Candle – English Lavender, Sweet Basil & Jasmine (75g)
4. Earth Day 2021 Pack B – rms beauty living glow face & body powder (4g), Susanne Kaufmann Cleansing Gel (15mL) and The Organic Pharmacy Peppermint Facial Wash for blemished skin (20mL)
5. Earth Day 2021 Pack C – rms beauty living glow face & body powder (4g), The Organic Pharmacy Peppermint Facial Wash for blemished skin (20mL) and bamford body wash fragranced with a blend of geranium, lavender and peppermint essential oils (50mL)
6. Earth Day 2021 Pack D – rahua classic shampoo (22mL), Espa Natural Beauty Inner Calm Fitness Shower Oil (15mL), Innersense I Create Waves a Pink Himalayan salt spray for hair (60mL) and Aromatherapy Associates Inner Strength Bath & Shower Oil (3mL)
7. Earth Day 2021 Pack E – rahua classic shampoo (22mL), bamford body wash fragranced with a blend of geranium, lavender and peppermint essential oils (50mL), Innersense I Create Waves a Pink Himalayan salt spray for hair (60mL) and Aromatherapy Associates Inner Strength Bath & Shower Oil (3mL)
8. Earth Day 2021 Pack F – Caudalie Instant Detox Mask (15mL), Susanne Kaufmann Cleansing Gel (15mL), Furtuna Skin Face & Eye Serum (4mL) and Kosas The Big Clean Volumizing + Lash Care Mascara (5g)
9. Estee Lauder Pack – Estee Lauder: Advanced Night Repair Micro Cleansing Balm (7mL), Perfectionist Pro Firm & Lift Treatment (7mL), Nutritious Super-Pomegranate Cream (5mL) and Revitalizing Supreme+ Global Anti-Aging Cell Power Crème (5mL)
10. Mystery Pack A – ??? (no additional perfume samples)
11. Mystery Pack B – ??? (no additional perfume samples)
12. Vacay Vibes Pack – Straw-weave clutch with the entire pack of products that came with it (did not open so don’t know exactly what’s in it). Note: This pack will be sent as is without additional perfume samples.
The following are going to new homes:
#3 Earth Day Pack A
#5 Earth Day Pack C
#7 Earth Day Pack E
Thanks for your interest! We have the following still available:
#1 Baggu Pack – in case you’re not familiar, “baby” just means it is a smaller bag. It can be used as an uninsulated lunch tote. Also, the packettes also include hair products.
#2 Chanel & La Mer Pack – all are boxed. And I have a lot of La Mer, just sayin…
#8 Earth Pack F
NB: #11 Mystery Pack B is pending
#11 Mystery Pack B is available
#2 Chanel & La Mer is no longer available
The following are still available:
#1 Baggu
#8 Earth Pack F
#11 Mystery pack B
Shopping trip to Nordstrom* today with my “little” sister who is 31 (30 years younger than moi). We go to lunch at Christmas and for her birthday every year and this year for her birthday she wanted her own bottle of FM Synthetic Jungle (I’ve been supplying her with decants).
I don’t know what could be more thrilling (for me) than having a sister (who is in many ways like a daughter to me) who has come to share my love of perfume. She also fell in love with VC&A First from decants I’d given her, so I bought her her own bottle.
Feeling very grateful 🙂
*It might be my nose but all of the Frederic Malle fragrances seemed watered down and pale representations of their former selves.
The SA said “Oh no, they’ve been changed at all.”
And re: reading, I’m a non-fiction gal so here are a few books on the night stand:
The French Art of Not Giving a Sh*t: Cut the Crap and Live Your Life by Fabrice Midal
Emotional Inheritance: A Therapist, Her Patients, and the Legacy of Trauma by Galit Atlas
The Analyst’s Vulnerability: Impact on Theory and Practice by Karen Maroda
Provocative Therapy by Frank Farrelly and Jeff Brandsma
That’s so sweet about the shared sibling interest❤️ I have a brother who is 15 years younger then me and I’m much more parental to him then my siblings who are closer in age
Your brother is so fortunate to have another parent figure in his life. Extended family can make such a difference – reminds me of a line from the Hugh Grant movie About A Boy, “Everybody needs back up.”
This is so true — we acutely felt the lack of immediate family living nearby during the pandemic.
I agree that all the F. Malle’s have been thinned out. I’ve smelled all my favorites and there isn’t one I would now repurchase. Thankful to be a hoarder – I stocked up when the sale to E. Lauder was announced.
I’m glad it’s not just my nose but also sad that this has happened to the F. Malle line and many others.
And yay for stockpiling when the stockpiling was good!
That is unfortunate. Angeliques was already light on the wear..I can’t imagine it thinned out. I really liked that one. I love cedar though not everyone does. Give me pencil shavings by the truckload! 🙂
It’s so lovely to read this about you and your sister, thank you allo for such a happy story! I’m a huge fan of First so I am also glad to see you share it and enjoy it too. But the FM news…doesn’t really surprise me but oh how I wish this wasn’t the way of the world.
DolceVita, are you the NSTer who wears First on the first day of every month? I always try to remember to do that and today is a perfect opportunity:)
I do! ❤️
My mother has cut her trip short for reasons unknown and it threw a kink in some plans. Three of the candles that I started, wouldn’t stay lit so in the trash they went. Finished 2 candles and will be finishing 2 more today. I did redeem Ulta points for a bottle of Eau Premiere and no 5 edt with points to spare. Haven’t had a whole lot of time to read anything lately.
Currently in Lyric and will probably wear Coromandel later on today. Will be having waves of thunderstorms today and hoping I don’t lose electricity.
Eau Premiere is so lovely, good choice
Hope your mom is ok Dawn.
Started off with sun but it is quickly clouding over and rain is announced, for the whole week in fact. :-/
I am going to wear Kilian Love Extreme after my shower.
Same here!! Lovely morning, rainy afternoon.
Sniffed Chanel Paris-Paris. This is I think the first Chanel that got a meh from me. White musky rose. A little sweetness. Much reminded me of the Tom Ford rose scents that recently came out. I like rose but not when white musk bombed and then has that darker green, bitter element to it. Almost like a bitter orange with rose and musk. I would not want a bottle or decant personally. I also sniffed a couple from Diptyque..one of them being Eau Rose edp… with chamomile and artichoke?..which definitely gave the scent character. I would take one of the Diptyque roses over Chanel or TF. Just personal preference. ^ Lyric also is a great rose scent:). Hopefully, others will enjoy the Chanel more than I did.
I was out this weekend and looked to see if Paris-Paris was on the sniffing shelves. Not yet at my local Nordies. I’ve been hearing lots of “meh” about it as well.
Eau Rose surprised me. I didn’t think I’d love it, because of the cedar, but it’s beautiful- bright and green without sharpness.
Thank you, another crossed of the list!
May Day! May Day! Perfume Closet Clearance!
I have posted a list of FREEBIES on the Swapmeet page. Enjoy!
And for those interested in swapping, I still have some items available and a few extra things that aren’t included on the list.
Thank you!
Freebies are all taken – thank you to everyone who helped me clear some things out.
And Sotd is Vol de Nuit – Wow! What a work of art!
Inspired by cazaubon, doused myself in Love Extreme and am headed to Target. My 8 year old said…your perfume is strong….
🤣 I sure hope so…that means it hasn’t been reformulated…yet!
Hope Target was fun and rewarding, She-ra!
I can’t believe she is 8!
Seems like just yesterday.. doesn’t it?!
Yes, has gone by in the blink of my progressively farsighted eye! 😂
Happy May Day! Our yard has a mass of Muguet around the base of the oak tree. How fragrant it is after a rain when the sun comes out.
My favorite- the reading list! I love gathering ideas for more reads.
Non-fiction: I just finished Masha Gessen’s The Man Without A Face. Earlier this year – Unthinkable by Jamie Raskin (our representative), and Cassandra Speaks by Elizabeth Lesser, and Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit.
Fiction: Pachinko. I loved the book, and have started with the television series.
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles.
After these heavies, I turned to The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo and some short stories by Haruki Mirakami.
Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl has been my go-to for short, glorious, insightful and thoroughly human essays about family and all the life that surrounds us in our local yard ecosystems.
I’m in vintage Dioressence today. It’s kind of mixed with the remnants of Love & Tears from last night, and I like it!
I am still too early in the Pachinko book to start the series, but do tell me if it is good!
Still waiting for Lincoln Highway at the library…
I’m finding the series a bit hard to follow. Lots of quick to and fros through time. It’s beautiful cinematically though.
Thanks!
What a great list! Will head to the library later, they have all of them, except the Renkl one.
The Margaret Renkl book is really good. She just released a new one called Graceland, At Last. I think the essays may be from her weekly NYT pieces.
I listen to far more audiobooks than I read paper ones, but this past quarter I did read Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat, and made slow progress with Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth.
I listened to: Austen’s Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey; Pat Barker’s The Women of Troy (an excellent sequel to The Silence of the Girls); Kate Atkinson’s Life after Life, and A God in Ruins; Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk about Race; George Saunder’s Lincoln in the Bardo; Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere; Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn; Henry James’s Daisy Miller; Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half; Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale; and am currently in the middle of Wharton’s The Age of Innocence.
My favorite’s (other than the Austens, which would win every time) were The Women of Troy, Life after Life, and Lincoln in the Bardo, which was *excellent* in audio format. They used different actors to read the dialog of the many different characters and while I typically don’t like that, here it was fantastic and elevated the story. Frankly, I’m not sure I could have kept all of the characters straight if I had read it or even if the audiobook was read by just one person.
Fantastic list, I have read some but not all. I will read Silence of the Girls in about 5 years when the world is calmer. (Right?)
I’m currently reading I’ll Be You by Janelle Brown, in which identical twin sisters (and former child stars) have a serious falling out, but when the responsible twin Elli gets sucked into a cult, Sam, the wild one, now tasked with taking care of Elli’s toddler, tries to find her. It has some really vivid descriptions of California (oh how I miss it!), so I would choose either Ellis Brooklyn’s Salt for the beach scenes or A Boulevard Called Sunset (by A Lab on Fire) in honor of Sam’s party nights.