Welcome to our annual winter reading poll! Tell us about a great book to curl up with on a frosty winter night, and what fragrance we should wear while reading it. (Or, do what I do and record here everything you have read since the last reading poll. And if you want more recommendations, scrolling through the literature tag will bring up all the older reading polls.)
My recent reading:
I read more fiction than usual this last quarter, starting with two books longlisted for the 2023 Booker: Tan Twan Eng House of Doors and Sian Hughs Pearl. Then I re-read all of Nancy Mitford's Pursuit of Love series (Pursuit of Love, Love in a Cold Climate, The Blessing and Don't Tell Alfred), and liked it even better the second (or possibly the third) time. This is the series I will scent, since the main character wears Guerlain Après L’Ondée and it would really be just the thing to wear while reading it.
Then I went on to an author that Kevin recommended, Sigrid Nunez. I read two of her fiction works (The Friend and What You Are Going Through), and have another started already. I loved The Magician by Colm Tóibín, which I've been meaning to read for ages, and I've just started re-reading Rebecca West's Aubry trilogy (I finished the first, The Fountain Overflows, and am in the middle of This Real Night).
For mysteries/thrillers, I finished Mick Herron's Slough House series (Standing By the Wall, Slough House, Bad Actors) and read a few of his stand alone and/or "Slough House adjacent" thrillers (This Is What Happened, Reconstruction, Secret Hours). I read Val McDermid's Past Lying (the latest in the Karen Pirie series) and found Anthony Horowitz's Moonflower Murders a bit of a long slog but I did finally finish. (The Moonflower Murders series with Leslie Manville comes out on PBS some time this year, I think.)
On the non-fiction front, I finally finished William Morris: A Life for Our Time by Fiona MacCarthy, which I think I started in the spring of 2023. I read The Rooster House by Victoria Belim (I know many of you got to it quicker than I did), Hilary Mantel's A Memoir of My Former Self, and then read huge portions, but not quite every word, of Elvis Costello's very long Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink. I did read all of Jeff Tweedy's World Within a Song, but it's much shorter. Sigrid Nunez's Sempre Susan: A Memoir of Susan Sontag was fascinating (and was on Kevin's list of what to read by Sigrid Nunez). I highly recommend it, especially if you've read Sontag.
Note: top image is Books: A picture of the King's collection, in the British library. [cropped] by Gael Varoquaux at flickr; some rights reserved.
It’s such a dreadful Saturday that I’m staying at home all day.
I smell of CdG Kyoto today.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C24oDQPoNXN/?igsh=a2M1NmE2M2lvdzRz
I currently read Metro 2033 but I’m highly recommending something else – The Priory of the Orange Tree, if you love adventures & magic mixed in a novel.
I’m staying home today, too. My Saturday is okay, but it’s a nice change from a trying, “get it all done” Saturday. I’m not sure I’d get into Metro 2033, but Orange Tree sounds good, and thank you for recommending two books I am sure I’d never have heard of otherwise.
I’m smelling great in Les Nereides Imperial Opoponax.
Our weather team predicted sunny skies today and instead, it’s clouds and cold. Grr.
As usual, nothing to add to the reading poll. The pandemic anxiety ruined my concentration for books.
Same here. They really got it wrong today.
Oohh.. Sun just came out. Still cold though.
Me too, ringthing. I can’t focus on a lot of things.
Every so often Aurora mentions that perfume.
It’s beautiful, like cello music. You would like it, I think, since you like Jo Malone Myrhh & Tonka. The myrhh stands out.
PSA: If anyone was interested in trying samples of the Estée Lauder Legacy collection which is Frederic Malle’s “re-tune” of some of their classic perfumes there is a sample coffret for $30 which comes in a pretty looking box on the Estée Lauder website.
Right now they have a Valentines wheel to spin for a discount and I did and I got 20% off.
You can cut and paste this into a browser to see the set I’m talking of:
Estée Lauder: ‘The Legacy Collection Discovery Coffret Gift Set: 5 Vials (.05 oz. each)
My reading list has not been up to my usual levels lately. But, next I’ll be reading ‘The Overstory”.
Thanks for the cut-n-paste. The coffret did not show up right away; I had to hack around to find it.
Sorry, I tried to put a direct link and this site thought I was a bot or something. I’ll try it again.
https://www.esteelauder.com/product/630/117211/product-catalog/sets-gifts/fragrance-sets-gifts/estee-lauder-the-legacy-collection/discovery-coffret-gift-set-5-vials-05-oz-each
You can find the set under the Sets & Gifts section.
Hopefully I’ve got that cleared now, sorry Tea Thyme!
“The Overstory” looks good. Thank you for the recommendation!
It looked good to me too. It won a Pulitzer Prize too.
Thanks for the PSA. Spinning for 20% of covered the shipping, which is nice. Very interested to see how FM has “evolved” these (in their own words) “one-of-a-kind” fragrances. Wish they had a sample set of the originals! I’m not confident there’s a perfume counter in my town that even has them.
I’ve wanted to read The Overstory since its release, and just a couple months ago picked up a copy at my local used bookstore. I’d love to hear your thoughts after you finish it. I’m hoping to read it sometime this year.
Books I’d consider “great” have been lacking this quarter, I could not really settle on anything and dig in. I did have a little spate of chef’s memoirs, I am fascinated by the people who cook for a living, it would be like hell to me. I read Michael Gibney’s Sous Chef: 24 Hours On The Line, Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson (he does not like Gordon Ramsay at all), and The Devil In The Kitchen, by Marco Pierre White (who trained Gordon Ramsay). I read John Scalzi’s Starter Villain and Mr. Scalzi is always good, What You Are Looking For Is In The Library, by Michiko Ayoyama, and Barbra Streisand’s memoir, My Name is Barbra.
Because I recently re-read all Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin books, I read Feeding Nelson’s Navy, a surprisingly interesting book about how to provision naval vessels that might be out of port for months. An author named Tracy Clark has a good detective series featuring Detective Harriet Foster. So far the series has Hide and Fall, and both were engaging. I am slowly making my way through A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth, though I have to be in the mood for it on the day.
Probably the best thing I read was Goodnight, Irene, by Luis Alberto Urrea, fiction about the WWII Red Cross donut dollies. I would scent them with Tabac Blond, because everyone was smoking and bathing opportunities were irregular, so put on more perfume!
SOTD is the last of my 5ml Champagne du Bois from Sonoma Scent Studio. It was one of the very first “niche” scents I bought in 2013, after I discovered perfume didn’t always have to come from department stores. I have a backup from just before she sold the business, but I have a soft spot for this little atomizer. I might keep it as a symbol of my perfume awakening.
I read Goodnight , Irene as well and thought it was okay, but read other books this quarter that I found more interesting. However, we all have different tastes and so I don’t want people to go by what I say😉
I’ve read two chef’s memoirs that I quite liked, both US
Dominique Crenn, rebel chef…from France to Sam. Fran and a 3 star Michelin restaurant. A bit “positive speak” for me but interesting.
The other was Burn the Place, by Ileana Reagan which is more interesting as she came from a tough childhood etc.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/burn-the-place-is-a-thrilling-disquieting-memoir-of-addiction-and-coming-of-age
Thanks!
Feeding Nelson’s Navy is not something I’d ever have looked around for but it does sound interesting, just picked it up on Kindle using Amazon Points so thank you!
Starter Villain was a hoot.
I just looked that one up. The synopsis reminded me (in style) immediately of the early 60’s movie “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.”
Ack, I remember that movie!
The Kaiju Preservation Society was a hoot, too! Free on Kindle Unlimited if you have that.
Read that too. Enjoyed it a lot.
Your reading list is admirable!!
I loved Yes, Chef! and will go to my grave without ever finishing A Suitable Boy.
What can I say.
Drove to Pasadena today for haircut and listened to the last two discs of Tom Lake. I really liked it. I love Ann Patchetts mediative style.
SOTD is Guerlain Ensence Mythique. OMG is so beautiful at 13 years old.
I enjoyed reading Tom Lake as well.
MR. Skal and I both love the Aubrey/Maturin series. He has been through it three times! I am still early in Round 2, not for lack of interest but because there are just so many other things on my list.
Robin, you are going through books as fast as I’m going through samples! And I love the variety of your choices.
Perfume:
I’m still thunking over here. Last night before bed was A Different Company’s Oriental Lounge and this morning I’m in En Voyage Fiore Di Bellagio. I liked the latter so much I was considering a FB but ultimately bought Zelda which I liked just a tad bit more.
Books/
It’s been a mixed bag. I’m not finding too much to read that captures my interest. I did finish the Merryn Allingham series. Also started, but can’t really get into The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I’m about halfway through. Almost done with My Effing Life by Geddy Lee of Rush. Rush and Pink Floyd were two groups I listened to endlessly as a teen. Hours spent listening and reading the album jacket over and over, locked in my bedroom…anyway, I am enjoying his book which really starts before he was born when his parents met at a concentration camp as teenagers. Apparently the physical book has some great never before seen photos, which I would love to see, but have no access to with the Audiobook. Lee also narrates and does a fantastic job. I have gone back and re-read (re-listened?) the Midnight series by Charlaine Harris. The narrator for this series is out of this world perfect, and the books are quirky with some unexpected twists. I really enjoyed them. “The River We Remember” by William Kent Kruger was okay but I found the lead very two dimensional. Also finished the H.Y. Hanna “Oxford Tearoom Series.” Again, okay but not stellar. “The Long Call” by Ann Cleeve, another okay book…
Two on my list to read (the physical books): “Prophet Song” by Paul Lynch, the structure of which does not lend itself to an audio version. Also in my Amazon cart, “Jean Baptiste Charbonneau- Man of Two Worlds” about the life and times of “Pomp” who was born to Sacajawea and Toussaint Charbonneau during the Lewis and Clark expedition. Pomp spent several years in Europe, on Clark’s dime, became very cultured and highly educated, but ultimately preferred to return to the western US where he played a significant role historically. No audiobook available for this one. Also started “Crescent City: House of Blood and Earth” by Sarah Maas. Probably unpopular opinion, but I find it painful and most likely will never finish.
Small rant:
Seven pages long. That’s the process for clocking in and out starting Monday. SEVEN effing pages of instructions…to simply clock into and out of a job. Unbelievable. 🤯
OMG. Either they think nurses are morons, or somebody in HR has OCD. Seven pages!
Yes. Every single thing in hospitals (from a nursing standpoint) has become so cumbersome and convoluted it makes me crazy. To find a single medication, you may need to look in 3-4 places all over the unit, or go to another unit entirely. Still can’t find it? Send a message to pharmacy. An hour later, they will message you back: “Did you look here, there, and everywhere?” Nurse responds 30 minutes later. “Yes, I did look here, there, and everywhere.” Pharmacy responds 30 mins later, “Send us a missing med request.” Nurse sends missing med request. Again. An hour later the med arrives on the unit. Now the administration is over 2 hours late, and guess who gets “talked to” about that? It’s like working in The Twilight Zone. 😭
That just sounds so depressing, for nurses and patients. Good luck this week.
My mom has been a floor nurse for 40+ years and at 68 is still working 1-2 days a week on a med/surg telemetry unit. (She retired for 6 months, went back, will retire again for real next year.)
Her criticisms and observations of how the industry has changed over 40 years always track with your comments.
7 pages. She’ll either get a laugh out of that, or say, “Same here!”
you sound just like my sisters’ emails to me.
insanity.
Oy vey on the clock in/out instructions. I’m sure it’s not the case here but I will equate this to a vendor answering a question on a request for proposal. Describe your customer service hours. The response was 24 hours. Since it was not clear by what measure the 24 hours covered, we asked for clarification. It’s 24 hours over 3 days. Huh? Needless to say, they did not make it to the next cut.
Wow, talk about vague! Lol! I’m glad they didn’t make the cut. ✂️
I am wondering if something has happened to Ann Cleeves, or her editor(s). The last one, Raging Storm, was so in need of serious editing that I think from now on I will just enjoy the TV series.
Yes, I’m not inclined to buy another of hers. Sometimes I think I may be too critical regarding books, considering I have no experience writing or editing, but there seems to be a lot of “best sellers” that I find incredibly boring, poorly written, simplistic, or “padded” with unnecessary sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. Which is one reason I don’t pay any attention to the best seller lists. I guess I’m just an old curmudgeon. 🤷🏻♀️
You are not alone. I tend to avoid the hyped/buzzy novels for years (or forever) because I’ve so often been underwhelmed. Two recent exceptions (where I stalled for years) that have me rethinking this policy: My Brilliant Friend, which I just read over winter break (in English), and Knausgaard’s My Struggle. For the latter, I read Book One several years ago, immediately bought the rest of the series that was available in English at that time — and haven’t yet read them because I found during Book One that I was so thoroughly absorbed in it that I forgot about the outside world. (That can be a good thing, but it does make it hard to meet deadlines, show up for work, etc.)
Ah, I just looked up the first book of My Struggle and was immediately hooked. Over the summer I will not have any internet so I’m trying to go prepared with a kindle and a ton of downloaded books. Hoping a kindle will be easier to read than a paperback because I think I can enlarge the font quite a bit? My Brilliant Friend is also in the line up! Thanks for such original suggestions. ☺️
I loved all of the My Brilliant Friend series. I’ve enjoyed the tv series too, but not nearly as much as the books.
Knausgaard, I have always thought I should read but been put off by something, or afraid it would be too depressing. I should try him I guess.
Replying to myself but really to Robin —I didn’t care for the essay by Knausgaard that I read in the New Yorker before reading Book One, but I was enchanted by the book.
So I don’t know or remember which essay, but I did read an excerpt at some point, maybe in the NYer or maybe somewhere else, not even sure of which volume, and I do think it made me think the whole thing would depress me, but I take it you did not have that experience!
So I should give it a shot and maybe I will, maybe I won’t 🙂
That book about Jean Baptiste Charbonneau sounds very interesting!
I had the opportunity to walk part of the Oregon trail ages ago as part of a school field trip. That sparked an interest in the people and policies behind that exploration I’ve had ever since.
I am currently reading The Fury by Alex Michaelides. He also wrote The Silent Patient and The Maidens. For The Fury I am wearing FM Portrait of a Lady. Although it is a mystery thriller, the characters include actors and ex-movie stars, so the perfume fits perfectly IMHO.
I am not going to bore you with all the books I read, but will mention a few I thought were better than average. If you are a Stephen King fan of his thriller books, then you should definitely read Holly. A fictional book based on Ted Bundy that I found to be very good was Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. Lastly, if anyone ready The Maid by Nita Prose, then you would probably enjoy the second book called The Mystery Guest.
I loved The Silent Patient.
So did I, but I will admit that his second and third books are totally different. If I didn’t know, I would have never guessed they were by the same author.
yes very different and lacking in spine tingling next chapters.
well, I have True Detective episode 4 for spine tingling tonite.
I agree. They didn’t have the spine tingling moments like The Silent Patient. I was disappointed.
We have another unexpectedly sunny morning! Maybe Ringthing”s and our forecast got mixed up 🙂 .
My current book is from the library at work and about drug problems in New Zealand. It’s interesting, but not something I’d want to connect with perfume, especially not back room manufacturing of methamphetamine!
One of my recent samples is Bisquit from Arte Profumi, I knew it would be sweet, but I wasn’t expecting something so sweet. It’s one of the very perfumes that I’ve had to wash off. I won’t call it a scrubber, it wasn’t horrible, it was just way too much for me. I’ve tried a few from Arte Profumi and have FBs of Velvet Rouge and Harem Soiree, and they are all hefty.
Enjoy the sun! Hope it stays like that.
Thank you, Robin, for such a long list of recommendations. I’ll be heading over to the library next week. SotD is Ecrin de Fumee. After yesterday’s Spring fling, I wanted to get back to cozy/Wintery. We have lovely sunshine here, but it stayed quite chilly until afternoon.
EdF is a great scent for a wintry day, isn’t it?
I feel like I should apologize for my long list! But I like having a record of my reading and I figure most people will skip most of the list 🙂
Long book lists are best! Good or bad, I like them all!
Ecrin de Fumee is lovely, isn’t it?
“romantasy” is having its moment. I recommend Fourth Wing & Iron Flame -and anything by Sarah J Maas. The ACOTR series I read through the pandemic and just picked up her newest book in the crescent city series.
In the Country of Others, I am finishing this up and would wear an orange blossom scent. This book is life in Maroc in the 1950’s
SOTD is Luna Roja by Fueguia -I got a sample of this when I bought my bottle of Xocoatl. I would say Luna Roja is like sticking your head in a wine barrel initially and then the dry down is floral roses
I love the portmanteau!
Thanks to you, I knew what “romantasy” was when a friend started talking about it at Thanksgiving.
I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions but I did make a list of things I was going to try to do, which I guess is the same thing only without the pressure. One of them was to get through (on average) a book a week, and I’ve already failed, because I could only manage three in January. I just don’t read as much or as quickly as I used to, in part because there are so many other things (almost all online) to seize my attention these days.
But one of the books I got through was memorable: A City On Mars by Zach and Kelly Weinersmith, a couple of self-described space nerds who interviewed a lot of experts about the feasibility of a permanent human settlement on Mars in the foreseeable future. That Tesla blowhard has been noising on about a self-sustaining colony by 2050, and the universal consensus from the experts is: not a chance. There are too many technological hurdles to overcome, and most of them are nowhere near to being solved, if they even can be. But it’s a heck of a thought experiment.
Anyway! Today I’m in ELdO Nombril Immense, which is basically Eau Sauvage plus baby powder and a big ol’ glug of patchouli. It might be my favourite Etat scent, even more so than Eau de Protection.
In the many years in which I barely finished any books at all, I always tried to set goals and then failed.
I saw a reference to A City on Mars somewhere recently, possibly Kottke or an article he linked to? I should look into that one.
And I’m just finishing up Ray Bradbury’s imagined world of Mars colonization, The Martian Chronicles. It’s a wonderful speculative read and so interesting to see what a great writer in 1950 thought might be possible in the future.
I’ve read quite bit recently so will cut it down
Novels that I enjoyed
1. Anne Michael’s, Held. This is quite a fragmented novel and immersive, poetic language. Spans different time periods with a thread of science, war, loss and love.
2. Brian by Jeremy Cooper. I loved this but some will find it incredibly dull. It is about a lonely clerk in London who starts going to weekly movies at the British Film Institute, where he sees the same movie goers each week. A lonely, OCD a novel spanning decades. It’s digs deep rather than looking outwards.
3. Lioness , Emily Perkins. A NZ a novel about a woman married to a wealthy property developer who begins to question her lifestyle. Very easy read, but well written and very NZ a focussed.
4. The Rack, A.E Ellis, a forgotten novel set in a TB sanatorium post WW2 ( based on his own experience). Fascinating novel, brutal remedies mixed with morphine hallucinations, and love story.
NON Fiction
Monet by Jackie Wullschlager, biography. Readable a bit journalistic in style but interesting. Didn’t realise he painted no nudes in his lifetime.
Also reading a biography of Roger Deakins who was the “ inventor” of wild swimming, back in the day. Good book but a better place to start would be Deakins, Waterlogged which is his groundbreaking book of swimming around Britain.
Wearing Daim Blond cause it’s good.,
That should be Waterlog, Roger Deakin
Your description of Brian made me smile. My husband is a huge film buff. When we lived in Anaya’s, he saw all the same people at the various Indy/rep houses, especially at MoMa where movies were free with membership.
That would be NYC, which seems to become Anaya fairly frequently…
The novel Brian mentions many movies in detail as the protagonist responds to seeing them. If you are a movie buff the novel is great just for that aspect
Thank you–both of you–I’ve put this on my Amazon wishlist.
I ordered The Rack on Kindle just now. Thank you. I like the other recommendations too but these days my preferred reading format is Kindle.
It takes a couple of chapters to kick off. At first it seems a bit ra ra ra British but the descriptions of the treatments are quite enthralling. It’s a bit like Cancer Ward in that respect.
Another Deakin fan here, Kanuka. Loved WaterLog. He also has a marvellous one called Wildwood about trees. Fascinating tale full of history, geography, ethnography, & culture.
If you like him you might like Richard Mabey, and in particular Nature Cure. Same generation of writer and very gentle and observant. Nature cure was about nature and its positive effect on his mental health, before all that became a “thing” and a bit commodified. Kathleen Jamie, a Scottish writer is also good…Sightings.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/feb/05/featuresreviews.guardianreview2?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
A review of Nature Cure. It’s kind of in the Gilbert White, John Clare tradition
SOTD = Tauerville Incense Flash EDP
What else! Incense, of course❣️. This is definitely one I should wear more often! Note to self: if I have a dollar each time I say this, my perfume kitty will have a good $15 per month.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C25kAxTxq-K/?igsh=MWpmOGM2OWJpdjcxZQ==
And since it is the first weekend of a new month, here’s my Caturday post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C25lCwXxa5e/?igsh=Mm9tbnlrNzVtaHh5
My nephew is home for a few days (from South Carolina) and we are going out for dinner later today. I’m looking forward to catching up!
Books! I’ve read the latest several years old book from Kevin Kwan “Sex and Vanity”. I would not recommend it because it’s a let down from his trilogy. Why does he want to keep mansplaining things? It’s not like he’s sprinkling no -English words / phrases / sentences that need to be translated. Also, WTH cares about the characters’ educational pedigree? I have read a few other books by Stuart Woods and Janet Evanovich although they were the usual slapstick works but fun reads nonetheless.
Enjoy your visit with your Nephew!
Oh, I love both Stuart Woods and Janet Evanovich. Have not read anything by them recently, but like you mentioned, they are fun reads.
Another fan of Evanovich. Read her quite a lot in 90’s and early 2000’s. I love a fun, lighthearted book! If you like satire, Mark Twain’s Rouging It is very entertaining and wryly witty.
Your Caturday pic reminded me of Spooky kitty. Her tail WAS impossibly long too. 🐈⬛
Enjoy catching up with your nephew!
SOTD is Soaked Earth from CBIHP. I had it in the sample bag for the CP, and now need to put all those samples back. I’ll need to spray something else soon, as it’s faded.
Books. Well, I just finished “Café Neandertal”, which I think Deva recommended. I enjoyed that quite a bit and now have a list of places I need to go visit in the Dordogne.
I’m not as prolific a reader as many here, I think! I tend to read a lot of long form articles online.
I started “Poverty, by America”, but couldn’t get through it in time so had to return it to the library and re-request. Still waiting.
I started “Monica”, by Daniel Clowes, when I was in bed after my vaccine last weekend, and will likely finish that sometime this weekend if I have a bit of time to get through it. I also started Jen Gunter’s “Blood” last weekend.
Otherwise I think the only book I finished in the last quarter was Patrick Stewart’s “Making It So”, which I tore through in two days back in October. He seems perfectly delightful.
Oh, I want to read that Patrick Stewart! He really does seem so delightful…I hope if he isn’t, I never find out 🙂
Me too!
Oh, I also dipped in and out of the audiobook of Werner Herzog’s autobiography. Mr. Ockeghem was listening to it in the car, but he does most of the driving so I only heard bits. What I did hear was just…so perfectly Werner Herzog. And listening to him read it is really the only way to go.
I love him and agree, if I bought this I’d want to listen to him read it!
He’s had such an astonishing life, and made such singular movies. Listening to him narrate it is the best. (I missed the parts where he talks about Kinski but should go back and listen.)
He’s such a trip! I think I would have to listen in small doses.
I would like to watch Burden of Dreams again.
Thanks for mentioning..didn’t know he had an autobiography and also love him.
I caught a fun interview with Dan Clowes on my local public radio station a few months ago. Worth a listen!
https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101894523/cartoonist-daniel-clowes-on-his-ambitious-new-graphic-novel-monica
Oooh — thanks! I’ll have a listen.
Hi all. Been awhile for me. Just been busy and have been boring on the scent front. Except that SOTD is Oeillet Bengale, which I really do love and am so happy I bought extra before it was discontinued.
Just read three John Scalzi books: Starter Villain, which I had on hold at the library for months. A fun read. Followed that with his Redshirts, which I didn’t like that much at first but grew on me and had a great ending. Kaiju Preservation Society, also fun. Read the latest Cormoran Strike novel…The Running Grave…I like that they’re long. Also read Andrew Mayne’s Night Owl. I know I liked it while reading it, but I don’t know that I remember the plot…. I think I read too many books that are unmemorable.
I always think of you when I wear Oeillet Bengale. How is yours holding up? The last time I sprayed mine, I noticed it was a little off. The dry down seems okay but it’s missing its beautiful opening😔
OB update: Good news! I just sprayed it again and it seems fine. I think it was the combo of not having sprayed it for awhile and my nose being slightly off from the covid booster I had last week.
Good! It’s one of the ones I can smell…my nose is still off and many scents don’t register.
Did not know there was a new Cormoran Strike, thank you! They really are long (I wouldn’t mind if she would keep to, say, 6-700 pages? 960 is a big ask). I usually have to put holds on the book more than one time in order to finish. But she is so good at plotting.
You smell fantastic, and lucky you for getting a BUB before it was discontinued! I kept putting off buying it because of the price point, and then it went poof. I did manage to get a travel spray from a generous NSTer, though. I don’t wear it much because it’s not a huge bottle, but I should pull it out again as it’s been a while.
It’s not a full BUB. It’s a set of 3 travel sprays that I found for a good price on eBay. Thankful for them.
Good to hear from you LizzieB!
Wore Mojave Ghost for a much-needed haircut, and now smelling of sweat and garage dust after spending three or four hours clearing stuff out of it. And we’re not really even close to done! The amount of accumulated junk is shocking, which has me resolving to (a) think before I buy going forward, and (b) quit saving things “just in case I ever want them again”. Just the quantity of Pier One candles I had out there is mind boggling.
Did you have to get a dumpster to throw everything in?
I remember when I had water damage in my basement storage room. I had to get rid of so much, and I still have too much. I don’t accumulate a lot anymore but I have stuff that I have saved for decades. I just keep slowly going through it.
Our contractors recommended against a dumpster — said in their experience it might damage our driveway, and all our neighbors will dump their junk in it. 😂 The amount of stuff that absolutely has to go to the landfill is small enough that a dumpster would be overkill (even if it would be easy), so we are currently thinking we’ll either borrow somebody’s pickup truck and take it to the dump ourselves, or we’ll see if our yard guy might be willing to take a pickup load for us. Thank goodness our waste company will take wet cardboard and paper in with yard debris — that has been at least half of what we’ve had to dispose of. And most of the rest will go to Goodwill.
When I got a dumpster my next door neighbor asked if he could throw out some stuff and I said yes. Then he asked if the across the street neighbor could. Those neighbors have never been very friendly to my family but I said yes anyway so yeah your contactor was right!
🤣
You inspired me to look thru my things and get some in a “Donate” pile. It’s a start…
Hi all, I am enjoying the reading lists of those posting here, and am impressed because most everyone seems more active in reading than I have been of late. It seems I’ve gotten quite swept up in my various Netflix and Amazon Prime dramas to the detriment of my fiction intake. But I’m noting some recommendations and I thank you.
I have not posted so far about my brother who is here now in Houston being tested and treated for lung cancer that has spread to his liver. This has been developing since before Christmas and he asked me not to post at all about it anywhere, but has now relaxed the request — and of course for most of you I’m anonymous here. He’s my only sibling and just about the end of my family, so I’ve been finding it very hard. But I’m glad he and his wife chose to come here to MD Anderson Cancer center in Houston for treatment, and I believer they are glad too. They’ve stayed at a hotel connected to the hospital due to all the early or odd hours of tests, appointments, and treatments.
I spent the day over there today while he got his first chemo treatment. It’s a terrific hospital with fantastic resources, but you know, it’s still a club you do not want to belong to. I was initially afraid he would die soon because that happened to a good friend of mine ten years ago, but there are many hopeful developments these days. He seems to have some pretty good treatment options, so we are all optimistic now. On the other hand, it’s going to be a long slog and there is so much uncertainty. I know that attitude is important and want to be as upbeat and supportive for them as I can. Thank you for listening, friends.
Truly sorry to hear. I have to say, I really hate cancer. I work in medicine and see some horrible stuff on day to day basis so not sure why cancer seems more loathsome than other illnesses but somehow it is to me.
I hope your brother’s treatment goes well.
Oh, I’m so sorry Calypso, but it must be a comfort to both of you that he’s come to Houston. Wishing you both (and your sister in law) fortitude for that long slog.
I am so glad to hear that there are new developments. I lived through liver cancer with my mom when I was a pre-teen, and the options then weren’t great. I think there are so many more resources now to help with the treatment, too (the hotel, also I saw wig boutiques when I used to go to Fred Hutch in Seattle for testing, more support groups), so I hope they’re finding it as comfortable as they can. I’m sure they’re glad to have you close. Keeping you in my thoughts.
Oh no. I’m so sorry to hear this. I hope he responds well to whatever treatment options he has, and of course, is pain free. It’s wonderful you’ll be close by to lend him emotional support.
So sorry to hear this, Calypso. I’m glad you are close during this difficult time and am sending wishes for a good outcome.
Sending well wishes to your brother, I hope his treatment goes well. And sending big hugs to you!
Your relationship with him is such an important part of his treatment. I’m glad for both of you that he is close.
And I join others in hoping for the best outcomes, minimal pain and timely help from unexpected places.
I’m sorry about your dreadful news Calypso!Sending good thoughts and many fragrant hugs!🌹🌹
Sending healing vibes to your brother, it’s a fact that cancer treatments improve all the time. It will make such a difference that you are near him.
So sorry your family has to endure cancer. Sending healing thoughts to all of you.
Oh, my. Wishing your brother, you, and family healing, calm, and also some of those necessary moments of humor during such an intensely difficult time.
I’m sorry Calypso. I’m glad you are able to be near him and wish the best to your family.
Sending you a hug, Calypso, and my hopes that your brother goes into remission with treatment. It’s good that you can be there for each other.
Sending more great, big hugs to you, Calypso. Glad that your brother is getting excellent care and you are able to support him.
I’m sorry to hear about your brother and I hope treatment goes well. As you say, it is a long slog so pace yourself and take breaks, as it is very draining. But there will be lots of good moments too that you will share. It can all get a bit surreal, like living in a half-light but hang on to the wonder and beauty. It’s worth it!
I’m so sorry for this news. Sending you, him, and your family all the 🍀🌈❤️
I am so sorry and I wish you and your brother and family all the best under these circumstances. Hugs to you.
Sending your brother healing wishes and sending you a hug.
Very sorry to hear this about your brother. Sending you both thoughts of strength for what is coming.
I’m always very late posting but I am wearing French Lime Blossom from Jo Malone, cuz I found a half bottle at a thrift store that I already gave me to my sister, who loves linden (I wanted to test it first.)
The book that blew me away most recently was The Brothers Ashkenazi by Israel Joshua Singer, older brother of the better known (today) Isaac Bashevis Singer, though I.J. Singer was better known in his day. Takes place from about 1870-1918 in Lodz, Poland, it’s Cain and Abel, it’s Dickensian in its characters, social satire, plot, running commentary on religion, industrialization, urbanization, political movements, and humor, but set not in London but among the (mostly) Hasidic Jewish community of Lodz, Poland. I read about him in the New Yorker recently. Very modern sensibility. First published in Yiddish in the Forward around 1935.
Sounds greta, will check it!
Great..
Honey I’m home!!!
Hi guys!
Whirlwind these past 3 weeks!Work was busy and then I went to the land of the four-leafed clovers and leprechauns!(my best friend got married as mentioned last year!)Ireland,you were cold and windy but oh so spectacular in your wintergreens and icy whites!
I returned home yesterday so back to “normal” today after sleeping off a bit of jetlag.
SOTD!Olfactive Studio Iris Shot.I only got the travel spray but I’m thinking a fb might be in my future.
Current reading list is still piling up(and so are the new books!)”Spare” is glaring at me still.Lol.
Taschen re-released some pretty amazing books on art and things that interest me,I bought a very well-done book on Keith Haring and a huge volume about the Hermetic Library on Alchemy,they both are rich in content and gorgeous illustrations and art in both.
Recent testing:Bibbi fragrances!I was really curious about Iris Wallpaper from Bibbi,and although nicely done….think Mitsouko or Fath’s Iris Gris reissue without the raspiness of a chypre,sort of a stripped down “clean” chypre.They amped up the peach note(which is really good and really long-lasting),but rubbed off all the peachfuzz.Very good but I prefer a “call me by your name” type of peach!(Mitzi and Iris Gris in other words)
Hope everyone is well!
XO’s🌹❤️🤗
It sounds like you had a marvelous time in Ireland.
It was a great time!
Ireland, how wonderful–tell us about your accommodations!
Must give Iris Gris a whirl one of these days.
I stayed where the ceremony was held in Cork city,a lovely hotel/resort called The Address.Old world charm with beautiful furniture and lots and lots of books by the way!It was the perfect setting for (literally!) My best friends’ wedding.👌🏻👌🏻
That sounds just perfect!
I still have Spare glaring at me too🤣
I need to try some of these Iris scent you mentioned though I don’t need anymore.
Haha!Should we do a “let’s read together” with Spare?
I don’t know,I somehow lost interest in whatever it was Harry wanted to say in his book.
The Bibbi range is well-done,although most of them will smell familiar,as in been there smelled that…although Iris Wallpaper had me huffing my wrist the whole day!(waiting and hoping they do a discovery set as well,now that I’d defo buy)
Iris shot is definitely worth a sniff.
Can one really EVER have enough Iris perfumes??Lol!
Happy Sunday!
XO’s
Have you tried Kismet? I have added that on my list to try as I hear it is very nice.
Spare doesn’t seem to be calling me anymore either. Maybe some day.
Welcome back! Glad to hear you had a wonderful time at your bestie’s wedding.
Currently reading Speak Memory by Vladimir Nabokov, as everything of his it’s a very original autobiography. Robin, thank you for an inspiring list.
Oh, and I have never read that. Should add to my list.
Aurora, Nabokov’s Speak, Memory, is one of my favorite memoirs ever. Love love.
I have 2 wonderful suggestions:
Johann Hari, Stolen focus, why you can’t pay attention.
Alana Portero, La mala costumbre (not sure is it has been translated). It is about a woman and her transexual experience, it is so beautifully written and makes you feel her pain. I loved every single page.
Have a nice Sunday!
Just checked, it has been translated: Bad habit.
Thankyou, sounds good
CdG Red Carnation. A large sample, so half last night and half this morning. Thunk!
Smelling great!
Making Harira soup and listening to some oud music by le trio something something..can’t remember the name.
Many thanks to all of you who offered sympathy and support over my brother’s cancer diagnosis. It is so nice of you and I really appreciate it. I have heard from him today and so far he’s feeling fine and hasn’t had any of the nausea that is a possibility after chemo. (But we’ve been warned this can build up so that it will hit later on especially after his subsequent treatments.)
I did remember some books I’ve read recently, which while odd might still be of interest to some. One of them is Ai Wei-Wei’s “1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: A Memoir,” in which the artist recounts both his childhood and his more recent years of art-making and political activism. It’s very well written and the times of his exile in remote regions with his famous poet father are pretty wrenching. The other book is also by a Chinese writer, Jay Kuo, who’s a political writer, attorney, and successful (Grammy-winning) playwright as well, and it’s a biography of his late mother. The title is “MA IN ALL CAPS” and she seems like she was a hilarious person. His entire family on both sides were quite famous intellectuals in China and he switches time periods as he writes, detailing people on both sides of his family and their various travails in China before and after Communism, and then his mother’s life after they came to the US when he was a child. It’s also a well-written book with wonderful vignettes of quite vivid people.
👌🏻👌🏻Those books sound amazing.
I missed the news about your brother, hope he can continue doing well with treatment.
Rereading War and Peace. Oddly timely given what is happening in Ukraine and the American Congress. I’ll have that library, but in new cherry or fruitwood shelving. 🙂 IWhen I win a billion dollar lottery, one thing I will do is make a library of all my favorite books bound in red and British tan leather…
I love your library idea!
Started off in Dior Addict, which has been languishing in the back of my closet for years. But I found it underwhelming (probably why it’s been unworn) so I topped up with ELdO Noël au Balcon. May add something else later. 🙂
Oh no to underwhelming!
Bummer about the underwhelm!
Maybe time to rehome that perfume?
It’s 49 degrees, blue sky and sun.
Faux spring is here! Only one or two snow/ice storms until real spring!
I’m wearing Alexander McQueen Orchid something..🌞
Glad that you are enjoying blue skies!
Absolutely horrible weather for me yesterday (Saturday). The weather kept flipping between rain and snow until late in the afternoon. So I ended up with a miserable inch of very wet snow.
Could have been much worse, though. There was the possibility of freezing rain at one point. And a bunch of highways in other spots around Colorado were closed due to weather.
No reading recs from me. But I am intrigued by “Starter Villain” and did some poking around on the Internet about it. What I found was very promising…
SOTD = back in vintage Obsession again today after taking a break yesterday. Plus the Boyfriend Body Creme on my shins. I stink good!