Welcome to our annual summer reading poll! (And if you want more recommendations, see fall, winter and spring).
The poll: please recommend a great book to add to our summer reading lists, and tell us what fragrance we should wear while reading it.
My recent reading:
On the fiction front, I read two more books by Colm Tóibín (after reading The Magician earlier this year), Brooklyn and Long Island. I will watch the Brooklyn movie with Saoirse Ronan when I can. I read the wacky title story from Zhu Wen's I Love Dollars after Coumarin recommended it in the Spring reading poll. I read my first piece by Claire Messud, the novella A Dream Life, and maybe it wasn't the best introduction? I did not hate it but I was not moved to read the rest of her work. If you love her, please tell me your favorite book.
I'm still slowly working on the Spanish author Javier Marías. I finished Dark Back of Time and A Heart So White, then read part of Tomorrow in the Battle Think On Me but found it upsetting and set it aside for now. I'm currently in the middle of Your Face Tomorrow 1: Fever and Spear.
And the book I will scent: The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, which has been on my list for eons and turned out to be just as charming as promised. It needs something outdoorsy and a little wild, and I'll go with a similar feeling if a different coastline...Parfum d'Empire Corsica Furiosa.
I read only two mysteries: The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry (it was ok but I am not dying to continue with the series) and Angel with Two Faces by Nicola Upson (the second in her series with a fictional Josephine Tey as the protagonist; and I might try one more).
I seem to be reading much less non-fiction than usual lately. I skimmed through A History of Tea by Laura C Martin and that's it.
Note: top image is summer afternoon [cropped] by liz west at flickr; some rights reserved.
All I’m reading these days are books about stuttering.
SOTD All That Matters
Oh and I started reading the Bible again after finishing season four of The Chosen
I loved The Chosen.
Me too 🩷🩷
I’m guessing books are…work related? My mom is a retired speech pathologist.
👍
Ah, reading — how I’ve missed you. I used to be a voracious reader, but for the past several years it seems I can’t tolerate any suspense, including the suspense of how a story will develop and end. I re-read old favorites a lot these days. However, a few books I’ve loved on first reading and recommend highly are The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, and the first three Armand Gamache novels by Louise Penny.
Meanwhile, my SOTM is Diptyque L’Eau de Tarocco to round out last week’s CP. I have the gigantic bottle of that one and can’t figure out why I don’t wear it more often.
Re-reading is a very reassuring activity, and I’ve done a lot in recent years.
I know just how you feel, SheriG. I have always been a voracious reader until the pandemic, when I lost my ability to concentrate. I do a lot of re reading now, even books I read in high school. It’s very soothing.
I like re-reading books I read in high school english class because they are almost always good books, and I get so much more out of them now than I did back then.
I’m in a reading slump. Again.😒 so I’ve got nothin. I finally took the two books I’d checked out, started, and were sitting on the coffee table untouched, back to the library. I’ll be looking for good recs today. On my list of nonfiction to read are: The Mindful Body:Thinking our way to Chronic Health and Die With Zero:Getting all you can from your money and your life. Do we see a theme here?😉 Yep, as I’m entering this next phase of life (empty nest😱) I’m trying to figure out what that will look like.
SotD is Sonic Flower on one wrist and Glossier You on the other. SF is definitely more orris forward in the opening, but they are close.
I’ve got a fun day lined up. My salon was running a special on blowouts, so I’m getting my hair done this afternoon and then my h and I have tickets to see The New Pornographers downtown tonight.
It’s hotter than you-know-what here! Stay cool y’all!
Please report on the concert!I love TNP!!
“Die With Zero” really resonated with me, even after disagreeing sharply with some of the concepts, e.g. that I’m already too old for me to truly enjoy my money (hey thanks!). I’ve mentioned it to others a lot, though, even though half the time I call it “Zero at Death”.
Echoing JB’s request to please report back on the concert! They are playing near me in a few weeks and I’ve been trying to convince Mr. Vee that a standing-room-only show on a Tuesday night is worth it for TNP.
Or if any NSTers are interested in meeting up to see them at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, let me know and I’ll leave old-man-Mr.-Vee at home.
25 celcius today but the evening is chilly.
SOTD!
Astier de Villate Grand Chalet,to put me in a Spring-like mood!Ever since Robin posted about it eons ago I’ve been hunting down a bottle and I love it.
Nothing to add to the reading poll sadly,to say I’m behind is an understatement…
Happy weekend!
XO’s
My Evil Smoking Cat approves of your perfume house choice!
Wonderful!
I did have a looksy at the ceramics and porcelain as well…😉🙈🙈
Love Grand Chalet and you smell marvelous wearing it!
Thank you!It’s a beautiful perfume!
Happy weekend!
You can always read Spare🤣
I’m so over Harry and his antics,honestly…glad it’s in my library,maybe one day when I’m REALLY bored!🤣🤣
Don’t feel bad. I haven’t read it either. I am over him too, but I still have the book on my shelf 😊
Yay for Grand Chalet!
Yes!I’m curious about their other perfumes as well.Nice selection at the store in Johannesburg available.
I have at least “liked” all the AdV I have tried.
Grand Chalet is gorgeous!
So far, I have been either not motivated or too busy to pick up any kind of reading. I have a few on my kindle that I downloaded but haven’t gotten around to. Currently in Eau Premiere.
My kindle is overflowing 🙂
I still prefer paper when I can get it.
Reading Vivan Gornick’s book of essays “Taking a Long Look”. Listening to Agatha Christie titles on audiobook before going to sleep.
Vivian!
That is funny to me…essays are likely to put me to sleep, mysteries to keep me up 🙂
Working my way through some Adam Phillips, including Missing Out: In Praise of the of the Unlived Life, On Wanting to Change, On Giving Up and On Getting Better. His psychoanalytic, philosophical perspective challenges my mind and my work.
And from yesterday because I posted late –
Late posting, distracted by the Tour de France! Speaking of France, do any of you have any experience with Air Tahiti Nui? I found tickets to Paris on Air Tahiti with reward miles but I’m not familiar with the airline and it makes me a bit nervous…
My new wave summer cologne is Le Dieu Cerf by Ralf Schwieger for Etienne de Swardt (ELdO). He created the fragrance for St. Eustache, a church in Paris where he is a parishioner. I purchased it at the church last summer when we were in Paris.
Your cologne makes me very curious!I love ELDO and Ralf’s creations!
Here’s a great CaFleurBon piece about it:
https://cafleurebon.com/saint-eustache-le-dieu-cerf-ralf-schwieger-2022-the-soul-fragrance/
Thank you for the link!🌹
Air Tahiti is pretty well known in this part of the world ( code shares with Qantas, Air NZ etc.) covering the Pacific and beyond. I think they have very new planes too, around 5 years old .
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/300995071/flight-review-island-time-starts-as-soon-as-you-board-air-tahiti-nui
A fairly recent newspaper travel review
Thank you so much, Kanuka. This is very helpful😊
Another Tour de France fan here. The DH has ridden road bikes for years and so we always watch today was an especially exciting stage.
Hi Fellow Fan! It was a great stage. This has really been a fun Tour so far. My favorite rider isn’t currently in first place but there’s another week to go!
I’m curious about your fragrance
It’s a good one and it was so fun to track it down. I had a lovely conversation with someone who works at the church so it was an all around fabulous experience💕
lol, my only experience with Tahiti Nui is the bar of that name in Hanalei,Kauai. That one I can recommend.
😋🥂
Le Dieu Cerf sounds pretty darn good!
I would like to read The Summer Book. Apparently Tove Jansson is only available in Spanish at my local library. With my HS Spanish skills would take me awhile to read.
Just finished “Hello Beautiful”. It was a beautiful patchwork of a family of strong women, broken men but strong men, and a basketball thread running throughout. Not something I would have expected, but it worked!
Heading to a concert at winery tonight (Harry Connick Jr.). It’s a bit gimmicky, but I am opting to wear Vacation, so I feel like I am on one.
Have fun seeing Harry Connick Jr!
I read Hello Beautiful and thought it was kind of meh, but I know it has been quite popular
I had to get Summer Book via interlibrary loan 🙂
Did a lot of reading when I had no cell service but have slowed down since I returned to civilization. Also, restarted an old hobby which is time consuming. Still, read/listened to quite a lot. I’m rating on a star system of 1-5 stars, 5 being “stellar.” (See what I did there? 🤩)
1) “The Searcher”- Tana French Mystery. Meh ⭐️⭐️⭐️
2) “The Princes in the Tower” Philippa Langley. An old, old mystery approached using modern cold case techniques. Exhaustively researched. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3) “And Then There Were Crumbs” Cozy, Eva Calder. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
4) “Murder in a French Village” Cozy, Merryn Allingham ⭐️⭐️⭐️
5) “Prophet Song” Paul Lynch- Booker Prize 2023 categorized by me as a horror story. Not a drop of blood or guts but will scare you right out of your skin. Very timely book for these days. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
6) “Growing Up with the Wild Bunch” History- Linda Womack. Love old western women’s history! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
7) “Normal People” Fiction- Sally Rooney ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you like psych, there’s some underlying pathology in the main characters. Good story, well written, but don’t look for a happy ending.
8) “Days Without End” Historical Fiction Sebastian Barry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What a ride! Two unwanted boys meet as kids, develop an unbreakable bond, and endure the tragedies of the Civil War and Indian Wars, racism, illness, injury, and the occasional fleeting moments of joy. Barry is a an absolute master.
9) “A Thousand Moons” Historical Fiction Sebastian Barry. The follow up to the story above, only from a young native girl’s perspective. The story line at first seems impossible, but the writer makes it a reality. Barry is a master at conveying the internal working of the mind and heart. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
10) “First Frost” Mystery- Craig Johnson. Meh, a little disappointing ⭐️⭐️⭐️
11) “The Bassett Women” History- Grace McClure ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thoroughly researched book that debunks a lot of rumor. Amazing history of westward expansion which skips entirely over the impact on the native peoples (because that would be an unending series of books…).
There are a few others I’m not listing because they were so blah I didn’t bother finishing them. 🙃
Currently reading: “Annie Dunne” by Sebastian Barry. Such a dynamic writer, but also able to take the reader to those small, short moments of profound silence when the earth briefly stops turning. I have several more of his waiting in the wings…❤️
Currently wearing: Hiris by Hermes
Happy Weekend to all!
Also, read a couple of books about the geology of these mountains (the Uintas) going back to John Wesley Powell’s time up to present day. Amazing, but only if you’re interested in rocks. 🙃
I’d be curious to read your nr 2!
You are inspiring me to find more Sebastian Barry books, I really did like the only one I’ve read (Old God’s Time).
What a list!!!!!!!
Second book on your list sounds very intriguing to me!
I feel like I didn’t read much this past quarter but it’s because I re-read books. New ones I thought were worth reading this quarter are:
Tits Up: What Sex Workers, Milk Bankers, Plastic Surgeons, Bra Designers, and Witches Tell Us about Breasts by Sarah Thornton. A discussion about breasts and their meaning and impact on culture. For example, the author doesn’t like the word “boobs” because of the attached meaning of stupidity, but I like it because of the way the “b”s and the “o”s look like boobs.
Frostbite, by Nicola Twilley. How refrigeration changed the world and how it’s negatively impacting it now.
Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, by Elizabeth Beller. She was apparently not the remote ice queen the press tried to make her. I felt sorry for her.
Lies and Weddings, Kevin Kwan. A good beach read, I just turned off my brain and ate chips while reading.
Annie Bot, by Sierra Greer. Like “Klara and the Sun” but a little more heavy-handed on the nature of free will and choice.
The Comfort of Ghosts, Jacqueline Winspear. The last novel in the Maisie Dobbs series. I re-read all of them before this one and yes, it was time to end it because Maisie’s story came to a natural conclusion.
The best of the bunch was The Husbands, by Holly Gramazio. The attic in a woman’s home produces and vanishes husbands. Each husband has qualities that would have attracted the woman, but also qualities that are off-putting. Interesting questions arise, such as Are there soulmates? Is friendship enough basis for a marriage? What would life be like if you could “return” your partner and get a new one? I enjoyed it very much.
Also this week the NY Times published their list of the best 100 books of the 21st century, so I have about 20 more TBR books on my list. Some I meant to read at the time they came out, but then forgot about, and others are new to me. I was disappointed that “The Brothers K” by David James Duncan didn’t make it. It’s at the top of my all-time-great-books list.
I’m not scenting any characters because my sample of Tryst came from Indigo and I am wearing it today. I’ll see how long it lasts but I think I might need a bottle. I have never met a carnation I didn’t like, I don’t think.
Oops! I am conflating Tryst with Philtre! Philtre is the carnation, Tryst is the orange blossom. I still need a bottle.
Glad to see your report on The Husbands. Although I recently purchased it, I have not read it yet.
Hi all. Thank you everyone for the kind remarks the other day. I’m at the hospital watching my mom sleep. She’s doing better…esophagus is clear now although there are some ulcers so she’s on a soft diet. She has pneumonia and her enzymes are critically low so they don’t want to put her under anesthesia for a scope. I’m glad she’s being released to a rehab facility for a couple of weeks after discharge, that gives me more time to find a home caretaker.
My sotd is one of my hot day favorites, Etro Messe di Minuet. I love that crypt keeper old stone scent that cuts through heat and humidity.
So glad your mother is better.
Thanks Aurora
Glad to hear good news on your mother.
Thanks Kris
So glad!
Thank you Robin
Glad your mom is better
Thank you
Very glad about your mother, good to hear.
Thank you Omega
Good news about your Mom!
Yes! She was moved to a short term rehab facility today.
Thanks Jalapeño.
Glad to hear your mom is doing better!
Thanks Vee!
SOTD = Providence Perfume Irisque
It will soon give up its ghost but definitely great while it lasted!
https://www.instagram.com/p/C9X75BDRu-E/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Books! I haven’t been to the library since the pandemic so going in over 4 years. In the meantime, I have recently bought several books, most of which I haven’t read. I did, however, borrowed / taken books from the library (on the cruise as well as the little free one at the mall). To wit, between bought and borrowed books, I’ve read, amongst others:
– The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston
– Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
– Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
To foxbins’ point about the 100 Best Books from The NY Times, here’s the gift link to the top 20:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/best-books-21st-century.html?unlocked_article_code=1.600.-1il.bZGJu3-8wo6-&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
All of those books sound good. You didn’t mention if you enjoyed them, but my guess is you did.
I did!
IIRC, you’ve enjoyed Kevin Kwan’s previous books.
Like some of you I have been re-reading mostly. At the moment The Mitfords, letters between six sisters which is good. I’m wearing SJP Dawn so scenting the sisters with that, incidentally a very nice chypre, I think it is a much better better perfume than Lovely which is more popular.
Oh, I should get that book. By coincidence I finally got Jessica Mitford’s Hons and Rebels yesterday, been waiting to get it interlibrary loan for ages.
I think you would enjoy it, they all write very well, I always mean to read Hons and Rebels, do report in the next reading list.
I’ve been reading Ngaio Marsh detective novels. It turns out I have a real affection for detective stories set in the 1920s to the 1950s or so. I thought it was just my liking of Agatha Christie.
I think it’s maybe because they set in a very different world socially, but with cars and telephones, so not as remote as earlier periods.
Anyway, I was delighted last night to see a reference to Chanel No 5 in Overture to Death, published in 1939.
I’ve got her autobiography which was really great, some wonderful tales of the ocean voyages between NZ and England. I will give it to you next time we meet. I think you will like it.
Reading! In no particular order…
Currently reading “Madly, Deeply” – Alan Rickman’s diaries – entertaining. And despite all the footnotes, it could really use more, I can’t say that all the names make much sense to me. But I’ve decided to just float over the ones I don’t recognize.
“Bruno, Chief of Police” by Martin Walker. Volume 1 of 3000 in a series I’d describe as A Year in Provence x murder mysteries. I enjoyed it but not sure I’m ready to commit to such a long series.
Jasper Fforde *finally* wrote a sequel to Shades of Grey – “Red Side Story” – so I read both. Good stuff. Now I want him to write a sequel to Early Riser.
Judi Dench’s “Shakespeare, The Man Who Pays The Bills” — a series of interviews with her about all the Shakespeare roles she has played over her career. Very entertaining. Wish I could sit down with her over drinks.
For pure popcorn, I read Skyler Ramirez’s Dumb Luck and Dead Heroes series. Space opera… no, space pop tunes.
Lynne Olson’s “Empress of the Nile” about the career of French archaeologist Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt.
Re-read John Scalzi’s Human Division series. Still good. And Fuzzy Nation which was recommended in the last reading poll.
Not feeling scent-y today… maybe later! At least it’s cooler today than it has been in ages. Phew.
Also, be warned that the Bruno books get much more violent as they progress….I finally stopped reading them.
I should get the Judi Dench, I bet that is fun.
Great list Robin and nice to see the Summer Book.
I’ve read a lot because it’s winter and a good time to read. So I’ll cut down my list and focus on two novels
1. Samarkand by Amin Malouf. This is an incredible novel, set initially in 11th century Persia and focused on the Sufi poet manuscript of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat . It then follows the life of the manuscript through the centuries. The writing is great and it will appeal to anyone interested in books, and epics…kind of in the Umberto Eco style, or Rushdie.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/book-review-poetry-lovers-tricked-by-a-drowned-manuscript-samarkand-amin-maalouf-tr-russell-harris-quartet-books-pounds-15-95-1552997.html
2. The second novel is Mater 2-10 by Hwang Sok Yong which is a kind of Korean epic centred around railway workers, especially during Japanese occcupation and following…so war and Cold War.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jun/03/mater-2-10-by-hwang-sok-yong-review-a-masterpiece-of-korean-history?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
I’ll add some nonfiction later, when I get up, and some local books.
https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/reading-guide-mater-2-10-by-hwang-sok-yong
A simpler account of Mater 2-10, synopsis etc. His other novel At Dusk is also good.
Both of those books look wonderful, thanks Kanuka, and so does At Dusk.
I haven’t done any reading lately, or worn any perfume. Hurricane Beryl did a number on our town. No power since 1 AM Monday, and one of our trees feel on the garage and caved in one side of the garage roof. We are all OK though; DH and I and the two furbabies are all fine, which is what really matters.
We finally got the tree taken down yesterday and today some guys came to board up and tarp the roof. With those two things done, my stress level has gone down about an order of magnitude. I went out this afternoon for more ice and when I came home there were lights on! The AC and refrigerator are both running and it is already feeling much better in here. It is nice to be able to sit and type at an actual keyboard while not being drenched in sweat.
Oh my goodness! Glad everyone is OK and that your power finally returned.
I’m so sorry about the damage to your tree, garage, and town. But I am so happy you weren’t injured. Yay for lights!
Relieved to hear no one was injured but very sorry about the tree and your garage. I hope repairs are swift and insurance comes through ASAP!
We lost another tree as well; it was a large hackberry in our front yard. It fell away from the house toward the street, so no damage to the house. We’re more or less running out of trees. We lost a couple of large trees in our backyard about 15 years ago; our lovely magnolia tree in the front yard succumbed to utility workers digging around its roots and hacking off limbs; our lemon tree died during the mega freeze in 2021.
Oh goodness, so much trouble. Of course glad it caved in your garage roof and not your house, but still. And that is a long wait for power! You have my sympathies.
After Hurricane Ike in 2008 we were without power for 13 days, so at least this time wasn’t as long.
Glad you’re safe and with power again. Sorry for the garage and the tree.
Glad you are all ok
Glad that you and yours are safe. Sorry about the trees and the garage.
Ugh, what a mess Beryl has made. I’m glad that your family is safe and that your power is finally back on but it sucks about the garage and the downed trees. Sending hugs and fortitude.
I just finished All The Light We Cannot See, it’s outstanding. A scent that goes with it would be Hermes’ Un Jardin Sur La Lagune. Currently reading The Fraud, by Zadie Smith. It is excellent but a bit odd, and it’s about eccentric English people, so the scent I choose to go with it is 4160 Tuesdays’ Burnt Cedar Rainbow Doves.
All The Light We Cannot See is an excellent book!
4160 Tuesdays Burnt Cedar Rainbow Doves is EXCELLENT!
I haven’t been reading much so no contributions from me. Although I’ll have to make some notes about what’s been mentioned here.
My sotd was M. Asam No. 1 (mostly a lime forward scent), good for hot summery days; I can wear it like a body spray. Worn this over Vitabath Spring Green lotion. It was a nice combination while it lasted.
Now I’m in Livre Blanc, generously sprayed all over my clothes and arms. I leave it on my bedside table so if I need a quick spray of something it’s a no-brainer.
Vitabath Green is the scent of my European childhood. Just love it.
Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanugh is an excellent psychological thriller. I rarely give a book 5 stars, but I did this one. If you enjoy thrillers, this is a must read.
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware is also a good thriller/adult fiction.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore is the book of the month at B & N. I am currently reading this and finding it very enjoyable. It is about a young girl that goes missing from summer camp in the Adirondacks. It is listed as historical fiction/mystery/thriller.
I can’t really say that my perfume goes with the book I am reading except that both are appropriate for summer. SOTD is Bronze Goddess Nuit
I DO enjoy thrillers! Thanks for the recommendation
You are welcome. They are my favorite genre.
Mine too!!!!
Inspired by OldHerbaceous, I am wearing 4160 Tuesdays Burnt Cedar Rainbow Doves! Too hot and humid to do anything.
Yes, I am fed up with the crazy heat and humidity too!
Slava Zaitsev Maroussia for a quiet Sunday.
RIP Shannon Doherty!
90210 was my youth,had such a crush on Luke Perry!🥲
I think I am the only person who never saw it, and in fact I did not recognize her picture in the obits. But clearly she was awfully young to die.
CSP Coco Figue for another hot one.
We have an active fire that was sparked yesterday about 10 miles away, probably from a lightning strike. So far, no danger to us because it’s across the lake but it doesn’t take much to get out of hand. 0% contained so far, and about 125 acres, which doubled over night. There’s a big resort there so I’m assuming they are most likely evacuating. Hoping all the people and animals are able to get out of harms way.
Oh dear. Hope I am going to find an update farther below…
All sports day with the Tour and now Euro. Warm and humid here, so I wore Riviera Verbena yesterday topped up later with Chance Eau Tendre when I was in Ulta.
Kittens got spayed on Friday, so we are trying to keep them quieter than usual, or at least minimize the roughhousing.
Most of my reading has been fairly light and unchallenging. John Scalzi The Collapsing Empire, with the sequel about to come through in the next week or so from its hold at library. Claudia Gray’s first two Austen-i spired books. I liked the first one, second one less so. Doubt I’ll bother with the third one. Just finished Deeper Than the Dead by Debra Webb. Easy and kept my interest. JJ Marsh’s Blood and Sand – she needs to wrap up this series.
Off to see The Wood Brothers tonight. I know nothing about them. My husband got the tickets. We saw Molly Tuttle a few weeks ago at the same venue. What a guitar player! We see Lyle Lovett next weekend.
I find most series lose me after book 3 or 4, but I keep reading because…I don’t know why. Maybe in hopes that the next one will ring my bell like the first couple in the series? 🤷🏻♀️ Enjoy the Wood Brothers!
How are your kittens doing today?
It’s a classic! I was thrilled to find the shower gel and lotion in my local drugstore.
Oops, should have been a reply to CM8!
Sampling Floris White Rose and have honey oud on my hand.
Happy Monday
Happy Monday ltsg!
SOTD = Jo Malone Orange Peel Cologne
… from the Limited Edition British Marmalade series. 🧡 Didn’t last long and maybe it’s because HOT, HUMID, STICKY weather – enough already!
https://www.instagram.com/p/C9c0FjoxLho/?igsh=Zjk2YTExcTJncW9s
Got a cool down here for a few days. Maybe I’ll pass it along when I get bored of it? 😉🤣
Loved Maggie Ofarrell´s Iam, I am, I am. Also found out she rights children books. There is one about an ice fairy which is absolutely beautiful, she wrote it to her daughter because of a very serious illness she has. I am a big fan of this amazing woman.
Oh thank you for the reminder, I really liked the two novels of hers that I read and I meant to look at I am…
Cranky and tired of the oppressive heat & humidity. I’m hiding inside with the shades pulled down under the fan. Can’t take the racket of the AC compressor any more. I’m wearing Le Sully.
I didn’t like having to keep the blinds closed with the triple-digit temps. Made everything dark and depressing. But the alternative was getting cooked thru the windows,
It is unrelenting! I still prefer it to winter, but gosh, 85, please?
Trying Marissa Zappas Dream Sequence today and it’s really lovely. Notes are below. I also notice they sell 7.5 ml travel sprays for $40 bucks a pop on her website. You’re welcome and enjoy the rest of Enabling Monday! 😇
Notes: Petitgrain, Bergamot, Lilac, Neroli, Ambrette, Musk, Tonka, Vanilla, Soil.
So did you buy Romance d’ Iris? It is in stock again and I was hoping you got it so you can enable me later🤣
Got nothing new for the reading poll. I’m still dipping in and out with “The Screwtape Letters” by C. S. Lewis when I feel like reading, which isn’t often.
Hurray, it’s raining here this afternoon! Very glad to see the precip and get a cool down. Denver broke a 146 year-old high temp record yesterday. 🥵🥵🥵
“Twinkle, twinkle little bat!
How I wonder what you’re at!” 🦇
The little bat has gone off somewhere else. There were thunderstorms here late Saturday night, and Sunday it wasn’t in the hallway corner. Hopefully the storm brought a feast of bugs for it.
SOTD = still hanging out in Paris-Deauville and Bliss’ Grapefruit and Aloe body butter.
Glad you are getting some heat relief!
Thanks ringthing! I hope that other folks who are baking get a break from their temps.
Woo hoo for some rain! And thanks for the bat update!
You’re welcome!
Yay for the rain! Here, we’ve got rain but no cool down. I’ll be patient …
Might be a while for the East Coast. The 10-day forecast still showed above-average temps for your area.
Wearing No 19 today because I unexpectedly had to go to the office for an in-person meeting that I was not happy about. It was scheduled late Friday, was a command performance for me in front of my boss, had no advance agenda provided and, as expected, turned out to be entirely unnecessary. Clearly a power move by the person who scheduled it because they were upset about a recommendation I made to upper mgmt regarding their pet project and the need for Board approval. 🙄 My boss, who always has his team’s backs, was as annoyed about it as I was. Wearing No 19 was my form of giving side eye to the person who planned it.
Tea today was the last of my Fairmont Vanilla Orchid. It is discontinuted so this was an ultimate thunk.
Great choice, Vee! I hope it helped you power through. In the past, I’ve worn Aromatics Elixir as a ‘side eye’ response to a situation (not at work, however!)
Thanks, Gail! Aromatics Elixier is a good call for battle armor.
Forgot to add book recommendations from my recent reads: Natalie Haynes – Divine Might; Hilary Mantel – Wolf Hall; the audiobook of Beloved read by Toni Morrison (hearing her speak it is an entirely different expecrience than reading it on paper, IMO). And it may not fit specifically within the parameters of this poll, but I highly recommend the Audible performance of Summer, 1976 written by David Auburn; Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht read it and they are fantastic.
Yes to No. 19 and a big fat NO to asshattery such as unneeded in-person meetings.
I wore SJP Lovely today. My bottle must be close to 25 years old as I bought it before we moved away from the Coast. (That’s the only way I know how old it could be).
Maybe a CP project? Wear your oldest bottle that you purchased new. Not sure if this was done before.
I love Lovely. I have not smelled that in ages.
The only SJP fragrance which worked for me was Covet. But I didn’t like the bottle, so I passed it up.
Aha, that is a project we have not done. Thanks!
SOTD was Zara Fleur de Patchouli. This could be worn any season, but I am enjoying it this summer.
Smelling great today!
Fleur de Patchouli has amazing staying power in my laundry, ha! I’ve washed one shirt twice and can still smell traces of it.