Welcome to our 6th annual fall reading poll! Please recommend a great book to add to our fall reading lists, and tell us what fragrance we should wear while reading it.
Or, as always, just talk about something else, and of course, do report your fragrance of the day if you like.
What I've read since the summer poll:
On the fiction front, I finished Javier Marías Your Face Tomorrow 1: Fever and Spear, Howard Norman's Come to the Window, Armistead Maupin's Mary Ann in Autumn, Claire Keegan's So Late in the Day (short stories), and Colm Tóibín's Nora Webster.
The book I will scent this time is Kate Atkinson's Death at the Sign of the Rook, book 6 in her Jackson Brodie mystery series. It's a bit of a departure from the other Jackson Brodie books — a comic take on a classic British country house murder – and it would probably be a perfect fit with something from the Penhaligon's Portraits series, but instead I will scent it with the memory of Floris Malmaison. It's currently Saturday morning and I'm wearing Aedes de Venustas Oeillet Bengale because that's the closest I can manage to Malmaison.
Other mysteries I finished: The Last Word by Elly Griffiths, Fear in the Sunlight and The Death of Lucy Kyte, both by Nicola Upson, and The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi.
I read 3 non-fiction books: Jessica Mitford Hons & Rebels, Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman by Robert L. O'Connell, and the hysterically funny The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell. If you're a used-bookstore sort of person and you aren't put off by snark and general curmudgeonliness, do give it a read! I'm currently in the middle of (the very long!) Thomas Cromwell: A Revolutionary Life by Diarmaid MacCulloch.
Note: top image is At a Favorite Book Shop [cropped] by Bill Smith at flickr; some rights reserved.
Hello and happy weekend!
I am suuuper late to the game and I am playing catch up on the easy mystery series of Stephanie Plum the bounty hunter. I think there are 31 in total and I am halfway through book 9.
Light humour, some romance and action. Not bad for light reading.
Those are great books. Not sure the number of them that I have read. I love the grandmother in them. She is a hoot.
Stephanie Plum is ageless! I remember reading those books back in the 90’s. I was a pretty avid fan until one day I wasn’t.
Glad you are enjoying Jersey Girl Stephanie Plum…I live about 10 minutes from where her stories are set, and recognize many of the locals in the books…great fun!!
I actually read something this quarter: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which to my discredit I had never read. What a strange little story, and so different than the movie. One of the male characters wears Knize. Holly would wear Fracas, I think.
I remember reading that book back in….1996 🙂 I have a memory of a description of Holly wearing 4711. There may be nothing to my memory-but as soon as I read your comment that’s where my mind went. Did you enjoy the story? I liked the movie so much I think I preferred it to the book.
The current book I am reading is The Last Empress by Anchee Min. Wearing Eau Premiere today. When I go to Stan Hywet tomorrow, I will wear either Shalimar or Lyric but nothing is set in stone.
I’m wearing Trayee today but really wanted to wear l’Elephant, which I would have bet my life had cinnamon in it. Call me dead because I don’t see it on any note list I looked up. Anyway, quite happy with Trayee from my travel spray.
As for the poll, once I had to come back to civilization over the summer I hardly read a real book at all. Too much time futzing around on the good ol’ internet. The books I read I passed on to a co-worker at the summer job. I did just download “Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong and What it Means for Our Health” by Marty Makary. Anyone interested in US medicine, be you a patient or a doctor, might find it interesting and engaging. I linked a review here:
https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/blind-spots-when-medicine-gets-it-wrong-and-what-it-means-for-our-health
He has another written in 2020 that I want to read next called “The Price We Pay: What Broke American Healthcare and How to Fix It.” Yep, it’s broke down on the side of the road like an old Ford truck and I don’t think it’s going to be up and running anytime soon. 🙃
Happy weekend to all! Last night it didn’t get below 65F and I’m at 7750 ft in pines of the North Rim. This weather is crazy. I’m appalled and honestly a bit frightened at how fast things are changing. 😬
Worry by Alexandra Tanner is one of my favorite books of the year. It’s about a woman whose life is upended when her younger sister moves in with her, and it’s really funny. Due to the age of the protagonist, I’d wear something popular with millennials like Delina, BR540, or Phlur Missing Person.
I am in PMdP Milky Musk today as I may be outdoors tailgating before the UW Husky football game, although I will go home to watch the game on tv. Tomorrow will be Theorema.
Since I was sick all last week (which I know I’ve already mentioned here ad nauseum) and wanted something light-ish (finally feeling better), I read through Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club mystery series which I found delightful, although I loved the first one the best. I’d like to scent each main character, but let’s say CB I Hate Perfume In the Library would work well for reading these. Also, PSA that Netflix has made a film of the Thursday Murder Club with a great cast including Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie, Ben Kingsley and Pierce Brosnan. Should be a hoot!
On the docket in no particular order (I have them on hold at my library for next available):
The Wedding People – Alison Espach
The Big Burn – Timothy Egan
The End of Drum-time – Hanna Pylväinen
Coming to My Senses – Alice Waters
Once Upon A Time
The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy – Elizabeth Beller
Iron Lake – William Kent Krueger
I really enjoyed The Wedding People. I failed to include this in my list of books I recently read.
I am looking forward to it.
I’m so glad you’re feeling better. Go Huskies!💜
Go Dawgs!
I loved coming to my senses, and want to read the book about Caroline Bisette-Kennedy.
SOTD is Shalimar EDC. I don’t think that it really goes with any of the books I have recently read. TBH the books I read this quarter I was not that fond of for the most part.
Two books I did enjoy were:
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker-The genres listed are literary fiction/thriller/mystery/feminism. It is a story about a mother that has secrets from her past that come to cause havoc in her life.
What Have You Done by Shari Lapena-She writes psychological thrillers and I thoroughly enjoy most of her books. This was no exception.
Two books I read that I thought were very slow and disappointing, but others gave rave reviews on were:
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters and Colored Television by Danzy Senna. Both of these were book club picks and though I finished both, I could just not get onto them. I am sure many of you have read these two and have different opinions. I would love to hear others take on these books. I must be missing something.
Well, hmm. The academic world is abuzz with an article in a recent Atlantic saying that university students don’t read books any more–at all. I had doubts about it but I retired five years ago, pre-Covid, and reams of people are chiming in to say it’s true. Also they say their students report they weren’t required to read a single book in high school. I taught in our Honors program where we did some variation on standard two-semester Great Books and they had to do LONG readings (Odyssey, Aeneid, Herodotus, Plato…. on up through Rousseau, Hume, Woolf, Freud….) and most of them actually DID it. I’m shocked at the idea of students or young people not reading books for their own enrichment or entertainment. But I don’t have kids and am not teaching any more, so I don’t really know. It’s discouraging though.
I admit I’m not the kind of reader I used to be, so maybe I’m another victim of the social media addiction problem, though in my case at least I watch k-dramas or full length movies. (I’m not constantly scrolling.).
Having said all that, I’ll mention that my book discussion group has just finished James Joyce’s Dubliners and we’re now going to read a book of Tolstoy short stories. I admit to not much liking the Dubliners as it’s so gray and bleak and his portrayals of most characters don’t make them very sympathetic, although The Dead is sublime. Wow. I’ve just read (or re-read) The Kreutzer Sonata and The Death of Ivan Ilyich and they reminded me why I used to love the Russian writers so much (in my own college days): such wonderful story-tellers! I’ll read the rest of the stories soon too but meanwhile I also bought his novel Resurrection, which I’ve never read, and maybe I can report on that later. And does all this perhaps mean it’s time to re-read War and Peace?
I heard the same about books and students. If there is a required book, almost all professors have opted for short (er) books because the students just will not read longer works. But, if you listen to people speak in public- from everyday people interacting to people in positions of responsibility, to people on social media, you can easily hear that lack of reading in their vocabulary, sentence structure, and unimaginative thought processes. I’m just as guilty, so I’m not finger pointing as have 4 books next to my bed, unread. 🤷🏻♀️
I haven’t seen that article, that’s interesting. I think it depends on the kid. My 3 were all avid readers growing up and my oldest (28) reads a lot and fancies himself a bit of a literary snob lol. He’s introduced me to authors I’ve never heard of. My middle (24) is very busy with grad school and I know she’s not reading anything for leisure during the semester but will read over winter break and summer. My youngest (19) is the most voracious reader of the 3 and she is always reading. She’s my kid that read the entire Harry Potter series the summer she was 8. 8! She’ll often have several books going at once. She has a huge bookshelf in her room here at home and when we put it together she said to me, “I’ll be sad to leave all my books when I go to college.”
So, long story short, some university student are still reading Calypso.😊
That’s very good to hear!
Your daughter and my son were kindred spirits. He was reading Harry Potter series in kindergarten. All three of mine were readers like your three but now as adults with busy lives they don’t read like they used to.
Actually I take back what I said, they read for work and graduate school but rarely for pleasure, just like me.
Here’s a link to a blog that is prominent in philosophy. He gives a gift link to the Atlantic article, so you can read it there. https://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2024/10/do-your-undergraduates-have-trouble-reading-whole-books.html
Hi, all you well scented people, hope everyone is having a good weekend so far.
I’m still just reading articles on the internet so no books to add.
Today I’m wearing one drop of vintage Coco parfum and huffing myself, it smells so good!
You smell divine and utterly huffable!
Mmm, I bet it does!
vintage Coco is pretty special. Coincidentally a few female chefs I know all wear Coco. Love it!
Finishing Long Island by Colm Toibin in the car.
Starting Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin on audible.
Awaiting new Michael Connelly release.
Rereading Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin.
Am lucky if I get through the NYT every day.
Must fill out my voting card today and mail on Monday.
Will see my sister four weeks from today!
Post shower – SOTD will be Volutes.
I loved Laurie Colwin’s Home Cooking. Need to look for her other books.
I loved all Laurie Colwin’s books. She died way too young.
Way too young.
I am still stuck in the photo of yesterday’s cinnamon rolls and wish I had one. No scent yet today but I think it will be Infusion d’Iris Absolue. My haircut is wonderful, just below my ears, enhances my natural wave, can be styled by scrunching. I’m in love!
I read nothing of any substance this past quarter, it was all fluff to counteract my increasing anxiety about the coming election. I did enjoy the latest Sparks and Bainbridge mystery, “Murder at the White Palace.” The characters continue to grow and that’s always good. I also read “The Fourth Wing” in a genre I hadn’t heard of before called “Romantasy.” Whatever…But the book was good, one reviewer said it was what Hogwarts might have been like if Voldemort ran it. I also read a memoir, “The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards.” It turns out the husband was a lying, cheating SOB with a huge porn habit and his widow knew nothing of these other interests (although I believe she turned a blind eye to a lot of tip-offs during their marriage).
I have some heavy hitters in the queue for the next quarter although I may end up reading things like “I’m Afraid You Have Dragons” if the election results depress me. I think I would scent the Dead Bastard Husband with Aventus.
I read a couple of novels that I can highly recommend: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. In the non-fiction department I keep re-reading and purchasing to give to others Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and am currently savoring her Gathering Moss. I think only she could write so compellingly about the many and varied reproductive strategies of various mosses (really!) and what an important place they have in the ecosystem. I started the day in (non-vintage) Rochas Femme but post-shower switched to Yves Rocher Rose Absolute as more suitable for a visit to the native plant nursery. Femme felt like a bit much!
Demon Copperhead I listened to. It made me want to re read the Poisonewood Bible. I love her books.
Poisonwood Bible was a masterpiece, right? Her early books had quite a lot of humor and I keep meaning to go back and read them all in order because I think it would be interesting to see how her writing has evolved. What did you think of the Doris Kearns Goodwin book?
I loved Poisonwood Bible, but couldn’t get over the death of one character. I couldn’t believe how I felt – I felt bereft. I know it’s a character in a book but it was surprising how it made me feel. Guess that’s one reason to read.
I’m in Winter Palace today.
https://www.instagram.com/stories/chemistbottle/3472304639305104254?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=MTc3ZG11Yno5aDF0Nw==
Haven’t read anything for a while, wasn’t in a reading mood.
The sun is out and the sky is blue, at last. Hopefully things will start to dry out in the flooded basement. Because it’s been winter here I’ve read a lot of books and I need to think about which ones to highlight so will come back to the list once I’m up. Wearing Amouage Love Tuberose.
I’m still working my way through Ngaio Marsh’s murder mysteries, very much along the lines of Agatha Christie, but a bit more substantial.
Perfume-wise, I think I’ll continue the cinnamon theme with Anima Dulcis, but right now I still have plenty of last night’s perfume on my clothes, one of the limited editions from Divine, L’Été Narguilé.
I’m not feeling quite lively yet this morning. We were woken up at 5am by an earthquake. It was a strong jolt and it took us a while to get back to sleep. There are no reports of damage, but it’s always unnerving.
I liked Marsh better than Christie. I should re-read them.
I’ve been doing lots of reading this quarter, not much scenting. At the moment we’re in an apparently never-ending heat wave, which I’ve definitely had enough of already. Send in the fog!
Like Foxbins, I read and enjoyed the latest in the Sparks & Bainbridge series. And like Gaynor, I’m working my way thru Ngaio Marsh — just started #6 this morning.
Read all 3 of the Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal. Best SF I’ve read in a while. Looking forward to the 4th book in the spring.
Read the 2nd Molly the Maid book by Nita Prose. A little too pat? But still pretty good.
Read The Plotters by Un-Su Kim. So many good reviews, but just meh to me. Korean John Wick.
Read Navola and The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. SF. Both really good.
Read Louise Penny’s latest in the Gamache series… good as usual.
Read My Beloved Monster by Caleb Carr. A love letter to his cat. Sad at the end, of course, and maybe a bit on-point for me since we are slogging thru final days with our old kitty.
Read a couple books by PJ Fitzsimmons — the latest in his Anty Boisjoly mystery series, and the first in his Teddy Quillfeather series. Good fluffy Wodehouse-ian fun.
Speaking of Wodehouse, started the Blandings series.
I think that’s about it! Though I’ve probably forgotten something…
Reading Denise Hamilton’s The Jasmine Trade and wearing vintage Laura Ashley no 1. I don’t read much these days, most of my reading is journal articles on stuttering.
SOTM on this gorgeous Saturday was Omni’s Ambra, and now post-shower I’m luxuriating in Chanel 19 EDP. My reading is still hampered by a pandemic-induced intolerance for suspense of any kind. Currently re-reading a Miss Marple duology (if that’s a word), A Caribbean Mystery followed by Nemesis. In the first, she solves a few murders and prevents another, aided by a very old and crotchety man, and in the second she is recruited by that man to untangle a years-old miscarriage of justice. I like both novels. I’ve been trying to come out of my re-reading rut, so on deck I have the latest Louise Penny, A World of Curiosities, and The Vanishing Act of Esme Leonard, by Maggie O’Farrell. I’m very fond of the characters in Penny’s Three Pines series, but I’ve never read O’Farrell so that will be a test of my will and attention.
I read the Esme Lennon novel-it was fantastic! I never saw the ending coming and it’s a book I reread every so often. Once you’ve read it-there’s a podcast called Bookclub, by the BBC. There’s an interview with the author you might enjoy.If you listen to the podcast first it may spoil the surprise.