Welcome to our 7th 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, do what I do and record here everything you have read since the last quarterly reading poll. And if you want more recommendations, scrolling through the literature tag will bring up all the older reading polls.)
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:
I read very little non-fiction this quarter, only two books. The first was The Jane Austen Remedy by Ruth Wilson, which I was really looking forward to but in the event did not resonate with me. I did finish it but confess to some pretty egregious skimming. The next was Benoît Gallot's mostly charming The Secret Life of a Cemetery: The Wild Nature and Enchanting Lore of Père-Lachaise, which I enjoyed and which is easy to scent given that we just did the community project on death. I'm stealing ockeghem's choice, Aedes de Venustas Iris Nazarena.
Fiction reading...I've been working on Richard Powers The Overstory, but it remains to be seen whether I will ever finish it. I've also started reading Elizabeth Strout, and have finished her first four novels (Amy and Isabelle, Abide With Me, Olive Kitteridge and The Burgess Boys). None of them were cheerful so wear something happy while you read! I also read Deborah Levy's excellent but creepy Swimming Home.
The bulk of my reading this quarter was on the mystery and spy front. I read Mick Herron's Clown Town (great fun as always, I do love the Slow Horses series), Ross Thomas The Cold War Swap, 5 more books in Margaret Frazer's Dame Frevisse series (The Outlaw's Tale, The Bishop's Tale, The Boy's Tale, The Prioress' Tale and The Reeve's Tale), plus 4 by Laura Lippman (Baltimore Blues, Another Thing to Fall, The Girl in the Green Raincoat and Hush Hush).
Note: top image is detail from Louise Tiffany, reading by Louis Comfort Tiffany, 1888, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
It’s that time of year again where I am reading the Edgar Allan Poe anthology and then will start reading a biography of him.
Yesterday’s SOTD was Lyric and wearing Cheirosa 62 today. Life is still a crap show for me but we should know more on Monday.
Hope things look up for you soon Dawn. Hugs to you.
Sorry Dawn, hope Monday brings good news.
Wishing you fortitude as you face these struggles, Dawn. I’m sorry things has been so difficult and I wish the best for you and your family.
It’s a rough time for you, Dawn.
I hope you are able to find comfort in the small things.
Will hope for good news on Monday Dawn.
Sorry you are having such a rough patch, hope the news Mon is hopeful.
I’m wishing you the best for Monday.
I hope Monday will turn out positively.
Dawn, hope things will be looking up soon!
Adding my heartfelt wishes to all the others’ for a Monday that’s the start of better days for you. 🤗
SOTD is Coco Noir body cream and perfume.
I read some great books and some that were not so great. I am reporting only on the ones I think are worth reading. All of them are fiction, but some different genres.
For a great suspense book, I would recommend Don’t Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Karp that had a lot of twists I definitely did not see coming. You will not want to put this book down. Two other very good suspense books; Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson and She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena
Not sure how many of you have read anything by Wally Lamb but he tends to write about difficult topics. His latest, The River is Waiting, deals with tragedy, addiction and family issues. It is very good but may be a difficult read for some people.
Another book that I thought was excellent is Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. This is a story about two families living in rural Ohio and how their lives intertwine from WWII through the late twentieth century. This book is being used for many book clubs.
Read a review of Buckeye–sounds compelling.
Same here, now I can’t remember where.
Wow, I haven’t read Wally Lamb in years but did read She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much is True back in the day. I’ll have to look for the one you mention.
mtg – I read these two also quite some time ago.
I read them too. There was another one I tried to read but couldn’t get into it. I forgot the name.
lilyjo,
everything feels like a long time ago along with I can’t remember. 😊
It’s probably The Hour I First Believed. That was published in 2008, so I don’t remember it very well.
Having had family living and attending college in OH, I’m intrigued!
I’ve read 32 books since the last reading poll. I won’t bore you all with the not very interesting ones, but here are the ones that I found noteworthy:
Elly Griffiths, The Frozen People. A big departure from the Ruth Galloway series, this has time travel.
V.E. Schwab, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. Excellent character studies, don’t let the vampire angle deter you. Scented with Black March, of course.
Erik Larson, The Splendid and the Vile. Nonfiction. Churchill and England during the first year of the Blitz. They came so close to losing.
Taylor Jenkins Reid, Atmosphere. Two women astronauts train for space.
Peter Ames Carlin, Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born To Run. Nonfiction. I like reading about the creative process, and this is about Springsteen. About to be dropped by his record label for poor sales, he works on what would become Born to Run. Didn’t men wear Aramis then?
Robert Galbraith, The Hallmarked Man. Cormoran Strike and Robin try to identify a dead man found in a silver shop. Very long (no one apparently wants to tell J.K. Rowling to edit herself) and not my favorite in the series, but not as bad as The Ink Black Heart.
Stephen Starring Grant, Mailman. Nonfiction. A marketing consultant gets laid off at the start of Covid and takes a job as a rural mail carrier in Appalachia.
Sophie Elmhirst, A Marriage at Sea. A couple sailing around the world is shipwrecked by a whale and survives in a life raft for four months.
Emily Tesh. The Incandescent. Fantasy about a school administrator at a school of magic boarding school. The plot and characterizations were excellent, and as a former college admin, the description of daily duties was spot-on.
I got my Covid and flu jabs yesterday, so I have two sore arms. I am consoling myself with mini donuts while wearing Guerlain Tobacco Honey, comparing it to yesterday’s Encre de Fumee. Also listening to the Chopin piano competition on You Tube.
I was wondering about Atmosphere. Did you like it?
Yes. The misogyny depicted made my blood pressure rise but the story was interesting.
That Erik Larson book has been on my to read list for ages, and I ought to read Tonight in Jungleland too. I am done with Cormoran Strike though! I will watch on HBO 😉
Well, Guerlain + donuts + Chopin should cure those sore arms!
My usual reading comfort zone is historical fiction, but have started a current day comedy, Blood Test by Charles Baxter. It’s about a mild-mannered loserish guy who finds out via blood test that he has a predisposition to committing murder. Baxter also wrote Feast of Love, another modern era book that I enjoyed. So far Blood Test has made me laugh out loud a couple of times.
Was going to wear Iris Cendre for the cp yesterday, but it was too warm. This morning around 4am, we had a thunderstorm which has only made it super humid and am experiencing perfume indecision!
Blood Test sounds good. I need to look that up.
Since you like historical fiction, I am quite sure you would enjoy Buckeye.
SotD is Dune. It is gorgeous out today. Perfect really. 70, sun and not a cloud in the sky.🌞
The only thing I’ve been reading for the past 8 weeks is journal articles. But I did it, I officially completed my first graduate course yesterday when I submitted my paper at 4:10 pm. Now I just wait to see what my final grade will be. This weekend is all mine. Next class starts Monday.🫠
Oh hooray, you must be so happy to have the first one in the bag! Good for you madtowngirl.
But wow, that is not much of a break! Do enjoy the weekend.
Thanks Robin! It does feel good. I’ll get a longer break over the holidays after this next class.
Go you!
Have a relaxing weekend!
Thanks lillyjo! My plans exactly.😎
Good for you mtg! Keep moving ahead.
Thanks Kris! I will.👍
I remember when I used to read stacks of journal articles. They burn so much brain cells! Enjoy your much deserved weekend and treat yourself!
Thanks! I agree, my brain felt like mush when I got done.😅
Congrats on completion of your first grad course. 👏 Step by step by step . . .
Sotd Lorenzo Passaglia sPEACHless, as I like to write it. And despite the name, it is quite peachy.
I’ve been craving peaches to eat, drink, and scent myself. My Grandma Jenny always said that if you’re body is craving something (healthy, not like a hot fudge sundae), then the wisdom of your body tells you that you need it. So you should listen to your cravings. Kind of like when I was craving lavender everything (including foot balm, thanks for the Voesch post Robin, I ordered directly from it) when my darling aunt was in hospice.
I started one book last quarter, Atomic Habits by James Clear. Excellent, but still not done. I highly recommend it.
Have a beautiful Saturday fellow perfumistas and perfumisters!
I have “not finished” books lying all around my house, LesLiesse. Some I have been reading for months and months, in little dribs and drabs here and there.
I’m impressed you can keep up with the plot. Thank God the last novel I read was James, and I had read th source text in high school so I had my bearings.
It’s not the most efficient way to read since I often have to go back a few pages to figure out what was happening 🙂
Every now and then I get an insane craving for orange juice and oranges. I believe my body telling me I need vitamin C.
ITA lillyjo!
SOTD = see below
Yesterday, I wore a layering of howmanysprays12howmanyspraus åll Patch and åll Frank. Beautiful combination and will do this again at some point. Both are incensy and very appropriate for scenting the dearly departed, not that I necessarily thought about that!
Today, I wore and oldie but goodie Sultan Pasha Irisoir which came in a wanted extrait bottle, of which the perfume ended up being very sludgy although I think it was already this way when it first came many years ago! Still delightful. I bought a sample set of the Sultan Pasha extraits from LuckyScent. I couldn’t extract any molecule from Irisoir but the one I enjoyed the most was Quintessentially Amber. I will purchase a bottle at some point.
For a little light reading, here’s a fun article from The New York Times on MTA-related sales:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/nyregion/mta-subway-pop-up-sale.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uU8.7CKa.q7wdVVSltjBX&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Oy! Holy mackerel and all things wrong with spell-check. There are a number of words to correct but I won’t because we are all of the same mind and you will know what I meant!
People buy some strange things.
One man’s trash…
I’ve been struck with a sudden urge to re-read my Tim Powers novels, and I have been simultaneously struck by the need to organise the book cases, I haven’t been able to find the one I first thought of.
I really enjoy his books, they are a fascinating mix of history and supernatural mystery. I’ve just started on Hide Me Among the Graves, which features Cristina Rossetti and the ghost of John Polidori.
I’m wearing Queen of the Night from The Merchant of Venice, which seems appropriate in name, but it’s not at all gloomy, which would be better for Victorian London.
I should really read more sci fi / fantasy. I do try. I started on one recently that I probably purchased 20 or 30 years ago, so you never know.
Good sleep for past two nights for which I am grateful.
Still reading King of Kings about the Iranian Revolution and listening to A History of Africa in my car. Just downloaded Everything is Tuberculosis to my audio app.
I did lay across the bed when I was sick and read every snippet on my kindle and finally deleted and cleaned that up. Some of the samples I download, geez, what was I thinking?
Set up my weight bench and rowing machine here yesterday to add to my gym days. Just going to go for a walk today to touch grass as the kids say.
SOTD is a few sprays of Sideris Wood. Very beautiful, but a decant is enough.
Yay for good sleep, and yay for cleaning up the kindle and setting up the weights!
What is Sideris Wood, is that the Maria Candida Gentile?
Sideris Wood is an Al-Jazzera Perfumes, I think Maria Candida has one named Sideris.
This one is a Quentin Bisch. He and I had a good 2024.
The Al-Jazzera bottles are quite stunning.
Thank you! He is a great perfumer.
Oh I love John Green. Our boys read all his YA novels. And I admire the ethos of John Green and his brother and their efforts to spread knowledge and make the world a kinder better place in the face of so much stupidity and cruelty.
Sideris Wood is an Al-Jazzera Perfumes, I think Maria Candida has one named Sideris.
This one is a Quentin Bisch. He and I had a good 2024.
The Al-Jazzera bottles are quite stunning.
Very impressive with the weight bench and rower. We’re due to renovate our gym, and I just learned it will be closed from 10/23 to 12/23, which probably means it will be completed around mid-January as there are always delays. I’m already figuring out how to go back to covid-era workouts with a weight-vest and walking in the park to get my heart rate up in training range.
I’m back home after three weeks of traveling and I’m enjoying this thread immensely as I always find new things to read here. I did not post for last week’s CP because I probably would not want to be scented or take perfumes with me because I’d want it all to go to loved ones among the living who would enjoy them when I could not. (Though I did like someone’s idea about great-smelling ashes wafting through the universe). And like many of you, I also thought of incense perfumes, which of which I own many.
I came home to a bunch of swap packages so a hearty thank you to everyone who swapped with me, it was definitely Christmas in October.
Right now I’m wearing Lush Jungle from among the beauties I received, which was a totally new one on me, very austere and green and earthy like a jungle floor indeed, and the ylang adds only a whisper of sweetness, which I appreciate. The green of Jungle is not sharp or tart at all, more a lush jungle floor in a tropical forest.
As to reading, I took several books with me on my travels. I’m re-reading The Balkan Trilogy by Olivia Manning, set in World War II Bucharest among a bunch of expats, and it is a comfort read for me to revisit these characters, as I’ve been that expat myself, (though much later) and will always have a soft spot for the Balkans and Central Europe.
Another standout is Benevolence and Betrayal: Five Italian Jewish Families under Fascism by Alexandre Stille. His own family fled Italy at the war’s beginning, but never talked about their experience, which is what led him to research this topic. I also read a thin devastating volume by Marguerite Duras called War, which recounts her experience at the end of WWII, waiting to see if her husband, who’d been deported to a German concentration camp for political activity, had survived. Their close comrade in the Underground was “Francois,” future president of France. Francois Mitterand.
Lastly, I’m quite besotted with Brit Patrick Leigh Fermor, who traveled on foot through Western and Central Europe and Greece in 1934-5 chronicling his adventures in a trilogy about a bygone world which blends personal stories, history, the natural world, art, architecture, and so much more, so now I’m reading his biography by Artemis Cooper, another brilliant writer.
Welcome back! Sound like you had a good deal of swaps when you got home. That’s always fun. Enjoy them.
Thank you Kris. And one of them was from you! I hope you get your package soon!
It’s coming Thursday😉
Welcome home!
Love the Balkan Trilogy and have read it two or three times even though I was never an expat.
And have just put Fermor’s A Time of Gifts on hold at the library, thanks for the rec! Surprised I have not heard of him.
I hope you like it. He is not that well known and has been in and out of print over the years, but has very dedicated fans. He was only 18 when he set off on his monumental walking tour. He was one of those eccentric Brits who just did not fit in to the highly regimented upper classes and Sandhurst Oxbridge type colleges so much to his family’s horror he headed with a knapsack to the continent, but not the Grand Tour, more the ‘other Europe’ tour. He was a real autodidact, interested in everything and everyone from Roma horse traders to Hungarian aristos and everyone in between. He based the travel books on his diaries, which had their own fascinating history – when WWII broke out, he was living in far Eastern Romania on a large estate with his princess girlfriend and left them with her for safekeeping and then the Iron Curtain descended after the war and he figured them lost forever. Forty years later, he was able to communicate with his old love, now destitute and in poor health. She had saved them at great personal cost, and he was able to retrieve them clandestinely and when he reread them, now in his 60s, the memories came flooding back. He knew everyone and his life was very much like a novel with all its swashbuckling adventures.
Thank you! I love that Wikipedia quotes BBC as calling him a cross between Indiana Jones, Graham Greene and James Bond…that’s an easy sell!
Amazing…my sister happened to be going to a used bookstore in Amherst today and I asked her to see what they had…she has just picked me up copies of the Artemis Cooper bio, In Tearing Haste (letters between Fermor & Deborah Mitford), Roumeli and Between The Woods and The Water. Yay!
Robin, woo-hoo on the book finds. Enjoy! Roumeli is all about Greece, where he lived most of his life. You can read Between the Woods and the Water first even though it’s the second book in the travel trilogy. Also, I confess I love to read books that compile letters between famous people. This is something we’ll never have again in our modern world, sadly.
Welcome back, DeniseH!
SOTD was Voyage d’Hermes, just because. I just started a Ross MacDonald novel called The Moving Target. It’s noir-ish with a detective protagonist called Lew Archer, and I’m using it to try to get over my problems with suspense. So far it’s kind of working? The other book that’s calling my name at the moment is one of today’s Bookbub selections, a nonfiction work by Noam Chomsky called On Language. After a long career utilizing my writing skills (mostly legal writing, definitely not fiction), I’m fascinated with how the English language developed. Years ago an old boss gave me a similar book, but specifically aimed at legal writing, called The Language of the Law, and I loved that, so I might see if my local library has the Chomsky book.
My dad was a massive Ross MacDonald fan, I think he had all of his books at one time. I have read a few. What is your problem with suspense that you’re trying to get over?
The pandemic ruined me for suspense of any kind — there were just so many months when we all didn’t know what dreadful thing was going to be announced next. I’ve been slowly dipping back into new-to-me books and movies, getting comfortable with not knowing what’s going to happen next. TV and movies have been easier, partly because I don’t watch anything right before bed. Bedtime reading is my final frontier. 🙂
So interesting — we are opposites! The pandemic plus losing family members plus all sorts of other things about the state of the world has done the same to me for TV but much less for reading, although I’ve never liked really gory reading.
All sorts of shows I cannot watch now…I devoured the latest book in the Slow Horses series but I only made it about 30 minutes into episode 1 or series 1 of the TV series.
That’s funny — I can’t watch Slow Horses either, but it’s not the suspense, it’s Gary Oldman. Ordinarily I love his portrayals, but the sloth and general uncouth grossness of this character make my skin crawl. And how did I not know about the books! I’m now three pages into a sample of the first one and am hooked already.
I agree about Gary Oldman’s character. Yuck.
Oh for me that is a huge part of the charm of the books, and I loved all the actors right away. I just can’t take watching the suspense & violence, which is kind of weird since I already know what will happen since I read all the books.
It is not just Slow Horses, I really can’t watch lots & lots of shows that I used to love, and some are just because of the level of mean — Curb Your Enthusiasm, for instance, which I used to love and now can’t stand to watch. I have become a snowflake when it comes to TV. That’s ok, just a surprise.
Brains are weird!
I adore libraries! I think they’re a crown jewel of civilized societies. I was just there at our local one checking out books for my alumni book club (and an understandably poor member I’ve been, unable to concentrate or tolerate sad stories) in hopes of getting through the next two prior to year-end. Our local library has a modest cafe with an outdoor terrasse, with umbrellas for shade. Reading outside in the fresh air is fantastic imo!
I am currently speed reading the latest Jon Scalzi book in his classic Old Man War sci fi series, The Shattering Peace, which gets scented with Aether by Methaldone, “the scent of space” because as it happens I had to dig up my bottle for a Reddit discussion about metallic perfumes, but the reason I am trying to finish it up quickly is because in just a few days, the last book in His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman will be released. It is called The Rose Field, and special kind of rose that grows in the dessert is an important part of the plot so I think I will need a special kind of rose to wear while reading it. I have just the thing, Rose Bourboniana, Bourbon Rose, fiery pink rose that has an incredible, deep and very distinct scent. I have a bit of the absolute on hand that I can wear on its own, or I will reach for the one and only perfume that I know of that was actually made with that rose, Eros by Artemisia Natural Perfumes, where it is beautifully framed by orris butter and oakmoss. Sadly, the perfume brand is no longer there but I have one small bottle of this scent left.
I know a lot of people will be reading Pullman’s grand finale book, and there’s lots of other options to scent that journey, to go with desert landscapes, or steam punk esthetics of Lyra’s world. I am very excited about this release and can’t wait to read it.
I will be reading it for sure! Oddly it is not yet available to put on hold at my library, usually things appear pretty close to the publication date but not in this case.
Now see, I did not know that Pullman had written another book set in Lyra’s world. Now I have something else to read thanks to you, akimon. Also, for those interested, I recently learned that British author Ian McEwan has a new book out that has been highly praised.
And that one I do have on hold, although I am 65 of 91 holds so it will be a bit of a wait 🙂
I read Old Man’s War and the second one, I think. Thank you for the reminder that there are more. And another Pullman!
Yes! Pullman! I’ll be there for it.
As always, my reading lately has been a tale of “I started many books, but never got through them before the library wanted them back.”
I keep trying to finish Pema Chodron, “When Things Fall Apart”, which I appreciate a great deal. I keep signing up to get it again from the library so someday I will finish it.
I just started “Mood Machine”, by Liz Pelly, which is about the mess that is Spotify for working musicians. I have hopes of finishing this one before it’s due.
Otherwise, I read “Sailing to Sarantium”, by Guy Gavriel Kay, on the recommendation of a friend, and greatly enjoyed it. I have a great and enduring love of the mosaic, which helps, probably.
I also read William Gibson’s “Pattern Recognition”…I know I’m late to that party, but I enjoyed it greatly when I don’t generally like sci fi. I read it on a recommendation and didn’t realize it was sci fi, and in that light it read like a lot of the more precious (and highly acclaimed) recently lit that drives me up a wall for not being realistic, but the moment I finally looked William Gibson up and realized it was sci fi, it made more sense and I liked it a lot more.
Otherwise, I’m starting the Neapolitan novels again, since I’m headed that way next month. Also Hans Eberhard Meyer’s “The Crusades”, since it seems no one has written a better overview in the last 30 years since I was in university, and I’m going to somewhere heavily influenced by the crusades.
If you like Gibson’s writing, The Peripheral is also set in the near future and is excellent. It was made into a TV series as well and is the first of a trilogy with those characters. Likewise, I think there is at least one more Gibson book that features Cayce Pollard. I just love Gibson.
Whoops, hit send too soon. In case you’re looking for other novels set in Naples, The Bay of Noon by Shirley Hazzard is excellent.
2nd that, wonderful book.
Oooh, a new Naples book! Thanks!
Having been a Vanity Fair subscriber for many years, & a huge fan of the magazine when Graydon Carter was the editor (not a fan of his successor’s relatively short time as editor, & I wasn’t alone given the drop in sales, another very recent new editor & a significant reduction in the cost of a subscription since Mr Carter’s departure) I bought his memoir “When The Going Was Good”. An excellent depiction of his time before, during & after being at VF, 400 pages or thereabouts, which I took with me on a recent visit to stay with friends in Oak Ridge North, Texas & read it cover to cover during the long hours of travel. If you’re a long time VF reader, especially during his tenure there, I thoroughly recommend it.
I was not a VF reader but that sounds interesting! Thank you.
I used to love VF too, when GC was the editor. I can’t wait to red this, Carolyn-thanks for the review.
Longtime VF subscriber here. I’m afraid magazines as we know them are on the way out. GC was still around in the heyday at least. So many of their writers have died – Dominick Dunne, Christopher Hitchens, Marjorie Williams, et al.
I really enjoyed The Librarians by Sherry Thomas. It’s a mystery with really interesting characters, and a newer release. I love these book polls. Wearing Basier Vole because it’s supposed to be warmer today,band I’m tired of my summer fragrances. Yesterday I wore Cuir de Lancome, which I love in colder weather. I’m still looking for something to replace Theorema. I only have a few drops left.
I did read about The Librarians somewhere or another, so will add to my list if you liked it, thanks!
I tried to download this on Audible, but it looks like the bookstores on Amazon are caught in their server problems.
SOTD is FM Iris Poudre. As hajusuuri says, I should wear this more often😉
Started reading a book by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben. It seems pretty good so far. For any of you that like medical issues (military surgeons), conspiracy and suspense, this would probably be a book that would pique your interest.
I did not know Reese Witherspoon was writing!
She did one non-fiction and three children’s books. She also has a book club where she chooses books that are centered around women.
Thank you!
You smell absolutely marvelous, Kris! And ITA w hajursuuri!
I’m still back on the burial fragrances…today is La Curie Incendo!
That sounds perfect allo.
Their Ossuary came to mind, but I didn’t get to it last week.
I’m still reading very slowly as I’m easily distracted these days. I finished Klara and the Sun and enjoyed it quite a bit. It really came across as a short story when I was reading it, the book is not very long and it just felt like every word, every scene had extra significance like they do in short stories. It’s the first Ishiguro book I’ve read and I would like to read more from him, if anyone has recommendations on which other book to read next. Since the sun (and light) are so significant in the book, I would scent it with Le Cri. Also maybe Ghost in the Shell, I’ve not sniffed it but imagine it would pair well.
Has anyone read Mariah Carey’s memoir? I only have passing interest in her, but I’ve heard really good things about the memoir, especially the audiobook version narrated by Carey herself.
Still commando today but last night I wore a sample of Eccentric Molecule + 1 Iris to dinner and really really enjoyed it. It smells a lot like Infusion d’Iris but wears even nicer on my skin.
For Ishiguro, you really can’t go wrong with anything you choose, but the two of his best known books are The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go. I loved both.
I agree they are all wonderful. Remains of the Day is a good introduction but tulipani, you’ve already been introduced so it might not matter.
Will put in a special word for The Buried Giant, it was the one I had the hardest time getting started with, but it has stayed with me, maybe even more than the others.
Happy Sunday!
Sotd Abel’s Laundry Day. I was craving citrus, so I had a gorgeous Cara Cara orange with breakfast and am basking & basking in Laundry Day.
Question (non-book): Does anyone at all use a razor subscription service, like Billie, Harry or Flamingo? If so, do you recommend it and what all do you subscribe to and how often? I think I’m going to subcribe and would appreciate hearing from the community before I subject my legs to a new method. Please speak up gentleman as I’m wary of paying a “pink tax” to get a pink razor.
Thanks to all for feedback!
Happy Monday and a beautiful week ahead to all!
Sotd DS & Durga Big Sur Eucalyptus
Which I plinked !
For Plink Mondays.
I would ask the razor question somewhere on reddit, I doubt enough people here use those services?
And happy plink Monday 🙂
Excellent idea Robin! (As usual
The only book I’ve read recently that I would recommend (actually, highly recommend) is The Serviceberry; Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by the indigenous scientist Robin Wolf Kimmerer. Using examples from nature, it’s a thought-provoking examination of the concept of a ‘gift economy,’ one that values reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude rather than competition and hoarding. Absolutely beautiful!
It finally feels and looks like mid-October: temps have fallen to the mid-50’s and will stay cool and downright chilly at night all week, and driving around a lot this weekend it looked like someone turned on the color switch as the trees at last began to change color 🍁🍂. In the spirit of the season and the upcoming holiday 👻💀, yesterday I wore VS Night over BBW Into the Night body products and today I wore Ghost Deep Night, also layered over Into the Night. If there is such a fragrance genre as Dark Fruity Floral, all of these would fit, perfect for this transitional time.
Wishing all a wonderful week ahead!🎃
I looked at that book on Amazon and saw a blurb by Richard Powers, and now I feel guilty that I can’t seem to finish his book. I don’t read enough about nature!
After yesterday’s no 22, I am currently in SDV today.
Hope all is well Dawn.
I didn’t get to participate in last week’s CP as much as I’d have liked, so I’m catching up now in SL’s De Profundis.
De Profundis is lovely.
Hi Twin! That was my CP fragrance too. It’s a beauty and bridges last week and this week’s CPs because springpansy enabled me to buy it💕
SOTD is Tom Ford Cafe Rose-the 2023 version. I know many liked it better in the Private Blend collection that was released in 2012. Just curious what others think. I do like this one in the Signature Collection, but I really don’t smell much coffee.
I liked the original. It was mostly rose on me, no coffee. To my nose, the 2023 version has a different rose smell, and becomes plasticky in the drydown ( still no coffee )
All of the newer TF turn on me though. It must be something new they are using.
Thanks. It may be more synthetic.
I’m with lillyjo in liking the original version. Rose was the primary note, but I had a fair amount of coffee present too. Can’t remember if I have tried the 2023 version or not.
I was in Guerlain Insolence today, just for fun.
And that one is fun!