1. The Big Bamboo (audio) by Tim Dorsey FINISHED 1/3/18 2. Sunburn by Laura Lippman FINISHED 1/6/18 3. Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart FINISHED 1/13/18 4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (audio) FINISHED 1/18/18 5. Killed by Clutter by Leslie Caine FINISHED 1/25/18 6. The Burning Girl by Claire Messud FINISHED 2/1/18 7. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Audio) FINISHED 2/2/18 8. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher FINISHED 2/2/18 9. Conclave by Robert Harris FINISHED 2/5/18 10. The Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley FINISHED 2/16/18 11. A Lonely Death by Charles Todd (Audio) FINISHED 2/18/18 12. The Devil's Labyrinth by John Saul FINISHED 2/18/18 13. Strange Weather by Joe Hill FINISHED 2/28/18 14. Invasive Procedures by Orson Scott Card FINISHED 3/1/18 15. Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks FINISHED 3/7/18 16. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote FINISHED 3/12/18 17. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller FINISHED 3/17/18 18. Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith FINISHED 3/18/18 19. Who Censored Roger Rabbit by Gary K. Wolf FINISHED 3/21/18 20. The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward FINISHED 3/25/18 21. The Reluctant Fortune Teller by Keziah Frost FINISHED 4/3/18 22. The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey FINISHED 4/6/18
I cannot believe that I accidentally deleted the blog I had started, listing all the books I've read and all that I plan to read. Hate it when that happens.
Trying to list things again. Here we go...
1. Moonlight Downs by Adrian Hyland FINISHED 1/5/17 2. A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay (audio) FINISHED 1/7/17 3. The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin FINISHED 1/17/17 4. We Eat Our Own by Kea Wilson (audio) FINISHED 1/29/17 5. Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (audio) FINISHED 1/31/17 6. Seize the Night by Dean Koontz FINISHED at some point between the 14th and 19th 7. Redemption Road by John Hart (audio) FINISHED 3/4/17 8. Homicide Trinity by Rex Stout FINISHED 3/7/17 9. The Outfit by Richard Stark (audio) FINISHED 3/9/17 10. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (audio) FINISHED 3/19/17 11. The Black Dudley Murder by Margery Allingham FINISHED 4/3/17 12. The Art Thief by Noah Charney FINISHED 4/23/17 13. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre (audio) FINISHED 5/8/17 14. Night Shift by Lilith Saintcrow FINISHED 5/21/17 15. Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre FINISHED 6/1/17 16. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (audio) FINISHED 6/2/17 17. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith FINISHED 7/1/17 18. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (audio) FINISHED 7/4/17 19. It Won't Stay Light Forever (Collected Stories) by Ed Weyhing FINISHED 7/13/17 20. The Clinic by Jonathan Kellerman FINISHED 7/22/17 21. Evans Above by Rhys Bowen FINISHED 7/25/17 22. The Martian by Andy Weir (Audio) FINISHED 8/1/17 23. A Bottomless Grave and Other Victorian Tales of Terror edited by Hugh Lamb FINISHED 8/1/17 24. Legacy by James A. Michener FINISHED 8/11/17 25. Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty (audio) finished 8/12/17 26. Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson (audio) FINISHED 8/27/17 27. The Glass Devil by Helene Tursten FINISHED 8/27/17 28. The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld FINISHED 9/6/17 29. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (audio) FINISHED 9/9/17 30. False Witness by Aimee and David Thurlo FINISHED 9/15/17 31. Flashmob by Christopher Farnsworth FINISHED 9/24/17 32. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (Audio) FINISHED 10/3/17 33. A Novel Way to Die by Ali Brandon FINISHED 10/4/17 34. A Walk in Wolf Wood by Mary Stewart FINISHED 10/6/17 35. Dances with Werewolves by Carole Nelson Douglas ABANDONED 10/8/17 36. Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going and Where the Hell are My Keys by Billy Crystal (Audio) FINISHED 10/13/17 37. Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz FINISHED 10/20/17 38. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (Audio) FINISHED 10/22/17 39. Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley FINISHED 10/29/17 40. The Codex by Douglas Preston FINISHED 11/10/17 41. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough (audio) FINISHED 11/11/17 42. Incendiary by Michael Cannell (audiobook) FINISHED 12/3/17 43. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain FINISHED 12/8/17 44. The Silenced by Brett Battles FINISHED 12/19/17 45. Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (audiobook) FINISHED 12/19/17
So. Not the 52 I had set as a goal, but this is not too bad. I will try again in 2018 but the goal will be softer. New job. Old body. Might need time to learn. I can always read.
Aizen-Myoo: Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea.
-- bright citrus fading to a soft floral. Nice.
Alice: I think this one reminds me of plastic baby doll smell.
B
Blue Unicorn Moon: Vanilla blueberry bubblegum
-- I swear I smell honey. This is long lasting and sweet but with that O-type honey. Not sure if I like it or not.
C
Croquet:
-- NO!!
D
Dainty Sulphur:
Orange blossom and brimstone
--hotel soap, very heady
E
The Emperor's Rams:
dragon’s blood resin, red peppercorn, red poppy, red musk, and red amber
-- I find this to be a very masculine scent. It's nice but I don't think I want to wear it.
Delirium: Non compos mentis, indeed! A contrary, conflicted scent, bubbling with merry madness. Contains apple, rose, and lemon
-- powdery rose, reminds me of an old apartment with faded wallpaper and tons of photographs on a table. Do not like.
G
Gladdener of All Hearts: Honeyed milk, baby powder, lavender, orris root, sage, carnation, angelica, frankincense, and rose otto
-- Spicy-ish. I get carnation and a little lavender. It's not a knockout but a solid OK.
H
Hearts for Ghost Friends: Friendship beyond death. The scent of ghostly companionship, and imaginary friends that might not be quite so imaginary: oleander and frankincense with white rose, soft carnation, spectral white musk, and velvety magnolia.
--It would be great if I got the white florals everyone else mentions. Alas, I do not. This is another nope.
Helena: It's OK. It's a rose-y soap.
L
L'Autunno: Hawthorn, fig, myrrh, carnation, toasted almond, red and green apple, patchouli, wood smoke, and Indian musk.
--spicy! Carnation with apple in the background. Definitely a winter fragrance.
Lucy's Kiss: Created to represent the essence of Bram Stoker's tragic heroine, Lucy Westenra. Seductive, wanton and deadly, but underscored with a soft, wistful innocense. The gentle scent of rose and a blend of Victorian spices.
-- I think I like a sweeter rose than this. Do not like.
M
Moon of Ice: Frost-crusted winter flowers, white pine, eucalyptus, and traditional lunar oils.
-- I love this. It's all pine and snow.
N
Nyarlathotep: Brooding, yet electric: the scent of buried secrets, roiling nightmares, the essence of the Crawling Chaos, the Father of Knives and Locusts, the Hunter in the Dark. This is the blackest of ritual incenses charged with flashes of ozone
-- Nope. Smells like smoky vetiver.
P
Purple Phoenix: Porphyrogenitus, indeed; we worked for it! Not simply the color of royalty, purple is also the color of sorrow and mourning, reconciliation and forgiveness. A regal, majestic, and somber blend of myrrh, plum blossom, African violet, cognac, fig, orris, lilac, wisteria, black plum, and Burgundy wine grapes
-- AWESOME. Grapes and plums. Seriously purple.
Q
Queen Gertrude: Imperial violet softened by wisteria and chrysanthemum, but edged with the regal iciness of delphinium.
-- Not terrible but not great. Floral-ish but reminds me of air freshener or dryer sheets or something similar. I think I smell wisteria but it is making me want to sneeze so I am not really sure. This is not how I want to smell.
R
Rakshasa: This haunting, exotic scent is named in honor of the shapeshifting demons from Hindu mythology. Sandalwood with rose and patchouli.
--super herbal and not good at all. Do not like.
Rose Red 2010: The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut. Like walking into a florist's shop- fresh cut rose and greenery. LOVE.
S
Sam (American Gods): Nag champa incense, patchouli, and freshly-soaped skin. Unobtrusive. This is soap on me. No incense or patchouli. Dial or another generic deodorant soap is all I get. Meh.
V
Virgo 2007: Fennel, valerian, maidenhair fern, carrot seed, honeysuckle, and myrtle
-- it's something I like. I can't identify anything in it but it is pleasant. Think I'll keep it.
W
We Cared About Such Different Things (American Gods): You would not know who was light, who was dark: iron and amber, gold-limned white musk and ink-gloomed dark musk.
-- warm and incense-y. The musks are really pretty.
HAIR GLOSSES
Red Incense Gloss: Red sandalwood, myrrh, cinnamon husk, and copal bound with blood, currants, and red wine.
-- it smells so lovely- just like incense. Unfortunately, something in it goes loud and strident after a few hours. It turns shrill and reminds me of bug spray. Is it the sandalwood? Myrrh? No idea. I just know that I can't possibly subject myself or others to brassy bug spray. YUCK.
HAUS OF GLOI
- Bunny:
Pink bubble gum, pink roses, and pink carnation. This is Bazooka Bubble gum with a jolt of spicy carnation. It is an odd but wonderful combination and I love it. It's a very happy scent. It settles into a sweet rose and bubblegum scent. I will wear this when I need a bit of happiness.
- Lavender Ice Cream is sheer heaven. Gorgeous lavender sweetened just a bit by vanilla. I freaking love this so much I just might buy another bottle.
-First Blush: Tahitian vanilla bean, white tea, lavender and peach. Going on, this is gorgeous. It is a perfect, ripe, juicy peach. Unfortunately, it vanishes within minutes and I am left with a distant memory. Oh well.
-Blood Orange and Marshmallows: I smell like a dreamsicle. Fo' yeah.
-
SUMMER DRESS Clean cotton, lily of the valley, peach nectar, and Chinese peony blossom. Fresh clean scent. I smell like peaches. Yum.
-Vanilla Tranquility:
A bowl of buttery sweet rice porridge with brown sugar and vanilla, with a cup of earl gray
I smell like someone dumped butter over my head and then followed up with a dusting of brown sugar. YUCK.
POSSETS
-Magnificent Red Rose: I do love me some roses.
-Silver Carnations: Another OMG gorgeous. I absolutely love this.
Sixteen92
-Gothic Lolita: this is very nice. I can't identify a single thing in it but it's nice. Kind of incense-y, which is not what I would think a Gothic Lolita would smell like. Still nice.
-Garden Party: Another very nice but no clue as to what's in it. It sort of smells like the old wax lips I used to get as a kid. Kind of vanilla-ish.
-You Who Swallowed a Falling Star: Starts out nice but shortly turns into a loud and brassy perfume-y scent. It is so strong it makes me mildly nauseous. I might try it again in miniscule quantity but not for a long while.
SOLSTICE SCENTS
-Violet Truffle: Dark Chocolate, Violet, Violet Leaf & Vanilla Absolute This is Serious chocolate that morphs into serious violet/vanilla. Spent most of the day with my nose in my shirt. I might have looked like an idiot but I smell marvelous.
-Winter Dove: Vanilla Crystals, Spicy Carnation, Nutmeg, Cream. Spicy and warm and gorgeous. LOVE.
-Chiffon: Vanilla, White Amber, White Musk & Lemon Myrtle EO. One of the prettiest lemon/vanilla scents I have worn. LOVE.
NOCTURNE ALCHEMY
-Amber Velvet: OK
-Black Zinfandel: Black Amber, Black Frankincense, Black Patchouli and White Zinfandel grape wine accord. I loved it for several hours. It was grape-y and amber-y. But then it turned to bug spray. WTF? Is it the wine accord?? Is that what turned the Red Incense hair gloss too?
-Plesiosaurus: Resinous Amber Accord, Limestone Amber, Bastet's Ice Cream accord which is a blend of many different vanilla beans and vanilla fleck sifted through the amber oil leaving a vanilla essence Nessie would love. *tiny bits of resin may occur in the Dino blends, these will only enrich the blend even more with aging! Very sweet, almost too sweet for me. Rich vanilla spiked with amber that fights its way to the surface before being pushed back under the vanilla sea. Not sure if I like it or not.
-Raspberry Crystalline Cheesecake- OK.
-Santalum and Cardamom (holiday resurgence): Santalum, Santalum White, Australian Sandalwood, Cardamom EO and sifted in light skin musk and white amber. This is one of the prettiest fragrances I have ever smelled. LOVE
-Vanilla and Apple Spice: Yum. That is all.
POESIE
-Shield Maiden: pink rose, peony, sharpened metal, crisp air, deep pine woods and frozen earth. It starts out pine, snow and roses and settles down to a powdery but sweet rose. Others might say it's an 'old lady' rose, but I AM an old lady.
-All MIrth, No Matter: apricot blossom, white chocolate, butterscotch, honeysuckle, magnolia, amber, and a fillip of juicy blood orange. Too much butterscotch for me. Nope.
-Obedient Element: serious candle wax, paper and tobacco. Supposed to have dragon's blood too but it separated so I did not get any.
Atchison: LOVE.
Luckyscent-
Lilac Love- Amouage- lovely in small doses. VERY small doses. It makes me sneeze otherwise. Potential bug spray quality after drydown. Definitely wants to be the showstopper. Use with caution. (GAVE AWAY)
Sunshine Woman- Amouage- Tobacco note is too prominent. It's all I smell and I do not want to smell like a cigarette.
Lumiere Noire Pour Femme- Maison Francis Kurjdian- another winner. Soft and pretty.
This is Not a Blue Bottle- Histoires de Parfums- I like it but I can really smell the alcohol base. This must be used in extremely small doses. (had to send to Goodwill- too strong)
April Aromatics- Jasmina- smells like bandages. Do not like.
OdeJo (eau de toilette)- unobtrusive and pretty. smells clean. (BIG BOTTLE- JUNE 18)
Mancera_ Roses Greedy: Too strong on the alcohol base. Definite no.
Monyette Paris- Monyette Paris- Holy Shith does this smell awesome! Gardenia for days. I LOVE this. (BIG BOTTLE- JULY 18)
Aventus for Her- Creed- What is it with the alcohol smell of some perfumes? I would love this were it not for the rubbing alcohol stench that smacks me in the nose whenever I try to take a sniff. I think not, especially knowing how freaking expensive this stuff is.
Sublime Vanille- Creed- Damn, this is nice.
White Sandalwood- Goldfield & Banks- gorgeous dry sandalwood (BIG BOTTLE)
Pacific Rock Moss- Goldfield & Banks- lovely
Goldfield & Banks- Blue Cypress- gorgeous (BIG BOTTLE)
House of Oud- Golden Powder- Nutmeg, cinnamon, sandalwood, guaiac wood, cedar, papyrus, musk, labdanum, vanilla, coumarin, tobacco blossom-
lovely but too strong and confident for my taste
-The Time- Bergamot, wormwood, chamomile, oolong tea, iris, lemon verbena, cedar, musk, amber, black tea. Nice nice nice!
Montale- Aqua Gold- masculine. Not for me.
Black Aoud- nice, unobtrusive but a bit on the masculine side.
Intense Black Aoud- Again, too masculine. Very woody. Ok but not for me.
Serendipity 3- Serendipitous. Cocoa, Tahitian Vanilla, Blood Orange. Dear Bob. This smells like cotton candy. Sweet almost to the point of yakking... but not quite. I will have to be cautious when wearing this one. Spritz, not slather.
Serge Lutens- L'Orpheline- masculine. Big nope.
Sucreabeille- Pele- WAAAY too sweet for me. Reminds me of someone who has vomited Hurricanes or other fruity alcoholic drinks.
I read 56 books last year but didn't keep up with this blog to list them. Perhaps I'll do better this year. Perhaps not.
1. The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais 2. Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life and Everything In Between by Theresa Brown 3. Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton 4. You are Not Forgotten: the Story of a Lost World War II Pilot and a Twenty-First Century Soldier's Mission to Bring Him Home by Bryan Bender (audio) 5, Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky FEBRUARY 6. Mint Julep Murder by Carolyn G. Hart 7. Trust No One by Gregg Hurwitz (audio) 8. Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean 9. The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman (audio)
MARCH
10. Eleanor the Queen by Norah Lofts 11. While the City Slept by Eli Sanders 12. The Last Judgement by Iain Pears (audio) 13. Fallen Beauty by Erika Robuck 14. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (audio) 15. Deadbeats by Chris Lackey
So far so good! The fact that these are all books I've had on my shelves for a while makes it even sweeter. I've been trying very hard to read down a stack or two. I have so many books that it's going to be impossible to finish them all before... well, you know. I would need to live for at least another 150 years to get all of these read, especially at the rate of one per week. Baby steps, kiddo, baby steps.
APRIL
16. Devoted by Jennifer Mattieu (audio) FINISHED 4/2/16 17. The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler FINISHED 4/2/16 18. The Magicians by Lev Grossman FINISHED 4/15/16 19. The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo (audio) ABANDONED 4/15/16 20. Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima FINISHED 4/20/16 21. Immortal in Death by JD Robb FINISHED 4/27/16
MAY
22. A Delicate Truth by John Le Carre (audio) FINISHED 5/1/16 23. Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula by Loren D. Estleman FINISHED/ 5/3/16 24. The Mistress's Daughter by A. M. Homes (audio) FINISHED 5/8/16 25. Joyland by Stephen King FINISHED 5/20/16 26. Fool by Christopher Moore FINISHED 5/22/16 27. The Infidel Stain by MJ Carter (audio) FINISHED 5/27/16 28. Random Violence by Jassy Mackenzie FINISHED 5/30/16
JUNE
29. The Bookseller by Mark Pryor FINISHED 6/15/16 30. Out by Natsuo Kirino (audio) FINISHED 6/18/16 31. Darkness Under the Sun by Dean Koontz (audio) FINISHED 6/19/16 32. The Ecstasy of Surrender by Judith Orloff MD pitched/abandoned 6/23/16 33. Hard Magic by Laura Anne Gilman FINISHED 6/26/16
JULY
34. Death of a Gentle Lady by M. C. Beaton FINISHED 7/1/16 35. The English Breakfast Murder by Laura Childs FINISHED 7/11/16 36. Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson (audio) FINISHED 7/12/16 37. Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich FINISHED 7/22/16 38. Everything's Eventual by Stephen King (audio) FINISHED 7/29/16
AUGUST
39. Spellbinder by Melanie Rawn FINISHED 8/9/16 40. The Auctioneer by Simon de Pury (audio) FINISHED 8/29/16
SEPTEMBER
41. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton FINISHEF 9/5/16 42. Night Shift by Charlaine Harris (audio) FINISHED 9/13/16 43. A Vine in the Blood by Leighton Gage FINISHED 9/15/16
