Monthly Archives: October 2010

Laurell K. Hamilton: Flirt

World of Books October 8, 2010 Leave a comment

I’ve been a bit disappointed when I first got that book but that was because it’s not the standard Anita Blake size. It’s a novella so I got to enjoy the excitement of Anita Blake’s life for only a third of the usual story. Oh well, at least I got some.

I’m going to give some spoilers so you know not to read on if you don’t want them. 🙂

I was a bit surprised to see that Anita got a bit more relaxed  in her dealings with men, so much so that she flirted a bit with a waiter until the bad stuff started happening.

This time there is no Mother of all Darkness (she got killed in the previous book, but I mean, who ever believed that was the end of it?) but Anita’s everyday work (raising zombies) is what gets her in trouble. Anyway, she is kidnapped and forced to cooperate unless she wants her lovers killed and I’m not going into details how it was all set up but it works. The group that kidnapped her took into account everything except the fact that she carries weretiger strain of  lycanthropy as well. That’s all I’m going to say on the subject.

The good thing about this book is that there’s not too much sex and Anita’s musings on how she’s a bad little Christian and battling with her own conscience. What needs to be done that everyone is safe, needs to be done, even though the consequences are a bit grey (to say the least).

Enveloped in lovely flowers

World of Perfume October 1, 2010 Comments: 11

You know how I said the other day I was smelling perfumes that I didn’t feel I had the right words to describe? Well, I still don’t, but I don’t think I’ll be coming up with them any time soon and I do want to share with you this new-found classic that was born in the 21st century.

The two creations by Annie Buzantian for Puredistance are recent but they smell elegantly classic and as if they weren’t produced in these times.
As with Puredistance I, Antonia comes without any notes listed. Oh, I adore a good mistery. I just wish later someone would tell me how correct was I in my assumptions.
So let me tell you what captivated me with Antonia. Because that is what happened, even though when I first tried it, I still thought it couldn’t possibly beat Puredistance I for my affections.
It starts green, powdery and slightly earthy, there is a bitter quality to that greeness but at the same time, it evokes softness and warmth. A friend told me it smelled fresh to her which made me consider my own idea of fresh. My nose seems to have evolved in time when  fresh in my mind is linked with aquatic, ozonic, fabric softener ideas of fresh. This is not it. I realized later that this is what fresh must have smelled like in historical romance. Classic, soft, green and flowery.
After the initial slightly bitter feel to greeness (and brief flirting with soapiness), it just gets better and better. I cannot stop myself smelling it, I feel like someone perfumed my favourite cashmere sweater with lush flowers so that at the same time I feel warm and enveloped in a cloud of white, velvety flowers. It is like your favourite elegantly stylish aunt hugging you and the warmth and perfume that envelops you with all the love that is in that hug. Elegance and style are forever and smelling like that can never be wrong.
Today I’m finally wearing it not just testing it on my wrist. What can I say? It feels like it’s blooming on my skin. For something so soft and feminine, it has some serious tenacity and wonderful wafting capability. And I absolutely love the fact that 7 hours after applying it, I can still smell it around me.
It is never too sweet, something is hiding in there making it just perfectly poised with florals dancing around a base hiding a note that won’t let them drown in their own lushness and sweetness. It also makes me wonder if there is some kind of a juicy fruit note hidden in those flowers?
I want to thank Ninja of  Puredistance for sending me a sample of their new perfume. There is also one more reason I need to thank them. They made me realize that I actually love classic perfumes (I really didn’t think that before).
Picture was received as part of Puredistance release package.