Laurell K. Hamilton: Obsidian Butterfly

World of Books April 19, 2010 Comments: 4

Yes, I was late writing about Blue Moon, so I’m doing both books at the same time.

Since Obsidian Butterfly is still so fresh in my mind (I only finished it yesterday), I have to say I think this one is up to now the most aggresive, gory and horror-like book in Anita series (and that series is among the genre the goriest in my opinion).

This is also the book where we get to know Edward better. And Anita is not communicating with either of her beaus until the end of the book, and then only with Jean-Claude.

This time around, the vampires are of Aztec origin and think of themselves as gods, they also come with some seriously scary monsters and powers.

As you can guess by now, there is never only one situation Anita is involved in, but in the end they always seem to be connected.

And not only is this book extremely violent, Anita gets to be the recipient of quite a lot of that. Good for her she is not your regular human otherwise she wouldn’t be alive anymore.

Anyway, the book ends up with Anita having another guy thinking she is the woman for him (actually soulmate) and hoping she never gets to see him (not gonna happen). 🙂
This is just the beginning of the series of man that are going to get into that same situation. Oh, so much more problems are ahead for our little necromancer (only in stature and nothing else).

Laurell K. Hamilton: Blue Moon

World of Books April 19, 2010 Comments: 4

I’m annoying myself with talking exclusively about Anita Blake books so I’ll keep this short.

As I already mentioned, the series is going to dive into some pornographic details down the road, but here it is still all ok, even though Anita finds herself in the end in a bit of a problem, having slept with both of the important guys in her life. Well, at least she got Richard into her bed, even though not for long.

At some point in the book, I got really impressed (and annoyed) for the amount of tolerance she shows to people (or in this case werewolves) who say lies in the name of love. But, that is mine problem, I just have no excuses for lies that are meant to make someone jealous and someone can get hurt in the process.

In this book, Anita needs to help Richard who ended up in jail for alleged rape (of course he didn’t do it – he’s the ultimate boyscout in Anita’s opinion) but he needs help with the situation even though in his mind, the fact that he is innocent should be enough. In what world does he live?!

Anyway, typically for Anita’s world, she ends up in some personal metaphysical problems but will get help from a really nice witch she meets there, has problems with the Master of the City of the city she visits, is forced to kill quite a lot of vamps, some people and torture some as well. It might sound real bad if you never read Anita Blake but the thing is, she never does anything unprovoked and all the bad things she is forced to do (she calls it letting parts of her soul go to save someone), she does in order to save the life of someone innocent. I cannot find a single thing to judge her for, even though I don’t think we should be judging anyone (except tolerating lies in the name of love – other people’s of course, she doesn’t do it).
The book ends up with Anita deciding to let go of both of her lovers until she learns more about what their triumvirate stands for and what exactly she needs to know to control it.

Scents that sing "Spring"! Joint blog project

Joint blog project April 16, 2010 Comments: 12

First a big thank you to Ayala Sender for organizing this, and Katie and Elena for coming up with the title and picture. When I saw the picture, I didn’t need any scent to make my heart sing – just remembering that movie is enough. 🙂

And what a better way to describe what spring does to people – seeing everything go green and blooming makes one’s heart sing. And that’s even before you start smelling the different things wafting through the air. For example, yesterday evening I smelled the air around my boyfriend’s house and it smelled like Black March. It’s been raining here a lot last two weeks so the soil is still wet, but yesterday it was sunny and in the evening, the earth was giving off that soil smell mixed with everything green in the garden leafing. Only it’s April. 🙂

Each season brings with it its own scents but I believe the spring is the one where those scents are most noticeable. After the winter’s cold and waste, time of birth is here and everything just seems to be amplified – the smell of spring rain, the blooming flowers, the smell of earth, the green boughs you walk under.

I’ve been meaning to talk about one particular note I seem to be craving this spring – green tea and I will leave that for another post in order to talk about scents that make me sing spring this year.

I realized that each spring there is another spring flower that comes to the front as the one I would like to wear. Last year I was in love with lily of the valley, this year I would very much like some hyacinths near me but that is a bit more difficult than it sounds. 🙂

So, let me tell you what I enjoy instead.

I’ll start with the one my last post was about – Un Parfum de Charmes et Feuilles. It is one of those scents for me that I breathe in and instantly feel happy and relaxed (I’m blaming everything great in this perfume on mint and majoram).

Another perfume that I enjoy lately but wouldn’t ever classify as spring, in my mind it defies any type of classification, Byredo Bal d’Afrique. I learned through testing it in different situations that it might not be the best choice for the workplace since on me it achieves a vast circle of scentful dancing. But for outside wearing – great!

One of the things that caught my interest this spring is Amaranthine. It’s getting quite a lot of love, including mine. If you’re in the opposite camp, you have some like-minded people on your side as well.

For me it embodies spring with bitter-green floral opening (there is some tea hiding in there) that turns slightly muskish (maybe that is where we are supposed to get the woman’s thigh?). I resisted the urge to buy it and instead swapped some Bal d’Afrique for it. I’m just so economical.

I did the same with Annick Goutal’s Ninfeo Mio. I love that one. One of the reasons why this one especially makes me sing spring is because it reminds me of my grandma’s garden. There is no longer either the garden around or my grandma, but Ninfeo Mio warms my heart with memories. This is the second scent by Annick Goutal that reminds me of that garden. First was Un matin d’Orage which reminded me of that garden after a spring shower. And now comes Ninfeo Mio that smells like all the flowers and vegetables my grandmother had growing in her garden. But she didn’t grow flowers like roses, tulips or some of that elegant flowers. I think her flowers were more of country cousins to the elegant flowers but the garden still smelled great. One more good thing about Ninfeo Mio is that it actually makes me tastes the sweetnes of flowers on my tongue – I really like this one and plan on hanging around it quite a lot.

I’ve also been trying to force some other things into the rotation among these four and I think I’m making some progress.

Miller et Berteaux Green, green, green surprised me yesterday with its lime-juiciness enveloped in spring greenery – quite easy to love and wear.

So, mine list isn’t particularly long or innovative but it makes me sing in the spring (mostly my heart or when I’m alone).

Please visit other participating blogs and see what makes them sing in the spring!

Seduced by mint

World of Perfume April 11, 2010 Comments: 12

I keep thinking about how to write about this perfume and decided to start from the pepper mint. The thing that was escaping me while I was smelling it for the first couple of times. And then it hit me – that it was mint I was smelling and then I went to check the notes. And here they are:

Notes: majoram, pepper mint, sage, serpolet, jasmine sambac, grapefruit, clementine, patchouli

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me when I figure out a note by myself. I am still learning how to distinguish so many stuff that it makes me so happy when I realize I learned to discover something new.

I had time to think a lot about this. It smell more like a cologne to me than a perfume, but I love it so much. The mint and majoram opening just plain do it for me. They make this green, springy, bough smelling perfume into one of the best scents I imagine in the spring. It reminds me of dewy morning cool grass (in the spring).
I just simply love it.
I had to go and check what exactly is serpolet – it turns out it’s thyme. And the name of the perfume made me think I might be understanding something wrong, but it turns out it does mean Charmes and Leaves, and it is charming (very much so) and it does smell leafy. 🙂
I love the fact that sometime after you out it on, it sortb of spreads around you, like you are standing in a meadow smelling it, and then it gets timid and sort of sticks to you. Later it gets into this late spring/early summer sweetness, like some white and yellow flowers blooming on that meadow you are standing in.
I’m lucky that for the time being I have two 2ml samples from TDC but once they go, I will need a bottle of this. It just feels like I’m putting on some herbal perfume healing remedy that speaks to my soul. It makes me smile each time I wear it and makes me so happy I almost get tears in my eyes from it.
And it made me realize I need to get to know the work of Celine Elena much better.

Notes and pic by: http://www.thedifferentcompany.com/

Laurell K. Hamilton: Burnt Offerings

World of Books April 9, 2010 Leave a comment

I know, I know. You all wish I’d read something else for a change. 🙂 I wish it too. I just can’t seem to stop but I think I will as soon as sex becomes the main story. It still hasn’t.

In this book, Jean Claude and Anita get into a lot of trouble with the vampire council (they are some really nasty vampires and they rule) so there is torture and part of the story are not for the weak of heart. I mean, I remember being quite shocked with stuff Mrs. Hamilton put her characters through and I know I was reading complete fantasy. It’s just nasty. I do wonder what LKH has against her female heroines (I’m including Merry Gentry here as well). I mean, the s..t just keeps piling higher and higher on them – there is no break from it. Ok, there probably is some months in between the stories but it doesn’t feel so to Anita, so it doesn’t feel so to me either.

Now that I’m going through the series a second time, I cannot but help wonder how strong a character Anita Blake is that she feels like a real person and I view her so in my reviews.

Anyway, the book is about the council visit (not all of them, just an envoy) and they come unannounced. Really bad. And it just goes downhill from there. At the same time, police is asking Anita for some advice and we learn what is Inferno for the vampires. Among other things. The triumvirate is needed to save the day and some serious political and diplomatic manouvering. Some nice twists to the plot, and Asher arrives on the scene. 🙂

In the end, you know it has to end as Anita’s side being the winning. Btw, I shouldn’t forget to mention her hospital stay this time around. I will take care and try to find a book where Anita doesn’t get physically hurt – is there one? I don’t know.

I smell stuff

I've been thinking April 9, 2010 Comments: 4

Yesterday evening I realized something. I smell more stuff and I smell hints of things other people don’t.
I guess when you start consciously smelling or trying to detect certain notes in scents (or anything else for that matter), you actually exercise your sense of smell to a better degree than other people.
I used to think that my entrance into the perfume world would just enable me to differentiate more and better different things I smell, but it actually got me ahead of most people I know in that I can smell things they don’t. My reasoning why they don’t consists of 2 things:
1) They are probably not consciously aware of the smells around them
2) As they do not try and smell things, their noses just aren’t used to picking out smells.

What usually happens is this (this is a situation from 2 days ago) – I’m walking with my boyfriend by our neighbors house and I say, “Oh, the neighbor spritzed the front steps with that cat spray again – yuck!” And my boyfriend says, “I can’t smell anything.” 🙂 OK, so he is most evidently one of those who can’t smell a thing, but it happens with other people as well. Btw, that spray so the cats wouldn’t pee on the steps is just horrible. It keeps me away as well.

One last thought for the end. This is something I am aware of for quite a while now. Smelling good food (either while walking through the city or at home) and inhaling it deeply works almost as good on my hunger as actually eating it. You inhale the smell deeply and your hunger is assuaged for a little while longer.
Does this happen to anyone else?

Bal d’Afrique – it’s your turn

World of Perfume April 7, 2010 Comments: 7

After wearing it for some time now (in really small and carefully applied quantities), I think it’s time to tell you what I think of it. The Bal’s turn has finally come.

Notes:

Top: Bergamot, Lemon, Neroli, African marigold, Bucchu

Mid: Violet, Jasmin petals, Cyclamen

Base: Black Amber, Musk, Vetiver, Moroccan cedarwood

OK, the notes are here but I don’t know where to start. First, I want to warn you to try it sparsely for the first time because this is one serious sillage monster. The other day I put 2 small sprays on and put another sample on my wrist but that was no use, I couldn’t smell what was on my wrist. I think this is the most heavy sillage perfume I own. I’m not much into sillage usually but I can live with this one.

I have quite a lot of notes on it, but the thing is, it still sort of escapes words. It has many faces, and I think I will keep discovering them.

Yesterday for example, the opening reminded me of cotton candy, in a good way.

Anyway, it starts so strong I have problems distinguishing what I smell (ok, I have problems until the end but I’ll get there). 🙂

It starts citrusy fresh but not in any cologne manner, I think the flowers subdue that citrusness and it’s just this strong, slightly sharp, floraly-sweet, happy and spring-like scent. And this is not even close to describing how it smells.

By now I’m used to that sharpness , it used to scare me because I associate that with musks that get stuck in my nose and won’t go away, but it never happens here. I do believe it is the musk-neroli combo that gives it this sharpishness but it’s really well done.

As it progresses, I keep getting upset because it smells complete, I cannot make a not stand out. I realized that there was a juicyness hidden inside it and kept looking at notes trying to find a fruit. This is where google comes in handy – bucchu is some kind of a plant that smells of blackcurrants. Yes! Something finally appeared out of this ball.

It really is a strange concoction, it’s fresh but not airy or light, it is sweet but not girly, it is serious but it is flirty as well.

In the end, I smell the amber and musk but cannot access cedar. I know other people smell it but I just can’t. I think it cannot get through the amber and musk on me.

Pic and notes by: http://www.byredo.com/

Laurell K. Hamilton: The Killing Dance

World of Perfume April 6, 2010 Comments: 2

This is the book where I can say Finally!!!

After being celibate for so long, Anita finally has sex with someone in this book (those who have read know but if there is someone who hasn’t I don’t want to spoil it).

And I did say just now finally but at some point during my first time through the series, I kept thinking it started turning into porn and not being supernatural crime-thriller stuff.

There was no sex before because if she slept with Richard, and Jean Claude having the same opportunities to woo her, that would put her in a somewhat sticky situation and Richard wanted her to see him shift before they sleep together.

Well, she sees him shift. And she also sees him go against his boy scout mentality and kill the pack leader (sorry for this spoiler) which goes completely against what he stands for.

There is also a new vampire in town (just visiting) who needs Anita’s help. Especially so after it seems that the three of them formed a triumvirate of power. Ok, not seems, they actually do form it and it’s going to land them in so much trouble later. 🙂

Of course, what else would one expect in Anita’s life but more trouble whatever choice she makes.
There is so much more happening in the book that can never all appear here, and while writing this I realized that all Anita Blake books are filled with a lot of stuff happening. Never a minute to take a breath.

Laurell K. Hamilton: Bloody Bones

World of Perfume April 6, 2010 Leave a comment

Like I said in my previous post, this book has some months passing somewhere in the fantasy world.

Here is where we get to meet fairies for the first time in Laurell’s world (later she started writing another series that deals with fairy world, Merry Gentry series).

I don’t want to give away much details because first, if I start, I will just keep adding another and another, and I don’t want to tell you much about the book, it should be read.

But I’ll give a few teasers. 🙂

Jean-Claude and Anita come up against some new types of monsters (some of which are vampires but are just eeww and plain evil. And this time, the bad guys are actually stronger than they are (meaning Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the city of St. Louis and Anita with her faith and guns – you can’t use a cross unless you are a believer).

So, the plot gets complicated again, I actually forgot how much until I read the book again, and in this one Anita actually gets offered something by a vampire she cannot refuse. And that’s as far as I’ll go. 🙂

Laurell K. Hamilton: The Lunatic Cafe

World of Perfume April 6, 2010 Leave a comment

I was lazy the last few days so I’m 3 books behind with reviews of Anita Blake. 🙂 Now is the time to fix that.

As you might be aware, Anita is by now dating the Master of the City and Richard, a werewolf alpha (not yet pack leader though). In this book, she is helping the police with some nasty murders while at the same time being asked by the leader of the pack Marcus to help find 8 missing shifters. And not tell the police which she is helping with some shifter murders that some of the shifters are missing. Complicated?
At the same time, she gets in some pissing contest with the sheriff department (they are all agressive idiots, but some are cunning). Anyway, the standard troubles follow her, as well as slowly getting a new enemy, Raina (Marcus’s lupa, werewolf partner – she is just evil).
With some help and threats from Edward (they are always considering what would happen if they really had to fight against each other).
And I just realized I shouldn’t do this to mayself in the future, I got confused now about which is the book that has that problem in the time passing by too fast (it’s the end of this, and the beginning of next).
What else I can say – the usual Anita stuff, dark, bloody, and very interesting (honestly sometimes she is just too funny). 🙂