R.E. Feist: Rage of a Demon King

World of Books February 5, 2010 Leave a comment

I already talked about Feist in my WoW posts but since this year I’m participating in very interesting book challenges, time has come to focus more on books and less on authors. Not that I’ll stop writing about them either but obviously in much lesser extent since those are mostly authors I read regularly so the new writers of the week are going to be more spaced.

But let me say a few words about the book.

It’s been on my list for a while, it’s number 3 in the Serpent War saga (there is one more left and waiting for me). The problem I have with fantasy books is that they are long. I don’t mind that at all but I have to take into account the amount of free time I have for reading and therefore if I start on a book I cannot let out of my hands and the time is limited, I tend to get upset. So all fantasy usually waits for better days (like when I’m home sick and can read all day long). 🙂

All Feist books were lent to me by my colleague (we all share books at work) and I went back to work really upset with him because he didn’t warn me about some of the bad things happening in book 3. 🙂 Ok, I wasn’t really upset but since we talked about the previous books and had some favorite characters, I was shocked he didn’t warn me because the one I’m talking about and trying not to spoil this too much was his favorite. So, I was a bit shocked but fortunately for me, it doesn’t detract from the book. Quite the opposite. Feist fantasy world is too real in some cases – people die, get killed and war is as messy as it gets.

And I have a confession to make. I started the book some time ago but I got seriously upset by one of the character’s stupidity and I’m sorry to say I doubted Mr. Feist and thought it was going to progress down the wrong way so I didn’t want to read anymore. 🙂 I was wrong. There is no part of this book that feels wrong to me and the characters are true to their character. 🙂

This book finally deals mostly with the problem of the serpent war but there are still some threads that need to be finished in book 4. I have high hopes for that and I know I won’t be disappointed. It feels great when you know you can start reading a book and enjoy it from the beginning because you just know that the writer you are reading is not going to disappoint you (one more time, sorry Mr. Feist for doubting you). 🙂

Building a Serge Lutens collection: Santal Blanc

World of Perfume February 4, 2010 Comments: 12

More than any other line, Serge Lutens scents are slowly winning over any other line. Well, they actually already won and I’m not even close to owning bottles of all of those I love. That is one of the reasons I am very attached to my credit cards. 🙂

I swapped some time ago for a small decant of Santal Blanc and I totally fell in love with at first smell but didn’t give much thought to actually thinking about what is it that I love so much (probably due to the fact I couldn’t at first recognize any note out of it).

So, the other day after feeling so low I decided to visit Martimex (used to be my favourite perfume/skincare store – maybe will be again) and see if they have Douce Amere before the bottles disappear forever. They didn’t but I saw Santal Blamc and while discussing some other things with the very helpful SA and buying some of them, I decided I will be going home with SB. 🙂 And since I did, it was time to give it a proper sniff and review.

Notes: white sandalwood, cinammon, fenugreek, pink pepper, rose, jasmine, orris root, musk, benzoin, copaiba balsam.

I’m still struggling a bit with it because to me it is complex and not easily broken down into notes. It starts with this warm sandal feel but it has much more depth than those words imply. The slightly warm feeling reminded me of cumin but it’s not exactly that – cumin has a “distinctive” warm smell while this just smells slightly spicy and warm (my guess fenugreek and musk?). Anway, smelling it without notes, I would never have thought of cinammon and then afterward I thought I smelled it through this white sandal spicy warmth but cannot say that for sure. I started to think of it as warm and cuddly but although it comes close to being that, it doesn’t actually get into that category. There is a spicy/woody edge that just doesn’t let it get there and I appreciate it. It exactly fits with me when I want to smell warm and approachable but strong.

I find it rich and deep, I guess all those bottom notes give it that quality. Honestly though, I don’t know where the jasmine and rose are – probably blended so well into the structure that my untrained nose just can’t get them. It took me a while (although it shouldn’t have) to figure out that the slightly boozy-vanilla hint was coming from benzoin (I know that usually!).

It really isn’t an easy perfume for me to get to the bottom of – I got the feeling like it has this quality of its ingredient notes being wet. Not an aquatic note but more like some of the ingredients were wet when getting into the formula. And it gives it even more depth and body. This wetness dissipates later and I’m left with a drydown of benzoin and sandalwood hinting at some saltiness coming from orris (that would be my conclusion).

And since I mentioned my collection, it already has: Cedre, Serge Noir, Chergui and now Santal Blanc (I also have Feminite du Bois but that is a special category). Those that I know I will buy (eventually) are: Douce Amere, Fille en Aiguilles and Fleurs d’Oranger. But since I haven’t smelled all of them, you never know what else might come along.

No inspiration

Uncategorized February 2, 2010 Comments: 6

I have no inspiration for anything. I hate feeling like this but nevertheless, the feeling hits me couple of times a year. I hate it but since the overriding quality of the feeling is lethargy, I don’t really get even terribly upset. I just have no will to do anything (and that includes reading – that is the most serious symptom of all).
Anyway, it usually helps to talk about it so I decided to share my unwillingness to do anything with anyone who wants to read it. I don’t think many will be interested in reading about my lethargy though.
I got some wonderful samples from Jessica over at Signature scent but they are resting on my table waiting for better days. I was kind of hoping today would be that day after reading my horoscope which said yesterday was the worst day for me (true so far) but I don’t get the feeling that today is much better. And this being my birthday month and my horoscope predicts such lovely things to come, I can’t but wonder when exactly are they going to start happening?
The only thing today that I believe is going to help me get back on my usual optimistic track is the NIke rockstar workout starting this evening at my gym. I was so sick lately that my regular exercising routine went from regular to non-existent so my guess is some of that will not only whip me back into some kind of shape but also do wonders for my mood (it really helps – dance workout with great music is probably the best way to make one feel happy).
So with that thought, I’m going to end today and hope for the best. You will know soon enough if it helped…

P.S. I also might do some shopping after work (that is a known recipe for lifting the spirit). 🙂

Charlaine Harris: Grave Sight

World of Books February 1, 2010 Comments: 2

Well, it seems I will be doing more book reviews than just writer features since I’m participating in several reading challenges and I need to post reviews of books for them.

So, to start with my first suspense and thriller review, one of Charlaine Hariss’ books. Honestly, I didn’t know CH had another series besides Sookie Stackhouse. I accidentally stumbled upon them the other day in my favourite bookstore. I ended up going home with one, Grave Sight – love the name. 🙂

Anyway, Harper Connolly has a special gift, she can find dead people. And she goes around when people call her to find their missing/killed loved ones. Of course, since she can do that she is exposed to quite a lot of prejudice and you can find that in the book. I don’t want to talk much about what happens but it’s interesting how much CH has to say about injustice in our world (or the American South world).

I also understand that vampires are much more interesting reading these days so that might be the reason why this series progressed to 3 books, while Sookie is aroung book 12 or 13, I’m not sure. Not that I mind. I can hardly wait for the next one. 🙂

But I alse look forward to reading the following book in Harper’s series. I wonder if that one will be as interestingly provocative and that I won’t be able to find the killer before the end (or get the idea what is happening). 🙂

What kind of a reader am I?

Reading challenge January 27, 2010 Comments: 10

It seems I won’t be doing much smelling this week. I have a cold (again) and it’s been progressing so today I’m home (no work for me). I thought I might walk through this one like I did with last 3 this season, but I’m really feeling awful and I can’t use my nose for nothing (that includes breathing as well).
So, while I can’t sniff anything, I was reading today and I finished 2 books. And that I added them on the list of 100+ challenge, I realized that I don’t know what genre can I put Sherrilyn Kenyon book into. I’ve finished the second League novel, Born of Fire and I’m wondering if I can put it onto the speculative fiction challenge since it has some science fiction and an action love story, so I guess it could belong there. But as I was wondering if that is where I can put it, I thought to myself what kind of a reader am I that I can’t even say into which genre the book I just read belongs to?!
Is it just me or do the genres overlap more and more and get ever wider and wider? I mean, this paranormal, urban, romance something did not exist 20 years ago or did it? It feels like I can no longer say with any real feeling that I know what I’m talking about what exactly am I reading. It just makes me feel stupid. All other blogs I read don’t seem to have that problem and I struggle with the feeling that I might be missing something and not talking intelligently about it because I’m not even sure what that actually is. 🙂 Did I just lose everyone with my train of thought? 🙂
So, I thought maybe putting it into words might help me, and in the end I decided to put it into speculative fiction and if I’m wrong somebody will probably point it out to me (people tend to point to mistakes one makes so I’m counting on mine not going unnoticed).
While I already mentioned Born of Fire, just a quick rundown of the book. I actually liked this one better than the first (not that anything was wrong with that one). The female character is someone I can relate to more easily than the one from the first book. The principle is the same, wronged hero, a heroine on the side of good who doesn’t initially recognize his goodness, bad stuff happening, love winning in the end. What better way to de-stress after a bad day? 🙂
And btw, what’s with book 6 in the series?! Speaking generally. I finished book 6 of the House of Night and almost hurled it across the room. All other books ended with a some kind of closure. Not book 6. Book 6 ended with an unbelievable cliffhanger. Reminded me straight away of Harry Potter book 6. Anyone read that when it came out and you had to wait 2 years (or sth like that) for the last one? I hate it when writers do that. Thank god, it’s only a few month until book 7 is out.
Now I’ve come up with a new rule. I’m not reading series with books that have number 6 out and 7 not. I’m waiting for book 7 and then reading.
Ok, that’s it from me for today. I hope I’m better soon.

Quick sniffs this week

Uncategorized January 22, 2010 Comments: 6

I didn’t have much time for a proper review so I decided to just write down my thoughts on some of the things I smelled this week.

Generous Carol from WAFT by Carol sent some great things to try and among them, I found a decant of never before heard of line Damien Bash – and Lucifer. The one I got was Sin and well,

it deserves more than a brief mention because I like it, even though it’s a sweet smell. The sinful idea I got from it is that it will probably make your male half want to stay close and smell you – it does have an addictive quality to what it smells like.

Notes: black pepper, black currant, cedarwood, fig, orange, Persian amber, bourbon vanilla.

You get hit by bourbon sweetness straight away and but before you even start considering it might be too much, it evens out into a sweet, slightly spicy thing. I barely caught whiffs of black currant so I’ll be trying this some more soon.

I recently received a package from Divina over at Fragrance bouquet and her package had some nice suprises in it (I’ll write more on those when I give them proper smelling time) but one I had to try straight off, was Patchouli Noir by Il Profumo. I usually don’t give much thought to sillage and longevity but this one has both in large amounts. 🙂 Not that I mind. I thought I might but no, I enjoyed it quite much. Don’t know about the rest of people around me, I sprayed it on and then realized that it is going to be noticeable by people not standing right beside me. As I read the notes later, I realized I wasn’t giving it enough time because the mint went right past my notice.

Notes: mint, cedarwood, patchouli, poppy, vanilla.

It is definitely dark and not easy wearing but I really like it. I plan on giving it a full review soon.

I found on my table among hordes of other perfume samples, Michael Kors edp. Initially I thought I might like it, it started with a flower burst and I actually recognized tuberose and freesia (yey for me) and then it started emitting this harsh note that burns my nose and throat which I’m starting to recognize as a type of musk (at least that’s what I think).

Notes: freesia, incense, tuberose, blue orris, peony, lilies, cashmere woods, musk, vetiver.

I had high hopes for it at the start, but then it just went downhill. I think it would make a great floral for someone on whose skin musk behaves.

One more for today and that’s it.

Ambre de Cabochard by Gres. Oh, this one has some potential. 🙂 As I always try to write what I smell before actually reading the notes, I thought I was smelling flowers that were slightly honeyed but not in that “strange” honey way but more like having the atmosphere of honey. You know, the amber from the name should have clued me in. 😉 You can actually smell it – the ambery embrace of the notes of the scent.

Notes: cardamom, cinamon, tangerine, blueberries, ginger, lily of the valley, cyclamen, tuberose, patchouli, amber, tonka bean, musk.

I smelled more flowers than fruits but since I didn’t have time to smell it properly after a while, all I remember now is a really nice drydown. But although I mentioned flowers and amber, I wouldn’t really say this is exclusively feminine.

These are my quick sniffs of the week, I do plan on giving more time and blog space to them soon. 🙂

Picture by: Richard Stanley © 2005

L’Artisan Parfumeur: Vanilia

Uncategorized January 20, 2010 Comments: 6

I think the time has come to give this a proper review. After all, I do have a bottle now and I’ve been wearing it for some time. And it never ceases to amaze me.
I tend to skip it when I’m deciding what to wear in the morning, it’s just that I always think of it as a warm, comforting scent that kind of makes you blend in. Like wearing something that makes you look like just one more face in the crowd.
Today I concluded that I’m both right and wrong. It does smell warm and comfortable but I don’t see (smell) many people around me who actually smell this addictive. 🙂 And that is what it smells like to me – addictive.
When I first spray it on, I get a large dose of wet and lush tropical-smelling vanilla. And I realized that I would definitely term this as a gourmand smell but without any foody connotations. It never reminds me of anything edible. Anyway, I was thinking how there must be a lush smelling (probably tropical) plant in this together with vanilla and while enjoying the ride, I started getting hints of warm spices. As I was considering the fact that I seem to smell clove everywhere these days and that I shouldn’t jump to clove as soon as I smell spice, I went in search for notes.
I don’t know how many of you were looking for Vanilia notes, but they tend to differ. 🙂
So first I got: ylang-ylang, vanilla bean, amber and sandalwood. Aha! There WAS some tropical lushness in this.
So I looked some more thinking how come there is no spice listed and I found another list: ylang-ylang, vanilla and vanilla flower, nutmeg, clove and sandalwood. No amber in this. And then one more list without ylang-ylang in it and listing only spices.
I’m not sure about the amber but everything else seems to be there. Of course, I don’t really know what vanilla flower smells like but my guess is really harmoniously with ylang-ylang. After I read nutmeg, I got that as well.
I was reading some of my older notes on Vanilia and saw that I wrote about a salty undertone. I would have missed it this time, I was preoccupied with lush-tropical vanilla but it’s there. It is the exact thing to make this adhere to non-foody road of development. Where does it come from – I’m not sure but my guess is that ylang-ylang brings it out from vanilla.

Now, that I’ve re-read my post I’m not sure you got the idea of what it smells like. 🙂 I realize I sometime have a problem with expressing coherently my thoughts on things. 😉
Picture by: expat21.wordpress.com

WoW: P.C. and Kristin Cast, House of Night

Uncategorized January 17, 2010 Comments: 3

Ok, finally to say something about the House of Night series because I’m already at book 4 and I haven’t yet talked about the writers.

Since I’m already at book 4 after some 10 days of owning the books, it does seem pretty obvious I like them. 🙂 I’m always surprised with myself when I get hooked by a young adult series. Since I’m not one. 😉

Anyway, the hype is on for quite a while and I’m pretty late to thise series but that makes me happy since I got hooked on book 1 and there are 5 more to read after it. In my case, that’s only 2,5 more but still, it’s more than waiting for all of them to come out.

I’ve been wondering though, how can mother and daughter write together?! I mean, I never did get those collaborative novels. I do wish someone would explain that particular process to me. Isn’t the idea for a novel an individual’s idea? I know that a mother-daughter relationship can be extremely deep but it’s still a relationship between different people. I will be giving this more thought in the future. or, I might get lucky and stumble upon an interview with them where it’s explained. 🙂

To tell you a little about the books – it is a vampire series. 🙂 As you could have probably guessed from the series title and the whole vampire mania happening around the world. I have no idea why it happened now and not when Anne Rice’s series was coming out, but I guess the world takes time to recognize the trend. 😉 I got hooked on vampires with Anne Rice who any vampire-stuff reader worth his/her salt should never miss. And after that came Buffy and Anita Blake. And my future in the vampire world was set. I know I’ll be reading more vampire novels as they will probably keep coming out, but you know, there are so many now, and I honestly don’t think they are all good. I’ve read some that are just not worth following up on. And I’m not going to be naming them. 🙂 Find for yourself if you’re interested but as with everything else, tastes differ and you never know who might just get addicted to some of those.

This went the wrong way – I was supposed to tell you about the books. 🙂

Ok, vampired here are not your typical vampires (which is kind of a given, typical vampire myth is kind of exhausted by now). You get marked and no one knows how or why it happens that you become a vampire fledgling in your teens. Then you get to go to a vampire “school” – that being the House of Night. All vampires worship the goddess Nyx who is practically a night embodiment of a typical goddess myth. Only she’s no myth and our heroine is the vampire fledgling to help her get the vampire population back on the right track. This is as little as I can say without spoiling the series – it really is worth reading. You can always start as I did – I bought book no. 1 and started reading it that evening and then the next day I went back to Algoritam and bought all other books in the series. 🙂

Lagging behind

Uncategorized January 15, 2010 Comments: 6

I’m seriously lagging behind with writing about what I’m sniffing these days. So, I’m not going to review anything today but go through a list of things I tried and my thoughts on them.

A big thank you to Rita from The Left Coast Nose for a lovely package filled with new things to try and notes to learn (I didn’t manage a proper thank you email, but just so you know, the musks have opened my eyes). 🙂

Also in the package were 3 Tom Ford Private Blends. Finally! 🙂 They all smell full and rich and my favorite of the 3 is Bois Rouge which did smell like a masculine but I don’t have a problem with that and it got mellowed with some leather and vanilla.

I thought I might like Tuscan Leather the best of the 3, but never mind – it was ok too. It transported me to my teenage days when summer evenings at the seaside smelled similar. Have no idea why. I smelled the leather and smoke and fruit and thought of guys. 🙂

The only one of 3 I though is a masculine of such order that I would never be able to wear it is Oud Wood. Oh, but I definitely wouldn’t mind my boyfriend wearing it.

I finally got a sample of Fifi Chachnil and I would have sworn there was some almond in it but notes (listed underneath for all the scents I’m talking about) do not list it. I did like it, despite the almond idea I got, I liked the sweet rum-fruity opening and it somehow reminded me of both Chinatown and New Harleem by Bond no. 9 (which are my two Bond favorites) and that tells you I like it. 🙂

Party in Manhattan – I’ll be giving this more wrist time, it’s a learning experience like the musks. I seem not to have reached the level where Mitsouko-like fragrances do anything for me. I read the reviews for this and thought, Ok, I’m definitely missing something, it just reminds me of ladies of old (as in the past and not young). Like I said, I need to learn more.

Lorenzo Villoresi Donna and Alamut. Well, that was fun. 🙂 At the beginning, I thought I’ll be liking Alamut more (due to the opening notes and what they smelled like). Donna started soapy but not the way soap smells but the way soap tastes when it accidentally gets in your mouth. Then after some 30 minutes it turned into a seamless, slightly soapy floral that actually smelled fine.

Alamut started as a nice leathery-floral thing that turned into an aldehydic monster with musk jumping off my skin and attacking me.

I’ll finish today with Sushi Imperiale, by Bois 1920. It started with a blast, a spicy cologne (and for some reason I thought I smelled lavender?!) that turned into a happy, playful thing that is really a rare feeling I get when smelling something. And for the life of me, I just couldn’t find cinammon of all things in it. Very strange – but I’ll give it another go.

Bois Rouge: citrus, spice, cedarwood, patchouli, jasmine, muguet, sandalwood, vetiver, amber, leather, vanilla and tonka bean

Tuscan Leather: saffron, raspberry, thyme, olibanum, jasmine, leather, black suede, amberwood.

Oud Wood: rosewood, cardamom, Chinese pepper, oud, sandalwood, vetiver, tonka bean, vanilla and amber

Fifi Chachnil: citrus, fruits, coriander, powdery rose, amber, oriental notes, tabacco

Party in Manhattan: Bergamot, tangerine, clary sage, carnation, carrot, jasmine, May rose, ylang ylang, iris, vetiver, patchouli, oakmoss, gray amber

Donna: rose, coriander, clove, star anise, blackcurrant, carnation, rosewood, rose, jasmin, iris, ylang ylang, violet leaves, sandalwood, musk and narcissus.

Alamut: osmanthus, aldehydes, rose, jasmine, powder, rosewood, narcissus, tuberose, ylang ylang, labdanum, amber, sandalwood, musk, patchouli, and leather

Sushi Imperiale: citrus, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, Madagascan vanilla

Picture is mine: Les 2 Alpes, France

Anita Blake Reading Challenge 2010.

Reading challenge January 14, 2010 Leave a comment

This is the only one left. I already read the whole series but I was thinking of re-reading it because it’s been some time I read the beginning and would like to enjoy it in complete order. So, I joined this one as well. Hosted again by Book Chick City.

Here are the rules:

Timeline: 1st Jan 2010 – 31st Dec 2010
Rules: The goal is to read or re-read the entire Anita Blake series in 2010.

Details:
• At present there are 17 books in the series (if you include Micah), with a planned novella, flirt and the novel, Bullet, in 2010. If you don’t want to re-read the books you have already but would like to join in the challenge then start from where you left off. It’s that easy!

• If you decide to participate in this challenge please use the links Book Chick City has set up with the buttons to post on your sidebar, this way others can find their way back to the original post and join in the fun.

• If you decide to join this challenge be sure to create a post telling others, please make sure you add a link back to the original post so others can join in.

• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.

Here is where you can join: Anita Blake challenge.

I’ll be listing books underneath as I read them.

1. Guilty Pleasures

2. The Laughing corpse

3. Circus of the Damned

4. The Lunatic Cafe

5. Bloody Bones

6. The Killing Dance

7. Burnt Offerings

8. Blue Moon

9. Obsidian Butterfly

10. Narcissus in Chains

11. Cerulean Sins

12. Incubus Dreams

13. Micah

14. Danse Macabre

15. The Harlequin

16. Blood Noir

17. Skin Trade

18. Flirt

19. Bullet