So let’s dig in a little to the Tauer Pentachords, shall we? I’m not sure when they are releasing exactly, but I think this fall. How’s that for the definitive nondefinitive?
White – five notes are violet blossom, orris, bourbon vanilla, ambergris and warm woods. It has the distinctive Tauer accord, but probably not as strong as in his first perfumes. This is cashmerey feeling, soft, smooth, buttery. The orris is probably the most prominent to my nose, but the vanilla warms it up beautifully. This is an amazingly great fall/winter perfume. There’s a little bit of a Guerlain’ish La Matiere feel to this. Yeah, Iris Ganache’ish
Auburn – five notes are citrus blossom, cinnamon, tobacco, amber, sandalwood. Again the traditional Tauer accord to a lighter degree. I note that because I know some people just aren’t big fans of the base. Zeta seemed to be missing the most distinctive piece of the base. The Pentachords are not, but I don’t find it as strong. Helpful? Maybe not. Auburn is even warmer than White, not as smooth, it’s got some nice spicy cinnamon notes in it, perked up with the citrus blossom. It’s a nice contrast. The tobacco in this is listed as a fruity tobacco, and that’s about right. I get the tobacco, but it’s definitely more of the fruit-ish types. Not cherry or anything gaggy like that, just gently laced. If you are thinking of picking this one up as a smoky tobacco perfume, don’t. it’s got that, but it’s not about that. Again, great for fall/winter.
Verdant – five notes are leaves, leather, tobacco, earth, amber. Same level of Tauer accord. And then just super-earthy, tobacco, leather all rolled up in a big fat slightly decaying leaf – earthy heaven. That’s all.
Now I have to calculate if I have enough left after the other two samples I gave out to do more samples of this in a giveaway? I think I do! They’ll be small, and I may have to beg Anita to give me some of hers. But let’s do two sample sets of these to two commenters.
So what shall we talk about in comments today? Any good trashy summer reads? I’m meandering through the latest in the Game of Thrones series, slowly, figuring it will be 3-4 years before I see a new one. Also reading The Four Desires by Rod Stryker, which is really pretty great about being willing to sacrifice who you are now to become who you want to be – yeah, exactly, bringing meaningful to the superficial me. The resistance you encounter internally when you think about tossing parts of yourself that you’re not that crazy about – but comfortable with – to start doing/thinking a new direction is hair-raising. Hey, I like being lazy and unambitious! I think he’s going to be at Yoga Journal Conference in the mountains of Estes Park in September that I’m going to, so I’m pretty excited about doing some classes with him there. So what are you reading that’s good? Trashy, fast read recommendations are always appreciated!
I don’t do many trashy reads, but just finished James Lee Burke’s “The Glass Rainbow”, latest in his David Robicheaux novels; and am working on R. Scott Bakker’s “The White Luck Warrior”, second book of the Aspect Emperor trilogy (think Lord of the Rings, only perverse).
Not trashy, but have you read the Obernewtyn chronicles by Isobelle Carmody? Super good, technically YA I guess but I know you’re not put off by that. :)
I’ve been reading a lot of books lately that have to be returned ASAP, so I haven’t been enjoying them as much as I could. I don’t like to rush when I’m reading, apparently!
I just finished reading ‘Lover of Unreason: The Story of Assia Wevill’, not a quick read and a little trashiness, but not the good kind! A very well written biography, I was torn between wanting to reach through the pages and throttle her and feeling sorry for her. Anyway, I want it on this giveaway, White sounds perfect!
I just finished The Whole World Over by Julia Glass. Am now starting on Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
I finally read The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It was totally engrossing (one of the few books to keep me awake rather than put me to sleep), though very depressing. Basically every character dies or ends up incredibly unhappy. Oops, was that a spoiler? I’m weighing up whether to great the other books in the series but I’m not sure I could handle the ride again.
I’m very much looking forward to trying these new Tauers!
I am currently re-reading Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. I read it before I was into perfume and loved it, so wanted to read it again with my perfumista background! He uses a lot of technical terms, and they seem to be pretty accurate, talking about enfleurage and basenotes and synthetic vs natural and ambergris, and even predicted all the unisex “synthetic” feeling perfumes of the 90s (back in 84!). Warning – Tom Robbins is an acquired taste and many will find his humor a bit sophomoric or even offensive!
My reading selections lately have tended to serious-memoirs-about-parts-of-the-world-with-BIG-problems interspersed with what I call my “brain chocolate”: well-written F&SF. Nothing really quick and trashy, since “The Land of Invisible Women” and “Strength in What Remains” aren’t trashy, and Robin Hobbs’ Assassin’s Apprentice trilogy was looooong.
I suppose my last guilty pleasure was the Mercedes Thompsom series by Patricia Briggs – a fun twist on the vampires n’ werewolves urban fantasy subgenre. And I’d add a shoutout for the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness – best YA series I’ve read in a long time.
The white sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the chance.
Dying to try the pntachords, that tobacco vanilla is making me slaver. Great Great summer read was “the art of cruelty” by Maggie Nelson. Not at all trashy, and has several sections about performance art (yikes) but still manages to be a page turner.
Reading new novel by Leila Aboulela “Lyrics Alley”, just finished “The Cry of the Dove” by Fadia Faqir…guess I’m on streak of Middle Eastern Women authors. Please sign me up for the drawing. Thanks!
I’ve always loved magazines, so these days it’s Marie Claire, Elle, Vegetarian Times, Cooking Light, and so many more. And for some brain-sharpening pencil puzzles, Games Magazine!
Just finished rereading (for the fourth time) Daphne DuMaurier’s My Cousin Rachel. I love this book. It is a stay up all night page turner/spooky psychological thriller/beautifully written novel. It’s very sensual & it pleases me.
(& Would you sign me up for the drawing?)
A friend gave me a pile of books, and I’m just now reading “What the Dead Know” by Laura Lippman. It’s a murder/missing person mystery set in Baltimore and I am SO hooked! Author was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun paper. Very, very good book.
I’ve tried everything Tauer has created and like them all, but am still waiting for the one I actually can’t live without. Auburn sounds like it might be THE one.
The pentachords sound lovely – still looking for the Tauer scent I can not only admire but actually wear! Afraid to start reading the Game of Thrones series for fear I’llpick one up and never emerge into daylight again – the tv series on HBO has been addictive. Just starting to read “Mother Teresa: CEO” on my Kindle (love the device but often miss ‘real” books too) and it promises to be very interesting! BTW, it is striking how many of us perfumistas are avid readers as well. Wonder why?
Just finished “World War Z”, a meh zombie book written by the guy who wrote “The Zombie Survival Guide.” It was erratic, some good parts and some awful parts.
you thought it ‘meh’? I LOVED that book, though I agree it was uneven. But I was totally enthralled by the premise.
xo >-)
ps. The Zombie Survival Guide is my bible – y’know…for when the zombie uprising happens and all….:”>
I’m dying to try Verdant and White…they both sound delicious, please enter me in the drawing. I’m currently reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, not exactly a fast read neccessarily but it’s a very sweet story.
I would dearly love to try Auburn and White- thanks for the chance!
I too am starting The Omnivore’s Dilemma and have just finished Kate Morton ‘The Distant Hours’ which I really enjoyed. I’ll be seeking out her other titles as well!
Ive got a total escapist writer-Georgette Heyer mysteries. I think someone here mentioned her, and they are great, funny and you cant guess the end until almost the end. I also just watched first season of Big C with Laura Linney; very funny and good.
I am really looking forward to these Tauers, especially White and Verdant. Am enjoying a reread right now – Foucault’s Pendulum.
One of my favourites!
Definitely not trashy but I stayed up half of last night and read the Jaycee Dugard book from start to finish. It was a horrific experience for an extraordinary woman and definitely worth the read. I plan on something A LOT lighter for this evening…:-)
Please enter me in the draw….I love Andy and these sound beautiful! I’m ready for fall/winter frags.
Linda I read Jaycee Dugard’s memoir last month and found it to be incredibly moving. People are always questioning why she didn’t escape when she had the chance in the later years of her captivity but the book really shows how strong her survival instincts and self preservation really were. She journaled. She practiced self affirmation. She raised and educated to the best of her ability two children. She ran her captor’s business. Her story is amazing.
For a better class of trashy novel (better writing than most), I’d recommend James Patterson’s “Swimsuit”. It’s a page turner for certain, and the villain of the piece is one scary guy.
I’ve been reading a book about Dewey, the library cat, an other amazing cats & people. Not trashy; heartwarming.
I would absolutely love to sample these, particularly White. I can’t believe that Iris Ganache has been discontinued. :((
Looking forward to trying these, especially the Auburn, which is right in my wheelhouse from the sound of it. Still having a pretty torrid love affair with Zeta, which is all kinds of wonderful in the insane heat of Austin this summer.
Not a trashy read, but easy & fascinating & fun: The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake. About Karl Lagerfeld & YSL in Paris in the 70s & 80s. Fantastic book.
I’m in Austin too! Zeta is nice for summer heat. I’ve actually been wearing Orange Star which I find very delectable in heat too, maybe I”m just weird.
My neighbor just moved to FLA and apparently (who knew?)he used to work for a publisher. They could not fit everything in their pod thing, so they gave my daughter a couple of great things, one being a box of brand new never read paperbacks. There are actually some classics in there like “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Murier, and some John Grisham, most of which I have already read, but may revisit. I picked up one called “Return to Sullivan’s Island” by an author named Dorothea Benton Frank. It had a beach on the cover, and I am headed for the beach this weekend, so I thought it would be good. I started it already, and it’s one of those books about the South Carolina Low Country, with very witty dialogue and lots of funny family strife so far(Chapter 3).
I would love to try the Pentachords, probably Auburn would suit me best. Thanks for the draw.
Since I live in the middle of nowhere & have a very limited ‘fume collection, it is amazing that I have two of Andy Tauer’s full bottles. Haven’t even sampled anything of his lately – & would love to try the “White”.
Again, since I live in the middle of nowhere – and have only been reading out of the (small) library lately – my recent summer reading has been two biographies of Agatha Christie, a biography of Humphrey Bogart, and a collection of crime short-stories by American writers. Such is my life-
When I was first shanghaied to this netherworld, I was in deep despair…then….INTERLIBRARY LOAN appeared! Praaaaaise BEEE! [-o< ^:)^ without it, I would've prolly chopped everybody in this town to teeny-tiny li'l bits, several times over! and........believe it or not, because the librarians in the Big Town One Over like me so much...they will happily order books I want to read, even if the library doesn't have them. I love those gals. LOVE them. Hope you are similarly blessed - and soon! xo >-)
I just finished Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle last week and started on The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan yesterday. I can tell it won’t be quite as enjoyable as my last read, as there is not much narrative so far, just fact giving. But fascinating stuff, nonetheless. Before these, I was reading all of the Sookie Stackhouse books. :x
And really wanting to try the new Tauer scents! I still haven’t tried Zeta either.
Michael Pollan is one of my favorite writers – don’t miss The Botany of Desire. A truly wonderful book.
I’m a Barbara Kingsolver fan, too (loved “Animal Dreams”), so not sure how I missed that one. Will definitely have to get it.
Travelling at the moment, so enjoying Ellery Queen on the road for the variety of the stories. Since half my luggage was made up of books, of which many were hit&miss, am seriously looking into getting an ebook reader. The new Kindle coming out in December (?) is supposed to be the bee’s knees.
I dunno how it happened but I got into this whole Brad Thor/Vince Flynn post 9/11 genre – at first it was cool but quickly got a bit one-dimensional and formulaic. Stumbled into David Ignatius’s work, via an NPR interview; just finished Bloodmoney. Takes a minute to get going – but I think that’s the point of it – and is reasonably realistic (she says, never having been within 200 million miles of anything CIA /:) )
This evening I am going to break into Dan Wells’s I Am Not a Serial Killer.
xo >-)
I’ve read I Am Not a Serial Killer and quite enjoyed it. It’s different, that’s for sure.
oh, good! I grabbed it at the li-berry on a whim….then I wondered.
xo >-)
I just finished Patrick Gale’s Notes on an Exhibition which I really liked. I think it was nominated for prizes but it’s not “literary” in the sense that puts me off. It has a plot and it is well written. It’s really about family.
Let me get this out of the way first: I would love to try the Tauers. (Haven’t smelled any yet.)
Latest semi-trashy read was the latest Preston/Child Pendergast novel. Love that series. It leaves you hanging at the end, and I believe the next book is coming out this month. But my main reading this summer is Remembrance of Things Past. Am getting along s-l-o-w-l-y. It has been on my Books to Read Before You Die list for years, and I finally decided I was avoiding it because it might kill me. So now I’m into the second volume, and am still alive and kickin’. But what has happened? I mean really. A Dan Brown novel has more action in the first three pages than I’ve read in several hundred pages. But it is Genius.
I wish they’d noted that the latest Pendergast novel was part of a series (they said this could read as a stand-alone – they wuz wrong)…..without that knowledge it’s a bit of a weird read (I had to move on after 30 pages or so because without any background he (and his NYC detective friend) required too much suspension of disbelief for me. Reviews indicate that this odd man’s exploits are best read in order.
xo >-)
Big C. (my DH) is a HUGE Preston/Child fan, and complains that they don’t write them quickly enough! You’re right–you DO need to read them in order to understand the characterizations.
Another great series is Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series, set just outside Montreal in a small town called Three Pines. The first book is Still Life (and these need to be read in order as well). Think you would really enjoy these–several of the key characters are artists, and art is a key part of the first book. I would SO move to Three Pines if I had the chance! (Well, maybe not in the winter…)
One of Thomas Perry’s earliest books, Island, contains one of the funniest descriptions of a Caribbean man coming to Montreal in midsummer…..and then encountering Winter.
I will look up Louise Penny’s books. At first I thought I read Inspector GANACHE. I am hungry, can you tell? ;))
xo >-)
Last trashy read for me – The Hunger Games series!
I’m searching for a good read myself, so I like these ideas and I’ll check back later for more. I’m always intrigued by Tauer scents; I really like some and really hate some. Rarely in the middle.
I have never tried Andy Tauer perfumes (how many times have I said this? :( ) and I’m looking forward to it. The three Pentachords sound nice, but I think I would prefer Verdant and Auburn over White.
I haven’t started yet with the reading of “A Dance with Dragons”. I have just bought a house and I’m very busy with all the things to do, to buy, to repair…
My summer reading this month limits to decoration magazines. I have the last Ken Follet weighty tome waiting on the bedside table too.
I just finished “The Man in the Rockefeller Suit” by Mark Seal. This book is about the imposter who posed for years as Clark Rockefeller, among many other identities, and made international news when he kidnapped his daughter. It was a fascinating read. Amazing how so many smart people were so duped.
I don’t know about summer reads, but I got a Kindle a little while ago and I am suddenly finding the time to read way more, and more of EVERYTHING. And I mean everything. Finished Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Bright-Sided” a few days ago, then Kathy Griffin’s “Official Book Club Selection”, and now I’m starting Christopher Hitchens’ “God Is Not Great”, and then I’ve got a Ruth Rendell I’ve been meaning to tear into. Oh, how I love my Kindle. (This is not an ad.)
Scent-wise, it’s been unexpectedly cool for a couple of days and so I felt I could bear something with a little more body than the colognes we all (don’t we?) resort to on those sticky summer days, so I’m wearing YSL Nu EDP. I hope it isn’t too much.
when Patty first yarked on Kindle what? a year ago? Two? I thought she was mad (she was the first of my friends to get one – she’s always ahead of the curve)
But so many other readers have been singing its praises…
now….:-?
part of me sees it as blasphemy but I’m getting tired of lugging every stinkin’ book I want to read around with me…..
perhaps I should investigate…
xo >-)
Big fan of my Kindle. It is absolute bliss to carry around 96 different Dickens books on something that weighs only slightly more than my cell phone. Plus, you can get magazine subscriptions on them. No more giant unread stack of New Yorkers in the corner of my living room. Hooray!!
Dang.
See, I was wanting beehives for Christmas. Now….:-?
xo >-)
ps. in the midst of Dombey and Son – it’s been ages but my beloved Dr. Reta Madsen recommended it as good revenge-fantasy reading (I needed one of those) – it was the last recommendation she made before her untimely death. Lugging my old undergrad paperback around has been hell – it’s completely fallen apart – I imagine it would be easier on a Kindle….
xo
pyramus, if you are able, you might consider the audio book version of God is Not Great, which is read by the author. I’ve found Hitchens really enjoyable to listen to, perhaps even more than to read. So, you could read Ruth Rendell on your Kindle and then listen to Chris Hitchens on your Ipod (no ad here, either)…..providing even more opportunities of the literary kind.
Beat ya to it! I listened to the audiobook a couple of years ago, and I could have re-listened to it (Hitchens has a splendid speaking voice), but reading and listening, as you know, are two different skills, and I wanted to focus on the flow of the words rather than the voice. Plus, this way I can read and listen to Sibelius or the Social Network soundtrack or whatever at the same time.
Another tremendous audiobook in the same vein is The God Delusion, which Richard Dawkins himself reads along with his wife, Lalla Ward; there’s a thrilling section in which they take turns rattling off famous phrases from the Bible, crisp and British and rapid-fire in a way the printed version couldn’t possibly match.
Excellent suggestion; it’s on my Audible wish list.:d
No fast reading for me, just slow, prodding studying for my registration exam. /:) Can’t wait until I can, I’ve heard many great reviews on the Game of Thrones series!
Reading ‘How Pleasure Works’ by Paul Bloom. I’m dearly hoping to find out if I win one of the samples :)
I picked up “The Fingersmith” by Sarah Waters, thinking it would be a guilty pleasure read. After all, it’s set in Victorian London, where a young female thief is convinced by a con man to help him seduce a soon-to-be-weathy woman into marrying him. Our young thief becomes the other woman’s maid, of course, in order to scam her out of her fortune. There are several twists and turns and the book is actually well written and creepy at the same time. Kept me up at night. (just one more chapter!)
Not sure about trashy, but graphic novels and comics are also good quick reads! I like Guy Delisle’s travel series — his one about Pyongyang has been translated into English, I think, and it’s my favorite. Both funny and sad/uncomfortable (because, how could it not be?) Also, for novels, I recently read The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, and it was a quick, good read too.
I recently read David Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet–part adventure, part fantasy, part historical novel, lots of fun.
I’m really curious about the Pentachords, especially Auburn, and so glad to hear that the Tauer accord is toned down just a bit in these.
Actually, I’ve been raiding my local Books-a-Million’s $1.00 clearance rack, and so far have found lots of quick reads — nothing terribly memorable, but for a buck I can put up with lots of literary pretentiousness and some absolute ridiculousness. If I stumble across anything truly memorable I’ll post it here… I have, within the past month, reread practically everything David (and Leigh) Eddings ever published, and am reading some religious texts out of pure curiosity.
I haven’t read anything (other than horse training books) in forever – I’m too busy weeding! But I still want in on these Pentachords! :)
what horses are you training? I’m learning the further ins and outs of the draft horse hitch. Slow goin’…8-|
xo >-)
no trash for me- but fast reading:
I finished the last volume of the ” Earth’s Children” series and I’m reading too fast the last Peter Beagle “Sleight of Hand”
I waited several years for each of them.
please, enter me the draw
I just finished the latest Ann Patchett book, Sense of Wonder. It’s not trashy but it’s a fast read–you can’t put it down!
That Rod Stryker idea is interesting — but it made me think of the Buddist (to lazy to check the spelling) idea of being in the moment. The teaching is something like this: The only place you can love is in the present. Love in the past is a memory. Love in the future is a fantasy. The only place you can love is now. So…Rod’s idea is taking away the now for the possibility of reaching a goal later…interesting. Then again, you explain, letting go of parts of yourself (perhaps parts that Buddists would say are “unhelpful”) to make room for the development of ways of thinking that are “helpful” is a mature way of going about life. A little discomfort in the present for the possibility of peacefulness later. Thought provoking. I may pick up this book.
Kindly enter me in the draw!
Patty,
I just started A Feast for Crows and I swear I can’t put these suckers down. I hope you are enjoying them like I am.
When can we get Vitriol d’Oeillet by the way? I can’t wait to hear what you think.
: )
MY GOD I miss March.