Bookends About The Perfume Collector

Title: The Perfume Collector
Author: Kathleen Tessaro
Source: from publisher for review
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review Summary: Although the ending didn’t tie things up quite as neatly as I would have liked, this was still an amazingly enjoyable read. Very well written with characters who were so real I couldn’t stop reading until I found out what happened to them.

Grace Monroe is an incredibly intelligent young woman, struggling with both her marriage and her expected role as a society wife in 1950′s London.  When she mysteriously inherits a fortune from a French woman she’s never met, it seems like the perfect time to escape to Paris. Once there, she begins unraveling the dark and romantic secrets of her benefactor’s past and of her own.

The Perfect Scent

Title: The Perfect Scent: A Year Behind the Scenes of the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York
Author: Chandler Burr
Source: library
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Fun Fact: Synthetic ingredients are less likely to cause an allergic reaction than their natural counterparts.
Review Summary: The subject made this a fascinating read, but the author’s snobbery and excessive listing of chemicals kept it from being awesome.

As the New York Times perfume critic, Chandler Burr was able to spend a year behind the scenes watching two perfume firsts unfold. First, Sarah Jessica Parker wanted to be involved in creating her own perfume, far more than most celebrities or brands that get their names put on a perfume. Second, the famous perfumer  Jean Claude Ellena was about to make his first perfume as the head perfumer at Hermès. Both had many reasons for wanting to get their perfume just right and this book is one of the first looks at how perfumers go about designing the perfect scent.

Soundbites: Dead or Alive

Title: Dead or Alive
Author: Tom Clancy
Narrator: Lou Diamond Phillips
Rating (Story): ★☆☆☆☆
Rating (Narration):★★★☆☆

I picked Dead or Alive as my first audiobook because I figured it wouldn’t take much attention to listen too. That expectation was based on my opinion that all Tom Clancy books are basically the same and I was mostly right. However, I either haven’t read the earlier books that included torture or they weren’t as horrifying in print. Either way, the last few chapters of this book were actually stressful to listen to they were so violent. The rest of the book was just another Tom Clancy story, with a lot of action, a few political statements, and no character development. Usually I could enjoy this as mindless fun, but the torture scenes made that impossible.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts

Title: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
Author: Susan Cain
Source: library
Rating: ★★★★★
Fun Fact: Individual animals may also be categorized as introverts or extroverts.
Review Summary: This was fun, easy to read, enjoyable and educational. Also somewhat inspiring for us introverts

The stereotypical introvert is not viewed as someone who could be a great leader, lawyer, or salesperson. Susan Cain challenges that view with both fascinating research and enjoyable anecdotes. This research strongly suggests that society could benefit from the complementary strengths of extroverts and introverts. However, much of American society is designed to favor extroverts. Cain discusses why that is; why we should try to change it; and how we can begin doing so.

Passing It On… A Liebster Award Post

The Liebster award is an award passed on by bloggers to new blogs (less than 200 followers) worth reading. The idea is to show some support to new bloggers by featuring some that you like. I love the idea of supporting other new bloggers, but sadly don’t follow many new blogs. Fortunately, there are lots of good, new blogs out there, so I found some I wanted to follow and am sharing them with you here So, while this is a long-ish post, I promise it will be well worth your time to find out about these awesome new bloggers!

Getting To Know You… A Liebster Award Post

Woot! Doing Dewey has just received it’s first award! The Liebster award from Dani at Book Paper Cut. Thanks Dani! The Liebster award is an award passed on by bloggers to new blogs (less than 200 followers) worth reading.

Recipients of the Liebster Award must:

1. List 11 Random Facts about you
2. Answer the questions that were asked of you (By the blogger that nominated you)
3. Nominate 11 other blogs for the Liebster Blog Award and Link to their Blogs
4. Notify the bloggers of their award.
5. Ask the award winners 11 questions to answer once they accept the award

11 Random Facts…