Top Ten Tuesday

TTT – What Does This Book Smell Like To You?

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Top Ten Tuesday used to be a weekly post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. “It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” This is definitely something I can understand and want to participate in.

Hello and welcome to my TTT post for this week! I wasn’t originally planning to do a post today, since I expected the upcoming week to be even more hectic as usual, and I don’t participate unless I know that I have the time to devote to returning comments and blog hopping. The Jewish holiday starts next week, and there is a lot of cooking and cleaning, along with general preparations. We typically have at least eight, and this year, my sister is flying up from North Carolina to see us. Luckily, between Sunday and Monday, I cooked chicken soup, gefilte fish (Mom did that one, I’m not a fan), meatballs, and a huge pot roast. This way we just have to heat up the food and it doesn’t take up too much of our time or physical abilities.

[Candle burning, with a label that says: GOOD VIBES Smells like too many music festival selfies in too little clothing]

Today’s topic is a really fun one, and I was really excited to do this one and see what everyone else comes up with. The prompt is literary/bookish candles I’d make, submitted by Heather @ The Frozen Library. As someone who has dabbled in creating sugar scrubs and beard oils, I have a basic understanding of creating layered scents and evoking ideas with a blend. I also have a guru for helping me understand complementary scents. In grad school, I learned that scent is the sense that is most strongly and vividly linked to memory, partly because it has a direct pathway from the nose to the brain, and partly because we have a tendency to link emotions with scents and memories. 

Between the two of us, we came up with scents first and then paired it to a book most of the time, but there were a few where we came up with the scents specifically for a certain book. Can you guess which ones were book first and which were scent first?

  1. Cedar, sandalwood, and jasmine: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. The Night Court requires a mix of masculine scents with a splash of a feminine, floral scent, and this combo fits the bill.
  2. Cinnamon, clove, orange: The Ex Hex by Rachel Hawkins. You can’t possibly tell me that this combination of scents doesn’t give straight up autumn romance vibes. No one is going to be surprised to find out that I made sure it was a witchy autumn romance.
  3. Bourbon and burnt sugar with a hint of apple: In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker. Set in Kentucky, in a small town famous for bourbon, this book also features a family of women who have green thumbs, to say the least. I think the touch of apple lightens up the heavier scents in the blend.
  4. Cocoa and black cherry: Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot. This sweet Hanukkah romance makes me think of spending time with family, trading gelt (foil wrapped chocolate “coins”), and eating sufganiyot, a type of donut traditionally filled with jelly. The deeper tones of cocoa and black cherry reflects the romantic nature of the story.
  5. Spiced vanilla: Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater. The cutest and sweetest cozy historical fantasy romance I could think of deserves a sweet yet rich scented candle. The spiced scent ensures that you know this isn’t just a sweet book with no content—the characters each have a bit of a quirk and complexity to them.
  6. Lemon verbena with subtle notes of woodsmoke and a touch of cinnamon: The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter. Take a book that is all about military training, add some fierce dragons, a ton of rage, and a dash of simmering embers, and you’ve got this scent—a little sharp and a little bright with the depth of woodsmoke and a bit of spice. 
  7. Pine, cedar, and eucalyptus: The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore. This scent evokes old evergreen forests, deep snow, and that little nip you get when you take a deep breath of crisp winter air. And it’s the perfect match for this story about Baba Yaga and the Tsar.
  8. Sage and citrus: Inheritance by Nora Roberts. A clean, fresh, manly smell immediately makes me think of Trey and Owen, the dependable and level-headed yet protective men who help Sonya and Cleo at Lost Bride Manor.
  9. Sandalwood, lavender, and vanilla: Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur. Such a beautiful scent combination makes me think of spicy sapphic romance, which makes me think of this book. I could easily imagine the perfumes of the main characters matching these notes.
  10. Leather, teak, and tobacco: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. This scent just makes me think of Yale and its libraries, and the plush houses of the secret societies. It feels distinguished and old-money to me, just like I’d expect of one of the oldest American universities.

What do you think? Do the scents and books match? 

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38 replies »

    • Thank you! I can’t take full credit – my bestie helped a ton. The sage and citrus scent was inspired by my favorite Yankee Candle, which they stopped selling. I was so upset, but luckily they started selling it again and I may or may not have bought way too much. Can’t wait to check out your list!

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    • Thank you so much, Pam! There are just a few loose ends to get handled before holiday starts, but it was surprisingly stress free this year.

      I can understand where you’re coming from – smelling that sweet smell of pipe smoke or a wood-burning fireplace always takes me back to visiting my grandparents in the Poconos as a little girl. Ahh, simpler times.

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  7. That’s a fantastic and creative list! I love how you’ve used your background in layered scents to come up with such specific and evocative combinations for each book. The idea of a “Love You a Latke” candle with cocoa and black cherry sounds absolutely divine!

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    • Thank you so much, friend! There’s an emphasis on eating sweet foods, to symbolize a sweet new year, so there are some amazing foods to eat. I’ll have to ask Mom if I can share it first – it’s a prized secret recipe. But it includes dill, which makes all the difference. Message me your email and I’ll send it over as soon as Mom okays it!

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  10. Wow, these scents all sound very layered and sophisticated! I especially love #7. That would be such a fresh, clean scent. I would definitely buy that candle.

    Enjoy your holidays! Do you say Happy Rosh Hashanah? Happy New Year? I’m not sure what the proper greeting is, but I’m sending it to you and your family 🙂

    Happy TTT!

    Susan

    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

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    • Thank you so much! Now that I’ve secured a customer base, all I have to do is learn how to actually make the candles 😂

      The traditional greeting is Shana Tova or Shana L’Tova. It expresses wishes for a sweet new year. But if you aren’t comfortable, you can just say Happy Rosh Hashanah – it’s a happy and hopeful holiday. And I appreciate the holiday wish. It’s really the thought that counts. Just don’t wish someone a Happy Yom Kippur. (Traditional holiday wish for that one is ‘may you have an easy and meaningful fast.’)

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    • Thank you! If only I could really make candles like this.

      We got all the tough stuff done, and I’m going to do a few more last minute things on Sunday so that Monday is just for making veggies and the salad, and heating everything up. I’ll be sure to include pics with next week’s post.

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      • That would be amazing.

        That’s good. Very organised! When Christmas happens it’s all a bit manic. It’s confusing really because for my partner’s family Christmas we each bring separate parts of the meal. I don’t understand why it takes so long to then get out to us. Hours it takes and I have the kids to keep entertained when I am bored myself 🤣

        I look forward to seeing them!

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      • That does sound a bit manic! We’ve always hosted all the holidays at our house, but now that Mom is slowing down, my brother and his wife host Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we get a break and they put on a wonderful holiday meal.

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      • It is so busy. Our Christmas starts Christmas eve and goes on until we have seen all the family – both sides.

        That’s sounds like a nice break for you. The festivities are a lot – and I only travel to them 🤣

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      • It is. And I’m the passenger 😂 luckily we live literally next door to my partner’s aunt and uncle so that’s a short trip 😂 my family live a 15 min drive away so it’s still not horrendous (unless we hit traffic then it could be 20 mins 😂)

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      • No, it’s an ok distance. Needs to be all the people we have to get through 😂

        My sister lives 2ish hours away. We have done it in under that before as the traffic was kind to us. On the way home though on one occasion a boat fell off the top of a car and caused carnage on the motorway 😂 hours it took to get back that day!

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      • That is definitely a perk! We have so many people to get through and also it’s a space issue. My mum keeps on about hiring a hall but the logistics of transporting food is a bit much 🤣

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