Pageturners book discussion group were chuckling away last night at some of the amusing anecdotes from books they had read in the humour genre. Authors and titles included Kiran Desai for Guava Orchard,
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, Alphabet Sisters and Odd One Out by Monica McInerney, The Year at Thrush Green by Miss Read, The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian, Bimbo by Keith Waterhouse, Dear Fatty by Dawn French
That'd be Right by William McInnes and
other authors Bill Bryson, Clive James, Ben Elton, Spike Milligan, Kathy Lette.
A surprisingly funny read turned out to be Perfumes the Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez. Here is a small sample “Reviewing Poison is a bit like road testing an Abrams M1 tank in the evening rush hour. People just seem to get out of your way, and if they don't, you just swivel that turret to remind them that your not kidding.”
Deborah said reading the book may send you scurrying off to your local retailer's perfume department to match the real thing against the insightful, witty and provocative reviews. These two experts combine to rank almost 1500 fragrances from five stars “a masterpiece” to one star “awful”. It also included introductions to women's and men's fragrances, essays on trends, history and chemistry and a glossary of materials and terms. The series of Top Ten lists is particularly useful identifying feminine, masculine, floral, quiet and loud fragrances. These last are the fragrances that are room clearers but even they are not proscribed although you are advised not to wear them to dinner. In fact the general thrust of this elegantly designed and produced book is to encourage you to educate your nose and to avoid being timid and rule-bound. You are urged to “try it on. It's only perfume.”
PS. It made me change my perfume.