emzebel

Wow. So this was one my my less stellar years in terms of reading. Ironically, I think that getting a Kindle actually worked against me, as it made it so much easier to be a magpie, play little word games, etc. So time I might otherwise have spent reading got sucked into playing strange logic puzzles. I also think I might have lost a couple of quick reads between October and November. The Kindle did make it easier to make progress on some of my long-term reading projects, like Ulysses. While I'm still a long way from done, having it with me wherever I have the Kindle means I plugged away more than I would have if the book just stayed by my bed. Also, my copy was lovely in its way, but it is old, has some cover damage and the 60s era cover had to be taped on, so having it in a sleak electronic format is a more friendly reading experience (note that doesn't mean I'm getting rid of the hardcopy :-). Along those lines, I had hoped to make 2011 the year I finished everything on my previously started list, which clearly didn't happen. I did read at least part of every single book still outstanding and I think it's realistic to think at least 4 of those will be cleared out this year (I've already finished ADWD and just started up with AF again, so that's one down, one probably finished by the end of the month). There's not much left of the Molly Ivins - it's sort of a crime that I've not completed that one, to be honest, and Halloween will be resurrected come fall. So there. I did discover a ton of new authors this year, reading more than one book (and in a couple of cases, entire series) by Suzanne Collins, , Charles DeLint, Terry Brooks, Lee Carroll, and Daniel Suarez, and one offs by Jacqueline West, Cyril Pedrosa, Tamora Pierce and Daniel Kraus. I also discovered a lot of new possibilities via the Steampunk anthology (which contains a story by one of my dearest friends) and the Halloween anthology (which I shall finish next fall, natch). Normally, this is where I go through a detailed accounting of new vs. old, genre, etc. But I kind of don't really care. I like knowing what I read and so long as I liked it, I'm not sure it matters that much one way or another.

Honestly, it may be impossible to know for sure what you have. The problem with decants, especially as they age, is that the oil integrity may have been compromised - the person who decanted it may have mislabeled it, or they may have decanted Danube with hands covered with Dracul, or they may have reused a vial that wasn't properly cleaned, or the oil may have gotten cross contaminated by a previous owner testing it in the same place as a stronger oil. If you know who you got it from, you could always check with them, especially if it was part of what you were swapping/purchasing as opposed to a freebie.

(Updated 11/3 10:30 am)

NEW QUESTIONS ADDED 11.21 3:30 ish Milk or dark chocolate: Yes please! I like to think that I prefer dark, but really, secretly, I think I like milk just a little better, and I prefer bits in (crispies, caramel, fruit, etc). White is nice too. Sooo. Yules. Those just happened. What are you interested in, Bunny? I ordered everything that I'm seriously interested in and have updated my wishlist with what I didn't order. Coin purses: I think I already answered this one, but I probably wouldn't get much use out of one. If your fox were to knit something for you, would it be a lacy shawl or a pair of socks? Yes please! I really truly would love either. Would anyone else be interested in a soap dish or something like that? I don't really have a use (or a place) for one, honestly. Are you a Harry Potter fan? If so, which house do you identify with, and why? Would you want knitted things/replicas/accessories in your house colours? YES! I'm mostly Ravenclaw, with a side of either Gryffindor or Slytherin, depending on who's sorting. I would love a house scarf, as I think I already mentioned. Are there any Yules from *PAST* years that you're interested in trying? Including past winter inquisitions? There's nothing that screams at me, but what I want to try is in my wishlist. Let's talk about fruit! Do you like dried fruit or h ate it? Like some but not others? I'm not opposed to it, but dried fruit is not something I'd ever actively seek out unless I'm making fruitcake. I do LOVE fruitcake. How do you feel about cherries? Prefer the sweet or tart versions? Dried? Jam? Salsa? Hot sauce? BBQ sauce? All your cherries are belong to me. I'm not so into hot sauce, though. Bunnies! What is your general philosophy about patterns for accessories such as socks, scarves, and tights? Do you like solids? Stripes? Polka dots? Weird patterns like harlequin-type stuff? Any of the above? Patterns are love. Random not-so-patterns are also love. Bunny, are you interested in anything from Geek Chic Cosmetics? I've never heard of them. I do wear makeup, but other than a nice blue-black mascara, I'm pretty set at the moment. Chile, yay or nay? Herm. Neither? I like a little heat, but I'm set for spicy chocolate and it's not a flavor I actively seek out otherwise. Would you rather have an early reveal, or would you prefer one close to the end of the round? I do love me a surprise, but so long as you reveal at some point, I'm good either way. Stuffed microbes from Think Geek LOVE THEM! Every year I covet the Christmas boxes. Baking supplies? I think I've covered this pretty well? Anniversary Update! Does anything interest you, Bunny? The only one I didn't order was Midnight, since the jasmine has the potential to be fatal. I'd love a sniffie of that one, otherwise, I'm set. Cthulhu, yes or no? Of course! NEW QUESTIONS ADDED 11.7 @ 2:00ish A question: reveal, yes or no? Please yes! I hate not knowing who to thank! I do love the suspense of wondering who is sending to me, though. I usually reveal in the last shipment. Any favorite cuddly characters? I used to be really into Sanrio, but not so much anymore. I love Uglydolls. And Kermit. But mostly I just like soft cuddly things. I don't really collect anything anymore. Charity gifts? Either fair-trade type stuff, or virtual type gifts, like vaccinations or school supplies being bought on your behalf, or something along those lines? Sure. Bunny, are you interested in tarts from Two Timing Tart? What scents, if any, are you interested in? Wow, those look amazing. I'd be interested in trying tarts or candles of any of the following: Insomniac, Tease, Teatime With Mary Pickford, Innocence, Bombshell, ANY of the autumn or winter seasonals, Exp 3 or 5, Sex Kitten, Pornography Do you need any holiday recipes? Is there something in particular that you'd like baked or made for you? And for those of you doing the no sugar/low sugar, etc. thing these days, how about savory things? I don't *need* any holiday recipes, but I'd love any you'd like to share, along with just about any baked goods. I like savories as well as sweets, but there's *no* need to avoid sugar. Speaking about candles, how much do you look forward to the BPTP candles that will be launched on Etsy? I don't know if there will be other scents than the Samhain and Pumpkin Cookie one, but is there a specific one you are longing for? Both Samhain and Pumpkin Cookie sound amazing. Does anyone have issues with gently used things like books, etc.? Not at all! Are you a big ol' nerd for any particular subject? Science, math, linguistics, etc? Or particular authors/fandoms? Not really. The book post I linked below probably answers this best. I am sort of into Harry Potter fandom, but not madly. Probably my nerdiest passion is Shakespearian adaptations, like Kurasawa's Ran and Throne of Blood, Rosencranz and Gildenstern are Dead and the like. Bunnies, how do you feel about lemon-flavored items, like lemon marmalade, lemon curd, lemon pound cake, or lemon cookies? All your lemon are belong to me. Fingerless mittens or full mitts? Er...I've never had fingerless, so I have no idea! Although reading some of the comments to this one, it would seem that I need some fingerless gloves for those days when it's frakkin cold in my office and I can no longer use my space heater because it keeps tripping the breaker. Not that I'm bitter about that or anything. Pink? I don't hate pink, especially if it veers toward raspberry/purply, but it's definitely not a fave. Thematic scarves? Extrapolating from the Tom Baker scarf discussion, I am not enough of a Doctor Who fan to covet this particular scarf, but I would love a Hogwarts house scarf! Ravenclaw or Slytherin, or Slytherclaw (which would work well with the movie colors). What are your opinions on traditional holiday cookie flavorings? I'm thinking anise and cardamom in particular. I'm not sure my love for anise and cardamom can be adequately conveyed through the written word. BRING THEM ON!!!!! Do you like artisan oils and vinegars? Very much. I have rather a surplus of EVOO at the moment though. I keep meaning to make my own infused oils and can never gather the right supplies (bottles and such). In terms of vinegars, I love love love them. Any crafty pursuits you’ve been dying to experiment with? Would you like a little kit of something you’ve never tried? Do you need any particular items for your new or existing stash? I would love to learn to knit, but I fail miserably at any yarncraft I try. I have done needlepoint in the past and am pretty good at it, but I haven't done it in years. 2012 calendar? Not really. We get really nice freebies through our zoo membership, so I'm set for my wall calendar. A page a day calendar could be fun if my Fox sees something that just screams my name, otherwise, I'm good, calendar wise. NEW QUESTIONS ADDED 11.4 @ 3:00ish Stealing coldandsleepy's idea to put the new ones first: What was the best holiday present you ever got? Oh wow. A couple of years ago my husband managed to completely and utterly surprise me with a stained glass window that is the perfect complement to one we already had hanging in our living room, which is awesome, both in terms of how well he knows me, how hard it was to find, and the fact that I had ABSOLUTELY no idea. And last year he managed to shock both my son and I with a piano. Also, our daughter was arguably conceived on/around our 13th wedding anniversary. Bunny, what scent are you desperately wanting to be resurrected this year with the Anniversary update? Hrm. I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess, in terms of wishes, I'd go with King of Spades. Or the original Lugnasadah or Mabon. Groupon for Moxie Nouveau! Dear Bunneh, is this something that would interest you? Honestly, I'm pretty much a BPAL loyalist. I've tried half a dozen or so other companies and just never like them as much as I do my BPAL. Bun-bun, what's your favourite colour? Purple! (Real purple, not lavender) Your favourite gemstone? Honestly, as long as it's sparkly and has pretty colors, I don't really have a favorite, per se. I love big chunky rocks of just about any sort. Your favourite animal (real or imaginary)? Dragons! And spiders and bats and squids and frogs and lizards and penguins and...oh hell. I'm the mom who continues to buy her kid the 1000th stuffed animal because we don't have that species of buffalo yet. In terms of animals to live with, definitely cats and fish and frogs and lizards. And do you have any intense phobias? Not really. I'm not fond of bees or wasps or other stingy things in my immediate presense, but I love representations of bees. Facebook/twitter: I use my real name on facbook and pretty much only friend people I actually know and/or have had an extensive online relationship with. I'm emandink on twitter. Are you Nano-ing this month, bunny? If so, how would you feel about merch/donations to the cause? Not this year, sadly. Do you like/need boxes for perfume/knicknacks? I like them perhaps a little too much - I actually have some extra boxes, as I moved my BPAL to a cabinet a few years ago. Coffee or tea? With caffine or without? Flavors (if so, what?) or no? Whole bean/ground/loose leaf/bags? Yes please! Coffee must have caffiene, tea can go whichever way it chooses. Love flavored coffee (vanilla/fruity/caramel/spicy), but only if ground, otherwise, love wholebean dark roasts with fruity/caramel notes. Flavored tea strongly preferred - similar likes + chocolate! Coffee grinding preferences as noted, tea bags are more convenient, but I am fully equiped for a wonderful loose leaf tea. Do you have a strong preference for any sort of bath and body product brands (i.e. etailer/etsy type cos, department store/specialty brands like Lush) or are you cool with anything that doesn't smell like Bunnybane? I try to stick with small/woman owned companies where I can, but if you find something that seems right up my alley at Target, I will be thrilled no matter what. ______________________________________________ Good golly y'all! I'm going to throw this out up front because I totally forgot to mention it in my survey - please do not send me anything with artificial sweeteners. I can sometimes tolerate stevia, but a lot of them give me migraines and I just don't like them. I try to avoid HFCS as well, but I'd rather have something loaded with that than sucrolose or acesulfame. 1. $20 from Walgreens... I'd surely start in the makeup/nail polish aisle and would probably pick up some sort of totally impractical color(s) in one or both areas. Then, if I take it seriously and stay with the fun (as opposed to picking up one of the vitamin supplements I'm low on or something), then I'd probably grab some fun sparkly markers or pens (I love brightly colored sharpies), and then hit the chocolate aisle - depending on what I have left over and my mood, I'd either grab a Cadbury fruit and nut, some Lindt truffles, a marshmallow santa or whatever new strange chocolate caramel concoction is on sale. Or maybe HoHos. 2. I live near a brick and morter location for a really, really good spice store. Would you use cooking spices and if you would, what would you need? (It's Penzey's if you want to Google it.) I got the giant bakers gift crate for Christmas last year. So, er, nothing from that one, I guess. In general, except for curries, I tend to prefer solo herbs and spices to blends, and I have pretty good coverage at the moment for the basics, but I do love the idea. (And for starfish, I think? Their cinnamons are, indeed, amazing.) 3. Do you like knitted goods? If so, what would you like, what colors, and do you have any sensitivites or preference when it comes to type of yarn (ex: wool: yay or nay? Do you prefer machine washable materials? Do you not care?)? Absolutely love knitted goods. Strongly prefer machine washable and soft, but I'm not allergic to wool or anything. I am all about dark colors and jewel tones - black, grey, purple, green, blue, red. Not so much orange, yellow or pink...or white or brown. 4. Hey swap partner... could you use a new mug? I can always use a new mug, size large. 5. Is there any sort of regional food/drink/treat you miss or have always wanted to try? I love flavored/varietal honeys and those maple sugar leaves. Are those regional? Also, Indian and British sweets. In general, I would love to try anything that my Fox considers her regional specialties. 6. Do you do a Christmas tree? If yes is it themed or specially colored or do you just have all different ornaments and such? We do do a tree and it is a total mishmash of things from my childhood, ornaments gifted to the kids (lots of snowmen and alligators, and snowgators...long story) and just pretty things we've purchased over the years. 7. Would you like a special ornament? Sure! We tend to do cute, but not "country", fwiw. 8. Tim Tams. Yay or nay? Yes please! 9. I know some people are squicked out at the idea of eating things that other people make, or the thought of deep fried cookies sends them into cardiac arrest. If you were my fox, would you like to receive some homemade goodies, or would you prefer that your goodies came from the store? I would love homemade goodies. Maybe not deep fried cookies, though. 10. Would any Bunny like to receive Holiday serving bowls, trays, platters etc...? Winter/Christmas or Thanksgiving/Fall themed? Sure! I host Thanksgiving every year and Christmas Eve dinner and love holiday themed dishes. 11. My lovely fluffy Snow Bunny, would you like a body scrub made by me? If so, what scent(s) would you like, if you had to think along the lines of essential oils? And would you prefer sugar or salt? A dryer scrub or one that's more oily/moist? Ooh, absolutely. I love scrubs (oily/moist sugar typically, although I wouldn't say no to a citrussy salt scrub). I think I covered my general scent preferences pretty well in my questionaire, but holiday scents I particularly like are grapefruit + pine/spruce or sweet/cookie type scents with pine/spruce. 12. Dear snow bunny, do you like candles? If yes, then what kind? Scented (what scents), unscented, what colors, do you like them plain/painted on the outside/with decorations attached to the surface/sculpted? Love candles, especially this time of year (holiday cookie/christmas tree/spicy are alwaus good, although not so much cinnamon). I tend to prefer jar candles or votives, since I have kids and need to keep them out of the way. 13. Also what do you think of little soaps? I know most people don't use soaps nowadays but I love the chocolate/vanilla/cocoa/butter/sugar combo scents that I see at beauty stores.... Love them! 14. Socks! Slippers! Do you love them or not really wear them? If you love them, do you also love Sock Dreams? Love socks (generally not more than knee highs, though, and generally in the colors I listed above or holiday. Holiday socks are love!), love Sock Dreams (especially BBella). I do wear slippers, but I'm pretty particular about them, so that could be tough. 15. Would you wear something like http://www.ravelry.c...astic-cowl]this if your Fox were to knit you one? If so, what color? Hrm. That's not really my style, to be honest, unless it were big enough to use as a shawl instead. 16. New question: talk to me of coffee. Whole bean? Ground? Flavored, not flavored? Decaf, whole caff? Favorite roasters? Drip, french press, keurig? BRING ON THE TEA? Whole bean dark roast or flavored ground. Whole caff. (We have a grind and brew combo where you can't just switch out beans.) Locally, I like Beanetics, but I'm really not that picky. Tea is love and I'm all about the seasonal flavors and chocolate blends here, bags or loose. 17. Who else here loves or would like to try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics? If so, what would you like? I've never heard of them. 18. Have you tried anything from Cocoa Pink and if so, what products and scents do you like or would like to try? I haven't. I'm not really that into hair stuff, as it's short and pretty low maintainance. 19. Anybody into nail polish? Any color or formula preferences? I like painting my toenails (my fingers never last long enough to make it worthwhile, to be honest), but I'm not "into" it, per se. I'd love a cool sparkly blue or green (and I do covet the Muppet colors that someone's supposed to be coming out with soonish), but it's not something anyone should go out of their way for. 20. If you found a $50 bill on the ground and were to place a Lab order, what would be in it? (And shipping is free through the magical BPAL unicorn!) Hmmmm. That's a tough one. Probably Tattered Lace and Ein Kuss Von Krampus from Dark Delacacies. 21. Is there any particular holiday DVD that you don't have that you would like to own? Nothing jumps to mind, as we tend to buy/tivo stuff as we get the itch for it. 22. How do you feel about superheros? Are you a Marvel or DC fan? Do you have a favorite hero? Generally I tend to be more of a Vertigo (Sandman/Hellblazer/Preacher/that sort) of gal. So, DC, I guess. I'm not so much into superheroes as I am darker graphic novel type comics. 23. would you like a Paintbox from Paintbox Soapworks? If so, which scents? That looks awesome, but I try to avoid glycerine soaps. 24. Do you have kids (or kid-like pets) who your fox may want to take into account, either in terms of a little extra goody or simple safety? 2 kids (8 year old boy, 18 month old girl, he tends to inherit all wee toys, stickers and to share in appropriate snacky things). Also 2 cats, but they tend to stick to themselves and actually don't really do the treat thing. Same with the fish/snails and the hermit crab. 25. Lush? I love the Buche de Noel cleanser, Lemony Flutter and I tend to like a lot of the holiday bubble bar scents, so long as they aren't floral (I haven't had a chance to go through this year's offerings though). I don't like their soaps at all, which makes me sad, since they tend to sound delightful. 26. Honey/Beeswax? Honey is an absolute yes. Not sure what I'd do with beeswax, but if it came with suggestions, I'd be game, I guess. 27. TJs - we have them around here but they are always horribly crowded on the weekends and I can just never be bothered. I do really like their crumpets, though. 28. Paintbox Yulies? - So, while I'm not up for the soaps, scrubs and lotion are always good. Snoggin sounds devine, as does Comfort and Joy. White Snow, Bright Snow and the Victorious Sun sound nice too...For that matter, looking at the rest of the LEs, Avast, Guy Faukes, Indian Summer and Smiling Jack all sound lovely. 29. If I were to place ONE LAST Weenie order, (uh, which I will) what would you want me to include for you? (presuming that is that the order can get here in time, bites nails)? I did a pretty good job on this year's Weenies on my on. The stuff on my wishlist is pretty much stuff I just want to sniff. This is prolly as good a place as any to mention that I know my WL is pretty heavy on harder to find/LE type stuff. While I always love BPAL, I totally don't expect it. Will you be away for any part of the round? Nope. Anyone else with an Etsy store and a member of Tradeaholics (or you could join) and interested in bartering for gifts for their bunny? Nope. What type of books do you like? Dying to read anything? I adore books. I keep a running list of everything I've read throughout the year here in my .org blog - it goes back to 2007, I think. Yeep. I may just make a new post with my answers to the Bookworm swap, to be honest, since that's prolly the easiest way to keep track of things (here!. But I do love interesting, not too sappy, holiday stories. And I'm jonsing for some Authurian legends at the moment for some reason (not MZB, as I've either read or have on my to read shelves many of her books). Also, I love a Kindle, if that matters. ;-) If you like Christmas music (or anyother holiday music, for that matter), what kind of style do you like? Traditional? Modern and poppy? Indie? I love Christmas and holiday music and I'm a sucker for modern/indie compilations. I have a lot of holiday music though (I wanna say 300+ songs on my iPod), but I haven't gotten anything in the past couple of years. Do you enjoy things that taste like roses? For example chewing gum, turkish delight, delicious goo that you eat by the spoonful out of a glass jar (and they all taste of rose. Yes, we have all these in Greece.) I do! Lavender as well. I don't really chew gum though. Also, same question about mastic. Would you be interested in trying it out? (If yes, any preferences? for example you would prefer to try the chewing gum, the turkish delight, an Easter bun, the raw resin itself, anything?) I don't think I've ever tried it, but I'm always up for new experiences. I live in the city of the chickenwing. If I were to send you something savory, what's your heat tolerance (or sweet and heat for that matter)? I like things spicy, but not necessarily hot, if that makes any sense? Nothing more than a "medium", basically. I do love sweet-spicy combos (chili chocolate, baked goods, etc, but mostly if I can actually taste the flavors). That being said, I'm really not a huge fan of the chickenwing. If your fox/bunny were to gift you with a giftcard from anywhere, as in any store food wise, music wise etc. what giftcard would you like? Amazon is always good, as is Starbucks, since I do like to treat myself there ocassionally. Other online only options would be Sock Dreams, Soap Box, Villainess, someplace similar that my Fox wants to surprise me with. I'm always up for discovering new places. Lego would be fun too. If I were to send you chocolate is there anything I should avoid as in nuts, cherries etc.? Also, what are some of your favorite holiday candies? I'm not real nuts about nuts (HA!), unless there's lots of dried fruit and other stuff (e.g., the aforementioned fruit & nut bar). I love caramel, marshmallow, cherries, other fruity bits. Also, despite not being a huge fan of nuts, I do love marzipan. One thing I've learned about myself recently is that while I do love high quality chocolate (or moderate, even) with bits in, I don't like things that are too outlandish, like curry or fennel. My love affair with Vosges is suffering for this fact, as I like their caramels and truffles, but not so much the candy bars. In terms of holiday faves, divinity, fudge, peppermint chocolates, marzipan and I love me a marshmallow santa. Does anything from FusionSweets interest you? The caramel marshmallows sound AMAZEBALLS. As do the chocolate orange marshmallows. If I were to do a pick 4, I'd choose the chocolate marshmallow, grasshopper, lavender and vanilla. For caramels, the apple cider, lemon ginger, star anice etc, and French lavender honey all sound fabulous. But I have alot of caramels about right now, so the marshmallows would definitely be my first choice. Interested in anything from the Elements and Artifacts Yule update? I almost bought these yesterday. Everything else I wanted is long gone. Mulling spices? I love mulling spices, but unless my Fox likes to make their own amazing blend, I have a jar of Penzy's on hand for this season.

Edited 4/4/13 to add links to amz, etc. Amazon Bookmooch - woefully out of date and a combo of me, my husband and my kid Goodreads - not so much a wishlist, but sort of what I'm poking around with Okay, maybe not exactly, but it dawned on me that it might not be a bad idea to toss my answers to the recent bookworm swap over this away, for the curious. What kind of books do you usually like? Any favorite authors, genres, or topics? I love urban and traditional fantasy, whether it be about vampires, fairies, steampunk or something strange happening in a castle far away. I definitely like the supernatural twist and have a yen for post-apocalyptic tales (e.g. Terry Brooks) and mystery and fantasy kids lit (think John Bellairs, Harry Potter, Neil’s kids books, the Garth Nix "Keys to the Kingdom" series, the Uglies series, and Clive Barker's kids books). I also like straight mysteries (particularly about the southwest US (Nevada Barr, J.A. Jance, Tony Hillerman, Kirk Mitchell) and I also really like Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series) and am woefully behind on new developments in that genre. Fave authors include Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Octavia Butler, Julliet Marrillier, Robin McKinley, Jacqueline Carey, Catherynne M. Valente, JK Rowling, John Bellairs, Jonathan Carroll, ...I could go on for a while, but the links below should really help. And I'm just getting into Charles de Lint. Pulling a list from a similar swap (kind of repetitive, but more info is better, right?): *Urban fantasy(DeLint, Gaiman, lots of people I really need to read, I'm sure) *Magical realism (Jonathan Carroll and the like) *Quasi-historical fantasy (I'm thinking things like a Juliet Marillier and some of the non-adaptation McKinley here and I'd probably put Outlander in this category for my purposes since I don't otherwise tend to enjoy historical romance) *Supernatural romance (vampire, werewolves, zombies, OH MY! Things I'm pretty well caught up on incudes Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Kelly Armstrong, and I've read most LK Hamilton to the point where I just can't anymore ;-) *Sci-fi (although I tend to gravitate toward short stories in this genre - a la Ray Bradbury - and more worldbuilding Steampunky sorts of stuff than hard tech-geeky a-bunch-of-guys-land-on-a-strange-planet sort of stuff) *Mysteries/crime/detective novels (tho I'm more into the actual crime solving than the legal wrangling, so, more Sara Paretsky/Raymond Chandler/Michael Connelley than Scott Turow/John Grisham, also I sort of love true crime, which I rarely admit to and never seek out but adore when it falls in my lap) *Fairy tales (classics and adaptations and totally new interpretations) *Mythology adaptations (really, just kind of in love with adaptations of almost any sort, including comic versions especially the original text classics) *Authurian/Avalon myth (this is a fairly recent acquisition, so it's good mining as well is my guess. I've got MZB covered, but otherwise...) *Comics/graphic novels (not so much superhero stuff for the most part, but there's a lot of BPAL related stuff I haven't read) *Kids lit of any of the above, especially the mystery/fantasy bit (loving Rick Riordan with my 8 year old right now!) Any authors, genres or topics you really dislike? I am not a fan of Jim Butcher, oddly. I should be, but he just doesn't grab me. Similarly, Holly Black and I have never really hit it off. I think most of my other "dislikes" are touched on below. Do you consider yourself "well-read"? Well-read within a particular genre? Kinda, in that I read all-the-damn-time. There are huge gaping holes in my knowledge base, though, as I'm kind of a magpie. How do you feel about classics? I'm kind of embarassed to admit this, but kind of meh. I love Dickens, but otherwise, can pretty much take or leave most lit written before 1900. I know, I'm a philistine. Would you like something challenging/outside your comfort zone or would you prefer something fairly close to what you know you like? I would definitely like *something* in my comfort zone. There's a pretty deep well there, I think. I would absolutely love to discover new authors within genres I like and am happy to discover things kind of on the fence. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies sorts of crossovers hold no interest for me, though. How do you feel about nonfiction? I'm typically not a huge fan, to be honest. I do tend to like narrative non-fic storytelling along the lines of Sarah Vowell or Chuck Klosterman (I just bought his new novel, FYI), but I really look to recreational reading for escapism. I do love a good political firebrand, but I have a lot of that unread on my shelves at the moment. Although, as noted above, true crime is kind of my secret shame. Are you ok with something like a graphic novel or young adult book? Abso-frikkin-lutely. I love graphic novels and YA lit. What makes you pick a book up and want to read it right away? What makes you put something down and never want to pick it up again? You know, I have no idea. My main go-to books that I read over and over again are Gaiman's Neverwhere, McKinley's Chalice and the Harry Potter series. They are all escapist fantasy to some extent, but I read plenty of other things in the same genres, but don't feel compelled to read them repetedly. Those books, though, feel like slipping between the pages and into a whole new world, almost like pulling up the covers in bed on a cold night. I know I just mixed my metaphors, but I don't care. ;-) In terms of putting things down, while I have no particular issues with violence and gore, being shocking and gross just for the sake of being shocking and gross just doesn't appeal to me. And I have no issues with genre tropes, but I really really need a story and some fabulous characterization as well. Would you be open to receiving ebooks? If so, what sort of reader do you have, and do you prefer electronic or physical books? YES! I would love/prefer kindle books, to be honest, but would be perfectly happy to get physical goodness as well. And for anything with color pics (e.g. graphic novels) the Kindle just won't cut it. For physical books, used is a-ok.

I agree about Candles Moon. It ended up being very milky berry-ish but with a kind of cologne-y feel! I swapped my bottle. I'll third that. It was very milky and berryish on me. And soapy, too, somehow. Skin chemistry is such a funny thing - I am wearing Candles Moon today and while I can see how it could turn cologne-y, it is very light honey-beeswax on me and not much else.

Seconding Hanerot Halalu - it is a beautiful, very simple beeswax candle scented blend. Also, Candles Moon may seem obvious, but if you're specifically looking for candles...

I can't believe we have a thread about sage and no one has mentioned Corazon! I don't know how much is floating around these days, as it was a 2005 Oblation oil, but the description is: Glorious red musk and a halo of golden amber with a touch of wet mango, lavender, and purple sage. I think milage may vary greatly on this one, but it's almost all sage on me for the first hour or so, and then mellows out into red musk + everything else.

This year may be the year that gets me to start tracking pages read; because while I did not come terribly close to 100 books (totaling 82 books in their entirety, 84 with the ones started before 2010, although 132/4 with the ones read with my son, but I typically don’t count those toward my own totals) I would be willing to bet that I came pretty close to my page totals for previous years, thanks largely to discovering Diana Gabaldon and rereading the entire Harry Potter series. I also did a lot of magazine and other non-tracked reading (I am not counting skimming through pregnancy and baby-care books, for example) and had a fair amount of external distraction (hello new baby and having not been totally alone in my house since May). Just skimming, this year had fewer really short (>300 pages) YA and urban fantasy/paranormal romance sorts of books, fewer graphic novels which I tend to polish off in a few hours as most, and a lot more really dense, really long books. Some quick totals: 82 books read in their entirety. 2 books finished from previous years. 50 chapter books read in whole or in part with my son. 4 books which I just could not finish – interestingly, all by authors that I have really enjoyed in the past and 3 of which were installments in series where I’ve enjoyed the other books. Of the 82 books I read in full, they breakdown along my coding as follows: Author of Color – 1 (wow, that’s pathetic) Fantasy – 44 (my most common genre this year with 5 more than last year) Graphic Novel – 19 (hum, actually 2 more than last year- but at least two of what I categorized as GN were fairly long) Mystery - 3 (way fewer straight mysteries this year than in the past – probably because I’m completely caught up with the series I read and haven’t introduced any new ones) Non-fiction – 1 Reread – 15 total rereads and 2 graphic novel adaptations where I’d read the original story, but not the adaptation Series –60 Science Fiction – 9 Short Works – 9 Vampires, werewolves, and witches, oh my! – 25 (3 more than last year, maybe because I included the 7 HPs?) Young Adult – 16 (way fewer than last year and tending toward the longer end (i.e. 300 plus pages)) Interestingly, even with almost ¾ of my reading being from series, nearly half – 40 total- unique authors are represented, with 12 totally new authors this year. That’s about the same number of unique authors, although fewer new ones this year.

We've got a couple of new rounds of the BPAL Book Club going on at the moment. First - Right now, as in right this very minute, we're reading The Last Unicorn. We're just getting started (many of us still don't even have the book in hand), so please, come join us as we discover the inspiration behind the amazing new scents! Second - What should we read next? This week we're nominating and voting on themes for round 10. Want to read about food? How about witches? Or the holidays? Come help us decide on a theme for the next round and what we'll be reading in December! (Both topics are pinned at the top of the Book Club forum.) Happy reading!

Note that the same applies to Circular Swaps, which now have to be approved (per the new rules). If you'd like to start up a new circular swap and have not already heard from either Jessica or me about it, please shoot us a PM after making your initial post. Thanks!

Just a quick reminder, in case folks forgot in the dust of our renovations, that we are currently voting for the next book for the forum Book Club group read! We've got some great choices this round, ranging from classics to soon-to-be-classics (Vampires Don't Sleep Alone, anyone?) For folks that nominated or otherwise endorsed books, rememeber that for your vote to count, you need to vote in the poll itself, not just indicated your approval in the thread.

The results are in and we're reading Vampires Don't Sleep Alone. Check the topic in Book Club for details!

How light the strain when, decked in vernal bloom, Thalia tuned her lyre of melody. Thaleia the Flourishing is the Muse of Comedy and Pastoral Poetry, and shares the same name as one of the Gratiæ. She is a very down-to-Earth Goddess, and has a special fondness for rural folk. She wears a crown of ivy leaves and carries the Mask of Comedy and a shepherd’s crook. The Blooming One is the Goddess of Comedians and inspires creativity in wit and the joy and release we have in laughter. A vivacious, dazzling, merry scent: honey, ylang ylang, apricot, ciste, blood orange and gardenia with earthy, warm tonka. I was drawn to Thaleia primarily on notes - how could I resist honey, apricot, blood orange and tonka! The overall description sealed the deal and frankly I wish that I had ordered a 5ml right off the bat. This is a beartiful, joyous fruity scent - it is a scent of bubbling warm laughter and the earth's bounty. On a practical level, it is definitely a scent for fruit/vanilla/tonka lovers and like these scents sometimes do, it appears to warrent slathering, as it seems to fade fairly quickly. But it is amazing and I am thrilled to have Thaleia as my primary muse.

Wow, so, definitely met the standing 100+ books goal with 120 unique books last year. In addition, there were 2 books that I started prior to this year and finished, one that’s part of a mystery series, another non-fiction history of Haitian voodoo. I gave up on 5 books entirely. Of these, 3 were by authors I’ve read before and enjoyed, including one adaptation from a book I enjoyed originally and one sequel. As of Jan. 1, I had 5 books still in progress (note that of the 2 started in 2009, 1 I’ve given up on and 1 is completed, but that’s for a year from now). The 3 remaining are from previous years. Maybe this will be the year I actually plow through Ulysses. I got pretty haphazard about tracking reading with the boy this year. Ultimately, I just started noting books that I would/have read on my own as well. I’m just not up for keeping track of 40 Scooby Doo chapter books. As for the rest of the analysis: • 15 of these were rereads, and that doesn’t count that I read 1 book twice. • 83 were books in series of various kinds. • In terms of genre, 39 were fantasy (as defined personally), 37 were YA, 19 sci-fi, 22 involved vampires, werewolves or other staples of urban fantasy (I categorized these differently, because Anita Blake just feels different to me than, say, Mists of Avalon), 11 were mysteries • In terms of form, 5 were short works (usually short stories), 17 were graphic novels and 4 were non-fiction (and 1 of those was a graphic novel) • Looking at authors, only 8 books were written by authors identified as non-white, 26 total were new to me (accounting for roughly 38 books read) and approximately 58 distinct authors represented overall. Every year I tend to beat myself up for the fact that I read a lot of genre fiction and not a lot of “classics” or books that are generally heralded as books of substance. But screw that. I read for entertainment and what entertains me are stories about vampires and fictional societies where magic exists in some form and dystopic alien worlds and mysteries where I can lose myself for a while. I could whip out my hairshirt about the fact that I don’t really enjoy biographies and non-fiction much outside of humorous pop-cult essays, but really, why bother. I still read more than probably 90% of the population and I’m teaching my kid to value reading for its own sake and am continuing to discover new sub-genres and authors that I thoroughly enjoy. So, go me. Or something like that.

...a 1/32oz vial brimming with the scent of three roses and a half bottle of cognac. First off, I have to confess that this little impsy was a serious bit of the draw for me in ordering the Parcel, although I probably would have broken down and done so anyway. 'Cause, well, I love me some liquor scents and Beth does them so well, and roses, while not my favorite floral scent to wear, are among those that I *can* wear. And, well, I was just curious to see what the twist was going to be, if there would be one... In the vial, I mostly smell roses, with a slight liquor undertone. On my skin, it is definitely a rose scent, but these are not bright, fresh new rose blossoms. These are roses that have maybe been left in the vase for a day too long, or musty dried roses - not unpleasant, necessarily, but not in their prime. The cognac is there, but not predominant for me, sadly. I will say, though, that I do not get any obviously unpleasant odors from this, unlike some reviews I've seen elsewhere. I don't smell dirt or dead bodies or decay. Maybe I just lucked out in chemistry. Oh, and the label is really cool.

Ho-leee-crap. This is good. Seriously good. Like, enough to make me do my first review in prolly a year or so good. I only got an imp of this, even though Beth's plum blends tend to make me want to do naughty things to myself, because I was a little afraid of the prune and sometimes rum can go a little syrupy on me. I was also thinking, "Self, you have an awful lot of plum blends that you love but forget to wear. Do you really need another one?" In retrospect, the answer is OH MY FUCKING GOD YES. Serously. Although, oddly, if you had asked me last night when I tried this for the first time what was in it, the spices are about the only thing I would have gotten right. I would have guessed carnation and honey and cinnamon and nutmeg. Basically, these smells to me like warm spiced mead, like my husband and I used to get from this gigantic wine store out in western Mass. I retrospect, I can see how I read the sweetness of the plum and the rum (oh, hai alcohol) as honey, and the spices as, well, spices, but also the slight spicy floral of carnation. Really, it makes sense to me in my head. And really, who the hell cares. If you like any of the notes, run, do not walk, to add this to your next order. Seriously. SRSLY.

Yeah, the labels are the same - I'll have to check next time I'm at will call which one is out. I really do prefer the golden one more, it's a little softer and more Storyville like than the red variety. They really are different scents! If you're thinking of something that is out at will call as a tester than I'd be virtually certain that it is the catalog "Picnic" variety, since "Springtime" was only sold for about two months in the spring of 2005.

Given that the synthetic line protos date from 2006 and Beth has - in the posts quoted above - repetedly stated as recently as August 2008 that those are the *only* blends that have ever included synthetics, I'm going to go with no as the answer to your question there. It is hardly a secret, given that Beth herself has weighed in on it fairly recently. The Lab uses naturally derived bouquets for those scents that are either animal derived (other than honey notes) or not otherwise naturally available. Whether that is a good, bad or completely irrelevant fact is, of course, in the eye (or nose) of the beholder.

I ordered 12/13. CCnow says shipped 12/22, but I didn't get a package or a click n ship, and when I called the post office to see if by chance they had left me a note that was no longer attached to my door, I got a negative. I don't mind giving Christmas gifts late if it gets here late, but at this point I'm starting to assume it's disappeared into thin air this time. You can't rely on the CCNow ship date - that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Lab's shipping time - that is the date that CCNow registered your order being pulled off CCNow by the Lab. If you ordered on December 13 and you are in the US, then your order should have been one of those that went out last week via express mail. If it has not arrived at this point, it is probably time to check with Customer Service at the Lab, since Express should have arrived prior to the holiday.

First off, hot damn, did I ever meet my goal of 100 books for 2008. I did a couple of things differently this year - first, because my son is now super into having me read him chapter books - which have ranged from classics like The Wizard of Oz to insipid Transformers tie-ins, I started tracking those separately, instead of counting substantive classics that I might actually choose to read on my own as part of my own count (as I did with things like Roald Dahl last year. The second is that I gave myself permission to not read things that I wasn't enjoying. Which means that rather than having my "couldn't finish" list consist of one book that actively revolted me, if a book didn't engage me and I didn't care about picking it up again, I just didn't. It was kind of a lovely feeling, and I actually wonder if it contributed to my longer reading list, since I wasn't forcing myself back to things that didn't capture my attention. The third change was how I listed - going in order of reading, as opposed to alphabetically by author. I like all of these changes and plan to keep them for 2009. Anyway, my totals: 117 books read entirely in 2008 2 started in 2007, finished on 2008 62 books read with the boy 6 books in progress (one of which I finished just this morning) 2 books in progress with R 9 books kicked to the curb An interesting thing about those last 9, too - 5 of them were by authors that I've read before and liked and of those, I read and enjoyed books by 4 of them just this year. Three were books in series were I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, but just couldn't get into the second. Three of the 9 were books in well regarded YA series. Another was a television tie in for a show I enjoy. Of the books in progress, one I've already finished, two are books of short stories or essays that I fully expect to finish in 2009. I suppose I should make finishing the other three part of my reading resolutions for this year, in addition to reading another 100 books in their entirety. The reading with my son doesn't really take too long to look at - most were series books, most were at least mildly educational, either by design or by virtue of being classics. Now, the meat. Breaking down the 117 that I read entirely in 2008: * 108 were new to me, 9 were re-reads (if you count the fact that I had already read the text of Stardust) * 20 were children's/ya books (I didn't count some things are are sometimes shelved as YA in the library, such as some of the manga/graphic novels which were not specifically aimed at these age groups, S. Myers "The Host" or the Juliet Marillier books, which while certainly appropriate to a YA audience don't struck me as being marketed as YA - so, this could potentially be about 10 higher) * 22 were graphic novels, 1 of which was a GN version of a book I've read several times, another of which was related to a book series) * 2 were non-fiction (1 book of essays, 1 true crime) * 10 were books of short fiction * 83 were installments of various series, of which 13 were YA, 17 were graphic novels, * I read 13 new authors, accounting for 37 of books read * there are 47 unique authors represented I am rediculously pleased that I read way more than my 100 book goal - I want to read more of substance next year, though.

Sweet, green and watery. I usually cannot wear aquatic scents - that is one of my perfume rules. But Sturgeon Moon is one of a growing list of exceptions. Like Thunder Moon, this is a light, fresh scent with no hint of moss or salt water which seem to characterize the aquatics that smell...well, rather like one might expect a sturgeon to smell on my skin to be honest. Happily, this is not one of those scents. It has a fruity, almost melon note underneath the fresh water that makes me think of a freshwater pond with a waterfall and ample water lilies and wild flowers and long grasses around it. This is the smell of late spring in rural Virginia. It is a scent of new life. Which is not to say that this is a heady scent - it is fresh and clean and just lovely.

CLXXIV I only ordered one CT this year, figuring, I have lots of things I love, tons of things I like and the odds of getting something so OMG amazing that I couldn't imagine my life without it are pretty small. Infinitesimal even. What the hell did I know. This is rich creamy spicy fruity smoldering. My guess at notes is Dragon's Blood, tonka, maybe the Lab's sweet patchouli, maybe some additional nutmeggy sort of spices. So, basically, a short list of some of my favorite notes. There could even be some honey and berry in there and a hint of red musk, but I don't really think so. Whatever it is, is could be my signature scent. Chaos rules.

OMG, this is...amazing. Seriously, it is vanilla, spices, and just the most wonderful hint of rich, sweet sappy pine. My only fear was that it might be too sweet, but it is mostly warm and rich - a wonderful scent to tease me about fall.

Wow. The Blockhead is definitely the sleeper hit of this round of the Carnaval for me. It has an almost green fruity scent to me nose - I can see where the leather comes in, but mostly, this is a fresh, slightly sweet fruity/green scent. If I had to pick anything it reminds me of, it would be my dear departed Mantis. Which makes me wonder if maybe my chemistry is just totally wack...and if so, if I can keep it this way! ETA: I sniffed this again in the vial and now that I know the notes, I can definitely smell the bubblegum and leather in the vial. It is really a fabulous combination, though - not at all the novelty scent I thought it would be - instead it is a fabulous refreshing sweet fruity leather. A lovely, unusual summer scent.