Paper Perfume

I don't really wear any scents, but it's recently come to my attention that there are actual perfumes out there that smell like books. Yes, that's right-- that's a thing, and there are people out there who get me. They might all just seem like "book perfumes," but they all are pretty different in their descriptions! For instance, in the winter time, I'd probably want to smell more like leather bound book with worn cloth and leave the freshly printed book business for spring time. Know what I mean?

Paperback by Demeter

A trip to your favorite library or used bookstore. Sweet and lovely with just a touch of the musty smell of aged paper, Demeter's Paperback harnesses that scent with a sprinkling of violets and a dash of tasteful potpourri.

In the Library by CB I Hate Perfume

In the Library is a warm blend of English Novel, Russian & Moroccan Leather Bindings, Worn Cloth and a hint of Wood Polish. 

** Read more on the website for a fuller story. It's beautiful! Just a little long to post on here.

Paper Passion by Geza Schoen

Paper Passion Perfume captures the unique bouquet of freshly printed books. Designed by boutique perfumer Geza Schoen in close consultation with Gerhard Steidl and in collaboration with Wallpaper magazine, the perfume expresses that peculiar mix of paper and ink which gives a book its unmistakable aroma, along with the fresh scent which a book opened for the first time releases.

This actually comes from The Story from CB I Hate Perfume, but I think it puts into words perfectly why I would love to have a perfume like this:

"To many of course, these various bookish odors mean nothing. But to an avid reader and collector like myself, these smells are as magical as the bouquet of a great wine is to a connoisseur - a sort of literary terroir. These scents mean Excitement, Adventure, Discovery, Enlightenment and Knowledge. Of course my deep love of reading is exactly what lead me in the first place to begin capturing the scent of books and of the libraries where they live. That's what this perfume is all about."

More Library Love

Just a note on my library use last year. I started actively reading and using the library in August or September. I've read 20 books since then, 15 of which I checked out from the library.

Just because I'm curious like that, I looked up the books I read on Amazon to see what I would have spent (before tax) if I purchased them all through Prime: $202.25! (Let's be real-- I would have ordered them through Amazon Prime because of free shipping and laziness)

That was only for the last 3.5 months of this year, too. It will be interesting to track for the upcoming year.

Jeanine's bookshelf: read

After the Quake

by Haruki Murakami

Eleanor & Park

by Rainbow Rowell

Daily Rituals: How Artists Work

by Mason Currey

23rd Century Romance

by Jake Hartnell

The Wu-Tang Manual

by The RZA

Goodreads link here.

Library Project: The Main Library

The Main Library is, well, the main library I go to. It's conveniently located right between the lake and my place of employment, and across from my massage place. It also happens to be right around the corner from Fresh & Best Cafe, which has so many awesome juices and the best shrimp spring rolls, mmm.

The Main Library is pretty spacious! It had actually been a while since I had been in a library and although I remembered how the Dewey Decimal System worked for the most part, the staff here has always been SO friendly and helpful whenever I have any questions. They don't even give me weird looks when I'm looking for a book that happens to be in the Children's Room downstairs. Oh by the way, did you know that there is a Children's Room downstairs? Just follow the playful paintings down the stairs on your right once you enter.

I know card catalogs are a bit antiquated, but I've gathered that Main still has them for some of their stuff, sheet music I think (in addition to being electronically catalogued like everything else), and I find that really aesthetically endearing. Also, this isn't a library sponsored event, but apparently Dating in Library happens here. Seems like a rad idea-- I mean, wouldn't you want to meet someone at the library?

Upstairs on the second floor, there are Magazines & Newspapers, the Teen Room, and the Oakland History Room! The Magazine & Newspaper Room was neat-- there were old bound issues of Vogue and the Times and old phone books and whatnot. I felt too old to be in the Teen Room so I didn't go in (why I feel like I can go into the Children's Room downstairs, but not the Teen Room, I don't know).

The History Room was awesome. As soon as I stepped inside, it smelled totally different from the rest of the library. The air got thicker and warmer, and smelled like old paper. Actually, as soon as you enter the second floor, the hallways are covered in frames of pictures and historical documents. There was a really cool picture of 14th & Broadway from way earlier in the 1900's which just blew my mind because you can see where Telegraph and Broadway intersect-- the building where the old Tully's Coffee used to be, and where my current work is now (right next to the building that is currently a Rite Aid). I tried taking pictures of it, but there was just too much glare.

I wish I could come here more. I didn't spend nearly enough time up here and I need to come back. I picked up one book off the shelf and it was a book of poetry that someone wrote about the area. The library closes at 5:30 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays-- so I either have to come super prepared and get in and out after leaving work right at 5, or I have to wait for a day when they're open later if I want to actually spend any time in the library on a day that I am already in the area. Or on a day like today, I sneak out on my lunch break.