Over time, perfume has become more than a hygiene regime. Today, perfume is bought like an accessory to be changed with the weather or mood. Perfume ads are intentionally dreamlike, playing with the senses and emotions. For fragrance lovers, like myself, simply wearing a perfume isn’t enough. We are the book sniffers. We light candles (safely, of course) when we sit down to read. When a book uses sensorial language, even in describing garbage and rotten food, that book is destined to become a favorite. The same way that some readers can vividly picture the characters and story as they read, other readers can imagine the scents described. This list was devised with perfume lovers who just want more in mind.
FICTION
NONFICTION
Of course, no perfume library would be complete without Luca Turin’s most updated Perfumes: the Guide. If you need more perfumery fun, I fully recommend The Perfume Room Podcast with Emma Vernon. You might also want to peruse our guide to Bookish Cosmetics & Perfumes. Don’t mind me, I’ll just be trying to fully immerse myself in a richly descriptive novel while wearing perfume blotters as a mustache.
