In the eighth installment in the New York Times bestselling mystery series that makes “even cat lovers…howl with delight” (USA TODAY), Chet and his human PI companion, Bernie Little, find themselves in a prickly situation when a mysterious case of illegal cactus smuggling comes to their attention. In the latest entry in the immensely popular Chet and Bernie mystery series, Private Investigator Bernie Little and his canine companion Chet return home to encounter some alarming developments. First off, Bernie’s wall safe—normally hidden behind the waterfall picture in the office—is gone, and with it Bernie’s grandfather’s watch, their most valuable possession. And next door, old Mr. Parsons is under investigation for being in possession of a saguaro cactus illegally transplanted from the desert. Bernie and Chet go deep into the desert to investigate. Is it possible that such a lovely old couple have a terrible secret in their past? Chet and Bernie discover bad things going on in the wilderness, far worse that cactus smuggling, and all connected to a strange but innocent-seeming desert festival called Cactus Man. They unearth leads that take them back to a long-ago kidnapping that may not have been a kidnapping and threaten a ruthless and charismatic criminal with a cult following, a criminal who sees at once what Chet and Bernie mean to each other and knows how to exploit it. Every bit as “insightful” (Booklist), “humorous” (Library Journal), and “deliciously addictive” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) as Quinn’s previous books, Scents and Sensibility is a drool-worthy mystery that will have readers everywhere begging for more.

Delve into the world of natural aromas and discover their profound effect on emotional well-being, from relieving stress to enhancing sensuality.

This lively, accessible book is the first to explore Victorian literature through scent and perfume, presenting an extensive range of well-known and unfamiliar texts in intriguing and imaginative new ways that make us re-think literature's relation with the senses. Concentrating on aesthetic and decadent authors, Scents and Sensibility introduces a rich selection of poems, essays, and fiction, exploring these texts with reference to both the little-known cultural history of perfume use and the appreciation of natural fragrance in Victorian Britain. It shows how scent and perfume are used to convey not merely moods and atmospheres but the nuances of the aesthete or decadent's carefully cultivated identity, personality, or sensibility. A key theme is the emergence of the olfactif, the cultivated individual with a refined sense of smell, influentially represented by the poet and critic Algernon Charles Swinburne, who is emulated by a host of canonical and less well-known aesthetic and decadent successors such as Walter Pater, Edmund Gosse, John Addington Symonds, Lafcadio Hearn, Michael Field, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Symons, Mark André Raffalovich, Theodore Wratislaw, and A. Mary F. Robinson. This book explores how scent and perfume pervade the work of these authors in many different ways, signifying such diverse things as style, atmosphere, influence, sexuality, sensibility, spirituality, refinement, individuality, the expression of love and poetic creativity, and the aura of personality, dandyism, modernity, and memory. A coda explores the contrasting twentieth-century responses of Virginia Woolf and Compton Mackenzie to the scent of Victorian literature.

As a self-taught embroiderer, Burr understands the need for clarity. The embroideries are divided into three levels, each designed to take you onto the next stage of needle painting. The projects feature traditional flowers, and two small, colorful and delightful South African birds.

Winner of the 2016 Perfumed Plume Award The “Alice Waters of American natural perfume” (indieperfume.com) and author of the Art of Flavor celebrates our most potent sense, through five rock stars of the fragrant world Mandy Aftel is widely acclaimed as a trailblazer in natural perfumery. Over two decades of sourcing the finest aromatic ingredients from all over the world and creating artisanal fragrances, she has been an evangelist for the transformative power of scent. In Fragrant, through five major players in the epic of aroma, she explores the profound connection between our sense of smell and the appetites that move us, give us pleasure, make us fully alive. Cinnamon, queen of the Spice Route, touches our hunger for the unknown, the exotic, the luxurious. Mint, homegrown the world over, speaks to our affinity for the familiar, the native, the authentic. Frankincense, an ancient incense ingredient, taps into our longing for transcendence, while ambergris embodies our unquenchable curiosity. And exquisite jasmine exemplifies our yearning for beauty, both evanescent and enduring. In addition to providing a riveting initiation into the history, natural history, and philosophy of scent, Fragrant imparts the essentials of scent literacy and includes recipes for easy-to-make fragrances and edible, drinkable, and useful concoctions that reveal the imaginative possibilities of creating with—and reveling in—aroma. Vintage line drawings make for a volume that will be a treasured gift as well as a great read.

An artisan perfumer reveals a lost art and its mysterious, sensual history. For centuries, people have taken what seems to be an instinctive pleasure in rubbing scents into their skin. Perfume has helped them to pray, to heal, and to make love. And as long as there has been perfume, there have been perfumers, or rather the priests, shamans, and apothecaries who were their predecessors. Yet, in many ways, perfumery is a lost art, its creative and sensual possibilities eclipsed by the synthetic ingredients of which contemporary perfumes are composed, which have none of the subtlety and complexity of essences derived from natural substances, nor their lush histories. Essence and Alchemy resurrects the social and metaphysical legacy that is entwined with the evolution of perfumery, from the dramas of the spice trade to the quests of the alchemists to whom today's perfumers owe a philosophical as well as a practical debt. Mandy Aftel tracks scent through the boudoir and the bath and into the sanctums of worship, offering insights on the relationship of scent to sex, solitude, and the soul. Along the way, she imparts instruction in the art of perfume compositions, complete with recipes, guiding the reader in a process of transformation of materials that continues to follow the alchemical dictum solve et coagula (dissolve and combine) and is itself aesthetically and spiritually transforming.

Everything about the sense of smell fascinates us, from its power to evoke memories to its ability to change our moods and influence our behavior. Yet because it is the least understood of the senses, myths abound. For example, contrary to popular belief, the human nose is almost as sensitive as the noses of many animals, including dogs; blind people do not have enhanced powers of smell; and perfumers excel at their jobs not because they have superior noses, but because they have perfected the art of thinking about scents. In this entertaining and enlightening journey through the world of aroma, olfaction expert Avery Gilbert illuminates the latest scientific discoveries and offers keen observations on modern culture: how a museum is preserving the smells of John Steinbeck's Cannery Row; why John Waters revived the "smellie" in Polyester; and what innovations are coming from artists like the Dutch "aroma jockey" known as Odo7. From brain-imaging laboratories to the high-stakes world of scent marketing, What the Nose Knows takes us on a tour of the strange and surprising realm of smell.

Rethink Tea... Rethink Chai. Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water. Ayurveda, derived from ancient Indian texts, offers many guidelines for a holistic, health-centered lifestyle – including food and beverages. Seven Pots of Tea is the first cookbook of its kind that allows readers to explore Ayurveda through tea, and vice-versa through dozens of simple recipes. Seven Pots of Tea combines holistic wisdom and health goals an easy, accessible format to improve readers’ perspectives on their favorite beverage. It highlights many easy to make herbal teas, tisanes and brews that can integrate into existing routines of self-care to promote overall wellness. Designed as an informative reference book with practical tips, Seven Pots of Tea is just as much for beginners who want to make subtle changes to just one part of their daily routine, as it is for those who are looking for a substantive collection of Ayurvedic teas, brews, tisanes, and healthy snacks to pair with their beloved brews. The first half of the cookbook offers context: India’s historical relationship to medicinal beverages and its relationship to tea and chai; a primer on the principles of Ayurveda; and detailed notes on the Ayurvedic considerations of the cooking tool and attributes of nearly a hundred fruits, herbs, and spices featured in the cookbook. This section also elaborates on the concept of Rasa, the six essential flavors (sweet, sour, spicy, salty, bitter, and astringent) and then encourages readers to explore the recipes through this renewed lens of flavor. Enjoy recipes for several dozen brews and tisanes in Seven Pots of Tea as well as many kinds of chai from India, as well as several dozen nosh recipes. As a cookbook, it is designed to broaden a tea-enthusiasts’ appreciation beyond the varieties of tea-leaves. To close, Nandita includes a tabulated reference on Ayurvedic guide on herbs and spices that are used in this book. Readers who enjoy simple recipes, love herbal teas and brews, and are looking for ways to improve their lifestyle, will wholeheartedly embrace Seven Pots of Tea: an ayurvedic approach to sips & nosh. It is designed to dovetail into holiday self-care routines and make for a thoughtful and considerate holiday gift. ~~~~ Includes foreword by chef and author Suvir Saran. Foreword: "Seven Pots of Tea is a groundbreaking, one of a kind collection of classical wisdom carefully re-imagined for the modern kitchen......Through her visually striking photographs, detailed Ayurvedic spice notes, and easy recipes, Nandita reclaims and preserves classic Indian beverages and brews to begin our journey into mindful eating with a simple cup of ‘chai’." ~ Suvir Saran, Chef & Author of Instamatic and others. Peer Review: "Tea is so intrinsically intertwined with India, especially meals. I'm guilty of downing cup after cup of breakfast tea or chai without thinking of its origins or ayurvedic uses. Nandita is an excellent teacher, about the history of tea, how to make it and what to serve with it. This is the perfect guide for any tea lover." - Chandra Ram, author of 'The Complete Indian Instant Pot Cookbook: 130 Traditional and Modern Recipes' "Tea lovers everywhere can rejoice! This comprehensive book not only focuses on Ayurveda and tea culture but also provides a refreshing course in history in addition to the delicious tea recipes to delight your palate.” Chef K.N.Vinod, Restaurateur/Co-founder Indique Hospitality Group

Can a drop of perfume tell the story of the twentieth century? Can a smell bear the traces of history? What can we learn about the history of the twentieth century by examining the fate of perfumes? In this remarkable book, Karl Schlögel unravels the interconnected histories of two of the world’s most celebrated perfumes. In tsarist Russia, two French perfumers – Ernest Beaux and Auguste Michel – developed related fragrances honouring Catherine the Great for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. During the Russian Revolution and Civil War, Beaux fled Russia and took the formula for his perfume with him to France, where he sought to adapt it to his new French circumstances. He presented Coco Chanel with a series of ten fragrance samples in his laboratory and, after smelling each, she chose number five – the scent that would later go by the name Chanel No. 5. Meanwhile, as the perfume industry was being revived in Soviet Russia, Auguste Michel used his original fragrance to create Red Moscow for the tenth anniversary of the Revolution. Piecing together the intertwined histories of these two famous perfumes, which shared a common origin, Schlögel tells a surprising story of power, intrigue and betrayal that offers an altogether unique perspective on the turbulent events and high politics of the twentieth century. This brilliant account of perfume and politics in twentieth-century Europe will be of interest to a wide general readership.