This book follows two very different perfumes from start to finish, one an exclusive for Hermes (created by the guy who did FIrst by Van Cleef and Arpels) and Sarah Jessica Parker's, both launched in 2005. Who knew perfume was so interesting? Although I'm not a big scent person, I feel compelled to go to a perfume shop and smell everything I just learned about. Perfume has to be the teetotaler's version of understanding fine wines.

The biggest entertainment came from the author's opinion of various scents, including a brutal but eloquent assessment of anything by Hugo Boss. I wanted to include some quotes to illustrate the maliciousness, but I'll refrain in case a libel suit is brewing. (FYI, he likes Escada, the only perfume I happen to wear--for now.)