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Five Favorite Villains and Five Bookish Scents

 Unfortunately, I missed last week's Top Ten Tuesday and it was just as inspiring of a topic as this week's, so I thought I'd do a combo! Plus, while these types of topics are more interesting, it's harder to come up with as many, so I think this will split the difference nicely. Let me know what you think!

My Five Favorite Villains

  1. Magneto--Everyone's favorite X-Men villain is also mine--from Ian McKellan's memorable portrayal and especially the recently released X-Men '97 cartoon--it's hard not to think, sometimes, Magneto was right.
  2. Thanos--Also a comic-world villain whose ultimate goal can be strangely relatable--nobody loves his methods or his treatment of his daughters, but he certainly looms large as an alternative to climate change. 
  3. Gretel from Ian Tregellis' Milkweed Triptych--She is absolutely irredeemable--but her villainy is so terrifyingly pure and her foresight ability used so mercilessly, it's hard not to be impressed. 
  4. The Marquess from Catherynne Valente's Fairyland series--Also ultimately irredeemable, I think, but the concept of a child who got into a fairytale world going rogue and blackhearted to stay is relatable and intriguing.
  5. Jade/the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia--Honestly, she's my archetype of the ultimate villain--she just does not care about anything but herself and she will do anything, including and especially manipulating children, to get her world domination on.
Five Literary Bookish Candles I'd Make (The prompt is: Pick a book and assign it a fragrance or fragrance combo that would make a nice candle--Submitted by Heather @ The Frozen Library)
  1. Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen--This one almost writes itself; obviously, lavender, with undertones of vanilla, cedar, and musk. The book is comforting and cozy, but with just a tinge of danger and a tad off the beaten path.
  2. The Bell in the Fog by Lev A.C. Rosen--This one is a little more dangerous and unpredictable than the first book, but more rewarding. The top note would be rose, with undertones of liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, and Earl Grey.
  3. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater--A pretty even mix of Virginia pine, cedar, and mahogany, with undertones of vetiver and charcoal, and a distinct lingering note of gasoline--for a book about some unusual boys set in the wilds of Virginia. 
  4. A Storm in Every Heart by Kate King--Light notes of saltwater, bergamot, and lilac to begin, and a kick of citrusy bite at the end--I imagine the perfume form spritzing in a light and mysterious mist over the heroine's long red tresses as her claws briefly extend.
  5. Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland-- I'd make a berry-scented candle with notes of popcorn and cotton candy, with an afterscent of vetiver and freesia for the luxury ("jackpot") angle of the book, and how it jarringly conflicts with the rest of the scents (like how jarring it turned out to be for the characters to win the lottery!)






Comments

Rosie Amber said…
I was reading a book review earlier for a graphic novel version of the Raven Boys over on the blog from the Pagesunbound ladies. I think they were puzzled as to why bother making it a graphic novel. I can't comment myself as I've not read either version.
Here's a link to my TTT post
https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2025/09/16/%f0%9f%93%9a-toptentuesday-10-books-matched-with-candle-scents-tuesdaybookblog-booktwitter-booktwt-bookx/
Lydia said…
I love citrus scents!
Susan said…
Those last two sound especially nice! Great picks.

Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
I actually have a Raven Boys candle! The theme is "the trees speak latin". :)
Really? Where do I get one?!? Did you like it?
Yeah, that's fair, I'm not drawn to graphic novels especially myself, but it may open it up to a new audience or enhance it for a particular subset of the audience.

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