My Annual Summer Reading List

The Smellful Books I’m Reading This Summer.

With summer just around the corner, as I like to do every year, today I want to share a few olfactory reads I’ll be soaking up from the comfort of my hammock this summer. Let me know what you’re reading!

The Forgotten Sense: The New Science of Smell (2025, HarperCollins)
By Jonas Olofsson

This is the smell book of 2025, filled with everything you want to know about the sense of smell. I had the chance to interview the author on my podcast, which was a delightful conversation I invite you to check out here.

Publisher Summary: Smelling is one of the most natural things we do. We take over 20,000 breaths a day, interacting with a host of scents with each one. Now, one of the world’s leading researchers on smell, Jonas Olofsson, reveals the fascinating science behind this forgotten sense. Drawing from cutting-edge original research, Olofsson reveals not only that the human sense of smell is extraordinarily sensitive, but how it engages our brain’s full capacity. For readers of Bill Bryson and Steven Pinker, The Forgotten Sense reveals the depths of the most understudied function of human life.

The Secret Perfume of Birds: Uncovering the Science of Avian Scent (2022, Johns Hopkins University Press)
By Danielle J. Whittaker

I’ve had this book in my collection for a few years now and I’m excited to finally dive into the fascinating world of birds. Who knew they were such incredible smellers. I can already tell it’s going to shift the way I see these beautiful creatures, and deepen my sense of wonder even more.

Publisher’s Summary: The untold story of a stunning discovery: not only can birds smell, but their scents may be the secret to understanding their world. The puzzling lack of evidence for the peculiar but widespread belief that birds have no sense of smell irked evolutionary biologist Danielle Whittaker. Exploring the science behind the myth led her on an unexpected quest investigating mysteries from how juncos win a fight to why cowbirds smell like cookies. Whittaker blends humor, clear writing, and a compelling narrative to describe how scent is important not just for birds but for all animals, including humans.

Thirteen Ways To Smell a Tree (2021, Octopus Press)
By David George Haskell

I’ve been coming back to this book again and again, it’s that special. It’s one of my favorite smell books in my collection because each chapter reminds you that there’s more than one way to see the world, especially when it comes to trees. This year I was lucky enough to interview the author for my podcast; you can listen to our conversation here.

Publisher’s Summary: The book takes you on a journey to connect with trees through the sense most aligned to our emotions and memories. Thirteen essays are included that explore the evocative scents of trees, from the smell of a book just printed as you first open its pages, to the calming scent of Linden blossom, to the ingredients of a particularly good gin & tonic.

Dream of the Red Chamber, (1958, Anchor Books)
By Cao Xueqin, Chi-chen Wang (Translator)

Last year I had the chance to interview Scents in China: A Modern History of Smell author Xuelei Huang on my podcast (listen here) and she recommended this book, first published in 1761, for its vibrantly descriptive way of weaving scent through its characters and plot.

Publisher’s Summary: For more than a century and a half, Dream of the Red Chamber has been recognized in China as the greatest of its novels, a Chinese Romeo-and-Juliet love story and a portrait of one of the world's great civilizations. Chi-chen Wang's translation is skillful, accurate and fascinating.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses (2006, Bloomsbury)
By Tom Standage

I picked up this book a while ago because I found the title so intriguing, and am excited to finally read it this summer. I love history and so found the premise of this book, evaluating historical periods in time through drinks, a fascinating idea. Cheers to an aromatic read!

Publisher’s Summary: Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period.

Smell: A Novel (2001, Soho Press)
By Radhika Jha

Although the author had me at the title 😂, I was intrigued by the plot which weaves the many elements of smell into one gripping read. I’m looking forward to getting lost in a fictional world because, as you may have noticed, I’m mostly reading non-fiction.

Publisher’s Summary: After her father is killed in a Nairobi riot, Leela Patel is sent to live with relatives in Paris, where she must learn to adapt as she works in her uncle's Indian grocery, until she discovers how to use her beauty and extraordinary sense of smell to enter the elite society of Paris as an acclaimed chef, but her power of smell soon becomes her enemy and must embark on a journey of self-discovery to cleanse her soul.

A World Without Smells (2017, self-published)
By Lars Lundqvist

This is a book I find myself returning to time and again because it reminds me of what I have: access to a world filled with smells. I’ve interviewed several congenital anosmics (those born without a sense of smell) on my podcast, notably Dia Kline and Charlie Atkins, and it underscores just how varied our everyday experiences can be. You’ll learn a lot in these pages, I promise.

Publisher’s Summary: Imagine what it would be like to live in a world where smells do not exist. How does food taste without smells and how do you avoid eating bad food? How do you keep yourself, your clothes and your home clean if there are no smells to tell you that things are dirty? In this book Lars Lundqvist tells you about his anosmic life, about living without a sense of smell, about living in a world where everyone around him perceives a dimension that has never existed in his world. Welcome to a world without smells!

In Sensorium: Notes From My People (2022, HarperCollins)
By Tanaïs

This Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction book is another that I’m really looking forward to finally reading. To allow smell to tell new stories, and give me added perspectives, seems like a privilege that I don’t want to take for granted. This one feels different, provocative, and uncomfortable. Just what I need.

Publisher’s Summary: Focusing their gaze on our most primordial sense, writer and perfumer Tanaïs weaves a brilliant and expansive memoir, a reckoning that offers a critical, alternate history of South Asia from an American Bangladeshi Muslim femme perspective. From stories of their childhood in the South, Midwest, and New York; to transcendent experiences with lovers, psychedelics, and fragrances; to trips home to their motherland, Tanaïs builds a universe of memories and scent: a sensorium.

No Place for Plants (2024, self-published)
By Dr. Kelly Ablard & Frauke Galia

Ok, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include some summer reading for the children in your life. I’m really proud of the book we’ve written and I hope the story not only inspires children to connect with Nature more, but to do so through their nose. Listen to the authors’ conversation here.

Publisher’s Summary: What happens when a cherished community garden is threatened to be taken away? The story of one girl’s determination to save an urban green space. One Sunday, Pukuu’ (poo-koo) is walking to her cherished community garden with her grandmother and pet tortoise, enjoying the plants, animals, and scents of Nature along the way. But on this day, they arrive to discover the garden is in danger…. Can Pukuu’ find the support she needs in time to save her community garden? Join Native American Pukuu’ and her friends as they learn what the garden means to their diverse community, and what can be done to fight for something you love.

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This week on my podcast An Aromatic Life:

This week I sit down with multi-sensory artist Donna Lipowitz to talk about her various creative projects using scent. If you’ve ever thought about being creative with scent, this is the episode for you!

You can listen to this episode and many more on Apple podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.