For escapism, or just a slice of time alone. About ready for a break? We may not be able to take a far-flung trip this year, but we are great believers that you can travel quite a way in your mind. We made you all a reading list of Summer book recommendations to pair with each of our new in candles and inspire you take a moment. Light one of these babies up and transport yourself to pastures new.
Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
Pair with Earl of East • Viagem Candle
Correct us if we’re wrong, but this could be the all-time most perfect summer read. Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents' cliff-side mansion on the Italian Riviera. You’ll truly fall into this book every time you pick it up, as it absorbs you with its sensory language. You can taste the food they eat outside on the terrace, smell the fruit trees outside the house, feel as if you can touch the fabric of the building, and each character’s clothes. To be adored, passed on to your friend, then demanded back so you can re-read.
And there couldn’t be a more suited scent to burn whilst reading than the Viagem Candle. Created by Earl of East working with a blend of sweet coconut, green oregano and earthy vetiver to exhilarate the fig leaf, creating a sense of hazy and balmy summer nights. Its fresh, earthy profile conjures scenes of long hazy evenings on sun-soaked terraces. Lean into it.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières
Pair with Wax + Wick • Rock Salt & Driftwood
Once a classic, always a classic. No exceptions for this forever favourite - Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Its page turning plot that weaves love, family, war and a deep appreciation for nature is second to none, but it’s location on an island by the sea is truly what makes this an ideal read for when you may not be able to travel. Pick it up and expect to lose hours to its beautiful story. ‘Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches, we found that we were one tree and not two.’ A true love story.
Escape the everyday with the Rock Salt & Driftwood Candle from Wax + Wick as your guide. Light, close your eyes and breath in. Then keep on reading, because this room filling fragrance will help you travel in your mind right into the book with its light and earthy scent. Will trigger all good memories of being by the sea.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Pair with Find • Find Your Light Candle
A bestseller for a reason. This stunning novel by Tayari Jones is another stirring love story but this one set in modern day as a deeply insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. It’s a timely novel that explores the numerous societal ills caused by mass incarceration and the US criminal justice system through the wrongful imprisonment of Roy and exploring how it impacts his marriage to Celestial and their relationships with family and friends. An important, transformative read to get completely engrossed in this Summer.
This is a special book to really pay attention to and deserves an equally considered candle. Burn Find’s Find Your Light Candle to provide balance - one to reach for when you are in need of a moment to yourself. Created with morning meditation or rituals in mind with Ylang Ylang, Grapefruit and Bergamot, this is a ‘breathe deep and dive right in’ type of fragrance. Ideal for forgetting your day and jumping into the day of a character.
A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson
Pair with Earl of East • Greenhouse Candle
A new book this year comes in next - the enchanting and imaginative, A Theatre for Dreamers. A story of innocence lost and the stormy undercurrents of an idyllic artist community on the Greek island of Hydra set in the 60s when artists abound settled there including the inimitable Leonard Cohen. A read that focusses on the passage of time - and we could all do with that right now! - a relationship between artist and muse, and the many moonlight swims and late-night drinks. For every time you’ve wished you were sitting under a tree lit with candles and having a post-swim dinner with friends.
Perfect for such long evenings is the hand-poured Greenhouse candle, inspired by long summers spent in co-creator Niko's Grandparents garden in Northern Greece as a child. A fresh blend of sweet vine tomato, parsley seed and basil, Greenhouse is inspired by the rural villages of the Greek mainland. Its clean, green and uplifting profile alludes to the pretty sun filled villages and shimmering waters of the Mediterranean, instantly placing you by the sea. This is the ultimate fresh summer scent - and is perfect for this book.
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
Pair with Find • Find Your Calm Candle
Let’s finish things off with a staff favourite, the bittersweet novel Bonjour Tristesse. Published in 1954, when the author was only 18, it was an overnight sensation. In the novel the 17-year-old protagonist, Cécile, spends her summer in a villa on the French Riviera with her father Raymond and his current mistress. Without giving anything away, this is a book about love, scandal, beaches and balmy evenings. Nail on the head for a holiday read and we know you’ll be picking it up again for many Summers to come.
This book could be read with just about any fragrance burning in the background, but we’d go for the heady combination of Lavender, Patchouli and Frankincense from the Find Your Calm Candle. It will transport you to any location by relaxing your mind enough to allow your imagination to kick in.
And a few extra must reads we had to mention. We are currently working our way through both Me and White Supremacy by Layla F Saad, and Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race, by Reni Eddo-Lodge. Both vital books, and both intended to give a different teaching on how we all need to work at becoming anti-racist in our everyday lives - for the rest of them.
We want to know what you've been reading, or what's on your shelf to pick up next. Drop us an email with your recommendations or any questions you have about our new lifestyle brands and the full candle range. Here if you need us.
