Show Notes
Be it Pine, Juniper or Bay - Tanin, Resin, Leaf Litter, Wood Smoke or Quinine…
This episode explores the rich, invisible world of smell — and I use that word very deliberately — with my guest Frauke Galia, host of An Aromatic Life, a podcast that elevates the sense of smell in a world dominated by sight and sound. Together, we dive into how fragrance can shape identity, stir memory, and deepen emotional connection. We also talk a lot about trees — including 13 ways to smell them — and how reconnecting with the natural world through scent can be both grounding and transformative. Smell is such an evocative sense, and in this conversation, we explore how it can be a powerful form of self-expression and a bridge to the world around us.
Fragrances mentioned: Go and smell your favourite tree: those mentioned are the Apple Tree and the Strawberry Gum
Books mentioned: Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree - David George Haskell
Find An Aromatic Life here: Instagram: @an_aromatic_life Website/Substack: anaromaticlife.com
Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Paperback Perfumes
“Stories come in so many forms: in charcoal, and in song, in paintings, poems, films. And books. Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives—or to find strength in a very long one.” - V.E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
"Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains." -Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses
"Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can." - Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic
“In the secular night you wander around alone in your house. It’s Two-Thirty” - Margaret Atwood, In the Secular Night
“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”