This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is “Literary/Bookish Candles I’d Make (Pick a book and assign it a fragrance or fragrance combo that would make a nice candle.)” (Submitted by Heather @ The Frozen Library)
I thought this would be difficult, especially as I’m not someone who buys a lot of candles, but I actually found it surprisingly easy and fun to do. I’ve picked a combination of two or three scents for each of the books below, based on either the title or the setting. Let me know what you think!
1. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh is about a young woman who works as a florist and learns how to communicate using different flowers to represent emotions. As a companion candle, I’ve chosen a floral fragrance of rose, lily and violet.
2. In Tracy Chevalier’s At the Edge of the Orchard, a couple try to establish an orchard in the Black Swamp of Ohio. An apple and cinnamon candle quickly came to mind!
3. The next one is obvious. I’ve matched Wild Strawberries, the second book in Angela Thirkell’s Barsetshire series, with a strawberry candle. I wasn’t sure which other scents would go well with strawberry, but a quick google search suggested rhubarb.
4. Shadow of the Moon by MM Kaye, a book I loved, is set in India during the Sepoy Mutiny. This made me think of two scents associated with India: jasmine and sandalwood.
5. Moving away from floral and fruity scents for a while, my next candle combines chocolate, vanilla and almond. It represents Midnight in Everwood by MA Kuzniar, a retelling of The Nutcracker set in a sugar-filled fantasy land.
6. In The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, the first in Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell series, Sherlock Holmes has retired to the Sussex countryside to become a beekeeper. I’ve paired a honey and lemon candle with this one.
7. The Seas by Samantha Hunt is set in a lonely coastal town and features a girl who believes she is a mermaid. I think a seaweed and samphire candle is appropriate!
8. Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie is a Poirot novel in which a murder takes place at a children’s Halloween party. I’ve put together a warm, autumnal candle of pumpkin, ginger and caramel.
9. In A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton, an elderly woman reflects on her life in Nagasaki and her memories of the atomic bombing. It’s a beautiful novel with some very moving moments. My candle combines Japanese fragrances of cherry blossom, mimosa and pear.
10. I hope it’s not too early to mention Christmas! Inspired by a true classic, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, a suitable candle could include pine, balsam and nutmeg.
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What do you think? Would you buy any of these candles? And have you read any of the books associated with them?
She Reads Novels 
Honey and lemon sounds good to me and I agree on the scent for At The Edge of The Orchard which I read not long ago.
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/
Apple and cinnamon was an easy choice for At the Edge of the Orchard!
I only have scented candles if someone gives me one for a present, so I’ve ducked out of this TTT. I have read some of your books – At the Edge of the Orchard an apple and cinnamon candle sounds good, and I think warm, autumnal candle of pumpkin, ginger and caramel sounds great for Halloween Party, which I’ve also read.
I sometimes buy candles for other people but not for myself so I thought I would struggle with this, but I didn’t! I’m glad you like the apple and pumpkin ones.
Well done! I like your apple and cinnamon one.
Glad you like that one!
Well done – some of these sound lovely!
Thanks – glad you like them!
Nutmeg is a nice scent.
Yes, it is!
That’s such a lovely and creative list! I love the pairings, especially the rose, lily, and violet scent for The Language of Flowers. I’ve read a few of the books on your list, and I’d definitely be interested in trying a candle for The Keeper of Lost Things. Great post!
Thanks! I had fun putting this post together. I’m glad you like the floral scent 🙂
I love sweet fragrances that make my house smell like I’ve been baking treats all day, so some of these are right up my alley! Great list.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Thanks! Yes, I think some of these candles would make your house smell delicious.
Ooh I love this subject, what a fun idea. Ive only read Midnight In Everwood out of these but definitely agree that it needs a sugary candle of some kind. The title of Hallowe’en Party really matches your choices too and as a fan of pumpkin spice I imagine I’d love that one 😍
I thought this would be a difficult subject at first, but it was fun once I got started. A chocolate scented candle came to mind immediately when I thought of Midnight in Everwood! I’m glad you like my Halloween choices – I’m not really a candle person, but I would be tempted to buy that one.
I think apple would be a perfect addition to the Hallowe’en Party candle.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!https://readbakecreate.com/bookish-candles-i-want-based-on-recent-reads/
Yes, it would! I did think about including apple in the Halloween candle, but already had an apple and cinnamon candle for the Orchard book.
Wow, you are really good at this! I think your picks for The Seas, Hallowe’en Party, and A Christmas Carol are just right:
Here’s my list. I did my own thing: https://franlaniado.wordpress.com/2025/09/16/top-ten-tuesday-this-list-has-been-brought-to-you-by-the-letter-n/
Thanks! I’m glad you like those three.
Mmm apple cinnamon!! I love it! And I feel like I need to read that book too, it sounds really good.
I’m glad you like the apple and cinnamon one! At the Edge of the Orchard was an interesting book.
Love this idea! I found At The Edge of the Orchard disappointing but would enjoy its candle!
That apple and cinnamon candle seems very popular with the commenters here!
I think this would be an excellent idea for a bookish inspired business. Great pairings! I was curious what you would choose for Nagasaki; maybe too sweet a fragrance for such a somber topic, but cherry blossom is synonymous with Japan, after all.
Thanks! Maybe I should start a new career as a candle designer 🙂 Yes, I was worried that the Nagasaki one was too sweet and light, but I also wanted to choose scents that are associated with Japan.