Life in Five Senses

Here’s a book club book review for you! 

Life in Five Senses by Gretchen Rubin was my pick for August. It was an interesting and delightful book to read! I had the hardcover copy which was a birthday gift from Rhonda, so I invited her as my guest for the evening. The print copy contains a good many fascinating photos which really makes the content come alive. Gretchen goes through each of the five senses in a memoir-like way as she finds ways to engage more thoroughly in the world around her. In the “Sight” chapter, she writes about attending Beyond Van Gogh, the Immersive Experience. Serendipitously, this pop-up museum was in Pensacola right over the date of book club! Most of us were able to attend this enthralling event before coming back to my house for a Sight & Sound Supper where the rest joined. I welcomed everyone inside by asking, “How is your nose?” which is a greeting that Gretchen mentions in her book while the 

Infinite Fractal and Falling Shepard Tone played on my Bluetooth speaker in the background. Then we discussed the infamous dress and discovered we were about half and half on team Blue & Black versus team White & Gold! Wow. On to Laurel or Yanny? Some heard both, most heard Laurel. Meanwhile, Heidi provided us with thee most pleasurable boba tea drinks! I for one, found the slurping most satisfying. A row of ketchups which is a splendid example of the flavor umami, even included a homemade version provided by Gloria! We dipped fries and chickens tenders and ate salad with toppings that completed all the colors of the color wheel. Blind taste tests on popular soda flavors were going down as well; poor Mr. Mt. Dew got confidently falsely confirmed as Coke! It’s harder than you think to get them right! Stacia even flubbed on her dear Dr. Pepper! We shared Sensory Memories, sampled jelly beans with our noses plugged, sniffed favorite scents, and ended up with ice cream. Four kinds, all marketed as “homemade or homestyle” iconic, wide world over loved and lauded - Vanilla. With scratch & sniff stickers and Pop-Rocks for party favors, the sensory night came too quickly to a close; senses stimulated in the best way! It all began with a book!