20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

                                                                        

                                                     

Title: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Author: Jules Verne

Narrator: James Frain

Format: 12 cd's, 15 hours, and 10 minutes

Published: 2011 by Random House, first published 1870

Genre: science fiction, adventure, classic

Obtained: library

Summary:  Professor Aronax along with his assistant Conseil, and harpoonist Ned Land, end up as captives aboard a submarine which is home to Captain Nemo and his crew.  These three men go on a great adventure exploring the world under water all the while looking for a way to escape their captor.

Thoughts:  This book is indeed a great adventure!  The con of it is that I wanted to edit about half of it out.  Although the story is presented in a clear, organized manner, there are way too many details about the submarine and how it works, descriptions of flora and fauna, and classifications of sea creatures.  While some people may look at this as amazing attention to detail (which it is), it caused me to zone out while listening to it because it became monotonous.  It really took away from the plot.
     The book did have intriguing characters that I now feel like I know.  There was also a sense of mystery throughout the book, which I enjoyed.  I kept questioning who Captain Nemo really was and what was really going on.  The attention to details did make the setting come alive.

     The narrator was excellent.  He is a clear speaker with a pleasant voice.  He read at a good pace.  You can tell he is an actor by the way he reads, especially the dialogue.

     I don't know how readers in the late 1800's felt about all the details and classifications in this book.  Maybe this was a positive back then to get all this description.  Times are much different now with all our technology and the pictures and videos we can view. A picture is definitely worth a thousand words.    

                                                               

Company: Joy's Teaspoon                         

     

Tea: Emperors 7 Treasures


Obtained: purchased

     This is another tea that was in the Top Tea's Sampler Pack I purchased from Joy's Teaspoon as a treat for myself.  The eight tea samples come in individual good quality tins.  Each tin is supposed to hold enough leaves for two cups of tea, but I believe there is enough for three or four cups.
     "Emperor's 7 Treasures" is a combination of green and black teas with rose and sunflower blossoms and flavorings.  When I opened the tin, the scent was a combination of fruits and flowers.  The leaves were mostly blacks and greens of all different shapes and sizes with a few bright yellow leaves mixed in.  I poured eight ounces of hot water over one teaspoon of leaves and let this steep for four minutes (4-5 minutes is recommended).  The liquid was an orange brown.  The scent was of a fruity green tea.  I did strain the liquid through a fine sieve because there were many tea leaves that went through my tea ball.  The taste was of a green tea with a light sweet floral background.  This was a very refreshing tea.
     Floral teas are not my favorite, but this one is very pleasant.  It would make a nice spring tea and I would like to try it iced.