Title: Jacoby
Author: William Ritter
Narrator: Nicola Barber
Publisher: Highbridge, 2014
Format: 6 CD's, 7.5 hours
Genre: mystery, fantasy, paranormal
Genre: mystery, fantasy, paranormal
Obtained: library
Summary: In 1892, Abigal Rook arrives in New Fiddleham, New England with just a small suitcase of her belongings and the need of money and a place to stay. While looking around town for a job, she discovers a "help wanted" advertisement leading her to Jacoby, a paranormal investigator with the ability to see beings no one else is able to see. She becomes his assistant. Their first case together is to solve the mystery of a possible serial killer.
Thoughts: I loved the characters, setting, atmoshere, and writing style in this book! I also loved that the author combined some of my favorite things to read about when writing this book - mystery, paranormal, folklore, myths, and the late 19th Century.
The characters had to have been the best part. Abigal Rook told the story from her perspective, similar to what Watson did in the Sherlock Holmes books. She was a likeable, humorous, honest narrator. Jacoby was wonderful! He was an eccentric, quirky fellow that had terrific lines. There were also colorful minor characters and Harry Potter like beings throughout the novel. They were well developed and complex.
The setting was New England in 1892. The author did a great job sticking with the time period, but then added in the paranormal world so there was never a dull moment. I loved learning about these paranormal beings! The best setting was Jacoby's house. I really wanted to explore it. People that could not pay Jacoby would give him items as payment. He also had many articles and books related to the paranormal. So, the house was packed with interesting stuff. He had a laboratory/kitchen. There was even a pond in the house!
The writing style was wonderful. The author had a way of providing many, many details without getting monotonous. This made for a very clear picture of everything that was happening without slowing down the pace of the story. The pace was slower at the beginning and picked up as the story went on. The story had humor throughout, and was very easy to follow.
I listened to this book on CD and really enjoyed how the narrator portrayed each character. Each character had very distinct voices and the personality of each came out in their voice. The narrator's voice was clear and full of expression, so that I never lost interest.
I did guess whodunit right away, but this didn't matter to me because I still felt as if I were on a great adventure. So, the major weakness of this book was the mystery itself. It had twists and turns, but they were very predictable- to me anyway.
This was a light book that was a great escape. I didn't want to leave the world the author created. Luckily this is a series, and I have already put Beastly Bones, the second in the series, on hold at my library. I can't wait to go back! I believe this would be a great book for young adults.
Summary: In 1892, Abigal Rook arrives in New Fiddleham, New England with just a small suitcase of her belongings and the need of money and a place to stay. While looking around town for a job, she discovers a "help wanted" advertisement leading her to Jacoby, a paranormal investigator with the ability to see beings no one else is able to see. She becomes his assistant. Their first case together is to solve the mystery of a possible serial killer.
Thoughts: I loved the characters, setting, atmoshere, and writing style in this book! I also loved that the author combined some of my favorite things to read about when writing this book - mystery, paranormal, folklore, myths, and the late 19th Century.
The characters had to have been the best part. Abigal Rook told the story from her perspective, similar to what Watson did in the Sherlock Holmes books. She was a likeable, humorous, honest narrator. Jacoby was wonderful! He was an eccentric, quirky fellow that had terrific lines. There were also colorful minor characters and Harry Potter like beings throughout the novel. They were well developed and complex.
The setting was New England in 1892. The author did a great job sticking with the time period, but then added in the paranormal world so there was never a dull moment. I loved learning about these paranormal beings! The best setting was Jacoby's house. I really wanted to explore it. People that could not pay Jacoby would give him items as payment. He also had many articles and books related to the paranormal. So, the house was packed with interesting stuff. He had a laboratory/kitchen. There was even a pond in the house!
The writing style was wonderful. The author had a way of providing many, many details without getting monotonous. This made for a very clear picture of everything that was happening without slowing down the pace of the story. The pace was slower at the beginning and picked up as the story went on. The story had humor throughout, and was very easy to follow.
I listened to this book on CD and really enjoyed how the narrator portrayed each character. Each character had very distinct voices and the personality of each came out in their voice. The narrator's voice was clear and full of expression, so that I never lost interest.
I did guess whodunit right away, but this didn't matter to me because I still felt as if I were on a great adventure. So, the major weakness of this book was the mystery itself. It had twists and turns, but they were very predictable- to me anyway.
This was a light book that was a great escape. I didn't want to leave the world the author created. Luckily this is a series, and I have already put Beastly Bones, the second in the series, on hold at my library. I can't wait to go back! I believe this would be a great book for young adults.
Company: Teema Teas
Tea: Immortality
Obtained: purchased
Teema Teas gets its tea from a woman owned, certified organic plantation in northern Thailand in the foothills of the Himalayas. Ten percent of this company's profits are donated to help empower economically disadvantaged women.
"Immortality" was one of the four teas in the Discovery Gift Pack. The four teas came in an envelope made of abaca fibers. These fibers are extracted from the leaf sheath around the trunk of the abaca or manila hemp plant, and are sustainable. The teas came in pre-portioned packets measured for 12 ounces of water. The packets were good quality, but had to be cut to open them. One of the packets can be seen in the above picture.
The tea leaves looked as if fresh, wet leaves had been squished up and left to dry leaving dark green squiggly bundles- very cool looking. The leaves had a grassy smell reminiscent of fresh hay. I put the leaves in my teapot and poured 12 ounces of water that had been boiled over the leaves. I let this steep for 3 minutes. The liquid was yellow and had a very faint grassy scent. The taste was very different! I had never tasted anything like this before. At first I got a slight grassy flavor, but then this was followed by an astringent / sweet taste. It was odd to taste a bitterness and very sweet taste at the same time. The sweetness reminded me of stevia. The texture was also odd. The tea just seemed thicker than water, almost a bit oily.
This tea is made from jiaogulan. This herb, which grows wild in China, is said to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and strengthen the immune system. It is caffeine free.
Tea: Immortality
Obtained: purchased
Teema Teas gets its tea from a woman owned, certified organic plantation in northern Thailand in the foothills of the Himalayas. Ten percent of this company's profits are donated to help empower economically disadvantaged women.
"Immortality" was one of the four teas in the Discovery Gift Pack. The four teas came in an envelope made of abaca fibers. These fibers are extracted from the leaf sheath around the trunk of the abaca or manila hemp plant, and are sustainable. The teas came in pre-portioned packets measured for 12 ounces of water. The packets were good quality, but had to be cut to open them. One of the packets can be seen in the above picture.
The tea leaves looked as if fresh, wet leaves had been squished up and left to dry leaving dark green squiggly bundles- very cool looking. The leaves had a grassy smell reminiscent of fresh hay. I put the leaves in my teapot and poured 12 ounces of water that had been boiled over the leaves. I let this steep for 3 minutes. The liquid was yellow and had a very faint grassy scent. The taste was very different! I had never tasted anything like this before. At first I got a slight grassy flavor, but then this was followed by an astringent / sweet taste. It was odd to taste a bitterness and very sweet taste at the same time. The sweetness reminded me of stevia. The texture was also odd. The tea just seemed thicker than water, almost a bit oily.
This tea is made from jiaogulan. This herb, which grows wild in China, is said to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and strengthen the immune system. It is caffeine free.
This tea was not for me. I didn't even finish the cup. If you are looking for a very different taste, you'll get it with this one!
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