Author: Chris Bohjalian
Narrators: Erin Spencer, Grace Experience, and Mark Deakins
Publisher: Penguin Random House, 2018
Format: 9 compact discs, approx. 11 1/2 hours
Genre: thriller, mystery
Obtained: library
Summary: Cassandra Bowden, a flight attendant, wakes up in a hotel in Dubai next to a dead man after a night of drinking and blacking out. Did she kill him? If someone else killed him, why was she left alive?
Thoughts: I listened to this audio book while I painted the walls and stained the woodwork in my son's room. This book made me look forward to this monotonous task each day until it was completed. That is how much I enjoyed it.
Why did I appreciate it so much? This book was original. I didn't feel like I had read something like it before. It was not predictable. I was surprised at what happened at times, especially at the end. The attention to detail, especially the life of a flight attendant, drew me into the book and kept me there. This was an intricate story that was slow paced and character driven. The characters were developed to the point that they seemed like real people, always doing things true to their personalities. The narrators helped bring these characters to life, especially the main character, Cassandra Bowden. Each narrator read at a good pace and spoke clearly. Their voices matched the character's personalities.
If you liked Midwives, the only other novel I have read by this author, this is nothing like it. I really enjoyed that one as well, but this is a different genre, and type of book. If you are looking for a similar book to Midwives, you may be disappointed. Also, this is a thriller, but very slow paced for a thriller, which I prefer. Interesting characters, details, and intricate plot are what I look for most in a book. If you like fast-paced thrillers this is not for you.
Company: David's Tea
Tea: Organic Cinnamon Rooibos Chai
Obtained: purchased
I read an article that I came across online about Teavana going out of business and David's Tea expanding and opening many new stores in the United States. I was never a big Teavana fan, but decided to try David's Tea since this is the first time I became aware of this chain. I ordered the David's Top Twelve gift set along with the Summer Time Favourites iced tea singles collection, and received three free samples with my order. The order arrived the next day!
The David's Top Twelve teas came in a very sturdy, cheery gift box. Each of the twelve teas came in a twist top container and were set in the box with a corresponding description of the tea and brewing instructions on the lid, which reminded me of Russell Stovers candy. The only thing I did not like about the presentation was that it said to use "1-2 perfect spoons" of tea per 16 ounces of water. I had to go searching to find that David's "perfect spoon" is equal to 2.5 teaspoons.
The Organic Cinnamon Rooibos is the first tea I sampled from this collection. The ingredients listed on the website were organic rooibos, apple, cinnamon, and natural cinnamon flavouring. It is a caffeine free tea and certified organic, kosher, and fair trade. The small, thin, brown rooibos leaves were mixed with brown and pink chunks. The scent of the leaves was cinnamon. I poured sixteen ounces of water, that had been boiled and set for a minute, over 2.5 teaspoons of leaves. I let this steep for four minutes. The liquid was dark orange and had a wonderful cinnamon scent. The taste was of cinnamon with apple in the background. I did not think of chai when I drank this tea because it did not have that peppery spiciness to it that I think of when I want chai. I thought of cinnamon tea. The tea did have an odd texture to it that is hard to describe- oily?, syrupy? thick?
I enjoyed the scent and the cinnamon apple taste of this tea, but I didn't care for the texture. If you love cinnamon and don't mind different textures, this is one to try. It did have a delicious taste!
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