The Traitor's Wife

Title: The Traitor's Wife

Author: Allison Pataki

Publisher: Howard Books, 2014

Pages: 467

Genre: historical fiction

Obtained: library










Summary: This is the story of Peggy Shippen Arnold, Benedict Arnold's wife, and her part in the plan to deliver West Point to the British.

Thoughts:  This is a very light historical novel.  It is a quick read for 467 pages.  The writing style is straight forward and the story is easy to follow.  There are just enough details describing the setting and characters to make you feel like you are in Colonial America, most of the time.  At times, I questioned- Would people actually do this, or believe this during this time period? - but I have not studied the time period enough to be certain.  The characters were well developed, though at times, I felt like I didn't really know them completely.
     Other than these minor details, this was an excellent read!  The story was told from the perspective of Peggy Shippen Arnold's maid, Clara Bell.  So, the book is really two stories intertwined- the totally fictitious story of Clara Bell (who did not even really exist), and the story of Peggy Shippen and Bennedict Arnold (which is based on real life events).  Both stories were great.  Telling Peggy's story from the maid's perspective was a terrific idea.
     I believe that hard core historical fiction fans would find fault with this book, but for anyone that likes light historical fiction, fiction in general, or has any interest in Benedict Arnold or the American Revolution, would enjoy this book.


                                                                     
                                                               





                                                       
Company: Yezi Tea

Tea: Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong

Obtained: purchased








     Yezi Tea company specializes in Chinese tea.  Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, which is also known as Lapsang Souchong, is grown in the Wuyi Mountains of the Fujian province of China.  The tea leaves are smoked over smoldering wood.
     I purchased the Farmer Favorite's Tea Sampler  and this tea was one of the samples.  The tea came in a lined bag which kept the leaves fresh.  The leaves were long, thin, and black.  They had a strong earthy scent to them.
     I poured 9 ounces of water over 6 teaspoons of the leaves and let this steep for 30 seconds.  The liquid was reddish brown.  The scent of the liquid was reminiscent of dried leaves on a fall day.  The taste was earthy, yet had a light smokey flavor.  The aftertaste was slightly sweet, yet tangy.  The strength of the tea was surprising for the short steep time.  This tea would be great to try if you are looking for a different tasting black tea.

The Wind in the Willows

Title: The Wind in the Willows

Author: Kenneth Grahame

Narrator: Shelly Frasier

Format: 6 cd's

Published: 2008 by Tantor Media, originally published in 1908

Genre: classic, adventure

                                                                                          Obtained: library


Summary:  This is a collection of stories about the adventures of the unlikely friends Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad.

Thoughts: The author has created loveable characters and a setting that is perfect to retreating into when you are looking for a calm, quiet, contemplative, relaxing kind of book. He does a great job of transporting you to the river, meadow, and the "wild wood".  This book tells of the adventures of animals (who have human traits and emotions), but focuses on simple pleasures and ordinary lives.  Much of the book is about hospitality and friendship.  These friends spend much time going on picnics, boating, and enjoying long talks in one anothers homes.
     Toad is the character that does not have a life that is thought of as ordinary, so the little excitement in the book is the adventures of Toad.   When the friends visit the "Wild Wood" this may be seen as scary to children, but also adds a little excitment to the book.
     The narrator was able to speak calmly during the day to day activities of the characters, but was able to put enough energy into her reading to grab your attention when something more exciting was about to happen.  She was also able to bring life to the characters by giving them distinct voices which added to their personalities.
     If you are looking for an action packed book, you will not be happy with this one.  This is a book to read when looking for loveable charcters and a cozy read with just a little adventure to hold your interest.   It would be great to read while sipping tea or on a picnic.  This book did not hold my kid's (ages 8 and 14) attention.  There was simply not enough going on for them that they did not consider mundane.

                                                                    

Company: Joy's Teaspoon

Tea: Blue Beauty Oolong

Obtained: purchased

     Joy's Teaspoon is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.  This company gets their teas from more than a dozen sources including both growers and blenders.  Joy's Teaspoon promotes fair trade and environmental protection.  It is named after the owner's mother.

     I purchased a Top Tea's Sampler pack for $10.49, plus shipping.  The samples came in good quality tins packed in a gift box.  Blue Beauty Oolong was one of the eight samples.  Blue Beauty Oolong consists of Se Chung Oolong, licorice root, and ginseng.  The good quality tin was easy to open.   The leaves looked like gray pebbles (really cool), as can be seen in the above picture.  They had a grassy scent.  

     I steeped one teaspoon of leaves in eight ounces of water for one minute. The website recommended steeping for 50 seconds.  The liquid was a light gold with a very mild earthy scent.  The taste was mild as well.  The tea had an earthy taste with a background that was fresh and subtly sweet.  I could not taste the licorice, but I am assuming this is where the sweetness came from.

     This is a refreshing tea.  If you are looking for a licorice flavored tea, this is not the one for you.  If you are looking for an earthy tea with a subtle sweetness, this is the one.  A bonus is that the leaves can be steeped at least four times.  I didn't try more than four, but I did steep the same leaves 3 times and the flavor was the same each time.

The Mirror Thief

    

Title: The Mirror Thief

Author: Martin Seay

Published: May 2016 by Melville House Printing

Pages: 582

Genre: fiction, historical fiction

Obtained: library











Summary: Crivano, in 16th century Venice, Italy, has a scheme to sneak mirror craftsmen off the island. This is a crime punishable by death.  Stanley, in Venice Beach, California, in the 1950's, is on a mission to find the author of "The Mirror Thief".  Curtis, in the Venice Casino of Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2003, is trying to find Stanley so that he can help him out of a bad situation.  The three stories are interwoven on many levels.

Thoughts:  I really liked this author's style of writing which kept me engaged.  It was unique, and the descriptions were excellent.  He did a great job of setting the stage for each story, bringing both the time periods and places to life.  The problem was, none of the three plots drew me in.  I felt like most of the book was just one man looking for another.  Also, the characters had personalities and were somewhat developed, but I just couldn't bond with them and I didn't have any strong feeling toward any of them, positive or negative.
     There were some good themes, for example, how things are always changing, and how choices we make steer our lives.  The author was also very clever in making connections between the three stories, and continuing threads between time and space.  However, the ending was not good.  I just didn't get it.  It felt like the author wrote it in a way that you had to make up your own ending.  It was very unclear what, exactly, was happening.
     The book was long and at times I didn't want to finish it, but the writing style and the question of how the author would tie the three stories together kept me reading.  At the end I was disappointed and the book did not seem worth the read.  The author does have a talent for writing.  Maybe his next try will be better.



                                                                 

                                                

Company: Art of Tea

Tea: French Lemon Ginger

Obtained: gift







     French Lemon Ginger tea from Art of Tea comes in a resealable brown bag which keeps the tea fresh.  The tea is composed of organic lemon grass, organic rooibos, organic honeybush, organic lemon verbena, and organic ginger.  It is a mix of long, thin, light green leaves and very small pieces of brown leaves.  The leaves have a sweet grassy scent with a background scent of lemon.
     I poured 16 ounces of hot water over 2 tablespoons of leaves and let this brew for 5 minutes.  The liquid was an orange brown and had a wonderful aroma of lemon with a hint of ginger.  The taste was of sweet lemon with an after taste of ginger.  It was a smooth, well balnced blend.
     This tea was refreshing and soothing hot.  I also tried it iced and it made one of the best iced teas I ever had.  It was so refreshing!  If you like lemons, this is definitely one to try.  I am not a big ginger fan, but the ginger flavor was not strong and balanced perfectly with the rest of the flavors.
   

Watership Down

Title: Watership Down

Author: Richard Adams

Narrator: Ralph Cosham

Format: 13 cd's, approx. 16 hours, tracks every 3 minutes

Publisher: 2010 by Blackstone Audio, Inc., originally published in November 1972

Genre:  classic, fantasy, adventure

Obtained: library



Summary: A band of rabbits abruptly leave their warren and set out to find a new way of life.  Along their dangerous journey they encounter many new and strange things.

Thoughts:  This book is a masterpiece!  It is amazing that someone could create a story about rabbits that is believable, never mind the whole rabbit culture, history, and mythology that the author brings into the story.  Wow!  There is just so much going on and the attention to detail makes you feel like you are right there along with the rabbits.  On top of that you have these lovable, complex characters that stay with you even when you move on to your next book.
     This book is also unique in that the story is told from the perspective of animals, but the animals have human traits and emotions and even think like humans.  They also have rabbit words for things that we humans don't, for example, "solflay" is the act of grazing or grass itself.
     This story can be read at surface level for the fantasy and adventure, but there are MANY deeper themes, such as leadership, teamwork, roles in society, freedom, responsibility, friendship, loyalty, and survival.  These themes really got me thinking.
     The book can get slow at times, but it is not difficult to continue with it at all.  The book is long, but I didn't want it to end.
     The narrator had a pleasant story telling voice that made the story easy to follow.  His voice was clear and he did a great job giving distinct voices to different animals.  He read at a good pace.
     My kids and I spent the summer listening to this in the car.  It was way over the head of my 8 year old, but my 14 year old really enjoyed it and didn't want it to end either.  I would say it is really an adult book.  Yes, an adult book about bunnies, but the author makes it work!  There is violence and the book deals with adult concepts such as war, survival, ethics, and human nature.  This is a must read.

                                                            

                                                                  Company: Yezi Tea

Tea: White Peony (Bai My Dan)

Obtained: purchased

     Yezi is the Chinese word for leaf.  Yezi Tea is a company that sells tea specifically from China.  I purchased the Farmer's Favorites Tea Sampler.  It came with samples of 6 different teas and only cost $5.99.  Shipping was free.  This offer is only offered once per customer, but it is a wonderful way to try some new teas!

     White Peony, or Bai My Dan, is a white tea.  According to the Yezi Tea website, their Bai My Dan is composed of "spring leaves dried in natural sunlight on bamboo trays".  It comes from the Jian'ou County of the Fujian province of China.  It has a low caffeine content. 

     The sample came in a pouch.  The pouch was not resealable, but it did not tear easily and could be rolled down and clipped shut with something.  The brown and light gray leaves were long and looked rolled.  They had a woodsy or earthy scent.

     I poured 8 ounces of water over 4 teaspoons of tea.  The tea was hard to measure because of the long leaves.  I let this brew for 1 minute.  The liquid did not have much color.  It was clear with a slight golden tint.  There was a slight floral scent to the liquid.  The taste was mild.  It had a  sweet, almost fruity taste, with a light floral background.  The taste was much different from the scent of both the leaves and liquid.

  This is a delicious, enjoyable white tea that I would most appreciate when relaxing at the end of the day.

The Life- Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Title: The Life- Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Author: Marie Kondo

Published: Ten Speed Press, 2014

Pages: 213

Genre: nonfiction

Obtained: library

Summary: In this book the author explains how to declutter your house by first getting rid of everything that does not bring you joy and then organizing and storing what is left by category.  By going through this process, and then being surrounded by only possesions that bring you joy, your life will be a better one.

Thoughts: I read this book, but did not go through the process of "tidying up".  You are supposed to hold each item you own and decide if it brings you joy.  If it does not, then you get rid of it.  You then store all your belongings by category.  This is a huge project!   It is supposed to be done all at once.  Now was not the right time for me to even attempt this.
     This book was a good reminder that I have way too much stuff and really do need to go through things and get rid of a lot.  Sometimes it is hard for me to get rid of certain items, for example, gifts I have been given or things I intend to use someday.  The author described the reasons why it is hard to let go of these things and made me feel it was better to get rid of these items.  There were also great storage tips.  I particularly liked the way the author folds and stores clothes.
     There were some things about the book that were, well, bizarre to me, like making sure I greet my house every day when I come home.  Another example of this is taking everything out of my bag or purse every time I get home and putting everything in it in its designated place in my home.  This just didn't make sense to me.  I always carry the same things with me and this seems like a time waster to me.  Also, I would forget to put things that I needed back in my bag.
     If you are ready to reorganize your house I would definitely reccommend reading this book. It not only has good ideas, but it is highly motivating.

                                                                 

                                                                           

Company: Art of Tea

Tea: Coconut Cacao Pu-erh

Obtained: gift








     This Coconut Cacoa Pu-erh was one of the teas in a Pu-erh Tea Sampler.  It was in an air tight, good quality tin.  It was easy to open.  The leaves were medium sized, long, and thin.  There were chunks of cocoa and coconut mixed in with the leaves.  The scent of the leaves was not pleasant to me.  It was somewhat earthy, but sour smelling.  There was a chocolate scent mixed in with this, but the sourness overpowered the chocolate.
     I poured 8 ounces of hot water over 1 tablespoon of leaves and let this steep for 3 minutes.  The liquid was a medium brown with an orange tint.  The scent was of warm chocolate with just a hint of coconut.  The liquid had a much better scent than the leaves.  The taste was of smooth sweet chocolate with an earthy background.  There was a slight coconut flavor mixed in.  It made a delicious blend.  I did not expect to enjoy this one as much as I did.
     

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Author: J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne

Published: July 2016 by Arthur A. Levine Books

Pages: 319

Genre: fantasy, young adult

Obtained: library

   

                                                                                                

Summary: Harry Potter's son, Albus, is now at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  He was placed in Slytherin by the sorting hat and his best friend is Scorpious Malfoy.  Albus and Harry are struggling with their relationship.  Although Albus is different from his father in many ways, Albus ends up on a typical Harry Potter adventure with his best friend, of course. This time, unlike Harry,  Albus has his Dad to help save the world from dark magic.

Thoughts: This book is a play, not a novel.  Therefore, it is really not "the next Harry Potter book".  This is something different.  Since it is a play, it consists mostly of dialogue and the settings are limited.  It does not read like a book.
     I thought the characters from the Harry Potter book series remained true.  They changed somewhat, but they are nineteen years older.  The new characters seemed just as enjoyable as in the other Harry Potter books, especially Draco's son, Scorpious.  The dialogue was wonderful and I thought the play had more humor than the books.
     What was really missing when reading the play was the feeling of being in these magical places.  I'm sure if I was watching the play it would be there, but just reading it is different.  Also, there are not as many details in a play as there are in a novel.  The books had so much detail and many subplots going on.  You just don't get that here.
     I thought this was wonderful and really enjoyed it.  If you are expecting the next Harry Potter novel, you will be disappointed.



                                                          

Tea: Dragon Well (Long Jing)

Company: Yezi Tea

Obtained: purchased








           I purchased the Farmer Favorites Tea Sampler from Yezi Tea.  The cost was only $5.99 for six samples and the shipping was free.  This is the first sample that I have tried from this company.
     The tea was packaged in an easy to open pouch.  It did not seal back up, but it does open easily and neatly so that you can roll down the top and clip it to keep the remaining tea fresh if you don't use it all at once.
     Long Jing or Dragon Well tea is a green tea grown in China.  Yezi Tea writes on their website that the tea is composed of unopened leaf buds called dragon sprouts or water lily hearts.  To me, the leaves were beautiful- big, long, light green leaves that looked like they had been pressed.  The leaves had a grassy, seaweed scent.
     I poured eight ounces of hot water over four teaspoons of leaves.  The leaves were hard to measure exactly because of their length.  I let this brew for a minute and thirty seconds.  The liquid was almost clear with a slight yellow tint.  The scent was of grass and leaves.  The taste was fresh, light, and vegetal.  After swallowing there was a spinach and seaweed taste, but very subtle.  It was not bitter at all and very refreshing.  
     I think this is the best straight green tea (not blended with something else) that I've ever had.  To me, some green teas can have an overpowering taste.  This one was more subtle, yet not weak at all.  Very refreshing!





   

    

The House of Secrets

Title: The House of Secrets

Author: Brad Meltzer and Tod Goldberg

Narrators: Scott Brick and January LaVoy

Format: 9 discs, 10 hours

Publishers: Hachette Audio, 2016

Genre: mystery, action

Obtained: library



Summary:  Hazel Nash wakes up in a hospital and is told that she was in a car accident with her father and brother.  Her memories are scrambled, due to head trauma.  She is told that her father, the host of a conspiracy television show died in the crash, but that her brother, who also is a part of the show, survived.   An FBI agent begins asking Hazel lots of questions about her father, her brother, herself, and a man that was found dead with a bible in his chest.
     Hazel begins to ask herself questions.  Who is she, really?  Did someone kill her father?  Does she have any friends?  Did she or someone she knows kill the man with the bible in his chest?  Hazel doesn't know who she can trust, so begins her own investigation into these deaths to find out what is really going on.

Thoughts:  This book had a crazy, unbelievable plot, but somehow the authors made it work.  I think they did this with the writing style, the way they kept the reader guessing, all the twists and turns so that you didn't know where the story would go, and the action.  It was a busy, entertaining story that kept moving.  The protagonist having amnesia added to the mystery because the reader didn't know who he or she should trust.  There were traitors, conspiracies, mysteries, and secrets throughout the book.  Also, the characters had distinct, developed personalities.
     The narrators added to the story.  They were actors that made the characters come to life.  They both read at an agreeable pace and spoke clearly.  The story was easy to follow and I was engaged throughout the whole book.
     This book would make a great action packed movie.  If you're into realistic fiction you will hate this book, but if you enjoy books where there is a lot going on and you don't mind if a story is a bit unreasonable, this book is for you.  




                                                                                                                                                                                              





                                                                                     

Company: Joy's Teaspoon

Tea: Lemon Zest

Obtained: purchased

     Lemon Zest is a caffeine free tea blend which is made up of rooibos, honeybush, lemon bits, flavoring, and cornflower blossoms.  It was in a small sample tin that was of good quality.  I opened the tin after some difficulty.  The lid was stuck, but after finally getting it off the first time, it can be put back on and removed easily.  The tea leaves were small and brown with yellow and violet flower blossoms mixed in.  The yellowish brown lemon bits were also visible.  The scent of the leaves was very sweet with the honeybush and lemon scents prominent.  

     I poured 8 ounces of water over 1 teaspoon of leaves and let this steep for 4 minutes (4-5 minutes was recommended).  The liquid was a dark orange brown and had a very sweet scent with a lemon background.  The taste of the tea was first of lemon and rooibos, and then the sweet honeybush.

     This tea was reminiscent of lemon meringue pie.  It had the lemon flavor, but was extremely sweet and somewhat creamy tasting.  I personally did not care for this tea, but if you like sweet tea or lemon meringue pie, you will love this tea!