The Couple Next Door

Title: The Couple Next Door

Author: Shari Lapena

Narrator: Kirsten Potter

Publisher: Penguin Audio, 2016

Format: 8 hours and 40 minutes, audio book download

Genre: psychological thriller, mystery

Obtained: library




Summary: Anne and Marco Conti go next door to a dinner party and leave their baby home asleep in her crib.  They bring the baby monitor with them and check on her every half hour.  When they get back home from the party, their baby is gone.

Thoughts: This psychological thriller was not as good as the last couple I read.  The characters were all terrible people- all of them.  Usually if there is an unlikeable character that is interesting, that doesn't matter to me, but having all the characters unlikeable was just plain depressing.  The world that was created was grave and I felt that I was not rooting for any of the characters and didn't really care how the story ended.  The writing style was good in that the story was easy to follow, the pace was good, and I wanted to know what was going to happen.  The down side was that it was more like someone was telling me a story than I was experiencing it.  I also felt that the writing style was almost too simple and definitely too repetitive- like the author thought her audience was not too bright.

The narrator was just okay.  She spoke clearly and I could follow the story.  She did not seem to add much to the experience, though.

All in all this was a simple, entertaining story, but if likeable characters are important to you, this is not for you.  Also, if repetition is annoying to you, don't even try this one.  Would I read something else by this author?  Absolutely.



                                                                   



Company: Plum Deluxe 

Tea: Dragonfruit Desire Herbal Tea

Obtained: sample with tea of the month club




I received this sample of Dragonfruit Desire Herbal Tea with a monthly subscription from Plum Deluxe.  The ingredients were green rooibos, mango pieces, apple pieces, hibiscus, orange peel, lemon peel, strawberry pieces, blue malva flower, and calendula.  The leaves had a fruity scent, and were different shades of brown. They were small, thin, and short, and there were chunks of fruit mixed in with the leaves.  I poured about 12 ounces of water that had been boiled over about one and a half teaspoons of leaves and let this steep for three minutes.  The liquid was a brownish yellow and the scent was of tart fruit.  The taste was a blend of tart berries and fruit with floral mixed in.  There was a sweetness after swallowing that balanced out the tartness of the fruit.  This was a soothing, refreshing blend for those that like fruity herbal teas.

In a Dark, Dark Wood

Title: In a Dark, Dark Wood

Author: Ruth Ware

Narrator: Imogen Church

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2015

Format: 8 compact discs, 9 hours

Genre: psychological thriller, mystery

Obtained: library




Summary: Nora gets an invitation to a weekend hen party for a college friend she has not seen in many years.  She thinks it odd, but decides to attend.  When she gets there, strange things start to happen.  Then someone dies and Nora can't remember what happened.

Thoughts:  I was not going to read this book because a few people that had really liked some of Ruth Ware's other books told me this one was not good, but I'm very glad I read it.  I enjoyed it.  It had a creepy feel, and I looked forward to listening to it.  The clues to what was going to happen were not hidden well, but to me this didn't matter.  The story was a good one and the characters were interesting.  The setting was perfect for this tale, and I really like Ruth Ware's writing style.  She pulls you in with the way she creates her characters and setting and the menacing feel her books possess.  Even though, most of the time I had a sense what was going to happen, the suspense was still there and I was never disappointed with where the story went. 

Imogen Church does a good job reading the book.  She reads at a good pace and uses voice inflection well to keep the listener engaged.  She did a great job portraying the main character.

If you don't like predictable moments or obvious clues, skip this one.  If you don't mind, and like a sinister story and Ruth Ware's writing style, you will probably enjoy this.





                                                                     

Company: Verdant Tea

Tea: 2016 Gu Hua Sheng Pu'er Tea

Obtained: purchased





I purchased the 5 teas for $5 special from Verdant Tea which is available to first time customers.  This is the last tea of my 5, which I am sad about.  Each of these teas were excellent quality and delicious in their own way.  I also enjoyed the short steep times and that I could keep using the same leaves over and over until I had my fill, without loosing the flavor.  I will definitely be trying more teas from this company.

The 2016 Gu Hua Sheng Pu'er Tea is from Mt. Ailao in the Yunnan province of China.  The trees are grown at an elevation of 2140 meters.  The leaves were long and twisted and were many shades of brown.  They had a sweet earthy scent.  I put 5 g (the envelope) of tea into my tea maker and poured 6 ounces of water that had been boiled and then cooled slightly over the leaves.  I let this steep for approximately 6 seconds.  The liquid was pale yellow and had a spicy, earthy scent.  The taste was full bodied and rich, but lighter than most pu'ers I have tasted.  There were fruit and vegetal notes in this tea that balanced with the earthy base to make a wonderful, unique flavor.  I highly recommend trying any tea from this company.  They deliver quickly, and have high quality, unique teas.

The Ex

Title: The Ex

Author: Alafair Burke

Narrator: Xe Sands

Publisher: Harper Collins and Blackstone Audio, 2016

Format: 7 hours and 44 minutes, audio book download

Genre: psychological thriller / mystery

Obtained: library




Summary: Olivia Randall, a criminal defense attorney, is called when her ex-fiance becomes a suspect in a triple murder.  She knows Jack could not have done this.  Can she prove it?   

Thoughts: This was another good psychological thriller / mystery.  I didn't particularly find Olivia, the main character, likeable, but she was certainly developed and interesting, and I felt like she was a real person.  All of the characters were believable and had distinct personalities.  The story itself was less believable, but very entertaining and kept me engaged- wanting to know what would happen next.  This book was a nice combination of legal, mystery, and psychological thriller.  It did not get bogged down with alot of time in court. The question that the book focuses on is How well do we really know someone?. I liked the author's writing style.  It was organized and I particularly liked the way she used dialogue to tell the story, along with the personal thoughts of the main character.  Figuring out who committed the murders came early to me, but I wasn't positive, and needed it verified at the end.

The narrator did a fantastic job, especially the way she portrayed the main character.  She told the story at a good pace and her voice inflections and the emotions and energy she put into telling the story really kept my attention.

There was some bad language in the book, but it went along with the personalities of the characters, so it wasn't distracting to me.  I could see this bothering some people.  If you like a book with twists and turns and some suspense, and realistic characters are important to you, this is one to try.





                                                                  

Company: Plum Deluxe

Tea: Slowly Unwind Herbal Tea

Obtained: free sample with tea of the month club




I got a sample of Slowly Unwind Herbal Tea with my monthly tea subscription from Plum Deluxe.  The ingredients of this caffeine free herbal tea were honeybush tea, linden flower, elderflower, elderberries, apple pieces, strawberries, blueberries, raspberry leaves, rose petals, and strawberry / blueberry essence.  The leaves were a potpourri of berries, apple pieces, and leaves of all colors, shapes, and sizes.  The scent of the leaves was sweet berries.  I put two teaspoons of leaves into my teapot and poured sixteen ounces of boiling water over the leaves.  I let this steep for five minutes.  The liquid was a light orange brown with a delicate scent of sweet berries.  The taste was a blend of berries and florals.  This was a delicious, sweet herbal tea.  I just loved it.  Instead of "slowly unwind", I would call it "immediately unwind".  It definitely put me in a calm, relaxed state very quickly.

Darling Girls

Title: Darling Girls (The Vampires of Candle Bay and Crimson Cove: Book #1)

Author: Tamara Thorne & Alistair Cross

Publisher: Glass Apple Press, 2018

Pages: 365

Genre: fantasy, horror

Obtained: from publisher in exchange for an honest review




Summary: Amanda, a powerful and evil vampire, wants to be queen.  Will she succeed, or will the more civilized vampires stop her?

Thoughts: This book was kind of hard for me to get through.  It wasn't the type of book I usually choose to read, and it was very long.  It wasn't scary or creepy, just gross- lots of violence and flagrant sex.  There was humor, but it was not the type of humor that is funny to me. 

The characters in the book were developed and interesting.  The book was organized, easy to follow, and easy to understand.  The plot was one that has been done over and over, but the characters did add to it, making the story more interesting.

If you like stories about vampires that are a bit humorous and don't mind disgusting scenes, try this book.  The two authors have separate vampire series and this book combines the two.  For a book that combines two series, the authors did a fabulous job bringing two worlds together.  If .you are like me and like more creepy vampire stories, this is not for you.



                                                               

Company: Davids Tea

Tea: Organic The Skinny

Obtained: purchased







Today I tried Organic The Skinny from Davids Tea.  The ingredients were oolong tea, pu'erh tea, ginger, orange peel, eleuthero root, and natural flavoring.  There was a medium caffeine content.  The leaves were thin browns and blacks of all lengths with off white chunks mixed in.  The tea leaves had a wonderful orange and ginger scent.  I poured about eight ounces of boiled water over about 1.5 teaspoons of leaves and let this steep for four minutes.  The liquid was a dark orange brown with an earthy scent in the forefront and orange in the background.  The taste was full bodied, yet refreshing- a blend of earthy tasting tea, orange and ginger.  The Davids Tea website states this tea is good for digestion and increases metabolism.  I really enjoyed this blend from Davids Tea.  This along with Organic Mother's Little Helper have been my favorites from this company so far.

The Other Widow

Title: The Other Widow

Author: Susan Crawford

Narrator: Madeleine Maby

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, 2016

Format: 9 hours and 40 minutes, audio book download

Genre: psychological thriller, mystery

Obtained: library




Summary: Dorrie is in a car accident. She gets out and walks away.  Why?  The man she was having an affair with was driving and is dead, and Dorrie will not risk losing her family and job.  But then the accident begins to look like it may have not been an "accident" at all.  Is Dorrie safe?  What is going on?

Thoughts:  I needed a book to listen to while cooking, so I listened to the first psychological thriller, audio download from my library that was available.  I lucked out.  I wasn't sure if I would like this book, but after the first chapter I was hooked.  After the first day of listening, this was one of those books that I'd want to do a boring chore around the house so I could listen to more of the story.  There were interesting characters, mystery, and suspense.  The writing style was organized and detailed.  I could picture the setting, story and characters in my head.  The author gave details, but never let the story drag.  It was a great pace and had lots of twists and turns.  The resolution was a bit weak- everything was tied up, but the ending could have been built up to give more suspense before the reveal.  Since there was not much build-up to the climax, the ending seemed rushed after a drawn out beginning and middle.  This did not spoil the story, though.  The narrator was excellent.  She read at a good pace and spoke clearly.  I liked her portrayal of the characters.  It was very clear she has an acting background.  I will definitely read more from this author and am hoping she has the same narrator.




                                                                   

Company: Plum Deluxe

Tea: Citrus Mint Green Tea

Obtained: free sample with tea of the month club subscription







This Citrus Mint Green tea came as a sample with my tea of the month subscription.  This is a caffeinated tea which consists of Chinese green tea, lemongrass, spearmint, orange peel, and lemon essence.  The leaves were a mix of long green and off white leaves and short pieces of small green and brown leaves.  The scent of the leaves was a very faint lemon mint.  I put one teaspoon of leaves in my teapot and poured eight ounces of water that had been boiled and then slightly cooled over the leaves.  I let this steep for three minutes.  The pale yellow liquid had the scent of citrus and mint.  The taste was a wonderful citrus mint blend.  This was a light tea that gave me that feeling of being calm, yet alert, not sleepy. 

Free and Clear

Title: Free and Clear: 7 Steps to Declutter Your Home and Your Head

Author: Karen Kiser

Publisher: Camino Chronicles Press, 2018

Pages: 66

Genre: self-help

Obtained: from author in exchange for an honest review





Summary: This book shows you seven steps to declutter your surroundings and mind and how to stop the habit of re-cluttering, so that you can become "free and clear".

Thoughts:  I loved this book!  Yes, most of it is advice that I have heard again and again from clutter experts and books on living more simply, but the difference is that this author not only reminds me of all this information, but tells me MORE and in only 66 pages.  I felt like she decluttered the decluttering process!  Her book is so organized!

First she tells readers that they have a habit that needs to be broken.  She describes each of the seven steps of her method to declutter and break the habit of just collecting more things.  Then she gives specific examples of how to use these steps when dealing with your surroundings and mind, and goes through each step, with each example, making the process extremely clear.  It is just enough information and is an easy, step by step guide to follow.  Some people might think going through the process step by step a few times is repetitive, but I felt this was a wonderful way to present her material and a great way to learn the process.

If you're looking for a simple, easy guide to free up space in your home and mind, I highly suggest this book!


                                                                   

Company: Davids Tea

Tea: Organic Detox

Obtained: purchased


I purchased the David's Top Twelve Sampler.    Today I tried the Organic Detox, which I not only thought went well with decluttering, but I feel a little under the weather and thought a detox tea would do me some good.  This is a green tea with a low caffeine content.  The ingredients (rooibos, sencha green tea, lemongrass, ginger, juniper berries, ginkgo, and natural lemon flavor) are supposed to have many antioxidants that help to cleanse your body.

I could pick almost everything out in the blend- lots of lemon grass, rooibos leaves, and green tea leaves, a couple of chunks of ginger and I saw only one juniper berry.  The scent of the leaves was of sweet herbs and citrus.  I put 2 1/2 teaspoons of leaves into my teapot and poured 16 ounces of water, that had been boiled, over the leaves.  I let this steep for 3 minutes.  The amber liquid had the scent of lemon and herbs.  The taste was a lemon and ginger blend in the forefront, but it also tasted woody and medicinal.  The lemon and ginger taste was not over powering and blended very nicely with the other herbs.  It also had a slight sweetness.  This was a fresh, soothing, warming tea.  The ingredients were blended so well.  It is not something I would drink all the time, but would enjoy drinking it when not feeling great because of its medicinal taste and the comforting feeling I had when drinking it.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Title: The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Author: Ruth Ware

Narrator: Imogen Church

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio, 2018

Format: 12 compact discs, 14 hours and 14 minutes

Genre: psychological thriller, mystery

Obtained: library



Summary: Hal, a tarot card reader, gets a letter stating that her grandmother has passed away and that she will be getting an inheritance.  Knowing that the letter is not intended for her, but really needing some money, Hal decides to attend the funeral and claim the inheritance using the skills she has gained at her job.  As Hal gets involved with the Westaways, she realizes there are many dangerous secrets within this family.

Thoughts: I am finding Ruth Ware's books to be getting better and better to the point where she is one of my favorite authors.  The settings were perfect for this story.  The atmosphere was  amazing.  I could feel the creepiness, eeriness, fear, doubtfulness- everything. The book started off slow, but gradually picked up pace- faster and faster until the end- perfect. The writing style was detailed and organized with dialogue that helped to move the story forward as most of the story came from Hal's thoughts.  There were twists and turns, red herrings, and suspense. I like that the author puts in clues throughout the book for the reader to figure out the mysteries.  Most readers will probably figure them out before the protagonist, but I loved that the reader had the information to try to solve these mysteries too. I think the reason that this is my favorite Ruth Ware book so far is due to the characters.  They seemed more developed and interesting in this book than in some of the author's previous novels.

Imogen Church did a wonderful job narrating this novel.  Her voice was a great match for Hal and she portrayed the other characters very well.  She used expression and made the character's voices unique which helped to keep them straight.

If you like psychological thrillers / mysteries with a sinister atmosphere, try this one.


                                                                   

Company: Verdant Tea

Tea: Big Red Robe Wuyi Oolong

Obtained: purchased

I purchased the 5 teas for $5 for new customers- a great way to try out this company and to try some new teas.  Today I tried the Big Red Robe Wuyi Oolong.  I put the large, long, black pre-measured leaves into my teapot.  The leaves had an earthy scent.  I poured 8 ounces of water that had been boiled then slightly cooled over the leaves and let this steep for 10 seconds.  The amber liquid also had an earthy scent.  To me this was a very different tasting oolong.  It had a rich, nutty, roasted flavor (almost like coffee) that was prominent, but in the background there were fruits, florals, and spices.  The texture was creamy.  If you are looking for a bolder, more savory oolong, I highly recommend trying this one.  It is very different and delicious.