Downton Abbey – I was instantly hooked onto this TV series the moment I played episode 1 on Netflix. This masterpiece classic transports you back to the 18-19th centuries when the class system was widely prevalent in Europe and elsewhere…an era where upstairs and downstairs struggled to survive and everyone had their favorites. Definitely worth watching the British writers as they scribble and scratch to create a complex drama around Mary Crawley and the new heir Mathew Crawley!
Switched at Birth – What would you do if you found out that your blood type didn’t match that of your parents? Keep quiet and hope the realization fades with time or drag your parents to the genetics center for verification? When Bay Kennish opts to do the latter, she gets more than she bargained for – Daphne Vasquez the biological daughter, a half Puerto-rican mom with lots of secrets and an absconding father not to mention an uncertain future. Certainly worth watching the 2 girls battle out their emotions although Emmett can be too much to watch.
Once Upon a Time – I’ve always wondered what would happen if all the fairytale characters were live together and in the modern world. What did I find? Once Upon a Time! Set in the fictional town called Storybrooke in Massachusetts, this tale revolves around Emma, an orphaned misfit and her connection to Storybrooke. The story is frankly getting to be a bit of a bore at present owing to the amount of uncertainty and randomness that the writers are choosing to throw at the audience in every single episode.
Grimm – Definitely better than Once Upon a Time purely for its gory and dark interpretation of the Grimm’s fairytales – 3 little pigs, little red riding hood…you name it! Disney meet your competition NBC! The sad part though is that there is only one grimm so far who has to battle out all the baddies against his wishes. The doomed hero of the modern day!
A ray of hope – Muir woods is a surreal place…a world within the world. The Redwood trees here are so huge and so wide that the sunlight barely reaches the ground through the gaps. And yet plants such as the ferns thrive with this minimal sunlight.
Took me awhile to find this – This cute maltese pup was sleeping in the window display of a pet shop in Florida Keys. The cute fella was a bit isolated from the rest and seems to have a fitful sleep. A hope for a good home and loving family.
Oolong Dead is the 10th in the Teashop Mysteries written by Laura Childs. The protagonist/detective in this series is Theodosia Browning, the owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in the fictional historic district of Charleston. Not having the full background of this series didn’t hamper me from getting through this book and I’ll say why -
Theodosia is catering as well as participating in the annual Charleston races and things begin to go downhill when she discovers the body of her arch nemesis Abby Davis. The recent public spat between Abby and Theodosia puts Theodosia in the spotlight not to mention brings her into contact with her Ex. As Theodosia reluctantly digs deeper into the murder mystery, she uncovers a lot of skeletons in Abby’s closet that may point the identity of the murderer closer to home than she thought.
Whats great about the book is definitely the recipes provided for some of the snacks and tea brews mentioned in the story. Then the vivid description of the tea shop, the historic building of Charleston are worth reading over. And then there is the lovely cover page, a perfect bait with the lovely flower vases, snacks and maybe a teapot or two.
Having not read the rest of the mysteries, I can’t make a comparison but on the whole this book was a disappointing read. The plot was fine, the suspense was great but the motive was weak. Having read better mysteries than this, the ending can be at best described as under brewed oolong tea which is all watery and no flavor. The other con was connecting the title and the story was difficult, unless this was purely naming tactics. The question is do I read the rest or not?
Source: Wikipedia
Elephants can Remember is yet another noteworthy novel in Poirot series owing to its humor infused plot. The readeres are introduced to the famous crime novelist Ariadne Oliver, also a close friend of Poirot’s. At a literary luncheon, Mrs. Oliver is hounded by an obnoxious woman Mrs. Burton-Cox who is insistent on knowing the cause for the double suicide in the Ravenscroft family. Turns out that Ariadne’s god-daughter Celia Ravenscroft is to be engaged to Mrs. Burton-Cox’s only son. Mrs. Oliver leaves the luncheon in a haste but unable to get over the strange question requests help from Poirot.
The strangeness of this case lies in the fact that General Ravenscroft and his wife committed a double suicide by a pistol and the whole affair is riddled with the question – Did the husband shoot the wife and killed himself or vice-versa? Also tailing this tragedy are rumors of affairs, presence of a psychotic sister that is connected with 2 murders involving children wherever the Ravenscrofts were stationed.
Poirot enlists the help of his colleagues while Mrs. Oliver calls on her friends and acquaintances in the hope that “Elephants must remember something”. The facts that are unearthed though, throw a more sinister light to the sad demise of the Ravenscrofts. Will Poirot manage to bring closure to the tragedy by cracking the most seemingly impossible mystery?
Whats different about this book? – The crime or tragedy happened in a distant past meaning that the witnesses and clues may or may not exist. Poirot has a friend and a fellow investigator Mrs. Oliver helping him with this crime as opposed to having the bumbling Hastings making the most obvious observations. The novel is fast paced, humorous and very enjoyable on the whole. Definitely worth keeping this book in a personal library!
A simple red rose can mean so much more when given to the person you love
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