Book Review - The Witch of Lime Street: Séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World by David Jaher

Photo Credit - Random House

An exhilarating page turner that reads like an authentic source between the feud of Houdini and "The Witch of Lime Street".  The story takes place in a time where science and paranormal lines blur. The time when people crave to believe there is more to live than what the eye and science and prove.  

The Roaring Twenties, is mostly known for the jazz and flappers but also the rise of Spiritualism.  "The Witch of Lime Street", also known as Margery or Mrs. Crandon and Houdini cross paths when the Scientific American decides to run a contest (which also was all in rage) to see if they can find the first scientifically verified medium. The judges composed of 5 men from various backgrounds embark on the journey together. One by one, they were able to systematically weed out the frauds.  Until, the "witch" showed up, causing the committee to be torn and turned against each other as the time passes.

The book is deeply engrossing and leaves you wondering which of the two characters is telling the truth. Is there a way to connect to the afterlife or is it all hocus pocus?  A great read all year around but especially thrilling to read around Halloween under a blanket and hot cocoa in hand.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book for my honest opinion. **

Radha Frankincense Oil

I never smelled frankincense but I saw this and thought I should try it. It has an interesting scent. It's hard to put a finger on what it smells like. Many describe the aromatic resin as woodsy, warm, balsamic aroma. It smells good nice but it can be a bit overpowering at times. I used a couple drops during bath time and it lasted for a while.

Tocca Candela - Violette

The 10.6oz candle provides 60 hours of burn time. Springtime in Paris was the inspiration for this sweet scented candle.  It has notes of African violet, black currant, and cashmere musk. The candle is house in a white glass with delicate gold-screening. The hand poured wax candle has a soft delicate scent. I love the candle but sadly I would not be purchasing again unless its 50% off as the candle doesn't burn evenly and once it is extinguished the scent dissipated in the air.

Isaac Mizrahi Candle - Midnight Orchid

The midnight blue frosted glass houses a sweet scented floral candle.  I also love the cute linen gold label, it was a lovely touch. The hand poured wax has a burn time of 35 hours. It leaves the house softly scented and has soft powdery scent. I found this candle online for around $20 shipping and tax included. The candle lasted for a bit and was a nice treat lighting this before bedtime.

Blue Apron Delivery - August 21st, 2015

Tandoori - Spiced Chicken

The first dish I tried from this delivery was the tandoori - spiced chicken. It was delicious and super easy to make. My own qualm is that most of the dishes rely a lot on the seasoning with mostly salt and pepper like every other step. The tandoori chicken was delicious but they have a bit too much of lentil for my liking. 

Seared Cod & Fregola Sarda

This was delicious but I found the green beans weird combination. As noted below, my beans had moss and I had to throw away some of it. The pasta was an okay choice would have prefer couscous as a better option. I added some crushed garlic to the final product as it lacked a bit taste and depth.


Seared Pork Chops and Kamut

I can't eat pork but my boyfriend found the dish to be okay. He did like the use of the stone fruit as it added a nice complexity to this dish. The corn side dish was delicious and made a great side dish for other dinner entrees in the future.


As a note, my delivery was for Friday but I cooked my meals on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but I noticed most of my food were showing spoilage. The greenery items started to wilt noticeably and my green beans had white moss on Monday. Some of the veggies also came blemished and visibly wilted. The expiration date on the meat was within 5 - 7 days of delivery. The fish had no expiration or labeling.  As the cheaper of the food delivery programs, I was looking forward to the delivery but was disappointment by a) the seasonings & taste b) the food quality and condition c) the combinations are interesting but lack intrigue.