I So Don’t Do Mysteries

Happy Lunar New Year! We are now in the Year of the Ox, and I sense a stabilising influence already.

I have not researched the significance of the Year of the Ox; the influence of which I speak is only my interpretation of information received from the telepathic highways.

A down to earth fact, however, is that Barrie Summy’s debut novel, I So Don’t Do Mysteries, is a totally fantastic read.


From the flap:

So here I am spending spring break in California with my best friend, Junie. Our chaperone is a teenager, like us. And soon I’ll get to hang out with the coolest, cutest boy in the Southwest. Life is so good.

Except I should tell you that I’m not in San Diego for fun. Even though I’m a normal person who likes normal stuff—friends, clothes, the mall—I’m supposed to be solving a mystery, one that involves a rhino heist and a crazy chief. And I have to do it because my supercop mom is counting on me. Did I mention she’s a ghost? A ghost who can make contact with only one person. Me, Sherry Holmes Baldwin. My mom is flunking out of the Academy of Spirits, and if I don’t help her, she’ll be banished to an afterlife for ghost failures.

But . . . I so don’t do mysteries.


Barrie has an energetic and catchy voice. It is infectious. And that, together with well-drawn characters, a fabulous plot, and truly great pace, kept me turning and turning the pages. Which meant I stayed awake far too late, too often!

After 30 pages, I wanted to be Sherry’s best friend. (I still do.) And here comes more praise ... I laughed out loud so many times!! This is one of the wittiest middle grade novels I've read.

I So Don’t Mysteries is fun, warm, and uplifting.

It might even have cured my cold. :)

Traditional Sherry Trifle

The most irresistible desert.


Barrie Summy put out a call for 4th of July side dishes. Visit her blog for a great 'ice cream in a bag' recipe and links to other recipes for delicious side dishes, salads and deserts.

We don’t celebrate the 4th of July in the UK (obviously) -- but is that any reason not to make a great big sherry trifle? Of course not!

Sherry trifle is quick to make and easily modified to suit different tastes. If you don’t like jelly, for example, just leave it out! If you prefer to use fresh fruit instead of tinned, please do, and decorate the top with raspberries, strawberries, or anything else you like...
 

Ingredients

 1 packet of trifle sponges
 1 pint (20 fl oz) milk, 2 oz custard powder, 2 oz caster sugar, or 1 pint ready-made custard
 1 packet of jelly
 1 tin of mixed fruit
 Medium sherry or port or brandy
 1 pint (20 fl oz) whipping cream (Or more if you prefer!)
 2 oz toasted, flaked almonds
 2 oz glace cherries, fresh fruit, or any other edible cake decoration


Method

1. Place trifle sponges into a 3½-pint glass serving bowl, or individual bowls or glasses.

2. Soak with the sherry, port or brandy. (If preferred this can be omitted.)

3. Make the jelly using any liquid from the fruit to top it up to make a pint.

4. Pour over the cake and leave to set.

5. If making your own custard form a paste with the custard powder, sugar and a little of the milk. Add to the rest of the milk and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave until cold. Stir every so often to prevent a skin forming.

6. When cold, pour the custard on top of the other ingredients.

7. Whip the cream and spoon carefully over the trifle.

8. Decorate, chill, and serve. 

9. Eat. :)