Joss

Blessing Incense-1'3" Stand Incense (Joss Stick)-600g Jumbo Pack-C002
$35.00
This incense is made by the special formula of the Tibetan Buddhism. Raw materials are picked from the high-mountain herbs with the highest grade. The fragrance is unique and pleasant. This exclusive incense formula, which took us many years to develop, shows its excellent effects while in deep meditation. Ordinary price but high quality. This is the best buy for those who are looking for real quality incense with low price. Key ingredients are 100% natural.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
$14.99
This product arrived in a timely fashion, in good shape, and there were no surprises. I was pleased.

Colour Me Free!
$14.86
The original album art for "Color me free" had Joss Stone as a mannequin tightly trapped in a small cage, a visual depiction of her discontent with her record company. Suffice it to say, her record label declined and what we get is this plain purple cover instead.

Thankfully, the music inside is rich and colourful, a continuation of the retro Soul sound on her last CD, and her emoting is more soulful (she did tend to overdo things a wee bit earlier in her career). Opening is lead-off single "Free me", a slice or Retro Soul. Similar is the delightful kiss-off "Could have been you" (which reminds me a wee bit of "Walk on by"), while the bouncy and the enchanting "Parallel lines" features Jeff Beck and Sheila E (and some wicked guitar playing and nice percussion). One of my favourites.

Other standouts include the ballads "Lady", "4 and 20" and the piano ballad "Girlfriend on demand". The upbeat "Big ol' game" features her rumoured boyfriend Raphael Saadiq. "Governmentalism" is a sprawling socially conscious epic featuring a rapped bridge from NaS. "You got the love" is a horn-peppered remake of the Candi Staton song (also recently covered by Florence & The Machine). "I believe it to my soul" is a Blues/Jazzy number featuring David Sandborn.

Standout, in my opinion, is "Stalemate", a duet with Jamie Hartman which appeared on his album in 2008, explaining why he sings the first verse. His voice is soothing yet raspy in a Rod Stewart way, perfectly contrasting with Stone's Joplin-esque firepower taking over and making the song all hers.

Half Broken Things
$15.00
It was an enjoyable book, quite an easy, quick read but I would not classify it as a thriller or a crime mystery.It was just a combination of three sad people who find each other and live out a fantasy life at the expense of others. We read it for a book club and found it hard to come up with discussion questions.