John Buchan: John Macnab

Another great plotline and fantastically well-written story that verges on the impossible from this author. I found the story of the 4 high class gentlemen and their plot to make themselves take an interest in life very interesting. However, I found the ending a little weak, even though it was the normal twist.

M. M. Kaye: The Far Pavilions

I did this book for my final english project, along with Kim. They both have very similar stories. This book is also set in Northern India during the last half of the 18th century. Ash (the main charachter) is orphaned at about 2 years of age, and he grows up with his native foster mother Sita in a Hindu mountain kingdom. When Sita dies he finds out a bout his past and is sent back to England to go to school. Then, when he returns he joins the Guides, a famous regiment based in Peshawar (now in Pakistan). He leaves the Guides for 3 years to hunt down a deserter (we don't get to hear this part of the story) and as punishment he is sent to escort a wedding party across India. He finds out that this party is from the country he grew up with. He meets the princess Juli who he had grown up with, and the fall deeply in love. He becomes extremly sad when she refuses to run away with him, and insists upon marrying the ugly Rana. As Ash leaves to escort the party back his life is in ruins. He is still not accepted back into his regiment, so he is sent to a regiment down sout, very close to the Rana's kingdom. He hears that the Rana has died and sets off on a very dangerous mission to rescue Juli from being burned with her dead husband. Ash and Juli and the guide are the only 3 people out of the group of seven to make it out a live. Ash and Juli get married on a boat, and travel back to Peshwar as Ash is accepted back into his regiment. Britan goes to war with the Afghanis in teh second Afghan war, and Ash is sent in as a spy. He and Juli live in Kabul as the war goes on and as the people in the Embassy are killed. After this Ash's ties with the rest ofthe world are broken and Ash and Juli set out to start a new life in a hidden valley somewhere.
10/10 absolutely my favorite book, it is exacty the right mixture of romance, adventure, history and real life.
It is about 950 pages, but that is nice because it goes into detail and the characters are nice and round.

Avi: beyond the western sea

I did read the second book, and found it very good, although all the characters seemed slightly stereotyped.

Avi: Beyond the Western Sea - The Esape from Home

Wow! Very intense and full of interesting characters and events. The plot is very enthralling and I really want to know what happens next (although none of the main characters will die, of course). I thought it was well written, although the series of events are not very likely to happen. I think this is overall a success story, because a lot worse things could happen to the characters than did. I will be getting out the sequel on Friday
9.5/10 Why did the mother have to stay home!!! Only thing I didn't like.

Rudyard Kipling: Kim

A very complex book. There are essentially 2 storylines, the story of Kim being the chela to the Lama, and the story of Kim the spy in the Great Game. Kim is a white boy who grew up in teh slums of a city in India. He lived with all sorts of different people, so he learned how to act like any of them. He started on the Great Game at a young age by running messages for a "horse trader," really another player in the Great Game. His father was in the army, and told Kim that if he ever saw "A bull on green grass" (the welsh flag) it was his future. So one day, white walking with the Lama, he did see the flag, and so went and joined himself to it. One of the masters of the Great Game was there, so when he was sent to school he knew it was just preparation for the Great Game. He spent his summers learnign and practicing arts for the Great Game, and in wandering around with his Lama. His Lama was searching for a river that would apparently "wash all his sins away." Finally in the end of the book, he helped on his first mission, but spent a white recovering, and hid Lama found the river, or so he thought.
9/10 long and complex, and I didn't understand everything that was going on because of the differnet cultures, however, I really enjoyed it. Although it was complex, all the important details were there, and very few unimportant ones.

Agatha Christie: The Body in the Library

A very complex set of characters, with 4 police officers and so many suspects I get lost trying to count them all. However, I have to say I at least guessed the right suspect this time, but I had no clue how. Perhaps the reason why so many people come back to Agatha Christie books is because the surprise ending never lets us down.
The story was written from a lot of different perspectives, but with so many characters, it was hard to keep them all straight. Even the final answer was confusing and complicated. Some people had different connections than was originally thought.
8/10 I guessed it, so the character wasn't hidden well enough, and it was quite confusing. However, it was better than reading other books :)

Eric Knight: Lassie Come-Home

Classic Collie story about a boy and his dog, or perhaps, a dog and her boy. She travels nearly a thousand miles to be with him again. It is nicely written and describes the life of the working class in that time period very well. It has some interesting subplots along the way. However, the way of looking at dog intelligence has changed since the book was written. I think Lassie would be much smarter in real life than the author described her. I may have read this book before, as I seem to remember the ending and one of the little subplots.
8/10 below my reading level , outdated science, but full of good morals and strong affections.

Jane Austen: Mansfield Park

I watched the movie a couple of months ago, so I knew most of the plot. The writing style was more challenging to read, I found, than her earlier works. Perhaps it is because of her long sentences and her seemingly mixed-up references. Sometimes it was hard to tell who she was talking about. I found the main characters less interesting than her other two books I have read, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion. Her descriptions of places and feelings were well done, and her choice of words masterful as always. however, this book is still my least favorite of her works, becuase of uninteresting characters and poor plot.
6/10

Lynn Austen: A Proper Pursuit

A young women travels to Chicago to see the World Fair (1893), and to try and find her mother. She stays with her Grandma and two of her great-aunts. Her third great aunt who is very rich tells her that she was really sent here by her father to find a husband. She meets four dashing young man, each supported by one of her relatives. ( Her great aunt Matt is a feminist and doesn't want her to marry.) As her six weeks in Chicago wend away, she learns a lot about herself, her mother, and her four suitors.
Rating: 9/10: Interesting ending ( in both ways). Very interesting characters, not what you would expect the characters to be like in this time period. Some very real-life experiences that are very well written. Some courageous heroes.

Agatha Christie - Peril at End House

A Hercule Poirot mystery, this book starts off the same as many others: he is on vacation, and then suddenly a mystery throws itself at his feet. Nick(Magdala) Buckley is almost shot right under his eyes! He soon gets to know the girl, and he tries his best to protect her from the unknown would-be murderer. Some people turn out to be worse characters than they appeared to be at the start, and others were completely honest. I founnd that this book had a very complex ending, so much so to be confusing. However, this mystery is the first one of Agatha Christies that I have read that is solvable. All the clues are there to solve it. As such, this book gets a high rating in my opinion.
Rating 9/10