The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

9/10

I finished reading this today. I read it with my 7-year old girl, Mallory. We both loved it. The story was very entertaining, the plot was interesting, it had good characters, and the main character was fun and easy to root for. There were a bunch of twists throughout the book; and I'm a big fan of a good plot twist. The biggest twist in the entire book was actually predicted by Mallory well in advance. I don't think that I would have seen the twist coming if it wasn't for Mallory and her creative mind. She was very excited that she was right.

This book is in a genre that I normally don't venture into, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It's the perfect type of book for me to read with Mallory and I look forward to reading more of these kind of books with her. In fact, we already started reading the sequel together, The Runaway King.

At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie

5/10

I finished reading this book today. It is my first Agatha Christie book. I heard you could read pretty much any of her books regardless of the order they were published and it wouldn't make a difference. So I went ahead with this one which is the 11th published novel with the Jane Marple character. I was fairly underwhelmed.

It was only a 180-page book and nothing really took place until darn near close to half way through the book. I was also surprised by how little Jane Marple actually appeared in the book and how inconsequential her role actually was in the plot. Not knowing anything about Jane Marple, coming in I thought she would be more Sherlock Holmes-ish. It didn't make the book any worse in any way. I was just surprised and it makes me wonder if this is her typical role in the "Jane Marple" novels. The Chief Inspector Davy character was enjoyable. The Canon Pennyfather character had a lot of potential but felt like his character wasn't fully utilized. That about sums up the book: too many characters doing too little in a book not long enough to properly cover all of the characters and their different stories.

This review ended up being more negative than I intended it to be. I didn't dislike the book. It was decent and had some bright spots for sure. I guess I was just a little let down because I had high hopes and wanted to start reading some Agatha Christie books. I'll still read some other Agatha Christie books in the future, but my expectations will definitely be more tempered.

Here's a fun quote about tipping:

"Henry moved away. Father was left uncertain whether he ought to have offered Henry a tip or not. It was galling to think that Henry knew the answer to that social problem much better than he did."

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

9/10

I finished reading this last night. This was my first James Fenimore Cooper book and I must say, I am a fan. I think in a previous post I had mentioned that Hawthorne, to me, was the first great American writer, probably because he so often wrote about Puritans and the early period of American history. But I guess you can make an argument for James Fenimore Cooper to be considered as the first great American writer. His writings came slightly before Hawthorne's and his stories were about America, often involving Native Americans. I guess I shouldn't say who is the first great American writer when I am sure there are even a few other names that should be in the conversation.

But as for The Last of the Mohicans, this was an incredible book. The first chapter was pretty rough and I was nervous that I was set up for disappointment, but you know what they say, "Never judge a book by its first chapter" or something like that. Cooper would refer to characters interchangeably by their first name one time and then their last name another time which was a bit confusing at first as I was trying to figure out the characters. But once I got the names down I was golden. The story was exciting and action-packed all the way until the end and written so well and with such authenticity. There was one odd stretch where a character was dressed in a bear skin and kept fooling everyone that he was a real bear. It seemed like a stretch in the believability department. But other than that, nothing but praise for this book and I look forward to reading more novels in the future from Mr. Cooper.

I wanted to share one exchange for my "Quotes" portion of this post:

"If, however, they take your scalp, as I trust and believe they will not, depend on it, Uncas and I will not forget the deed, but revenge it as becomes true warriors and trusty friends."
"Hold!" said David, perceiving that with this assurance they were about to leave him; "I am an unworthy and humble follower of One who taught not the damnable principle of revenge. Should I fall, therefore, seek no victims to my manes, but rather forgive my destroyers; and if you remember them at all, let it be in prayers for the enlightening of their minds, and for their eternal welfare."
The scout hesitated and appeared to muse.
"There is a principle in that," he said, "different from the law of the woods; and yet it is fair and noble to reflect upon." Then, heaving a heavy sigh, probably among the last he ever drew in pining for a condition he had so long abandoned, he added, "It is what I would wish to practice, myself, as one without a cross of blood, though it is not always easy to deal with an Indian as you would with a fellow Christian. God bless you, friend; I do believe your scent is not greatly wrong, when the matter is duly considered, and keeping eternity before the eyes, though much depends on the natural gifts, and the force of temptation."