2017 End of Year Book Survey

Once again this year I'm joining in with The Perpetual Page Turner to do her End of Year Book Survey.

2017 Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 36
Number of Re-Reads: 5
Genre You Read The Most From: Classics

Best in Books

1. Best Book You Read In 2017? 

• Fiction- Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly and Dear Mr. Knightly by Katherine Reay
• Non-Fiction- Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? I wasn't really disappointed by any books this year!

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay. I was shocked how much I loved it!

 
4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)? Well I got my book club to read Hidden Figures and Dear Mr. Knightley. And they loved them. I hadn't read them either at that point though to be fair.

5. Best series you started in 2017? Best Sequel of 2017? Best Series Ender of 2017?

• Best series started- The Barsoom series- The Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
• Best sequel- The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket and The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum... honestly the only sequels I read this year and they're both equally great. 
• Best series ender- None this year. I meant to but it didn't happen. 

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017? Katherine Reay! I've loved every book I've read of hers so far and can't wait to read more.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? I'd say A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry.... I don't normally read plays and I normally don't enjoy them but I really enjoyed this one!

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? Unputdownable was definitely Dear Mr. Knightley but it wasn't action-packed or thrilling. As far as action-packed definitely A Princess of Mars.

9. Book You Read In 2017 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? I don't normally re-read books in such quick succession but if I were to it would probably be Dear Mr. Knightley cause I just loved it that much!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017? I love the cover for Dear Mr. Knightley so much. Something about the swirling hand writing, the rose and the letters flying up through the air just seem to indicate the fun, romantic story to come.

11. Most memorable character of 2017? Hmm.... there aren't any that strongly stick out to me. I think probably Jennifer Worth from Call the Midwife. I still can't get over the fact that she chose to go work in east end London and stuck it out. What an incredible learning experience it must have been. As a nurse I can't help but be intrigued.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017? Probably Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. The whole series was beautifully written. I disagreed with other parts of it but the writing is spot on.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2017? Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. With getting married this year I read a lot of books about marriage and I loved them all but Sacred Marriage was the best. I also really liked The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller and Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2017 to finally read? Dear Mr. Knightley for sure!!!!! Besides that also The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and The Eyre Affair.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2017? I'm so bad at keeping track of quotes anymore but here's one I liked from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

“You know,” said Arthur, “it’s at times like this, when I’m trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I’d listened to what my mother told me when I was young.”
“Why, what did she tell you?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t listen.”

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2017?

• Shortest- A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry- 151 pages
• Longest- The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum- 688 pages 

17. Book That Shocked You The Most? No book really left me shocked. I suppose Call the Midwife left me the most just with the conditions that so many people lived in. Um... and there was one chapter in it that, if you've read it you know what I'm talking about, left me shocked for other reasons.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) Samantha and Alex from Dear Mr. Knightley. <3

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year? The Baudelaire children have such a sweet family relationship despite the craziness they endure.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2017 From An Author You’ve Read Previously? This year I actually read very few books that were from authors I'd previously read. I read a lot of new authors. I'll go with The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum. It was a great sequel to Bourne Identity.

21. Best Book You Read In 2017 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure: I got a ton of recommendations from the blogosphere for The Eyre Affair and Dear Mr. Knightley. My aunt strongly recommended Gilead and it's sequels, which was honestly the only reason I read it. I probably never would have picked it up otherwise but I did enjoy them.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017? John Carter from A Princess of Mars... he's a man! I also love Alex from Dear Mr. Knightely of course!!!! For a Re-read I"m still crushing on Ronald Eustace Psmith from Leave it to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse.

23. Best 2017 debut you read? I didn't make it to any 2017 debuts this year.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year? Probably Edgar Rice Burroughs' description of Mars in A Princess of Mars.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read? DEAR MR. KNIGHTLEY!!!! Do you get that I loved that book yet? I also had a lot of fun reading A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2017? Dear Mr. Knightely about had me crying. I'm not an emotional person but pregnancy is messing with me.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year? DEAR MR. KNIGHTLEY!!!! Oh besides that? I was pleasantly surprised by both The Four Feathers and A Princess of Mars.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul? DEAR MR. KNIGHTLEY!!!! I LOVED IT!!!!

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2017? The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Eyre Affair, The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? Adam Bede by George Elliot annoyed me a lot but I did find it interesting.

Your Blogging/Bookish Life 

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2017? I honestly can't remember which blogs I started following this year. I'm quite sure I started following some new ones but I'm not sure which ones!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2017? Well why not my review of Dear Mr. Knightley?

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog? How about this one?

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)? I participated in some different fun themed weeks like I Love Austen Week and Robin Hood Week, which were both fun.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017? I now have 101 followers on Bloglovin! I know that sounds pathetic but I've been at like 98-99 for forever so I'm excited to break 100.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? I started War and Peace!

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)? Apparently this one, which I find odd as there's nothing special about it.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love? They've al pretty equally gotten lots of love though I noticed when scrolling back to look at stats for the last question that at the beginning of the year I was definitely getting more page views than I am now. So check out some of my more recent book reviews like this one, or this one, or this one. And yeah... "this one" doesn't tell you what book it's about... that's part of the fun!

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? Nothing new that I can think of this year. I checked out lots of little used bookstores in my travels this year which were fun but they were all out of state so I'll probably never make it back.

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? Some of them... certainly needed to complete more of them.

Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2017 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2018? At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon. We read it for book club but it was the month I was gone on my honeymoon so.... priorities! I really do want to read it though so even though I'm late I'll get to it in 2018!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2018 (non-debut)? I'm so behind I don't keep up with current authors I like and their new books. Now I'll have to look around and see.


3. 2018 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? I don't know of any yet.


4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2018? Same! Not a clue! I'm so behind!!!!!!!!


5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2018? Complete the Classics Club Challenge!


6. A 2018 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable): N/A


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Four Things Tag

I saw this tag over at Musings of an Introvert and had to steal it! Also you should go check out that blog cause it's fun!

Four Jobs I've Had

1. Waterer at a nursery (self explanatory)
2. Student worker at my college's library (basically I was a librarian but got paid like a student). 
3. Pig farmer (I'm not sure there's a polite way to explain what I did)
4. Registered Nurse (Basically I save lives)

Four Things I Don't Eat

1. Bell peppers
2. Seafood
3. Super spicy food
4. Cherry pie

Four Places I've Lived

1. Just home sweet home Kansas

Four of my Favorite Foods

Not necessarily in this order... 

1. Chocolate
2. Donuts
3. Tacos
4. Pizza 

Four Movies I've Watched More Than Once

So many! One does not simply watch a movie once. These are the ones I've watched the most though probably. 

1. McClintock
2. Charade 
3. National Treasure
4. The Scarlet Pimpernel 

Four TV Shows I Watch

So many again! These are the one I probably enjoy the most though

1. Doctor Who 
2. Stargate: Atlantis
3. Call the Midwife 
4. Leverage 

Four Things I'm Looking Forward to This Year (In 2018)

1. April and my little baby girl! 
2. Finishing my Classics Club challenge! 

Four Things I Can't Live Without 

Well there's only one thing that I can't live without which I listed first but there's a couple other things I'd sure hate to live without. 

1. God's Salvation
2. My husband <3 
3. My parents 
4. My siblings 

Four Places I've Visited 

1. Costa Rica
2. Charlestone, South Carolina
3. Michigan
4. Minnesota 

Four Pet Peeves

1. Cold hands

Four Things I Wish I Could Do

1. Have this baby be full term and birth it now! 
2. Sing well
3. Read all the books! 
4. Be a better housekeeper... working on it! 

Four Subjects I Studied at School 

1. Too many nursing classes 
2. Rock climbing (such a fun class) 
3. Music appreciation (another fun class) 
4. Anatomy and Physiology (So hard but such a life changing class for me)

Four Things Near Me Right Now 

1. My computer
2. My phone
3. My mug of tea
4. My Yeti cup of water 

That was fun! Feel free to steal this tag if you like! 

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20 Questions Book Tag

I saw this on Nut Free Nerd and stole it... cause that's what I do!

1. How many books are too many in a series? I've never thought about this before. I don't think I've ever read a series where I thought to myself "this is getting too long". If a series were getting too long I don't think it would be about the number of books but about the content in them. 
2. How do you feel about cliffhangers? I'm normally fine with them as long as they aren't over the top dramatic and unnecessary. A well done cliffhanger keeps me turning the pages.
3. Hardback or paperback? Growing up my parents motto was that hardback was always better because they held up longer. Now that I'm a book buyer I do tend to buy a majority of paperback books as evidenced by my bookshelves. They are cheaper. However, I know my hardbacks will last longer so when I can I do like to buy hardbacks. The feel of paperbacks does tend to be more comfortable though.... which is of course why they wear out sooner. There's a lot to be said either way. 
4. Favorite book? Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. 
5. Least favorite book? Gulliver's Travels... I can't stand it. 
6. Love Triangles, yes or no? I haven't read a lot of books with love triangles and when I did they were never my favorite part. They just don't tend to add anything to the story and become distracting from the real plot.
7. The most recent book you couldn't finish? I don't normally pick up books I'm not going to finish. When I start a book I normally plough through even if I'm hating it, which I know is a waste of my reading time normally but I'm stubborn. So at this time I can't think of anything. 
8. A book you're currently reading? So many! The one I'm most proud of right now though is War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I'm inching through it day by day and actually enjoying it. It's going to be a long read though. 
9. Last book you recommended to someone? I'm always so hesitant to recommend books. It's a pride thing probably... I'm afraid they won't like it and judge me for liking it.  Recently though I had a conversation with my cousin, who shares pretty similar reading tastes with me, and I recommended several books to her. I know the first one I recommended because she hadn't read it yet, even though last time I recommended books I told her to, was The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery. So good!!!! Everyone should read it.
10. The oldest book you've read? Besides the Bible, I think from looking it up The Oddyssey by Homer. I had to read that for high school. I get so confused by the stupid BC dates that are going down instead of up! 
11. The newest book you've read? Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, which was published in September of 2016. I don't read a ton of new books. 
12. Favorite author? Jane Austen and J.R.R. Tolkien... that was authorS right? 
13. Buying books or borrowing books? My shelves attest to the fact that I can't resist buying books. But I buy pretty much all of them used! Ideally I should get more from the library and then only buy them if I loved them but that's not what happens. 
14. A book you dislike that everyone seems to love? Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. It's not universally loved but it definitely gets more love that I can comprehend. 
15. Bookmark or dog-ears? Always a bookmark! I've used anything and everything to makeshift as a bookmark rather than have to dog-ear. 
16. A book you can always re-read? Well obviously Pride and Prejudice and Lord of the Rings. I'm always getting more out of them overtime through. However, for a little variety.... I would say J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series... I never get tired of it. 
17. Can you read while hearing music? As long as it's music without words I'm normally ok but otherwise it can be kind of distracting. 
18. One POV or multiple POVs? I'm ok with either. As long as they're written well the number of POVs should make no difference. 
19. Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days? That depends on the book. At this point in my life I normally don't have the time to sit down and read a book in one sitting but if it's good enough I will make time. I miss the days when I was a kid and would curl up and read book after book. 
20. One book you read because of the cover? I don't think I've read a book because of the cover. I do too much research on each book I read. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this tag! Feel free to steal it as I did and join in the fun.

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Book Review- Adam Bede

For the Classics Club and the Classics Club Spin I read George Elliot's Adam Bede.

Synopsis from Goodreads: In the early days of the Napoleonic Wars, Adam Bede is hardworking carpenter with enormous physical strength and considerable force of will. But Adam has a single flaw, his blind love of Hetty Sorrel, a vain, shallow dairymaid who spurns Adam but is easily seduced by the local squire. The bitter and tragic consequences of her actions shake the very foundations of their serene rural community.While Adam Bede represents a timeless story of seduction and betrayal, it is also a deeper, impassioned meditation on the irrevocable consequences of human actions and on moral growth and redemption through suffering.

First off I'm going to try to avoid spoilers in this review but the comments are a free for all! I do love discussion so I'd love to hear other's thoughts.
I had mixed feelings about reading this book. Before this of George Elliot's novels I'd only read Middlemarch (which was meh) and Silas Maner (okay). It has been several years since I read any of her novels and I didn't have terribly good memories. I do think I can better appreciate her novels now though than I did back then. I would have hated Adam Bede if I'd read it years ago... kind of like I felt pretty meh about Middlemarh when I read it hears ago. Still though, I wasn't particularly fond of Adam Bede. I did find it intriguing and thought provoking.
None of the characters were particularly my favorite though. The title character, Adam Bede, is a great guy. He's a disciplined and virtuous man. He's got a major flaw though hand one that's hard to ignore... he's deeply in love with Hetty, who is a vain, self-centered flirt. She's a jerk and an idiot. She's also naive which I think is supposed to make us pity her. In case you missed my subtle clues... I really don't like Hetty. There's another person you dislike though.... though somehow I hated him less than Hetty, which wasn't really fair. Arthur Donnithorne is portrayed as a complex character who wants to do the right thing but never follow through. He's also very self-centered and in my opinion doesn't think there should be any consequences to his actions because he's rich and privileged. He disgusts me too. In fact, the more I write about him the more I dislike him. However bad those two characters are, though, Elliot makes you pity them both. She doesn't seem to attribute much guilt to them even though they both do a multitude of guilty offenses. On the other hand though we have Dinah, a female methodist preacher who is very passionate about her faith. I'm not going to get into an argument here but I do disagree with women being preachers. Since that how it was in the book I just went with it. Dinah is the moral center of the book. She is a virtuous women who is passionate about her calling as a preacher. She gives forgiveness and grace easily She is the only person to really embrace Hetty after the scandal erupts. You're supposed to love her and really that's what ends up happening. I like the other pastor in the book Mr. Irwine. He's also a virtuous and caring man and while he doesn't embrace Hetty per say he does still care for her and try to help her amidst the scandal.
Now one thing I find interesting is George Elliot's sense of morality in her books. However, looking her up I get a better idea of who she was and why books are the way they are. Now, for those who don't know who might be confused and wondering why I keep calling George Elliot "her", George Elliot was the pen name for Mary Anne Evans. Marry Anne had a pretty immoral life and did not identify as a Christian. So that helps to explain her messed up morality in her books.
By the end of the book I was just hoping that the right characters would end up together so that the book would at least have a satisfying conclusion. However, I will say George Elliot is a good author and the psychology of her novels keeps them intriguing. I'll probably read more of her books. They're just not my favorite. I like my books to be though provoking but I also want them to be light and happy.... I like Jane Austen... and George Elliot is no Jane Austen.

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It's Monday! In the Christmas Spirit

I saw a picture on Facebook and got carried away so here's my finished project!

I'm never crafty but I almost felt it doing this. And who wants to guess who's stocking is who's? Hint... the stockings represent our personalities pretty well.
We're almost done with the nursery but the mess of painting it and moving furniture around is holding me off from putting up the Christmas tree yet. Anyways once I put the Christmas tree up I'll feel like I need to have presents under it.... and yeah.... a little behind on that.
Reading right now is a little slow. I'm reading a lot of long books. I wouldn't have finished any books this week but I wasn't feeling well on Friday so I laid around and read most of the day.

Currently Reading

• Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
• God Is by Mark Jones 
• The Mortification of Sin by John Owen
• Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey 

Finished this Week

• Adam Bede by George Elliot 

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Book Review- A Princess of Mars

For the Classics Club I read Edgar Rice Burroughs novel A Princess of Mars.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Suddenly projected to Mars, John Carter found himself captive of the savage green men of Thark. With him was Dejah Thoris, lovely Princess of Helium. And between them and rescue lay a thousand miles of deadly enemies and unknown dangers.

I've wanted to read this ever since watching its film adaption John Carter. Did I really like John Carter? Not particularly but I read a review of it that mentioned the book and how much the reviewer enjoyed it so since I semi-enjoyed the film I decided to read the book.
The book is much better!!!!
A Princess of Mars is a fun sci-fi, adventure romance. This was my first Edgar Rice Burroughs novels so I wasn't  sure what expect but now I'm excited to read more of his books.  It's one of the first science fiction novels (read the wikipedia article on science fiction's beginnings... it's so interesting!). I'd say it's much more engaging that most early science fiction novels I've read. It was written in a serial format though so it probably had to be. A lot of the earlier science fiction novels focus so much on the science that they leave the fun behind. A Princess of Mars does not. There's some science but there's lots of fun adventure and of course romance as well.
John Carter is a Civil War hero and after the war goes prospecting in Arizona. While there through a series of events ends up transported to Mars. What follows is adventure and intrigue as he meets the green men of Mars and tries to navigate their cruel system. As the book progresses he meets a different people of Mars... the red men of Mars and most specifically Deja Thoris... their proud and beautiful princess. As they both try to escape the cruelty of the green martians they fall in love. (duh) I really like John Carter. He's such a noble character and the deep love he carries for Deja Thoris is endearing. All of the characters in the book were interesting and you pretty much either loved or hated them. I also really liked the dog like creature Woola that John Carter befriends. Dogs are truly a man's best friend... even if they're Mars dogs. ;)
A little note.... most book covers of A Princess of Mars show Deja Thoris in bikini like garb. That's honestly better than what she actually wears in the book... which is nothing but jewelry so the reader is given to understand. Don't let that turn you off from the book though. Her lack of clothing is only mentioned just as much as I just now mentioned it. It's not dwelt on at all and it's not sexual. Is it ideal? No. But I didn't find it distracting from my enjoyment of the book.
So overall I really enjoyed this book and I'd definitely recommend it for those who enjoy adventure romance novels and wouldn't mind a little sci-fi sprinkled in it as well.

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My Life in Books Tag

Another tag to steal! I saw this one over at Wonderland Creek and here I am doing it... cause I can.

Find a book for each of your initials

L- Leave it to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse 

F- Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

K- Killer Angels by Michael Shaara  

Count your age along your bookshelf... What book is it?

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Pick a book set in your country

I'll go one better... one set (partially) in my state. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. 

Pick a book that represent a destination you'd love to travel to

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen... especially Darbyshire. 

Pick a book that is your favorite color

I love blue and teal. I have a lovely copy of Tolkien's translation of Beowulf that is a gorgeous teal color. 

Which book do you have fondest memories of

Probably reading Brian Jacques's Redwall series. His books have brought me so much joy and comfort throughout my life.

Which book did you have the most difficulty reading

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman... it's poetry and I don't do well with poetry.

Which book on your TBR pile will give you the biggest accomplishment when you read it?

War and Peace by Tolstoy most definitely! To be fair I am currently reading it but it is still most definitely going to give me the biggest accomplishment of my reading life. 

Well that's it! Feel free to steal the tag if you so desire! 

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It's Monday! Holiday Thoughts

We're now past Thanksgiving and on to Christmas. Thanksgiving is such a delicious holiday and currently I'm still thinking about turkey covered in gravy and leftover turkey sandwiches. Yum! Sadly, my husband is not a turkey fan so if I make turkey now I'd be the only one eating it.... hmmm... maybe that's not all bad. I am looking forward to Christmas though. More food! My family has a long history of making so many delicious treats for Christmas. We love peppernuts, date pinwheels, coconut joys, peppermint bark, coffee fudge, poppyseed roll and so much more! Just listing them off makes me drool! Is there more to these holidays besides the food... maybe... but this pregnant woman mostly is thinking about the food. I do love giving gifts though and Christmas is prime time for that. I love giving gifts all year around really. I'll see something I know my siblings or my parents will like and I get it for them and then it's the game to see if I have the self control to hide it until it's their birthday or Christmas or if I'm going to give in and give it to them early. I'm already so excited about the gifts I'm getting for people. I obviously get super excited about getting gifts to. I spend all year putting together the perfect Christmas wish list and since my birthday is not too long after Christmas it doubles as a birthday wish list too. Obviously a lot of books make it on to the list. I can't wait to see which ones I get!
I was so excited that I got my Broke and Bookish Secret Santa gift this weekend! It really kicked off Christmas for me. Aliza Shandel got the gift again for me this year and once again it was awesome! She puts so much thought into her gifts it's so sweet! Look what she got me this year!!!

She got me the books; I am Malala, As You Wish, and Daddy-Long Legs. I'm so excited to read them!!! Then she also got me a candle, some bee balm, chocolate (yum!), a herbal tea sampler (I've enjoyed the two flavors I've tried so far!) and this super cool glass! What fun!

In my reading world recently it's been going pretty decently. Here's what's up!

Currently Reading

• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 
• Adam Bede by George Elliot
• God Is by Mark Jones
• The Mortification of Sin by John Owen 
• Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey

Finished Recently

• The Four Feathers by A.E.W. Mason
• The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay
• A Princes of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (audiobook)

Coming Soon

• Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

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Book Review- The Four Feathers

For the Classics Club I read A.E.W. Mason's classic novel The Four Feathers.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Just before sailing off to war in the Sudan, British guardsman Harry Feversham quits his regiment. He immediately receives four white feathers—symbols of cowardice—one each from his three best friends and his fiancée. To disprove this grave dishonor, Harry dons an Arabian disguise and leaves for the Sudan, where he anonymously comes to the aid of his three friends, saving each of their lives.Having proved his bravery, Harry returns to England, hoping to regain the love and respect of his fiancée. This suspenseful tale movingly depicts a distinctive code of honor that was deeply valued and strongly promoted by the British during the height of their imperial power.

I grew up watching a film version of this book so I've known the story for years though of course the movie differs from the book. The book was originally written in 1902 and while an adventure novel also has a healthy dose of romance imbedded in it. I was a little worried I would find it slow paced since it was an older adventure novel but that was not the case at all. The book kept me intrigued throughout with the adventure and the romance. It was also beautifully written in terms of human emotions. I was moved for each character. I liked Harry a lot and Ethne was great though sometimes I was a little peeved with some of her decisions. Ethne is one of the more interesting classic adventure females though... sometimes I feel like the females get lost in the classic adventure novels but she had a strong character that kept her in the spotlight too. Durrance was a complicated character and I'm not sure if I liked him or not. I pitied him.
Overall I enjoyed the book and I'd recommend for those who love a classic adventure novel. It's not as good as Scarlet Pimpernel but it stands on it's own for sure.

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