Life of Pi
By: Yann Martel
Published: 2004
# of pages: 401
Quote: "Despite attending a nominally Christian school, I had not yet been inside a church—and I wasn't about to dare the deed now. I knew very little about the religion. It had a reputation for few gods and great violence. But good schools."

Official description: Life of Pi is a masterful and utterly original novel that is at once the story of a young castaway who faces immeasurable hardships on the high seas, and a meditation on religion, faith, art and life that is as witty as it is profound. Using the threads of all of our best stories, Yann Martel has woven a glorious spiritual adventure that makes us question what it means to be alive, and to believe.
Growing up in Pondicherry, India, Piscine Molitor Patel - known as Pi - has a rich life. Bookish by nature, young Pi acquires a broad knowledge of not only the great religious texts but of all literature, and has a great curiosity about how the world works. His family runs the local zoo, and he spends many of his days among goats, hippos, swans, and bears, developing his own theories about the nature of animals and how human nature conforms to it. Pi’s family life is quite happy, even though his brother picks on him and his parents aren’t quite sure how to accept his decision to simultaneously embrace and practise three religions - Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam.
But despite the lush and nurturing variety of Pi’s world, there are broad political changes afoot in India, and when Pi is sixteen, his parents decide that the family needs to escape to a better life. Choosing to move to Canada, they close the zoo, pack their belongings, and board a Japanese cargo ship called the Tsimtsum. Travelling with them are many of their animals, bound for zoos in North America. However, they have only just begun their journey when the ship sinks, taking the dreams of the Patel family down with it. Only Pi survives, cast adrift in a lifeboat with the unlikeliest oftravelling companions: a zebra, an orang-utan, a hyena, and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
Thus begins Pi Patel’s epic, 227-day voyage across the Pacific, and the powerful story of faith and survival at the heart of Life of Pi. Worn and scared, oscillating between hope and despair, Pi is witness to the playing out of the food chain, quite aware of his new position within it. When only the tiger is left of the seafaring menagerie, Pi realizes that his survival depends on his ability to assert his own will, and sets upon a grand and ordered scheme to keep from being Richard Parker’s next meal.
As Yann Martel has said in one interview, “The theme of this novel can be summarized in three lines. Life is a story. You can choose your story. And a story with an imaginative overlay is the better story.” And for Martel, the greatest imaginative overlay is religion. “God is a shorthand for anything that is beyond the material - any greater pattern of meaning.” In Life of Pi, the question of stories, and of what stories to believe, is front and center from the beginning, when the author tells us how he was led to Pi Patel and to this novel: in an Indian coffee house, a gentleman told him, “I have a story that will make you believe in God.” And as this novel comes to its brilliant conclusion, Pi shows us that the story with the imaginative overlay is also the story that contains the most truth.

My opinion:  I loved this book more than I can say!  It is so much better than the description makes it sound.  According to the description, it sounds very intellectual and like it's filled with lessons, but although there are several profound ideas throughout the story, that's just what it is - a story.  If you feel intimidated by the description or even by the description of the movie, I urge you to pick up the book and try reading a few chapters.  I think you will want to continue reading just like I did.

This would be a great book club read.  I find myself wanting to discuss it with others!  I'm also eager to see the movie although before I didn't have a desire to watch it.


Why I gave this book 5/5 stars:  Great writing, beautiful descriptions, smooth storytelling, interspersed with just the right amount of humor

Other reviews:

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London Under: The Secret History Beneath the Streets
By: Peter Ackroyd

Challenges: What's in a Name

Published: 2011

# of pages: 240

Official description:  London Under is a wonderful, atmospheric, imagina­tive, oozing short study of everything that goes on under London, from original springs and streams and Roman amphitheaters to Victorian sewers, gang hideouts, and modern tube stations. The depths below are hot, warmer than the surface, and this book tunnels down through the geological layers, meeting the creatures, real and fictional, that dwell in darkness—rats and eels, mon­sters and ghosts. When the Underground’s Metropolitan Line was opened in 1864, the guards asked for permission to grow beards to protect themselves against the sulfurous fumes, and named their engines after tyrants—Czar, Kaiser, Mogul—and even Pluto, god of the underworld. 
To go under London is to penetrate history, to enter a hid­den world. As Ackroyd puts it, “The vastness of the space, a second earth, elicits sensations of wonder and of terror. It partakes of myth and dream in equal measure.”

My opinion: I found this book to be very fascinating.  I only wish it was more detailed!  The author jumps around a lot, but it's not so frustrating since it isn't a novel.  However, he spent a lot of time writing about the underground train system, which I don't think qualifies as "secret history."  I wish more time had been spent on the parts of underground London that aren't as well documented in other sources.

I love archaeology and so enjoyed reading about the civilizations that made up London before it was even London.  And the underground rivers were also fascinating.  It's pretty crazy that so many different things exist under the city.  Ancient artifacts, natural formations, and modern improvements.

I just hope someday I will be able to visit London and see this complex city in person!


Why I gave this book 3/5 stars: Interesting non-fiction, but not detailed enough in the actual "secret history."

Other reviews:  
Reading and Writing and Movies, Oh My!

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Fallout
By: Mark Ethridge

Challenge:  50 States Challenge

Published: 2012

# of pages: 266

Official description:

Josh Gibbs decided he was through with investigative reporting when controversy derailed his Pulitzer Prize ambitions in Atlanta. Now editor of a weekly paper, he gets two pieces of news from Dr. Allison Wright that change everything. The first is that his daughter has cancer. The second -- that a mysterious condition is plaguing Wright's patients -- leads the widowed newspaperman and divorced physician in pursuit of an unimaginable danger. Fallout is the story of their journey -- a journey through an Ohio River town's myths, heroes and oddities, from Indian curses to rat fishing to an alternative view of George Washington. Above all, Fallout is a story of corporate irresponsibility, of political self-interest, and of a potential catastrophe that looms in most American cities. Written by Mark Ethridge, author of the novel Grievances, now the major motion picture Deadline, starring Eric Roberts.

My opinion:  I was very interested when I discovered this book was written by an author from Charlotte, NC, where I live.  This was a well paced book with plenty of mystery and action.  However, I was unsatisfied with some of the jumps in the story.  I felt that some of the conclusions the character Allison comes to were a little too convenient.

I also hated the formatting of the book.  Weird, I know, but it really bothered me.  The author's last name and the title of the book were at the bottom of each page instead of the top.  Before I got used to it, my eyes kept going to it because it seemed like something else to read at the end of the page.  Also, there were several times in the book that there was a change in character without any kind of break in the page.  It would go to the next paragraph, but be a different character's point of view.  Usually you'd have a space between the characters or even a line to separate the paragraphs.

Overall the story wasn't anything special, but it kept my attention and was an easy read.


Why I gave this book 3/5 stars: Good pace and story, not very well-written, a little too "perfect" of an ending

Other reviews:
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The Kill Order
By: James Dashner

Challenges: Dystopia Challenge 2013, 50 States Challenge

Series: Maze Runner

Published: 2012

# of pages: 327

Official description:

The prequel to the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series.
Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.
Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.
Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.

My opinion:  I was a little confused because I misread the "Thirteen Years Earlier" and thought it said "Thirteen Years Later" for some reason.  However, other than that the book was good.  It's definitely geared to young adults like the other books in the Maze Runner series, but it's an action filled, quick read.  I thought the ending was original, not your typical happily ever after.  This is the prequel, but I read it after the other 3 in the series and that's probably how I recommend reading them.  I think it makes this first one easier to understand.

Why I gave this book 3/5 stars:  It was nothing super special, but I liked the main character, Mark.  I think young adults, especially boys, will enjoy this a lot.

Other reviews:
It's All About Books

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City of Women
By: David R. Gillham

Published: 2012

# of pages: 390

Official description:Whom do you trust, whom do you love, and who can be saved?  

It is 1943—the height of the Second World War—and Berlin has essentially become a city of women.Sigrid Schröder is, for all intents and purposes, the model German soldier’s wife: She goes to work every day, does as much with her rations as she can, and dutifully cares for her meddling mother-in-law, all the while ignoring the horrific immoralities of the regime. But behind this façade is an entirely different Sigrid, a woman who dreams of her former lover, now lost in the chaos of the war. Her lover is a Jew.
But Sigrid is not the only one with secrets. 
A high ranking SS officer and his family move down the hall and Sigrid finds herself pulled into their orbit.  A young woman doing her duty-year is out of excuses before Sigrid can even ask her any questions.  And then there’s the blind man selling pencils on the corner, whose eyes Sigrid can feel following her from behind the darkness of his goggles.
Soon Sigrid is embroiled in a world she knew nothing about, and as her eyes open to the reality around her, the carefully constructed fortress of solitude she has built over the years begins to collapse. She must choose to act on what is right and what is wrong, and what falls somewhere in the shadows between the two. In this page-turning novel, David Gillham explores what happens to ordinary people thrust into extraordinary times, and how the choices they make can be the difference between life and death.

My opinion: I liked the concept of the book.  I liked the subject matter, but I didn't like the main character. It's very depressing to read about married women having affairs.  I know not everyone is perfect and I'm not judging them, but it's depressing all the same.  I especially didn't like that the main character has an affair with a man who doesn't show love or respect for her.  He blatantly uses her and treats her rudely.

However, I did like the main character's transition from an average German citizen to someone whose eyes are opened and takes action.  It was also neat how the story ended, with all the characters working together.

I recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction, WWII fiction, and people who aren't bothered by some crude sexual descriptions.


Why I gave this book 3/5 stars:  Neat setting, good character progression, inspiring in some ways.  Also depressing, with unsatisfying relationships between characters.

Other reviews:
S. Krishna's Books

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Matched
By: Ally Condie

Challenges: Dystopia Challenge 2013

Series: Matched

Published: 2010

# of pages: 366

Quote: "I hold onto my brother and for the first time in years he hugs me back, tight, the way he did when he was a little boy and I was the big sister he admired more than anything else in the world." -pg 203

Official description: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

My opinion: At first I wasn't overly impressed with this novel.  I didn't find it particularly original.  However, as all dystopian books are for me, it became very thought provoking.  I don't want to become too political on this blog, but recently I've found myself comparing the dystopian novels I've read to our current society and the new laws that are being passed/have been passed/will be passed.  The more rules and laws there are, the less freedom a society has.  Some laws are for the common good, but do we really want what's best for all of us at the cost of our freedom?  Cassia's society thought so, but as Cassia discovers, sometimes we don't want what's best for us.  And while some in a society will suffer, is that a reason to take away the freedom of everyone?

As Cassia thinks:

"Even if the fall of our Society would make life better for some, it would make it worse for others.  Who am I to try to change things, to get greedy and want more?  If our Society changes and things are different, who am I to tell the girl who would have enjoyed the safe protected life that now she has to have choice and danger because of me?" -pg 239

She also thinks about the "perfect" Society:

"They have perfected the art of giving us just enough freedom; just enough that when we are ready to snap, a little bone is offered and we roll over, belly up, comfortable and placated like a dog . . . They've had decades to perfect this; why am I surprised when it works on me again and again and again?" -pg 249

I also became impressed with the quality of writing Condie displays.  Cassia is a very thoughtful character and every other thing she thinks and says sounds like it came out of a book of quotes.  I also loved the poetry motif throughout the novel.

 

Why I gave this book 4/5 stars:  High quality of writing, thought provoking, I liked the character of Cassia.  Not the most original (unfortunately young adult dystopian novels are everywhere now!).

Other reviews:
Book Nut
Bookfoolery and Babble
A Girl, Books and Other Things

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2012 was a year of books for me!  I read more than I have in years.  I completed 3 challenges: Dystopia Challenge, Once Upon a Time, and R.I.P.

In 2013 I'm hoping to read almost as many books as I did last year (I know I won't be able to read as many since I'm no longer nursing my youngest).  I'm also going to participate in more challenges and will hopefully update my blog more.

So here we go:

Challenges in which I participated:
Dystopia Challenge (finished 5 of 5)
Once Upon A Time VI (finished 5 of 5)
R.I.P. VII (finished 4 of 4)

My favorites in the order I read them:
The Sandalwood Tree  by: Elle Newmark
When You Reach Me  by: Rebecca Stead
Cinder  by: Marissa Meyer
The Snow Child  by: Eowyn Ivey
11/22/63  by: Stephen King
Neverwhere  by: Neil Gaiman
Sister  by: Rosamund Lupton
The Duggars: 20 and Counting  by: Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar
The Lies of Locke Lamora  by: Scott Lynch
The Language of Flowers  by: Vanessa Diffenbaugh
The Winter Sea  by: Susanna Kearsley
The Time Keeper  by: Mitch Albom
The Midwife of Hope River  by: Patricia Harmon
Shades of Grey  by: Jasper Fforde

Most recommended:
The Language of Flowers  by: Vanessa Diffenbaugh

# of books I read in 2012:
75
Up from 39 in 2011, 30 in 2010, 28 in 2009, & 48 in 2008
Down from 81 in 2007

Least favorite:
The Red Tree  by: Caitlin R. Kiernan (Horror, Fantasy)

Repeated authors:
Kelley Armstrong (2) (Women of the Underworld series)
Veronica Roth (2) (Divergent series)
Amanda Hocking (4) (Trylle series, Watersong series)
Rebecca Stead (2)
Neil Gaiman (2)
James Dashner (3) (Maze Runner series)
Chris Bohjalian (2)
Rosamund Lupton (2)
E.L. James (3) (Fifty Shades series)
Scott Lynch (2) (Gentleman Bastard series)
Caitlin R. Kiernan (2)
Patricia Harmon (2)