"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a strange but entertaining book.

I liked the story once I got passed the first 100 pages which went into great detail about different religions and animals. The boy's father was a zookeeper in India. When the family decided to move to Canada, their boat sank and the boy, Pi, was the lone survivor in a lifeboat with several of the animals (zebra, hyena, orangutan and a tiger) that were being taking to different zoos. Of the animals, only the tiger had a name, Richard Parker. Sometimes the writing was hard to follow.

This book is baffling, at least it was to me. As I was reading, I was pretty bored with the first 100 pages where Pi tells about the zoo animals and his search for God through different religions but once Pi got shipwrecked and found himself on a lifeboat with a tiger and some other wild animals, my interest picked up. It's quite an adventure story and I enjoyed Pi's fight for survival, even though parts were very gross and at some points it didn't make sense (I wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or if it was just turning into a fantasy book).

Then, as I finished the book, I realized it is a metaphor and there was so much to look back at and try to figure out what the author's message really is. It's quite a book, a challenging read. I recommend it to anyone who likes a thought-provoking book and strange endings. It has suspense, adventure, humor and philosophy all mixed into it.
(Karen's review 4/08)

I finally got around to watching the movie on DVD and loved it!  See my review of it here.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Chicken Boy" by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Chicken Boy by Frances O’Roark Dowell is a YA fiction story about Tobin, a 7th grader who became neglected after his mother died.  He has a good relationship with his grandmother who blames his father for her daughter’s death.  He is pretty much withdrawn but finally makes a friend, Henry, who gets him interested in chickens.  Raising chickens and having a friend helps him feel better about himself and his school work improves.  He is put into a nice foster home when his grandmother calls social services to report the neglect on the part of the dad. 

I learned some things about chickens by reading this book but I wasn’t all that impressed with it.  I usually like family stories but there wasn’t enough character development to make me really feel like I knew this family.  It seemed like there were loose ends and although he forgave his grandmother, other things seemed left unresolved.  The book seemed to just stop. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Street Lawyer" by John Grisham

I liked Street Lawyer by John Grisham because I work for attorneys so found the main character to be interesting and quite realistic. I was pulling for him throughout the book and admired him for giving up his cushy job at the big law firm to help out the homeless and down and out people. It made me rethink my priorities some and realize how bad off some people are. This is the first Grisham book I ever read and liked it very much.  I highly recommend this.
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Teaser Tuesday: romance, inspirational, YA

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Gerard's:

"When you say it is nothing, I know it is something. But maybe something you do not want your husband to know."
Anna stifled a giggle as he lightly nipped her jaw."

From p. 134 of The Endearment by Lavyrle Spencer
(Yes, I got Gerard to read this book!)

Karen's:

Instead of looking for the best, we assume the worst. And we're not in the least surprised when the worst finds us.

From Having a MARY Heart in a MARTHA World by Joanna Weaver

Our plan was that once we got our flocks settled, maybe we'd try to add on, if we could convince Henry's mom to let them get more hens. Me, I had to check with my dad to see if I could get some chickens in the first place.

From p. 59 of Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell

"Cat Diaries--Secret Writings of the MEOW Society" by Betsy Byars/Betsy Duffey

The cats have a meeting and different ones read from their diary in Cat Diaries--Secret Writings of the MEOW Society by Betsy Byars and Betsy Duffey.  This is a short, quick-read children's book that gives insight into how cats think and the history of some cats in a clever format.  The black and white drawings are cute. 

I recommend reading one or two stories at a time so it does not become boring reading about one cat after another, and another, and another.  The M.E.O.W. is a cat society which stands for "Memories Expressed in Our Writing." 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?