Proposed Reading Schedule 2013

My apologies to the reading audience. I've been very busy the last two weeks getting married. But things have settled and returned to some semblance of normality, and I'm ready to present my reading list for the next twelve months.

January 11: A Prayer for Owen Meany

January 25: Artemis Fowl

February 8: Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

February 22: A Game of Thrones

March 8: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

March 22: Fall of Giants

April 5: The Silver Cup

April 19: The Perfect Prince

May 3: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

May 17: The Lincoln Lawyer

May 31: Catch-22

June 14: The Maze Runner

June 28: The Player of Games

July 12: A Beautiful Blue Death

July 26: The Hornet's Sting

August 9: Moloka'i

August 23: Relic

September 6: Daughter of the Sword

September 20: Clockwork Angel

October 4: Killshot

October 18: Wars of the Roses

November 1: Stormdancer

November 15: North and South

November 29: Paradise Lost

December 13: The Spies Who Never Were

December 27: The Book Thief

Histories, science fiction, young adult fiction, suspense and crime. A little bit of everything. So, no matter what you like to read, just stay tuned, reviews and recommendations are scheduled and on their way.

Life of Pi

       

         "A story that will make you believe in God," or so claimed the elderly gentleman that pointed the drifting young narrator in the direction of Toronto.

                Life of Pi is a story told by two narrators, the first unnamed and perhaps supposed to be the author himself, and the second, Piscine Molitor Patel, now a middle-aged man, recounting the tale of his misbegotten adventures at sea. The narrator introduces the story, tells us how he discovered it,  and occasionally interrupts Pi's narration to inform the reader about the man telling his own story. Pi, on the other hand, launches into recounting his life story without any mind of personal detail. After all, when you are sharing a story with someone over a cup of tea, you don't stop to tell them what you look like or who you are currently living with.

                The first third of the book is largely concerned with Pi's history: where he was born, how he came to be called "Pi," and his early conversion to all three major Indian religions- Islam, Hinduism and Catholicism. Pi also tells much of his father's zoo in Pondicherry and includes a lot of information about animal behavior and care that seems superfluous. After all, we're waiting to hear about the boy trapped in the lifeboat with the tiger. We don't care so much that goats make good companions for lonely rhinoceros. 

                The boat sinks, and Pi begins the second half of his story with a narrative scramble of events that speaks to his confusion- the confusion that led him to rescue a drowning tiger and make it his sailing companion. 

                At first, there are other animals- a wounded zebra, an orangutan and a hyena- but as time passes and the tiger recovers from seasickness, their numbers dwindle until only Pi and the tiger remain. Pi tells us how he managed to survive the first few weeks in such close quarters with such a fierce beast, how he trained it to stay away from his territory and eventually how he convinced "Richard Parker" that he was the super-alpha and his orders were to be obeyed. (At this point in the tale, one begins to see the significance of all the animal information packed into the first thirty chapters... Pi needs us to understand that the story he is telling is perfectly plausible.)

                 As with most books that win literary prizes and recognition, there is more to Life of Pi than the story of a boy adrift in a lifeboat with a tiger. The story is an entertaining contemplation of faith and reason, religion and reality, human and animal. Pi, whose religious faith helps him to cope with the overwhelming loss of his family and 227 days of suffering on a lifeboat, encourages us to examine the evidence that life places before us, follow the steps of our reason until we come to a place of decision, and then, if we truly wish to live to our full potential, we must leap to a conclusion. We must be willing to believe something we will never be entirely capable of proving in this life. After all, in the end, it's faith that sets humankind above the animals, the ability to believe something we cannot see and the desire to value other lives because they share this ability with us.

Reading Level: High school

Recommendation: The book itself is very clean, no sexual innuendo or foul language. Due to the strenuous circumstances, some of the descriptions are rather graphic and violent. As a Christian, I do not agree with some of the religious ideas the book purports, but some of the things Pi says are thought provoking in their own right. Definitely a great read if you're looking for something with an interesting twist.

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower

Ahoy! Those who would read tales of daring adventure and follow the career of a young man as he travels the world with the British Navy in the late 1700s ought to find Horatio Hornblower an agreeable reading companion.

Born July 4, 1776, Horatio is the son of a middle class doctor, and his family has managed to scrape together the funds to purchase him a commission in the King's Navy. Midshipman Hornblower has never set foot on a ship, but his bright eyes and desire to excel at everything he does soon have him swabbing the decks and climbing the rigging with the best of the experienced sailors. Whether he is keeping his men from breaking the rules during the long, cold winters, or saving the lives of three admirals during a Spanish fire-ship attack, Hornblower does not have to fight to keep the attention of his audience.

The book itself is written in episodes, each chapter neatly containing its own little story. The only thing that might prevent someone from reading them out of order is the fact that each story is a step in the young seaman's career. By the end of his eleven book series, Forester takes his bright young hero to the illustrious rank of Admiral.

Hornblower's character and personal values make him an ideal role model for young people. Whether you are trying to teach them the importance of being honorable or just the benefit of a good work ethic, Hornblower's ability to adapt to his surroundings, learn from his mistakes and keep himself accountable makes him a fabulous character to add to anyone's literary collection of friends.

Reading level: Approximately 6th grade, but enjoyable even if you're post-collegiate.

My apologies for the brevity of this review. I have been much busier than I anticipated these past two weeks. Hopefully in the future these reviews will give us a chance to have an intelligent discussion about literary techniques and writing styles.