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Emma Haley em5ea05 — Based on the blurb about this book - I expected to "learn/understand" something about dating outside of one's race, but I was disappointed in this debut novel. It seemed that the author wanted to accomplish too much with this one book - and would make a stereotype statement and then made the characters fit that statement instead of the reader learning this through the action of the characters. The transition between the chapters was abrupt at time and as you were settling in on a character and their situation - it switches up I also thought that the secondary characters could have been more effectively used to enhance the storyline It seems that all dialogue between the characters related to "race" and/or why dating within/outside ones race - this got really tiring - as we did not really learn anything else about the characters I also found the story outcome pretty predictable While this is a topic that is frequently discussed - I thought the author would have best served to present this volume of material in a non-fiction format or to do this as a series of fiction novels where the reader could get to know the characters better and be able to present the issues more deeply than just a "statement."

Justin Baker jkbaker — Life of Pi by Yann Martel Category: Fiction Tags: Philosophy, Zoology, Survival, Sea Report:  This book has been on my radar since it was released...and although it wasn't at the top of my list, it was something that I eventually wanted to read. Hmm. I don’t know what to think. This book - it left my brain feeling a little numb (if that is the correct word). I felt that I ended up digesting most of the book paragraph by paragraph instead of chapter by chapter. The beginning is a bit dry - about the first 80 pages were hard for me to get through. I suppose mainly because I do not usually read religious or philosophical books. The main character, an adolescent boy, explores comparative religions: Muslim, Hindu, and Christianity. He ends up practicing all three because he feels that they all benefit him in different ways. However, upon saying that it was a bit slow, I also believe the beginning is essential in setting the "setting." Then there is the main part of the book. When Pi Patel is sixteen, his family and their zoo animals emigrate from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship. The ship sinks, and Pi finds himself in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and a 450 pound Bengal tiger. Pi's fear, knowledge, and cleverness keep him alive. There is a twist in the last 1/3 of the book that really makes you shake your head. And I mean that you have to sweep out the cobwebs and really think about the first 2/3 that you already read! I was extremely shocked at the ending. I mean, I was truly taken by surprise. Kind of like one of those twists at the end of a psychological movie. I don't think a book has ever done that to me. It was utterly original - and completely weird - but I suppose that is what makes it. According to Amazon.com: Life of Pi isn’t just a simple adventure story. The book’s final pages include a revelation that brings the rest of Pi’s fantastic story into question. But instead of seeming silly and fraudulent, as such twists often do, the ending makes the rest of the story that much more meaningful. At its core, the book is about man’s relationship to animals, and his relationship to God (Pi, as the book explains in some detail, is Hindu, Islam and Christian). Most importantly, the book is about faith – about how believing something sincerely can make it, if not completely real, at least close. Overall - it is NOT a quick read. But if you are in the mood to explore a lil' bit of philosophy...and ready to delve into a good story-telling...then give it a try!