Well, I'm nearing the end of my summer semester. I am quite happy with the results of my studies again this time around. My final mark in the most difficult class so far was 96.1%. It was a class that gave a lot of trouble to my classmates. I think I must study more than some of them or something. Anyway, I'm very pleased with that outcome. I just wrote a Geography midterm (focusing on American Geography) on Friday (it is now Monday) and I'm waiting for that mark. I think I got around 76/80. That is a good mark I guess, but I like to get more than 95% on things! Perhaps I'm spoiled with good marks.
Onwards.
I recently read 2 books. I know that is not a statement most people find remarkable, but for me it is. I don't usually read. I should explain further. I don't usually read fiction. I am always reading school textbooks, but were I not in school, I would be reading facts and information. That is my preferred library of literature. Anyway, like I said, I recently read two books. I finished Dracula about 2 weeks ago. It was my 3rd time trying to read it. The first time I got about half way through and then I lost the book. The second time (after buying another copy) I got half way through and just stopped reading it. The third time (which is reportedly a charm) I finished it.
Upwards.
The second book I read was Life of Pi.
How to explain this book. Beauty, Religion, Significance, Endurance, God. This was the second time I read this book. I believe the last time was the summer of 2008. Maybe 2007. It was introduced to me by my good friend Jenna (whom I visited in Toronto a few months back. Perhaps I made a blog post about her). Anyway, this is an absolutely astounding book. It blew me away 5 years ago, and did so again this time. In a nutshell, it is a story about a boy named Piscine Molitor Patel. An Indian citizen who grew up in a zoo, he has a very interesting insight on human behaviour and is deeply religious in an unconventional way; he claims to be Christian, Muslim and Hindu.
The book is split into three parts. The first part is the most beautifully written. It has deep, intellectual themes of religion, personal development and childhood challenges. The second part is the most dramatic. After deciding to move to Canada, the family embarks on a journey on a Japanese Cargo ship from Asia. Their destination is North America. Things quickly go wrong (this part of the book actually starts with the sentence, "The ship sank." What a deceivingly simple way to start). This section of the book details Piscine's (who likes to be called Pi, hence the name of the book) 277-day survival story. He spent 277 days on the Pacific Ocean. If that wasn't challenging enough, he was with wild animals. His family was transporting animals in the ship, and several of them escaped their cages either prior to, or during, the ship's sinking. As a result, the lifeboat on which Pi escaped was also home to a zebra, a hyena, an orang-utan, several insects and flies, and most impressively, a Royal Bengal Tiger. It is a brutally real description of what follows that makes up the second part of the book.
The third part takes place in a hospital after Pi has made landfall. It is an interview between Pi and 2 Japanese investigators who are asking about the sinking of the ship. They care very little about what happened to Pi and his family. This part is interesting to read because you see how Pi has become a bit less like his human counterparts and more like those he spent time with in the lifeboat.
If I had to summarize this book in a word it would be mesmerizing. Just read it. It will knock your socks off.
I'm thrilled to announce that they are making a movie of it. I will be the first in line to see it, but for now we only have this trailer to watch. (I highly suggest clicking that and watching the trailer on youtube! You might have to sit through a 15 second advertisement for Courtyard Marriott hotels...)
That's my post for the day folks. If you enjoy reading (or even if you don't), you should pick up Life of Pi.
