Life of Pi / Yann Martel / 319 p.

Life of Pi, is a story about a teenage boy named Pi, who was in a shipwreck and spends 227 days aboard a life boat and survives to tell his tale.  What actually happens during those days in the Pacific is left up to the reader to decide.  Pi tells two versions of his story, and its my guess that the truth is somewhere in between.  
The point of the story is to ask the reader which version do they personally want to "believe" and hence is a reflection on how they view religion and the world.  I found the novel to be ploddingly slow and I was left feeling frustrated and saddened by Pi's suffering and detachment through his survival ordeal.  If anything, instead of feeling like this book proved "the existence of God" I felt as the movie reviewer, Jonathan Kim, stated in the Huffington Post "[the book] would confirm that if there is a God in control, he's a cruel, sadistic jerk."

Major Pettigrew's last stand : a novel / Helen Simonson / 358 pgs.

Major Ernest Pettigrew leads a quiet life in the village of St. Mary, England, until his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of books and the loss of their spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more.  Unfortunately, this unlikely union does not set well with others.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a beautifully crafted novel that lets you believe you are reading a simple story of two lonely people finding each other.  But, in fact, it is anything but simply.  The Major is faced with, not only the prejudice of the village, but his own staunch attitude towards what is proper.  He must deal with an adult son who has yet to grow up.  And he must make a decision to what is most important in his life.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand will convince you to never give up on love, and anxiously await Helen Simonson’s next book

State of Wonder / Ann Patchett / 353 pages

Wow! What a story. I had to stay up until 2:30 am to finish it. Marina Singh, a pharmacist who works in a lab for a drug company, embarks on a mission to the rainforest of the Amazon to discover what happened to her colleague and determine the progress made by one of her former med school professors, the formidable Dr. Swenson, on a new drug that will keep women fertile into their 70's. The plot is definitely character driven and extremely thought-provoking. If a book was ever written for book discussion groups...this is the one! Highly recommended.