On a Book Thing...

In the past few weeks, I've been on a pretty big "get things done" binge.  While Dan was gone, I completely cleaned out the house (including the closets), finished cross-stitching and sewing up James' Christmas stocking (a task that's two years in the making!), and even found time to complete two books I've been meaning to read in a long time:  I Am Legend by Richard Matheson and Life of Pi by Yann Martel. 

Not surprisingly, I Am Legend is completely different from the movie.  I'm not sure if I liked the book or the movie more, to tell you the truth.  I know I didn't like the end of the movie, but I didn't care for the end of the book either.  The one big thing I liked better in the book was the humanization of the vampire creatures - particularly found in the character Ben Cortman.  It was much more believable and entertaining to see relatively intelligent creatures duking it out with the last man on earth, Robert Neville, rather than a bunch of zombies, as portrayed in the movie.  Either way, the movie was a fun watch and the book was a quick read - I could say I enjoyed both.

Now, the Life of Pi was a book I came in with no expectations, and found was an interesting read.  It is about a 16 year old boy named Pi who is stranded on a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and a young tiger.  I can tell you that this stranding doesn't happen until a third into the book.  The first third of the book is a huge discussion on religion - particularly Hindu, Muslim, and Christian faiths.  On the back cover it's mentioned that you will believe in God by the end of the book.  I'm not sure if that's the case, but it may make you curious and seek out more about one (or all three) of these faiths.  The next third of the book is purely the survival of Pi on this lifeboat.  I found this section entertaining - I think I learned more about sea survival than I'll ever need in life!  The final third of the book was a kicker though - without giving away too much - it made me question whether this whole expedition actually happened...

I'm currently reading The Hobbit.  It's a quicker read than reading the full Lord of the Rings series, and will hopefully make the LOTR series a better read because of the background I know about the characters....