Life of Pi

Written by: Yann Martel

First line: My suffering left me sad and gloomy.

Why you should read this book: Piscine Molitor Patel, who has cleverly shortened his name to "Pi" to prevent teasing, is a thoughtful boy, growing up in the friendly confines of his father's zoo in the Indian state of Pondicherry, cheerfully embracing Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam in equal measure because he loves god so much. When the political situation at home becomes difficult, Pi's parents decide to relocate to Canada, loading the family and most of the zoological collection onto a cargo ship, which, shortly thereafter and with little explanation, sinks, leaving Pi, a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and a large Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker, which Pi has accidentally saved, to survive on a lifeboat. After the hyena kills the zebra and the ape, and the tiger kills the hyena, Pi and Richard Parker float across the Pacific Ocean together in one of the most stirring and richly detailed adventure stories of our age.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're cranky due to a terrible, chilling dampness or a terrible, dehydrating heat.