Life of Pi by Yann MartelMy rating: 5 of 5 stars To successfully write a novel like Life of Pi requires a skilful author capable of revealing the fantastic in a credible, engaging manner. Yann Martel clearly is one such writer, following in the footsteps of adepts at magic realism from the time of Jonathan Swift through Salman Rushdie. The story itself is simple: a boy who survives 227 days aboard a lifeboat on the…

The Warrior Chronicles Books 1-6 by Bernard CornwellMy rating: 4 of 5 stars When you go to Bernard Cornwell for a reading fix, you go for impeccable historical research, gritty reality(no sanitized Jane Austen romance here)and characters who are larger than life, very human in their flaws. This six book series of Cornwell’s is no exception, chronicling the embryonic years of England’s conception under the vision of Alfred the Great, and told through the crusty…