The book won me over from the first chapter and I was lost in Martel's imagination in a way I rarely am. I found it just as enjoyable on the re-read; not a perfect book, but one whose popularity, both critical and sales-wise, I perfectly understand.

The Aviator's Wife is about Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Charles Lindbergh's wife. A fictional account of her life, it covers the period from when Anne first met Charles, in Mexico of all places, where Anne's father was serving as the U.S. ambassador, to Charles' death.

"Life of Pi" was THE book of the mid-2000s. Written by Canadian author Yann Martel, the story of the Indian boy and a lifeboat filled with animals won...