Remember when I asked about a Chapter 13 for the Ninjai series? Wish granted.

Been Assigned Any Modern Classics Lately?

I am an avid reader. I've just finished Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich and currently finishing up The Prince by Machiavelli. I usually have two or three books going at one time; I've been that way ever since I started reading.

Last night while at dinner with a friend of mine, the topic of what books to read came up. One that I plan to read in the near future (after I'm done my already large stack of "to read") is Uncle Tom's Cabin. I was never required to read this book in any of my schooling, possibly because the majority of my education was in Canada. The book has always intrigued me, and I hope it lives up to the hype I have created for it.

In the course of the conversation I got to thinking that as students we're forced to read certain great works of literature from the likes of Shakespeare, Machiavelli, Dickens, Hugo, Melville, Fitzgerald, etc. Most of us have been there, half-heartedly paging through these tomes praying we'll learn enough to pass the final. But the question that struck me was since I've been out of the educational loop, what book written within the last 20 years would be considered "required reading" for students? More recent books like Catch-22 (1961) and Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) cut it close time-wise, but even these titles are more than thirty years old.

Books that win prestigious awards aren't guaranteed places in school curriculum, are they? I've had the privilege of reading books like Blindness by Jose Saramago (Nobel Prize for Literature, 1998), The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (Pulitzer Prize, 2000), and Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Man Booker Prize, 2002), all of which I consider great works of modern literature. Are these titles on teacher's lists? Will they be in the future?

Alright then, what about just great sellers? At the time I wrote this, The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown has been on the Best Selling (Fiction) chart for 116 weeks, a fantastic feat. Are teachers going to be teaching about the exploits of Robert Langdon anytime soon? Would a book like The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren even be discussed on a broad educational scale for its impact on the American spiritual landscape? If kids weren't reading the Harry Potter series on their own, would the book be able to be taught on its own merits?

My main questions are these: what makes a book "required reading" for today's students? How long does it take? In this age of different media formats like movies, television, and the internet, can a book stand out enough to become one? How revolutionary, controversial, or just plain good will a book have to be (a silly question for the mere fact that we can't quantify a book's revolutionary, controversy creating ability, or quality quotient) or is it really just a matter of time? Maybe it is just that simple.

I've asked these questions of some fairly qualified people I know. I'll report back how they respond.

On a side note, my personal favorite "forced reading" of my educational career came from the last college course I would have thought: marketing. The book was Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis, which taught me how easy it is to conform to societies' norms, even when you know better. A great read (even if it was published in 1922).

B.C., eh?

A good friend of mine from church is visiting my homeland and she asked for some information on Victoria and Vancouver. Well, this got my research juices flowing and the following is what I sent her.

Vancouver Island. Beautiful place. Getting there is half the fun - you get to take a ferry.

Your main place will be Victoria of course, British Columbia's capitol. On this note, go here. If you want to learn about Canadian politics, this is a great place to start.

The next thing would be just the city of Victoria itself. Try Tourism Victoria's Things To Do in Victoria to start. I personally love to just walk around by the marina and look at all the ships in port.

There are also museums - my favorites are the Royal London Wax Museum and the Royal BC Museum.

Since you are in Victoria, you must partake in high tea. This is serious stuff; dress code enforced. Ladies, bring your best Sunday hat.

The biggest attraction here is of course Butchart Gardens. Green thumbs will love this place.

Well, that's my Victoria. Vancouver? That's a different animal.

Getting around the city and the outlying areas is pretty easy, even if you don't have a car. Public transit is very good - use the buses, SkyTrain, or the SeaBus.

Start from the top: Grouse Mountain. Gondola rides, hiking, and restaurants overlooking downtown Vancouver.

Since you're out that way anyways, go take a different hike.

Vancouver has some amazing parks. My favorite for beauty is Queen Elizabeth, my favorite for fun is Stanley. Read about them here.

Granville Island is a tourist spot staple - this is where you get your smoked salmon and maple syrup. Don't get this mixed up with Granville Street, which is cool in its own right. If you want to check out the freaks, this is my favorite place. ;-)

My favorite museum in Vancouver is the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. Growing up near Vancouver I also liked to go to the Vancouver Museum, which has a cool planetarium.

For art, I love the Vancouver Art Gallery. The building itself is cool, and right in the heart of Vancouver. When I came home from college and was hitting the pavement for a job, I loved to sit on the steps and eat lunch.

Shopping? Hollywood has Rodeo Drive, Chicago has the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave.), Vancouver has Robson. Enjoy.

There is a cool historical district called Gastown which is essentially the area that Vancouver grew out of. There is a lot of cool historical architecture, the John Fluevog Shoes store, and a working steam clock to see. Visiting the Old Spaghetti Factory when we were young was always a treat.

The one thing I miss the most is what was called the Symphony of Fire, but is now called the Celebration of Light. Spectacular show if you don't mind crowds. Hope your schedule allows for it!

My favorite restaurant is the Salmon House in North Vancouver. Save it for last to look over the city one last time.

Tourism BC's web site can help you along as well. If you have any more questions, just ask!

Well, that's drained my Vancouver knowledge for the summertime - B.C. in the winter is a whole different post. If you decide to visit my homeland, have fun, and let me know how it goes!

P.S. If you want to get out of downtown Vancouver, try White Rock for a day. This is a lovely little seaside town where you can relax, walk the pier, and shop. When there, go to the Giraffe Restaurant. The food is spectacular. Ask for Warren and tell him you learned about his restaurant from his Michigan friends.