Not to infringe upon your thread, but I've been reading "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman. It is most excellent. As the title suggests, it is about the world without us- what will happen, what has happened, etc. Loaded with history, tons of great facts, etc. I highly recommend you read it after "Life of Pi."
Sorry for the thread jack. Meanwhile, I will definitely pick up Pi after this book. I'm on a book kick right now.