Angels & Demons by: Dan Brown

Day 9 - January 9, 2009
Originally uploaded by mkvanderlofske

This has been the year of the summer movie for me. My desire to see one movie results in me seeing various trailers for another movie that causes me to want to see that movie and so on until my entire summer calendar is filled with movies that I plan on watching. One trailer that constantly bombarded me was the film adaptation of Dan Brown's Angels & Demons. After the 5th viewing of the trailer, and upon the insistence of my friends (the avid Dan Brown followers) I decided to give the novel a try.


Angels & Demons is the prequel to Brown's bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code It introduces Dr. Robert Langdon, a Harvard University professor and an renowned expert in the field of religious symbiology. Awaken at the crack of dawn but a mysterious phone call, followed by a grotesque fax featuring the amibgram logo of an ancient satanic cult, Langdon is soon on the chase of a killer working to revive a forgotten grudge. The enmity resulting in century long feuds amongst the intellectuals and the spiritualists all boils down to science versus religion and this feud has turned deadly.

Brown should be given credit where credit is due. His storyline is incredible and his ability to develop codes in symbols through European art adds to his engaging plot. However, very little can be said for his style of writing. There were moments when I was swept away by the tale, unable to do more than devour each page as I sat spellbound. Then at times I felt like it was a chore just to try to make it to the end of the line. It was almost as if, the author realized that most of the plots was revealed in the earlier chapters and yet he needed time to fill before bringing the reader to the dénouement.

One of my favorite moments in this book was the monologue given by the Carmelengo. The rhetoric used was so stirring that even I (a non-Catholic) was deeply moved.

All in all I would say this book was not bad. I would give it 3.5 out of 5 Coca Cola Bottles.

Happy Reading!

Because Everything Goes Well with A Coke

Coca-Color
Originally uploaded by Vicr of Flickr

I am instituting a new rating system when writing my book reviews. Every book will be rated on a scale of 1-5 Coke bottles. Here is the breakdown:

1 Coke Bottle: Waste of paper
2 Coke Bottles: Decent door stopper
3 Coke Bottles: Not bad. Recommended for killing time on long car trips and the like.
4 Coke Bottles: Really good. Might result in one going without sleep for a few nights.
5 Coke Bottles: Incredible.

I hope this system is easy to follow. Bear in mind, my reviews are subjective. For those wondering why I used Coke bottles as a measure of greatness, it's because everything goes well with a Coke.

Happy Reading!

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End of A Slump

I really cannot explain what makes me choose the books I end up reading. Best sellers lists are useless to me, as is the hype and review of many other things. There are a few occasions where people recommend books, but depending on the person even that may be taken with a grain of salt.

This book was happened upon. After going through an unheard of month without reading, I ventured out to Barnes & Noble to pass some time away and to perhaps end the slump. While perusing the biography section I stumbled upon this memoir of a book reviewer who had made a commitment to read a book a week for an entire year.

I have to admit, when I first started flipping through the pages this book I did not start at the beginning. Instead I began in a random section of the book as I tried to get a sense of whether or not the book was read worthy. As I read through the author's lament about the the pitfalls and benefits of book recommendations between friends and coworkers I was hooked. How can I not be?? Page, after page, the story moved along until I forced myself to the beginning of the book with no regrets.

From classics such as Anna Karenina to popular fiction like Bridget Jones' Diary to moving nonfiction like The Color of Water, Nelson takes the reader through the gamut of life and literature that any reader, writer, or neither would enjoy. There were many instances in which I had to pause in reading so that I could call my best friend (and fellow avid reader) Amanda so that I could read her a passage or even chapter that had us nodding in agreement, or discussing our dissension of her views. Either way it was pure fun and had me spellbound till the very end.

Not only did I fall for this novel, but it woke me from the read-less funk that had immersed me.

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I'm Back!!!!

Did anyone know that when you put up a blog background and wait to put up a post, your blog can be shut down as a potential spam blog???

Apparently that is the case, and I had to find out the hardway. My best friend Amanda went to check out my blog and found it deleted. So, I had to do a little investigating and what did I find? Blogger had deleted my blog :(

In order to get my blog back I had to send an email confirming that I was an actual living, and breathing person who wanted to blog and not someone trying to promote a template website and NOW...

I am back and ready to catch up on all the books I am waiting to review.

Stay tuned for the upcoming review!

10% Inspiration

Although I usually devour books as one who has been starved for years, I recently went through a reading hiatus. It all started when I was seriously ill and lacked the strength to even sit-up let alone read anything. Then last weekend a trip to Barnes & Noble triggered a reading frenzy.

There was one book in particular that was the inspiration for this blog. A memoir entitled So Many Books, So Little Time By Sara Nelson chronicles a readaholic's experiences in reading as she attempts to read one book a week for a year. Now I know that I am not going to be able to do a book a week but I still read an awful lot, and one of the great things about reading is sharing your thoughts with your friends. So thats what I will be doing here. Reading books and blogging away. Enjoy!