Showing posts with label ardent reader. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ardent reader. Show all posts

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Book 189: Origin by Dan Brown (Audiobook)

The author of The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons wrote this book last year and it was heralded by everyone who read it as amazing. I'm not sure I'd use that word to describe it, but it certainly was entertaining.

I really like Dan Brown for his original stories and the fascinating way he weaves together fact and fiction. Origin didn't disappoint at all in that aspect. In fact, I can't imagine how much research Brown had to conduct to create the story lines of Origin and his previous books.

Where I feel he falls short, though, is in the dialogue. The main character, Robert Langdon, is the same professor that unraveled the mysteries in the books cited above. In those books and in Origin, when Professor Langdon explains something to another character, it's almost like he's reading the information out of a textbook. For me, the dialogue makes the exchanges feel disingenuous.

    Other than that one small thing, Origin was a fascinating read. I loved the characters and plot twists. Like The DaVinci Code, Origin makes you question what you thought you knew about the world around you. Brown uses his characters to hypothesize about Earth's beginnings and the future of humanity. I was absolutely fascinated.

    Saturday, March 5, 2016

    Book 132: Still Alice by Lisa Genova - UBC

    UBC = Unfinished by choice

    My coworker walked into the lunchroom and said, "You're reading that book?" I said, "Yes, it's for book club. It's really depressing." She said, "Yeah, that's a sob fest." I asked, "It doesn't get any better?" "Nope."

    At that point, I made the decision not to read any further.

    It turns out although I'm a sucker for the grisliest horror stories around, a story about a woman who has earl-onset Alzheimer's disease is my worst nightmare. At 54, Alice is diagnosed - without a doubt - with the disease that steals memories and lives.

    So, after about 64 pages, I gave it up.

    Onward and upward!