What Books Are You Currently Reading? (Part 2)

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It's mostly a middle aged academic's fantasy trash. It keeps introducing concepts like the illuminati as if that's a strange, never-before discussed idea. But given the probable target audience and success of this series, perhaps all is as it should be. I'm a sucker for the movies so I'm committed to getting through the books. You know, that ingrained attitude of compare-and-contrast.
 
Vict said:
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It's mostly a middle aged academic's fantasy trash. It keeps introducing concepts like the illuminati as if that's a strange, never-before discussed idea. But given the probable target audience and success of this series, perhaps all is as it should be. I'm a sucker for the movies so I'm committed to getting through the books. You know, that ingrained attitude of compare-and-contrast.
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Do you find the thrill diminishes if you know how it ends? I've had that problem on my second reading of The DaVinci Code.
 
I've only read Da Vinci Code around the time of its release but I've watched all the movies many times. I remember that book because I bought it on Amazon and someone told me "you can buy books on the internet now?!"

The opening of Angels & Demons is kind of slow as the author sets up the pieces so there's not much thrill to it yet. I think this might just be the template for these sorts of stories? I suppose the appeal for me is the listicle approach to the clues and revelations, and the characters' nerding out over history (fictional as some of it may be). I.e. here's a body, the body has these clues on it, these clues mean this and this in one historical context, oh but later in the story there's a different perspective on those clues and now these other historical details alter our understanding of what's happening.

So in the rare case where I reread something like this, knowing the ending isn't all that bad. It's rediscovering the steps along the way that allows me to enjoy it.

My brain as I read:

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Still on my Dan Brown bullshit and The Lost Symbol was so awful. Dan Brown's not a good writer and his worst instincts just come out in force in this book. The sensible question is "why?" and the sensible response is "stop," but he still gets you with vivid descriptions of museums and architecture and the kind of nerdy art history shit I like, plus all the video gamey stuff like puzzles, chase sequences, and stealth escapes.

I'm in Inferno now (fourth of five) and it is immediately better.
 
This started well in the first book, but the middle entry drags and these authors are making some questionable character choices. I hope part 3 brings it back to the good stuff.

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Recently returned to Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which is already one of my favorite books, but today I started Wilhelm Baynes' translation of the I Ching, which my boyfriend got me as a surprise. I've been wanting to delve into this for a while, but only now do I think I am ready. I've known that eastern philosophy already suits me better than western rationalism, and a few months ago I had an epiphany regarding taoism, whose concepts are closely connected with the I Ching, so maybe i'll soon find some guidance after all.

edit: also started reading Hitchhiker's Guide the other week after my bf found it for free. Funny as hell, glad I finally got around to it. Bit of a palette cleanser between the heavy stuff i usually read. I need to get into fiction and comedy more. I'm always a big fan of satire.
 
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