The two books I’ve read recently are perhaps two of the most hyped up books in recent times. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and The Da Vinci Code. I hate it when people get so worked about books, which really takes out from the enjoyment I get when I actually get to sit down and read them. (While I’m complaining, same goes for movies.)
Nevertheless these were two very enjoyable reads. I borrowed HP6 from a friend the day after it came out, and rushed to finish it in one day, one sitting before anyone spoiled the surprises for me. I bought The Da Vinci Code while building my Harry Potter collection by joining Double Day Book Club. The read took a little more time, but still, just two days, and before I had a chance to read any online reviews.
After reading Harry Potter, I was still in a sort of disbelief mode due to the plot. It wasn’t an outrageous story, and some might say totally reasonable, but I just didn’t want to believe it, just as I couldn’t believe Sirius had died in the prior one. Yet I must say, it is no longer a story for children, as everyone was so bluntly exposed to the cruel world.
On the other hand, The Da Vinci Code was equally disconcerting, in less the plot (which, honestly, was less than intriguing for a mystery) but the wild theories. What was great about it was the history and mystery in the history and the challenges of the puzzles that were related to the history. I could see how many people were just like me when I googled online for The Last Supper and the first image that came up was a close up of the person next to Jesus. Who Da Vinci really intended to paint, I dare not guess. But just the author’s ability to put all these seemingly random objects and stories together and create a plausible story, was quite amazing to me. Although I must say, the characters were horribly lacking in depth, and the human story, one not related to history, was not so interesting.
Still, two books reading. Hey, at least you’d know what everyone else is so worked up about 🙂
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