Dan Brown - Angels and Demons, etc.

[Chrissie777]

Same here. Angels and Demons is more suspenseful and its not so easy to work out whats going to happen.

I guessed it on page 550 (hardcover).

[Chrissie777]

Yes, A&D is my favourite of Dan Brown's titles. I have recently read The Lost Symbol, which I found to be just more of the same. I have really had enough now of this type of story - the market seems to be saturated with what I call Holy Grail Thrillers.

I'm about to finish "The Lost Symbol" this afternoon and find it extremely compelling (and this time I never would have guessed the ending!), because I've been twice to Washington, D. C., and was already very interested in the free masons.
Of course it's formula writing, at first Dan Brown writes about the Illuminati, then about the Priory (sp?) of Sion, now the free masons.
But which successful author doesn't do formula writing these days?
Even Peter Robinson, Nancy Thayer, Nelson DeMille and Douglas Kennedy do it.

[Chrissie777]

Fiona, I finished "The Lost Symbol" and was thrilled!
Too bad they didn't film "The Lost Symbol" with Tom Hanks, however, it's just been made into a TV series (unknown actors) which is according to imdb in post production. Can't wait to watch it later this year...

Now I'm on page 100 of "Inferno", it's not quite as gripping as "The Lost Symbol", but I'll stick to it.

[Fiona1986]

I've got about 10% to go. I'm currently thinking how unbelievable it is that a man who has been held, tortured, had his hand cut off etc is now galivanting around Washington DC to reveal Mason secrets but never mind! I want to know the secret.

[Chrissie777]

Yes, I was wondering about that, too!
Other than that it's a lovely description of Washington, D. C..

[Chrissie777]

"Inferno" gets better and better. I've reached page 250.
What should intrigue every FF fan are the secret passages used in "Inferno".
Don't want to disclose too much.

[Fiona1986]

I'm going to take a break from Dan Brown and read something else before I carry on (I almost never read books in a series back to back now).

[Chrissie777]

Well, I like to read them back to back. I'm on page 420 now (it's really getting thrilling now as they've reached Istanbul), will finish "Inferno" later this morning and start "Origin" right after.
Then I'll read all 7 John Corey thrillers by Nelson DeMille in chronological order throughout July and August. I've read two of them some 10 or 15 years ago and really enjoyed them.
However, I doubt very much that this year I'll make the Reading Challenge on goodreads.com. I read almost 140 books in 2020, that's why I decided to reach 145 books this year. So far I was within the limit, but in July I will get behind.

[Fiona1986]

Lower your goal, then I won't tell anyone! I always aim for 100 and then only increase it if I'm ahead.

[Chrissie777]

Well, than I misunderstood the goal of the challenge. I thought I was supposed to read a few more books than last year. So far I'm still 2 books ahead of my schedule.
I didn't know that I can lower the Reading Challenge halfway through the year.

[Fiona1986]

The goal can be whatever you want it to be. I just use it to motivate me to read, it's not a competition. I set a lower target the year Brodie was born as I knew it would be more difficult to read two books a week.

[Chrissie777]

O.k., then I'll lower my goal.
What really bothers me with Goodreads.com: for days and days I get their e-mails in which they still claim that I'm reading "Inferno" (I'm already on page 226 in "Origin"). And no matter how often I want to correct it to "finished", the next day I get another "Take a look at your friends' bookshelves" message where I'm STILL reading "Inferno".

[Chrissie777]

I'm going to take a break from Dan Brown and read something else before I carry on (I almost never read books in a series back to back now).

Fiona, after 355 pages I stopped reading "Origin" by Dan Brown. It's just not getting gripping plus I was never interested in Spain. For me the locations are at least as important as the plot or character development.
Today I'll start reading "Plum Island" by Nelson DeMille, the first of 7 John Corey thrillers.

[Fiona1986]

That’s a shame. I’m not good at giving up on books I’m not enjoying. I usually force myself to finish them!

[Wolfgang]

Sometimes time is too precious to do that, Fiona... Why forcing yourself to read a book you dislike if there's a chance to read one you like? Many of us are not at school any longer...