The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Oh Robert Langdon, how I’ve missed you over these years since Da Vinci Code came out! And now you’re back and once again at the center of a controversy. At least this time you didn’t have to trek all the way to Europe for it, you only had to head down to Washington D.C. So, first and foremost, is The Lost Symbol good as The Da Vinci Code? Yes, I think so. Not quite as good, in my opinion, as Angels & Demons, but still quite respectable. It’s a genuine Dan Brown thriller; full of symbolism, mysterious meanings, crazy theories and of course, a mysterious bad guy running the show behind the scenes. If you like Dan Brown in general, you’ll enjoy The Lost Symbol and you’ll tear through it very quickly. The entire book takes place over 12 hours, which has to be one of the longest, strangest days Robert Langdon has ever experienced. But for the reader, it’ll only take you a few hours and is simply an excellent way to kill some time.

An offer you can’t refuse…

I finally got around to reading The Godfather by Mario Puzo and was amazed by how similar it is to the movie. It’s not often that a movie is so dedicated to remaining true to the book but this is definitely the exception. I won’t bore you all with too many details, since there probably aren’t very many people who haven’t seen The Godfather, but this is the story of Vito Corleone, his family, and his rise from Olive Oil salesman to Mafia Don. It’s a quick read, primarily because the story is so familiar, but even knowing what was going to happen didn’t lessen the enjoyment I got out of this book. Plus, it introduced me to Puzo, and I’m going to try to check out some of his other works. I suggest you start with The Godfather and then do the same.

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I just finished reading The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, the first two books in this series by Suzanne Collins and I am completely and utterly wowed. The story itself is extremely disturbing and kind of makes me question the “Young Adult” label but this woman certainly has an imagination! These novels take place in a future version of the United States, now called Panem, a country divided into 12 districts and the Capitol. Apparently sometime in the past, these districts rose up against the Capitol and were summarily squashed back into submission. Now, in order to never forget their treasonous ways, each district is required to provide 2 tributes a year (one female, one male) to the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are a no-holds barred all out brawl where only one child, only those ages 12-18 are eligible to be drawn, can win and by win, I mean outlive the other tributes. And to make it worse, in the Capitol, the Games are the ultimate in entertainment with Sponsors vying to send “gifts” to the tributes and everyone glued to their TVs to see who will be the ultimate winner. Although there are 24 tributes, the two we really follow are Katniss and Peeta, from District 12. Katniss is a volunteer tribute; after her sister Prim’s name was drawn, she volunteered to take her place. Katniss is a definite contender; she has the skills, and mentality to potentially survive. I won’t get into too many details here about the two books since I don’t want to spoil the element of surprise. But I will say this, once I started reading these books, I was fascinated and horrified at the same time. And I could not put the books down and I am eagerly awaiting the third book in this series.

City of Thieves by David Benioff

I’ve mentioned before how much I like reading about WWII history and this is no exception. In fact, it’s a really quick read and covers the story from the Russian point of view, which is a nice twist. City of Thieves is the author’s grandfather’s story of his time in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) during the siege. When he is caught looting a German paratrooper’s body, Lev is certain he is going to be summarily executed, but instead wins a reprieve when a Colonel offers him his freedom in exchange for a dozen eggs. Now coming up with a dozen eggs in wartime is harder than it sounds; eggs hadn’t been seen in months and the majority of the country was slowly starving to death during the long Soviet winter. But Lev, and his new comrade in arms, Kolya, an accused deserter, take on the challenge and the next week, which the novel covers, is one adventure after another. For not only do Lev and Kolya decide to find the eggs, but they also decide to kill the leader of the local occupying German forces. This book is not very long and is an extremely engaging and quick read. The pages just fly by as you wonder what will happen next.