I did manage. But it was not a fast-paced, speedy, one-setting read as I was expecting. For those of you who follow my twitter (@bookfiend), you know I was complaining about the pace of this book. I guess I was expecting something like National Treasure, but in book form - fast, action-packed, non-stop intrigue. While The Lost Symbol ultimately proved enjoyable, it took a while for the ride to build up.
In The Lost Symbol, Professor Robert Langdon makes his third appearance. I must confess, I don't remember all the details of the previous books. I do know that I really liked The Da Vinci Code and was not at all impressed with Angels and Demons. Unfortunately, in this installment, the book fell closer on the scale toward Angels and Demons.
The action starts with Robert's receiving a phone call from an old friend, Peter Solomon, who asks Robert to come to D.C. to give a lecture. When Robert gets there, however, he finds a disturbing object in the Capitol Building, along with the news that his friend has been kidnapped. The madman challenges Robert to decipher a Masonic secret in order to get his friend back. Robert, along with Peter's sister, Katherine, race against the clock and the CIA to solve the mystery.
I didn't enjoy the pacing of the book. It felt like the action didn't get started until mid-way through the book, which at 500 pages, was a bit too long of a wait. The problem is because of the sheer amount of symbolism and history and myths, it all takes a while to explain. The way it's done is through flashback. Every few pages, Robert would think about some event in the past that explains something. It really slowed down the pace. Also, there is a tendancy for Robert to lecture on something. It kind of felt like I was getting a history lesson or something at some points in the book. I mean, I appreciate the difficulty in imparting this type of information to the reader. But I don't know, something about the way it's done slowed down the book a lot and made the action flow much more slowly.
As for the plot, while enjoyable, I'm not sure it is all that intricate. I kinda figured out who the bad guy is long before the end of the book. The plot seems more philosophical than anything else. I don't want to say any more to spoil anyone. But suffice it to say, from the author who penned both Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci code, I should have expected this level of religious undertone to the book.
Overall, while the action finally picked up and the overall story was enjoyable, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I would definitely recommend reading it, but perhaps not worth buying the hardback version. B-.
I will be doing an interview via live streaming on the Internet with www.wcanradio.com on Hollywood today with Brad Evans on Saturday Nov 21st at 12pm EST. Oh billy, Can't wait to see your gorgeous face live streaming!
http://www.wcanradio.com/hollywood.html#
Hope everyone has a great Halloween and weekend.
Billy xoxo
This will be my progress post for Dewey's Read-a-thon 2009. Happy reading everyone!
p.s. Here's my TBR that I will choose from tomorrow.
[8:00 a.m.] Finally starting in Hour 3 with Lisa Kleypas' Tempt Me at Twilight.
[9:30 a.m.] Now that I'm about 120 pages into Lisa Kleypas' Tempt Me at Twilight.
Thanks to the hosts of the mini challenges:
- Hour 3: I like the maps one. It was fun to see where everyone is located. Thanks Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?
- Hour 4: Here's my sentence and picture. Not sure if it makes all that much sense. "Vampire Academy Tempt Me at Twilight To Beguile a Beast" Thanks Bart's Bookshelf
[12:45 p.m.] Done with my first book! It took me a little less than 4 hours to finish Lisa Kleypas' Tempt Me at Twlight. I loved this latest offering from the Hathaways series.
I've enjoyed the stories of the previous Hathaway family. First, in Mine Until Midnight, the eldest sister, Amelia, finds love with an enigmatic Romany, Cam. My review here. Then, in Seduce Me at Sunrise, Win wins over her own Romany, Merripan. And now, it's Poppy's turn for love.
Although Poppy loves her unconventional family, she longs for something safe and simple. But that is not to be. When fate, in the form of a ferret, leads Poppy to an unexpected meeting with enigmatic hotel owner Harry Rutledge, Poppy has no idea how easily her innocent charm caught Harry's attention, setting the wheels of change into motion. As for Harry, he will stop at nothing to have Poppy. But he will come to learn that the only thing standing between him and happiness with Poppy is himself.
I loved both Harry and Poppy. Harry is a hero that you're just rooting for to find happiness. His family background makes it understandable why he is so determined to hold everyone off at arms length. But you just feel his desperate need for love. He doesn't seem to realize that Poppy is his chance at finding happiness but he instinctively is drawn to her. Poppy, on the other hand, has been surrounded by a loving family. She has been looking for the love that she's seen her sisters find. In her rush to find it, she almost settles for a mirage of love instead of the real thing.
I couldn't wait to finish the book but I enjoyed the journey and watching Poppy have the strength to go after what she truly wants. And I was so happy for Harry in the end when he finally found his HEA.
Again, Ms. Kleypas created a cast of wonderful characters. She skillfully wove in the characters from past books and subtly set up some hints about the next book in the series. I can't wait to read about Leo and Catherine's story next and find out more about the mysterious Miss Marks.
Overall, a great read to start Dewey's Read-a-thon 2009. A!!!
[1:15 p.m.] Starting my second book: J.R. Ward's Covet.
[7.p.m.] About 300 pages into J.R. Ward's Covet. I took a break from 4 - 5:30 p.m. :p
Taking a break to do the Mid-Event Meme.
[7:30 p.m.] Dinner break.Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?J.R. Ward's Covet. About 300 pages in.
2. How many books have you read so far?
Finished 1 book only. Lisa Kleypas' Tempt Me at Twilight. I always thought I was a fast reader! *impressed by others*
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
I'm probably going to try to finish Hana Yori Dango, the Japanese manga series.
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
I told my husband I plan to read all day three weeks ago when I signed up. He ended up being out of town this weekend. Unrelated to the read-a-thon, I swear! Really!
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Nope. Husband is out of town. TV is off. I'm just readin' readin' readin'.
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
How fast it's going. I can't believe I've been reading for 8 hours. And how I'm not tired of reading yet. I want to keep reading forever!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Nope. This is my first read-a-thon and it's been great. I love the idea that readers are all over the world, curled up with their books. The cheerleaders are a great idea too.
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
Not much. I'd be a reader again.
9. Are you getting tired yet?
Not yet! Surprisingly.
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
No special tricks for me. I'm just lying on the couch with my book. No husband and no distraction is helpful. :)
[9:30 p.m.] Took half an hour for dinner and another half an hour to talk to hubby. Read more. Only 75 pages more to go in J.R. Ward's Covet.
[2:30 a.m.] I fell asleep somewhere around 11 p.m. I think. But woke up around 2 a.m. to finish J.R. Ward's Covet. Great read. Will review later though. Tired.
I actually am getting a bit of a second wind but I think I better try to sleep if I want to function tomorrow. It's been a fun read-a-thon. Next year, I will try to make it for a longer time. I think I can definitely do a 12-hour read-a-thon, but 24 hours is a challenge! I'm impressed by all the readers out there who are still up and reading.
Total reading time: ~560 minutes or 9 hours (hard to tell exactly when I fell asleep!)
Total pages: 855 pages
Books read: 2
I'm so excited! My very first readathon. I've nagged my friend Janicu into doing it with me. I went to the library and got books. I went to Borders and got books. My husband is out of town. It's the perfect time to curl up and read read read!
- Hana Yori Dango books that I got from the library. It's a Japanese anime series that I'm completely addicted to.
- A trilogy from Nicole Jordan: To Seduce a Bride, To Bed a Beauty, and To Pleasure a Lady.
- Lisa Kleypas' Tempt Me at Midnight
- J.R. Ward's Covet
- Julia Quinn's To Catch an Heiress
- Elizabeth Hoyt's To Beguile a Beast
- Julie Powell's Julie & Julia, which I started but haven't finished.
- Scott Westerfeld's series: The Pretties (oops, I read this already. How did it get in the pile?) and The Extras.
- MaryJanice Davidson's Queen Betsy series: Undead and Unwelcome
- Rachel Mead's YA vampire series: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, and Shadow Kiss. I think there is another book I didn't get yet.
- LHK's Skin Trade. I have about 100 pages left. It's been a slow read.
So on the west coast, I'm supposed to start at 5 a.m. Ummmmm. Not sure that's going to happen. But I will be up as early as possible and stay up as late as possible. I'm not planning on leaving the house for food though!
In Dead and Gone, Charlaine Harris reminded me again why I loved this series to begin with - ERIC!!! To me, it felt like the series has been taking a bit of a detour with Sookie's involvement in the were community and the other men that have come into Sookie's life. In this book, more Eric! And I loved it!
In this book, the weres have decided to follow the vampires out of the paranormal closet. At first, it seems like the big reveal for the weres are going pretty well. But then, Sookie finds the body of a werepanther in the Merlotte's parking lot. "But what she doesn't realize is that there is a much greater danger than the killer threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings - older, more powerful, and far more secretive than vampires or werewolves - are preparing for war."
The part in quotes are from the book blurb. I have to say though, this part is a bit misleading. It was a bit of a let down about these "unhuman beings" and the war they are waging. But, I still enjoyed the book a lot. Mostly because of Eric! Ok, I can't stop gushing about Eric. So by now, Eric has remembered what he previously has forgotten. And now he's seriously woo-ing Sookie.
Because I love Eric so much (can you tell?), I was pretty happy with this book. We do get some visits from Sookie's ex-boyfriends, Quinn and Bill. And of course, Sam is always involved. But overall, I'm satisfied with the way Sookie/Eric is progressing and look forward to the next book. Oh, Sookie gets more involved in the paranormal world as she looks for the murderer, blah blah Eric blah blah.
Overall: B+.
Also on Blogger.
First, much thanks to my friend Janicu who introduced me to Julie James and sent me this book! I stayed up until 4 am reading it the very day I got it.
Payton Kendall and J.D. Jameson started as associates at a big law firm together and are now both up for partnership. Payton concentrates on employment discrimination law, while J.D. focuses on class action lawsuits. Payton came from a hippie family, while J.D. is your typical privileged white male whose dad is a judge. Payton and J.D. can't stand each other, but must come together to win a client for the firm, their last hoop to jump through before reaching the partnership brass ring. They grudgingly begin to get to know each other, What they didn't realize is that only one will be made partner.
I enjoyed the book overall. But I confess, I wasn't the biggest J.D. Jameson fan. I mean, a white male attorney, whose dad is a judge, whining about reverse discrimination? Oh please! While I firmly believe people should be judged on their merits, the reality is, men and women, whites and minorities, straights and gays are not on an even playing field. We're not entirely color-blind, gender-blind, or sexual orientation-blind. We're trying (I think), but we're certainly not there yet. And yes, while it is possible that a white male will be passed over for a white female in a partnershp decision if the firm is trying to increase diversity, I think the reality is, female partners have to overcome a lot more obstacle along the way to get there. So J.D. annoyed me with his, oh-it's-so-unfair-you-just-have-to-wear-a-skirt-to-make-partner-even-though-I'm-more-qualified-than-you attitude.
But, in the spirit of reading a fun, entertaining romance novel, I moved past it and tried to get into the spirit of the oil and water with the simmering sexual tension underneath storyline. It was a bit predictable that Payton and J.D. couldn't stand each other, but are secretly attracted, and eventually came to realize both are dedicated and incredibly talented as lawyers. Ok, here's another minor rant - seriously, in the 8 years of practicing, neither of them has ever lost a case?! Not reality. I liked Payton a lot. She's smart, driven, and professional. I just wish J.D. suffered a bit more or groveled harder before the happily ever after, especially something we found out he did toward the end of the book.
Overall, it was a light, enjoyable read. I think I enjoyed Just the Sexiest Man Alive a bit more, but I'm looking forward to Julie James's next novel. It looks like it'll depart a bit from these two books, involving a female U.S. Attorney and an FBI agent.
Overall: B.
