The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

I remember when The Da Vinci Code came out in theaters.  It was 2006.  I was dating someone that shall remain nameless. We REALLY liked kissing. . . I mean we were just in high school.  So we went to the movies and “watched” The Da Vinci Code.  It was the middle of the day and the movie had been out for awhile, so the theater wasn’t that busy.  Let’s just say I don’t remember much of what happened during the movie.  Wink wink.  Yup I was one of THOSE high school kids.  But really who wasn’t?  I can’t think of a single person that would say kissing isn’t fun. And when you are young and “in love” you want to be kissing your boyfriend ALL THE TIME.  But I digress.  This post isn’t about making out with my high school boyfriend during a movie.  It’s about the book that movie was based off of.  

I read Angels and Demons earlier in 2014, which I never posted about.  I really enjoyed it so I decided to read The Da Vinci Code.  I’m sure most of you have either read the book or seen the movie.  I’m just WAY behind the times.  If not, here’s a brief summary.

Robert Langdon is a symbologist that works at Harvard.  While out on a business trip in Paris, he is called in to help with a murder case.  A well known and respected Louvre Museum curator is found murdered with his body posed as the Vitruvian Man.  Langdon, along with Sophie Neveu, a cryptologist, work to figure out who is behind the murders.  This is made difficult because some of the police believe Langdon is actually responsible for the murder.  While trying to uncover who killed the curator, Langdon and Neveu find themselves on a journey to also find the Holy Grail.

This isn’t the BEST summary of the book, but it is hard to give a summary without giving away so many important details.  This book really leaves readers on the edge of their seats.  Even though I “saw” the movie before reading the book, I didn’t remember all of the details that really make this an excellent book.   It was definitely a page turner.  Again this isn’t the type of book I would normally pick up on my own.  I knew that the movie had intrigued me a bit (obviously not more than my boyfriend though ;) ) but had forgotten about it amongst all of my other books. John’s dad is a Dan Brown fan, and after reading another book John’s dad liked (Timeline), I decided to give Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code a try.  I’m really glad I did.  If you haven’t read it, GO READ IT NOW.  I’m glad I decided to read it instead of taking the easy way out and just watching the movie.  But now I want to go back and see what I missed J.

Here’s a trailer for the movie.  Yes it does feature Tom Hanks and Gandalf.  And yes I do refer to that actor as Gandalf and not his actual name.  Ian whose-it. . . haha.

I’m really enjoying branching out and reading books I wouldn’t normally pick up.  It’s opening a whole new world to me, which I am really enjoying.   Yes there are more posts to come, probably later today.  It’s a slow day at work after all.

The Martian by Andy Weir

Wow it’s been a while since I’ve posted about my latest readings. . . Whoops!  Don’t worry, I have been reading.  And reading a lot for that matter.  First off, let’s talk about my book club reading of The Martian by Andy Weir.  

The Martian is about an astronaut, Mark Watney, who gets stranded on Mars after a wind storm forces his team to evacuate. With no way to communicate with his team or NASA back on earth, Mark has to rely on his brains and his sense of humor to survive until a rescue mission can be arranged.  Initially, both his team and NASA thought Mark dead, but after telescope pictures captured Mark and his temporary home, they all do whatever they can to help Mark survive.  Eventually communication is set up and Mark is able to work with NASA to arrange for his rescue.  With many bumps along the way, Mark’s rescue and survival is put into question. Readers are left on the edge of their seat until the very end of the book.

I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this book.  It is definitely not something I would EVER pick up on my own.  Man am I glad we chose this book though!  I really loved it.  Even though I didn’t understand every little detail of his survival (it is pretty Science-based) I was able to enjoy it.  Andy Weir is very good at making even the most complex, science-y scenarios relatable for all.  The sense of humor Weir gave Mark really makes the book.  If Mark had been given any other personality I think the book would have been boring and hard to read.  Because Mark was able to make jokes and make the most of his horrible situation, the book was enjoyable and fun. 

Good news for me and anyone else that has read and loved this book. They are turning it into a movie, set to release November of this year.  While typically I like books way better than movies, I think seeing how Hollywood portrays Mars and the different scenarios Mark finds himself in will be very interesting.  I’m definitely going to see this, maybe even with the book club.  Bonus, Matt Damon is playing Mark Watney.  Man  do I love me some Matt Damon J  There are actually some other big names set to play in the movie.  Check it out on IMDB.

There are more posts to come!  I’ve read a decent amount of books since the last time I posted.

Until next time,

Tara