The Lost Symbol

I spend a lot of time reading. I read blogs, magazines, tabloids, online articles, Facebook updates, Twitter Tweets and my beloved books. I love books, particularly in paperback form, so I usually wait until they are available in that format. I have a super comfy, scrunched up kind of position in which I couch potato and it’s uncomfortable to read hardcovers that way. There are a few authors for whom I will suffer through sitting up and reading like a normal person. One of those authors is Dan Brown.

I discovered Dan Brown because one of my children was assigned to read The Da Vinci Code for school and subsequent parental uproar ensued. Well, nothing piques my interest like a little controversy, so I grabbed a copy to see what all the hoopla was about and instantly found myself engrossed in one of the most creative pageturners I had ever encountered. I couldn’t put it down and plowed through the book pretty much non-stop. It was so good that I missed it when I had finished.

I still don’t quite understand why people have their knickers in a knot about this book. It was clearly marked fiction and it said “A Novel” right on the front cover. Last time I checked, a “novel” is a work of fiction. I may be wrong. I don’t have an MA in English.

Some of the best books I’ve read in recent years have only been picked up because of parental uproar, like His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. (fabulous!) Mr. Pullman is an atheist (oh no!) and several parents at school had their panties in a wad about that fact when our kids were assigned to read the first book in the trilogy in English class. Do people actually check the religious affiliations of fiction authors before they read a book? There must be something wrong with me because it never occurred to me to do that.

After The Da Vinci code, I savored every one of Dan Brown’s books. Angels and Demons was a spectacular series of twists and turns and I’m hoping (if this darn hockey game will ever end!) to watch the movie tonight!

I finished Dan Brown’s newest, The Lost Symbol, a few days ago and…wow! Before I started it, I had read some pretty crappy reviews of the book and hoped Mr. Brown hadn’t lost it. Trust me, he hasn’t. He has kicked out yet another interesting, roller coaster of a book that kept me and my little book light up way past our bedtime.

The Lost Symbol takes you on a crazy run through Washington D.C. and Freemasonry. I don’t know much about Freemasonry to know if there is any truth to some of the situations described in the book, but, to me, one of the most enjoyable things in Brown’s books are the factual tidbits of trivia scattered throughout the stories.

For example, did you know that the phrase “give someone the third degree” actually comes from The Masons? I did not, but it’s true. That kind of trivia fascinates me and all of Brown’s books are chock full of goodies like that.

Yes, if you look at reviews and comments you will see a lot of Dan Brown naysayers. Ignore them! One ding dong even went so far as to write that reading the preposterous plots of Dan Brown might just cancel out his MA in English. What? Those with advanced degrees in English can no longer enjoy a cleverly written, fast paced work of fiction that’s interlaced with little bits of super cool trivia? pfffffft! Super glad I didn’t get me one of those MA’s in English then. I’d hate to be so literate.

If you’re looking for a stocking stuffer for your favorite bookworm, look no farther than The Lost Symbol or any one of Dan Brown’s other books. The Rockin’ Book Chick gives it two thumbs up. I’d give it more than that, but I’m pretty sure I only have two thumbs. If I had an MA in English, I’d probably know for sure, but, you know, I don’t.

Tagged as: Angels and Demons, book, Dan Brown, fiction, Freemasonry, Review, stocking stuffer, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Washington DC