The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown is 509 pages long and I read it in 4 days flat.  Just like Angles and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol is definitely a page-turner.  The book focuses on the US this time (Washington, D.C.) which I found to be an intriguing element as his other Robert Langdon books have been set in Europe.  Because the book focuses on the emerging field of Noetic sciences as well as Freemasonery - two things I know nothing about - I found myself sitting in front of the computer poised to do a little research every once in a while as I read.  However, I really don't think it is necessary to do so.  The information provided in the book is plenty to go on as you follow the story - just try not to rip the pages as you turn them quickly!

If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor

Mike got If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell for Christmas a while back from his sister.  He insisted that it was  "coffee table book" and that he would just look through at the pictures, but he wasn't planning on reading it.  It has been floating around in the living room ever since.

Let me tell you right now: READ THIS BOOK!  Bruce Campbell is definitely a B Movie actor (Army of Darkness and Evil Dead II certainly fall into the B Movie category), but he does an excellent job pulling you into the world of movie making where profits are not the first order of business.  With in depth descriptions of how to raise funds (and how not to raise funds) as well as descriptions of rigged devices they used to "get the shot" this book kept my attention.  He has a great way of telling a specific story about a person that makes you realize that he pays attention to everyone - not just his friends in the business. 

I'd love to see Bruce write another book now that he has more TV work under his belt with Burn Notice!

'Tis by Frank McCourt

I ended up borrowing 'Tis from my aunt, so I was able to go from reading Angela's Ashes straight into 'Tis.  The two books flowed extremely well into each other, but 'Tis also does well as a stand-alone book.  McCourt provides background information flawlessly without boring someone who has read Angela's Ashes. As with Angela's Ashes, the narrative of this book is smattered with dialects, euphemisms, the English of the day as well as the incorrect English of the day.  This approach really draws you in and immerses you in the world that Frank McCourt was faced with during his life.  The dialects come and go as does the slang used by his students indicating the passing of time.  In contrast with Angela's Ashes, most of this book takes place in New York City.  The City becomes a character in the story as it tends to when any story is set there.  The City influences people unlike any other and McCourt does a good job of allowing this to show through without pointing it out.  As I read 'Tis, I found myself drawn to find out more about the passing references to Stuyvesant High School, the schedule of the Staten Island Ferry and other "characters" of the story - thankfully I had Wikipedia to rescue me! 

Another 5/5 stars!

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

I really enjoyed Angela's Ashes - McCourt's writing style is easy to follow and really leads you into the streets of Limerick.  He skips through time and focuses on the stories that changed him and molded him and affected him the most.  It is interesting to see the most innocent (or not) small moments that end up meaning the world to little Frankie.  I also enjoyed the way that McCourt set the stage by referencing WWII events indirectly and letting the reader draw their own conclusions.  WWII is certainly not the main focus of the book, but it is something that affected everyone in the world and you can feel through the writing how it affected Frank and his family.  Definitely a well written piece that is also interesting and holds your attention.  Not very many critically acclaimed "instant classics" are also on the New York Times Best Seller list as long as this one was.  It definitely says something for the book.

5/5 stars - a must read. 

#57 - Reformat Laptop before 8/2010

Done!  I did this yesterday and it was way easier than I had hoped.  I'm not sure if it's running faster or not because I didn't get a chance to do anything but install the bare minimum, but I have to figure it would be an improvement.