Did you read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown?

[nothing]

I'm on Chapter 22 and so far I think this book is amazing.

[j.m@talk]

I'm worried about you




Get a G/F :t

[nothing]

:p

[mireland]

Originally posted by nothing
I'm on Chapter 22 and so far I think this book is amazing.

That's nothin' I once read an entire telephone book! http://www.fancysplace.com/smileys/tomato2.gif

[nothing]

You guys really consider the book THAT bad?

When I start reading it, the only thing that makes me put it down is my tongue, ahaha.

Why? I'm reading it outloud to practice english and my tongue really hurts after about an hour :p

[j.m@talk]

English is a pain in the bum, as a language to learn.

Mind you I "Take my hat off" to any English student ...... :)

Its so much easier if yas a girl & pretty :D
explanations should not be required :r

Phrasel verbs will kill you ........ Failing that Mireland will :p

[mireland]

Originally posted by j.m@talk

Phrasel verbs will kill you ........ Failing that Mireland will :p [/B]

well..I try my best...:rolleyes:

[j.m@talk]

Nothing ........ Explain phrasel verbs to this weiner :p

[werz]

are phrasel verbs something like chickenpox?

[tantone]

That's a pretty entertaining book, as long as you keep in mind that 90% of the ideas expressed are theories and are not cold, hard facts. Still, they make more sense that the Catholic church. 'Course, that's not saying much I guess.

[porsch1909]

I read the first page and got bored.

I keep meaning to read on because books usually get better. DUnno, just not been in the mood

[Zakalwe]

Yeah, I loved all the bits about the history of the church and all the conspiracies etc.

Very enjoyable read, definitely a compulsive page turner.

I can't remember how far in Chapter 22 is. I know there was a lot of quite short chapters, so I better not say too much and spoil it for you.

Another author I find very readable, but a completely different genre, is Iain M Banks, the Sci-Fi writer. His books are about a futuristic society which has extremely advanced technology. Thats gotta be something that appeals to people on sysopt, surely.

[zybch]

Like a version of windows that doesn't crash?
That would be technology so far advanced it would seem like magic.

[sm8000]

I started reading it at 12:30 am one night when I was bored, and I couldn't put it down. I read until 3:30 am, slept, got up the next morning, ate breakfast and then finished the book by early afternoon. Great story.

[Zakalwe]

Dang! you read fast - my version of unputdownable is a book I can read in only 3 weeks...

[Zakalwe]

Like a version of windows that doesn't crash?

Sci-Fi is usually about things that could happen, one day, in the future.
What you're talking about there is in a different genre: fantasy :D

[Zakalwe]

Like a version of windows that doesn't crash?
That would be technology so far advanced it would seem like magic.

heh, just spotted this quote:

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. -- Arthur C. Clarke

[zybch]

Someones awake :)
I prefer Terry Pratchett's take on it:

"Any magic, suficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from technology"

[Zakalwe]

Heh, I like it.
Sounds like Terry Pratchett all right.

[zybch]

Pity that cow Rawlings decided to prostitute out her books to the highest paying movie studio and stole the title of 'most successful living British author' from Terry who deserves the title much more than she does.

[Zakalwe]

I know a lot of adults who like the Harry Potter series. I quite like it, but I did find the books a bit boring. They're obviously aimed at kids.
Still, huge commercial success is usually an indication of extreme mediocrity. Witness Eminem...

[zybch]

They seem to be written soley for financial gain. The plots are all pretty naff, the characters designed simply to appeal to as many impressionable young minds as possible and the marketing is simply staggering. Pratchett on the other has has inteligent plots that make you think (even in his kiddie books), characters that don't neccessarily appeal but you can sympathise anyway, and virtually no marketing of any sort.
Thankfully he's held off selling the rights to a movie till someone non-american (his words) come along with enough money to make it properly.

[tantone]

So far, I think the Harry Potter movies have done the books justice. I've read them all so far. Of course, I've also read all of the Left Behind series...I guess I pretty much read whatever I get my hands on--good, bad, mindless, intelligent, or anywhere in the middle.

[porsch1909]

LOTR movies are great movies.

I read the book after watching the movies. And the books are a lot different i found....missed a lot out in the movies, i guess due to time restrictions :(

[Zakalwe]

till someone non-american (his words) come along with enough money to make it properly.

That is probably very smart on the part of Pratchett, although not for any "anti-american" reason. It's just that only the English seem to be able to pull off English humour.
American humour can be very good also, but it just is "different".

I pretty much read whatever I get my hands on--good, bad, mindless, intelligent, or anywhere in the middle.

I totally agree with you there - although I actually don't get much time to read lately. I often like something with a bit of depth, but other times its good to just read something thats easy going.

Funny thing is that the Discworld books have both those things - they can be enjoyed very easily, and yet afterward you often find yourself realising things that were not immediately obvious, and having a chuckle to yourself (or maybe I'm just a bit slow).

porsch1909, we always had the LOTR books around the house when I was a kid, but I could never get much past the first few pages. I actually read "The Hobbit" when I was in primary school (primary is 5yrs - 10yrs of age in New Zealand), but I guess that was aimed more at kids.

I forced myself to read LOTR the year before the first movie came out, just because I wanted to read the book before seeing the movie. I still didn't find it all that easy going. I think Tolkien was very good at some things, like creating a convincing alternate world, but not so good at other things, like dialogue, and pacing.

Mind you, its easy to forget that he pretty much invented the Fantasy genre - a lot of stuff that seems a bit cliche now was totally fresh in 1954 when it was published.

You're right that a lot was missed out in the movies, but Peter Jackson actually achieved an amazing feat getting as much in as he did, considering that most people probably take months to read the books, and the whole story was squeezed into maybe nine hours of film.