Dan Brown

[hatkirby]

Ok quick update:

"Okay," Rachel said. "So what did this guy propose?"

"Gal," Ming corrected, sounding smitten. "Dr Mangor is a woman."

"Debatable," Corky grumbled.

Huh?????????????????? I love how the middle line is phrased and italicized like it's a mic drop. But what the Hell does the last line mean. (I'm guessing they're just saying she's uggo or something :eyeroll: )

[hatkirby]

I finished reading Deception Point! It was pretty good. Very dramatic. The book was actually way more "dramatic action sequence" than "intriguing subterfuge" by volume. Dan Brown also really loves describing cool vehicles / aircraft. The action didn't always hold my attention very well, especially when there were unanswered questions I was really eager to learn more about. I have to admit it was pretty gripping at times too. The climactic scene happened on a boat stationed over a volcanic megaplume in shark-infested waters. We also found out that the person who created the whole coverup with the fake meteorite containing extraterrestrial fossils (yeah that's what this book was about) was actually Rachel's boss, which I was not expecting / had not remembered. The story was obviously setting you up to believe it was either the President's senior advisor, or the NASA administrator, or both, but it turned out that they were acting suspicious because they were involved in a much smaller part of the coverup that is kind of peanuts in comparison and also didn't involve any assassins. I DID remember the post-climax scene where the senator guy was about to distribute to the press envelopes containing evidence of the meteorite being faked, and his assistant swapped them out with photographic evidence of their sex affair, and it ruined the senator's career. That's what he deserves for saying that women don't understand how to handle power lol.

Anyway the book ended with Rachel and the oceanographer guy having sex in the Lincoln Bedroom. Idk if I said this earlier but I met one of my middle school friends because page had fallen out of the end of this book and he'd found it and returned it to me. What was on the page in question. Was it just Lincoln Bedroom sex scene.

It's time to move on to Angels and Demons! This is the prequel to The Da Vinci Code (not really a prequel though because this book was written first, it's just not nearly as well known as the sequel). This book is probably a big part of why I'm fascinated by Il conclave. When my family visited Vatican City back in 06, a bunch of us were reading Angels and Demons and I remember someone joking that they were going to annihilate from being too close together in our luggage (antimatter annihilation is a big part of this book).

Let's see how much of this book is science and religious history vs flashy action sequences.

[✝AngelSacrifice✝]

SCREAMING AT THE THING ABOUT THE PAGE FALLING OUT. So funny this is how you became friends... Page fall out "oh cool I also like reading about sex in the Lincoln bathroom!!!"

Sad there was no real aliens but I guess that's kind of his writing style? Like that things seem mystical but the real magic is science and human and CIA.

[hatkirby]

On a busy European street, the killer serpentined through a crowd. He was a powerful man. Dark and potent. Deceptively agile. His muscles still felt hard from the thrill of his meeting.

Oh o-oh um.. hmm ohh... wow

She was being buffeted by the air currents but grinned and flashed Langdon the thumbs-up sign. Langdon smiled weakly and returned the gesture, wondering if she knew it was the ancient phallic symbol for masculine virility.

SHUTTT UPPPPPPPPPPPP

[✝AngelSacrifice✝]

Is this straight erotica???

[hatkirby]

it's just sooo goofy guy obnoxious to be like hi um i'm a famous symbologist... i know what symbols mean and i work at harvard... btw if you do a thumbs up that's PHALLIC that's PENIS symbology... I am Very Smart

[✝AngelSacrifice✝]

Woman don't understand how erotically charged doing this is :/. Its literally so hard for me and my big man brain to not get turned on when women give me a thumbs up.

[hatkirby]

Haven't been reading a lot lately even though I got some books for my birthday, probably because I've been distracted by playing Pokemon and making my Pokemon fangame. But I had three bus trips (so far) today and I had to wait in CVS for two prescriptions to be filled, so I read more Angels & Demons!

First notable thing is that when Robert and Vittoria arrived at the Vatican, the book made this whole deal over them both getting a pat down by the Swiss Guard. Including Robert thinking about how strong the guard's hands were and how they got "uncomfortably close to the groin". Cmon Robert if you want to get dommed by a man in a colorful poofy outfit you can admit it.

When they got into the security office there was a video feed from a stolen security camera pointed right at the stolen antimatter cannister, with a ticking countdown below it to when the battery would run out and the antimatter would annihilate, which would destroy the entire city and everyone in it. And Vittoria is like YEAH GUYS UM LOOK??? THIS IS A BOMB. And no one believes her??? The captain is like "I looked for 'antimatter' in a book of ballistics I have and I didn't find anything" and she's like ????? "I LITERALLY just invented this??" He literally locks them in his office because he thinks they're playing a prank on him and it's honestly frustrating, like it's played for drama because then what happens is that Vittoria manages to call the camerlengo on the captain's private line and he forces the captain to hear them out, and they get a phone call from the assassin guy anyway. But like cmon. If you were the chief of security for the world smallest country where the entire leadership of one of the world's major religions were all convened because fkng conclave is about to start, and a mysterious ticking device appears on the video feed from a stolen security camera and someone from CERN tells you that it's the most powerful bomb in existence, would you not like. Be motivated to look into it?? He's like yeah we'll search for this in a few days and she's like IT SAYS THERES ONLY SIX HOURS LEFT ???? MAN????

The reason he finally believes her is so dumb too. One of the other guards calls up and says hey I google searched antimatter and yeah it seems real serious. ???????? if he's not going to believe a senior physicist at CERN who was involved in the creation of the antimatter sample in question, but he's going to believe a random google search, wtf. Also he's really mad at Vittoria the whole time because she's wearing shorts and you can SEE her LEGS!! The Vatican *does* have a dress code where both men and women must cover their knees, thighs, and upper arms. And they're so salty at her the whole time for this and it's like COME ON guys the entire country is about to explode.

anyway back to thinking about robert getting a groin pat down from a clown cop.

[✝AngelSacrifice✝]

I think the movie was SERIOUSLY lacking because of the lack of his erotic awakening.

Also wtf that sucks how Vittoria is treated??? Although not unrealistic for a woman in STEM :/