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May 26, 2006

Movie night

   I saw The Da Vinci Code last night.   I missed a few moments early on when I dozed off, but I blame that on a long day that started at 4:30.  Once I was awake and refreshed,  the movie held my attention, but never came close to the pleasure of reading the book.  It’s pretty to look at and Ian McKellen is fun as Sir Leigh, but that’s as positive as I can be. It seemed like Tom Hanks spent almost all his time on screen explaining stuff to Sophie.  If you’ve read the novel you know that the unfolding of theories and clues is fun, and Dan Brown balances it with fast moving action.  But here, from Tom Hanks’ mouth to Sophie’s ear, the theories just sound weird.

  I remember Robert and Sophie in the novel partnering in solving the mysteries, like a Nick and Nora Charles duo, but Sophie seems diminished in the movie, and she lacks spark.   

  I’ve stayed away from the controversy over The Da Vinci Code’s take on the history of Christianity—it’s a work of fiction, so I believe it can be as goofy or outrageous as the author wants it to be.*  And I don’t think the faithful have anything to fear from this sluggish movie version.  

 *I also believe it’s important for readers to be able to evaluate the veracity of a book that plays around with  history and religion.  As a reality check, I recommend TRUTH AND FICTION IN THE DA VINCI CODE by Bart Ehrman.

Posted by Larry Shapiro at 08:45 AM | | Comments (2)

May 24, 2006

Where do you like to read?

Ever since I moved to New York and became a subway commuter, some of my best reading has been done on the subway.  It’s partly a defensive strategy, since it helps me stay focused on my own space when the train is too crowded to move.   I’ve developed a manageable technique for holding the book in one hand and grabbing on to a pole with the other.  When it’s time to turn the page, I let go quickly and  take my chances on staying upright while the car sways and jolts—this has led to some embarrassing staggers and collisions.

I’ve missed my stop more than a few times because I was so absorbed in a book I forgot where I was.   I’ve gotten stares when I laughed out loud, and last year a novel actually made me cry—it was Sue Miller’s LOST IN THE FOREST.  In a way, reading on the subway becomes the ultimate in escape reading.  On the other hand, some of the subway books I’ve enjoyed most were set in New York—books like EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE, THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, and THE HISTORY OF LOVE.  I felt connected to the characters by a shared place while my train rumbled beneath their streets.

Posted by Larry Shapiro at 02:52 PM | | Comments (4)

May 22, 2006

Convention report

    I’m home from a quick trip to Washington to attend Book Expo America, the annual gathering of booksellers and publishers.  It was spread over several floors of the vast Convention Center, with publishers exhibiting their titles for the fall, booksellers walking the aisles, visiting authors signing autographed advance copies,  and everyone trying to be optimistic about the remainder of a year which has so far been a little slow for bookselling.  

   Some highlights: Mitch Albom reading from his new novel, which will be published in September. Picking up advance copies of Charles Frazier’s new novel, the long-awaited follow-up to COLD MOUNTAIN. In his office away from the Convention Center, Alan Greenspan talked about his memoir, still more than a year away.  People are wondering whether Greenspan can write in plain English, but it turns out he can speak in plain English, so there’s hope.  I chatted with Nelson DeMille about his new novel, called WILDFIRE.  Although advance reading copies were freebies at his publisher's booth, Nelson’s still tinkering with it—he is one of those writers who will keep working on a book until his publisher says “no more, it’s gone to press.”

I grabbed a few hours to stroll one of my favorite cities and, especially, one of my favorite spots on the planet, the strip of green running from the Washington Monument to the Capitol Building.   It was like walking back in history and helped put in perspective the agonizing over this years bestsellers that was going on at the Convention Center.  Nevertheless, when I was done I couldn’t wait to start reading through the new books I had stuffed into my backpack.

--Larry

Posted by Larry Shapiro at 01:39 PM | | Comments (2)

May 19, 2006

What are you reading?

I just finished up Promise Me, by Harlan Coben.

I like Coben's fast paced style of writing. The main character, Myron Bolitar, is extremely likable. Myron, a sports agent and quasi PI, makes a promise to the daughter of a family friend that if she's ever in trouble, he'll help her out--no questions asked. Sure enough he gets a call, and what seems to be a harmless ride to her friend's house leads to her disappearance.

Reading the book took me on an adventure that kept me guessing and eager to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Are you a Coben fan? If you are, who else do you recommend?

Posted by Matt Soreco at 11:55 AM | | Comments (2)

May 04, 2006

The Book everyone is STILL talking about.

The Da Vinci CodeThe adventure begins when Harvard professor Robert Langdon receives a late-night call while on business in Paris. The elderly curator of the Louvre, Jacques Sauniere, has been found murdered. But before he died he managed to scrawl a series of codes and clues in his own blood. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci—clues visible for all to see—yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Langdon joins forces with French cryptographer Sophie Neveu in a race to discover why the curator was murdered. And they are not alone. On their heels are a priest and his powerful servant from a controversial and clandestine Catholic sect, who are willing to stop at nothing to protect a secret older than the Church itself. But, what is the secret so potent it could topple the Vatican? And will Langdon and Sophie live long enough to find out?

Posted by gina at 09:06 PM | | Comments (2)