Friday, October 30, 2009

Safeway Bookstores?


For those readers who live in Pleasant Hill you may have noticed that the Safeway on Oak Grove and Putnam has a used book shelf at its exit. Its selling paperbacks for a dollar and hardcovers for two. I have walked past it several times without much thought and then finally decided to check it out yesterday. Besides the books having no recognizable titles or authors it was even hard to tell which genre they belonged to. It looks as though the manager of the store found a discarded box of unwanted books behind a Salvation Army and thought they might be able to make a quick buck from it.

If you want to buy quality books at those cheap prices check out the used books being sold at the PH Library. Same prices with a much better selection. I bought a Hobbit/LOTR trilogy set for $3! You'll be supporting our local library as well as getting a good deal.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Milestone

pleasanthillbookclub.blogspot.com has reached the 2500 hit mark. Not too shabby. Thank you to all of our readers and supporters.

The (Very) Lost Symbol




In the third installment of the Robert Langdon series, Dan brown’s Ph. D. of symbology takes a break form his adventures overseas to conduct a more domestic adventure of the World’s greatest mysteries. Set in Washington D.C., Robert Langdon is tricked and later forced into helping a psychopathic murderer solve ancient puzzles hidden around the nation’s capital to crack the secret codes of the Free Masons.

Though the book is genuinely riveting and thought provoking, for much of its beginning you feel as though you are reading the script for the 2004 movie National Treasure starring Nicholas Cage. The book alludes to much of the same secrets and urban legends that the film brings up about the history of the Free Masons.

On the whole however I was very impressed with Dan Brown. You would think that an author like him could sit back and turn out mimicked fluff of his previous work just to cash in a large pay check and score a movie deal. On the contrary, Brown actually shows real growth as a writer.

He takes some very bold steps with his characters and adds layering that I have not read in any of his previous works.

Besides the characterization, the story in this novel is incredible. The twists and turns, unlike some of his past works, are unexpected and quite original. As you read you are constantly astounded at how wonderful a story Dan Brown has crafted... and then you get to roughly page 460. For as great as the first 460 pages are, the final 50 are equally disappointing. It feels as though he writes his ending to pacify the religious critics who were upset by the Da Vinci Code. And that would not necessarily be a bad thing if the ending actually made any sense. That what the characters were working so hard to find, and what people had worked so hard and sacrificed so much to hide was what it turned out to be is unfathomable. It would be like Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay climbing to the top of Mount Everest just to find a Starbucks and McDonalds waiting there for them.

This book raises the long debated question of whether the journey is better than the destination. If you are a fan of the journey you will absolutely love this book. If you are a fan of the destination then you should pass.

PS- Just as an aside, I always find it ironic how a book about symbolism and allegory has none.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

October Book of the Month


The October meeting of the PHBC was last night and the book that we decided to read this month is "The Dumbest Generation" by Mark Bauerlein. To read more about this book please click on the Book of the Month Link at the top of the page.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Big(ger) Time


Your humble blogger has gone black and white! Starting with the October issue of Pleasant Hill Community Focus you can now read my book reviews in print! In this month's issue I review local author John Keibel's book Behind the Barbed Wire. If you live outside of Pleasant Hill and didn't receive a copy in the mail you can read it online at http://www.pleasanthillcommunityfocus.com (page 9).

If you enjoyed this review, look out for the November issue in which I will be reviewing The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown as well as giving some book gift ideas for the holiday season.

If you are a local author, or know one, and would be interested in having me review one of your books for the paper please contact me at avkondon@pleasanthillbookclub.com.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

For those keeping score at home...

The Pleasant Hill Book Club has moved their meeting to the second Wednesday of every month. So fear not, the October book of the month will be post the night of the 14th!