You'll get it before I do. I'm number 728 on the list.

^^^ I actually lolled at 728. You'll get to see the movie before you get to read the book.

ETA: When I typed that, I had no idea there were already plans in place for a movie!

I know, I know. :o

(Though bear in mind that our library system probably bought lots of copies, and it will be a one-week check out, so maybe it won't take too long. I'll let you know when I get it.)

A ONE WEEK checkout? Ours are three week checkouts.

Ours are normally three-week checkouts as well. But when it's a new, popular book with a long waiting list, it'll be one-week with no renewal.

FYI Target has it for $16.99 right now.

"What does The Lost Symbol get wrong about the nation's capital? Everything."

http://www.slate.com/id/2228587/

Living in DC, I find this article highly entertaining.

Surely this didn't come as a surprise to the people at Slate. Brown never lets accuracy (or reality) get in the way of a good story.

MysticCat, you are totally right. I've soaked up his other books and have suspended reality for the time it takes me to read them (admittedly really quickly). I guess I especially liked this article because it said exactly what I was thinking while I read it. I envisioned Langdon saying he'd go a certain direction to get somewhere and I would think, whaaaaa?? That's not right... Guess just because it's in my own backyard!

Don't get me wrong- I still like his stuff. I just like the feeling I get when I either see bits of my town that aren't on tv or in books all the time (i.e. the White House, Capitol Building, the generic aerial shot of the Mall, etc)

Oh, I completely understand. I feel the same way about his books -- that "just forget reality and enjoy the ride" feeling. I'm just always amused when I hear people acting like Brown actually gets facts and history right.

Nobody can deny that Dan Brown spins a great yarn, but I seriously doubt he researches his stories at all. Of the two books I read, I noticed a crap load of errors, even though I loved them.

Ours is 2 weeks for new books, and 3 weeks for all other books.

Debbi in SO CA

Okay, finished the book a couple of days ago. I don't want to give much away, so I'll just say this: Boo. Boo! Worst Dan Brown novel ever.

You just saved me a lot of time, I think.

I can't account for everyone's taste, but my thought on the book was this: It's not just unbelievable (i.e. his other books, and a lot of fiction in general), but it's just ridiculous. The ending was awful. I was like..... this is IT?! Come ON. I take it back. The last half was awful. I called so many of his "twists" that I don't see how they could be called "twists", as they were so blatantly obvious. The first third of the book is okay and draws you in, but I feel like I wasted 10 bucks on it the day it was released because of all of the hype of the author. It seems that he has clearly run out of good ideas. Anyone can PM me for more details if they like. (I read a LOT and tend to finish a kindle book, usually thrillers or other fiction, within 2-3 days. I'm not a literary critic by any means, but I'd like to think that I have a wide range of comparison.)