A bit of catching up

Every book can't be some amazing deep-thought piece. Sometimes it's nice to read stuff purely for entertainment (much like d-list movies, MST3K, etc). With that in mind, some odds and ends from the fiction section:

Harry Potter and the Massive Royalty Checks (uh, I mean Deathly Hallows)

Fitting end to the series says I. Does Harry, Voldemort, both, neither, or any other major characters die or otherwise turn into some nonliving state? These mysteries and more revealed. Overall, I can't claim to be a ravenous fan, but I enjoyed the series. I don't fully understand the completely wild success this series has had, but any books that get kids reading again certainly can't be bad. I also don't fully understand some of the criticism that has come up (particularly the religious debates of whether or not this'll turn all the little munchkins into wee witches and warlocks). It's standard good vs. evil fare. I don't believe J.K. has any ulterior motive (though I hear the other members of her coven were strongly pressuring her into using the books as a platform to advance their cause). I would imagine the detractors were the same lot who were concerned about The Da Vinci Code. Now that sounds like a great segue to...

The Da Vinci Code

I thought this book, along with Angels & Demons (by the same author, sharing the same primary character), were good, quick-paced reads. There is an earth-shattering revelation of a religious nature that has been covered up by the Church for ages, the truth is on the verge of coming out, bad guys, chases, double-crossing, loose women...well, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. I enjoyed them and thought the stories fit together pretty well. This one REALLY caused an uproar amongst the religious community, and more than one author spent considerable time debunking the proposed ideas. Debunking a work of fiction seems a bit silly to me (though I've often considered researching the real truths and setting the record straight on the so called Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh..."silly old bear" indeed). My thought with this, and other works of fiction that rile the religious is fairly simple: if a work of fiction is threatening enough or so overpowering that it shakes your religious principles to the core, than those principles couldn't have been that strong to begin with. This is an excellent segue to... ok. Can't really link that to anything here. But, the author did also write...

Deception Point

Similar pacing to his other books. The plot is about forged science and the many people and levels involved, all that good stuff. Is justice served? Is it cold? Is it in a dish? (wait, that's revenge) If you enjoyed Da Vinci Code, you'll probably like this one too.

The Spiderwick Chronicles (5 books)

Ok, this book is aimed at primary school kids. It's about some kids who find a book that opens them up to the normally unseen world of goblins and such. Cute stories though, and I was able to talk about them with my primary school kid, so there. Same goes for...

The Series of Unfortunate Events (13 books)

Again, nothing monumentally amazing about the plot line, but fun reads. Three children with unusually bad luck, a primary evil villain and some supporting not-quite-as-evil-but-still-rather-un-nice villains all work out their problems in only 13 books (ooo...that number even seems a bit unlucky...wonder if that's a coincidence). I have to say, they weren't bad, and I persevered and finished the series, but I probably would've enjoyed them more if I were in fact my son's age. As it was, it was starting to get a bit monotonous toward the end.