I've heard so many good things about this book. I can't wait to read it. The Da Vinci Code was excellent, and I'm sure this one will be also.

I'm going to start a bookring with this, please PM me if interested.

Edit -
I'm moving the list of participants here to make my profile page just a bit shorter! :-)

Mailed on 1/23/04
1. Ilios, FL
2. PokPok, CA
3. aannddee, MN
4. hbrogan, NY
5. Bestaunt, NY
6. mlbish, IL
7. amymehta, TX
8. rern, NY
9. princessaurora, PA
10. fannynatalie, Austria RECEIVED 09/10/05
11. portable-solace, TX
12. rubyjules, VT

Released on Friday, January 23, 2004 at Bookring in Tampa, Florida Controlled Releases.

I mailed this book out today. Please check my profile, for any late additions to the ring. Thanks. Enjoy.

I got this book 2 days ago, but I haven't been able to journal it because my DSL hasn't been connected at my new place yet! :o( On the bright side, I'll have plenty of time to read! :o) Thanks, Rubyjules!

I'll update this journal entry as soon as I am done.

2/14/04
I finished this book last night and I loved it. I went through its 500+ pages in 3-4 days. It is a very good thriller, fast-paced and intricate. It keeps you guessing about who is Janus and the Illuminatus infiltrator at the Vatican till the end. And I am dying to go back to Italy now and see all those places! :o)

I am in the DaVinci Code bookray as well, so I am looking forward to compare the two books.

Sending to PokPok today.

ps:
Ruby Jules had typed a list for the bookring, but several people declined to get the book, and after crossing 4 people out, I decided not to include it in the package. Here's the last update (as of 2/14/04)
1.Ilios, FL
2.PokPok, CA
3.aannddee, MN
4.hbrogan, NY
5.Bestaunt, NY
6.mlbish, IL
7.Amymehta, TX
8.Rern, NY
9.princessaurora, PA
10.Rubyjules, VT

Happy reading!

Released on Saturday, February 14, 2004 at ... by mail :) in Sent to a fellow BookCrosser, Bookring Controlled Releases.

I am sending this book to PokPok in California today. Enjoy!

I received this in the mail today, thank you. I am in the middle of a pretty dense non-fiction book, and travelling this weekend, so it will be about a week and a half before I finish it, and start this one. I should have it read and out the door within a month.

Pokpok

I practically devoured the first 350 pages of this, reading it in 2 days. Then I just hit the wall of the credibility gap. It wasn't any single item in the book, but by the time we got to the "Fire" component, and the third cardinal, the kidnapping, and all the rest, I could barely hang on. I skim read the last 200 pages in about an hour, barely reading it at all. Then the ending, which I don't want to blow, absolutely had me gagging. Perhaps I'm just too much of a scientist...but I couldn't get past the inconsistencies, plot "leaps of faith" I was asked to take, and all the rest. I just *loved* the idea of the Illuminati; I'll need to research how much of that group was real. The brands and ambigrams were beautiful, as well.

I haven't read DaVinci Code yet, but people say it's "just the same". I'm not sure if that's good or not! I don't know if I've ever gone so quickly from loving a book to being disgusted with it, but I did...

Thank you for sharing, tho. This is why I participate in bookrings; so I may discover a new book, without having to purchase it myself.

Pokpok

Release planned for Monday, March 15, 2004 at Controlled Release in Controlled release, to another bookcrosser Controlled Releases.

Will mail this Monday or Tuesday to the next person.

Just came in the mail today.......

Thank you PokPok. I'm adding it to my TBR stack and will start it as soon as I finish the book I am currently reading so I don't hold up the book.

This was a fast read, as were the two other books by Dan Brown that I have read. I enjoyed the story, but towards the end I found that I just wished the "mystery" would end. It kind of felt like the frustration I experienced when watching the Titanic - there were just a few too many plot twists. Other than that, I felt the story was interesting, weaving just enough history and fact into the story.

Released on Monday, April 19, 2004 at post office in fellow bookcrosser, postal release USA.

On its way to hbrogan in White Plains NY.

Received today. I'll start reading it immediately, but I have exams for the next two weeks, so it may take me a little longer than usual. Will journal again when I've finished!

Just finished today! Sorry it took me so long, but once I got into it it really moved quickly. This book is a LOT like the Da Vinci Code. It's very interesting and fast-paced, though the characterization is a little shallow and I think if you've read one Dan Brown book you can pretty much figure out the "twists" before-hand. Still, this one was really fun. I'll send it on to the next person on the list ASAP!

Received as part of a book ring. Will go to the top of the TBR pile.

Sent to mlbish today. Sorry I took so long.

Caught! Thank you! I will read it and keep it moving ASAP.

Angels and Demons was pretty similar to The DaVinci Code in many ways. (Since A&D came first, maybe I should say that the other way around? Whatever.) The brilliant, handsome, single, nerdy professor gets himself involved in all these life-threatening adventures involving history or art history or archaeology or something. (Indiana Jones, anyone?) They make for an exciting story, I will say that. I do, however, get tired of the sterotypical female scholar character. You know, brilliant and stunning and completely unconsious of her beauty. Grr. It's not just Dan Brown either. Maybe someone could write a brilliant and regular looking female character sometime. But hey. At least the hair color was different between the brilliant and stunning females in A&D and DVC. And the names!

MrBish, who has a degree in physics, tells me that the physics in the book was pretty bogus. While I believe him (it's not like Mr. Brown is known for his careful research and scrupulous adherence to the truth), I was blissfully unaware of that particular point. Anti-matter? Whatever you say is fine!

Since I seem to be cataloguing Mr. Brown's irritating characteristics, I'll mention just one more. He doesn't appear to think much of his readers, does he? Am I to believe that a world-class symbologist and art historian just forgets many details about various key art works around Rome? Or forgets that they exist altogether? I hardly think so. There is no way that Robert Langdon is as dumb as the author would like to believe. I think that's a really lazy method for creating suspense. I am not familiar with Bernini's works. But I am smart enough to realize that an art historian would be, particularly if he was an important sculptor. Again, I say: Grrr.

Well despite all this griping, I did actually enjoy the book. It was exciting. And timely. All the traditions involved in appointing a new pope unfolded in reality at about the same time they unfolded in the book. What an excellent piece of timing! The romp around the churches of Rome was fascinating. In fact, I really liked the book up until the end. I usually bite on twists at the end, but this one didn't convince me. I'd rather have had the 'obvious twist'. You know, the one everyone could have guessed (I won't be specific so as not to give it away). The really 'twisty twist' was a big stretch, in my opinion. I'm not buying.

If you like Dan Brown, I'd recommend this one. It is better than The DaVinci Code. It is what it is. And there's really nothing wrong with that.

Passed along, finally, to princessaurora.

RELEASE NOTES:

Released to princessaurora. Enjoy it! Thanks, rubyjusles for sharing. And I apologize for taking so long.

I received this last week, but haven't had time to use the computer until today. I have a couple of book rings ahead of this, but am anxious to read it, so it probably won't take long.

Sorry I've had this book so long. It's finally on its way to fannynatalie.

Received the book yesterday and am looking forward to reading it. Thanks a lot!

In fact I was very disappointed. I liked "The Da Vinci Code" which was my first Dan Brown and afterwards I also devoured "Digital Fortress" which I liked at least partly. "Meteor" was the next one to follow which I did not like. But "Angels & Demons" in my opinion was one of the silliest books I have ever read. I did not like the language which was very simple. The slowly developing "love story" got on my nerves. The opposition of science and belief is an old hat. I could not get into the story and I was glad when I finished the end. Will look to it that the book travels on quickly. Nevertheless thanks for the ring!!

RELEASE NOTES:

A good journey for the book home!

Oops, I must have forgotten to journal that this book has finally returned home! It has been here for a while. I'm glad to have it back from it's worldly journeys, and hope to read it soon!