Sail by James Patterson

Author: James Patterson
Genre:Action, Crime, Drama
Rating: 8

Okay. So it's been a while since I have read a James Patterson book, probably YEARS. I once was a avid Patterson reader and read multiple of his books a week. I have to say, I might need to get back into that mind frame. I just really enjoy reading his books. He writes for enjoyment, and because of that I can read easy and enjoy the ride. His books are full of action and his chapters are short, so the pages fly by.

This was not a typical Patterson book, however. There was no gore, or guts. No blood spilled or killers on the run. There was a lot of twists and turns, but the crime aspect of many of Patterson's books was missing from this one--a good change.

The story was about the Dunne family. A widowed mother of three children, all of whom have "issues", her husband Peter and the children's uncle Jake, the captain of The Family Dunne the yacht that was the pride and joy of their late father. The mother, as a last ditch effort to keep her family intact plans a sailing trip, but things go from bad to worse for the family as they find out that their trip may not have the happy-go-lucky feel that they intended. People are plotting against them, and little do they know they are never intended to make it back to dry land. The story gets a whole lot more complicated and more people get pulled into the mess before everything is said and done.

Like I said, this was not really what I was expecting when I started the book, and I don't think it was one of Patterson's better books but I did enjoy the read and if anything it has gotten me back on the Patterson bandwagon.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Author: Dan Brown
Genre:  Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Rating: 8.5

Eh. For most people, a rating of an 8 is really quite good. However, for me, that means that I probably struggled through the book. And I did. I really liked Angels & Demons and I liked this book quite a lot in the beginning, but I found myself struggling through the last 200 pages or so. Here is why: the book was too similar to Angels & Demons. I wanted something different. Here are the similarities: secret societies, a young attractive female co-star who is helpful but not the star, a hunt for truth, lives on the line, textbooks that are in the wrong, and so on.

I DID like the book, I DID, but really reading the two back to back should not be done. The books are too similar and honestly, how much Robert Langdon can a person take?

The book centers around a secret society which has covered up the truth of Mary Magdalene, Jesus's "better-half". When the four top officials of the society are murdered, Robert Langdon is once again whisked into the middle of a whirlwind of adventure, secrets and codes.

Would I recommend the book? Yes. Would I recommend it to someone who has JUST read Angels & Demons, no. Take your Dan Brown in small doses, my friends.