<p>“WHY people feel like they have to tell me they’re Christian when asking a favor they’re promising to repay, as if that’s supposed to make me trust them more.”</p>
<p>Those people usually aren’t…</p>
<p>First time I heard that phrase “Good Christian woman” I was so turned off…as if there aren’t Good Jewish women? (and I’m an Episcopalian) It was when we moved to the Southeast…never heard anyone say that “up north”.</p>
<p>
Yes, exactly!</p>
<p>And I don’t get the appeal of THE DA VINCI CODE either. I’m not a snob about prose style–though the “hulking albino” seemed a bit much; I had to force myself to keep going from that point on because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. But it was just no use; the story seemed so silly that I never did figure out why millions of people were so impressed.</p>
<p>My take THE DA VINCI CODE: it’s a great book for reading on an airplane.
Actual writing & characterization are what I regard as poor. However, Brown can pace and plot like an s.o.b.</p>
<p>Exactly! His other books are completely cheesy but great for making a few hours (otherwise uncomfortable) go by quickly.</p>
<p>"“WHY people feel like they have to tell me they’re Christian when asking a favor they’re promising to repay, as if that’s supposed to make me trust them more.”</p>
<p>Maybe they’re telling you in advance that you’re forgiven if you turn them down.</p>
<p>Binx, tanonev, dke, mini: Exactly. :P</p>
<p>Binx: New York City streetwalk types in a town that prides itself on its conservatism (read: 85% white Republican Christan-ness) and /remoteness/. It’s a tourist town, but it’s in the mountains.</p>
<p>Tanonev: So I’ve discovered. I get “con’d” a lot because I trust people’s better intentions. I come from a family that came from hard times, and so I was taught that good things done come full circle, and you should help people out when you can because “you never know if you might end up there and depend upon the kindness of strangers.” (or, **** happens, and you want people to help you when it does, so be nice to them. ;)) Since that incident previously described, I’ve always been tempted to say “And…?” to their proclamations.</p>
<p>dke: I’m from California, but I’ve run across that sort of thing very often. It isn’t always based on religious appeal, either – I’ve heard “I’m a Democrat” and “I was valedictorian” several times as well. Far too much resting on unearned laurels, methinks… I’m much more of a “show me what you can do” person than a “tell me what you did/who you are” kind of person.</p>
<p>mini: 
Except you can bet I’d get an earful about being un-Christian if I did turn them down. </p>
<p>I gotta admit, re: Dan Brown, that as much as I “hated” Angels & Demons, I read the whole thing through in one day. Part of the impetus was because I was shocked by the amount of “twists” (and chapters!) there were and wanted to see where it was going – in the end, though, it’s a book sold, end of story. My creative writing professor would be so disgusted. ;)</p>
<p>New Don’t Get: Why businesses (colleges included) and the government can stick the last minute of a deadline (“I’m sorry, it wasn’t postmarked April 15th”/“I’m sorry, you’ve missed the deadline”), but when it comes down to returning anything (a refund, a decision, important information), anything goes – and everyone takes it. Why is this the way it goes? It annoys and baffles me to no end.</p>
<p>“Maybe they’re telling you in advance that you’re forgiven if you turn them down.”<br>
MINI!! LOL LOL LOL.</p>
<p>Now I happen to “get” Da Vinci Code: it is a book for all us distracted, multitasking, ADD people. It has a cliff hanger EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER. As a former writer, I can tell you: these are really really really hard to think up!! I thought the book was thin in many ways, but I do admire a plot that just rockets along and gives many shots of adrenaline (exactly why it’s great for soporific plane ride or beach day.)</p>
<p>By the way, I completely agree about generic eateries/shopping/all inclusives on vacation in a “foreign land.” What a waste of jet fuel!!</p>
<p>BTW-- Try the WHOLE Dutch side of St Maarten for a real cultural wasteland of Polo stores, TGIF’s, and casinos. (Thank goodness there is a french side with not one familiar chain store.) The Dutch side caters to cruise ships. People schlepping half way around the world to waddle ashore & buy stuff they could buy at home is just ludicrous.</p>
<p>Thedad: Pace??? Did you ever stop to think how much happened in that one night?? It’s easy to pace if you suspend the normal workings of the physical world…(I lost the flow after the museum scenes, somewhere around where the internationally famous codebreaker coudln’t recognize mirror writing…)</p>
<p>Why we park in driveways and drive on parkways?
Why world news tonight seems to always be about the US, and filmed in Washington or another US city.</p>
<p>tobacco</p>
<p>People who oppose a womans right to choose and oppose birthcontrol education in public schools, and oppose programs to support children after they are born. </p>
<p>I don’t get the death penalty…at all. Our justice system is not infalible and is biased by big bucks.</p>
<p>I don’t get most television shows? </p>
<p>and the thing that will convince the most people that I am on the wrong planet:
I don’t get professional sports…I would rather watch any local high school team play over the steriod fed biology experiments in the major leagues today. How do they get their own section of the paper?</p>
<p>a no hitter- what is that? </p>
<p>professional bowling on tv</p>
<p>sychronized diving </p>
<p>how ice dancing and pairs skating are differnt and why we need both</p>
<p>herion chic</p>
<p>escargot</p>
<p>inflammable and flammable " which is it"?</p>
<p>inflamable = won’t catch fire
flamable = will</p>
<p>Garland, the pace of the character was a bit of fantasy…waking up someone on two hours sleep and putting him through all those adventures… But the pace of the plotting, scene shifting, etc. was well done. </p>
<p>That said, one has different standards of pacing when reading Proust or Tolstoy than when one is reading Dan Brown or…or…you know, I don’t read that many popular authors, do I? Fwiw, if you think TDVC was bad, read Brown’s previous books, re-issued after he hit the jackpot.
I struggled through ANGELS & DEMONS, wanting to hurl it into the fireplace towards the end, and just skimmed a few lines at a bookstore for another.</p>
<p>For good commercial writing, my taste runs to the better Clavell (<em>not</em> NOBLE HOUSE), LeCarre, the better McMurtry, etc. I think Turtledove’s RULED BRITTANIA is exquisite. And then there’s Mary Renault, who I’d give my left arm to write as well as.</p>
<p>Ah. I now see that SBMom has comments about TDVC in a similar vein.
From a number of things, I begin to wonder if we’re related.</p>
<p>OT: TheDad: S2 is chewing through Taipan, having finished Shogun and King Rat. Loves historical fiction. I’m frantic, trying to feed the historical fiction monster. REcently finished 3 book Iggulden series on Caesar. Is Ruled Brittania historical fiction? Any other Clavells? Any other HF recs? James Michener?</p>
<p>Now, back to the regular thread…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Having just returned from the Giants vs. Dodgers game (which the Giants LOST! :(), I’ll have to agree with Mr.B. Why do those people make millions and millions of dollars? Why do people /spend/ millions and millions of dollars on it? I much prefer to watch high school and, to a lesser degree, college kids who actually enjoy the sport and don’t worry about their marketing so much.</p>
<p>Huge tattoos on the lower backs of very beautiful young women at the beach</p>
<p>Teens with bra straps showing under their camis and spaghetti-strap tops</p>
<p>Exposed midriffs on heavy women</p>
<p>Contrasting lip liner</p>
<p>IMPLANTS! What is going on?? Why, why, why?</p>
<p>Why sports seem to trump all other EC’s, K-12</p>
<p>Why parents let their child load the car with friends and drive around, 5 minutes after getting their driver’s license</p>
<p>Incredible levels of grooming in young girls: middle school and high school girls with manicure, pedicure, waxing, streaks, etc. I went to a First Communion recently and many of the girls (who are 7 years old) were dressed like sophisticated miniature brides with salon updo, makeup, manicures, etc. A couple of girls were “unpackaged”: hair not styled, no makeup, etc… they looked clueless. At age 7, aren’t we supposed to be clueless? Why is everything accelerating?</p>
<p><em>climbs back under rock</em></p>
<p>speckledegg, couldn’t agree with you more on all…what’s going on with today’s women and girls? Scary!!</p>
<p>Here’s another: Why do middle aged people whose kids are about to go off to college buy these HUGE houses to live in? To me, it just seems like more maintenance, money and headaches!</p>
<p>Why high school sports gets it’s own section daily in the newspaper, and high school academics gets a paragraph or two once a week.</p>