The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Not bad. Not worth all the hype, but that's what I'd heard. Still, a fairly entertaining read, but the ending was less than satisfactory. There is no way this book could have lived up to its hype, so I tried to keep very low expectations. That's they only reason it was enjoyable at all. Foucault's Pendulum, a book with a similar theme, is much better.

I am baffled, though, why this book seems to be so popular in Mormon circles. I understand being drawn to the idea that Christ was married, as that idea is fair game within LDS theology, but there are so many other ideas in the book that are definitely contrary to LDS theology. As long as you read the book as fiction (which is how I take it) then there isn't a problem. Unfortunately, it seems that people (LDS or otherwise) are up in arms or all excited because they forget that it is a novel, not a history book. Weird.

But not a bad escape book for a few hours.

The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson

I'm definitely going to work my way through all his books. I love 'em. I particularly like his style of travel: wandering. It's the way I prefer to explore when I travel. I'm not really a tour group person. He's got humor. He loves travel. I enjoy his writing. What more could you ask for? This book covered a few months he spent wandering by car around the continental U.S., searching for the perfect small town America. I'd recommend everything by him, even the stuff I haven't yet read.