The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (2004, Hardcover, Collectors)

This is the Hostess CupCake of modern literature. The plot was spit out of a factory, the story is adorned with superficial enhancements and its definitely not good for you. Regardless of these apparent shortcomings, you will absolutely enjoy every single bite/page.

The Dan Brown Plot Factory - read one and you've read them all. Digital Fortress, Angels and Demons, Deception Point. They are formulaic to a flaw. I was lucky enough to have read Da Vinci Code first but if you have read his other books first, do yourself a favor and wait till the movie comes out. You'll be disappointed by the predictability of the plot and the similarity of the heroes / heroines.

Superficial Enhancements - there are an endless supply of useless nuggets of information sprinkled through this book. Like a Tom Clancy novel, it often seems the author is more concerned with showing the reader how well versed he is in the subject matter instead of spinning a tight story. Im not an expert on the Catholic Church or art history so I don't want to comment on the accuracy of these useless facts, but they can, at times, unnecessarily weigh down an otherwise fast moving story line.

Its not good for you - upon completion, you wont have learned anything new and you wont think about the world in a different way and you wont get into deep philosophical debates about the content with your friends. The theories put forth in the book are interesting but a bit far-fetched and not exactly relevant. There are a ton of facts in the book but none of them are significant enough or organized in a manner that would advance any of the author's theories.

But who cares ? It tastes good ! - There is simply no arguing with 126 weeks on the NYT best seller list. If you get past the obvious fact that Dan Brown is not the next Tolstoy, this is a fun and exciting story, the kind that begs to be made into a movie. Get a glass of wine, put your feet up and enjoy !