The Lost Symbol

Title: The Lost Symbol
Author: Dan Brown
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 624
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1.2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: Robert Langdon is at is again, this time right in Washington, D.C.  The plot swirls around the Masons, the U.S. Capitol Building, and the Smithsonian Institution as Robert Langdon is forced to crack an ancient code in order to save his friend.
Thoughts: The Robert Langdon novels are maybe a bit formulaic, but they're certainly page-turners.  Dan Brown really does an amazing job of weaving arcane details and real-life objects into some pretty fantastic stories.  I listened to this one on a drive from Zion's National Park all the way to Tucson, and it was a great way to pass the time.  My only complaint with it is that the build-up and suspense in every single chapter got a bit tiresome by the end of the book.  It just felt like Brown was trying so hard to prolong the revelation of what was really going on that it forced him into some pretty poor writing at time.  Other than that, it's a fun book.
Disclaimer: As with other Dan Brown novels, there's some violence as well as some sexual material in this one.

Mayflower

Title: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
Author: Nathaniel Philbrick
Genre: History
Pages: 480
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: Mayflower covers the history of the original Pilgrims from the time they leave England to the end of King Philip's War in 1678.  The book really isn't about the Mayflower voyage very much, but instead focuses on the relationship between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans during the first 50 years after the colonists arrived in the New World.  The two groups were able to maintain peace for a remarkably long time, but war was nearly inevitable by the end.
Thoughts: This is a period of history that rarely gets covered, and it's always seemed strange to me that we learn in school that the Pilgrim's landed in Plymouth in 1620 and then the Revolution happened in 1776.  There's 150 years there that we just never learn much about!  So, I enjoyed reading this book to help fill in the gap.  I thought it was well-written, but not grippingly so, and hence I'm only giving it 3 stars.  Still, it's fascinating material and I'm glad I read it and know at least a little bit more about this time period.
Disclaimer:  None.