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When the Needle Hits E and the Writing is Subpar

Today I crossed a new threshold that reminded me of that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer takes a test drive and convinces the dealer to keep on going after the needle hits E.


Today I have traveled the longest distance between fill ups in the history of owning my car. That distance was driving 340.6 miles. Ooh. Ahh.


I know that's not all that far, but considering I panic and start filling up once I hit the 300 mile mark this was a small milestone. Overall, despite the absurd commute my car is performing much better and getting more mileage than when we lived in Chicago. Here's a snapshot of my last four fill-ups:


This week's audiobook choice was prompted from seeing a banner ad on Goodreads for Dan Brown's new Dante-inspired Robert Langdon novel. (That's right, fellow marketeers, a banner ad prompted me to take action at my local library! Monetize that!) 

I thought, "I'm hip. I'm with it. I better catch up and read The Lost Symbol." Having read the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, I had rather low expectations. While I enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, it was not without its flaws stylistically. I enjoyed the "alternate history lesson disguised as a thriller" aspect of both books, so I imagine there are elements that I will like.

Three discs in and I'm already angry at the excessive use of flashbacks. Also, how often does Robert Langdon say things "I don't know what knowledge the kidnapper thinks I have but...hey wait a second," and then start vomiting relevant arcane facts like a Wikipedia article. It's hard to like a character who is so transparently playing the role of Google in a novel without so much as even making reference to Tobin's Spirit Guide. Oh, well, I'll keep plodding on.
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