Notes - reading a present /

         Mid-morning. You and Carol had breakfast and she is reading the morning paper and listening to "Morning Joe". You are upstairs in one of your favorite chairs looking out at the crisp blue Winter sky with a light dusting of snow on the ground with many naked trees and their limbs spread about the landscape between here and St. Rt. 42 one of the old stagecoach routes from Columbus to Cincinnati. - Amorella

         0851 hours. Last night after shutting down the MacBook I picked up one of Kim and Paul's presents, Origin, a hardback by Dan Brown. Carol and I have read many of his books and this book is really for the both of us. I started at the beginning and read up to page 106, Chapter Twenty-Two. The book is a well written thriller so far. Here is a description from the iTunes Preview.

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The #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Da Vinci Code

Bilbao, Spain

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence.

     As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.

     Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace itself . . . and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery . . . and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us.

Origin is stunningly inventive—Dan Brown's most brilliant and entertaining novel to date.

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         0900 hours. The two questions basically are 1. what is our origin and 2. what is our destiny? Good questions, I agree. Brown knows how to write a successful modern fiction, no question about it, and I am enjoying this book the same as I did most of his other best sellers. It is more comforting to read than write so I am taking a break, once the book is read I'll return to writing. Writing about how a human spirit makes its decisions is rather quaint when compared to a good read by a professional. We were both excited to receive this book, of course Kim is aware we would be and I think she rather enjoyed the fuss we made by the Christmas tree -- a vivid reinforcement on book reading from two elders in the family. Paul and the boys enjoy reading also, and Kim too (it goes without saying but I said it anyway).

         Post. - Amorella