The Bookish Elf

Which one is your most favorite  SIDNEY SHELDON  book among the list? [polldaddy poll=9779316]

Born: 11 February 1917, Chicago, Illinois, USA Died: 30 January 2007, Rancho Mirage, California, USA  Birth Name: Sidney Schechtel Early life Sidney Sheldon was born Sidney Schechtel in Chicago, Illinois. His parents, of Russian Jewish ancestry, were Ascher “Otto” Schechtel (1894–1967), manager of a jewelry store, and Natalie Marcus. At 10, Sidney made his first sale, US$5 for a poem. During the Depression, he worked at a variety of jobs, and after graduating from East High School (Denver), he attended Northwestern University on a scholarship and contributed short plays to drama groups. He had to drop out after six months during the Depression era to help support his family. Career In 1937, Sidney Sheldon moved to Hollywood, California, where he reviewed scripts and collaborated on a number of B movies. Sheldon enlisted in the military during World War II as a pilot in the War Training Service, a branch of the Army Air Corps, His unit was disbanded before he saw any action. Returning t...

Author:   DAN BROWN Publication:  2013 Genre:  Thriller, Mystery, Conspiracy Language: English Narrator: Third person narrator. This narrator is not omniscient. Even though he tells the emotions and thoughts of all the characters in the novel, the narrator knows only what Langdon knows about the situation in which he becomes involved. Theme: The challenge associated with population control is a major theme in this novel as Langdon and others search for a pathogen they believe is intended to cull the population. Main Characters: Robert Langdon, Bertrand Zobrist, Sienna Brooks, Elizabeth Sinskey, The Provost. BOOK SUMMARY Harvard professor Robert Langdon is recruited by the World Health Organization (WHO) to help locate a deadly pathogen. The virus is believed to have been created by Bertrand Zobrist, a Transhumanist who thought that the world was in danger of collapse because of overpopulation. Zobrist had led Elizabeth Sinskey, director of the WHO, to believe he had created a pla...

Author:   DAN BROWN Publication:   2009 Genre:   Thriller, Mystery, Conspiracy Language: English Narrator: Third person Omniscient Narrator. The  narrator is reliable and  records the thoughts and emotions of all of characters. More emphasis is placed on Langdon, the hero, and Mal’akh, the villain, than the other characters. Theme:  A prevalent theme throughout this novel is the connection between the Masons and the founding of America. Main Characters: Robert Langdon, Mal'akh, Peter Solomon, Katherine Solomon Book Summary A man bent on becoming a deity of darkness attempted to reveal the secrets of the centuries old establishment of the Masons and block advancement in Noetic Science in the novel The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown . Professor Robert Langdon believed he had been called to Washington by his best friend Peter Solomon to give a lecture. Instead, he found himself in the middle of a race with time to solve the mysteries of the Masonic Pyramid. He must decode the pyramid i...

Author:   DAN BROWN Publication:  2004 Genre:   Thriller, Mystery, Conspiracy Language: English Tense: Past Setting Time:   Present day Setting Places: Paris, Versailles, London, Scotland. Major Characters: Robert Langdon, Sophie Neveu, Jacques Saunière, Silas, Leigh Teabing Narrator: Third-person, anonymous, omniscient narrator. Point of view:  The narrator speaks from the point of view of several characters, describing what they see and hear. The narrator also provides background information and pieces of knowledge unknown to other characters. Theme: Themes of the book are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. The False Conflict between Faith and Knowledge is the main theme of the book intertwined with The Subjectivity of History and The Intelligence of Women. Book Summary Louvre curator and Priory of Sion Grand Master Jacques Saunière is fatally shot one night at the museum by an albino Catholic monk named Silas, who is working on behalf of so...

Author:  DAN BROWN First Publication: 2000 Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Historical Fiction Language: English Setting: There are two major settings in Angels and Demons. The first is the Vatican and its surrounding sites of Catholic worship in Rome; the second is CERN, Located in Geneva, Switzerland,  a scientific counterpoint to the Vatican. Major Characters:   Vittoria Vetra, Robert Langdon, Maxmillan Kohler, Leonardo Vetra, Gunther Glick. Theme: Angels and Demons is built around a number of paired/opposed forces (Science Versus Faith, Passionate Dedication Versus Obsession, Public Versus Private)  that wind through the novel as they do human society and human history. Narrator:   third-person omniscient. The narrator is reliable and trustworthy. The chapters shift focus from character to character, allowing the reader to see what multiple characters are doing at relatively the same time. Book Summary Angels & Demons brings an ancient secret organization, the Illuminati, and the...

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Author: Dan Brown Publication: 2001 Genre:  Mystery, Thriller Language:  English Main Characters:  Rachel Sexton, Michael Tolland, Thomas Sedgewick Sexton, Corky Marlinson, Zachary Herney, William Pickering Narrator : Narrator of the novel is third person and is narrated from the different perspectives of the various characters. Theme: Deception and the search for the truth is one of the main themes of the book. The title, Deception Point, even reinforces this. The main plot is hinged on a large-scale fraud designed to ensure NASA's future. The subplot of Senator Sexton accepting illegal campaign contributions is also about Sexton deceiving others, and throughout the novel, Sexton is described as a consummate liar. References to high tech military and intelligence equipment are also generally described as secret, and Pickering's concerns about security relate to keeping information from the public so as to protect national security. Plot Summary Deception Point is a mystery ...

Author: Dan Brown Publication : 1998 Genre : Mystery, Techno-Thriller Language : English Main Characters: Susan Fletcher, David Becker, David Becker, Trevor Strathmore     Narrator : Multiple Third Person omniscient Narrator Theme:  National Security Vs Individual's Right to Privacy Plot Summary When the United States National Security Agency 's code-breaking supercomputer TRANSLTR encounters a revolutionary new code—Digital Fortress—that it cannot break, Commander Trevor Strathmore calls in head cryptographer Susan Fletcher to crack it. She discovers that it was written by Ensei Tankado, a former NSA employee who became displeased with the NSA's intrusion into people's private lives. If the NSA doesn't reveal TRANSLTR to the public, Tankado intends to auction the code's algorithm on his website and have his partner, "North Dakota", release it for free if he dies, essentially holding the NSA hostage. The agency is determined to stop Digital Fortress...

To make a Book Club successful and growing, it is important to adhere certain rules and standards for behavior which prevents pointless arguments or even oblivious offences and helps to run Book Club more efficiently and smoothly. Most of the rules and standards are basic and common sense but it is necessary to remind rules frequently to all members of the club. It can be a diplomatic way to deal with one member who may be annoying other members or flouting certain rule and correct their behavior for future. Take some time when starting a book club to sit down and draw up a list of rules and standards of behavior which all starting members agree upon. It may seem a chore when all you want to do it get to the meaty literary discussions but it is well-worth the time and effort and will prevent a lot of time-wasting (and potential conflict) later from people arguing over how things should be done. Make sure that everyone is agreed on what is acceptable behavior within the club – tak...

Born: June 22, 1964, in Exeter, New Hampshire, US. Dan Brown’s books are paramount encounter of excitement and ecstasy for the fan of secrets, codes, symbols and conspiracies. The books are set in 24 hours period story that swallow up the mind, soul and heart of the readers completely. A musician by profession, Dan Brown switched to the vocation of writing full-time later on. However, his move was just the perfect one as he mastered the skill that thriller-based novels demanded and went on to become one of the most celebrated writers of the genre. In his writing career, Brown has come up with classic novels some of which are ‘ Angels & Demons ’, ‘ The Da Vinci Code ’, ‘ The Lost Symbol ’ and ‘ Inferno ’. Amusingly, all the aforementioned novels have the same protagonist, Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbology expert. Additionally, they share historical themes and Christianity as motifs. Most of his works have garnered immense positive response from the public and the critics. Also, h...