A volley to those who kept pushing me to read The Da Vinci Code

Thanks, I enjoyed it and am glad that the mainstream is showing interest in the roots of Western Culture.

If you are interested in a volley, here is a short list of other excellent entertaining books that are also page turners while offering analysis of Western Culture. Most of them are full of intrigue and action along the lines of "The DaVinci Code" and they also offer more depth into the foundations of Western Culture, with an emphasis on Church and State, and "the power's that be." They are all among my favorite novels and well worth the read.

"A Case if Curiosities" by Allen Kurzweil—very accessible and quite enjoyable. A coming of age story set in 1700s. ...Thoughtful and enjoyable.

"The Devils of Loudun" by Aldous Huxley—about demonic possession set in 17th century France. It is very entertaining and brilliant but also unsettling. Note also that Ken Russell made it into a movie that is worth watching (WITHOUT the kids!) but the movie lacks all the wonderful historical commentary and analysis. Penderecki also made an opera of it. I haven't seen the opera, but given the subject matter and Penderecki's reputation, I expect it is brutal. ...Intense and well worth the read.

"The Betrothed" by Alessandro Manzoni—a masterful classic of this genre. A fast paced adventure romance set during the 1600s feudal culture with the black plague and the manipulations of the church and money'd classes as background. ...Sweet, intelligent and fun.

Joseph Heller's "Picture This"--a fantasy historical fiction that is laden with art history and philosophy. From Amazon: "Picture this: Rembrandt is creating his famous painting of Aristotle contemplating the bust of Homer. As soon as he paints an ear on Aristotle, Aristotle can hear. When he paints an eye, Aristotle can see. And what Aristotle sees and hears and remembers from the ancient past to this very moment provides the foundation for this lighthearted, freewheeling jaunt through 2,500 years of Western Civilization " ...Thoughtful and enjoyable.

For another very interesting novel intertwined with esoteric concepts, suspense, intrigue, numerology, kabbalah, religion, meaning of life, power, etc, etc, etc... try Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum"—though know that it's a tighter knot than Da Vinci Code and is not really a page turner. I haven't read it but it has a huge following. Eco also wrote "The Name of the Rose" (which was made into a movie with Sean Connery) another mystery, which is more accessible and has a huge following too.

Thanks, and enjoy.