Books and Flowers

Deep in their root, all flowers keep the light.

~Theodore Roethke~

(And here is a Pink Gerbera Lucky Fatima! :D)

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The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.

~Jane Austen~ (1775-1817) Northanger Abbey

(Don't be insulted if you don't read, I do not find you intolerably stupid, rather *Catherine Morland does.)

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As much as I love to write, I love to read more. Therefore I was thinking earlier today about where I may discuss the books I read. Many of my friends either read little or read nothing of that which I do, which renders book discussions a tad bit difficult. So, I thought that perhaps a good place to post a book review, would be on here. Reading, I often find is one of the best sources of amusement, however I have met many who disagree.

For example: My brother would rather watch a movie based on a book then read the book itself. Why? Simply because a movie finishes in two hours whereas a book takes a couple of days. Personally I find much more amusement in reading then I do in watching TV, simply because I would rather create the world in which the book encompasses in my head, rather then have someone else do so. No, I thank you, but I find that Exercising my imagination more worth my while. Honestly one thing that saddens me quite a bit is when I ask a child to convey to me a story or draw a picture and what I get is something from a TV show! If anyone should be enjoying the vastness of ones imagination it should be children.

However before I find myself straying quite far off my intended path I think I shall post my review!

The Rule of Four:

By: Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

~From the back of the Book~

An ivy league murder, a mysterious coded manuscript, and the secrets of a Renaissance prince collide memorably in THE RULE OF FOUR -- a brilliant work of fiction that weaves together suspense and scholarship, high art and unimaginable treachery.

It''s Easter at Princeton. Seniors are scrambling to finish their theses. And two students, Tom Sullivan and Paul Harris, are a hair''s breadth from solving the mysteries of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili--a renowned text attributed to an Italian nobleman, a work that has baffled scholars since its publication in 1499. For Tom, their research has been a link to his family''s past -- and an obstacle to the woman he loves. For Paul, it has become an obsession, the very reason for living. But as their deadline looms, research has stalled -- until a long-lost diary surfaces with a vital clue. And when a fellow researcher is murdered just hours later, Tom and Paul realize that they are not the first to glimpse the Hypnerotomachia ''s secrets.

Suddenly the stakes are raised, and as the two friends sift through the codes and riddles at the heart of the text, they are beginning to see the manuscript in a new light--not simply as a story of faith, eroticism and pedantry, but as a bizarre, coded mathematical maze. And as they come closer and closer to deciphering the final puzzle of a book that has shattered careers, friendships and families, they know that their own lives are in mortal danger. Because at least one person has been killed for knowing too much. And they know even more.

From the streets of fifteenth-century Rome to the rarified realm of the Ivy League, from a shocking 500 year-old murder scene to the drama of a young man''s coming of age, THE RULE OF FOUR takes us on an entertaining, illuminating tour of history--as it builds to a pinnacle of nearly unbearable suspense.

~My Review~

This book has been compared the Da Vinci Code, however I would advice one not to go in with that perception. The Da Vinci Code and The Rule of Four are quite different.

I found that the beginning tended to drag on for a while, but after one gets past that the book becomes quite interesting, however that doesn't change the fact that if you aren't patient enough to get through the first 6 chapters without being somewhat bored you will put it down.

Two things I greatly enjoyed about this book were 1) its awesome character development and 2) the vast sphere of knowledge and imagination that went in to this book.

I am a reader who really likes to know the characters, I like to feel like I know them. I like it when they have pasts, experiences, stories etc. it makes them all the more real, as well as the fact that you may better see the story through their eyes. That is one of the reasons why I found this book to be so good, because as it progresses you get attached the characters and their friendships.

I am also a reader who like to learn whilst reading. Just because the book isn't a 500 page text book doesn't mean I should waste my time learning NOTHING! I can say that for this book I learned many things. I am a lover of history, literature and science and these were all things displayed in this novel. For example, I never knew about any book called the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili which is actually quite an interesting part of western literature. I love novels that make me want to research things after. It may not be as vital as the lessons of the Qur'aan or Sunnah but they are lessons anyway. I was very impressed by the vastness of these young author's knowledge.

If you are looking for a murder mystery, I would suggest you pick up another novel because though murder is a part of this novel it is only a subplot, which I personally thought needed some work. However if you just want a good ol' puzzle, this is it, because the main focus of the book is unlocking the secret of another book.

I truly enjoyed the journey, the characters/their struggles, and the fact that I learned many interesting tid bits, which is why I give this novel a 3.5 out of 5 pink gerbera's!

I hope you enjoy, and if you do read it please tell me what you thought.

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Till next time, take care and God Bless.

~Pink Gerbera~

*Catherine Morland is the main character of Northanger Abbey.