Mr Dan Brown, who penned such oeuvres as The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, is going to publish another book called The Lost Symbol. Apparently, this book is eagerly waited by millions, and the initial print run stands at an astonishing 6.5 million.
I have watched the film rendition of The Da Vinci Code, but have not read the book, and while in a confessional mood, I admit that I haven’t read any of the Harry Potter books either. I’m led to believe that Harry Potter books are inestimably better than Mr Brown’s publications. Anyway, I wonder if I am missing something by not reading these works that so many other people have read. Am I out of touch with the world?
I don’t think one book or one author can transform my view: rather, it is more incremental, in that the sum of all books I have read has shaped me. I may have missed something but not much. Or so I hope.