British actors Ian McKellen and Alfred Molina have been added to the cast of the anticipated screen adaptation of Dan Brown's controversial novel The Da Vinci Code.

"Throw me the Grail, I'll throw you the rope!"

I'm with ita. OMG, that was...one of the worst reading experiences I've ever had, including creative writing class.

The idea behind the story, if I understand it correctly, might be intriguing in the hands of someone who can write. But I had to set Angels and Demons down after a few chapters, because it was so so SO execrably written. I tried, I really did -- see, my Dad LOVED it, and loaned it to me so that we could discuss it, and in the interests of family bonding, I tried to read it.

But how do you tell someone who loved a book that you couldn't read it because it was written so badly that it made your eyes bleed? I don't want to insult him for loving the book -- I say read what you like, as long as you're reading -- but telling someone you hated what they recommended to you feels like an insult.

Steph, tell him you didn't like the book because it was poorly edited. You know, technical stuff that a layperson wouldn't notice.

"Throw me the Grail, I'll throw you the rope!"

OMG, I'd completely forgotten about that. Bwahahahahahaha!

Tom, good idea! I need you to craft all my excuses to weasel out of things!

But how do you tell someone who loved a book that you couldn't read it because it was written so badly that it made your eyes bleed?

"Just not my cup of tea." Especially if you can find something positive to say about it.

Curse you all. You're now making me perversely interested in at least attempting that book, just to see how painful it is. Bridges of Madison County has been my bad-book gold standard for ages upon ages; I read it at the behest of a relative who was just swoony over it, and actually finished the whole thing because it was so painfully astounding. At the end of every chapter I'd think Well, that's got to be as bad as bad could possibly get, and then the very next chapter would prove me wrong. Around midbook it started getting visibly worse paragraph by paragraph. Then the epilogue broke me, every sentence exponentially worse than the one preceding it.

And now I feel the need to check out DaVinci Code to see how it measures up.

Curse you all.

I finally saw Napoleon Dynamite last night on DVD and... it was charming. I suspect my opinion of it will grow in my memory as I recall various bits over time.

Has anyone linked to this? - [link]

My favorite:

WHEREAS, any members of the House of Representatives or the Senate of the Legislature of the State of Idaho who choose to vote "Nay" on this concurrent resolution are "FREAKIN' IDIOTS!" and run the risk of having the "Worst Day of Their Lives!"

JZ, let me save you some pain. (I found a post I wrote a few months ago about Angels and Demons.)

Four pages in, and he's already using paragraphs to describe Our Hero, rather than letting the reader figure it out by how Our Hero acts.

I've made it to page 6 so far, where I found this sentence, and I quote (Our Fair Hero has received a Fax with Shocking News): "Instantly the breath went out of him. It was like he had been hit by a truck."

I swear to you I'm not making that up.

How does crap writing like that make the bloody best-seller list? HOW?!?

Photos of the publisher with that goat in Tijuana. JZ is me, in re "Bridges"