Enjoying The Da Vinci Code

Listening to: Our time in Eden - 10,000 Maniacs.

Apologies to any fans of the book, but firstly I'll admit that the title of this post is something of a misnomer. I didn't enjoy reading the book, and only went to see the movie because Fi wanted to and I had nothing else to do. The book I found to be all action and no substance, with lots of exclamation points and things I was suposed to be amazed (or at least surprised) by, and frankly felt a little Scooby Doo (for lack of a better description and not in a good way). I am still not quite sure what all the fuss was about.

Being of the type to attend bookfairs, and browse the fiction category for my own finds, I have noticed 'The Da Vinci Code' is readily available second hand. So that got me thinking:

Ways to enjoy 'The Da Vinci Code' without having to read or buy it

You will need: A bookfair, and 2 or more players

Option 1 - Its all in the numbers
Players peruse the bookfair as normal, and count the number of copies of 'The Da Vinci Code' they come across. One point for each, with one extra point for each different edition sighted. Two extra points if it is in hardback, three extra if it is an audio book edition, 10 extra if it is an audio edition read by Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones.

Option 2 - The evidence is right in front of you
Players disperse to random points of the fiction section. Winner is the player who can see the most copies of 'The Da Vinci Code' from their location (can also be applied to sighting Starmarts on Queen Street in Auckland).

Option 3 - Collect the evidence.
Players gather as many copies of 'The Da Vinci Code' as they can find. Whoever can carry the most without being mistaken for a second-hand bookshop owner wins.

Option 4 - Scatter the evidence
Reposition any copies found so that they appear at regular intervals throughout the stock. At least one per row or box of books. This game is deemed won if a non player notes the distribution and suspects some sort of conspiracy. Expert players can determine the placement according to the fibonacci sequence.

Option 5 - The Gathering
This is more of a long term game that can be played over the course of several bookfairs. After a suitable central point is determined, players must return any copies of 'The Da Vinci Code' to that point. The aim is to find all copies and assemble them in one place, thus acheiving market saturation at the point of sale, or a critical mass, whichever comes first. Once a record is set, try and beat it at the next bookfair.

If for some reason (likely to be conspiratorial in nature), 'The Da Vinci Code' isn't present at a bookfair in signifcant numbers, substitute authors such as Wilbur Smith or Patricia Cornwell can be used.