The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest (Stieg Larsson)

The day has finally arrived - I've finished "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson.  It took me way too long to read this book and I just need to point out that it wasn't because I didn't enjoy the book.

This was one of my photos for "Photo A Day May"
http://www.fatmumslim.com.au/2012/04/may-photo-day-list.html

"The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest" is the third book in the Millenium trilogy (also known as the Dragon Tattoo books!).  It's definitely a book that must be read as the third book of the trilogy - no skipping ahead!

Without giving too much away about the first two books, this third book starts with Lisbeth Salander (the girl with the dragon tattoo) in critical condition.  The book tries to solve the issues and make sense of everything that occurred in the first two "Millenium" books.  (Sorry, that doesn't give you much to go on...)

The book was good, but I wouldn't say that it was as exciting as the first two books.  While the other books had more "action" (that is, people getting shot or being chased and whatnot), this book really dealt more with the "figuring things out" side.  Lots of information into ongoing investigations and about characters who are somehow related to the events of the book.  It was slow at times (clearly, since it took me almost two months to make it through the 563 pages, I was able to put it down) but it really picked up near the end when real connections are being made.

It was a good ending to the trilogy and I felt like everything was resolved.

My verdict on the Millenium trilogy - it was good.  They were exciting books, though at times I felt like they were really long (because they are).  They're definitely good for a dose of mystery.

I've had my mystery fix for a while, now onto something a little different.

The Girl Who Played With Fire (Stieg Larsson)

This post won't be a long one because I cannot wait to start the next (and final) book in the Millenium trilogy. 

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson definitely met my reading needs this month!  While the book is a giant one, with 724 pages, it was so worth it.  Lisbeth Salander, who is the girl with the dragon tattoo, is wanted by the police for the murder of three people.  Her fingerprints were found on the murder weapon.  These three murder victims are all linked together by a book and article that were to be written about sex trafficking.  Mikael Blomkvist, who is the other big star in "The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" books, knows Salander and doesn't believe that she's guilty of these crimes.  He uses the resources and staff available to him to help out Salander, even though she can't be found.  Anywhere. 

I remember when I was a couple hundred pages into the book, saying, "I don't understand why there are so many little stories here.  There is so much going on and I just don't get how it's all linked together.  I feel like they've talked about so much but that it doesn't really mean anything."  I was reassured that it would all come together soon and that the excitement would start.  And did it ever.  (I will admit that at times, I felt that the book was a bit wordy, but I think it just gives you a good description of everything that is going on.)

All of these little stories from journalists, police officers, Salander and Blomkvist come together wonderfully and you just keep saying, "Oh my goodness..." as you start to realize how things are playing out and how different parts of the story are fitting together. 

The ending of the book leaves you wanting more.  Hence the need to start the third book.  Tonight. 

You definitely need to have read the first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in order to fully understand this book.  The relationships built between characters in the first book are really important to some of the events that occur in this one. 

On to book number three!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - The Movie

It's been a while since I've seen the movie "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," but considering it's Oscar night, I thought it deserved a post! 

I recently went to see the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.  I loved it - but again, this isn't a blog about movies (sigh), so let's talk about how the movie compares to the book. 

I had just finished reading the novel by Stieg Larsson when I decided to go see the movie, so it was all really fresh in my mind.  (As a recap, I really enjoyed the book!)  Knowing that I hadn't forgotten any details from the book yet, I can say that the movie was so much like the book. 

I often find that when a movie is based on a novel, details from the book are omitted or altered.  Sometimes they are just insignificant details, but sometimes there are huge changes to make the film more "Hollywood worthy."  Such a good job was done on this movie - it stayed true to the book.  There were a few little things that were omitted or changed, but they in no way changed the events that occured in the novel.  Plus the acting was wonderful and you totally get lost in the story. 

Should you read the novel or watch the movie first? 
I recommend reading the novel before watching the movie, if only so that you can use your imagination and get lost in the words of Stieg Larsson.  Then once you're done enjoying the words, you can relive the story in 2 hours and 40 minutes of great acting. 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson)

I don't know why I didn't read this book sooner, when it was at the front of Chapters or when my mom whipped through them.  I still didn't know much about the book when my aunt started talking about the new movie that's now out.  When I told her I hadn't read the book, she just told me, "Oh, you have to.  They were so good."

So, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson was the next book I decided to read.  When I started it, I didn't read the back so I had no idea what I was getting myself in to. 

The novel is giant and it's a thriller/mystery/suspense book (with a bit of a love story at parts, I guess).  Without giving much away because most of this is on the back of the book, Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, is hired by Henrik Vanger to solve a mystery.  Henrik's niece disappeared forty years ago and Henrik believes that she was murdered.  He's been stuck on this case for forty years and is desperate to find an answer.  Lisbeth Salander enters the story (she's the one with the dragon tattoo!).  She's a "genius hacker with someone twice her age" and tries to help Mikael with this mystery. 

"You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to see that these events were somehow related.  There had to be a skeleton in one of their cupboards, and Salander loved hunting skeletons.  Besides, she had nothing else on at the moment."  (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson, p. 390)

I really liked this book.  It took me a little while to get into for a few reasons.  First, I didn't have a good chunk of time devoted to reading when I started the book, and I think that you really need that to understand what is going on at the start of the book.  The whole novel isn't like the first fifty pages, so if you're having trouble with the beginning (the first hundred or so pages), don't worry - it gets a bit easier to read once the story is set up a bit for you.  Second, it just took some time getting used to the names of people and places (because they're all Swedish).  Once you start reading though, these names become familiar and it's fine.  Don't ask me to pronounce them, but it was easy to understand and recognize the names. 

This really was a "don't want to put it down" book for me.  It was exciting and a little bit crazy.  (That's one messed up family, the Vangers!)  If you haven't read it and are looking for something with a bit of substance, this could be it!  It's big and has a lot of details, but it moves at a steady pace and was very interesting. 

This is the first in the trilogy and I am looking forward to reading the next two!