tunn300 Posted August 18, 2010 Author Share Posted August 18, 2010 Synopsis - Amazon Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves. Review I bought this book as it had been recommended by so many people since its release I felt compelled to read it. initially I found the book fairly interesting but not truly captivating. The first 200 or so pages deal a lot with a courtroom battle between Blomkvist and Wennerstrom and this is followed by lots of characters being introduced very quickly when the action moves to the remote village where Harriet disappeared. This lead to me only reading the book in short chunks as I found the story not to flow and I was having to concentrate to really follow it. However once the introductions are out of the way this book is fantastic. The story shoots along and I simply could not put this book down. I spent most of yesterday reading rather than doing all other things I should have been doing as I simply had to read on. The main characters are very intriguing and often their behavior appears quite strange. I hope in future book it is explained why Salander has the problems with people that she does. The plot is very interesting and certainly throws up many surprises, which is rare for me nowadays. I also like that all the threads of the story are ties up very nicely at the end of the book. I really really enjoyed this book once it got going and am looking forward to reading the rest in the series. 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Oh goodie, another one who enjoyed The girl with the dragon tattoo. I simply loved it and I read all three books in maybe 10 days or even less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted August 21, 2010 Author Share Posted August 21, 2010 Synopsis - Amazon Just when Inspector Daniel Jouma believes calm has returned to Mombasa, all hell has broken loose. Bodies are piling up in the morgue, Jouma's new boss wants answers - and the mayor wants him out. Meanwhile, bulldozers are hurtling towards Jake Moore's stomping ground. Ever the hero, the maverick cop turned fishing-boat skipper faces up to the might of Kenya's most ruthless - and dangerous - developer. Then a chilling secret, long thought to be buried in the ashes of a deadly inferno, brings the crime-busting duo together once again. And Jake and Jouma are about to discover that, when you play with fire, someone always gets burned ... Review This is the 2nd book in The Jake and Jouma series. I read the first earlier in the year after stumbling across it in my local Tesco. This book picks up only a couple of weeks after the first book left off, so I would definitely recommend reading them in order as all the character background is dealt with in the first book. Just like the first book this has very short chapters and is incredibly fast paced. I read this book in just over a day as I was hooked in to the storyline and it is so easy to say you will read just one more chapter because it is so short and before you know it you have read half the book. One of my criticisms of the first book was that it took a long time to get into the story, this is certainly not the case here as we are thrown into the action with multiple deaths in the first few chapters. The characters are again well done with all new characters fitting in nicely. The plot again involves several strands being drawn together at the end but it does manage to appear plausible most of the time. This book ends on a real cliffhanger and I now definitely want to read the next book in the series. The only problem with this book is that I am not sure how long it will live in the memory. Great books are always with you and you know the plotlines instantly. However in this book when we were referred back to the first book it took me a long while to remember the plot points they were talking about. It could however be that I have a really bad memory. I do recommend this book but they must be read in order, the first book in my opinion is not as good as this one but is worth persevering through, especially the first 100 pages or so. 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted August 21, 2010 Author Share Posted August 21, 2010 Off on holiday tomorrow so I have finally decided on what reading to take; The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson The Snowman - Jo Nesbo (According to the cover "the new Steig Larsoon' but have read the first chapter and it does seem good) The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society - Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows Hopefully this will be enough to keep me going, my wife is taking One Day by David Nicholls so that is something else I could fall back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted August 30, 2010 Author Share Posted August 30, 2010 Synopsis - Amazon Lisbeth Salander is a wanted woman. Two Millennium journalists about to expose the truth about sex trafficking in Sweden are murdered, and Salander's prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behaviour makes her an official danger to society - but no-one can find her. Mikael Blomkvist, editor-in-chief of Millennium, does not believe the police. Using all his magazine staff and resources to prove Salander's innocence, Blomkvist also uncovers her terrible past, spent in criminally corrupt institutions. Yet Salander is more avenging angel than helpless victim. She may be an expert at staying out of sight - but she has ways of tracking down her most elusive enemies. Review After reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo earlier this month I was eager to begin the next chapter of the trilogy and hoped it lived up to the high standards set by the first. I need not have worried at all!! This book is truly fantastic, and in my opinion superior to the first. In this book we are straight into the action with the plot clearly spelled out early on. All my favourite characters are back and in this book we have more time devoted to the back story of the enigmatic Lisbeth Slander. Whilst her murky past was hinted at in the first book, here it is blown wide open and we soon realise why Lisbeth has many of her familiar traits. The relationships between all the main protagonists in this book is so well written that what could be a complicated plot flows well and does not appear ridiculous. The action is again fast paced, with this book being divided into two sections (Blomkvist's investigation and Lisbeth's hiding) until the two meet together towards the end of the book. This book ends on a real cliffhanger and I was disappointed that I had not packed book 3 in with my holiday reading, stupid me!! I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the final part of the trilogy. What a shame this will be the only work by this terrific author. 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 The Girl who Played with Fire is on my wishlist but I wasn't very impressed with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo so I'm not prepared to pay for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 Synopsis - Amazon It's 1946 and author Juliet Ashton can't think what to write next. Out of the blue, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey - by chance, he's acquired a book that once belonged to her - and, spurred on by their mutual love of reading, they begin a correspondence. When Dawsey reveals that he is a member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, her curiosity is piqued and it's not long before she begins to hear from other members. As letters fly back and forth with stories of life in Guernsey under the German Occupation, Juliet soon realizes that the society is every bit as extraordinary as its name. Review This was the 2nd book of my holiday reading and it couldn't have been more different from the first. This book is written as a series of letters, primarily to and from the central character Julie Ashton. One day she receives a surprise letter from a man on Guernsey who has just bought an old book that once belonged to her. This is the beginning of a wonderful correspondence between Julie and the people of Guernsey who write to tell her about life during the German occupation and of the weird but wonderful group they have formed, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The characters in this book are fantastic, they are quirky, humorous and downright lovable. Their relationship forms a crucial part in the book and each one is so well thought out and developed. The book will made me laugh and also upset as we learn about different characters experiences during the years of the German occupation, something I never really knew about. All the main characters share a real passion for books and at some point describe how this has helped them through the difficult times. I thought this book was excellent and over far too quickly. 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Synopsis - Amazon It's 1946 and author Juliet Ashton can't think what to write next. Out of the blue, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey - by chance, he's acquired a book that once belonged to her - and, spurred on by their mutual love of reading, they begin a correspondence. When Dawsey reveals that he is a member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, her curiosity is piqued and it's not long before she begins to hear from other members. As letters fly back and forth with stories of life in Guernsey under the German Occupation, Juliet soon realizes that the society is every bit as extraordinary as its name. Review This was the 2nd book of my holiday reading and it couldn't have been more different from the first. This book is written as a series of letters, primarily to and from the central character Julie Ashton. One day she receives a surprise letter from a man on Guernsey who has just bought an old book that once belonged to her. This is the beginning of a wonderful correspondence between Julie and the people of Guernsey who write to tell her about life during the German occupation and of the weird but wonderful group they have formed, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The characters in this book are fantastic, they are quirky, humorous and downright lovable. Their relationship forms a crucial part in the book and each one is so well thought out and developed. The book will made me laugh and also upset as we learn about different characters experiences during the years of the German occupation, something I never really knew about. All the main characters share a real passion for books and at some point describe how this has helped them through the difficult times. I thought this book was excellent and over far too quickly. 9/10 I have this on my bookshelf. I'm glad you liked it. I'll definitely have to read it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted December 29, 2010 Author Share Posted December 29, 2010 I have been very quiet on here for some time now. A combination of moving and a busy time at worked has contributed to me reading only 1 book between September and December, a very poor show! Thankfully my book buying habit also slowed with it and I only added 1 or 2 more books to mount TBR. For Christmas this year I was given an Amazon Kindle e-reader and some vouchers to load it up with books and so far have not been able to put it down. Am currently half way through Alan Sugar's autobiography and have several other books lined up to be read next. I do like the experience of reading on an e-reader and it has really come into its own today as I was packing for a short break to France for New Year and I only had to pack this small gadget rather than 3-4 books. At the start of the year I wanted to achieve the task of reading about 24 books this year and I have easily surpassed this with 30, but they have come in waves of reading lots and lots and then nothing. I am going to up the ante next year and aim for 40 books and to try and maintain my reading throughout the year. Anyway a Happy New Year to all!! I will hopefully see you all in my 2011 blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 For Christmas this year I was given an Amazon Kindle e-reader and some vouchers to load it up with books and so far have not been able to put it down. Am currently half way through Alan Sugar's autobiography and have several other books lined up to be read next. I do like the experience of reading on an e-reader and it has really come into its own today as I was packing for a short break to France for New Year and I only had to pack this small gadget rather than 3-4 books. I received one too! I had been debating buy one for a half a year or so, so my hubby took over that decision for me. I like it much more than I expected to. Happy reading for 2011! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 Happy New Year Tunn Look forward to reading your reviews in 2011. You probably won't have any problem reading 40 books now you have your Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 You're one of the two new Kindle owners that I've already spotted on here today, seems like it was a popular Christmas present. I agree, a Kindle is so much handier when travelling than having to pack loads of books. With Kindle you get an amazing range and will be sure to find something that suits your current fancy. Happy e-reading! You will achieve your goal of 40 read books next year quite easily, I think. I hope you find amazing reads and have a jolly good time with books in 2011! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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