The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson: A Review

By Stieg Larsson
Copyright 2010
Publisher Alfred A. Knopf
Cost $27.95


I read and enjoyed The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest but not in the same way I enjoyed Larsson's other two novels.

In this novel, we find Lisbeth Salander hospitalized following injuries she suffered at the hands of her father. But in typical Salander fashion, her father suffered equally from the damage she inflicted upon him. The novel continues where the second novel left off---with Salander accused of multiple murders. This novel however follows Lisbeth Salander as her guilt or innocence is proven and she tries to regain her life---pre-guardianship, pre-psychiatric evaluations, and pre-Zalachenko.

One thing this novel has working for it is that it is familiar. Salander is still silent but deadly. Blomkvist still sticks his nose into his stories well beyond that of a reporter. It even continues to ring of Larsson and his penchant for detail--right down to the type of sandwich his characters eat and when.

What works against this novel, and is completely different from the others, is the beginning. It opens with too much background information. The beginning of the novel consists of either a flashback in time or a description of events that occurred in the second novel. If you've already read the other two novels, like me, then the beginning tends to drag. If you haven't read the other two novels then the information will seem unnecessary in order to enjoy the book (per a friend of mine). I found myself waiting for the book to catch up to present day and take me on the adventure I knew lay in store.

And thankfully it did....eventually. And when it did, it became the page turner that made the first two novels bestsellers. Overall, I would definitely recommend the book but buyer beware you will need a dose of patience to reap the benefits of a good read.
I give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Happy Reading!

I'd love to hear what you think. Have you read it? What did you think? Am I on point or completely off in space somewhere? Of course, I mean with the review. I already know I'm off in space with everything else.

When Do You Stop Reading?

I'm currently reading a book, which shall remain nameless, that I just can't get into. I'm on page 32 and finding it a complete chore to read. This isn't the first time this has happened to me. I have failed to connect to other books for various reasons: characters I don't care about, not enough at stake for me, or a foreign dialect or setting that the writer fails to overcome--among others. However, this is the first. time. ever. that I've actually considered not reading the rest of the book. I usually painstakingly read the entire book if I chose to take it off the bookstore or library shelf in the first place, just to see where it goes or if it gets better. The books I have had to say this to myself with in order to keep reading--don't. Get any better. But I tell myself that anyway. Otherwise, I feel a sense of failure at having given up on the book. But for the first time, I may move on to another book that should make better use of my time.

How do you feel? Can you stop reading as soon as your connection is lost with the book? Or do you keep reading? When do you stop reading--if ever?

Up Next: A Review of 'Getting to Happy' by Terry McMillan

I guess the title of this post tells you all you need to know. I'm currently reading Getting to Happy by Terry McMillan, the sequel to Waiting to Exhale. I know. Some of you are too young to have enjoyed Waiting to Exhale back in the 90's but to those of you who aren't, stay tuned for next week's review of the next chapter in the lives of Savannah, Bernadine, Robin and Gloria.

I'm on page 108 of 373.

Happy Reading!

A review: Harvest by Tess Gerritsen

Harvest, a medical thriller by Tess Gerritsen, follows Dr. Abby DiMatteo. She is a two year intern on the brink of getting a coveted fellowship within the transplant team at Bayside Hospital. She dates the perfect man and is well on her way to making her professional dreams come true just as a decision regarding two heart transplant patients changes everything. She ends up fighting for her job, relationship and even her life.

Tess Gerritsen wrote Harvest in 1996 but I only became aware of the novel a few years ago when an English Composition instructor encouraged my class to read the novel to get an idea of how to achieve suspense in writing. I purchased the book but did not read it until now--several years later. She was right and I could have read this good book much sooner. The suspense was only one reason to read the book; I also enjoyed the journey the main character went on and her likeability.

The opening scene alone elicits vivid imagery that makes a person cringe. It doesn't take long after that to pull the reader in. Gerritsen hooks the reader into wondering where the story is going. While the novel obviously follows the harvesting of human organs, precisely how it plays out is unknown and the novel is written in such a way that the reader finds themselves compelled to read the novel to find out just how it plays out.

I was hooked after just a few pages. I had to know what happened to Abby and even so I never knew Abby's fate---not until the very end of the novel. The novel could have been a movie with the amount of twists and turns it took.

Gerritsen wrote Abby DiMatteo into some very difficult predicaments but the more fantastic the story became the more I rooted for her. The likeability of Abby also served to hook the reader. Before I knew it, I cared about what happened to Abby and I read until I found out. I wanted her vindicated.

The only things that the novel is up against are the time, it was written in 1996, and the medical lingo. Both of which Gerritsen handled very well. Brief references to VCRs and old televisions let the reader know the time wasn't present but insert Blue Ray player and flat screen and the novel could have taken place today. Nothing else gave the decade away or took away from the story. The story could have just as easily been printed today.

I thought the medical lingo would be off-putting but it wasn’t. I only have a teeny tiny understanding of medical lingo but I followed the story and the lingo didn't loose me. I only read two passages that were over my head. I read them for an understanding of the situation without going to get lengths to decipher the medical meaning but those passages still held my attention and didn't take away from the story.

The novel was very well written and the story was compelling. I only wanted to hear more of the little boy's story woven into Abby's. The novel opened with a little boy named Yakov. He had a compelling story of his own and at least twice during the novel as I read Abby's story I wondered what was going on with Yakov. I wanted a little bit of Abby's story then a little bit of Yakov's story all the way through the novel. It read more like Yakov, Abby, Abby, Abby, and then Yakov and repeat.

All in all, however, the book is a must read and it gets five out of five stars.

Happy Reading!

Review: "Personal Demons" by Lisa Desrochers

Personal Demons is the debut Young Adult novel written by Lisa Desrochers. It follows Frannie Cavanaugh who’s blessed with a gift—maybe curse--that both Heaven and Hell can use. She chooses between Heaven and Hell in the form of Luc and Gabe all while navigating high school. Along the way, she learns about herself--her past, present and future come to light. Personal Demons captures and holds the attention of its audience because of the characters, supreme writing and unexpected ending.

Frannie Cavanaugh, the main character, is not perfect and we fall in love with her for it. If she were, her decision would be an easy one. There’s an old adage--Men want a whore in the bedroom and an angel in public. Well it applies to women too. And Luc and Gabe epitomize this adage. Luc is hot and dangerous and not having him in your bed would seem like a sentence in Hell, but you want to raise children with Gabe.

These awesome characters unite with their plot through the writing. The symbolism is rampant and used to give the sense of time, place and character. It goes beyond the fact that Luc represents Hell and Gabe Heaven. Ginger represents lust. And if you’ve ever heard the saying that you can smell fear, after reading Personal Demons you’ll know it smells like grapefruit.

Throw in the fantastically unexpected ending and Personal Demons becomes a book that you can’t put down. I found myself hoping half way through this novel that a ‘white picket fence’ lay somewhere in the future. Even though Personal Demons' 'white picket fence' hardly comes in the traditional form, it did not disappoint.

I truly enjoyed reading Personal Demons for its characters, unexpected ending and fantastic writing of a new and unique world where souls have a taste and a demon can make you run towards Hell instead of away. Personal Demons gets 5 out of 5 stars.

A few thoughts on "The Duff" by Kody Keplinger

Let me start by saying I have not read Young Adult (YA) since I was a young adult. I would not have even considered myself a fan of the genre—I’m more of a woman’s fiction girl---until The Duff. I am now officially an adult who enjoys YA.

To truly understand the Duff’s appeal, you would first have to read Julie A Lindsey’s blog, Don’t Be A Geezer @ http://blog.juliealindsey.com/julie-lindsey/dont-be-a-geezer/, then read The Duff. The Duff is the debut Young Adult novel by Kody Keplinger.

It follows Bianca Piper who finds herself in the midst of a family crisis at a time when she thought she had love, high school and her family all figured out. When she finds out nothing is as it seems, she enlists a very enticing distraction as a way to deal with her problems. The appeal in The Duff lies in its characters, voice and plot.

The characters in The Duff share the story of many American homes. Bianca could be any teenage girl in any town in America. Everything she says and does rings true, but she is not how adults think teenagers act. She’s not the popular cheerleader who looks at being a teenager as the best years of her life—the way older people inaccurately remember their teen years. She is the real thing without being a stereotype. She is the quintessential teenager but smarter and more self-aware.

Bianca may be the main character but Wesley Rush, her arch nemesis, almost steals the show. His self-confidence and devastatingly good looks makes the story believable. If his character had been the slightest bit different you would never believe the outcome.

And contrary to what we’ve heard about Young Adult books lately, Bianca’s parents are alive and well regardless of how wrapped in their own lives they are. Her parents and friends are the glue that holds this story together—believable and just as confused as she is at times, sometimes even more.

The only thing more on point than the characters is the voice. The voice speaks loud and is distinctly today’s young adult. Bianca’s attitude drips of sarcasm and teenage wit. The thing that might shock adults is the nonchalant attitude toward sex but that’s when you remind yourself that you are reading YA--that is today’s Young Adult world.

Following the plot I found myself hoping for Bianca’s happy ending in love. I remember fantasizing in high school about the star quarterback picking little ‘ol me out of the crowd and seeing what a jewel I was. The Duff makes every girl’s dream come true—particularly if she has ever considered herself a DUFF.

It would be easy to write this novel off because it takes place in high school if it has been a while since you’ve been in high school. However, that would be an error because appearance does not cease to matter after high school. If you can relate to being the DUFF in high school then you can relate to this novel; it doesn’t matter if you are in high school or it has been two years or twenty since you roamed the halls. We can all remember being panic stricken over what to wear or how to act--typically aiming for the ‘I don’t care’ attitude and failing miserably.

I give The Duff 5 out of 5 stars for its characters, which jump right off the page and into your high school or Alma mater, voice and the plot. If you loved Sixteen Candles, Bridget Jones’ Diary or Easy A, you’ll love The Duff.

Can't do it justice

I read The Duff by Kody Keplinger. But I have a confession to make. **whispers** I can't do it justice--at least not yet. So I told myself I won't post a review of it until I can. Then I told myself that that's okay because I would rather have no review by me of this book than a crappy one out in cyberspace. Stay tuned until next Tuesday.

A Review: "The Girl who played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson

“The Girl who played with Fire”, the second novel in the Stieg Larsson trilogy, did not disappoint. This novel, more so than the first, truly follows the main character Lisbeth Salander. By way of a triple homicide we find out who Lisbeth is, where she comes from and the source of her odd behavior. Don’t get me wrong. Mikael Blomkvist still plays a pertinent role in the series but while the first novel was Mikael’s story, this one is all Lisbeth’s. This novel is full of twists with at least two that left my mouth hanging wide open. As with Larsson’s first novel, the beginning is all setup but then you reach a point where you can’t put the book down. I lost sleep on several occasions reading this novel. On at least one occasion my husband urged me not to take the book to bed, to which I reluctantly agreed. I truly enjoyed reading “The Girl who played with Fire”. It deserves 5 out of 5 stars. Sometimes I read a novel or see a movie and I think ‘this movie/book would have been perfect if this or that was changed’. I would not change a thing about ‘The Girl who played with Fire”. If you haven’t already, I recommend reading it--stat. I, however, am off to read “The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”.

"The Little Death" Review

"The Little Death", a crime fiction novel, written by P.J. Parrish follows the story of Louis Kincaid, a private investigator. Kincaid gets thrown into a world of money, power, prestige and sex and must see through it all to solve the murder of an outsider like himself. While "The Little Death" is not the first of the Louis Kincaid novels, that fact does not take away from the story or the character. The pain, grit, social class, and the back story of Louis Kincaid barrels through the novel. I would not change a thing about "The Little Death". I loved it for its plot and twists. The ending can only be described with the old adage "a secret is not a secret if more than one person knows". "The Little Death" gets 5 out of 5 stars for the feeling it conjures of peering into the world of the rich and sometimes famous.

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" review: From a chicklit lover perspective

I recently read "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by the late Stieg Larsson and here are a few of my thoughts on it. The beginning of the novel took me much longer to read than I anticipated due to my lack of knowledge of all the author's Swedish references to parliament, cities and the like. I have traveled abroad but the only thing I can tell you about Sweden is 1)Stockholm is the capital and 2)Elin Nordegren was born there. However, once I got hooked on the lives of the characters and the story, I was hooked. By the last three hundred pages of the 600+ page novel I could not put it down. I had at least one sleepless night during the reading of this novel. I had to know who the killer was and why, which I did not guess by the way. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was a very good read as you have probably heard a thousand times before already.

The part of the novel that affected me the most as an avid chicklit reader and lover was the ending. Not to give it away but as a chicklit lover I need a happy ending, the happily ever after, but the end of this novel ripped my heart out. I sat there reading the final paragraph without so much as taking in a breath. In all the reviews I have read regarding this novel no one even mentions the ending. For a true chicklit reader, I should have been warned. I'll have to see what the next novel brings for Lisbeth. For now, I am off to pick up "The Girl who Played with Fire" and "The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" since I mistakenly did not buy all of his novels at once.

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" definitely deserves all of the much publicized hype--4 3/4 stars out of 5!

Coming Soon: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Review

I am currently reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". I squeezed in the time to read the first 100 pages which the writing easily propelled me through but it is a 600+ page crime fiction novel. As much as I love to read I do have a day job so stay tuned for a review of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" to see if it lives up to its hype.

"If I loved you, I would tell you this" review

"If I loved you, I would tell you this" by Robin Black consists of a collection of short stories from the author. The stories run the gamut from a father coping with a blind daughter to a girl confronting the death of a sibling and everything in between. The stories are varied but they all share one overwhelming component: a compelling look at the human condition. "If I loved you, I would tell you this" is a good read. It deserves 5 out of 5 stars for its characters, plot, and the new twist it provides on familiar stories.