Have You Read This Book?

I finished The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo when I woke up this morning. This comes after reading the book til 4 am (which isn't that exciting, actually, I stay up til 4 every night).

It was dark and intriguing. Somber but not without humor. Detailed with minutiae at times yet quickly paced.

I've never read a book about another 5 ft tall black haired girl with a dragon tattoo on her left shoulder. Though I'm not as tough or interesting or Swedish as Lisbeth, there were other similarities in our histories that at times made my eyes widen at the wonder of it all.

However, this book isn't just for short people with a fondness for ink and revenge (I did read some deliciously violent passages twice, I admit). The story seamlessly flows between the dynastic history of the very strange Vanger family and modern corporate corruption in Sweden. I've mentioned my aversion to spoilers so I'll say nothing more about the plot.

Author Stieg Larsson passed away before this book -- part one of The Millennium Series -- was ever published. It will be a sad day in October when I've read the last page of The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest, the final book. In the meantime, I anxiously await the arrival of The Girl Who Played With Fire.

In other news, I'm going on a news boycott this week. Ironic since Wednesday's column is all about the 24 hour news channels. (Yes, I just used the word "news" three times in one sentence.) You can find me at Qdoba reading Anne Perry's Cain His Brother. I'm still gobsmacked by the fact that Perry is actually Juliet Hulme. Kate Winslet's portrayal of her in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures fascinates me to this day.