Book Review: The Girl Who Played With Fire

If you haven't read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, go grab a copy. When you're done, come back here :)

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson is the sequel to Dragon Tattoo, and it was just as good as the first. As Julie warned me before I started this book, it doesn't move quite as quickly as the first, but it's definitely just as good.

We learn much more about Lisbeth Salander in this novel, as she's being hunted by Swedish Police for a triple murder. All three victims were killed in their homes. Investigative reporter (and friend of Salander) Mikael Blomkvist knows two of the victims personally. Dag Svennson was working with Blomkvist on an upcoming issue of Millenium magazine, and Mia Johansson was Dag's girlfriend. Both victims were working on exposing participants in Sweden's sex trade, many of whom hold prominent positions in government and on the police force. But Blomkvist (and Salander's former boss, Dragan Armansky), are convinced Salander is innocent of all three murders. In typical Blomkvist fashion, he won't stop investigating until he gets to the bottom of the crime.

And the ending? Well, you'll want to rush right out and get your hands on The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. So, while you're picking up Played with Fire, go ahead & grab #3 as well...

Overall rating:

And if you couldn't guess, I'm now reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest!

Book Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Holy cow, I loved this book.

Loved, loved, loved it.

Couldn't put it down.

{via}

{note: If murder and/or sex crimes make you squeamish or give you nightmares, this book isn't for you.}

From Goodreads:

Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch - and there's always a catch - is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

The first book in Stieg Larsson's trilogy completely captivated me. 

The communications major in me loved the fact that Blomkvist is a journalist. The side of me that loves watching Law & Order: SVU loved the crime drama. The part of me that loved Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown as a child was fascinated by how all the pieces of this mystery fit together.

It's definitely not a light read, but it's a page-turner for sure. I spent any spare moment I had devouring as much as I could. And I immediately (ok, I waited one whole day) went out and bought the sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire.

Overall rating:

Have you read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo? Did you love it like I did?

Book Review: Charleston

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I finished reading Charleston by John Jakes sometime between Christmas and New Year's Day. I'm slow on posting :)

Charleston chronicles the fictional Bell family from their immigration to the new world through the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. It outlines the struggles of patriots vs. loyalists; separatists vs. unionists. It addresses issues of race, class, politics and religion. Through several generations, the reader engages with characters to love, and characters to love to hate.

The Low Country of South Carolina is one of my favorite places, so I love reading novels that play out there. I've also been a big fan of historical fiction of the British royal persuasion, so I was anxious to see if I would like American historical fiction as much. I really enjoyed reading this book, and it was another novel that the closer I got to the end, the less I wanted to put it down! It offered a fascinating insight into how these two key wars in American history affected such a beautiful town. I enjoyed being able to picture some of the locations (St. Michael's Church, the Battery, etc) in my own mind, and to think about what the city I love so much might have been like at this time.

If you love anything to do with Charleston or American war history, I'd definitely recommend this book! There was plenty of intrigue, romance & scandal to keep me entertained!

Overall Rating:

Currently reading: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. (So far, I LOVE it!)

Any historical fiction or novels-set-in-the-Low-Country to recommend for me?

Book Review: The Summons

{via}

I took a bit of a break from reading in the late fall/early winter. Over my Christmas "break," however, I jumped right back into it, starting with John Grisham's The Summons.

Law professor Ray Atlee receives a type-written summons from his father, Judge Reuben Atlee, to return to his hometown to go over the Judge's estate with his younger brother, Forrest. Forrest is a wayward son, to say the least, though in the Judge's eyes, Ray's decision to teach law rather than practice it in Clanton, Mississippi, makes him wayward, too.

When Ray arrives at his father's house, he finds two shocking things. First, his father is already dead. Second, he discovers a secret the old judge kept from everyone. Except, it seems, someone else knows about it, too.

I kept coming back for more with this book, even staying up "late" (such a relative term these days!) to finish it out. It was suspenseful, interesting, and a fun & quick read. My father-in-law recommended it to me, and I certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of a mystery. This is my second Grisham novel, and I've been big fans of both. I guess I'll have to get on board with some of his more recognizable titles soon!

My rating:

Currently reading: Charleston by John Jakes

Did you read anything fun over the holidays?

Book Review: Sullivan's Island

Sullivan's Island is set (clearly) in the low country of South Carolina. Susan Hamilton Hayes has a wayward husband, a teenage daughter, and a family history of abuse, suffering, and unmatched love. The story alternates between 1999 and 1963. In 1999 Susan lives historic Charleston, is in the sticky process of divorcing her husband, learning to date again, navigating single parenthood of a teenager, and investigating her father's death. In 1963, Susan is a 13-year-old living on Sullivan's Island with an abusive father, a mother with too many children, and a new housekeeper, Livvie, who makes all the difference in the lives of the Hamilton children.

I loved everything about this book. Susan is as real as a character can get--famously flawed and on a search to find out who she really wants to be. The characters are funny and engaging. The scenery is gorgeous, and if you've ever visited the low country, you can easily find yourself back there in the pages of this book (and yes, it helped that I was in the low country when I read it, but still!). Dorothea Benton Frank won a convert in this story. I really loved it!

Overall Rating:  

Book Review: A Painted House

Until that September of 1952, Luke Chandler had never kept a secret or told a single lie. But in the long, hot summer of his seventh year, two groups of migrant workers — and two very dangerous men — came through the Arkansas Delta to work the Chandler cotton farm. And suddenly mysteries are flooding Luke’s world.

A brutal murder leaves the town seething in gossip and suspicion. A beautiful young woman ignites forbidden passions. A fatherless baby is born ... and someone has begun furtively painting the bare clapboards of the Chandler farmhouse, slowly, painstakingly, bathing the run-down structure in gleaming white. And as young Luke watches the world around him, he unravels secrets that could shatter lives — and change his family and his town forever....

From the Paperback edition. From Goodreads. 


I really, really enjoyed this story. This was my first Grisham read (I'm terrible, right?), so I can't testify to this personally, but almost everyone who noticed me reading the book told me it was very different from John Grisham's other novels. (I've read reviews that it moves a little slower than his legal thrillers, but most of those reviews still rate the book very highly.) The plot kept me entertained, and Grisham is an incredible story teller. This was a perfect at-lunch-on-the-patio story to read, as the heat of the afternoon helped transport me to the Arkansas cotton fields. Overall, it was a great read and one I'd consider going back to in the future.

I'm also a bit strange in that I like to read books in the same season as they take place, and this is a Sept.-Oct. story, so it would be perfect for others who are peculiar like me!


Overall rating:

Next on my bookshelf: Sullivan's Island by Dorothea Benton Frank. I'm actually almost done with this one, as I had PLENTY of time to read while at the beach! Expect another review soon.

Book Review: Resurrection in May

Resurrection in May by Lisa Samson (available on Amazon)

Summary:
May Seymour graduated from college with everything a girl could ever want, and no idea what to do with it. Claudius Bourne discovers her on a less-than-perfect day, but in the short time they spend together, the wild May finds someone she can trust. After returning to Kentucky from a traumatic mission experience in Rwanda, May seeks out Claudius and his farm to find healing. She allows herself to fold into a recluse's existence. She eventually finds relief from her personal prison from an old college flame, who is himself behind bars. May learns what it is like to love, even when that love may cost you something in the end. And this love is what sets her free.

Review:
I found my heart breaking for May. I found myself rooting for May to find her freedom. I wanted to go live on Claudius' farm myself. I connected with these characters, and I was dedicated to see them through to the end. While some character and plot developments seemed a bit abrupt at times, overall I felt the progression of the plot was realistic. The book wasn't too slow, and it held my interest for the duration of the 336 pages. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something that acknowledges the fact that sometimes life is just plain HARD, but that also offers hope and inspiration.

Overall rating: 

Next on the bookshelf: My bookshelf is taking a little break right now, making room for some time to crochet! I'll update my sidebar as soon as I start a new read.










Fine Print: 
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: The Horse & His Boy

Yes, The Horse and His Boy is a children's novel, part of the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. This is the third book in the series, after The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the first time in college, as part of one of my favorite classes, Christianity & Literature. I loved the book, and as Carter owns the whole series, I've been reading the others as the mood strikes me. So, that's how this book ended up on my reading list, random though it may seem.

Summary: 

The Horse and His Boy follows Shasta, an orphaned boy in the southern land of Calormen, who has been raised by a hard and somewhat unloving fisherman. One night a local royal (called a Tarkhaan) comes to visit the fisherman, and eventually offers to buy Shasta. While he sleeps however, Shasta escapes with Bree, the Tarkhaan's Talking Horse. (Talking Horses are all from Narnia, not from Calormen. Bree is a slave to the Tarkhaan.) Adventure ensues as Shasta and Bree try to make their way to Narnia and the North. Unexpected twists and turns happen along the way, leaving readers (young and old alike) holding their breath, cheering on the main characters, and breathing sighs of relief at all the right times.

Even though this is a children's book, The Horse and His Boy was a fun & easy summer read. As with all the books in The Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan appears as the Messiah figure, and the one who orchestrates and understands why things happen in the lives of the characters. This was a quick read and very entertaining! I'm a big CS Lewis fan anyway, and this series is certainly a classic: one I'll hope to encourage my children to read...once I have kids and they are old enough to read, of course!

Overall Rating:

New on my bookshelf: Resurrection in May by Lisa Sampson.

Book Review: Same Kind of Different As Me

From Amazon.com:

A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery.

An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel.

A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream.

A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it.

It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch.

Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.

Oh my goodness if I went on for days I would not be able to tell you how much I loved this book. I GOBBLED this up. It wasn't a "OMG this is so suspenseful I can't bear to put it down because I have to know what happens next!" sort of thing, but I just hated to put it down! This is the third book in a row that I've read that tells the story from more than one perspective: this time from both Denver's and Ron's points of view. It was so interesting to read about the same TRUE story from such different--and yet somehow similar--vantage points. And both authors/narrators have lived lives so different from mine, it was just a fascinating read.

I laughed; I cried (big, crocodile tears--good thing I was at home for those chapters and not in the lunch room like I usually am when I read!); I cheered; and I stood in awe of the work of God so evident in these men's lives. This was just an awesome book.

This book is definitely one about the grace and goodness of God, and about the difference Jesus can make in the hearts and lives of those who are open to Him.

I just can't say enough good things about this book. It made me want to find ways to give back to my community...ways to make a difference. I'll be attending the KARM Encounter with a handful of friends next month. I can't wait.

Overall Rating:

Have you read Same Kind of Different as Me? What did you think about it?

Next up: The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis (yes, a children's book!)

Book Review: The Boleyn Inheritance

Have I mentioned how much I loved The Other Boleyn Girl? Well, I did. I started reading it toward the end of our honeymoon last year, and I might have ignored the hubs for the majority of the 7-hour car ride home because I was reading it... Oops!

I read The Constant Princess earlier this year, and enjoyed it, too. The Boleyn Inheritance takes place in history after The Other Boleyn Girl (The Constant Princess takes place before TOBG). All three books are by Philippa Gregory.

The Boleyn Inheritance follows 3 women in King Henry VIII's tumultuous English court after the death of Henry's 3rd wife, Jane Seymour. A bachelor again (and desperate to have another son), Henry has his minions search for a new wife. Anne of Cleves is the "winner", and she is moved to England to wed the monstrous king. They are never even able to consummate the marriage, though, and Anne finds herself divorced, but with head still firmly attached.

Meanwhile, Katherine Howard, cousin to the first (and now beheaded) Queen Anne (Boleyn), takes the King's eye even though he is old enough to be her grandfather. She performs her wifely duties well for her husband the King, but it's not long before her eyes stray and she falls in love--hard--with one of the King's men. In Henry's England, adultery is equal to treason, and treason is punished by death.

Behind the scenes in all of this is Lady Rochford, Jane Boleyn. Her testimony put both her husband George and her sister-in-law Anne's necks on the chopping block. She is able, with the help of her uncle the Duke of Norfolk to make her way back to court, and serves both Queen Anne (of Cleves) and Queen Katherine (Howard). She again plays a key role in the downfall of her kinswoman.

The Boleyn Inheritance is full of the turmoil and intrigue of The Other Boleyn Girl, but it's just not as...compelling. I enjoyed reading this book, as the time period fascinates me, but I just sort of feel "meh" about it now that I've finished it. I'm glad that I read it, but it won't be one I keep on my bookshelf.

Overall Rating:

Next up: Same Kind of Different as Me. I might already be halfway through it...

Book Review: Prodigal Summer

I've noticed that books are all over some of my favorite blogs this summer, from requests for good reads to suggestions of great books and reviews. In that vein, I thought I'd start reviewing the books I read, just for fun! The closest thing I've ever written to a book review is a book report, so please don't expect NYT quality here! I just wanted to share my thoughts on my latest finds, so maybe if you're looking for a new novel to get lost in, you might look here!

Prodigal Summer, written by Barbara Kingsolver (also author of The Poisonwood Bible) was published in 2000. The story takes place in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky, and follows three interwoven stories.

Deanna is a park ranger who feels a strong ownership of the mountain she has called home for the past two years. Her only interactions are with the flora and fauna of the forest and the park service worker who brings up her monthly provisions. Her summer (and life) is turned upside down when the coyote bounty hunter Eddie Bondo shows up on her mountain.

Lusa is a city girl (from Lexington) who married into an old mountain farming family. She is widowed after only one year, and is left trying to feel out her role in her new, large, opinionated family: trying to run a farm and deal with her fresh grief while figuring out if Egg Creek is really where she belongs.

Garnett is an old man--in his late 70s--working hard to bring the majestic American Chestnut back to life in the region. Nannie Rawley is his neighbor and the perpetual thorn in his side: always there and terribly non-traditional.

The three stories are intimately intertwined, though it takes most of the novel for the reader to figure out how. I loved this book for a lot of reasons: I'm from this area of the country. In the summer, it's beautiful, hot, humid and full of more wildlife and plant life than any of us acknowledge. I loved reading about all of the different animals and plants on Deanna's mountain. She has an intimate knowledge of their comings and goings, habits and hang-ups. I also enjoyed Kingsolver's explanations of the harms of pesticides and herbicides (often through Nannie Rawley, but also through Lusa). I didn't think these parts of the novel were "preachy," but I've read other reviews that have said that. Also, the relationships among characters were complicated and real.

This is the second time I had started this book. I picked it up a couple of summers ago, got about half-way through and put it down. I'm not really sure why I put it down the first time, but I will say that the second half of this book went much faster than the first. I'm not sure if this is because I'd already read the first half before, or if it just took me that long to fall in love with the characters.

A few caveats: as a newlywed (who just celebrated my first anniversary), Lusa's story was very difficult for me to read at times. I'm already a bit anxiety-prone, with my mind occasionally running away from me with worst-case scenarios, so reading about her tragedy, especially because I, too, have only been married a year, was tough for me. Chances are, I'm just a big weirdo and I identify too closely with fictional characters, but there you go.

Second: there's a couple of rather descriptive sex scenes. I was a bit surprised when I was just a few pages into it and I was already reading about a tryst. It's certainly no harlequin romance, but I feel like it's a reasonable warning to make if you are thinking about reading this book (or giving it to a preteen who loves bugs!)

Overall Rating:

Have you read Prodigal Summer? What did you think about it?