The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

So, I managed to finish The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo yesterday afternoon in the pool...despite some unexpected company. As I mentioned, the first few chapters - corporate warfare, financial journalism, etc - were a bit tough to get through. But once I got through them and to the actual heart of the story, I was sucked in and couldn't wait to find out what happened.
One thing that threw me is that throughout the book, the main characters are pretty much always referred to by last name. I don't know if that is a Swedish thing or just something peculiar to this author. I have the second book to read...but this week I'm going with "Venus Envy" by Shannon McKelden, which I picked up at the book sale on Monday. It appears to be a pretty quick read...we'll see.

Cloudy day on the Cape

My plan to finish The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo on the beach yesterday was thwarted by Mother Nature. It was too cloudy & windy to read on the beach, so we spent most of the day shopping. Did get some reading done and am hoping to be finished today.

On the bright side, though, we visited a book sale at the Brewster Ladies Library and I picked up three books for a total of $2.50 - one of which I will choose for my next book.

Good day on the Cape, overall - shopping, dinner and of course a trip to Sundae School where I tried the newest flavor - Chocolate Oreo. Not bad, but not one I'd choose as my go-to flavor. I don't know that I could pick a favorite...though raz oreo, grasshopper and milky way are probably my top 3. Looking forward to some pool lounging today - have to wring every last bit of summer out of my last vacation week

Oh yeah...it's getting good now

Well, I've gotten past the first few chapters of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...and I am completely sucked in. I spent two hours at Mom & Dad's this afternoon reading in the pool. I got maybe 15 minutes of sun over the course of the two hours, but I was so into the book that I had a hard time putting it down. Eventually, though, I gave it up and headed home.
I had not realized that there was going to be a mystery involved...I have been a sucker for a mystery story since my Trixie Belden days!
Headed to the Cape for the day tomorrow...hoping to finish it up on the beach and write my final update on this one when I get home tomorrow night.

Still trying to decide what I will read next week. Anybody read anything good lately?

Anybody reading along? Looking for suggestions for my next book

The start of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is slow going so far, although I expected that. From the people I know who've read it, pretty much everyone has said that the first few chapters were tough, so I'm looking forward to the action picking up soon.

In the meantime, I was curious to see if anyone is actually reading my blog. I can tell, actually, by the stats that a few people are(though admittedly, two of them are Mom & Erin - at least they are my only official "followers). If you are, let me know...I'd love to have an idea of who's out there. Please, feel free to comment on anything...if you've read the book, if you disagree with my review, if you've got something random to say, whatever...

Also, I'm headed to the library tomorrow, either on my lunch hour, or on the run after work. Hoping to pick up a few new books at the library, before heading to Book Club, where we are discussing Ann Hood's "The Red Thread" (also a good one).

Has anybody read anything really good lately? I'm on vacation next week and expecting to have lots of reading time, either in the pool or on the beach if I make it to the Cape.

Two for one...I'm behind again!

My book choice two weeks ago was "Object Lessons" by Anna Quindlen. A good story - focusing mainly on 12 year old Maria Goretti Scanlan, whose Irish grandfather nicknames Maggie...defying her Italian mother. The time frame is the late 60s...when a girl still had to get married if she found herself "in trouble" and an Irish family might still disown a son for marrying an Italian girl. I enjoyed it...a good summer time read for the pool!

Last week was "The Anxiety of Everyday Objects" by Aurelie Sheehan. It may be that I have read too much chick-lit recently...but this book didn't do it for me. Main character Winona is a self-described "non-filmmaking filmmaker" who pays the bills by working as a secretary at a law firm. I couldn't get myself at all interested in Winona...or any of the other characters in the book. Sort of disappointing...but when you pick random books from the library, you take your chances!

This week I'm reading "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson - because everyone I know has either read it, is reading it, or has it on their list to read...hope it lives up to the hype!

Bad Heir Day by Wendy Holden

Well, despite my first full week of work since summer started, the continuing very HOT weather here in RI, and two days of birthday celebration for Auntie C...I am on track for my weekly read this week.

This week I read Bad Heir Day by Wendy Holden. It's a fairly typical chick-lit type book. A light read about Anna, a struggling writer, whose heir-to-a-sewage-fortune boyfriend gives her the boot...leading her to take a job as an "assistant" to a romance novelist. The job turns out to be a nanny position...and the plot goes on from there.

I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters - they all sort of rubbed me the wrong way. I kind of felt like they all got what they deserved. The ending was a bit too neat for me...everyone's loose ends very tidily tied up...not my favorite read lately.

Next week: Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen...recommended to me by Mom

Under the Dome - Stephen King

I have been a huge Stephen King fan from the day I first read one of his books. It was The Dead Zone, and I was probably about 13. From then on, every trip to the library meant a new King book...until I had read everything the Warwick Public Library had of his. Now, when a new book comes out, I look forward to the day when I will find it on the KIN shelf at the library. And so, I was happy when I arrived at the library two weeks ago and discovered "Under the Dome."
At 1072 pages, I figured it would take me a while to read. However, once I started, I found myself grabbing every spare minute to continue...to the point where I had it at hand so I could read during commercials. It is the story of a small town in Maine (as so many of his books are). This particular town one day finds itself, as the title says, under The Dome. They are sealed in from the rest of the world. The characters include a former army lieutenant turned diner cook, a small town newspaper editor, a corrupt politician, and a whole cast of others. Surprisingly soon after the dome's appearance, the town becomes an experiment in human psychology. In many ways, things go exactly as you expect them to...but there are other things that you just don't see coming...especially when the origins of the Dome are revealed.
As I mentioned, I've been reading this book almost non-stop when I've been home. There is one exception to that. I do not, under any circumstances, read a Stephen King book in bed. I vowed many years ago that I would never do this again...after too many nights staying up to read "just one more chapter" followed by horrific nightmares. I have had an overactive imagination since I was small, and King's books provide a hell of a trigger for the things that go bump in the night.
Overall, I liked "Under the Dome." It isn't quite up there with my personal favorites: It, The Stand, Bag of Bones; the ones that I re-read semi-annually. I would, however, recommend it to anyone with an interest in human behavior.

Next up: Bad Heir Day by Wendy Holden...another library pick.