The Girl Who Played with Fire is the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. And, like so many seconds in a trilogy, it might be better than the first.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo introduced us to Mikhail Blomkvist, investigative journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, an intense young woman who makes her living in a less-than-honest way. While the mystery in the book is interesting, it is Blomkvist, Salander, and the rest of the characters that keep you reading (or, in my case, listening. Simon Vance is an AMAZING narrator.)
The Girl who Played with Fire takes those characters and puts them into much more immediate danger. The relationships they built in the first book are put to use and you find out more of their past.
Lisbeth Salander now ranks among my favorite characters from books. She is a bit crazy, a bit uneven, but there is something about her tenacity that makes her fascinating. I don't think I'd want to meet her, but I really like reading about her.
Be warned - this book has a MUCH bigger cliffhanger ending than the first one. And sadly, the final book is not out in the U.S. yet.
5 out of 5 stars. Wow.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo introduced us to Mikhail Blomkvist, investigative journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, an intense young woman who makes her living in a less-than-honest way. While the mystery in the book is interesting, it is Blomkvist, Salander, and the rest of the characters that keep you reading (or, in my case, listening. Simon Vance is an AMAZING narrator.)
The Girl who Played with Fire takes those characters and puts them into much more immediate danger. The relationships they built in the first book are put to use and you find out more of their past.
Lisbeth Salander now ranks among my favorite characters from books. She is a bit crazy, a bit uneven, but there is something about her tenacity that makes her fascinating. I don't think I'd want to meet her, but I really like reading about her.
Be warned - this book has a MUCH bigger cliffhanger ending than the first one. And sadly, the final book is not out in the U.S. yet.
5 out of 5 stars. Wow.
SPRING BREAK WOO!
Well, that's what Cameron wishes he could say. Instead, he's just found out that he contracted mad cow disease and doesn't have much longer to live. But one day while he's sitting in his hospital bed, an angel in combat boots with hot pink hair arrives and tells him he must go and find the scientist who has the cure! She gives him a magical Disneyland E-Ticket which will keep his brain from melting while he's out of the hospital.
Sound wacky? Well, it is. Going Bovine by Libba Bray is a ridiculous book. But it is also a very sweet story.
There is so much I want to say about this book but 1) it's way too hard to explain beyond the above summary without making this post TL;DR and 2) it's much more fun to discover the crazy world along with Cameron rather than know what is coming.
Though, in a way, you know what is coming pretty quickly. You sort of know where the whole story is headed. But as with any great adventure, it is the journey that matters most. And this journey has action, adventure, and really wild things. And even though it is a long book, I found myself missing the characters after that final page.
If you're in the mood for a story that is truly ri-donk-ulous, Going Bovine is a great read.
Well, that's what Cameron wishes he could say. Instead, he's just found out that he contracted mad cow disease and doesn't have much longer to live. But one day while he's sitting in his hospital bed, an angel in combat boots with hot pink hair arrives and tells him he must go and find the scientist who has the cure! She gives him a magical Disneyland E-Ticket which will keep his brain from melting while he's out of the hospital.
Sound wacky? Well, it is. Going Bovine by Libba Bray is a ridiculous book. But it is also a very sweet story.
There is so much I want to say about this book but 1) it's way too hard to explain beyond the above summary without making this post TL;DR and 2) it's much more fun to discover the crazy world along with Cameron rather than know what is coming.
Though, in a way, you know what is coming pretty quickly. You sort of know where the whole story is headed. But as with any great adventure, it is the journey that matters most. And this journey has action, adventure, and really wild things. And even though it is a long book, I found myself missing the characters after that final page.
If you're in the mood for a story that is truly ri-donk-ulous, Going Bovine is a great read.
Before I begin this "movie thoughts" post, I must say a few things:
1. I <3 the Raimi boys. I've been a fan of the Evil Dead films since I was in high school. My brother and I watched them a LOT. We loved that weird, twisted sense of humor mixed with wacky horror.
2. I'm a wuss. I don't really like scary movies. I don't like to watch people get murdered horribly. Not my thing. When I do attempt to watch movies like that, I end up up all night, listening to the "axe murderer" I hear sneaking around my apartment.
Okay, now that we got that out of the way:
"Drag Me To Hell" is the most hilarious horror movie I've seen since "Evil Dead 2". As my friend Damian described it, you spend most of the film going "AAAH! *blink blink* HAHAHAHA!". Sam & Ivan Raimi didn't set out to change the face of horror movies. Instead, they stuck with what they new - spooky mixed with silly - and "Drag Me To Hell" is a great 90 minute gasp/guffaw fest.
Christine Brown just wants to get some respect. She wants to get the promotion at her job. She wants to impress her long-term boyfriend (played by Justin "I'm a Mac!" Long) and his parents. She wants to leave behind her farm roots and be something more. So when an old woman comes into the bank begging for a third extension on her mortgage, Christine decides that she will show how tough she can be and denies the woman the loan. Unfortunately, this woman turns out to be a gypsy. She curses Christine - in 3 days, she will be DRAGGED INTO HELL!
There are just as many "gotcha" moments in this movie as there are Looney Tunes moments. If you have a friend (like me) who is a wuss and doesn't like realistic gore/realistic violence/slasher flicks but you want to watch something a little creepy, this is a good one to try.
It's actually really "clean" too. I mean, there is very little swearing, no big sex scene - it's just ridiculous scare gag after gag.
The great thing about this movie is how much it reminds me of the low-budget horror that was evil dead. Before studio started pumping money into this genre and realistic CGI effects took over, a bunch of rattling windows and eerie shadows were enough to give you goosebumps. When I finished the film, I felt entertained, but not so upset I couldn't go to bed.
Yeah it's cheesy. But I've decided that I like my horror with a helping of cheese. I'm sure the hardcore horror fans are laughing at me, but that's fine. Hardcore horror is not my thing. Give me a goofy Raimi Bros. flick any day!
My only complaint was the lack of Bruce Campbell cameo - but I guess he was shooting Burn Notice.
3.5 out of 5 stars
1. I <3 the Raimi boys. I've been a fan of the Evil Dead films since I was in high school. My brother and I watched them a LOT. We loved that weird, twisted sense of humor mixed with wacky horror.
2. I'm a wuss. I don't really like scary movies. I don't like to watch people get murdered horribly. Not my thing. When I do attempt to watch movies like that, I end up up all night, listening to the "axe murderer" I hear sneaking around my apartment.
Okay, now that we got that out of the way:
"Drag Me To Hell" is the most hilarious horror movie I've seen since "Evil Dead 2". As my friend Damian described it, you spend most of the film going "AAAH! *blink blink* HAHAHAHA!". Sam & Ivan Raimi didn't set out to change the face of horror movies. Instead, they stuck with what they new - spooky mixed with silly - and "Drag Me To Hell" is a great 90 minute gasp/guffaw fest.
Christine Brown just wants to get some respect. She wants to get the promotion at her job. She wants to impress her long-term boyfriend (played by Justin "I'm a Mac!" Long) and his parents. She wants to leave behind her farm roots and be something more. So when an old woman comes into the bank begging for a third extension on her mortgage, Christine decides that she will show how tough she can be and denies the woman the loan. Unfortunately, this woman turns out to be a gypsy. She curses Christine - in 3 days, she will be DRAGGED INTO HELL!
There are just as many "gotcha" moments in this movie as there are Looney Tunes moments. If you have a friend (like me) who is a wuss and doesn't like realistic gore/realistic violence/slasher flicks but you want to watch something a little creepy, this is a good one to try.
It's actually really "clean" too. I mean, there is very little swearing, no big sex scene - it's just ridiculous scare gag after gag.
The great thing about this movie is how much it reminds me of the low-budget horror that was evil dead. Before studio started pumping money into this genre and realistic CGI effects took over, a bunch of rattling windows and eerie shadows were enough to give you goosebumps. When I finished the film, I felt entertained, but not so upset I couldn't go to bed.
Yeah it's cheesy. But I've decided that I like my horror with a helping of cheese. I'm sure the hardcore horror fans are laughing at me, but that's fine. Hardcore horror is not my thing. Give me a goofy Raimi Bros. flick any day!
My only complaint was the lack of Bruce Campbell cameo - but I guess he was shooting Burn Notice.
3.5 out of 5 stars
A note to movie-makers: only go over 2 hours if your movie is based on a novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Otherwise, you're probably going to lose my interest.
Case in point - State of Play. What could have been an edge-of-your-seat, political thriller/murder mystery instead turned into a yes-I-figured-most-of-this-out-30 minutes ago.
The basic story: Ben Affleck plays Senator Collins who is the lead in an investigation into the private group hired by the government. Oddly enough, the head researcher from his group is killed. The media tries to smear Sen. Collins when he reacts to this news with tears, saying he must have been in love with her. Russell Crowe plays Sen. Collins old college roommate (really? Crowe and Affleck are supposed to be the same age??). Anyway, since they were BFFs, he tries to help Collins clear his name, but since he's a journalist, he goes around the police (headed by Echo's handler from Dollhouse). But who was really behind the murder and why??? oooh that's the twisted tale!
Okay, okay - nice things first. It appears they actually shot the movie in D.C.! And guess what - you can't see the Capitol/Washington Monument/Lincoln Memorial from every window (I'm looking at you, Die Hard 4). I was also VERY grateful that they did not force a romantic relationship between Rachael McAdams and Russell Crowe. I also liked the "making the newspaper" montage - but then again, I love montages.
The movie starts out strong, setting you up with 3 murders, slowly giving us the clues to put it all together...and then for some reason it decides to tread water. There is a intense sequence in a underground garage and then instead of using that momentum to take us to the end of the film, we get stuck with another 45 minutes of plodding.
When I saw it was based on a BBC Miniseries, I should have known that a movie based on a miniSERIES was going to be too long.
The actors all did a great job, the downfall of this movie was the editing. Too much downtime, and after what should have been the climactic scene, things do not movie quickly enough to wrap up the movie. By that point, the audience is over it.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Case in point - State of Play. What could have been an edge-of-your-seat, political thriller/murder mystery instead turned into a yes-I-figured-most-of-this-out-30 minutes ago.
The basic story: Ben Affleck plays Senator Collins who is the lead in an investigation into the private group hired by the government. Oddly enough, the head researcher from his group is killed. The media tries to smear Sen. Collins when he reacts to this news with tears, saying he must have been in love with her. Russell Crowe plays Sen. Collins old college roommate (really? Crowe and Affleck are supposed to be the same age??). Anyway, since they were BFFs, he tries to help Collins clear his name, but since he's a journalist, he goes around the police (headed by Echo's handler from Dollhouse). But who was really behind the murder and why??? oooh that's the twisted tale!
Okay, okay - nice things first. It appears they actually shot the movie in D.C.! And guess what - you can't see the Capitol/Washington Monument/Lincoln Memorial from every window (I'm looking at you, Die Hard 4). I was also VERY grateful that they did not force a romantic relationship between Rachael McAdams and Russell Crowe. I also liked the "making the newspaper" montage - but then again, I love montages.
The movie starts out strong, setting you up with 3 murders, slowly giving us the clues to put it all together...and then for some reason it decides to tread water. There is a intense sequence in a underground garage and then instead of using that momentum to take us to the end of the film, we get stuck with another 45 minutes of plodding.
When I saw it was based on a BBC Miniseries, I should have known that a movie based on a miniSERIES was going to be too long.
The actors all did a great job, the downfall of this movie was the editing. Too much downtime, and after what should have been the climactic scene, things do not movie quickly enough to wrap up the movie. By that point, the audience is over it.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Legend of the Seeker is the show that Sam Raimi was born to make.
I remember watching Hercules and Xena with my parents, and I liked them well enough. There was a high cheese factor and I was never sucked into them as much as other shows, but they were fun. I've always had a soft spot of the Evil Dead movies, with their mix of horror and goofiness. And, of course, the action and adventure of the first Spider-man film is hard to deny.
Legend of the Seeker takes all of those elements that Raimi is so good at directing and mixes them together in a story of high-fantasy. If you ever watched "Lord of the Rings" and wished you could hang out in a magical world for longer than the 9 hours that all 3 movies run...well, you can now join the Seeker.
I'll should probably mention that I have not read any of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. I've never been able to read fantasy novels because the world building usually bores me to tears (though sometimes the movies will encourage me to read the books). I like a lot of action and adventure and I want it NOW. That's why Seeker is so great for me. It has the action sequences of Hercules and Xena, the evolving plot of Spiderman and sometimes even the creepiness of Evil Dead. Yes, sometimes it feels like half the stuff out of their mouths is "exposition exposition exposition" but I'd rather get it from episode to episode than all at once.
Some might say it is derivative of other fantasy stories. To that I say - what isn't? Seriously, everything is a take on the Arthurian/Tolkien/Lucas mythos that we all know and love. At least, the good ones. Seeker takes the classic fantasy story of the chosen hero and the evil villian and creates a very polished story.
For those not familiar with the specifics - Richard Cypher is a normal farm boy out in the woods and he runs into a mysterious woman in white being attacked by soldiers. Being all noble and such, he jumps into the fight to protect her. What he doesn't know is she doesn't need his protection - she has her own magical powers. She is a Confessor and has the power to suck away a persons free will and make them do her bidding. Together they escape the guards and she tells him she's looking for the Seeker. They go to visit the crazy old man in town who turns out to be (surprise!) a Wizard! He rescued Richard back when a prophecy said he would grow up to kill the Evil Bad Guy Darken Rhal. Now Richard must journey back to his home land and defeat Darken Rhal with the Sword of Truth. (Seriously, if Rhal turns out to be Richard's father/brother/cousin/college roommate - I would not be surprised and I'd still love the show).
See? He's Luke! He's Arthur! He's wandering around like Aragorn, hanging out with a Gandalfian Wizard (complete with kooky sense of humor).
One of the things I really like about the show is Kahlan, the female lead, played by Bridget Regan. Kahlan, the Confessor, is a very strong character. Yes, there is a love story involved with her and Richard, but she is more than just his girlfriend. When she ventures off into battle, you know she can take care of herself. Usually she is the one saving Richard or coaching him on how to be a better Seeker. It's nice to see a non-damsel in fantasy. I get chills when she goes into battle with her twin daggers, her gorgeous dress twirling as she jumps and stabs a guy. Awesome.
I don't know why Jay La'gaia is on the poster - he's only in a few episodes. Zed, the Wizard, should be on there but I guess he wasn't pretty enough.
I am very impressed with this show. It starts off slow, but after they get their footing and establish the characters a bit, it really gets going. The stories are clever, the characters are likable, the battle scenes are awesome. I'm only halfway through Season 1 and I was just so impressed I had to write this up.
and season 2 premieres next week. :D
I remember watching Hercules and Xena with my parents, and I liked them well enough. There was a high cheese factor and I was never sucked into them as much as other shows, but they were fun. I've always had a soft spot of the Evil Dead movies, with their mix of horror and goofiness. And, of course, the action and adventure of the first Spider-man film is hard to deny.
Legend of the Seeker takes all of those elements that Raimi is so good at directing and mixes them together in a story of high-fantasy. If you ever watched "Lord of the Rings" and wished you could hang out in a magical world for longer than the 9 hours that all 3 movies run...well, you can now join the Seeker.
I'll should probably mention that I have not read any of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. I've never been able to read fantasy novels because the world building usually bores me to tears (though sometimes the movies will encourage me to read the books). I like a lot of action and adventure and I want it NOW. That's why Seeker is so great for me. It has the action sequences of Hercules and Xena, the evolving plot of Spiderman and sometimes even the creepiness of Evil Dead. Yes, sometimes it feels like half the stuff out of their mouths is "exposition exposition exposition" but I'd rather get it from episode to episode than all at once.
Some might say it is derivative of other fantasy stories. To that I say - what isn't? Seriously, everything is a take on the Arthurian/Tolkien/Lucas mythos that we all know and love. At least, the good ones. Seeker takes the classic fantasy story of the chosen hero and the evil villian and creates a very polished story.
For those not familiar with the specifics - Richard Cypher is a normal farm boy out in the woods and he runs into a mysterious woman in white being attacked by soldiers. Being all noble and such, he jumps into the fight to protect her. What he doesn't know is she doesn't need his protection - she has her own magical powers. She is a Confessor and has the power to suck away a persons free will and make them do her bidding. Together they escape the guards and she tells him she's looking for the Seeker. They go to visit the crazy old man in town who turns out to be (surprise!) a Wizard! He rescued Richard back when a prophecy said he would grow up to kill the Evil Bad Guy Darken Rhal. Now Richard must journey back to his home land and defeat Darken Rhal with the Sword of Truth. (Seriously, if Rhal turns out to be Richard's father/brother/cousin/college roommate - I would not be surprised and I'd still love the show).
See? He's Luke! He's Arthur! He's wandering around like Aragorn, hanging out with a Gandalfian Wizard (complete with kooky sense of humor).
One of the things I really like about the show is Kahlan, the female lead, played by Bridget Regan. Kahlan, the Confessor, is a very strong character. Yes, there is a love story involved with her and Richard, but she is more than just his girlfriend. When she ventures off into battle, you know she can take care of herself. Usually she is the one saving Richard or coaching him on how to be a better Seeker. It's nice to see a non-damsel in fantasy. I get chills when she goes into battle with her twin daggers, her gorgeous dress twirling as she jumps and stabs a guy. Awesome.
I don't know why Jay La'gaia is on the poster - he's only in a few episodes. Zed, the Wizard, should be on there but I guess he wasn't pretty enough.
I am very impressed with this show. It starts off slow, but after they get their footing and establish the characters a bit, it really gets going. The stories are clever, the characters are likable, the battle scenes are awesome. I'm only halfway through Season 1 and I was just so impressed I had to write this up.
and season 2 premieres next week. :D
So, if you're a fan of Battlestar Galactica, you know that the Cylons were created by man, they evolved, they rebelled, and then they came back and attempted to wipe out the human race. At the start of each episode of Season 1 and Season 2, viewers are reminded of this fact and are assured that the Cylcons have a plan.
Unfortunately, The Plan movie does little to shed light on the story you probably wanted to know more about - the final five and their origins. Instead, what we get is the story of the Brothers Cavill, intercut with a collection of clips from various episodes from those early seasons.
I felt like this was a big opportunity wasted. What could have been a chance to delve deeper into the final five and their characters before the attack on Earth, is just a clip show. First I was annoyed by the amount of clips in the show, then I quickly found myself LONGING for them because they were the only time anything actually happened. And for the last half the show, I kept thinking "wow, I'd rather be rewatching these episodes rather than this mess".
There were glimmers of other ideas, of little things that could have made for a more interesting story, but since they seem determined to only show us moments that could be tied into clips from other episodes, we never got to find out more about the Cylons. We were just stuck with Cavill.
And, like the Caprica straight-to-dvd episode, the "un-aired footage" from The Plan will mostly consist of naked people. Ellen Tigh drinks in a bar where the waitresses are topless, and we have a VERY random scene in the co-ed bathroom on board BSG with lots of man butt and side boob.
For me, what makes the early seasons of BSG so great is their metaphor to what was going on in our society at the time. The terrorist attacks, the fear, choosing sides etc.. This special takes the mystery out of so many of those moments and confuses things.
I'm so happy we rented this and did not pay for it. Like the Star Wars prequels or the 7th Harry Potter book, I had a better idea for what this special could have been, and seeing what they ended up creating leaves me very disappointed. I will not be buying this on DVD for our collection because it does nothing for the story or the mythos of BSG.
Unfortunately, The Plan movie does little to shed light on the story you probably wanted to know more about - the final five and their origins. Instead, what we get is the story of the Brothers Cavill, intercut with a collection of clips from various episodes from those early seasons.
I felt like this was a big opportunity wasted. What could have been a chance to delve deeper into the final five and their characters before the attack on Earth, is just a clip show. First I was annoyed by the amount of clips in the show, then I quickly found myself LONGING for them because they were the only time anything actually happened. And for the last half the show, I kept thinking "wow, I'd rather be rewatching these episodes rather than this mess".
There were glimmers of other ideas, of little things that could have made for a more interesting story, but since they seem determined to only show us moments that could be tied into clips from other episodes, we never got to find out more about the Cylons. We were just stuck with Cavill.
And, like the Caprica straight-to-dvd episode, the "un-aired footage" from The Plan will mostly consist of naked people. Ellen Tigh drinks in a bar where the waitresses are topless, and we have a VERY random scene in the co-ed bathroom on board BSG with lots of man butt and side boob.
For me, what makes the early seasons of BSG so great is their metaphor to what was going on in our society at the time. The terrorist attacks, the fear, choosing sides etc.. This special takes the mystery out of so many of those moments and confuses things.
I'm so happy we rented this and did not pay for it. Like the Star Wars prequels or the 7th Harry Potter book, I had a better idea for what this special could have been, and seeing what they ended up creating leaves me very disappointed. I will not be buying this on DVD for our collection because it does nothing for the story or the mythos of BSG.
What if Vampires ruled 1960s London? That is the thought that must have inspired Mark Ricketts when he came up with the idea for Night Trippers, a graphic novel with sex, drugs, rock & roll, and vampires.
Dorothy (Dot, for short) is a nurse at a hospital and one night when she is making the rounds, a mysterious man appears and attacks on of the patients with a wooden stake. The patient disappears in a cloud of dust, and the attacker flees. Little does Dot know, she is now a part of an undead subculture that has been manipulating swinging London for the past decade.
I heard about this graphic novel when I was read "Graphic Grown Up" in the August issue of Library Journal. It included a list of comics and graphic novels to recommend to adults that want to try out the format. This one caught my eye because of the colorful cover.
The art style is very different from any other graphic novel I have read. The characters all seem to have very sharp edges, be it in their facial features or their Twiggy-style bodies. But it worked for a story about fanged villians. And for some reason, the "hero" of the story immediately made me think of Johnny Depp...might just be because one of his first lines sounded like something Jack Sparrow would say.
The story pokes a lot of fun at 60s culture and it would help the reader if they are familiar with the time period, especially the music. I had a good time reading it, and even though Ricketts wraps most of the plot up by the last page, he leaves enough open that he could return to these characters later on.
3.5 out of 5 - If you're in need of a graphic novel with vampires and a sense of humor about itself, Night Trippers is a great place to start.
Official Night Trippers website here with preview images from the graphic novel!
Dorothy (Dot, for short) is a nurse at a hospital and one night when she is making the rounds, a mysterious man appears and attacks on of the patients with a wooden stake. The patient disappears in a cloud of dust, and the attacker flees. Little does Dot know, she is now a part of an undead subculture that has been manipulating swinging London for the past decade.
I heard about this graphic novel when I was read "Graphic Grown Up" in the August issue of Library Journal. It included a list of comics and graphic novels to recommend to adults that want to try out the format. This one caught my eye because of the colorful cover.
The art style is very different from any other graphic novel I have read. The characters all seem to have very sharp edges, be it in their facial features or their Twiggy-style bodies. But it worked for a story about fanged villians. And for some reason, the "hero" of the story immediately made me think of Johnny Depp...might just be because one of his first lines sounded like something Jack Sparrow would say.
The story pokes a lot of fun at 60s culture and it would help the reader if they are familiar with the time period, especially the music. I had a good time reading it, and even though Ricketts wraps most of the plot up by the last page, he leaves enough open that he could return to these characters later on.
3.5 out of 5 - If you're in need of a graphic novel with vampires and a sense of humor about itself, Night Trippers is a great place to start.
Official Night Trippers website here with preview images from the graphic novel!
It's very rare that I pick up an adult book, but I had heard rumblings about this book for awhile so I decided to give it a try. All of the print copies were checked out of the library at the time, but the audiobook was available, so I took that.
I'm so glad I did.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is an involved mystery with a huge cast of characters. The two main characters are Mikael Blomkvist - a journalist who has been found guilty of libel against a multimillionaire - and Lisbeth Salander - a slightly unstable young woman with a knack for finding information, even if it means breaking a few laws. We spend about half of the book waiting to see what twist of fate will bring these two people together. And once they team up, we spend the rest of the book wondering how they will solve this 40 year old crime.
I'll re-emphasize that this is an adult novel. It's complex and has some very disturbing scenes and themes (let me put it this way - the original title in Swedish translates to "Men Who Hate Women"). The book is well written. The characters full formed. The story engrossing.
Simon Vance reads the audiobook and I was blown away by his performance. This book has a cast of probably 20 some characters and Vance manages to give them all their own unique voice. Blomkvist sounds like a British Sam Spade; Lisbeth manages to sound like a girl and a bad ass at the same time; Henrik Vanger sounds like Richard Harris...I never found myself confused about who was speaking and my mind never wandered as I was sucked into this story of a reporter, a rich family, a delinquent woman, and a missing girl.
5 out of 5 for the audiobook version - Fantastic story, AMAZING performance.
I'm so glad I did.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is an involved mystery with a huge cast of characters. The two main characters are Mikael Blomkvist - a journalist who has been found guilty of libel against a multimillionaire - and Lisbeth Salander - a slightly unstable young woman with a knack for finding information, even if it means breaking a few laws. We spend about half of the book waiting to see what twist of fate will bring these two people together. And once they team up, we spend the rest of the book wondering how they will solve this 40 year old crime.
I'll re-emphasize that this is an adult novel. It's complex and has some very disturbing scenes and themes (let me put it this way - the original title in Swedish translates to "Men Who Hate Women"). The book is well written. The characters full formed. The story engrossing.
Simon Vance reads the audiobook and I was blown away by his performance. This book has a cast of probably 20 some characters and Vance manages to give them all their own unique voice. Blomkvist sounds like a British Sam Spade; Lisbeth manages to sound like a girl and a bad ass at the same time; Henrik Vanger sounds like Richard Harris...I never found myself confused about who was speaking and my mind never wandered as I was sucked into this story of a reporter, a rich family, a delinquent woman, and a missing girl.
5 out of 5 for the audiobook version - Fantastic story, AMAZING performance.
If the artwork on the cover of Stitches seems familiar to you, it's probably because you've seen David Small's illustrations in such classic children's picture books - like Imogene's Antlers. But Stitches is not for kids...
Imagine you are 11 years old. Imagine you go into the doctor's office, thinking you're just going to have a growth removed from your neck. When you wake up, half of your vocal chords have been removed, along with your thyroid and the only sound you can make is a pathetic "Ack" noise.
This happened to David Small when he was growing up, and this event, along with the general dysfunctional-ness of his family, is the story he tells us in Stitches, a memoir told in graphic novel format.
This format works perfectly for his story - The book opens with all the way the family "speaks" to each other without actually saying anything - his mother slams the cupboard doors shut in the kitchen while cleaning up, his brother bangs on his drum set - the images explain it all, text is unnecessary.
David is a shy child, too shy speak up and the wordless panels reflect this solitude. He lives in his head, with the cartoons he draws, the characters he reads about. His main way of getting attention from family was to let himself get sick so his parents would take care of him. When the operation occurs and he loses the ability to speak, the wordless panels take on a sense of frustration because now there are so many things he wants to say.
The story of the operation is just a small part of Small's memoir, though this event effects the rest of his life. Growing up in the 1950s, you just didn't talk about certain things, and the poor kid stumbles through life, discovering things at all the wrong times.
Small's art is simple and expressive. It's as though he has been working all these years on children's books to hone his skill enough to create this book. Considering what he has become today, the book is both disturbing and inspiring.
5 out of 5 stars, best graphic novel I have read all year.
Imagine you are 11 years old. Imagine you go into the doctor's office, thinking you're just going to have a growth removed from your neck. When you wake up, half of your vocal chords have been removed, along with your thyroid and the only sound you can make is a pathetic "Ack" noise.
This happened to David Small when he was growing up, and this event, along with the general dysfunctional-ness of his family, is the story he tells us in Stitches, a memoir told in graphic novel format.
This format works perfectly for his story - The book opens with all the way the family "speaks" to each other without actually saying anything - his mother slams the cupboard doors shut in the kitchen while cleaning up, his brother bangs on his drum set - the images explain it all, text is unnecessary.
David is a shy child, too shy speak up and the wordless panels reflect this solitude. He lives in his head, with the cartoons he draws, the characters he reads about. His main way of getting attention from family was to let himself get sick so his parents would take care of him. When the operation occurs and he loses the ability to speak, the wordless panels take on a sense of frustration because now there are so many things he wants to say.
The story of the operation is just a small part of Small's memoir, though this event effects the rest of his life. Growing up in the 1950s, you just didn't talk about certain things, and the poor kid stumbles through life, discovering things at all the wrong times.
Small's art is simple and expressive. It's as though he has been working all these years on children's books to hone his skill enough to create this book. Considering what he has become today, the book is both disturbing and inspiring.
5 out of 5 stars, best graphic novel I have read all year.
Noyes, D. The Restless Dead
Candlewick Press, 2007. 256 pages.
$16.99 ISBN: 978-0-76362-906-9
Ghosts, ghouls, tell-tale hearts, and vampires. This collection of short stories has something for everyone that is a fan of supernatural tales, all written by some very well known young adult authors.
As I've heard other readers mention, the problem with short stories is that they either tend to feel formulaic, as the writer tries to craft a tale to fit a certain length (and in this case, genre) OR the other extreme - they are too short and you would rather sit down with the characters for a full length novel.
I found several of the stories in this collection hit or miss. A few of them felt like the authors were just doing an assignment: write a short story that incorporates something supernatural. But there were a few stand-outs for me. Ones that went beyond the basic retelling of a classic eerie story and really tried to make it their own.
If I hadn't been assigned to read this book for "Books for the Beast", I probably would have skipped over a few of the tales that I felt moved too slowly or were too predictable. None of the stories are particularly keep-you-awake-at-night scary, but several of them have moments that will give you a chill.
If you're craving some short stories to read while you gear up for Halloween, this might be a good place to start. It's also a nice way to get a taste of several different writing styles. I know I jotted down a couple of the authors' names so I could look into their full length works. And there are a few I might avoid after reading this book as well.
2.5 stars
Candlewick Press, 2007. 256 pages.
$16.99 ISBN: 978-0-76362-906-9
Ghosts, ghouls, tell-tale hearts, and vampires. This collection of short stories has something for everyone that is a fan of supernatural tales, all written by some very well known young adult authors.
As I've heard other readers mention, the problem with short stories is that they either tend to feel formulaic, as the writer tries to craft a tale to fit a certain length (and in this case, genre) OR the other extreme - they are too short and you would rather sit down with the characters for a full length novel.
I found several of the stories in this collection hit or miss. A few of them felt like the authors were just doing an assignment: write a short story that incorporates something supernatural. But there were a few stand-outs for me. Ones that went beyond the basic retelling of a classic eerie story and really tried to make it their own.
If I hadn't been assigned to read this book for "Books for the Beast", I probably would have skipped over a few of the tales that I felt moved too slowly or were too predictable. None of the stories are particularly keep-you-awake-at-night scary, but several of them have moments that will give you a chill.
If you're craving some short stories to read while you gear up for Halloween, this might be a good place to start. It's also a nice way to get a taste of several different writing styles. I know I jotted down a couple of the authors' names so I could look into their full length works. And there are a few I might avoid after reading this book as well.
2.5 stars
