The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest

The third and final book of the Millennium Saga begins on a fairly dark note - Lisbeth Salander is battling death with a bullet lodged inside her head; not more than two rooms away is Zala (in the hospital with an axe stuck in his head by Miss Salander) screaming bloody revenge.

Yeah, that's Lisbeth for you! Funny how this scrawny, devil-may-care, bisexual-and-proud-of-it, outrageous delinquent rouses the gentlest, protective, shaking-your-head-with-a-grin feeling.

Lisbeth is awaiting trial for three murders - and it is obviously up to Mikael Blomkvist to prove her innocence.  With Lisbeth locked away in the hospital, and also not on talking terms with him (she refers to him as Kalle Bastard Blomkvist), this might easily be the toughest task he's ever encountered. As he delves deeper into the seemingly simple case, he comes up with startling revelations - the sinster plot goes all the way into the very heart of the Swedish Secret Service, with consequences that might topple the government.

I guess what sets these novels apart from others of their genre are their approach towards women; these books do have women targeted as the weaker sex, but they also show how they spring back with vigor; they show that today's women are independent, strong, completely capable of taking on the world, come what may. Also that it's mighty foolish to meddle with them - as Bjurman the Advocate found out, in a very painful, and life-altering way (Thanks to Lisbeth, obviously ;-)). Women in these books have strong characters, and not one single girl in the trilogy has been portrayed as a damsel-in-distress.

Men need not feel left out here - Mikael Blomkvist is quite the hero, let me assure you! Book lover or not, these three novels are a must read for everyone.

Beg, borrow, or steal - but get your hands on these beauties. They are totally, totally worth it.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

Sequels usually discourage me; however, I had an unbearable itch to get my hands on this book even before I was done with the first one.

If reading the first book was like that whiff of fresh air just before the rain, this one felt like riding the eye of the storm.

Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander are back -  albeit not on talking terms with each other - Lisbeth is named as the prime suspect in a series of gory murders and Mikael takes it upon himself to prove to the world that she's innocent.



They say the most complex whodunits have a really simple answer. An answer so simple, you wonder why you didn't see through it rightaway. The entire mystery whirlpools around a man named Zala, a man no one has seen, no one has heard of, and yet somehow his name is linked to a plethora of damning crimes.

Lisbeth Salander is as impossible as ever; from being a fugitive from law, to being shot in the head and buried alive, Salander does it all. I wonder what it is about this scrawny, crazy, rude, and headstrong girl that makes one want to protect her, though she is hell-bent on alienating everyone on earth.

There are quite a few new characters introduced - off the top of my head, Inspector Bublanski, Inspector Modig, Faste, Peter Teleborian, Bjorck, and so many other characters I cannot remember all their names. Unlike other books where these characters are sidelined and the main character is given prime importance, Steig Larsson makes sure all of them get their due.

And, there is Mikael, of course - one more addition to my dreamboy wishlist ;-) Mind you, he is not your run-of-the-mill action hero with a Greek God physique. Fiftyish, greying hair, bespectacled playboy suits him the best, if ever there was one such.

People, this book is un-putdownable right from the start. I promptly purchased Book 03 online, and completed this one by staying up all night.

Stay tuned for the third book of the series, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. Coming soon.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

It was with mixed feelings that I picked up this book at Landmark... And boy, did I take the right decision! Folks, I finally completed the first book of the Millennium Trilogy. And all I can say is, I can't wait to ravage the next one! Set at a breakneck pace, this compulsive whodunit really did it for me;-) I spent a couple of sleepless nights over it, itching to get to the end and find out who did it, after all.

Mikael Blomkvist is a disgraced financial journalist who has been summoned to a small village in the back of beyond, to meet a 80-year old former industrial giant. He is entrusted with the strangest investigation he might ever have come across - to find out who in the family murdered his beloved grand-niece Harriet, about 40-odd years earlier. What seems like an impossible quest soon turns out to be one hell of a ride - Mikael finds out bits and pieces of the puzzle, and unearths alarming, and spine-chilling facts about the family that make the monster Frankenstein look like a saint.

I had reached that point in the story where I began to believe that Blomkvist was the protagonist, the hero, blah blah, when Lisbeth Salander made her presence known. The full force of Lisbeth Salander's character hits you with within five minutes of her entrance; trying to actually describe her is an exercise in futility.  The most unconventional heroine I've ever come across, Lisbeth's entrance marks the point in the novel that makes it un-put-downable, and the story begins to race. Riveting is the word how the book can be described; this one is a must-read for all suspense and thriller buffs.

I don't want to reveal too much of the story here, so people, take me at my word - if you haven't already, then go out and get it. This one's a keeper. The girl, the dragon tattoo, and of course, the book. ;-)

Steig Larsson

I've started reading The Millenium Trilogy. Am still on the first book, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, but I'm hoping to complete it soon, maybe this weekend. Review later this week :-)

Deleted. Without second thoughts.

It's funny how soon my preferences change, within a matter of weeks, no less...

Before you start wondering what on earth I am talking about, I read the Twilight series a couple of months back. Understandably, I was completely smitten; rolled up my sleeves and started writing a post extolling all the reasons why the series was a must-read. I never got to completing that post; maybe just a para or two, before I just saved the draft and moved on. Now, this happened maybe a month back. A few minutes ago, I was cleaning up my drafts, and I did not even think twice before selecting that particular post and clicking on the Delete button. Not even a tinge of regret that something which I liked so much, prodded so many people into reading, was pushed so far back into the recesses of my mind that I do not even feel anything for it anymore.

What does this mean, I wonder? This sudden change in likes and dislikes? Does this happen to any of you? This soon, I mean.

Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol - Completely lost

Barring Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown has delivered fairly unimpressive work. Couldn't say no to The Lost Symbol after it was literally handed to me on a platter - my cousin had it lying around the house when I went visiting over the weekend. Though painfully lengthy, the book got off to a good start. Suspense built up after 50-odd pages, and I started reading it in earnest. After all, the book starred Robert Langdon, and gotta admit, I find such historical suspenses set in modern times interesting.

The story begins with Prof. Langdon being called to Washington D.C., apparently by his good friend and mentor, Peter Solomon. What starts as an innocent invitation to give a lecture soon turns into a nightmare, with Peter Solomon's severed hand greeting our friend Robert Langdon in the lecture room. Yeah, spooky. A series of horrifying events follow, with Peter's sis Katherine Solomon also in the fray, and a weird, bald, tattooed man (animal is the only word for him) trying his best to kill everybody in sight.

What made me want to hurl the book at a wall towards the end was its glaring plot; maybe, if it were your first book, you might not be able to guess it, but the answer stares at you right in the face. Dan Brown obviously thought of his readers as fools. It's also a damn weak plot; hard to believe so much stuff was done, so many people were killed, for such a stupid reason. There is no feel-good factor once you reach the end; just a slight headache coupled with painful eyes, like in my case.

My Book Blog

Wow, I'd completely forgotten that I had this page! Now that I'm blogging regularly on my other blogger ID http://www.ashatampa.blogspot.com/, I shall use this page strictly for books. Anything, and everything I can write on books will be published on this page. Will come back soon, folks! In the mean time, happy reading! :-)