Obviously the hype is pretty intense - it seems everyone is reading or has read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Entertainment Weekly even made the series its cover story a few weeks ago, which is totally out of character for that publication. Usually "entertainment" is strictly film or television for EW, not a book (though they do devote a few pages each issue to new and noteworthy novels). Of course this current frenzy is being fueled by the recent publication of the third installment in Larsson's series and rumors that Dragon Tattoo is going to be made into an American film (a Swedish version exists already) staring any number of famous actors (I'm rooting for Daniel Craig and Carey Mulligan).
I figured I couldn't avoid reading it and that it would be compelling from the start. Though the first chapter was captivating, it took me a while to get into the novel. The first 80 pages or so skip around between a variety of character perspectives - so much so that I didn't know whose story I was supposed to care about. Ultimately, I didn't trust the author.
Plus it was full of what I saw as a dry diatribe on the inner workings of the Swedish financial system. Cue snoozing noise.
I was so lost in Larsson's narration that I completely spaced out when the title character was introduced. It finally dawned on me a few pages later and I had to go back and re-read. Not a good sign.
I told myself to stick it out, though I put the book down for days at a time. I had just finished the newest Sookie Stackhouse and longed to keep reading books for their entertainment value, not because someone else told me it was good. Yah, well, Dante's Inferno is good too. You don't see me picking up that tome for a light summer read (which I tried once - I don't recommend it).
In fact, the only significant association I made in the first 80 or so pages was that I really wanted to go shop at IKEA (seriously, how many people and places in Sweden are the IKEA products named after, anyway?).
Then something happened. The stories came together and I started to see how everything was related. And Larsson dropped the bombshell - there really was a mystery to solve! It turns out that my patience had paid off. I couldn't put the book down and even found myself semi-annoyed at having to take care of things like the dishes when I could be turning the pages of that novel instead. It was definitely worth the read and, in retrospect, even worth the slow start (which contained many tidbits that were relevant later).
Well done, Larsson, well done.
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Monday, July 5, 2010
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Four Influential Books
The other day I was writing my "25 Random Things" on Facebook and it struck me that I can identify four books that changed my reading life forever, but I didn't fully explain why. Here's why:
1. The Mystery of the Dinosaur Graveyard: It's the first chapter book I remember reading, so that certainly changed the way I saw books. At the time (1st or 2nd grade, so probably 1987 or 1988) I was obsessed with dinosaurs. I even had a combo dino themed birthday party with my brother at our gymnastics place. I also owned a pair of low-top Converse with little colorful dinosaurs on them; my brother had the high-top version. (Consequently, if any of you know where to purchase such shoes in adult sizes, please let me know.)
2. The House of Dies Drear: I vividly remember reading this book about the underground railroad while I was in the 5th grade. I was too young to comprehend much about slavery or the importance of finding freedom in the north, but I was captivated by the idea of escape and hiding out in a house with many secret passages. Years later I recognized this book as my first foray into what would eventually become a fond field of study: literature about slavery in America and the frightening idea of human ownership.
3. The Color Purple: I had always been bored in English class until junior year. Then Mr. Paige (my favorite teacher ever) recommended I read this book and, quite suddenly, real literature came to life for me. I was finally reading something that challenged my intellect and affected me greatly on a variety of levels. I will always look back on this book as the turning point where I realized for the first time what I would eventually become and perhaps had always been: a lover of English and the written word.
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: For years after The Color Purple, I delved into literature with a fiery passion that ultimately shaped me into an uncompromisingly intellectual snob, especially when it came to the types of books I chose to read. My mom (a 5th grade teacher with no appropriate adult taste in books, or so I thought at the time) kept nagging me about reading the Potter books. I had no intentions of doing so until I came down with nasty illness right before spring break during my junior year of college. My friends left for a road trip that I was supposed to join them on and I went home to spend time on the couch. Tired of listening to my mom, bored out of my mind, and certainly feeling sorry for myself, I picked up the first HP. I read all four of the books over the next five days and loved every moment. I couldn't wait for the next book to come out. Mom was right.
Where does that leave me now? I get to teach the classics and try to convey my passion for things like symbolism to teens on a daily basis as an English teacher. But, as an aspiring writer, I am now free to write fun, entertaining fiction that is most likely aimed at middle school kids instead of the intellectual stuff I had previously thought was the only thing of value I could ever compose.
1. The Mystery of the Dinosaur Graveyard: It's the first chapter book I remember reading, so that certainly changed the way I saw books. At the time (1st or 2nd grade, so probably 1987 or 1988) I was obsessed with dinosaurs. I even had a combo dino themed birthday party with my brother at our gymnastics place. I also owned a pair of low-top Converse with little colorful dinosaurs on them; my brother had the high-top version. (Consequently, if any of you know where to purchase such shoes in adult sizes, please let me know.)
2. The House of Dies Drear: I vividly remember reading this book about the underground railroad while I was in the 5th grade. I was too young to comprehend much about slavery or the importance of finding freedom in the north, but I was captivated by the idea of escape and hiding out in a house with many secret passages. Years later I recognized this book as my first foray into what would eventually become a fond field of study: literature about slavery in America and the frightening idea of human ownership.
3. The Color Purple: I had always been bored in English class until junior year. Then Mr. Paige (my favorite teacher ever) recommended I read this book and, quite suddenly, real literature came to life for me. I was finally reading something that challenged my intellect and affected me greatly on a variety of levels. I will always look back on this book as the turning point where I realized for the first time what I would eventually become and perhaps had always been: a lover of English and the written word.
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: For years after The Color Purple, I delved into literature with a fiery passion that ultimately shaped me into an uncompromisingly intellectual snob, especially when it came to the types of books I chose to read. My mom (a 5th grade teacher with no appropriate adult taste in books, or so I thought at the time) kept nagging me about reading the Potter books. I had no intentions of doing so until I came down with nasty illness right before spring break during my junior year of college. My friends left for a road trip that I was supposed to join them on and I went home to spend time on the couch. Tired of listening to my mom, bored out of my mind, and certainly feeling sorry for myself, I picked up the first HP. I read all four of the books over the next five days and loved every moment. I couldn't wait for the next book to come out. Mom was right.
Where does that leave me now? I get to teach the classics and try to convey my passion for things like symbolism to teens on a daily basis as an English teacher. But, as an aspiring writer, I am now free to write fun, entertaining fiction that is most likely aimed at middle school kids instead of the intellectual stuff I had previously thought was the only thing of value I could ever compose.
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