Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My reading life is forever changed by Stieg Larsson and this series. That he is not here to carry Millennium on is the epitome of a crying shame.

I'm sure there are people who haven't heard of this book, or sadly at least the movie - don't get me started on movies based on books, it never ends well. I can't fathom not having read this so I say, just go read it.

Yes, it's based in Sweden and some of the names are difficult but put on your grownup panties and get over it. It's worth it, trust me. There's something here for everyone. At the heart, a mystery, a missing girl. Surrounding that is murder, possibly many. Mixed in is family drama, professional ethics or lack thereof, even the slightest hint of romance - though don't go chasing rainbows, it's not that pretty a story. In fact it's brutal. It's misogyny, rape culture, submission, dominance and it's woven together in a way you've never read before.

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Review: Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three

Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three by Mara Leveritt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was drawn to this story because it happened in Arkansas - where I'm from. I attended lectures by the forensic pathologist who autopsied the boys' bodies and by the lawyer for Jessie Misskelly. It's a very interesting story and it might just piss you off.

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Review: Forever

Forever by Pete Hamill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is it for me This is the book that I alway tell everyone about. I'm a huge reader and over the hundreds of books I have read - and let's be honest, after so many books you tend to forget them, Forever is the one I say is the one to read. It's the one that got me back to reading after I started a career and had kids, etc... Forever is the book that hooked me, threw me into a world that helped me forget the stresses of my everyday life and just let me escape. And it's not even as if the world I was escaping to was all that great, it just wasn't MY world and that felt great. Really, Forever is a really good book that starts with a story that would never in a million years make you think you'll end up where the book actually takes you... My favorite part was the beginning when he's in Ireland but the journey to NYC and his life there and beyond is the perfect backdrop to make Hamil's story fiction that feels like real life. You'll never forget this story, I promise!

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Well, Here's a Novel Idea

Amanda, I said, (because I talk to myself a lot) you should write about all the books you read. You love to read, you've been rumored to write somewhat intelligently, and since you seem to have the biggest writer's block in the history of writer's block when it comes to that other blog you had going on, why the hell not? I mean I signed on to this library gig thinking what could be better? But turns out it wasn't meant as an opportunity to knock some books off my reading list. What a buzzkill. Maybe this can turn into a new opportunity to read and write.

So what is this actually going to be? I wish I could tell you. I want to rave about Forever by Pete Hamil and The Host and rant about Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey. I want to discover unknown authors and see if I love or hate the latest "hot" books. You should all witness what two years of contemporary romances back to back does to a woman, particularly this woman. If I can't get paid to read, I can at least expand on this hobby I love.

So here goes...