The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I'd seen The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson in bookstores for awhile now.  I suppose it was highly profiled because there was a film made of it, and because the third book in the trilogy was being released.   I was interested in it, but didn't really know much about it, so I never gave it a try.

A couple of weeks ago, I was lent a copy of it from a friend's mom. 

OH MY GOD.

WHAT A GOOD BOOK!

I just finished reading it, right now, and am ITCHING to go buy the sequel.  It's a story that takes place in Sweden, and features quite a large cast of characters that at first makes it just a touch confusing until you get to the point where the real plot starts to come into play.  Others have said that they found the book dull at first and tough to get into, however I didn't think the same and enjoyed it right from the beginning.

The main characters are instantly likeable.  Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist who has been sued for libel and found guilty, is hired by a wealthy man (Henrik Vanger) to solve the mystery of his missing niece -- who disappeared forty years ago, in a case that went unsolved but that was suspected to be a murder.  Blomkvist gets wrapped up in the case, which he doesn't expect to solve, and intrigue and suspense carries on from there.

There are twists and turns as you dive deeper into the history of the Vanger family, and into Blomkvist's quest to clear his name following the libel conviction.  He teams up with Lisbeth Salander, a young woman with a troubled past and expert investigative skills, who is a character that I think we'll learn even more about in the sequels to this book.

If you haven't read it yet, and you like some mystery and suspense, I highly recommend The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

I'm not sure how the movie is, but I might watch it just to compare it to the book.

----
Edited:  Okay, upon some research, I think I understand the movie thing a little more.  Looks like there were Swedish movies made about all three books in this series; but in 2011, a Hollywood version is coming out.  I really didn't know much about this series before being loaned this book two weeks ago, haha... but I knew some movie was already on TMN.  Must be the Swedish version!  I'll give it a try.

20) Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

I teach the first grade and I wanted to read them a novel, as time-filler and to get them used to the idea of not always having pictures to look at in the books they read.  I chose the classic story Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.  I'm counting this as one of my 100 novels read this year, since I did read it in its entirety and if I didn't count things like this I'd surely never get through this challenge! haha.

It's the classic story of Wilbur the pig, who is rescued by Fern and then raised in Zuckerman's barn.  He befriends a spider named Charlotte, who uses her miraculous web-spinning powers to write words in her web to encourage Mr. Zuckerman to view Wilbur as "some pig!" in order to save Wilbur from being turned into bacon.  The kids loved the story, and after we finished we watched the 2006 live-action film version of the book starring Dakota Fanning.  It was also well-received.

A very classic children's tale, and book 20 in my quest to read 100 books in 2010.

19) Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

A few weeks ago I finally finished catching up on all of the Stephanie Plum novels released so far by Janet Evanovich!  Plum Spooky, one of those "between-the-numbers" novels was the last one I had to read.  I enjoyed it much better than all of the other between-the-numbers books, but my favourite stories in this series are mostly just the regular numbered Stephanie Plum mysteries.  Book 16 comes out this year, so I'll take it out from the library as soon as I can.  I plan on staying caught up with each new release, and I'm certainly very glad Janet is continuing to write more stories in this series.  I love these characters A LOT.

I'm still reading, just slowly!  Ugh!

19 down, 81 to go!

18) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

I'm still enjoying the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan.  I've just finished Book #3, The Titan's Curse.  This one was a really great adventure, I liked it better than Book #2 (Sea of Monsters).  I know I'm slightly older than the target audience for this series, but I really enjoy the storyline and I highly recommend it.  I just liken it to adults enjoying the Harry Potter series when it first came out -- it really is a good story for all ages.  Scooter just finished reading Book #4, so I'll soon read that one as well.

18 down, 82 to go!

17) Thanks For The Memories by Cecelia Ahern

I've read a couple of Cecelia Ahern novels now, and I'm finding I quite enjoy her writing.  Thanks for the Memories is about two main characters - Irish Joyce and American Justin.  Justin, somewhat against his own will, donates blood during a blood drive at an Irish University where he has been guest lecturing.  Joyce, after a terrible accident, receives a blood transfusion.

Along with that, Joyce receives a batch of memories that are not her own.

Joyce and Justin have a strange connection, and randomly see each other at times in the book, not understanding what role they really play in each other's lives.  The pacing of the story is good, and Joyce's elderly father adds a nice touch of family and humour to the tale.

If you've enjoyed Cecelia's writing as I have, having additionally read PS, I Love You and Where Rainbows End (alternate title: Love, Rosie), I definitely recommend you read Thanks for the Memories.

17 down! 83 to go!

16) Finger-Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

I skipped over one of the "between the numbers" books because they didn't have it at my library at the time, but other than that one book, I'm completely caught up on my Stephanie Plum stories!  Fortunately the sixteenth book comes out this summer!  I love these novels and I'm so glad I read them, and I'll miss spending so much time with Stephanie Plum and her crazy friends and family.

Finger-Lickin' Fifteen was a great story, like all the others.  I can't get enough of this series, seriously!

16 down, 84 to go!

15) Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich

Another Stephanie Plum, I'm nearly caught up on the series.  I finished Fearless Fourteen last weekend, but didn't have the time to write it up yet.  It was really good, I liked this story a lot and it made me laugh out loud.

Katherine Hiegl is apparently signed on to play Stephanie Plum in the first feature film of these books (so, a film version of the first book "One for the Money").  Not sure how I feel about it, but she's already dyed her hair brown to try to win over fans -- her showing a bit of dedication to the role made me feel a little better about her being cast.  I'm just not sure she's who I was picturing as Stephanie.

15 down!  85 to go!

14) The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

I'm a huge Nicholas Sparks fan, and The Last Song did not disappoint.  I was, I will admit, hesitant when it came to starting this one, but once I finally opened it up I read it in a day.  I couldn't even get to sleep last night until I turned the final page.

Why was I hesitant?  Well.  I've been seeing the trailers for the film version, and unfortunately the image of Miley Cyrus as the main character, Ronnie, threw me off.  I'm just not a big fan of Miley.  Nicholas Sparks actually wrote the screenplay for the film before he wrote this novel, specifically for Miley Cyrus to be in the film.  It was just not doing it for me.

Once I got over that though, as I just said - I could. not. put. this. novel. down. 

Some people say that Nicholas Sparks is "predictable" -- but I bet those people don't actually read Nicholas Sparks.  Sure, he has a bit of a formula with his stories (yes, they will take place in North Carolina, and there will be some sort of love story), but I find that each of his novels has a uniqueness to it as well that makes me love them all for various reasons.  His characters are individuals, they aren't cookie-cutter characters.  You also never know if his story will have a "and they lived happily ever after" or end in utter tragedy.

I love his writing.

Read The Last Song, especially if you're already a Nicholas Sparks fan.  Don't let Miley deter you. ;-)

(Also, I will so see the movie, regardless of Miley.  I love Greg Kinnear and I do think the film version will be great).

14 down, 86 to go!

13) Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich

*giggle* *snort* *hardy-har-har*

Sorry, excuse me, I'm just having a little laugh over the fact that my 13th book of 2010 was one called Plum Lucky.  I didn't connect those two things before writing my post title.  *giggles again*

Oh! AND, I'm adding it to my blog ON St. Patrick's Day, and it's a St. Patrick's Day related novel!

Ahem.

So!  13 down!  This was another Stephanie Plum "between-the-numbers" novel, and it was probably my favourite of the between-the-numbers that I've read so far.  It had less of the silly supernatural to it, and more of an interesting case.  I'm heading off to the library today to pick up the next three books in the series, which should completely catch me up until new Stephanie Plum books are written by the ever-so-great Janet Evanovich (and I do think 16 is coming out this year, very soon, in fact!).

13 down, 87 to go!  This "March Break" thing has been great for my reading challenge... I'm going to keep pushing myself this week, see how far I can get!  It is only Wednesday after all!

The Classics: Which Ones Are Actually Good Reads?

I've made myself a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days, and as a part of that list I decided that I'd like to read 5 'classic' novels.  Novels like Pride & Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre etc.  The only thing is -- I'm not sure which classic novels I should try!  I'm worried that they'll be very tedious and dull and that I'll take ages to get through them.

So tell me!  Which "classic" novels do you actually enjoy?  Which ones should I read?

Thanks for any suggestions offered!

11) Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich

Oh, Stephanie Plum.  I will be so sad when I catch up completely and don't have any new adventures of yours to read.  Fortunately, Janet Evanovich is still actively writing this series.

Lean Mean Thirteen -- more Stephanie Plum, Bounty Hunter awesomeness.  Read this series if you don't already.  It. Is. Candy.

11 down, 89 to go!

9) The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Having enjoyed the young adult novel, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, I've decided to continue to read the series.  My 11-year-old brother is reading the books first, then he passes them to me.  It's quite an enjoyable series -- I think anyone who likes Harry Potter or similar would enjoy these stories.  They're also full of Greek Mythology references, which I enjoy because I love Greek Mythology.

The film version of The Lightning Thief was also pretty good.  I took Scooter to see it last week.  It was different than the book -- an example being that Percy and Annabeth were clearly high school aged teenagers in the movie, but in the book they`re only in the sixth grade -- but it had enough details to keep the story on track enough that it didn`t feel overly changed.  Sure, there were missing characters and a few different locations of some of the events, but mostly it was pretty good.  I`d continue to see the films if they continue to make them.

This second story in the series, The Sea of Monsters, finds Percy and Annabeth on another perilous adventure -- this time to the Sea of Monsters to face a Cyclops and attempt to rescue Grover and obtain the Golden Fleece.  It`s a good little adventure.  I liked the first book just a bit more than this one, but this one has a great twist ending that should make book three pretty interesting.

It`s a good series, definitely check it out if you were a Harry Potter fan or sometimes like reading some of the novels that are written for the younger crowd, but are still entertaining for adults.  If you have a kids in your family, ages 10 or so and up, I definitely recommend these books.

9 down, 91 to go!

8) Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich

Oh hai -- that's right, I'm back already!  I actually finished this book between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon -- like I just said, these books are like candy.

I think "Twelve Sharp" is one of my favourites in the entire series.  It had a great storyline, and just enough of the love triangle (which is a love triangle I actually really enjoy and don't find 'frustrating' like in other novels).

Again: read these novels!  They are laugh-out-loud funny, and so quick to read!

8 down, 92 to go!

7) Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich

Book Seven of "The Insane Reading Goal of 2010" was my next book to read in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, "Eleven on Top".  I am loving these novels.  I practically read each one in one sitting -- and I'm determined to catch up to book 15, the most current book in the series, over the next few weeks.  You'll notice the next few books on my list may all include Stephanie Plum, the unlikely awesome bounty hunter.

Since I'm quite far in the series, I don't want to write a synopsis lest I give you spoilers!  All I can say is: read these books!  They're like candy, so fun and so funny!

7 down, 93 to go!

6) Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell

I love the TV series Sex and the City (I also loved the movie and am looking forward to its sequel).  I was never an obessed SaTC fan, I didn't even get really into it until the movie version came out prompting me to borrow a friend's DVD sets.  I've also never read the book.

Candace Bushnell, the author and creator of the Sex and the City world, is the author of my sixth finished novel in 2010 -- Lipstick Jungle. 

I really liked this book.

The story is of three best friends in New York City, who are all powerful ladies in their respective fields, and who are all in their early 40s.  They are each dealing with career and personal life problems, which are the thrust of the story.  It's a fun, girly read and I liked the characters.  It was a short-lived TV series, starring Brooke Shields, Lindsay Price, and Kim Raver as the title characters.  I've downloaded it to give it a try, having liked the book, so I'll see how it compares (although I guess it isn't nearly as good as SaTC was, since it was cancelled after only so many episodes).

I definitely recommend this book if you're into SaTC type of stories, and I know I'll be giving Candace Bushnell's other books a try too.

6 down, 94 to go.  I'm so far off of achieving 100 if I'm going statistical on it, but whatever, the challenge is on -- who knows what Reading Miracle I can pull off before the clock strikes 12 on December 31st!

5) Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

My reading progress has been very, very slow.  I think it'll start to pick up again though, I have faith, dear Blog readers.

My most recent read was Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.  I bought this book (or rather, Martin bought it for me) when I went to Martin's house for the weekend and realized I forgot to bring a novel with me (stooopid me!).  I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of "Wicked the Musical" to Toronto -- it comes in June of this year -- so I thought I'd give the book it's based off of a try.

The story is of Elphaba, who later becomes our Wicked Witch of the West.  It begins with her birth, then weaves through defining moments in her life that led to her eventual watery demise courtesy of that strange girl from Kansas and her "annoying little dog".  It paints an interesting picture with a fresh perspective on the original story.

This book was good, it really was.  I love "The Wizard of Oz" (the film, I've never actually read the book), and I love this perspective of that world.  My only complaint, though, was how WORDY this book was.  It took me so long to read it because it was full of character-after-character, description-after-description, location-after-location -- all with unique names and words to describe it.  You were really pushed into the land of Oz as a reader of this story, but I found myself disconnected at times while I sorted through all the WORDS.

I clearly like my novels to be way less "literary masterpiece-ish", so I can read them fast enough to get to 100 in a year, haha.  BRING ON TWILIGHT.

So, if you're interested in this world of Oz at all -- or if you're thinking of seeing the musical Wicked live on stage -- I do recommend this story.  Just be prepared, it isn't exactly a light read and it may take you awhile to get through it.  I did like it a lot though.

95 more... HA. HA. HA.

4) Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I finished this last week but didn't have the opportunity to post before today.

BOOK FOUR!  FOUR! I read FOUR in January!  That's about... half of what I need to read each month, so I will need to play catch up later on.  Instead of worrying about that though, let me tell you about this really awesome book.

So, I read Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book One: The Lightning Thief which is by Rick Riordan.  I bought this book for my 11-year-old brother for Christmas, knowing that he likes the Harry Potter series (which we've been reading together over the past few years -- yes, years, our schedules don't always line up for reading together, haha) and other adventure stories too.  I also knew that a film version was coming out soon, so I figured we could see the movie together if he liked the book.

Needless to say, he LOVED the book.  So much so that he read it in a week's time at school (that's pretty fast for him), and he asked me to take him to Chapters to buy Book 2 in the series (with his own money, he's growing up so fast!).  This is a kid who likes reading but isn't necessarily the type to ask to go to the book store, so the book definitely left a great impression on him.

He made sure to pass the book to me next, and I also really enjoyed it.  I've always liked Greek Mythology, so the subject matter appealed to me from the outset, and it was a good little adventure.  The characters are likeable, and I also look forward to reading the rest of the series.

This is a Young Adult series, probably meant for 8-12 year-olds, but like Harry Potter or the Twilight series, it is definitely fun for adults too.  I think both young boys and girls will enjoy this book, but especially if you have a son and you're looking for a new series for him to enjoy, I recommend this one.  I'm looking forward to taking Scooter to the theatre for the film adaptation, and will review the movie too once I see it.

The Lightning Thief is available online on Amazon.ca.

4 down, 96 to go!

3) Three Bedrooms, One Corpse by Charlaine Harris

I know exactly what you're thinking -- BOOK THREE!  ALREADY?! SHE'S AMAZING!

You'd be right. I am amazing.  In so very many ways. 

However, I did not quickly whip through an entire book in one night (not that I've never done that before, because I HAVE)(See above -- I can be amazing).  In truth, I was already reading this book on the side when I was reading The Lost Symbol and Swapping Lives.  Also, it's a small novel.

Book three of my "100 Books in 2010" Challenge is Charlaine Harris' Three Bedrooms, One Corpse.  This is the third book in her Aurora Teagarden Mystery series.  I've read all of the Sookie Stackhouse books (save for book 9, the newest one, as I'm waiting for it to be in paperback), so I thought I'd give some of Charlaine's other books a go.  The first Aurora Teagarden book (Real Murders) was at my local bookstore, so I bought it.  Quite liked it, so I moved on to book two (A Bone to Pick).  Liked that as well, so I decided to continue with the series.

I have to say though, this particular book was more dull than the first two.  The mystery was a good one, yet the middle section of the book dragged on without the mystery really being too prominent.  A few more twists and turns would have improved the storyline.  I do like the main character, however, and am starting to get into this world, so I am definitely going to continue with the series.  I'm just not in that much of a hurry with it, and probably won't read book four for a little while.

If you're looking for light reads with a touch of mystery and murder, I do recommend the Aurora Teagarden series by Charlaine Harris -- although personally I like the Sookie Stackhouse series better (I'm a vampire fiction fan, and I like the TV series "True Blood" which is based off of the Sookie series).

3 down, 97 to go!

What I'm Reading Next (Yes, Two at a Time Again):

Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell -- another book borrowed from Melanie; I've never read any Candace Bushnell books before, but was a fan of the Sex and the City TV series of course.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan -- I gave this to my 11-year-old brother for Christmas, he LOVED IT, so now I'm reading it so that I can take him to the movie when it comes out in February (he said, "Estie!" that's what he's called me from when he was a baby, lol "Estie! Read this book, you'll really like it!", so I'm reading it!)

Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner

I had never read a Jennifer Weiner book before, but I was hearing her name come up on the Interwebz, so when I was at the library recently I decided to give her a try.  The book I chose was called Goodnight Nobody, and I chose it because I liked the synopsis.

Without giving away major spoilers, the story is about a woman named Kate who moves to the suburbs with her husband after having been born and raised a New York City gal.  She's a mother of three, and doesn't fit in with the upper-class neighbourhood Mommies.  After one of these mothers is murdered, Kate dives in to solving the seemingly unsolveable mystery.

This book was really enjoyable to read.  I liked the mystery, it wasn't predictable.  The characters, Kate's best friend Janie in particular, are enjoyable and well-developed.  It mixes Kate's earlier life in with her current predicament well too.

After reading this, I will definitely be giving Jennifer Weiner another shot.  I recommend you check out Goodnight Nobody if you're looking for something to read next.

Christmas Gift Ideas Continued: Kid Books

Looking for some great stories for the young ones in your life?  Here are some of my favourite children's book authors and a few recommended titles -- these are all well-loved by the kids I've taught and baby-sat for!  (The pictures are nabbed off Amazon, my favourite site for ordering books online).

1) Melanie Watt (*Canadian Author):

My grade two practice teaching placement taught me all about Melanie Watt's characters Scaredy Squirrel and Chester.  I recieved two Scaredy Squirrel books as a parting gift from the class, and I'm hoping to collect more of the set.  These books are great because there are teaching points in them about types of text, there's also lots of humour, and kids are enthralled by these loveable, kooky characters.

2) Kevin Henkes:

My personal favourite is the classic, Chrysanthemum, about the little mouse with the BIG, UNIQUE name. Kevin Henkes writes as well as illustrates his books, and his books are beautiful and classic.  They have a nice message, and they're enjoyable stories.

3) Jane O'Connor:

Fancy Nancy stories are so amusing to read ("amusing is a fancy word for fun").  Little girls LOVE the sparkley illustrations, and all of the "fancy" words that Nancy uses.  These stories are also great for teaching children about Word Choice and being descriptive as Nancy uses many of those "million dollar words" that make the writing more descriptive and interesting.   

4) The Classics
Just because I can't leave them off a list, don't forget these classic storytellers!

Robert Munsch -- my personal faves are The Paperbag Princess, Mortimer, Stephanie's Ponytail, and Pigs, but you can't go wrong with any Munsch story!

Paulette Bourgeois -- I personally want to collect the entire Franklin the turtle series, don't you?

Mercer Mayer -- I love the Little Critter series.

Stan & Jan Berenstain-- I grew up with The Berenstain Bears, and I hope kid's today are still reading and enjoying these stories; I know I cherish my large collection and will be reading them to my own kids one day!