What I have been reading

Over the last few weeks I have read;

The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson.

I loved them. And I am not normally a fan of Crime Fiction. A number of my customers had mentioned that the start (about first 60 pages) where hard going, but I was hooked from the start.

Part of the appeal has to be Lisbeth Salander. A girl like no other in any book I have read. The only character I have come across anything like her before is Tully, the main character in Paullina Simons amazing first book Tully.

http://www.paullinasimons.com/

If you like your girls hard core and tough, Lizbeth is your girl. She in no way conforms to any sort of mold and although she is hard to like sometimes, I loved her all the way through.

As a political/history buff I really enjoyed all the new things I learnt about Sweden. Again some of my Customers did not enjoy that element so much, but I really loved seeing the world from a new view.

I also like Mikael Blomkvist. He is a ladies man with a difference. You get the feeling he does really like woman even though he runs around on them all. He never puts the blame on the women in his life and lays all the blame on himself. Not what you see in male characters often.

The mysteries are engaging and keep you guessing. In fact I am really happy I only read book one two months ago, I would have gone loopy waiting for the third book!! I read book two and three in a bookacholic spree over 4 days. i only went to work one day because I knew I was about to finish book two and needed book three, if I had had it at home I would not have left the house!

I am also re-reading Year of Wonders by the wonderful Australian Geraldine Brooks. After years as a reporter this was her first book. And my what a wonderful book. There would be about 30 books I re-read every year and this is one of them. I must have read this book about 10 by now and every time I am hit by her use of words and her sense of place.

http://www.geraldinebrooks.com/

Geraldine Brooks and her work is well worth a look and all her writings are wonderful.

Anna Frith the main character in Year of Wonders is a beautiful creation and her journey is one that everyone should witness.

My best buy this week is

Queen, Empress, Concubine by Claudia Gold on sale at QBD for $9.99 .

Beautiful presentation and interesting woman rulers from the world over. Found some new woman in here that I had not come across before in my history reading.

And I nearly forgot One Unknown by the truly amazing Gill Hicks

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU3V2suLEbU
www.theforgivenessproject.com/stories/gill-hicks
ISBN 9781405099899

A book on this subject could be a horrid experience but Gill, her husband, family and friends all inspire.