The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I loved the book—and that’s saying a lot from the girl who avoids books over 400 pages long. Stupid I know, but no matter how good the book is, just around 400 pages is when I start getting antsy and want the book to end. I think with few exceptions most stories wading into the 500 pages and up level tend to have a pacing problem, could use a strong(er) editorial intervention re length and feel (to me) that they could have ended 50 pages ago.

TGWTDT was no different. It needed more editorial input, but the author’s strength--same as Dan Browne--is in the storytelling. Aside from a slow start, the story kept my attention right up to the last page. (This isn’t going to be a review per se, you can find a ton of those over at Amazon).

And I felt sad when I was done. I wanted more. To that end, I went to the bookstore two days later and picked up The Girl Who Played With Fire. I haven’t started it yet because I have some library books to tackle.


The bookstore clerk also recommended a couple other popular Swedish crime writers: Camilla Läckberg and Henning Mankell. I picked Läckberg’s The Ice Princess and Mankell’s The Pyramid ( a collection of stories that fill in the backstory of the main protagonists of his Kurt Wallander series. If it works for me, I'll start the series).

The store manager also encouraged me to see the Swedish original movie in the theatres now before Hollywood released their version. So, yesterday we went to see TGWTDT movie. My friend thought it was awesome, (as did several audience members by the snippets of commentary overheard as we left the theatre). I thought it was just okay.

To be honest, if I hadn’t read the book I might have been a little bored, and even then the movie totally gutted the book, giving subplots short-shift, losing some characters, fleshing out others. Given the rambling nature of the book I partly can’t blame the screenwriter, but a lot of characterization/nuances were lost in translation. On the other hand, it did give those who had read the book a few surprises because the movie didn’t goose step the exact plot revelation of the book. And, of course, the romance reader/writer/lover in me liked that the romance between Mikael and Lisabeth was portray in a more promising light in the movie than it was by the end of the book.

At the moment, I’m reading Harem by Dora Levy Mossanen. So far so good. It has that touch of magical realism that I really enjoyed in books like Like Water For Chocolate. Depending on how Harems turns out, I might buy a copy for my keeper shelf.


From Publisher's Weekly:

Lush and erotic, this first novel overflows with the magic and sensuality of Arabian Nights tales, 19th-century orientalist paintings and languorous, silken-pantalooned harem beauties. Set in 14th-century Persia, the tale moves easily between the crowded, garbage-strewn alleys of the Jewish quarter and the magnificent palace of the shah. The shah's palace harem is concealed behind a tracery of delicately carved stone panels, where his 365 wives and their many attendant eunuchs lounge, and the queen mother, Bibi Sultana, rules.

In the Jewish quarter, the characters are Rebekah, the indomitable heroine; the ancient Zoroastrian, a seeress; the one-eyed rabbi; the merchant Rouh'Allah, who realizes nearly too late he loves Rebekah; and Moses, fated to be gelded and become a lover to the shah. Rebekah is only 10 when she's married to Jacob the Fatherless, a brutal blacksmith, and branded by him with a hot iron bar between her breasts, a mark that will assume nearly supernatural importance. After Jacob commits suicide, Rebekah becomes a prostitute to support her child, Gold Dust.

Determined to place her daughter within the harem, she sells her charms to Narcissus, the chief eunuch, even though he carries "his manhood pickled in a jar." Gold Dust becomes the shah's favorite, but provides the sonless ruler with another daughter, Raven, who will eventually be as implacable as her grandmother. The multifaceted story involves an invasion by the Mongol hordes under Teymour the Lame (Tamerlane) and daring escapes by Rebekah and Gold Dust. Shamelessly exotic, it's a delightful read and a grandly romantic escapade.

That's prettymuch it in terms of catch up for me. Work is still a grind, I've still got insomnia, and I'll admit to avoiding my wip lately. :-/

Serendipitous Stop-In

Yesterday I had to run errands, a couple of which took me to my old neighbourhood.
I rarely ever go pass the Goodwill without stopping in to see what the had available in the book section and yesterday was no exception.

Talk about lucking out! Even though I haven’t been in a romance reading mood for awhile now, and I rarely read category romances, I pounced on the treasure trove of old--originals not re-issues--series romances from as far back as 1984 (at least for the books I eventually settled on). Looks like someone cleared out their collection. I can't find the camera, the boy took it, or I would've post pics of the books with the original artwork.)

I grabbed all the Linda Howards that I either don't already own or haven't read yet:

The Cutting Edge



Tessa Conway, top accountant at Carter Engineering, is also Brett Rutland's top suspect as he tries to solve a case of internal embezzlement while resisting Conway's indisputable charms.

Come Lie With Me



When Blake Remington temporarily loses the ability to walk, he loses his will to live as well, until Dione Kelly, a woman with a broken soul, arrives to heal both him and herself

White Lies




Nothing could have prepared Jay Granger for the arrival of two FBI agents at her door -- or for the news they brought. Her ex-husband, Steve, had been in a terrible accident that had left him gravely injured. The FBI needed Jay to confirm his identity.
The man Jay finds lying in the hospital bed is almost unrecognizable. Almost. Exhausted and afraid, Jay tentatively declares that he is Steve Crossfield. But the man who awakens from the coma is not at all as Jay remembers her husband. And he remembers nothing of their life together. Suddenly nothing is familiar. Not his appearance, not the intensity of his nature, not the desire that flashes between them. Who is this man? And will the discovery of his identity shatter the passion they share?


I also picked out There and Now by Linda Lael Miller because I haven’t read a time travel in awhile.

Seeking refuge from the pain in her life, Elisabeth McCartney returns to her centuries-old family home, where she suddenly is whisked back in time to the Victorian era and into the arms of the handsome Jonathan




And this Superromance, Blossoms In The Snow:


GUILT WOULD NOT LET HER LOVE

When Laura Adams was offered a teaching job in Japan, she snapped it up -- just what she needed, a new horizon.

Little did she know she would soon meet Geoffrey McDermott, the man who had falsely married and then deserted her sister, Lisa. When she died, Laura was left to raise the son he knew nothing--and cared nothing--about.

Laura had been prepared to hate him. Yet the more she knew him, the less she believed this strong, sensitive man could have been so deceptive. If Lisa were alive, surely she would forgive her for wanting him so much. If only I aura could forgive herself.

The one thing that struck me Superromances were that setting and set-ups were more varied than a lot of the blurbs I run across today. Unfortunately, given I’m not in a romancey mood, a lot of the writing in the other Supers just didn’t appeal to me. Hmm… maybe I should amend that to say I’m not in a romancey language/standard characters, etc, mood.


Lastly, I picked up Julie Garwood’s The Prize. (Yes, yes, this might be as romancey as I could get, but the writing didn’t seem overblown, besides, I’m almost sure this title frequently pops up as a favourite by many readers. Now's my chance to make my own judgement.)


In the resplendence of William the Conqueror's London court, the lovely Saxon captive, Nicholaa was forced to choose a husband from the assembled Norman nobles. She chose Royce, a baron warrior whose fierce demeanor could not conceal his chivalrous and tender heart. Resourceful, rebellious and utterly naive, Nicholaa vowed to bend Royce to her will, despite the whirlwind of feelings he aroused in her. Ferocious in battle, seasoned in passion, Royce was surprised by the depth of his emotion whenever he caressed his charming bride.

In a climate of utmost treachery, where Saxons still intrigued against their Norman invaders, Royce and Nicholaa revelled in their precious new love...a fervent bond soon to be disrupted by the call of blood, kin and country!


There were also a bunch of Nora’s, Suzanne Brockmans categories as well as various other big names who no longer write series or even in the romance genre. I may regret not snapping those books up as well, but see non-romancey commentary above..

My other two buys were George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Elizabeth George’s Deception on His Mind.



Detective Barbara Havers is now on her own. Her partner, the glamorous Lord Lynley, and the even more glamorous Lady Helen are off on their honeymoon and the decidedly less-than-glamorous Havers is to recuperate from extensive wounds suffered in their previous case. She declines an invitation by her neighbor and good friend, eight-year-old Hadiyyah, to join her and her somewhat remote professorial father on a trip to the seaside.

Somewhat to her chagrin, however, Havers finds herself worrying about the ostensibly naive father as she hears disturbing news of murder and racial unrest in the same coastal town. She goes to Balford only to land in the middle of a tangled web woven around the murder of the fiance of the young daughter of a wealthy Pakistani business man. The plot is well developed, the red herrings many and varied, and the social commentary on the racial unease in England is well handled. Havers emerges as a more sympathetic character here, and readers get the feeling she is beginning to "get a life."

I used to inhale EG's books years ago. Can't remember why I stopped reading her.

Also bought a book for Dayan I thought he'd like, so got nine books for $18 including tax. Not bad.

Currently I’m reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and I love (LOVE!) it. Love it even more because I'd just run through a string of meh/dfn books. I’ll be picking up the next in the series for sure. So if you’re one of those last one to the partay types peeps like myself, here an official invite to jump on this book.

Today's Delish Book Binge

The battery on my watched died today, so I ran downstairs to have the guy in the jewelry shop replace it. Then I figured, I might as well stretch my legs a bit... in the direction of the bookstore.

When will I ever learn I can't resist?!?!?!


Today's buys:



How could I resist that title? I couldn't!

Synopsis:
Sienna Wainwright has one passionate night with international financier Rafe Lombardi before he unceremoniously casts her out of his bed. Sienna hopes never to see his seductively arrogant face again, but six weeks later their world changes—forever….
Rafe is no longer just a billionaire, but is revealed as the prince of Montvelatte. What's more, Sienna is pregnant—with his twins! What choice does she have now? Rafe is determined to claim his heirs and take Sienna as his royal wife!

Click onto the cover for the Amazon page, and the pretty damn risque deliciously classic-Presents-in-tone excerpt. (10 points for describing the heroine's hair as Titian!)






I think the title caught me on this, one, then the image. The blurb sold me. Although this one sounds vaguely like that movie with Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie (Original Sin).

The bookcover even kinda looks like her. Oh, and you can't see it in the picture, but the image is all glossy, except for the writing which is matt with embossed/raised font. And the edges of the pages are all rough. Love it. (A little off tangent here, I love my Sony, for many and varied reasons, but this is why I'll always perfer the tactile experience of a book in hand.)

Okay. Here's the synopsis: (From the publisher)

Set in a small Wisconsin farming and manufacturing town still crumbling a decade after the depression of the 1890s, A Reliable Wife tells the story of Ralph Truitt, a wealthy businessman who advertises for “a reliable wife” in newspapers across America.

The woman he chooses, Catherine Land, describes herself as “a simple, honest woman,” but in truth she is both complex and devious— not the missionary’s daughter she claims to be in her letter to Truitt but a courtesan of great beauty, kept by men and haunted by a terrible past.

Catherine’s plan in accepting the marriage offer is simple: she will win this man’s devotion, and then, ever so slowly, she will poison him and leave Wisconsin a wealthy widow. What she has not counted on, though, is the passion she finds in this seemingly solid, forthright man—a man who also harbours secrets and whose own past is far from pure.


Another case of the cover art jumping off the shelf at me.



Love the noir imagery and the hot pink/mauves.

Ed Brubaker is an awesome comic book author. That was enough for me. Sold!

Synopsis:

A woman in trouble, friends on the run from cops and mobsters, and a secret no one is prepared to face! Five years ago, Jake was a happy family man, long-retired from the life of crime he grew up in, and then the police made him the prime suspect in a horrible crime and ripped his life apart! Now, years later, Jake is less than a shadow of his former self, a hopeless insomniac who walks the city streets at night. But one night, he walks into the wrong place at the right time, and his whole life changes again... Collects Criminal 2 #4-8.


Last but not least, since the credit card was already warmed up, I finally shelled out for a used copy of Megan Chance's The Portrait, a book I've been wanting to read for years.




Synopsis:

She was his inspiration and his undoing....

The reigning master of the New York art world, Jonas Whitaker was brilliant and compelling, a man of dark passions and uncontrollable emotions. Terrified of his own dangerous nature and scarred by the horror of his emptiness -- until Imogene Carter pushed her way into his life.

He discounted her on sight, seeing her as a colorless, fragile woman with no spirit and less talent. He could send her running with a word -- and he intended to do just that. But Imogene was not so easily frightened. She came to Jonas to learn from a master, and learn she would -- everything he could teach her. She wanted his artist's secrets and his brilliant passion. She wanted to be swept up in his seductive, forbidden world.

Until she saw the terrible price he paid for his talent.

And realized it was impossible to catch a shooting star without being burned.…

(For those of you who've never heard of this one, the hero is bi-polar and from all accounts the author did a realistic portrayal of the condition.)

I'm in the writing cave this weekend. Gonna get the wip done/edited and sent to the crit partners byt Sunday night the latest.

Recent Purchases

Jane Ann Krentz's ALL NIGHT LONG (hardcover clearance, although I'm almost sure I've already bought this one and it's buried under Mount TBR.) JAK is a favourite author/comfort read, so I expect I'll really enjoy this one, especially as it's been awhile since I've reader a book by her.

Publishers Weekly
Krentz's latest fast-paced, well-plotted romantic thriller takes place in the tiny Napa Valley village of Dunster-perhaps named after the Amanda Quick heroine Emma Dunster. A mysterious e-mail from a childhood friend, Pamela Webb, draws big-city reporter Irene Stenson home, but when Irene arrives, Pamela is dead, apparently of a drug overdose. Handsome but damaged ex-Marine Luke Danner, who owns the lodge where Irene is staying, helps her look into the case.

Anne Douglas's ACCIDENTALLY WERE? Read this one last night. Not as scorching as I thought it'd be, nor as focused on the romance. Also hero not as Alpha I thought he'd be. Seeing a pattern here re making assumptions? Still it was fun romp.

A bit of the publisher's blurb: Pearl Gordon wakes up after her first ever one-night stand to an empty bed, a plethora of love bites, and every stray canine in town serenading her bedroom window. Something's not right -- neither the dogs, nor the strange canine tooth marks in the middle of all the hickeys she now wears around her neck make any sense.

Jordan Summers' OFF LIMITS. From skimming through this one it looks fast paced with well-developed characters. But that's what I'd expect from Jordan.

ATF special agent Delaney Carter despises flying…yet she's landed an undercover gig as a flight attendant! Unfortunately, all the bags of nuts in the world can't disguise the fact that she's the worst in history. But when her assignment—former arms dealer Jack Gordon—boards the plane, Delaney suspects that being trapped in a hunk of airborne metal at 30,000 feet isn't such a bad idea after all.

Lisa Landolt's GOOD MAN HUNTING. The cover and title caught my eye on this one. Cute premise, easy writing style. Not sure if there's a 'real' romance in this one, but it's another one I'm looking forward to reading.

Book Description

Sandra Greene knows men don't go for women like her: the invisible ones, the plain ones.... But her life is changed forever when, at an old friend's wedding, she meets the wealthy socialites of the Hunt Club. They proudly claim they made that wedding possible, and they make Sandra an offer no woman can refuse.

At first it all seems too wonderful to be true as she changes her life and is about to get her guy—until the FBI steps in asking questions. Just how far will these women go to get what they want? That's when Sandra begins to realize that matchmaking is really murder...possibly in more ways than one!

Lauren Groff's THE MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON. The cover art totally caught my eye. The title's intriguing and the plot sounds off-beat enough that I picked this one up.

From the Publisher
“The day I returned to Templeton steeped in disgrace, the fifty-foot corpse of a monster surfaced in Lake Glimmerglass.” So begins The Monsters of Templeton, a novel spanning two centuries: part a contemporary story of a girl’s search for her father, part historical novel, and part ghost story, this spellbinding novel is at its core a tale of how one town holds the secrets of a family.

I'm currently reading Karen Rose's DIE FOR ME and lovin it, for the most part with just a few minor quibbles.

Book Description: The first victim is found in a snow-covered Philadelphia field. Detective Vito Ciccotelli enlists the aid of archaeologist Sophie Johannsen to determine exactly what lies beneath the frozen ground. ...The killer... is cold and calculating, the master of a twisted game. Even with Vito and Sophie hot on his trail, he will not stop. One more empty grave must be filled, and one last scream must be heard-the scream of an archaeologist who is too close for comfort and too near to resist...DIE FOR ME

Latest Purchase

On my lunch, I also stopped into the bookstore, I wanted to check out some decor mags--and I came across this book.



From the Publisher
In her sparkling and hilarious debut, author Gwyn Cready introduces Persephone "Seph" Pyle, a total control freak who plans for everything -- until a pair of killer heels sends her back in time and into the arms of a ruggedly handsome sea captain straight from the pages of a romance novel.

Wandering the Pittsburgh airport before a business trip, Seph decides to kill time with some preflight shopping -- anything to get her mind off Tom Fraser, her irresistible, dimple-chinned coworker turned travel buddy. So when a pair of to-die-for pink stilettos calls her name from a store window, she tries them on -- only to be swiftly transported back to the eighteenth century and flung aboard a turbulent ship sailing the Mediterranean

There, Seph is stunned to meet Phillip Drummond, an arrogant British pirate and the spitting image of Tom. Phillip has summoned her back in time to straighten out his complete mess of a life -- for he is the burly hero in the romance novel she someday hopes to write, and "she" is responsible for his destiny. But in the midst of turning things right so she can get back to reality, Seph starts to fall for the smolderingly sexy Phillip. And when Tom is thrown into the mix, she doesn't know what -- or who -- she wants. Seph soon realizes that spotting the perfect pair of shoes may be easy, but finding the perfect man can be a real trip.


With a blurb like that, how could I resist? Besides, I haven't read a time-travel romance in ages.

Good Haul at Goodwill

I was in the old hood recently, so thought I'd pop into the neighbourhood Goodwill to check out their book selection. They have even better prices than the Used Book Stores by 50% or more. I know I should be dedicated to buying *new*, but my budget just can't handle that. Plus, I've gotten a bit too comfortable in bringing back (new) books that haven't worked for me for a full refund. I always feel a little guilty when I do, and also feel like maybe the store is red-flagging my account. *g* But why should I get stuck with a lemon?

I should clarify that I usually know within the first 15 pages or so if I book is not going to work. Most times less pages than that, sometimes I push myself to read as much as the first 50 pages, rarely (as in I can't recall a single instance) that I've changed my mind. I don't always bring the book back. Sometimes I donate it to the book exchange at work (there's a bookshelf up in the company kitchen that you can drop books off, or pick one up, with 250 employees in this one location, that can work out to quite a selection. I've also taken to leaving the bloody books on the public transportation for the next rider to try their luck with. Anywho, the following books represent $137 retail, not including tax, or $26 including tax at Goodwill. If every single one of these books turn out to be DNFs, I'll be less disappointed than if I'd dropped close to $200 (with tax)on them at full retail price. If they turn out to be keepers, or books I'd recommend to others, I'll most likely buy the author's books new next time. If they turn to be just 'okay' reads, at least I won't have such a big mental negative about trying/buying their next book--which is how I feel now, when I return a book for refund. I just don't want to take the chance on them again, unless I hear amazing feedback on them. Even then, that might not overcome my reluctance, because I read mainly for voice. No amount of great plot! & character! is going to compensate for that.

Geez, did I get off topic or what? lol. Here are the books: