Big Book Read #14

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Twenty pages into this book I wasn't sure if I'd continue. I'm not generally a 'thriller' type of girl and this one has a whole of of business talk in it, at least at the beginning. I stuck it out though and I'm very glad I did.

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist has just been convicted of libel and sentenced to three months in prison. Before his sentence is to be carried out he has taken a job for the aging businessman Henrik Vanger. For one year Blomkvist will dig deep through the family records and police reports to solve the 40-year old mystery of Vanger's niece Harriet's death.

Meanwhile, hacker extraordinaire Lisbeth Salander (the title character) becomes involved in the secret investigation when Blomkvist realizes he needs her expertise. She is a mysterious and obviously troubled character and various episodes of her life are revealed throughout the book.

The original title for this novel was Men Who Hate Women and to me that seems more fitting. This book is just as much about Blomkvist as it is about Lisbeth Salander and the theme running through the book is very much in line with the original title. Yes, Lisbeth is the girl with the dragon tattoo, but what has made her the person she is at the start (and end) of this book has much more to do with the abuse she suffered at the hands of men. Together, she and Blomkvist, who seems to be the first man she can truly trust, uncover the Vanger family secret. And it's a doozy.

Big Book Read #13

American Gods by Neil Gaiman


This book is full of awesome. I could probably just end the review here and be completely satisfied but those silly Big Book Read rules require me to give you at least three paragraphs. So, here goes...

Shadow has recently been released from prison and become a widower. He meets the mysterious Wednesday while on his journey home and agrees to work for the man; despite not knowing who he really is or what he really does for a living.

What follows is one man's very strange trip through the myths and legends that have been absorbed into the American landscape and psyche. Gaiman depicts a sort of "alternate" American midwest and it is fantastic yet real and familiar yet terrifyingly strange all at the same time.

In this novel the ancient gods brought to North America by immigrants and travelers are at war with new indigenous gods. These new gods are everywhere. They are the gods of credit cards, television and cell phones and poor Shadow can't seem to take two steps without running into one of them.

There is a lot going on in this book, but the main story revolves around Shadow's road trip through America. The heart of the story is decidedly human and many moments see the bickering gods pushed to the side and we get to see this strange and beautiful America through Neil Gaiman's eyes.

Read it.

Big Book Read #12

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

Death has decided to quit the whole death business and poor old (and dead) Windle Poons and company are left to deal with their second attempts at life. Some strange things are cropping up (and flying about) in Ankh-Morpork and it’s up to the Fresh Start Club to save the living. Meanwhile, Death has found a new job as a real reaper for Miss Flitworth and discovers just how interesting life can be.

This book was funny and strange, just what I like. However, it wasn’t perfect. There were moments, especially towards the end that were a big confusing during a big action sequence. But, overall this was an excellent read. Pratchett is humorous, silly and witty. I’m planning on adding many more Discworld books to my library.

This was my first Terry Pratchett book and I think it was an excellent introduction. He’s well-known as arguably the best parodist working today and I can see how he got that distinction.

Big Book Read #11

Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson

Much like after reading Stephen Fry’s memoir, I wasn’t quite done with Mr. Ferguson after finishing his memoir American on Purpose. I had heard he had written a rather well-received novel several years ago so I headed out to the giant used bookstore near the house and snagged a copy of Between the Bridge and the River.

The novel follows Fraser, a phony televangelist from Scotland and his childhood friend George who is terminally ill and determined to kill himself, Leon and Saul, two morally and sexually perverted brothers and….Carl Jung. Yes, Carl Jung.

Ferguson rips on the media, religion and pop culture with a truly twisted sense of humor. This book was hilarious, sad, profane, surreal and very, very strange. I loved it.

Big Book Read #10

Rapture Ready: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture by Daniel Radosh

Rapture Ready follows author Daniel Radosh on various adventures within the diverse and somewhat misunderstood world of Christian pop culture. What follows is a humorous and insightful look through the eyes of a secular outsider (Radosh describes himself as a humanistic Jew) that is light on mockery and heavy on what I would call an amused understanding. Radosh does not generally speak only with the weirdos (unlike Bill Maher in ‘Religulous’) but also with perfectly normal people. His goal is not to humiliate but to understand. He is honestly curious.

Radosh visits a Christian music festival (where the amount of times a band prays during their set determines how popular they are), a Christian wrestling match, hangs out with Bibleman, goes undercover to take park in a gigantic passion play, and wades through a warehouse full of “Jesus Junk” (Tchotchkes and knickknacks. Think bobblehead Jesus, purity rings, Salvation Challenge board game, etc.). He tries to understand that whole “Left Behind” series (I’m still trying to figure that one out…), learns just how much money Christian bookstores make, listens to a little Christian comedy and walks through a “Hell House” (I won’t even go into how disturbing those things are. Google it.).

Rapture Ready is an insightful, slightly snarky introduction to Christian pop culture. It doesn’t sanitize but looks at it honestly and with humor. Because Radosh is coming into this Christian bubble from the outside I believe he’s best suited to write about the topic. To quote another review:

“One of the pieces of advice you're often given when getting ready to sell your house is to have someone who's never been there come to walk through & look for all the things that need fixing or repainting. There's a reason - you've lived there for so long that you've become used to the imperfections, blemishes & outright broken stuff. Mr. Radosh's book that does just that for Christian pop culture (primarily evangelical pop culture).”

I’d recommend this book for people, like me, who did not grow up in the world of Christian pop culture and for anyone interested in reading about it with a fresh pair of eyes.

The Big Move

So, I'm incredibly behind in my reviewing but I assure you all I am reading, reading, reading. I've finished a few books but haven't had time to review them. Upcoming reviews:

Rapture Ready by Daniel Radosh
Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
The Fourth Part of the World by Toby Lester
The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller

Yeah, yeah. I'm REALLY behind. But I have a good reason. We're moving!! In just a few days we'll be settled back where we belong. Boston. Ah, it feels good to be going back.

Big Book Read #9

Stephen Fry in America by Stephen Fry

309 Pages

After finishing his memoir Moab is My Washpot, I guess I was in the mood for a little more Fry. So, I quickly plowed through his book Stephen Fry in America, the companion book to his BBC Special (also airing on PBS apparently). From September 2007 to May 2008 Fry traveled to every state in the Union. Yep, all 50. I only know two people that have done that, my grandparents. I myself have only been to about eleven, and ten of those are on the east coast. I was interested in this book not only because I’m curious about the states but also because Fry is British (some say the quintessential Briton) and it would be interesting to read about my own country through the eyes of a foreigner.

I of course was very interested to read about his visit to my state of New Hampshire. I was very disappointed. Not because he wrote negatively about it but because he unfortunately went there during the lead up to the Primary and spent all his time following someone from the Mitt Romney campaign around. Although he did manage a trip to the top of Mt. Washington on a gorgeously clear day, which is something I have not even done.

Overall his trip through the states was highly entertaining and quite informative. It certainly made me more interested in visiting some of the states in which I had no previous interest (I’m looking at you Utah). The best thing about this book is that I bought it from a book merchant in the UK, so it has British English spellings and is geared towards the British reader so there were many explanations on proper pronunciation and size comparisons (Alaska can hold thirteen Englands!).

There were just a few things that needled me about the book. Being from New England I was not pleased with Mr. Fry when he stated that there are seven states in New England. I found myself rather disturbed by this mistake and said out loud to my husband, “He better not be including NEW YORK in the count! Ugh!” I then made a plan to write a very stern, yet polite tweet to the man informing him that New England has only six states and that even Connecticut is only included out of courtesy.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes travel writing. It’s funny, informative and is full of beautiful pictures of this beautiful country. It has certainly increased my feelings of Wanderlust (something which I did not think was possible) and I am determined to embark on my very own American road trip soon…well, someday.