The  Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

When we last left Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, one of my favorite novels of 2009, they were on the outs.  When The Girl Who Played with Fire, Mikael didn’t understand why and Lisbeth has been spending time out of Sweden, especially in the Carribean.  Although they continue to think of each other, they both move on with their lives.  Mikael is involved in a large project at Millenium, which is focused on shedding life on the ugly underground world of sex trafficking.  Lisbeth, finally back in Sweden, has decided to get used to the money at her dispense.  She’s bought a beautiful condo and, after rekindling her mainly sexual relationship with Miriam Wu, she lets her stay in her old flat so that she can continue to receive mail at her old address.  It isn’t long, however, before circumstances surrounding the brutal murders of Nils Bjurman, Salandar’s corrupt legal guardian, and two of the people working with Blomkvist on the trafficking story make it impossible for the two to avoid each other.

This novel picks up the intensity of the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and never lets it go.  Lisbeth is an immediate target and is branded as a “psychotic lesbian SM satanist.”  Safe for a while in her new posh condo, she is forced out of hiding and into action when Miriam, living in her old apartment, is caught in the crossfire.  All of Sweden believes that Lisbeth is a serial killer except Mikael.  Given Lisbeth’s path and “all the evil” she has experienced, the reader is also kept guessing about so much.  It was another excellent novel to listen to on audio for all of these reasons.  Simon Vance is once against a consummate narrator, making the murders, the chase, and Lisbeth’s past come to life.

I loved this novel.  Lisbeth, breast implants and all, is such a complex and strong character.  She deals with hardship as it comes along and refuses to be mastered by it.  I love how her abusive childhood and all it entailed was translated from the Swedish to “all the evil.”  Such a simple phrase, but it conveys her situation to perfection.  With this second installment, I continue to be as entranced by Stieg Larsson’s Milleium trilogy.  I cannot wait until Reg Keeland’s English translation of the last book in the series is available in the United States next year.  The only thing stopping me from buying a copy of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest from overseas is the fact that I want to finish the series with Simon Vance.  This is a series I know I will revisit over the years, wondering what would have happened to Lisbeth and Mikael had Stieg Larsson lived long enough to finish this project, which was meant to continue on past the first three novels.

Other Voices:

Redlady’s Reading Room
S. Krishna’s Books
MYSTERIES in PARADISE
Crime Scraps
Reactions to Reading
Bailey’s and Books
Confessions of a Bibliophile ~ I had a great time talking to you about these books at lunch!

++++

With this review, I’ve finally posted about all of the books I read to complete my first R.I.P. challenge.  Thanks so much for the hosting this really fun challenge, Carl!

*****

I purchased the audio version of this book using my monthly credit from Audiobooks.

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest by Stieg Larsson, translated by Reg Keeland (guardian.co.uk)
• Stieg Larsson (telegraph.co.uk)
• The Millenium Trilogy (liveactivecultures.net)
• Peril the First ~ My First R.I.P. Challenge (literatehousewife.com)
• Stieg Larsson’s partner fights for share (guardian.co.uk)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Bod, although named Nobody Owens, isn’t a nobody.  Someone wants him dead.  The Man Jack killed his parents and sister one dark night.  Bod was just a toddler and narrowly escaped The Man Jack’s knife when he wandered off into the cemetery just across the way from his parent’s home.  It was highly unprecedented, but Mr. and Mrs. Owens, both ghosts who have already lived in the graveyard for many years, agree to adopt Bod when the ghost of his mother begs Mrs. Owens to care for him.  The graveyard as a whole did not agree to accept Bod and give him the freedom of the graveyard only after Silas also agrees to be his guardian.  Silas, unlike the ghosts inhabiting the cemetery, has access to the world outside of the graveyard and can ensure that Bod is fed and educated.  Thus begins Bod’s unconventional upbringing.  Despite the circumstances, Bod is a typical boy and that often gets him into trouble.  It is just that which teaches him what he needs to know to survive within and without the walls of the graveyard.

I had intended to read Neverwhere as my first Neil Gaiman novel, but when I found myself with a credit at Audible.com and noticed that the author himself narrated The Graveyard Book, I had to buy it.  Once it was on my MP3 player, I couldn’t stop myself from listening to it.  I couldn’t be more thrilled that book was my introduction.  It was alive in place and character.  I loved Bod, Silas, Mrs. Owens, Scarlett, and Liza.  I even enjoyed the less savory characters Bod meets along the way.  One of my favorite chapters was when he meets up with the ghouls.  I loved the imagination that went into creating their existence, their means of transportation, and their names: The Duke of Westminster, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Lord High Mayor of London, and The 33rd President of the United States (poor President Truman – I had to look that up because I had to know).  The dialog was equally delightful – not just with the ghouls, but with all of the characters.  While I’m sure that the dialog would have stood out if I had read the print version of this book, Gaiman is fantastic in his narration and really brought out the interplay and poetry in his prose.

I cannot say enough about this book.  I listened to it on audio as narrated by Neil Gaiman himself.  I listened to Bod’s story on my way to and from work and whenever I got a chance in between.  I was enthralled by the different worlds I got to explore along with Bod.  It really captured my imagination.  I looked forward to my time in the graveyard and was very impressed by the author’s narration.  In many ways, I think that made the experience for me.  To hear the accents of the ghouls, the Owens’, Silas, and Scarlett made them all come to life.  I have a print version of this novel as well and I found myself going to it to reread what I had heard that day and getting excited all over again.  The ending, in so many ways, was bittersweet for me.  I miss Bod, all of his friends, and all of the things to see and explore in his adoptive home.  I look forward to the day that my daughters are old enough to listen to this story along with me, not that I think I can wait that long to read The Graveyard Book again for myself.

To enter for a chance to win the prizes for this theme month, go to the Neverwhere and Beyond page and use the following code: N&B-R1.

*******

I read the audio version of this book through a purchase on Audible.com.

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• Neverwhere and Beyond: The Literate Housewife Discovers Neil Gaiman (literatehousewife.com)

Ruined: A Ghost Story by Paula Morris

Rebecca is a typical high school sophomore.  She is active in her school and is extremely upset and resentful when her father uproots her from her New York City home to live with a friend and her daughter in New Orleans.  She doesn’t understand why her father sends her to live with the woman she calls Aunt Claudia because they don’t know each other well.  New Orleans, especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, is small peanuts compared to NYC and Rebecca finds that she doesn’t fit in as well amidst the children sent to the Temple Mead Academy by New Orleans society families.  About the only thing that interests her about her surroundings is the Lafayette Cemetery.  When Aunt Claudia strictly forbids her from going there, she is determined to do just that.  It is there where she runs into her first friend, Lisette, who just happens to be a ghost.

I really enjoyed Ruined.  Despite part of the story being predictable, I grew to care for Rebecca and Lisette.  I wanted to know Lisette’s story and see what Rebecca would do  with it.  While I think that young adults may relate better to Rebecca than I did at first, I didn’t feel that this novel was directed specifically at younger readers.  There was  much to enjoy.  I found the information about New Orleans’ history and race relations, the role and place of the city’s grand and established families in modern society, and the background on the city’s Mardi Gras parades very interesting.  Most importantly, Rebecca and Lisette are interesting characters and strong at heart.  I was never scared while reading this book, but I was always entertained.  I would strongly suggest Rebecca and Lisette’s story to the young and the young at heart alike.

+++++

This is my third review for the R.I.P. Challenge.

*****

I want to thank Dina from Big Honcho Media for sending me an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel.

I have always thought of myself as someone who did not really get into books that would fall into the R.I.P. Challenge, because I think only of Supernatural, Horror, or Fantasy.  I was so wrong.  First of all, I have always loved Gothic fiction from the first time I ever picked up Poe.  That genre captures my imagination like no other.  I may not often read mysteries and suspenseful thrillers, but I get a hankering to read them every so often and I’m always glad when I did.

R.I.P. Recap

I read and reviewed the following books during September and October:

Her Fearful Symmetry – What really makes this one exciting for me is that my review was selected by Ms. Niffenegger‘s publicist as one of the top 10. I was sent a signed hard copy edition as a prize. I keep meaning to take a picture and post it. Hopefully I will remember to do that when I get home this weekend.
The Devil’s Company

I read the following books and hope to post my full reviews very soon (here is a brief synopsis, though):

The Girl Who Played with Fire - loved!
Ruined - pleasant, easy read
The Brother’s Boswell (mystery/suspense) – a tad boring
The Graveyard Book – adored and miss now that I’m finished with it!
The Secret Speech – predictable, yet not

While I may have missed the mark by not posting all of the reviews, I actually overshot the mark by reading six books for the challenge.  I want to thank Carl so much for hosting this event.  There were some wonderful prizes along the way, too.  Congratulations to all those who won.  I’m already looking forward to next year.  In fact, there are a few that I wanted to read for this year (Woman in White and The Historian) that I may try to read in November.

The Devil’s Company by David Liss

The Devil’s Company is the third in David Liss’ Benjamin Weaver series.  Weaver is a thief-take and former boxer of some repute in 18th century London.  In this installment, which was my first, we find Weaver at a loss when he discovers himself in a great deal of debt to one of his customers.  Not only did this customer, one Mr. Cobb, purposefully create this scenario to keep Weaver in his debt, he bought up the debts of Weaver’s beloved uncle, good friend, and acquaintance.  While Weaver did nothing to create this situation, he feels morally responsible for the detrimental financial impact this situation has caused.  He is forced, then, to accept an assignment he had previously turned down – to break into the highly guarded offices of the East India Company and steal documentation for an upcoming meeting.  Unfortunately, this isn’t the last of what Mr. Cobb requires and he keeps Weaver in the dark on his ultimate purposes.  In order to free himself and his friends and loved ones from Mr. Cobb’s grip, Weaver has to fight to keep Mr. Cobb happy while working behind the scenes to discover what he really wants and seek his revenge.

This novel was a breath of fresh air for me for this period of London’s history.  Other novels set in this same time and place, most recently The Brothers Boswell, have been dry and quite slow.  Liss’ story is not only fast paced and continually interesting, but the dialog, most specifically the banter between Weaver and his good friend, Elias, made this novel so enjoyable.  The style of speech and the relative formality of personal interactions felt authentic to the time period, but I had no difficulty putting myself in the same room or following along with the characters as they walked down the road.  While I can’t say that I would have wanted to live during that time, I feel as though I visited there.

The Devil’s Company is more than just a mystery with a scrappy hero.  It delves into the connections between big business and governmental power.  While the East India Company is a huge giant carrying a big stick doing what it can to keep its market share and put down any type of government interference, this novel discussed the relationship between a governments need for power and security and the wealth and stability of big multi-national companies.  It is interesting to think that you can bring down a world power by attacking its wealthiest private companies.  If those companies in turn treat the people as disposable waste, where should you hold your loyalty?

Having never read any of David Liss’ previous work, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  He is a talented writer who has created memorable and, most importantly, realistic characters.  I previously bought a copy of his novel The Coffee Trader as it takes place in Amsterdam.  I am eager to read it now because of the author.  I also want to read A Conspiracy of Paper and A Spectacle of Corruption, the first two novels in this series Benjamin Weaver is such a great character I want to read his complete back story.  With The Devil’s Company, I have found a new historical novelist that I love to explore.  What a gem is that?

++++++

Special thanks to LibraryThing and Random House for providing me a copy of this book.  I was lucky enough to snag it  through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program.

Access to the Early Reviewers program is just one of the many reasons why I use LibraryThing to catalog my books online.  You should check it out.

~~~~~~

This is my second review for the R.I.P. Challenge.

*******

To buy this novel, click here.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Before I begin…

I do not include spoilers in my reviews as a general rule.  I don’t say anything in this review that in and of itself is a spoiler, but I do touch on common themes between Her Fearful Symmetry and The Time Traveler’s Wife that might tell you more than you want to know about Her Fearful Symmetry going in.  Please don’t read my third paragraph if this would impact your reading of this novel.

My review…

Audrey Niffenegger’s second novel tells the story of two sets of twins a generation apart. Elspeth and Edie Noblin were identical twins living in London until, under mysterious circumstances surrounding Edie”s husband, they parted company never to see each other.  Edie has identical twin daughters as well.  When Elspeth dies, she leaves her flat and much of the remainder of her estate to Valentina and Julia, the nieces she never knew.  There were a couple of interesting conditions: they must live in the flat together for a year before they could sell it and their parents must never under any circumstances enter the flat.  Valentina and Julia were in their early 20s and didn’t know what they wanted to do with their lives.  Julia was the dominant twin and she convinced Valentina to move with her to London.  The separation from their parents and home in Chicago only heightened Valentina’s misgivings.   Will the move to London keep them close or tear them apart forever?

What makes this novel stand out for me is how rich it is in place and character.  Almost every place her characters spend time is painted in vivid detail. Even now, nearly a month after finishing this novel, I can see the dust on the piano in Elspeth’s apartment.  I can close my eyes and watch the animals scurrying around as Robert gives a tour through Highgate Cemetery.  I start to feel claustrophobic as I watch Julia walking through the piles of boxes on her way to Martin’s kitchen.  Martin’s apartment was a near perfect representation of his mind and the state of his life and relationships.  He is the creator of complicated crossword puzzles and life is falling apart because of the hold his OCD has taken over him. He most definitely would make sense out of life through patterns and counting.  He would go through the tasks of wrapping up and boxing those things that remind him of painful things yet keep those boxes close at hand.  The friendship he develops with Julia is among my favorite in a long time.

The Time Traveler’s Wife is one of the first books I reviewed on my blog.  It was also one of the most memorable.  I enjoyed it, but there were niggling things about it.  I can say much the same about Her Fearful Symmetry.  In The Time Traveler’s Wife, what bothered me the most was the inequity I perceived in Henry and Claire’s relationship.  Although it was not through Henry’s choice that he was able to travel through time, he did tell Claire as a young child that they would ultimately get married.  From that moment forward, Henry had the upper hand.  Henry could live his life as he pleased while he wasn’t traveling time while Claire knew her destiny before her adult life began.  Where is the choice in that?  Likewise, Her Fearful Symmetry also has a character with the upper hand in a familial relationship using otherworldly communication to manipulate someone she should love and protect at all costs to get what suits her needs.  As with Henry, whether the outcome was her intention all along is unclear.  That is what I find most thought-provoking.  At times this frustrates me like nothing else and at others it makes me want to pick the novel back up to see what I might have missed.

This is one of the most difficult reviews for me to write.  Her Fearful Symmetry does not deliver it’s ending to readers tied up in a neat bow.  There is so much to be unraveled and puzzled through.  On the one hand I loved and adored this novel. While it took me some time to warm up to the twins and Robert, I adored Martin almost instantly and found his character and his relationship with Julia beautiful.  On the other hand, the ending of the novel has been nagging at me since I finished it nearly four weeks ago.  I don’t feel at rest with it yet.  Perhaps I never will.  There is much to be explored and I am quite certain that many papers will be written about Elspeth, Julia, and Valentina.  I want nothing more than to study this novel with my favorite college professors.

++++++++

Scribner has some wonderful resources, such as a crossword puzzle you can download – I’ll warn you, it’s difficult.  They also have this video of Audrey Niffenegger:

Her Fearful Symmetry is also on Facebook!  Click here for links to reviews, more videos, author photos (very fun), and a chance to win either an ARC copy or a hardcover edition just by becoming a fan before October 1st.

+++++

This is my first review for the R.I.P. Challenge.

****
To buy this novel, click here.

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• Books of The Times: 2 Generations of Twins, a Family Secret and a Soul Unable to Rest in Peace (nytimes.com)
• Best Books of September: “Her Fearful Symmetry” by Audrey Niffenegger (omnivoracious.com)
• Her Fearful Symmetry (nytimesbooks.blogspot.com)

Ruined

The best part is that Big Honcho Media has offered to send a copy of Ruined to five of my lucky readers!  If you’re also participating in R.I.P. or you enjoy Young Adult fiction, you should enter this giveaway.  Giving away 5 copies is a first for The Literate Housewife Review and I’m really excited about it.  With six of us reading the book, I would like to coordinate a spooktastic conversation about the book on Twitter for as many of the winners as would like to participate.  It’s not a requirement to be entered in the contest, but I sure think it would be fun.

Would you be interested in reading this book along with me?  Here is the summary that Dina sent me:

When Rebecca Brown goes to New Orleans to stay with her voodoo-obsessed aunt, she finds the beautiful city haunted by the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Rebecca is also startled to discover a haunting of a different kind: near a graveyard one night, amid the Spanish moss and beneath the moonlight, she meets a ghost girl named Lisette, who has been dead for 150 years. Lisette helps Rebecca unearth an ancient mystery in her aunt’s house, along with some troubling historical truths. Meanwhile, Rebecca must juggle adjusting to her snooty new prep school, developing a serious crush on a handsome boy, and dealing with an elite group of popular girls who may be linked to the ghostly mystery themselves.

If that isn’t enough, check out this trailer.  In it Paula Morris discusses the inspiration for this novel.  Isn’t the idea that Katrina displaced ghosts interesting?  I think so.

The Giveaway

I’ve got my copy of the novel, so I’m eager to get this contest started!  To enter the contest, leave a comment here telling me what scares you the most.  Also let me know if you would be interested in participating in a Tweet Up at some point in October.

For two additional entries a piece, link to this contest using Twitter, Facebook, or your blog.  Just let me know so I can give you your extra entries.

This giveaway will open for two weeks.  I’ll draw the winners using List Randomizer and will announce them on Tuesday, September 22.  I’ll accept entries until Monday the 21st at 11:59 PM EST.

Good luck!

Carl is a most accommodating host.  Here are the rules:

“There are two simple goals to the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Challenge: Have fun reading and share that fun with others.”

You can join simply by agreeing to read one, two, or four books during the two months from among the following genres:

• Mystery
• Suspense
• Thriller
• Dark fantasy
• Gothic
• Horror
• Supernatural

When I jump, I jump the whole way, so I’m going to attempt Peril the First and read four books from within those categories.  Here are the books I’ll be choosing from:

I’m almost half way through Audrey Niffenegger’s second novel already and it’s very good.  One of the main characters is an historical London cemetary.  You can’t lose choosing this novel for your challenge.

I just started the audio book yesterday and I’m two hours in and loving it!  Lisbeth Salander, you are my hero!

I’m hoping to dust this baby off and enjoy some great, classic Gothic eariness!

The Devil’s Company is my latest LibraryThing Early Reviewer’s snag and I’ve been so wanting to read it.  I hadn’t realized that this book was part of a series, but I think I’ll be okay.  It’s getting some good reviews, so I think this will make for an excellent thriller.

Ruined by Paula Morris takes place in New Orleans and is sure to be mysterious and spooky.  Keep your eyes on The Literate Housewife Review because I will have an announcement about this book next week!  I’m really excited about it!

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe is another Gothic classic that was suggested to me early last year.

I won The Historian in one of Devourer of Books‘ first ever contests and I really, really want and need to read it.  Just the darn cover is spooky.

Okay, I think that gives me enough to work with, don’t you?  Have you joined in the R.I.P. IV challenge?  What is the spookiest book you’ve ever read?