From beginning to end this novel was very well written and flowed so effortlessly. Emma and Dexter are such lovable characters with realistic and humbling flaws. It was impossible to not to love this book. Best friends falling in love is a popular theme (I’m watching Made of Honor while I type this review), but that’s because almost everyone I know has some form of friendship like this. What was really beautiful about this book was that it wasn’t a dopey romantic tale, it was realistic and frustrating.I definitely recommend it.
It’s taken me quite awhile to read the whole series and there were certainly points where I was frustrated and annoyed with Larsson’s tale and his writing style. I’m never quite sure if something was lost in translation. Now that I’ve finished, I must say that I’m glad I read it all. It perfectly came together and entertained me. This book on it’s own moved at exactly the right pace and was solid.
I wrote a blog post over on The Simple Sisters about getting back into the swing of things. My big project at work derailed all kinds of aspects of my life. So I’m trying to get back on track. Go check it out!
Keris Stainton delivers another very fun novel with lovable characters and young romance that is just irresistible. What is especially nice about this book is that it was written in third person and from the perspective of both Jessie and Finn, who somehow in a city so large find each other. So often YA fiction or women’s fiction is written in first person from the female’s perspective. I LOVE to hear the guy’s side. Love it. I loved how this tale was spun and how she set up their romance. I also appreciated the exploration of a mother-daughter relationship. I’ve been Jessie. I sometimes am still Jessie when it comes to my relationship with my own ‘mum.’ There are a lot of layers to this tale, and I recommend it if you’re looking for a delightful summer book.
Every now and again, I love to do a favorite things post. It’s mostly just some random bits that don’t really qualify as their own blog post. Here goes…
Staycations
That expression is really overused these days, but that doesn’t mean the idea isn’t a good one. If I can’t go to some extravagant place, does that mean I shouldn’t take time off to relax? We had a three day weekend naturally and I tacked on two more days for good measure. Five days off sure is nice and I’ve had a good time thus far. I’ve seen some movies, had some nice family moments, got a new car stereo, read a book, played tennis, bought some golf stuff, grilled out and been out to eat. I have one more day left and I’m going to spend it chatting with my friend Nancy (who lives in Vancouver) as we watch The Vampire Diaries.
Reading
Can’t you tell from my previous posts? Ever since I finished by big project I’ve been a reading fiend. I’ve been loving it. I know that I go through these phases, but it’s definitely on my list of favorite things at the moment. I just finished The Girl Who Played with Fire today and started up the third book in that series. On Thursday, I’m looking forward to the Kindle release of Jessie <3 NYC by my twitter buddy Keris Stainton.
Check it out:
Mysteries
Not just in books but on TV. Summer television is so dull. So I’ve been watching Agatha Christie TV movies like Poirot and Miss Marple. I love those so.
Poirot!
Hats
Silly, I know, but as I get older I just can’t deal with the sun. While looking at Golf stuff one night, I found this hilariously big lovely visor. I think I’ll wear it for playing golf mostly, or maybe if I got to the pool. But yeah, the little old lady in me relished the moment I made this purchase.
The Swell Season
This is nothing new, but I did get their concert DVD from Amazon. One of my favorite things to purchase is concert DVDs, yet I often forget to look for them. I spend so much time listening to music and it’s acquired so easily these days, that I honestly forget that they exist. So silly of me. I was feeling blue the other night that I haven’t been able to catch them live, and then it occurred to me… check to see if they have a DVD. Sure enough. Maybe one day Sufjan will make a DVD. That sure would be nice. Anyway, I’m watching it now and I love it. Here’s a clip of one of my favorite songs right now, “Drown Out.”
Thanks for playing along. What are some of your favorite things right now?
I find Larsson’s work terribly frustrating at times. Frustrating because it can be oh so annoying and then suddenly become oh so good. There were times when I could not deal with the text. To me he seemed obsessed with rape. It’s a theme that he overused in this book. Even a word that he overused. His word choice in general made me raise an eyebrow at times. I get what he was trying to do, and that he was conveying the opinions of his characters, but dyke and whore were so overused that I was beginning to see red.
His exposition of characters was weak and too detailed. I wasn’t ever sure if the details I had to pore through would have any relevance later at or not. Turns out that most of the time it did help the reader understand a motive, but I couldn’t help but think that characters were developed only to help the plot.
In The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it took about 100 pages to really get into the work. This time it took 200 pages. That’s a lot to ask.
However, in the end I will say it was definitely worth it. The last half of this book is a really fun read, full of suspense and moments where I was holding my breath. I really couldn’t put it down and even wanted to scrap my Independence Day plans to stay in and read. He does, in fact, connects all the dots. So if you’re reading this book and you’re struggling with the first half, know that it’s all worth it in the end.
Wow! I had no idea what I was getting into with this book because my friend loaned it to me last night with no dust jacket, so therefore no summary or selling point. All I knew was the title. I chose not to look it up or find out more about, I just dove in. That’s the first time in my entire reading life that I have ever done that. And sure enough, I was sucked in and I finished it in a day. Such a pleasure to read and really adorable. Great inner thoughts by Anna and Etienne was to die for. I highly recommend for a light summer read.
Hi! I'm Rochelle. Welcome to my blog. This is a space that’s almost like a scrapbook, a little bit of a rant room, a gallery of creative work, and a dash of nonsense. My life is not terribly exciting but I have a lot of creative energy that’s got to be focused somewhere.
