The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

After reading Ice Station, I was looking forward to reading more fast and pacy books, but not by the same author. Then my friend suggested that I take up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Though it is not an action thriller, it comes under the genre of crime fiction, which is pretty close.

Michael Blomkvist is a financial journalist and co-owner of a magazine, Millenium. He has been convicted of libel against renowned industrialist, Hans Erik Wennerstron. Though Michael is convinced that Wennerstrom has swindled money from the government, he is unable to prove it. He resigns from his role at Millenium.

Henrik Vanger is the head of the dynastic Vanger Dynasty. He is 82 years old and has been tormented for 40 years by the disappearance of his grand niece, Harriet who was supposed to head the Vanger Corporation. He believes that she has been murdered and is convinced that some  member of  his family is the murderer.

Lisbeth Salander works for a security agency and has a photographic memory. She is a genius computer hacker. She has her own way of dealing with people and shows a strange lack of emotional attachment.

Henrik Vanger hires Mikael to investigate the murder of his grand niece. Lisbeth joins him mid way through the investigation. Will they be able to uncover the truth which has been hidden for almost 40 years?

Unlike Ice Station, where the characters lacked depth, a good 250 pages of the novel are devoted to the characterization of Michael, Henrik, Lisbeth and a few more members of the Vanger family. I see this as a smart move by the author, Stieg Larsson, since this is the first novel in a trilogy and Mikael and Lisbeth are the main characters in the other two books also.

The plot slowly begins to unravel after 250 pages. If you are the impatient type (like me), who can’t wait that long for the story to begin, I would still advise you to wait. Because the plot was worth waiting for. And once Michael delves deeper into the mystery of Harriet’s disappearance, there is no looking back. The novel becomes gripping and the ending is completely unexpected and takes you by surprise.

I felt that the first part of the book was too long and could have easily been trimmed by at least 50 pages. But having said that, I found that the book had all the aspects of a good crime novel. A very good read. I am looking forward to read the sequels.

P.S: Some of the crime descriptions in this book are dark and slightly graphic. I would not recommend it to people who are uncomfortable with vivid descriptions of crime.

Ice Station

I have read all the books by Dan Brown and found most of his books impossible to put down. His books are page turners. Even though his books are at least 600 pages each, I have always found them impossible to put down once I have started reading them. I usually end up lapping up each of his books in maximum 3 days flat (often annoying my mother so much that she sometimes grabs the book away from my hands)

Now before you wonder if Dan Brown wrote a novel which you people may have missed, let me tell you Ice Station is a novel by an Australian author, Matthew Reilly. If Dan Brown’s novels can be called page turners, then I can call the Ice Station as a page skipper. In many places, I found myself impatiently skipping one page or two to read what is happening in the plot. Nail biting suspense takes a new meaning in this book. Each page has a new twist, a new plot. The feeling of reading this book was akin to watching a suspense thriller at the edge of a seat in a theater.

Synopsis: Scientists at the Wilkes Ice station in Antarctica have made an incredible discovery. Buried beneath layers of ice, is a discovery of immense value and potential. Lieutenant Shane Schofield (Scarecrow) and his team of marines (12 in all) arrive at the station to secure the discovery till the arrival of a larger US troop. There are ruthless military forces from France and England who will go to any extent to secure this discovery for their respective nations. Besides dealing with them, Scarecrow and his team also have to deal with the many challenges of the freezing weather and dangerous sea animals. They also have to identify and eliminate the traitors in their own team who are hell bent on eliminating all the people who know about this discovery.

I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a riveting, light and entertaining read. The language is easy and most of the technical devices used (military weapons, aircraft) have all been explained clearly so that it would form a picture in your mind as you read. This is something which I appreciate about the author.

Scarecrow comes across at a very intelligent, brave man. He cares about his team and makes a good leader. His team members respect his judgement.  Other than Scarecrow and Fox, most of the characters lack depth. But I would not take it as a serious negative,  since the book is an action thriller.

A Hollywood movie based on this book (with the right screenplay and direction) would do very well at the box office 😉

Marley and me

Marley and me is a book which I have been meaning to read for a very long time, but never had the chance to do it. I picked up this book over the weekend and was glad I did.

Marley and me is a memoir written by John Grogan about his pet Labrador Retriever, Marley. This book recounts Marley’s life and adventures (misadventures) through the 13 years of his life that he lived with the Grogan family. John and his wife, Jenny are a newly married couple who are contemplating having children. Being ardent dog lovers, they get Marley home to see how they are able to handle a dependent living being amidst their busy schedules. And what a responsibility it turns out to be!! Marley is a hyperactive, naughty and disobedient pet, possibly suffering from a mental illness. How he becomes an inseparable part of their family and remains a model of steadfast devotion through thick and thin is what forms the core of this book.

Most of the chapters in this book form a light and humorous read, but the chapters towards the end are poignant and made me cry my lungs out. John Grogan must have really loved his pet, because not once did I feel that this book was about John and Jenny. It is a book about Marley. The author has very nicely interwoven incidents from his life with snippets from his dog’s life and the book makes an interesting read.

Usually I watch films based on books only after I have read the book. This book was an exception. I had already watched the film, Marley and me before I started reading the book. So I was able to visualize many scenes as I read the book. I am glad that I watched the film, before I read the book, since the film is heavily inspired by the book.

The film stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as the lead pair and the chemistry between them was one of the highlights of the film. Like the book, the film also manages to strike a chord with the audience and I felt it was very well made.

Some lines from the book which I liked:

We could have bought a small yacht with what we spent on our dog and all the things he destroyed. Then again, how many yachts wait by the door all day for your return? How many live for the moment they can climb in your lap or ride down the hill with you on a toboggan, licking your face?

I was figuring out, the destination was less important than the journey.

Marley reminded me of life’s brevity, of its fleeting joys and missed opportunities. He reminded me that each of us gets just one shot at the gold, with no replays.

A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbols mean nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog dosen’t care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his.

Marley taught us the art of unqualified love. How to give it, how to accept it.