As always, I was in a rush (and slightly uninspired) so I asked the guy if there was anything he could recommend that my husband would like. This dude knows his books and he knows me, so it’s always a pleasure to get his guidance. He pulls out “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson and says I know this is a bit of a girly cover, but trust me, it’s really brilliant and your husband will like it.
OK I’ll give it a go I say. (This was before the movie made the headlines by the way.)
Steve gets it, says a dubious thanks, and it sits on a shelf for months. Then he starts reading it, loving it and says you’re going to really enjoy this babe. Cool can’t wait for you to finish it. And a month later, how are you going with that book? Still going but it’s so great – you’ll love it! Cool, can’t wait.
But wait I did (two months in all) and finally he handed it over. As with all of my reading, I ripped through it – fascinating, gripping and so lovely to read a story based in Sweden – a country I actually haven’t been to, but is definitely on my list of ‘will get there for sure.’ The characters are fantastic too – believable and utterly intriguing.
Unfortunately, Steve got onto the second and third book before me (which is only right) and what would’ve taken me a couple of weeks, extended over months, as I impatiently waited for my beloved husband to finish reading them. By the third book, I was actually stealing it and reading what I could while he wasn’t reading it. But as he travels a fair bit, it was extremely annoying not being able to just get through it as quickly as I wanted to. Luckily, I always have dozens of books on hand to read.
Trust me, if you are up for a great yarn, with interesting characters, great plots, perspectives on Sweden you probably don’t already have, as well as some pretty interesting insight into the human psyche, I can definitely recommend “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and the following two books in the series – “The Girl Who Played with Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest”. Read them in order though or you’ll regret it.
Now should I see the movie?
Yours, without the bollocks
Andrea
