The day before flying to Italy, I made a stop -- one of many -- at Target to pick up a new book to read. I have a couple other series that I could read, but I decided to grab a different one (since Luke is going to read Night Angel trilogy).
After refering to my list of books to read, the most likely candidated seemed to be The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. So I grabbed it at Target the day before and then started reading it on the plane on the way over.
I watched a movie on the plane to Amsterdam but once that movie was finished, I started reading the book. And I couldn't put the damn thing down. It gripped me right from the beginning.
My mother-in-law had sort of described the books to me, specifically the character of Lisbeth Salander. And I was intrigued. But I didn't quite know what to expect. Stieg Larsson writes so well. I sort of wish I spoke Swedish so I could read the original text because what I read was traslated from Swedish to English and some spots felt ... off.
Translation issues aside, the book was just fantastic. I read it each night while we were in Italy (except one night where I was just too damn tired, I fell asleep after taking a shower, and Luke said he was cuddling with me and I don't remember that at all).
The prose, the flow, the plot, the character development. It was all superb. I wish I'd bought the next two and brought them along because I finished the first one on the plane on the way back to JFK and tried reading this other book I'd brougt with and it wasn't very good.
I'm enthralled with Lisbeth's character. And I also very much Blomkvist's character too. They're relationship dynamic is extremely entertaining, regardless of how awkward they are together.
Anyway, great book, so glad I finally picked it up. I'm already a couple chapters in to the 2nd book and it's quite interesting.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
A Storm of Swords
So I finished A Storm of Swords a couple weeks ago. Yeah, about a week before leaving for Italy, I finally managed through the little I had left.
A lot happens; of the first three books in this series, the third is easily the best. There are frustrating deaths and oh so rewarding deaths. Several of each, in fact. And I don't really remember a slow part in the entire book. I was pretty engaged for all 1150 pages.
Still, that's a lot of reading and it took me a couple months. And now that I'm finished with it, I'm taking a break from the series for a while to get some other books in. Yes, I suppose I like this series. But I'm finding the t.v. show far more entertaining.
Martin, while a superb writer, with amazing details and gripping plot, lacks one word in his vocabulary: brevity. The guy even talks in circles. I've watched a couple interviews with him and while nothing he says is ever redundant or needlessly filling the space, he still could be far more brief. The books suffer from this problem overall.
Each book has had actually two major plot points come to pass. The first book was Robert's death. That could have been the end of the first book. Book two could have been Ned's death. Book three could have been somewhere half way in to book two (I don't remember what major even happened in book two, Jon going over to the Wildlings, killing the Halfhand?) and then I don't even remember how book 2 ended but whatever that was could be book 4, book 5 could have wrapped up with the RW, and then book Tyrion popping a crossbow bolt through Tywin's intenstins for the end of book six.
That might have made for easier reading. At least, I feel as though I've read six books as opposed to just three. Technically, and on average, 3000 pages worth of paperback content is six books, not three. So there's that ...
Anyway, Song of Ice and Fire is going on the shelf for now. Going to read a few other things before I get back to it.
A lot happens; of the first three books in this series, the third is easily the best. There are frustrating deaths and oh so rewarding deaths. Several of each, in fact. And I don't really remember a slow part in the entire book. I was pretty engaged for all 1150 pages.
Still, that's a lot of reading and it took me a couple months. And now that I'm finished with it, I'm taking a break from the series for a while to get some other books in. Yes, I suppose I like this series. But I'm finding the t.v. show far more entertaining.
Martin, while a superb writer, with amazing details and gripping plot, lacks one word in his vocabulary: brevity. The guy even talks in circles. I've watched a couple interviews with him and while nothing he says is ever redundant or needlessly filling the space, he still could be far more brief. The books suffer from this problem overall.
Each book has had actually two major plot points come to pass. The first book was Robert's death. That could have been the end of the first book. Book two could have been Ned's death. Book three could have been somewhere half way in to book two (I don't remember what major even happened in book two, Jon going over to the Wildlings, killing the Halfhand?) and then I don't even remember how book 2 ended but whatever that was could be book 4, book 5 could have wrapped up with the RW, and then book Tyrion popping a crossbow bolt through Tywin's intenstins for the end of book six.
That might have made for easier reading. At least, I feel as though I've read six books as opposed to just three. Technically, and on average, 3000 pages worth of paperback content is six books, not three. So there's that ...
Anyway, Song of Ice and Fire is going on the shelf for now. Going to read a few other things before I get back to it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)