The Girl Who Played With Fire

Daily Dhamma Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations. Don't over-analyse your relationships. Stop playing games. A growing relationship can only be nurtured by genuineness. ~Leo F. Buscaglia Twelve in Twelve The Challenge: Read 12 books of 200 pages or more in 12 months. That's one book per month. The Timeframe: January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. The Reason: Studies have shown that reading helps keep your mind healthy and active. The mind you save may be your own. Books I've Read So Far: ~January~ Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows ~February~ The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

The second book of Stieg Larsson's trilogy surrounding Lisbeth Salander was a bit of a slog for me. I enjoyed The Girl Who Played With Fire enough to finish it, but there were portions of the book that were tedious and repetitious. The central character of the trilogy is compelling. She is at once vulnerable and lethal. A brilliant girl who suffered horribly at the hands of her father and then the clandestine system that did all that it could to keep her quiet.

I know I'm late to this dance. Most people who enjoyed these books, enjoyed them last year or the year before, but I'm always a bit late when it comes to reading. In fact, I watched the Swedish version of these books in film first. Rarely have I said this, but I did like the films better. They were abbreviated versions of the books, that grabbed the important details of the story line, but left out much of the extraneous detail. I highly recommend the movie versions and give a thumbs up to the books also for those who like intricate plots and diabolical characters.

I will read the last of the books at some point, but I'm turning to something different for awhile.

People who treat other people as less than human must not be surprised when the bread they have cast on the waters comes floating back to them, poisoned. ~ James Baldwin