I promised, and this is the result.
I told you that I would try and update more often and, by golly, that's what I'm going to do. So let me start working on the last of the books that I read in 2010. I'll do it a few books on one post and post every few days or so because I don't want to spam everyone's friend's page. :D
Title: When Mommy Went on Strike by Jamie Sewell
Rating: 2/5
Pages: 28
Genre: Children's Lit
Summary (off Goodreads): One mother becomes so tired and frustrated with her children and their lack of motivation to clean up after themselves. She is determined to change the behavior of her children. After repeated attempts of asking them to help out doesn't work, she decides to go on strike and not clean a single thing. Soon the house is a mess and nothing is getting done. Find out if mom's strike helps her family learn the values of teamwork and taking responsibility.
Review: This was another one I got as a first reads winner but it easily fell into the category of books I wasn't impressed with. Maybe that's because I have a teacher as a roommate but really, the book did not hold a candle to many other children's books that I've read.
The pictures, while bright and very colorful, were very simplistic. They were almost cheaply done. It's as if the artist was hoping that the colors would distract the reader from how poor the illustrations actually were.
...moreThis was another one I got as a first reads winner but it easily fell into the category of books I wasn't impressed with. Maybe that's because I have a teacher as a roommate but really, the book did not hold a candle to many other children's books that I've read.
The pictures, while bright and very colorful, were very simplistic. They were almost cheaply done. It's as if the artist was hoping that the colors would distract the reader from how poor the illustrations actually were.
The message of the book was also beaten over your head and so unrealistic. What father never helps his wife do anything? And what children learn their mistakes so quickly? I find it hard to believe that one or two days of Mom not doing her chores would make these kids turn their act around in a heart beat.
The rhyme scheme was also a little off. There were a number of places that Sewell couldn't quite fit what she wanted to say into her rhyming, throwing off the pattern, a pattern that was a little awkward to begin with. It doesn't let kids make any sort of inference, just tells them "This is wrong; you shouldn't do it."
Over all, I wasn't impressed with the book. A lot could have been done with it to make it humorous or educational or fun and I didn't really see any of that happening in this book.
Title: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 480
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Summary (off Goodreads): It's about the disappearance forty years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden . . . and about her octogenarian uncle, determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder.
It's about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet's disappearance . . . and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age--and a terrifying capacity for ruthlessness to go with it--who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism--and an unexpected connection between themselves.
Review: This isn't my usual type of book. I'm much more of a YA literature type of girl but I don't read a lot a mystery books. They're just not my cup of tea so when so many people recommended The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I was a little skeptical. However, I'm glad that I decided to read it because Larsson delivered.
Lisbeth Salendar is not your usual protagonist. She's very socially awkward but she's a genius. She's probably supposed to be autistic, though Larsson never comes out and says it. She's very mathematically genius but has absolutely no social cues. She's also very good at finding anything and everything about people, which is how she lands her job at Milton Security.
Mikael Blomkvist is a reporter who is hiding from a bad story. So he takes on a job for Henrik Vagner to pass the time and the year off that he's taking from his magazine, Millinium. He has to solve the mystery of Harriet Vagner's disappearance. It's this mystery that brings Blomkvist and Salendar together.
Larsson actually keeps you on your toes for most of the book. You're constantly questioning who is involved and, to top it all off, Blomkvist is solving his own mystery on the side, clearing his name. But you don't get torn between the two mysteries, just involved in them both and interested in them both.
This book was also surprising gory. It's not a book that holds itself back or is afraid to push the envelope, which I really liked about it. It had sex and drama and cursing and all the things that the world thinks is taboo and it made the book a good book. They were hunting down a sadistic monster and the book wouldn't have been the same if the bad guy hadn't been that way.
The only thing that's hard about this book is that, as an American reader, it was really hard to follow a lot of the names and politics. I'm not sure if it's easier as a Swedish reader. The beginning dragged a little because it was kind of all over the place in the explanations but that might have been a cultural boundary on my part.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery or thrillers. It will certainly keep you interested but be warned; it's not for the feint of heart or the squeamish.
Well, there's some at least! Be back in a few days!
Title: When Mommy Went on Strike by Jamie Sewell
Rating: 2/5
Pages: 28
Genre: Children's Lit
Summary (off Goodreads): One mother becomes so tired and frustrated with her children and their lack of motivation to clean up after themselves. She is determined to change the behavior of her children. After repeated attempts of asking them to help out doesn't work, she decides to go on strike and not clean a single thing. Soon the house is a mess and nothing is getting done. Find out if mom's strike helps her family learn the values of teamwork and taking responsibility.
Review: This was another one I got as a first reads winner but it easily fell into the category of books I wasn't impressed with. Maybe that's because I have a teacher as a roommate but really, the book did not hold a candle to many other children's books that I've read.
The pictures, while bright and very colorful, were very simplistic. They were almost cheaply done. It's as if the artist was hoping that the colors would distract the reader from how poor the illustrations actually were.
...moreThis was another one I got as a first reads winner but it easily fell into the category of books I wasn't impressed with. Maybe that's because I have a teacher as a roommate but really, the book did not hold a candle to many other children's books that I've read.
The pictures, while bright and very colorful, were very simplistic. They were almost cheaply done. It's as if the artist was hoping that the colors would distract the reader from how poor the illustrations actually were.
The message of the book was also beaten over your head and so unrealistic. What father never helps his wife do anything? And what children learn their mistakes so quickly? I find it hard to believe that one or two days of Mom not doing her chores would make these kids turn their act around in a heart beat.
The rhyme scheme was also a little off. There were a number of places that Sewell couldn't quite fit what she wanted to say into her rhyming, throwing off the pattern, a pattern that was a little awkward to begin with. It doesn't let kids make any sort of inference, just tells them "This is wrong; you shouldn't do it."
Over all, I wasn't impressed with the book. A lot could have been done with it to make it humorous or educational or fun and I didn't really see any of that happening in this book.
Title: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 480
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Summary (off Goodreads): It's about the disappearance forty years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden . . . and about her octogenarian uncle, determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder.
It's about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet's disappearance . . . and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age--and a terrifying capacity for ruthlessness to go with it--who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism--and an unexpected connection between themselves.
Review: This isn't my usual type of book. I'm much more of a YA literature type of girl but I don't read a lot a mystery books. They're just not my cup of tea so when so many people recommended The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I was a little skeptical. However, I'm glad that I decided to read it because Larsson delivered.
Lisbeth Salendar is not your usual protagonist. She's very socially awkward but she's a genius. She's probably supposed to be autistic, though Larsson never comes out and says it. She's very mathematically genius but has absolutely no social cues. She's also very good at finding anything and everything about people, which is how she lands her job at Milton Security.
Mikael Blomkvist is a reporter who is hiding from a bad story. So he takes on a job for Henrik Vagner to pass the time and the year off that he's taking from his magazine, Millinium. He has to solve the mystery of Harriet Vagner's disappearance. It's this mystery that brings Blomkvist and Salendar together.
Larsson actually keeps you on your toes for most of the book. You're constantly questioning who is involved and, to top it all off, Blomkvist is solving his own mystery on the side, clearing his name. But you don't get torn between the two mysteries, just involved in them both and interested in them both.
This book was also surprising gory. It's not a book that holds itself back or is afraid to push the envelope, which I really liked about it. It had sex and drama and cursing and all the things that the world thinks is taboo and it made the book a good book. They were hunting down a sadistic monster and the book wouldn't have been the same if the bad guy hadn't been that way.
The only thing that's hard about this book is that, as an American reader, it was really hard to follow a lot of the names and politics. I'm not sure if it's easier as a Swedish reader. The beginning dragged a little because it was kind of all over the place in the explanations but that might have been a cultural boundary on my part.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery or thrillers. It will certainly keep you interested but be warned; it's not for the feint of heart or the squeamish.
Well, there's some at least! Be back in a few days!