what are you reading? archive
Edited Jun 14, 2010 8:44 am
don't we have a thread for this already?
(2953 previous messages)insomniac - Jun 4, 2010 11:00 am (#2954 of 2969)
the movie i saw was in swedish, english subtitles...
- Jun 4, 2010 12:31 pm (#2955 of 2969)
I read the book recently, and I kinda thought it was...well...a bit "meh". It had some good stuff in it, but it certainly wasn't the best mystery I've ever read. It was...okay.
- Jun 4, 2010 10:24 pm (#2956 of 2969)
I stand corrected. Insom is right. I thought there was an English language version.
- Jun 7, 2010 8:54 am (#2957 of 2969)
there is no english language version yet. it's supposed to be happening in the fall (starting filming) but i think it's ridiculous when there's such a good swedish film. i have now seen the first two (i read all three books, even the one that hasn't been published in the US yet, or it wasn't at christmastime, which is when i bought it for my ex from england and then read it!) and love them all. sharon: if Lisbeth doesn't appeal to you then i can see why you wouldn't like the book; the point is not the mystery (in the first book) but the character, imho. anyway, yeah, the first movie is now being shown in artsy theaters in the US, finally... and is definitely worth watching. it's a lot faster-moving than the book; i think the first 100 pages of the book is left out of the movie, except for maybe a little telegraph of what mikael blomkvist has been doing... i thought they did a great job of making a pretty dense book into a movie that pretty much covers the salient points.
- Jun 7, 2010 9:27 am (#2958 of 2969)
I agree the first part of the first book was dense and I almost stopped reading. There was way too much financial and political stuff in the beginning for me. But then I really got into it and immediately bought the second book when I finished the first. The second starts out better than the first. I like the Lisbeth character, but also found the plot moved quite well and wasn't predictable once I got past the first part. It is also interesting to see how the Swedish values are portrayed in the book. I would probably watch the subtitled version over anything made in Hollywood
insomniac - Jun 7, 2010 9:46 am (#2959 of 2969)
judi, roger ebert's suggestion was that the young woman who played lisbeth in the swedish version would also play her in the english version...i don't know how practical this is, for all i know, they've cast martin lawrence and jessica simpson already...
- Jun 7, 2010 10:23 am (#2960 of 2969)
Lisbeth was interesting as a character, but 1) I really could not identify with her in any way (except maybe the dragon tattoo part!) and 2) I don't think there's much point in having a strong, interesting character without a really good story to put behind her. I agree with Mad that the first part of the book had too much exposition and not enough action, and for me the second half wasn't strong enough to make me want to read another from the series.
If you'd like to meet a fascinating main character who is not entirely warm, cuddly and likable with an incredible story woven around her, you might want to read The Scar by China Mieville. The first book of the series is Perdito Street Station, but you don't have to have read it to get into the second book. It's a completely different story with a different main character.
- Jun 9, 2010 2:25 pm (#2961 of 2969)
well, i guess we'll have to agree to disagree on whether the story was interesting enough ;) of course millions of people agree with me that it was, but i'm sure millions of people would also agree with you ;)
- Jun 9, 2010 6:11 pm (#2962 of 2969)
Currently.....Stephen W. Frey.......I like his thrillers based on high finance......he is an interesting person.....
- Jun 9, 2010 7:40 pm (#2963 of 2969)
Hee...I tend to think that there is no "right" or "wrong" when it comes to matters of taste. People enjoy what they enjoy!
(And I have been known to enjoy some pretty awful books, so I certainly can't be snobby about what I read. 
)
- Jun 10, 2010 5:36 am (#2964 of 2969)
Most of what I read I freely acknowledge is trash; it's just a higher quality trash.
I read for the same reason most peole watch television, relatively mindless entertainment. I'm too old for pseudo-philosopho-sociological character studies, or for anything too dark. But the writing itself has to meet a minimum standard of competence and originality.
- Jun 10, 2010 10:37 am (#2965 of 2969)
Bjorn, I think I love you.
Note: Not all my literary trash is higher quality trash *shoves romances under bed with her foot while no one is watching*
- Jun 10, 2010 2:18 pm (#2966 of 2969)
Sometimes, all you want is brain candy.
insomniac - Jun 10, 2010 2:28 pm (#2967 of 2969)
lots of 'brain candy' in Willy Wonka and the Zombie Factory?
- Jun 10, 2010 2:49 pm (#2968 of 2969)
shhh...
- Jun 11, 2010 11:11 am (#2969 of 2969)
The second book in the series has moved along faster, but I'm not sure I like the plot better than the first book. It feels way way way too contrived! My office mate said the third book is the best so I guess I will give it a read. I am almost done with the second. At any rate it is making my BIL happy that I am reading the series.
what are you reading? archive