Tag / Lisbeth Salander

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Prolific Authors – Three Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 114 books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today with the 21 authors I’ve read three times, one more than two years ago.

Kevin J. Anderson

Last read in the 20th century, he’s responsible for three of the X-Files books on my shelf.

Fredrik Backman

This Swedish author has become a recent favorite, showing up once a year prior to last year, with more to come, I’m sure.

The 22 Murders of Madison May – Max Barry

Max Barry

After a 17-year break, Barry returned to my attention in 2024 with The 22 Murders of Madison May.

Adam Carolla

The former comedian and current right-wing nutjob managed to get me to read three of his podcast regurgitations before being driven away.

Bill Carter

The former media reporter for the New York Times delivered three behind the scenes looks at the television industry, including the transition from Johnny Carson to Jay Leno and from Jay Leno to Conan O’Brien and back again.

Supreme Justice – Max Allan Collins

Max Allan Collins

Author of all entries of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.

Keith R.A. DeCandido

Two Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels and a Spider-Man novel make up his works.

Diane Duane

A 23-year absence was broken in 2023 thanks to Intellivore, an entry in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series.

The Fireman – Joe Hill

Joe Hill

The son of Stephen King crossed my path again following a seven-year break.

Luke Jennings

The basis of the television show Killing Eve, Jennings’ trilogy takes a wildly different path.

David Lagercrantz

Stieg Larsson

Stieg Larsson wrote the first three entries in the story of Lisbeth Salander.  Following his death, David Lagercrantz continued the series with three entries of his own.

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Book 23 (of 52) – The Girl In The Eagle’s Talons

The Girl In The Eagle’s Talon – Karin Smirnoff

This November will be 20 years since Stieg Larsson, the original author of the Millennium trilogy and creator of the Lisbeth Salander character, passed away at the age of 50.  Karin Smirnoff is now the second writer to follow Larsson, hired to start a new trilogy to continue the adventures of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist.  The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons is the first effort under that arrangement.

A wedding and a long-lost relative bring both Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander to the north of Sweeden, where they once again find their paths intersecting.  They work together to track down Mikael’s kidnapped grandson and Lisbeth’s niece’s kidnaped mother, both taken as part of a plot to strongarm a local assemblyman.

It’s been over a decade since I read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, Larsson’s last take on the characters, and five years since the last book overall, so the previous authors’ feel for the characters were not exactly at the top of my mind.  That said, Smirnoff’s portrayal of Salander felt particularly off.  Almost like all of the hard edges had been sanded off to make her a more relatable character.  It certainly feels like these books are now being produced simply to cash in on the world Larsson created rather than because there was a story that needed telling.

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Prolific Authors – 3 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  Since I’ve far surpassed my “normal” reading output the last three yeas, I thought it would be nice to once again take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through the start of October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  We continue today with the 20 authors I’ve read thrice, an increase of eight over the past two years.

Kevin J. Anderson

Last read in the 20th century, he’s responsible for three of the X-Files books on my shelf.

A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Backman

Fredrik Backman

This Swedish author has become a recent favorite, showing up once a year over the past three years, with more to come, I’m sure.

Adam Carolla

The former comedian and current right-wing nutjob managed to get me to read three of his podcast regurgitations.

Bill Carter

The former media reporter for the New York Times delivered three behind the scenes looks at the television industry, including the transition from Johnny Carson to Jay Leno and from Jay Leno to Conan O’Brien and back again.

Executive Order – Max Allan Collins

Max Allan Collins

Author of all entries of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.

Suzanne Collins

The woman behind a little trilogy about a young woman named Katniss who upends her entire world.

Keith R.A. DeCandido

Two Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels and a Spider-Man novel make up his works.

Alex Finlay

A DC lawyer writing under a penname, Finlay has placed three books in my hands over the past two years.

The Guest List – Lucy Foley

Lucy Foley

Another recent fave, Foley, a New York Times best seller, has shown up annually since 2021.

Megan Goldin

The former Reuters correspondent first appeared on my radar in 2021 with her debut, The Escape Room.

Paula Hawkins

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Prolific Authors – 3 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  We continue today with the 12 authors I’ve read thrice.

Kevin J. Anderson

I’ve read the 3 X-Files books he has written.

President Me: The America That’s In My Head – Adam Carolla

Adam Carolla

The former comedian and current right wing lugnut managed to get me to read three of his podcast regurgitations.

Bill Carter

The former media reporter for the New York Times delivered three behind the scenes looks at the television industry, including the transition from Johnny Carson to Jay Leno and from Jay Leno to Conan O’Brien and back again.

Max Allan Collins

Author of all entries of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins

The woman behind a little trilogy about a young woman who upends her entire world.

Keith R.A. DeCandido

Two Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels and a Spider-Man novel make up his works.

David Lagercrantz

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest – Stieg Larsson

Stieg Larsson

Stieg Larsson wrote the first three entries in the story of Lisbeth Salander.  Following his death, David Lagercrantz continued the series with three entries (to date) of his own.

John R. Maxim

Last read in 2001, I would have liked to read more but it seems like he stopped writing.  Or they stopped publishing his work.

Kimberly McCreight

Her latest came out earlier this year, so she should be moving up the charts.

Tom Perotta Continue reading →

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2019: The Year In Movies

Movie_Reel_22

The return of my annual long December vacation, with very little to do otherwise, saw a big increase in movie watching for me, with my highest total since 2011.  I managed to watch 89 movies last year, my eighth consecutive year under 100.  Again, many things contributed to this, chiefly the insane amount of TV I’ve been watching, the greater effort made towards going out for walks, and the awful amount of time I spend either at work or getting to and from work.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I did manage to watch last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

Life Of The Party (2018)
Melissa McCarthy joins her daughter at college after her husband leaves her.

The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Eddie Murphy tackles a movie based on the Disneyland ride.

Downsizing (2017)
Matt Damon shrinks himself to 5 inches tall, gaining wealth but losing a wife.

Knight And Day (2010)
A young woman gets mixed up with a disgraced spy who is trying to clear his name.

Keep Watching (2017)
A gang of intruders takes a family hostage and forces them to play a game.

The Space Between Us (2017)
The first human born on Mars heads to Earth to find his long-distance crush, even if it will kill him.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
A choose-your-own-adventure film about a young kid trying to make it in the video game industry.

Bird Box (2018)
A woman tries to save her two children in a world where seeing things leads to death.

Hereditary (2018)
A grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
Aliens take over the human race. Continue reading →

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Book 24 (of 52) – The Girl Who Lived Twice

The Girl Who Lived Twice – David Lagercrantz

The latest installment in the Millennium Trilogy (can it still be a trilogy when you get to book 6?), The Girl Who Lived Twice, is the third entry from David Lagercrantz.  In this go around, Lisbeth Salander looks to take down her sister, while Mikael Blomkvist investigates a dead Sherpa and his links to a local politician.

As I tried to get into this latest edition of the Lisbeth Salander story, I was having a hard time.  It seems that the tale of a young, socially awkward woman and the older man who loves her, despite her taking him for granted and mostly ignoring him hit a little too close to home.  Eventually, though, I got past  that and worked my way through.  I’m still not exactly sold on Lagercrantz’s takes on Stieg Larsson’s world and characters, but not much to do about that at this point.

So where does the series go from here?  Lagercrantz has now equaled Larsson’s output with the characters and the overarching story of Salander’s family seems to have been wrapped up, so maybe this is the end?  Though, given the financial success of the series, something tells me another adventure will be out in 2 years time.

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Book 23 (of 52) – The Girl Who Takes An Eye For An Eye

The Girl Who Takes An Eye For An Eye – David Lagercrantz

The fifth installment in the Millennium Trilogy (can it still be a trilogy when you get to book 5?). The Girl Who Takes An Eye For An Eye has David Lagercrantz taking his second shot at Lisbeth Salander, Mikael Blomkvist, and gang.  In this go around, Salander spends most of the book in prison, while Blomkvist investigates a story about identical twins and experiments that were done to them years ago.

If that doesn’t sound too exciting, that’s because it really wasn’t.  After his first outing, I wasn’t exactly sold on Lagercrantz’s takes on Stieg Larsson’s world and characters.  This effort just further cemented my thoughts that the series should have ended with Larsson’s last work finished before he died.  Or, with the rumored fourth book that was mostly finished on his laptop, controlled by his girlfriend.

I’m sure that this book will be successful enough that there will be another one sooner or later.  Whether or not I return is up in the air at this point.

 

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Book 25 (of 52) – The Girl In The Spider’s Web

The Girl In The Spider's Web - David Lagercrantz

The Girl In The Spider’s Web – David Lagercrantz

More than 10 years after Stieg Larsson’s death and 5 years since the last installment of the Millennium trilogy, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist return in a new adventure penned by David Lagercrantz.  After a long battle between Larsson’s estate, headed by his father and brother, and his girlfriend, who claims to posses an unfinished fourth manuscript by Larsson, the estate was given the go ahead to hire a new author to carry on Larsson’s series.  The Girl In The Spider’s Web is the first effort under that arrangement.

It’s been over 4 years since I read The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest, so the characters, and Larsson’s feel for them, were not at the top of my mind.  That said, Lagercrantz’s portrayal of Salander felt a little off, though he certainly tried to cover it by limiting the chapters told from her point of view.  The other characters, especially noted journalist Blomkvist, are more in sync with their previous incarnations.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the book, because I did, but it did feel a little off.  It felt like there was 300 pages of setup with only 100 of payoff.  That said, it couldn’t have been easy for Lagercrantz to step in to Larsson’s shoes and, given the monetary success of this outing, there is bound to be another one.  Hopefully his grasp of the characters improves and helps provide an even better outing.

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Book 13 (of 52) – The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

When a new country rises up from what was once North America, the leaders keep control of their citizens through the Hunger Games, a yearly “competition” where two children, one male and one female, from each of the twelve districts battle to the death.  This year, Katniss Everdeen has volunteered to take her younger sister’s place in the Games, and must survive against 23 other chosen children, including a childhood acquaintance who once showed her kindness.

Suzanne Collins has crafted a world where one could believe that such a contest could be held.  Katniss may just be the next breakthrough literay character, following Lisabeth Salander from the Millennium Trilogy.  As it is, Collins has completed a trilogy of her own, and Katniss will be right behind Salander in heading to the big screen in the US.  I certainly look forward to the next adventure for these characters, assuming I can borrow the book from my niece. 
 
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Book 10 (of 52) – The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson

In the final chapter of the Millennium trilogy, Larsson picks up the story immediatelty following the events of The Girl Who Plays With Fire, but slows down the action, replacing it with the intrigue of the unraveling plot behind what has become known as the Zalachenko Affair.  As Mikeal Blomkvist works to uncover the true players responsible for Lisbeth’s fate, Salander recovers from her injuries and prepares to fight for the rights, and life, that have been unlawfully taken from her.

Larsson’s final work is much slower than his previous novels, but the story doesn’t suffer from it.  In fact, the slow build that culminates with the cross examination of the prosecution’s main witness against Salander works to its advantage, as you really feel the sledgehammer that comes down on “that bastard” as his testimony is ripped to shreds.  A fitting end to a gripping trilogy that seems to have taken the world by storm.