Tag / Stieg Larsson

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Prolific Authors 2013

bookshelfWay back in December of 2011, I took our first look back at the authors I have read the most dating back to high school.  Since that time, I’ve read 34 books from 31 different authors.  I don’t think there is going to be much movement since then, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time.  Once again, we will be limiting ourselves to the now 47 authors from whom I have read more than one book.

Author Name Current Total 2011 Total Difference
Nancy Holder 13 13 0
Christopher Golden 12 12 0

No change to these two, who owe their totals mostly to Buffy and Angel tie-in novels.

Greg Rucka 12 11 1
Stephen King 10 9 1

Both of these long time favorites increased their total by one book.  Rucka’s newest is due out next summer and is already pre-ordered.

Michael Jan Friedman 8 8 0
Brad Meltzer 8 7 1

Brad Meltzer pulls into a tie for the top 5 with another author of tie-in novels, mostly Star Trek: TNG and Lois & Clark. Continue reading →

by jim

30 Day Picture Challenge Day 23 – A Picture Of Your Favorite Book

A picture of my favorite book?  That means I would have to decide on what my favorite book was.  For a while, it was The Stand, by Stephen King.  Then, it might have been The Black Dahlia, by James Ellroy.  More recent favorites have included Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, 11/22/63 by Stephen King, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  At the end of the day, I guess it doesn’t matter which is my favorite, since they are all represented in the photo.  Oh, and in case you couldn’t tell, I am in desperate need of a new bookshelf.  If only I had room for one.

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Prolific Authors

Since I haven’t finished a book in a while (although I should get one done soon), I thought I would take a look back at the authors I have read the most.  Since I started keeping track, I have read books by 181 different authors, but we will only be looking at those whom I have read more than once.

Author Name Total
Nancy Holder 13
Christopher Golden 12

Most, if not all of these are due to Buffy and Angel tie-in novels.

Greg Rucka 11
Stephen King 9

Strange that these two are bunched together, as I have read all of Rucka’s non-tie-in work, and I haven’t read anything by King in years. That may change next year, though. Continue reading →

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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.

by jim

Book 4 (of 52) – The Girl Who Played With Fire

The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson

The second book of the Millennium trilogy focuses on Lisbeth Salander, now estranged from Mikael Blomkvist and wanted for three murders.  The “friends” that she left behind two years ago try to piece together the truth while the police track her down.

While not as good as its predecessor, this was a fine follow up and provided a deeper look into what makes up Lisbeth Salander, one of the best literary characters of the past decade.  The ending also provides a good starting point for the next book, the final of the series.

by jim

2010 Review – Movies

A likely part of the reason I only made it through 8 books last year was the 119 movies I saw, making it the 5th most prolific year of my life.

Amy Adams, Mila Kunis, and Nicolas Cage each starred in 4 films I saw, tying for the yearly lead.  Bruce Willis starred in 2, giving him the all time lead with 27.

For fun, here’s a quick review of the films and what recollection, if any, I have of them.  They are listed in the order I saw them.

District 9 (2009)

Aliens invade South Africa.  One of the surpise hits of ’09.

Extract (2009)

Mila Kunis works with Jason Bateman at a spice factory.

Moving McAllister (2007)

Mila Kunis is some muckety-mucks daughter and some dude helps her move to get in good with the dad.

Welcome (2007)

Streak (2008)

Spleenectomy, The (2008)

Three shorts I downloaded from iTunes.  Anna Faris pretended to be a doctor in the last one.

Continue reading →

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Book 7 (of 52) – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

http://feministhemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/girl_dragon_tattoo1.jpg

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson’s debut novel, was a gripping read that easily draws a reader into a world of intrigue and mystery.  While there are many things that could potentially draw the readers focus away from the story (the Sweedish setting, the extreme violence towards women), Larsson’s story is able to easily overcome those obstacles.  There’s been much debate over the casting for the American film version, and with good reason.  The characters, especially Lisbeth Salander, stick with you and the faces given to them on the big screen will have a lot to live up to.  I’m very much looking forward to picking up the next book in the series, as well as the forth coming film.  Hell, I may even try to see the Swedish film, which has become a worldwide hit in its own right.

The story behind this book and its two sequels in the so-called Millennium Trilogy is almost as intriguing as the books themselves.  All three have been published posthumously, after the author wrote them for his own pleasure and made no attempt to sell them to a publisher until shortly before his untimely death.