Top Ten Characters I'd Want As Family Members

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Characters I'd Want As Family Members.

1. Mustang from The Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown - because she's loyal but not blind.
2. Addie from Pivot Point by Kasie West - because wouldn't it be great to have someone close by who could search the future?
3. Sean from The Summer Series by CJ Duggan - because it would be awesome to have an excuse to visit his house in Australia on vacation.
4. Dany from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin - because...well...dragons of course.
5. Ismae from His Fair Assassin by Robin LaFevers - because it couldn't hurt to have an assassin in the family, right?
6. Val from V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram - because she would make an awesome role model.
7. Lisbeth from Millennium by Stieg Larsson - because should I ever need a computer hacked or to get out of some kind of legal trouble.
8. Rose from Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - because she makes me laugh and because if I ever need to break out of prison.
9. Miles from Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover - because he could fly me anywhere in the world.
10. The Weasleys from Harry Potter by JK Rowling - because they just have the kind of family that everyone wants to be a part of.

This topic ended up being a bit harder than I expected it to be, but it has also inspired a topic for my next freebie post. What about you guys? Which characters would you want to be members of your family? Let me know!

Top Ten Book Nerd Characters

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Book Nerd Characters.

1. Katy (Lux) by Jennifer L Armentrout – I mean she’s a book blogger! Come on…she’s got to make the list!
2. Catherine (Northanger Abbey) by Jane Austen – Most of Jane Austen’s main female characters read, but Catherine was way into the mysteries.
3. Hazel Grace (The Fault in Our Stars) by John Green – Do I really have to elaborate?
4. Sydney (Vampire Academy & Bloodlines) by Richelle Mead – Granted Sydney was just kind of a nerd in general.
5. Cath (Fangirl) by Rainbow Rowell – The girl wrote fanfiction based off a book series. She has to make the list too.
6. Grace (Wolves of Mercy Falls) by Maggie Stiefvater – She used to hang out at the bookstore where Sam worked. Sam’s a book nerd too, but since he was more into poetry, I chose Grace.
7. Hermione (Harry Potter) by JK Rowling – If everyone doesn’t have her on their lists….
8. Lisbeth (Millennium) by Stieg Larsson – Photographic memory. Plus in book 2 she's all up in a math book.
9. Park (Eleanor & Park) by Rainbow Rowell – Comic book nerd.
10. Allyson (Just One Day) by Gayle Forman – Shakespeare buff.

This topic was harder than I thought. I remember a lot of books mentioning that the characters like to read, but it was hard to find books where that was prominent enough for me to remember specifically. What do you think? Which book nerd characters are your favorites? Let me know!

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Review

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium, # 3)

By: Stieg Larsson

Published: May 25th 2010 by Knopf (first published 2007)

563 pages

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Lisbeth Salander — the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels — lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

This entire series has been very different from what I typically read. I normally focus on books that have some kind of love story involved, but I'll settle for any story that makes me feel something. The other main kind of story I enjoy is one where all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together just perfectly. And well, that's the type that the Millennium series fits into. Every single piece is important in some way or other. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest picks up immediately where The Girl Who Played with Fire leaves off. The Girl Who Played with Fire ended at a good breaking point, but there were a lot of ends that still needed tying up. The reader is given a sense of satisfaction in knowing who framed Lisbeth and why, but The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest focuses on the rest of the world finding out who framed her and why. And there are still more pieces of the puzzle to be exposed as well.

I will say that The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest has had the best opening of the series so far. The previous two books, both had extremely slow beginnings. That wasn't the case here. But overall, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest felt quite long. There were some side pieces of the puzzle that felt unnecessary to the overall story arch of the series. These pieces added a cluttered feeling to the book to me--specifically the additional side story surrounding Erika Berger.

One of my favorite things about the Millennium series is how smart these characters are. Lisbeth and Blomkvist are both brilliant, intelligence wise. Lisbeth is a bit socially awkward because of her childhood and her extreme lack of trust in others. And Blomkvist is quite the opposite. Apparently he's a charmer since women seem to fall at his feet on a regular basis. And I loved watching the battle of wits between Salander/Blomkvist vs. "the bad guys" to see just who would ultimately outsmart who and how. It was fun to watch the pieces come together.

I felt like The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest was a nice series ender. The overall main story arch ended nicely. Everything I was curious about was addressed, but the ending of the book individually left a little something to be desired for me. It wasn't the ending I had hoped for, but at the same time, I wasn't exactly disappointed with it either. I was almost glad it wasn't what I hoped for. Does that make any sense?

All in all, I'm not sure I have much to say about this one. I'm glad that I pushed through and finished this series. I'm glad that I stepped outside my norm. I would recommend the series to others, but I don't find myself raving about it either. I think it was a well put together and thought out series. Yet I'm also glad to be able to mark it off my list and move on.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest? What did you think? Let me know!

The Girl Who Played with a Fire - Review

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium, # 2)

By: Stieg Larsson

Published: July 28th 2009 by Alfred A. Knopf (first published 2006)

503 pages

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Crime

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The girl with the dragon tattoo is back. Stieg Larsson's seething heroine, Lisbeth Salander, once again finds herself paired with journalist Mikael Blomkvist on the trail of a sinister criminal enterprise. Only this time, Lisbeth must return to the darkness of her own past (more specifically, an event coldly known as "All the Evil") if she is to stay one step ahead--and alive. The Girl Who Played with Fire is a break-out-in-a-cold-sweat thriller that crackles with stunning twists and dismisses any talk of a sophomore slump. Fans of Larsson's prior work will find even more to love here, and readers who do not find their hearts racing within the first five pages may want to confirm they still have a pulse. Expect healthy doses of murder, betrayal, and deceit, as well as enough espresso drinks to fuel downtown Seattle for months. --Dave Callanan

I’ve had The Girl Who Played with Fire in my possession for well over two years. My sister-in-law gave it to me for Christmas at least two if not three years ago. However, that same sister-in-law plus my reliable friend, Paula, both told me that the beginning of The Girl Who Played with Fire wasn’t something that I would really enjoy. My sister-in-law actually put it down, and I don’t believe she picked it back up; whereas my friend Paula pushed through and finished it. Since I don’t really enjoy getting bogged down into a book no matter how good it ends up being, I really wasn’t looking forward to starting The Girl Who Played with Fire. But then I ran across the audiobook in my local library’s selection and realized the audiobook would serve as the perfect way for me to cross this one off my list as "read", but not feel bad about directing my reading time towards a book that would be slow for me to get through. And so I picked The Girl Who Played with Fire up on audio.

I completely agree with Paula and Tonya (my SNL). The Girl Who Played with Fire didn’t exactly have an enjoyable beginning for me. I’ve discussed before here about how I’m straight and a Christian and therefore do not enjoy GLTB literature, and so Lisbeth’s relationship with Miriam Wu no matter how brief wasn’t really one that I enjoyed reading about listening to—especially considering how things were left between Lisbeth and Blomkvist at the end of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. However, I will say that The Girl Who Played With Fire wasn't as difficult to get into for me as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo took about 150 pages for me to get hooked. This one didn't take near that long.

While The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was more about Blomkvist and by extension Lisbeth helping him out of his legal troubles, The Girl Who Played with Fire has done a flip-flop and Blomkvist is helping Lisbeth out of her legal troubles while focusing mostly on Lisbeth and her history. After the events of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth has run off to do some travelling and completely left without a word to any of her friends—which we find out she doesn’t really believe she has very many of in the first place. Blomkvist doesn’t know where she is or why she left without a word, and neither does Armansky, who she used to work for at Milton Security.

Salander gets herself accused of murder due to her fingerprints being found on the murder weapon used against Dag Svensson and Mia Johansson. And she's also connected to the murder of Nils Bjurman through the Guardianship Agency. On the surface she is the only link between all three murders. But even though Salander thinks she has few friends, we come to see how many friends she actually does have and how many of them are willing to stick their necks out for her in order to prove her innocence.

Truthfully, I loved learning more about Lisbeth, her background, and how she thinks. She's brilliant. We learned that she has a photographic memory in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but we also learn that Lisbeth likes to do crazy complicated math equations and theories for fun. Pretty much any kind of puzzle she enjoys solving. We learn about the events of the past that have scarred her. And I remember the description of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo saying "there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo." While I know Lisbeth showed that part of herself some in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, that was amplified by like 200 in The Girl Who Played with Fire. I, for one, would definitely not want to go up against her for any reason, in any area.

I love that despite not having heard from Lisbeth in over a year, Mikael doesn't hesitate to defend her against the allegations she's charged with and he doesn't hesitate to begin his own investigation into the murders in order to get Salander off the hook. She really couldn't ask for more from him.

I don't want to go into too much more detail plot wise because I don't want to ruin this one for someone who has not have read it. I will say that I enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest much more than I was starting The Girl Who Played with Fire.

My favorite quotes:

"There were not so many physical threats that could not be countered with a decent hammer, Salander thought."

"Daddy, I'm coming to get you."

"Daddy, I'm here."

I struggled through the beginning, and there were a lot of f-bombs dropped, but ultimately I liked what The Girl Who Played with Fire revealed to us about Lisbeth. And I think I might like where this story is going. The Girl Who Played with Fire gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read The Girl Who Played with Fire? What did you think? Let me know.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Review

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, # 1)

By: Stieg Larsson

Published: first published March 1st 2001

465 pages

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Adult

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch—and there's always a catch—is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

I finally finished. The beginning of this book was challenging to say the least. After digging further into the story, I understood the necessity of the information presented in the first 200 pages. However, initially pushing through those pages wasn't always easy.

This book was a bit out of my typical genre, but I'm glad I branched out. The story was multi-layered and all of the pieces fit together so nicely. There were definitely disturbing scenes that I wasn't expecting at all. Even though this book is fiction it just goes to show you that there are truly some disturbed, mentally sick people out there. And you don't always know who they are.

I really enjoyed how the story built and built the further you got into it. It didn't wait until the last 100 pages to climax and resolve. It grew in intensity even from the tough beginning. In the same way, I really enjoyed the ending. I'm sure alot of readers will be disappointed with the very end, but I enjoyed that it left me wanting more. That just makes me curious about the next book. I already know that Salander is in both of the other books, but I really hope to see a reappearance of Mikael in the future books as well. We will see.

4 Stars.

*Updated: September 6, 2013