Question: What question do you have regarding this book?

Soooo, let me start this review by saying that wherever I put the word “duck,” I mean a similar word! I don’t think I’ve ever said the word “duck” so much while reading a book in my entire life as I did while reading Bang. It went from “what the duck am I reading?” to “why the duck am I reading this?” to then just one word “duckkkkkkkkkk!” Duck is seriously the best word to describe this book.The synopsis for Bang is quite vague and that had me seriously intrigued. And, the cover definitely had me interested. And, while those things are important to me when choosing what book to read, the content is by far the star. It was unexpected, took me by surprise and had my mind all over the place.“They say when you take revenge against another you lose your innocence. But I’m not innocent.”Right from the beginning, the reader is warned that this book is about revenge and the loss of innocence. The events that led up to Nina plotting her revenge are completely deplorable. I was actually gasping while reading certain parts of her story. And, while some of it may seem extreme because this is a work of fiction, I kept telling myself to remember, “this isn’t too far-fetched because there are some sick ducks out here in real life.”Bang is dark, twisted, and a complete mind duck. I have so many passages highlighted on my kindle, but I refuse to post any spoilers. This is not a happy-go-lucky book. I only had a warm, fuzzy feeling maybe once or twice. This book is as advertised with it being a psychological thriller. If you are a sensitive person, then let this serve as your disclaimer that this may not be the book for you.Bang will not leave you happy. Bang will not make you smile. I have absolutely no idea what could have been going through E.K. Blair’s head when she writing, but Bang in a very sick way is a masterpiece and it truly goes out with a BIG BANG!!!

Answer: so much while reading a book

Soooo, let me start this review by saying that wherever I put the word “duck,” I mean a similar word! <hl> I don’t think I’ve ever said the word “duck” so much while reading a book in my entire life as I did while reading Bang. <hl> It went from “what the duck am I reading?” to “why the duck am I reading this?” to then just one word “duckkkkkkkkkk!” Duck is seriously the best word to describe this book. The synopsis for Bang is quite vague and that had me seriously intrigued. And, the cover definitely had me interested. And, while those things are important to me when choosing what book to read, the content is by far the star. It was unexpected, took me by surprise and had my mind all over the place.“They say when you take revenge against another you lose your innocence. But I’m not innocent.”Right from the beginning, the reader is warned that this book is about revenge and the loss of innocence. The events that led up to Nina plotting her revenge are completely deplorable. I was actually gasping while reading certain parts of her story. And, while some of it may seem extreme because this is a work of fiction, I kept telling myself to remember, “this isn’t too far-fetched because there are some sick ducks out here in real life.”Bang is dark, twisted, and a complete mind duck. I have so many passages highlighted on my kindle, but I refuse to post any spoilers. This is not a happy-go-lucky book. I only had a warm, fuzzy feeling maybe once or twice. This book is as advertised with it being a psychological thriller. If you are a sensitive person, then let this serve as your disclaimer that this may not be the book for you. Bang will not leave you happy. Bang will not make you smile. I have absolutely no idea what could have been going through E.K. Blair’s head when she writing, but Bang in a very sick way is a masterpiece and it truly goes out with a BIG BANG!!!

Soooo, let me start this review by saying that wherever I put the word “duck,” I mean a similar word! I don’t think I’ve ever said the word “duck” <hl> so much while reading a book <hl> in my entire life as I did while reading Bang. It went from “what the duck am I reading?” to “why the duck am I reading this?” to then just one word “duckkkkkkkkkk!” Duck is seriously the best word to describe this book.The synopsis for Bang is quite vague and that had me seriously intrigued. And, the cover definitely had me interested. And, while those things are important to me when choosing what book to read, the content is by far the star. It was unexpected, took me by surprise and had my mind all over the place.“They say when you take revenge against another you lose your innocence. But I’m not innocent.”Right from the beginning, the reader is warned that this book is about revenge and the loss of innocence. The events that led up to Nina plotting her revenge are completely deplorable. I was actually gasping while reading certain parts of her story. And, while some of it may seem extreme because this is a work of fiction, I kept telling myself to remember, “this isn’t too far-fetched because there are some sick ducks out here in real life.”Bang is dark, twisted, and a complete mind duck. I have so many passages highlighted on my kindle, but I refuse to post any spoilers. This is not a happy-go-lucky book. I only had a warm, fuzzy feeling maybe once or twice. This book is as advertised with it being a psychological thriller. If you are a sensitive person, then let this serve as your disclaimer that this may not be the book for you.Bang will not leave you happy. Bang will not make you smile. I have absolutely no idea what could have been going through E.K. Blair’s head when she writing, but Bang in a very sick way is a masterpiece and it truly goes out with a BIG BANG!!!


Question: Was the female leader character good enough?

Just a tiny note first to say that I just re-read this amazing book. <3 And posting below will be my new book recommendation for it :) Which you can also read on my blog, here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2014/04/book-recommendation-reboot-by-amy.html---Re-reading Reboot made me happy. And I'm so glad that I finally decided to do so. I've been meaning to re-read it ever since I downloaded Rebel for review back in January. But I was nervous. I was nervous about not loving it the same way this second time, as it has been more than a year since I first read it. But I shouldn't have worried. Because I loved it so much. I still think Reboot is an amazing book. It is exciting and fun and full of amazing romance. I'm so happy that I finally read it again. It's awesome.I'm not going to recap the book in this recommendation of mine. Because I feel that I would end up talking for ages, lol. But I will say that the plot in Reboot is amazing. I enjoyed it so much. It's exciting and surprising and full of action. And the romance. Swoon. More on that soonish. There is a lot of death in this book. But I didn't really mind. Except for this one death. That broke my heart. But it also made sense, and I think I would have made the same choice. Sniffs. But yes. It was very heartbreaking.Reboot is told from the point of view of seventeen year old Wren. Who is all kinds of amazing. I loved her. And I loved reading about her. At first she doesn't feel all that much. Which I didn't mind. But then Callum arrives and she starts to change. And I loved that so much. I think she ended up an even better person. But anyway. I adored reading about her. I adored her scars, even though they shame her. I think she's beautiful. And agh. I really loved reading about her and cannot wait to get to know more of her.Wren is a Reboot. There are a lot of them in this book. And that was such an awesome plot twist. I loved getting to know stuff about them. How much stronger they are than other humans. How fast they heal. How different they are as well. So awesome. Wren has been dead for 178 minutes, which is the most at the moment. What she had to go through was so heartbreaking to read about. Yet I wanted to read more and more. Sigh. I just love to torture myself, don't I? lol. But yeah. I thought the Reboots were amazing.One of the things I loved the most about Wren was her roommate and friend, Ever. I adored her as well. But I really loved their friendship. It gets better and more real after Callum arrives. And they are just too cute. Sigh. Ever is amazing. Though holy crap. Such awful things happen with her. Heartbreak. But also so interesting to read about. It was amazing. Sigh. There are a few other characters in this book that I liked as well. Like Addie. Would like to get to know her more as well. She did seem awesome.Then, of course, there is Callum. Who is a Twenty-Two. Which is a very low number for a Reboot. It means that he has more emotions that the others, and is more human. And sigh. I loved that. Because Callum is amazing. I loved reading about him so much. And I loved getting to know him. I loved how he was with Wren. He is horrified with how many she has killed, but I feel like he accept her. I hope. The romance is very sweet in this book. It made me grin like crazy. Callum is just all kinds of amazing.I don't want to say more about this book. Just that it is incredible. And I need you all to read it. Especially since the last book, Rebel, is coming out in less than a month. <3 Though, yeah, I'm reading it in a moment since I have a review copy of it :D And I cannot wait. I need to know what happens next. Anyway. Reboot is a stunning novel. I loved it. And I loved the writing as well. Just loved everything about it. Sigh. I also cannot wait to read more books by Amy Tintera. She's pretty amazing as well.~He slid his hand into mine and leaned over to press a soft kiss onto my cheek. I shifted a little closer, until his warm arm rubbed against mine, and lowered my gaze to hide the goofy smile spreading across my face.---I first read this book on February 21st 2013. You can find my review here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2013/02/review-reboot-by-amy-tintera.html

Answer: other characters in this book

Just a tiny note first to say that I just re-read this amazing book. <3 And posting below will be my new book recommendation for it :) Which you can also read on my blog, here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2014/04/book-recommendation-reboot-by-amy.html---Re-reading Reboot made me happy. And I'm so glad that I finally decided to do so. I've been meaning to re-read it ever since I downloaded Rebel for review back in January. But I was nervous. I was nervous about not loving it the same way this second time, as it has been more than a year since I first read it. But I shouldn't have worried. Because I loved it so much. I still think Reboot is an amazing book. It is exciting and fun and full of amazing romance. I'm so happy that I finally read it again. It's awesome. I'm not going to recap the book in this recommendation of mine. Because I feel that I would end up talking for ages, lol. But I will say that the plot in Reboot is amazing. I enjoyed it so much. It's exciting and surprising and full of action. And the romance. Swoon. More on that soonish. There is a lot of death in this book. But I didn't really mind. Except for this one death. That broke my heart. But it also made sense, and I think I would have made the same choice. Sniffs. But yes. It was very heartbreaking. Reboot is told from the point of view of seventeen year old Wren. Who is all kinds of amazing. I loved her. And I loved reading about her. At first she doesn't feel all that much. Which I didn't mind. But then Callum arrives and she starts to change. And I loved that so much. I think she ended up an even better person. But anyway. I adored reading about her. I adored her scars, even though they shame her. I think she's beautiful. And agh. I really loved reading about her and cannot wait to get to know more of her. Wren is a Reboot. There are a lot of them in this book. And that was such an awesome plot twist. I loved getting to know stuff about them. How much stronger they are than other humans. How fast they heal. How different they are as well. So awesome. Wren has been dead for 178 minutes, which is the most at the moment. What she had to go through was so heartbreaking to read about. Yet I wanted to read more and more. Sigh. I just love to torture myself, don't I? lol. But yeah. I thought the Reboots were amazing. One of the things I loved the most about Wren was her roommate and friend, Ever. I adored her as well. But I really loved their friendship. It gets better and more real after Callum arrives. And they are just too cute. Sigh. Ever is amazing. Though holy crap. Such awful things happen with her. Heartbreak. But also so interesting to read about. It was amazing. Sigh. <hl> There are a few other characters in this book that I liked as well. <hl> Like Addie. Would like to get to know her more as well. She did seem awesome. Then, of course, there is Callum. Who is a Twenty-Two. Which is a very low number for a Reboot. It means that he has more emotions that the others, and is more human. And sigh. I loved that. Because Callum is amazing. I loved reading about him so much. And I loved getting to know him. I loved how he was with Wren. He is horrified with how many she has killed, but I feel like he accept her. I hope. The romance is very sweet in this book. It made me grin like crazy. Callum is just all kinds of amazing. I don't want to say more about this book. Just that it is incredible. And I need you all to read it. Especially since the last book, Rebel, is coming out in less than a month. <3 Though, yeah, I'm reading it in a moment since I have a review copy of it :D And I cannot wait. I need to know what happens next. Anyway. Reboot is a stunning novel. I loved it. And I loved the writing as well. Just loved everything about it. Sigh. I also cannot wait to read more books by Amy Tintera. She's pretty amazing as well.~He slid his hand into mine and leaned over to press a soft kiss onto my cheek. I shifted a little closer, until his warm arm rubbed against mine, and lowered my gaze to hide the goofy smile spreading across my face.---I first read this book on February 21st 2013. You can find my review here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2013/02/review-reboot-by-amy-tintera.html

Just a tiny note first to say that I just re-read this amazing book. <3 And posting below will be my new book recommendation for it :) Which you can also read on my blog, here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2014/04/book-recommendation-reboot-by-amy.html---Re-reading Reboot made me happy. And I'm so glad that I finally decided to do so. I've been meaning to re-read it ever since I downloaded Rebel for review back in January. But I was nervous. I was nervous about not loving it the same way this second time, as it has been more than a year since I first read it. But I shouldn't have worried. Because I loved it so much. I still think Reboot is an amazing book. It is exciting and fun and full of amazing romance. I'm so happy that I finally read it again. It's awesome.I'm not going to recap the book in this recommendation of mine. Because I feel that I would end up talking for ages, lol. But I will say that the plot in Reboot is amazing. I enjoyed it so much. It's exciting and surprising and full of action. And the romance. Swoon. More on that soonish. There is a lot of death in this book. But I didn't really mind. Except for this one death. That broke my heart. But it also made sense, and I think I would have made the same choice. Sniffs. But yes. It was very heartbreaking.Reboot is told from the point of view of seventeen year old Wren. Who is all kinds of amazing. I loved her. And I loved reading about her. At first she doesn't feel all that much. Which I didn't mind. But then Callum arrives and she starts to change. And I loved that so much. I think she ended up an even better person. But anyway. I adored reading about her. I adored her scars, even though they shame her. I think she's beautiful. And agh. I really loved reading about her and cannot wait to get to know more of her.Wren is a Reboot. There are a lot of them in this book. And that was such an awesome plot twist. I loved getting to know stuff about them. How much stronger they are than other humans. How fast they heal. How different they are as well. So awesome. Wren has been dead for 178 minutes, which is the most at the moment. What she had to go through was so heartbreaking to read about. Yet I wanted to read more and more. Sigh. I just love to torture myself, don't I? lol. But yeah. I thought the Reboots were amazing.One of the things I loved the most about Wren was her roommate and friend, Ever. I adored her as well. But I really loved their friendship. It gets better and more real after Callum arrives. And they are just too cute. Sigh. Ever is amazing. Though holy crap. Such awful things happen with her. Heartbreak. But also so interesting to read about. It was amazing. Sigh. There are a few <hl> other characters in this book <hl> that I liked as well. Like Addie. Would like to get to know her more as well. She did seem awesome.Then, of course, there is Callum. Who is a Twenty-Two. Which is a very low number for a Reboot. It means that he has more emotions that the others, and is more human. And sigh. I loved that. Because Callum is amazing. I loved reading about him so much. And I loved getting to know him. I loved how he was with Wren. He is horrified with how many she has killed, but I feel like he accept her. I hope. The romance is very sweet in this book. It made me grin like crazy. Callum is just all kinds of amazing.I don't want to say more about this book. Just that it is incredible. And I need you all to read it. Especially since the last book, Rebel, is coming out in less than a month. <3 Though, yeah, I'm reading it in a moment since I have a review copy of it :D And I cannot wait. I need to know what happens next. Anyway. Reboot is a stunning novel. I loved it. And I loved the writing as well. Just loved everything about it. Sigh. I also cannot wait to read more books by Amy Tintera. She's pretty amazing as well.~He slid his hand into mine and leaned over to press a soft kiss onto my cheek. I shifted a little closer, until his warm arm rubbed against mine, and lowered my gaze to hide the goofy smile spreading across my face.---I first read this book on February 21st 2013. You can find my review here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2013/02/review-reboot-by-amy-tintera.html


Question: How was the plot?

I'm skeptical of "libris populi," books that suddenly wash over society to public and critical acclaim. I was really burned by "The DaVinci Code" (we all were), about how new and exciting and different the writing was, and you have to give Dan Brown credit; he took an idea that was floating around for years and brought it to the public's attention. But the book itself was nothing but a whole chase novel and it wasn't a surprise that it was quickly made into a movie. Recently "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" has been creating the same sort of public reaction. Fortunately, there's a little more in "Girl" to hold a readers attention and worth the price of the trip that author Stieg Larsson takes you on."The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is the dual story of Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading financial reporter in Stockholm, and Lisbeth Salander (a play on salamander?), an anti-social possibly mentally ill but gifted private investigator.As "The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo" starts Mikael Blomkvist has been found guilty of Swedish libel laws because he wrote a story about a prominent industrialist that he couldn't back up with documentation. Mikael takes a leave of absence from his magazine, Millennium, until the heat is off. Mikael accepts a position from Henrik Vanger, the head of another prominent industrialist family to ostensibly write a chronicle of the Vanger family history. Mikael's actual assignment is find the killer of Harriet Vanger who disappeared off an island at a family gathering while the island was cut off from the mainland. The classic murder in a locked room scenario. As Mikael crawls through the Vanger family history he discovers a family that put the dysfunction in dysfunctional. There are Nazi's in the family, religious zealotry, abusive parents, promiscuous children, relatives who embrace the family and relatives trying to disavow the family connection at all costs. A little bit of something for everybody.The parallel story is, of course, Lisbeth Salander's. Lisbeth is literally "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Lisbeth is a ward of the state, although in her mid 20's, her life has been held in check because of a mysterious childhood incident that has put her at the mercy of a failed system and corrupt guardians. Lisbeth has a very subjective moral code that deals mostly in black and white assumptions of people. Her saving grace is her abilities to find information via computer (a hacker) and her job as a freelance private detective.I don't read a lot of mystery's, but I found a lot of the plot points to be pretty transparent that details seemingly mentioned off handedly by characters are going to be important in the solution to the mystery, almost like having it highlighted IMPORTANT POINT HERE! The motivating reason for Mikael to move to Hedeby, to solve the mystery of the missing and presumed dead Harriet is predicated on an obvious bit of misdirection in a basic misunderstanding of motives. I think it is assumed by the author that the reader will assume the interpretation of the characters is correct.The title of the book when it was published in Sweden was "Men Who Hate Women." I read an interview with the U.S. publisher of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and the title and cover design were made more intriguing for the U.S. audience. But "Men Who Hate Women" (if not as catchy and intriguing) is a more apt and descriptive title of what the book is about. Early on Lisbeth is given very little to do with the main plot of finding the murderer of Harriet Vanger, but she runs into her own man who hates women. The development of Lisbeth's character is slow in coming, the bits and pieces of her back story are intriguing and develop a mystique around her; Larsson is slow to get her into the central mystery of the story.You're probably thinking that with all those shortcomings this is an unfavorable review. No, despite these shortcomings "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" works. The story is simple but elegantly constructed and I found it to be entertaining and readable. The main characters are sympathetic despite their flaws. The bits and pieces we're given of Lisbeth at the beginning are intriguing, like lightning flashes in the dark, we want to see more than her silhouette. Mikael for his faults is a sympathetic character and as he lurches about in the Vanger family history we learn he's basically a decent person, but compared to the Vanger family, most other families would be considered normal. We're also given villains to be shocked at, and not one, but at least three love stories. As all the threads of the mystery are pulled together they seem natural and organic to the characters, no details of the mystery are obscured from the reader, there's no left field revelation that appears out of no where in the solution of the mystery and there's no dues ex machina in it's solution.The proof of the success of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is, is the reader interested in the characters enough to go along and see what happens in the next book of the trilogy? I am.The DVD for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" comes out July 6th.

Answer: the plot points to be pretty transparent

I'm skeptical of "libris populi," books that suddenly wash over society to public and critical acclaim. I was really burned by "The DaVinci Code" (we all were), about how new and exciting and different the writing was, and you have to give Dan Brown credit; he took an idea that was floating around for years and brought it to the public's attention. But the book itself was nothing but a whole chase novel and it wasn't a surprise that it was quickly made into a movie. Recently "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" has been creating the same sort of public reaction. Fortunately, there's a little more in "Girl" to hold a readers attention and worth the price of the trip that author Stieg Larsson takes you on. "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is the dual story of Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading financial reporter in Stockholm, and Lisbeth Salander (a play on salamander?), an anti-social possibly mentally ill but gifted private investigator. As "The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo" starts Mikael Blomkvist has been found guilty of Swedish libel laws because he wrote a story about a prominent industrialist that he couldn't back up with documentation. Mikael takes a leave of absence from his magazine, Millennium, until the heat is off. Mikael accepts a position from Henrik Vanger, the head of another prominent industrialist family to ostensibly write a chronicle of the Vanger family history. Mikael's actual assignment is find the killer of Harriet Vanger who disappeared off an island at a family gathering while the island was cut off from the mainland. The classic murder in a locked room scenario. As Mikael crawls through the Vanger family history he discovers a family that put the dysfunction in dysfunctional. There are Nazi's in the family, religious zealotry, abusive parents, promiscuous children, relatives who embrace the family and relatives trying to disavow the family connection at all costs. A little bit of something for everybody. The parallel story is, of course, Lisbeth Salander's. Lisbeth is literally "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Lisbeth is a ward of the state, although in her mid 20's, her life has been held in check because of a mysterious childhood incident that has put her at the mercy of a failed system and corrupt guardians. Lisbeth has a very subjective moral code that deals mostly in black and white assumptions of people. Her saving grace is her abilities to find information via computer (a hacker) and her job as a freelance private detective. <hl> I don't read a lot of mystery's, but I found a lot of the plot points to be pretty transparent that details seemingly mentioned off handedly by characters are going to be important in the solution to the mystery, almost like having it highlighted IMPORTANT POINT HERE! <hl> The motivating reason for Mikael to move to Hedeby, to solve the mystery of the missing and presumed dead Harriet is predicated on an obvious bit of misdirection in a basic misunderstanding of motives. I think it is assumed by the author that the reader will assume the interpretation of the characters is correct. The title of the book when it was published in Sweden was "Men Who Hate Women." I read an interview with the U.S. publisher of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and the title and cover design were made more intriguing for the U.S. audience. But "Men Who Hate Women" (if not as catchy and intriguing) is a more apt and descriptive title of what the book is about. Early on Lisbeth is given very little to do with the main plot of finding the murderer of Harriet Vanger, but she runs into her own man who hates women. The development of Lisbeth's character is slow in coming, the bits and pieces of her back story are intriguing and develop a mystique around her; Larsson is slow to get her into the central mystery of the story. You're probably thinking that with all those shortcomings this is an unfavorable review. No, despite these shortcomings "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" works. The story is simple but elegantly constructed and I found it to be entertaining and readable. The main characters are sympathetic despite their flaws. The bits and pieces we're given of Lisbeth at the beginning are intriguing, like lightning flashes in the dark, we want to see more than her silhouette. Mikael for his faults is a sympathetic character and as he lurches about in the Vanger family history we learn he's basically a decent person, but compared to the Vanger family, most other families would be considered normal. We're also given villains to be shocked at, and not one, but at least three love stories. As all the threads of the mystery are pulled together they seem natural and organic to the characters, no details of the mystery are obscured from the reader, there's no left field revelation that appears out of no where in the solution of the mystery and there's no dues ex machina in it's solution. The proof of the success of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is, is the reader interested in the characters enough to go along and see what happens in the next book of the trilogy? I am. The DVD for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" comes out July 6th.

I'm skeptical of "libris populi," books that suddenly wash over society to public and critical acclaim. I was really burned by "The DaVinci Code" (we all were), about how new and exciting and different the writing was, and you have to give Dan Brown credit; he took an idea that was floating around for years and brought it to the public's attention. But the book itself was nothing but a whole chase novel and it wasn't a surprise that it was quickly made into a movie. Recently "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" has been creating the same sort of public reaction. Fortunately, there's a little more in "Girl" to hold a readers attention and worth the price of the trip that author Stieg Larsson takes you on."The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is the dual story of Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading financial reporter in Stockholm, and Lisbeth Salander (a play on salamander?), an anti-social possibly mentally ill but gifted private investigator.As "The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo" starts Mikael Blomkvist has been found guilty of Swedish libel laws because he wrote a story about a prominent industrialist that he couldn't back up with documentation. Mikael takes a leave of absence from his magazine, Millennium, until the heat is off. Mikael accepts a position from Henrik Vanger, the head of another prominent industrialist family to ostensibly write a chronicle of the Vanger family history. Mikael's actual assignment is find the killer of Harriet Vanger who disappeared off an island at a family gathering while the island was cut off from the mainland. The classic murder in a locked room scenario. As Mikael crawls through the Vanger family history he discovers a family that put the dysfunction in dysfunctional. There are Nazi's in the family, religious zealotry, abusive parents, promiscuous children, relatives who embrace the family and relatives trying to disavow the family connection at all costs. A little bit of something for everybody.The parallel story is, of course, Lisbeth Salander's. Lisbeth is literally "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Lisbeth is a ward of the state, although in her mid 20's, her life has been held in check because of a mysterious childhood incident that has put her at the mercy of a failed system and corrupt guardians. Lisbeth has a very subjective moral code that deals mostly in black and white assumptions of people. Her saving grace is her abilities to find information via computer (a hacker) and her job as a freelance private detective.I don't read a lot of mystery's, but I found a lot of <hl> the plot points to be pretty transparent <hl> that details seemingly mentioned off handedly by characters are going to be important in the solution to the mystery, almost like having it highlighted IMPORTANT POINT HERE! The motivating reason for Mikael to move to Hedeby, to solve the mystery of the missing and presumed dead Harriet is predicated on an obvious bit of misdirection in a basic misunderstanding of motives. I think it is assumed by the author that the reader will assume the interpretation of the characters is correct.The title of the book when it was published in Sweden was "Men Who Hate Women." I read an interview with the U.S. publisher of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and the title and cover design were made more intriguing for the U.S. audience. But "Men Who Hate Women" (if not as catchy and intriguing) is a more apt and descriptive title of what the book is about. Early on Lisbeth is given very little to do with the main plot of finding the murderer of Harriet Vanger, but she runs into her own man who hates women. The development of Lisbeth's character is slow in coming, the bits and pieces of her back story are intriguing and develop a mystique around her; Larsson is slow to get her into the central mystery of the story.You're probably thinking that with all those shortcomings this is an unfavorable review. No, despite these shortcomings "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" works. The story is simple but elegantly constructed and I found it to be entertaining and readable. The main characters are sympathetic despite their flaws. The bits and pieces we're given of Lisbeth at the beginning are intriguing, like lightning flashes in the dark, we want to see more than her silhouette. Mikael for his faults is a sympathetic character and as he lurches about in the Vanger family history we learn he's basically a decent person, but compared to the Vanger family, most other families would be considered normal. We're also given villains to be shocked at, and not one, but at least three love stories. As all the threads of the mystery are pulled together they seem natural and organic to the characters, no details of the mystery are obscured from the reader, there's no left field revelation that appears out of no where in the solution of the mystery and there's no dues ex machina in it's solution.The proof of the success of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is, is the reader interested in the characters enough to go along and see what happens in the next book of the trilogy? I am.The DVD for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" comes out July 6th.


Question: How great is the information in this book?

This book has some good, reasonable advice.  It is primarily about how, very generally, to take care of your baby.  (It offers little advice for sicknesses, etc.)However, it's not worth buying.  It's one of those books where you get the impression that the author had about 10-20 pages worth of stuff to say, but spread it out over a whole book instead.  Skim through it in a bookstore rather than buy it.

Answer: This book has some good

<hl> This book has some good , reasonable advice. <hl> It is primarily about how, very generally, to take care of your baby. (It offers little advice for sicknesses, etc.)However, it's not worth buying. It's one of those books where you get the impression that the author had about 10-20 pages worth of stuff to say, but spread it out over a whole book instead. Skim through it in a bookstore rather than buy it.

<hl> This book has some good <hl>, reasonable advice. It is primarily about how, very generally, to take care of your baby. (It offers little advice for sicknesses, etc.)However, it's not worth buying. It's one of those books where you get the impression that the author had about 10-20 pages worth of stuff to say, but spread it out over a whole book instead. Skim through it in a bookstore rather than buy it.

<hl> This book has some good <hl> , reasonable advice.


Question: How is it the character?

I loved watching rom-com movies, so having found a book that fits that genre was a delight for me. Alexandria "Alexa" McKenzie made a wish to Earth Mother asking for a husband, one who is handsome, is a generous lover in bed, loves animals, and is a Mets fan. And did I mention he also had to have $150,000 available? Her family fell into a tough financial situation, so in order to save her family home, she is willing to enter a marriage of convenience in exchange for money to help her family.In enters Nicholas "Nick" Ryan, the brother of Alexa's best friend. Consequently, he is also in the market looking for marriage. When his Uncle Earl passed away, the terms of his will dictated that Nick must marry in order to gain control of Dreamscape, the family's architectural firm. Growing up in a environment where his parents used their children as pawns, he doesn't believe in happily-ever-afters. And potential marriage to Alexa, the girl who teased him throughout his childhood, didn't sit well with him.Having grown up together, they had a chemistry that most married couples get after decades of marriage. But years of falling out of contact with one another also brought clashes. Their banter and bickering is very amusing, displaying the differences in their personalities.The characters are very endearing and lovable. Jennifer Probst did a wonderful job of fleshing out her characters, making the reader love them as they fall in love with each other. And when complications arise that threaten their marriage, you find yourself hoping that they'll end up together in the end because Nick and Alexa complement each other so well.A wonderful story to read and judging by the end of the book, it seems like a sequel is coming. I cannot wait to read about the story of the Italian count and Maggie, which should be out on June 15. I'm counting down my days!

Answer: The characters are very endearing and lovable

I loved watching rom-com movies, so having found a book that fits that genre was a delight for me. Alexandria "Alexa" McKenzie made a wish to Earth Mother asking for a husband, one who is handsome, is a generous lover in bed, loves animals, and is a Mets fan. And did I mention he also had to have $150,000 available? Her family fell into a tough financial situation, so in order to save her family home, she is willing to enter a marriage of convenience in exchange for money to help her family. In enters Nicholas "Nick" Ryan, the brother of Alexa's best friend. Consequently, he is also in the market looking for marriage. When his Uncle Earl passed away, the terms of his will dictated that Nick must marry in order to gain control of Dreamscape, the family's architectural firm. Growing up in a environment where his parents used their children as pawns, he doesn't believe in happily-ever-afters. And potential marriage to Alexa, the girl who teased him throughout his childhood, didn't sit well with him. Having grown up together, they had a chemistry that most married couples get after decades of marriage. But years of falling out of contact with one another also brought clashes. Their banter and bickering is very amusing, displaying the differences in their personalities. <hl> The characters are very endearing and lovable . <hl> Jennifer Probst did a wonderful job of fleshing out her characters, making the reader love them as they fall in love with each other. And when complications arise that threaten their marriage, you find yourself hoping that they'll end up together in the end because Nick and Alexa complement each other so well. A wonderful story to read and judging by the end of the book, it seems like a sequel is coming. I cannot wait to read about the story of the Italian count and Maggie, which should be out on June 15. I'm counting down my days!

I loved watching rom-com movies, so having found a book that fits that genre was a delight for me. Alexandria "Alexa" McKenzie made a wish to Earth Mother asking for a husband, one who is handsome, is a generous lover in bed, loves animals, and is a Mets fan. And did I mention he also had to have $150,000 available? Her family fell into a tough financial situation, so in order to save her family home, she is willing to enter a marriage of convenience in exchange for money to help her family.In enters Nicholas "Nick" Ryan, the brother of Alexa's best friend. Consequently, he is also in the market looking for marriage. When his Uncle Earl passed away, the terms of his will dictated that Nick must marry in order to gain control of Dreamscape, the family's architectural firm. Growing up in a environment where his parents used their children as pawns, he doesn't believe in happily-ever-afters. And potential marriage to Alexa, the girl who teased him throughout his childhood, didn't sit well with him.Having grown up together, they had a chemistry that most married couples get after decades of marriage. But years of falling out of contact with one another also brought clashes. Their banter and bickering is very amusing, displaying the differences in their personalities.<hl> The characters are very endearing and lovable <hl>. Jennifer Probst did a wonderful job of fleshing out her characters, making the reader love them as they fall in love with each other. And when complications arise that threaten their marriage, you find yourself hoping that they'll end up together in the end because Nick and Alexa complement each other so well.A wonderful story to read and judging by the end of the book, it seems like a sequel is coming. I cannot wait to read about the story of the Italian count and Maggie, which should be out on June 15. I'm counting down my days!

<hl> The characters are very endearing and lovable <hl> .


Question: How is the plot?

Mr. Larsson spends almost a quarter of this book setting up the murder mystery.  That amount of background is appropriate because this is far more than just a murder mystery.  There is a financial mystery to unravel as well.  As one gets to know tha main character, Mikael, it is inevitable that both mysteries would occupy him.  He has been professionally shattered as a journalist after writing an unsubstantiated story about a crooked financier (resulting in jail time).  He is then hired by a wealthy industrialist to solve a decades old mystery the industrialist believes to be a murder.At the outset there is also a parallel bio of Lisbeth, the girl with the dragon tatoo.  She has some major mental problems and is under guardianship, but we also see early on that there is some sort of genius within.  Watching her progress and overcome some of her demons is worth the price of the book alone.Eventually Mikael and Lisbeth join forces.  Both mysteries are terrific (particularly the murder) and, by the end keep the pages turning.Both characters are very engaging, particularly Lisbeth, whose off-the-wall characteristics contrast well with Mikael's starightforward economic journalist tendencies.I gave this only four stars because although all the background was necessary, it took a while for the book to really take off.  Once it did, it was terrifically engaging.  I look forward to the next installments of the trilogy.  These characters, especially Lisbeth, are well worh following.

Answer: genius

Mr. Larsson spends almost a quarter of this book setting up the murder mystery. That amount of background is appropriate because this is far more than just a murder mystery. There is a financial mystery to unravel as well. As one gets to know tha main character, Mikael, it is inevitable that both mysteries would occupy him. He has been professionally shattered as a journalist after writing an unsubstantiated story about a crooked financier (resulting in jail time). He is then hired by a wealthy industrialist to solve a decades old mystery the industrialist believes to be a murder. At the outset there is also a parallel bio of Lisbeth, the girl with the dragon tatoo. <hl> She has some major mental problems and is under guardianship, but we also see early on that there is some sort of genius within. <hl> Watching her progress and overcome some of her demons is worth the price of the book alone. Eventually Mikael and Lisbeth join forces. Both mysteries are terrific (particularly the murder) and, by the end keep the pages turning. Both characters are very engaging, particularly Lisbeth, whose off-the-wall characteristics contrast well with Mikael's starightforward economic journalist tendencies. I gave this only four stars because although all the background was necessary, it took a while for the book to really take off. Once it did, it was terrifically engaging. I look forward to the next installments of the trilogy. These characters, especially Lisbeth, are well worh following.

Mr. Larsson spends almost a quarter of this book setting up the murder mystery. That amount of background is appropriate because this is far more than just a murder mystery. There is a financial mystery to unravel as well. As one gets to know tha main character, Mikael, it is inevitable that both mysteries would occupy him. He has been professionally shattered as a journalist after writing an unsubstantiated story about a crooked financier (resulting in jail time). He is then hired by a wealthy industrialist to solve a decades old mystery the industrialist believes to be a murder.At the outset there is also a parallel bio of Lisbeth, the girl with the dragon tatoo. She has some major mental problems and is under guardianship, but we also see early on that there is some sort of <hl> genius <hl> within. Watching her progress and overcome some of her demons is worth the price of the book alone.Eventually Mikael and Lisbeth join forces. Both mysteries are terrific (particularly the murder) and, by the end keep the pages turning.Both characters are very engaging, particularly Lisbeth, whose off-the-wall characteristics contrast well with Mikael's starightforward economic journalist tendencies.I gave this only four stars because although all the background was necessary, it took a while for the book to really take off. Once it did, it was terrifically engaging. I look forward to the next installments of the trilogy. These characters, especially Lisbeth, are well worh following.


Question: How did you like the plot?

I have a lot of issues with this book but I will not go into details (yet) as I have other more important things to do than rant about this piece of bull. However, I feel the need to express my utter revulsion for this over-hyped trilogy because I finally discovered my final line of tolerance for double, triple crap books. This is only the second time IN YEARS that I wish a zero-star rating was possible.In a nutshell: I will never understand how, and why it would take a whole book for Ana Steele to figure out that Christian Grey is after all a control freak and a psycho. I thought it had been obvious all along but apparently his ridiculously beautiful face is enough to make her stay and do all the things she's told. Some love, huh.Now of course, there are a lot more things I would like to point out but I'd have those out another time.

Answer: details

I have a lot of issues with this book <hl> but I will not go into details (yet) as I have other more important things to do than rant about this piece of bull. <hl> However, I feel the need to express my utter revulsion for this over-hyped trilogy because I finally discovered my final line of tolerance for double, triple crap books. This is only the second time IN YEARS that I wish a zero-star rating was possible. In a nutshell: I will never understand how, and why it would take a whole book for Ana Steele to figure out that Christian Grey is after all a control freak and a psycho. I thought it had been obvious all along but apparently his ridiculously beautiful face is enough to make her stay and do all the things she's told. Some love, huh. Now of course, there are a lot more things I would like to point out but I'd have those out another time.

I have a lot of issues with this book but I will not go into <hl> details <hl> (yet) as I have other more important things to do than rant about this piece of bull. However, I feel the need to express my utter revulsion for this over-hyped trilogy because I finally discovered my final line of tolerance for double, triple crap books. This is only the second time IN YEARS that I wish a zero-star rating was possible.In a nutshell: I will never understand how, and why it would take a whole book for Ana Steele to figure out that Christian Grey is after all a control freak and a psycho. I thought it had been obvious all along but apparently his ridiculously beautiful face is enough to make her stay and do all the things she's told. Some love, huh.Now of course, there are a lot more things I would like to point out but I'd have those out another time.


Question: How is the plot in this reading?

Cinder is a cyborg, the best mechanic in New Beijing, and unafraid to get her hands dirty. She's an endearing character, especially when it comes to her genuine love for those who she cares about. The narration switches mostly between Cinder and Prince Kai, giving a well-rounded view the events taking place as the intimidating Queen Levana of the Lunars visits....and things get pretty complex once she shows up. As the story begins to delve into political conspiracies and the illness sweeping New Beijing, it only becomes more intriguing. Meyer has a way with words that keeps you turning the pages, eager for more. Building off of the bare bones of Cinderella's story, Meyer shapes Cinder into something unique and spectacular.HIGHLIGHTS: Despite being inspired by Cinderella, Meyer takes smart creative liberties that work very well. A few moments, especially with the Lunar queen, had me hooked as the suspense built. One the largest highlights involved the characters - Iko (an android), Peony, and Queen Levana. Even the fact that not all the characters were safe from harm was an interesting aspect that I respect.LOWLIGHTS: Some aspects of the plot were extremely predictable (Personal bias - I hate obvious twists), and not just the Cinderella aspects. The story also had a slow beginning. And the ending was a bit unsatisfying - too many loose ends, even if this is a series.OVERALL: It's a solid beginning to a series and a very fun novel to read. I'll definitely be checking out the sequel!

Answer: The narration switches mostly between Cinder and Prince Kai

Cinder is a cyborg, the best mechanic in New Beijing, and unafraid to get her hands dirty. She's an endearing character, especially when it comes to her genuine love for those who she cares about. <hl> The narration switches mostly between Cinder and Prince Kai , giving a well-rounded view the events taking place as the intimidating Queen Levana of the Lunars visits....and things get pretty complex once she shows up. <hl> As the story begins to delve into political conspiracies and the illness sweeping New Beijing, it only becomes more intriguing. Meyer has a way with words that keeps you turning the pages, eager for more. Building off of the bare bones of Cinderella's story, Meyer shapes Cinder into something unique and spectacular. HIGHLIGHTS: Despite being inspired by Cinderella, Meyer takes smart creative liberties that work very well. A few moments, especially with the Lunar queen, had me hooked as the suspense built. One the largest highlights involved the characters - Iko (an android), Peony, and Queen Levana. Even the fact that not all the characters were safe from harm was an interesting aspect that I respect. LOWLIGHTS: Some aspects of the plot were extremely predictable (Personal bias - I hate obvious twists), and not just the Cinderella aspects. The story also had a slow beginning. And the ending was a bit unsatisfying - too many loose ends, even if this is a series. OVERALL: It's a solid beginning to a series and a very fun novel to read. I'll definitely be checking out the sequel!

Cinder is a cyborg, the best mechanic in New Beijing, and unafraid to get her hands dirty. She's an endearing character, especially when it comes to her genuine love for those who she cares about. <hl> The narration switches mostly between Cinder and Prince Kai <hl>, giving a well-rounded view the events taking place as the intimidating Queen Levana of the Lunars visits....and things get pretty complex once she shows up. As the story begins to delve into political conspiracies and the illness sweeping New Beijing, it only becomes more intriguing. Meyer has a way with words that keeps you turning the pages, eager for more. Building off of the bare bones of Cinderella's story, Meyer shapes Cinder into something unique and spectacular.HIGHLIGHTS: Despite being inspired by Cinderella, Meyer takes smart creative liberties that work very well. A few moments, especially with the Lunar queen, had me hooked as the suspense built. One the largest highlights involved the characters - Iko (an android), Peony, and Queen Levana. Even the fact that not all the characters were safe from harm was an interesting aspect that I respect.LOWLIGHTS: Some aspects of the plot were extremely predictable (Personal bias - I hate obvious twists), and not just the Cinderella aspects. The story also had a slow beginning. And the ending was a bit unsatisfying - too many loose ends, even if this is a series.OVERALL: It's a solid beginning to a series and a very fun novel to read. I'll definitely be checking out the sequel!

<hl> The narration switches mostly between Cinder and Prince Kai <hl> , giving a well-rounded view the events taking place as the intimidating Queen Levana of the Lunars visits....and things get pretty complex once she shows up.


Question: How is the descriptions were?

The big numbers speak for themselves. When you see over 3,000 4 or 5-star reviews (over 90% of the total reviews), then this book has to be good - and it is! The author managed to package the unique and very interesting life-story of Louie Zamperini in an attractive and highly readable format that will make you lose some sleep over the two days reading it. It is such an engaging read that it is difficult to put down, a real page-turner.The reader is presented with Mr. Zamperini's story, from his early childhood until his life after retirement well into the new century. Most of all, it's a story about his POW experience during WW II in the Pacific as a prisoner in Japan. Now, just the description of his long and tortuous years surviving the savage Japanese POW camps would have been interesting enough, but the author's real contribution in my opinion lies in all the explanations we find throughout the book for the various behaviors, and how he manages to cope with the brutal treatment in an almost elegant but definitely entertaining way. Writing about the worst human emotions and behavior is certainly not easy, and do it in such a way as to finish with an entertaining book even more.It has to be said that there is a long time between Mr. Zamperini's war years and the writing of this book, which casts some doubts about some details and descriptions included, but this does not really distract at all from the story and from the value of the book. If the author took some literary liberties during the writing process, it was done discretely so as to fit in the overall narrative style.Overall, this is a very interesting story told in an engaging style that without a doubt deserves the title Bestseller - highly recommended.

Answer: then this book has to be good

The big numbers speak for themselves. <hl> When you see over 3,000 4 or 5-star reviews (over 90% of the total reviews), then this book has to be good - and it is! <hl> The author managed to package the unique and very interesting life-story of Louie Zamperini in an attractive and highly readable format that will make you lose some sleep over the two days reading it. It is such an engaging read that it is difficult to put down, a real page-turner. The reader is presented with Mr. Zamperini's story, from his early childhood until his life after retirement well into the new century. Most of all, it's a story about his POW experience during WW II in the Pacific as a prisoner in Japan. Now, just the description of his long and tortuous years surviving the savage Japanese POW camps would have been interesting enough, but the author's real contribution in my opinion lies in all the explanations we find throughout the book for the various behaviors, and how he manages to cope with the brutal treatment in an almost elegant but definitely entertaining way. Writing about the worst human emotions and behavior is certainly not easy, and do it in such a way as to finish with an entertaining book even more. It has to be said that there is a long time between Mr. Zamperini's war years and the writing of this book, which casts some doubts about some details and descriptions included, but this does not really distract at all from the story and from the value of the book. If the author took some literary liberties during the writing process, it was done discretely so as to fit in the overall narrative style. Overall, this is a very interesting story told in an engaging style that without a doubt deserves the title Bestseller - highly recommended.

The big numbers speak for themselves. When you see over 3,000 4 or 5-star reviews (over 90% of the total reviews), <hl> then this book has to be good <hl> - and it is! The author managed to package the unique and very interesting life-story of Louie Zamperini in an attractive and highly readable format that will make you lose some sleep over the two days reading it. It is such an engaging read that it is difficult to put down, a real page-turner.The reader is presented with Mr. Zamperini's story, from his early childhood until his life after retirement well into the new century. Most of all, it's a story about his POW experience during WW II in the Pacific as a prisoner in Japan. Now, just the description of his long and tortuous years surviving the savage Japanese POW camps would have been interesting enough, but the author's real contribution in my opinion lies in all the explanations we find throughout the book for the various behaviors, and how he manages to cope with the brutal treatment in an almost elegant but definitely entertaining way. Writing about the worst human emotions and behavior is certainly not easy, and do it in such a way as to finish with an entertaining book even more.It has to be said that there is a long time between Mr. Zamperini's war years and the writing of this book, which casts some doubts about some details and descriptions included, but this does not really distract at all from the story and from the value of the book. If the author took some literary liberties during the writing process, it was done discretely so as to fit in the overall narrative style.Overall, this is a very interesting story told in an engaging style that without a doubt deserves the title Bestseller - highly recommended.


Question: How did you like the shooting set?

At first, the writing style was so different that I was not sure I would like the book at all.  That the storyteller was "Death" was also strange for me.  But as the story unfolded and the characters became so real and special, I began to fall in love with the book.  As my title states, the Book Thief, is beautifully written.  This writer is gifted with a powerful command of words.  Lyrical words that thrust you into the story and make you really care about the characters.  This book stayed  with me for days.  It raised the bar for  future reads.

Answer: strange for me

At first, the writing style was so different that I was not sure I would like the book at all. <hl> That the storyteller was "Death" was also strange for me . <hl> But as the story unfolded and the characters became so real and special, I began to fall in love with the book. As my title states, the Book Thief, is beautifully written. This writer is gifted with a powerful command of words. Lyrical words that thrust you into the story and make you really care about the characters. This book stayed with me for days. It raised the bar for future reads.

At first, the writing style was so different that I was not sure I would like the book at all. That the storyteller was "Death" was also <hl> strange for me <hl>. But as the story unfolded and the characters became so real and special, I began to fall in love with the book. As my title states, the Book Thief, is beautifully written. This writer is gifted with a powerful command of words. Lyrical words that thrust you into the story and make you really care about the characters. This book stayed with me for days. It raised the bar for future reads.

That the storyteller was "Death" was also <hl> strange for me <hl> .


Question: How much character do the characters have?

It's been a long time since I read a book that falls so squarely into the adult-psychological-thriller category, and to be honest, I doubted whether I could really enjoy it. I often find that books in these categories are either a) completely unbelievable and I get eye strain from rolling my eyes so often, or b) the characters are so flat and transparent that I really don't give a fig about what happens to them.In Gone Girl, however, Gillian Flynn has created a story that is both believable but also stretched my imagination as a reader and characters that although definitely not in the likeable category were anything but flat.The story smacks of tension right from the beginning, and as the story progresses I found myself more and more drawn into the world of Nick and Amy and wanting to know more about them - their families, their relationship, their whole history together and how it related to what was happening in the current day.Gone Girl has some really good points for more thought too - were Amy's parents' overbearing and more than slightly over-protective nature so damaging on her psyche, or was she simply born the way she was, hard-wired into her brains? Was Nick's upbringing and his father part of the reason he felt it so difficult to connect with and empathise with his wife? Do we ever really know the person we are partnered with, or do they have a side that we never really see? Such questions are what makes this book a true psychological thriller, and so very hard to predict exactly what will happen next.My only criticism, and it's not even that, it's more a warning to other people that need to like at least one main character is that I found none of the main characters particularly likeable at all, with perhaps the exception of Nick's sister Go, who with her unique personality and sarcastic, dirty sense I felt quite an affinity with and I do wish she had played more of a part in the story. But for the most part, Nick, Amy, their parents and friends are either quite self-centred, arrogant people or they don't play a big enough role to really have an impact.And the million dollar question - the ending? I anticipated it because I wanted to know what happened, yet dreading it because I was really enjoying the twists and turns of the story, but in the end I can say I was pretty satisfied as a whole. It didn't feel rushed, contrived or unbelievable, and that's a true testament to the way that Gillian Flynn writes.

Answer: the characters are so flat and transparent

It's been a long time since I read a book that falls so squarely into the adult-psychological-thriller category, and to be honest, I doubted whether I could really enjoy it. <hl> I often find that books in these categories are either a) completely unbelievable and I get eye strain from rolling my eyes so often, or b) the characters are so flat and transparent that I really don't give a fig about what happens to them. <hl> In Gone Girl, however, Gillian Flynn has created a story that is both believable but also stretched my imagination as a reader and characters that although definitely not in the likeable category were anything but flat. The story smacks of tension right from the beginning, and as the story progresses I found myself more and more drawn into the world of Nick and Amy and wanting to know more about them - their families, their relationship, their whole history together and how it related to what was happening in the current day. Gone Girl has some really good points for more thought too - were Amy's parents' overbearing and more than slightly over-protective nature so damaging on her psyche, or was she simply born the way she was, hard-wired into her brains? Was Nick's upbringing and his father part of the reason he felt it so difficult to connect with and empathise with his wife? Do we ever really know the person we are partnered with, or do they have a side that we never really see? Such questions are what makes this book a true psychological thriller, and so very hard to predict exactly what will happen next. My only criticism, and it's not even that, it's more a warning to other people that need to like at least one main character is that I found none of the main characters particularly likeable at all, with perhaps the exception of Nick's sister Go, who with her unique personality and sarcastic, dirty sense I felt quite an affinity with and I do wish she had played more of a part in the story. But for the most part, Nick, Amy, their parents and friends are either quite self-centred, arrogant people or they don't play a big enough role to really have an impact. And the million dollar question - the ending? I anticipated it because I wanted to know what happened, yet dreading it because I was really enjoying the twists and turns of the story, but in the end I can say I was pretty satisfied as a whole. It didn't feel rushed, contrived or unbelievable, and that's a true testament to the way that Gillian Flynn writes.

It's been a long time since I read a book that falls so squarely into the adult-psychological-thriller category, and to be honest, I doubted whether I could really enjoy it. I often find that books in these categories are either a) completely unbelievable and I get eye strain from rolling my eyes so often, or b) <hl> the characters are so flat and transparent <hl> that I really don't give a fig about what happens to them.In Gone Girl, however, Gillian Flynn has created a story that is both believable but also stretched my imagination as a reader and characters that although definitely not in the likeable category were anything but flat.The story smacks of tension right from the beginning, and as the story progresses I found myself more and more drawn into the world of Nick and Amy and wanting to know more about them - their families, their relationship, their whole history together and how it related to what was happening in the current day.Gone Girl has some really good points for more thought too - were Amy's parents' overbearing and more than slightly over-protective nature so damaging on her psyche, or was she simply born the way she was, hard-wired into her brains? Was Nick's upbringing and his father part of the reason he felt it so difficult to connect with and empathise with his wife? Do we ever really know the person we are partnered with, or do they have a side that we never really see? Such questions are what makes this book a true psychological thriller, and so very hard to predict exactly what will happen next.My only criticism, and it's not even that, it's more a warning to other people that need to like at least one main character is that I found none of the main characters particularly likeable at all, with perhaps the exception of Nick's sister Go, who with her unique personality and sarcastic, dirty sense I felt quite an affinity with and I do wish she had played more of a part in the story. But for the most part, Nick, Amy, their parents and friends are either quite self-centred, arrogant people or they don't play a big enough role to really have an impact.And the million dollar question - the ending? I anticipated it because I wanted to know what happened, yet dreading it because I was really enjoying the twists and turns of the story, but in the end I can say I was pretty satisfied as a whole. It didn't feel rushed, contrived or unbelievable, and that's a true testament to the way that Gillian Flynn writes.


Question: How could you describe the journey of the book?

This book was interesting to read but I was disappointing in the subject matter.  I was expecting to have more of a medical explanation of the near death experience - since this occurred to a neuro surgeon.  One good thing I received from the book - other than the standard explanation for the NDE was the referral to the book "Irreducible Mind" - which I since purchased and this is more of the material I was looking for on NDE's.

Answer: This book was interesting

<hl> This book was interesting to read but I was disappointing in the subject matter. <hl> I was expecting to have more of a medical explanation of the near death experience - since this occurred to a neuro surgeon. One good thing I received from the book - other than the standard explanation for the NDE was the referral to the book "Irreducible Mind" - which I since purchased and this is more of the material I was looking for on NDE's.

<hl> This book was interesting <hl> to read but I was disappointing in the subject matter. I was expecting to have more of a medical explanation of the near death experience - since this occurred to a neuro surgeon. One good thing I received from the book - other than the standard explanation for the NDE was the referral to the book "Irreducible Mind" - which I since purchased and this is more of the material I was looking for on NDE's.


Question: Is the character interpreted for a man or a woman?

This is a book that makes you think about life and how it used to be. To me,the emotions in this book runs very true to the time of the story. It could be disturbing, maybe, to some, but I chose toread it for the story itself. The characters are strong women, and triumphant. Good book!

Answer: The characters are strong women

This is a book that makes you think about life and how it used to be. To me,the emotions in this book runs very true to the time of the story. It could be disturbing, maybe, to some, but I chose toread it for the story itself. <hl> The characters are strong women , and triumphant. <hl> Good book!

This is a book that makes you think about life and how it used to be. To me,the emotions in this book runs very true to the time of the story. It could be disturbing, maybe, to some, but I chose toread it for the story itself. <hl> The characters are strong women <hl>, and triumphant. Good book!

<hl> The characters are strong women <hl> , and triumphant.


Question: Does have a such good characters?

I am an art lover and this book is a story of a stolen piece of art and the mystery surrounding the people involved.  The book has great depth and requires you to figure out how the characters are related and involved. I stayed up far too late at night because I couldn't put the book down.

Answer: the characters are related and involved

I am an art lover and this book is a story of a stolen piece of art and the mystery surrounding the people involved. The book has great depth and requires you to figure out <hl> how the characters are related and involved . <hl> I stayed up far too late at night because I couldn't put the book down.

I am an art lover and this book is a story of a stolen piece of art and the mystery surrounding the people involved. The book has great depth and requires you to figure out how <hl> the characters are related and involved <hl>. I stayed up far too late at night because I couldn't put the book down.

how <hl> the characters are related and involved <hl> .


Question: What sort of arguments are in this creationist book?

Unfortunately since his first book Nassim Taleb has become more and more unbearable from my perspective.  The original insights given in Fooled by Randomness were valuable as people often mistake noise for signals (the Signal and Noise is an excellent book on this which was published before anti-fragile).  But with each subsequent book the content goes into greater philosophical rambling and deterioration of content.  The author goes to great lengths to insult academics and those in the business community and to elevate himself in a one sided dialogue with the reader.  Its baffling and childish.  Antifragile is about things which gain in strength from volatility (or more broadly do well from uncertainty).  The author argues that people generally misevaluate the distribution of outcomes and as a result unerappreciate the uncertainty we face and put themselves in positions that are brittle to change.  That in itself is a relatively useful insight, though it is not original despite the author constantly trying to convince everyone he is the only person who understands this idea.The author seems to spend 95% of his time reading classics rather than what people in the modern world write and research and seems to have had some horrible interpersonal relationships with his former colleagues in the bank and in academics (probably because he can't articulate his points properly and doesnt have a logical process when making arguments).  The result is that he spends a lot of time insulting people on his perception of their beliefs when in fact most people appreciate all of his points and have made the same arguments a long time ago.  The author is not mathematical but tries to make out that he is and talks about the non-linearities of phenomenon which any literate person knows is not linear and claims these are very insightful ideas.  For example much time is spent about dropping objects from small heights multiple times vs dropping the same object from a great height and the fragility of the object is non-linear.  Ideas like this are trivial and a function of kinetic energy, among other things, which, yes, is non linear with respect to velocity.  To lecture and insult technical people about a high school physics idea and claim no one gets it is beyond unimpressive.  The author constantly tells the reader his professors were all fools who didnt understand what they were teaching because they only think in the context of their fields.  He talks about how he fooled his business school professors by using language they didnt understand.  He talks about how he knew the same things as Mandelbrot despite never reading it (which reinforces the fact that perhaps the author is less informed than he realizes).  He talks about how no one gets it (when they do because the points are simple).  I try to be an avid reader and even works where the authors tone was condescending I try to look through it to measure the content.  This is the first time I found it almost unbearable to finish.  If you want the best overview of what this book is about read the few page article by Taleb in This Explains Everything.  There are some important ideas in this book, relying on models creates risk biases which create fragility.  Distributions of outcomes for social sciences are poorly understood, hence trying to be formulaic can be naive.  But overall these ideas have other more articulate authors (Knight, Minsky, Hayek, Keynes, Mandelbrot, Shiller to name a few) who have less anger towards everyone.  Something has happened to the author in the last few years and it is very unhealthy...

Answer: Nassim Taleb has become more and more unbearable from my perspective

<hl> Unfortunately since his first book Nassim Taleb has become more and more unbearable from my perspective . <hl> The original insights given in Fooled by Randomness were valuable as people often mistake noise for signals (the Signal and Noise is an excellent book on this which was published before anti-fragile). But with each subsequent book the content goes into greater philosophical rambling and deterioration of content. The author goes to great lengths to insult academics and those in the business community and to elevate himself in a one sided dialogue with the reader. Its baffling and childish. Antifragile is about things which gain in strength from volatility (or more broadly do well from uncertainty). The author argues that people generally misevaluate the distribution of outcomes and as a result unerappreciate the uncertainty we face and put themselves in positions that are brittle to change. That in itself is a relatively useful insight, though it is not original despite the author constantly trying to convince everyone he is the only person who understands this idea. The author seems to spend 95% of his time reading classics rather than what people in the modern world write and research and seems to have had some horrible interpersonal relationships with his former colleagues in the bank and in academics (probably because he can't articulate his points properly and doesnt have a logical process when making arguments). The result is that he spends a lot of time insulting people on his perception of their beliefs when in fact most people appreciate all of his points and have made the same arguments a long time ago. The author is not mathematical but tries to make out that he is and talks about the non-linearities of phenomenon which any literate person knows is not linear and claims these are very insightful ideas. For example much time is spent about dropping objects from small heights multiple times vs dropping the same object from a great height and the fragility of the object is non-linear. Ideas like this are trivial and a function of kinetic energy, among other things, which, yes, is non linear with respect to velocity. To lecture and insult technical people about a high school physics idea and claim no one gets it is beyond unimpressive. The author constantly tells the reader his professors were all fools who didnt understand what they were teaching because they only think in the context of their fields. He talks about how he fooled his business school professors by using language they didnt understand. He talks about how he knew the same things as Mandelbrot despite never reading it (which reinforces the fact that perhaps the author is less informed than he realizes). He talks about how no one gets it (when they do because the points are simple). I try to be an avid reader and even works where the authors tone was condescending I try to look through it to measure the content. This is the first time I found it almost unbearable to finish. If you want the best overview of what this book is about read the few page article by Taleb in This Explains Everything. There are some important ideas in this book, relying on models creates risk biases which create fragility. Distributions of outcomes for social sciences are poorly understood, hence trying to be formulaic can be naive. But overall these ideas have other more articulate authors (Knight, Minsky, Hayek, Keynes, Mandelbrot, Shiller to name a few) who have less anger towards everyone. Something has happened to the author in the last few years and it is very unhealthy...

Unfortunately since his first book <hl> Nassim Taleb has become more and more unbearable from my perspective <hl>. The original insights given in Fooled by Randomness were valuable as people often mistake noise for signals (the Signal and Noise is an excellent book on this which was published before anti-fragile). But with each subsequent book the content goes into greater philosophical rambling and deterioration of content. The author goes to great lengths to insult academics and those in the business community and to elevate himself in a one sided dialogue with the reader. Its baffling and childish. Antifragile is about things which gain in strength from volatility (or more broadly do well from uncertainty). The author argues that people generally misevaluate the distribution of outcomes and as a result unerappreciate the uncertainty we face and put themselves in positions that are brittle to change. That in itself is a relatively useful insight, though it is not original despite the author constantly trying to convince everyone he is the only person who understands this idea.The author seems to spend 95% of his time reading classics rather than what people in the modern world write and research and seems to have had some horrible interpersonal relationships with his former colleagues in the bank and in academics (probably because he can't articulate his points properly and doesnt have a logical process when making arguments). The result is that he spends a lot of time insulting people on his perception of their beliefs when in fact most people appreciate all of his points and have made the same arguments a long time ago. The author is not mathematical but tries to make out that he is and talks about the non-linearities of phenomenon which any literate person knows is not linear and claims these are very insightful ideas. For example much time is spent about dropping objects from small heights multiple times vs dropping the same object from a great height and the fragility of the object is non-linear. Ideas like this are trivial and a function of kinetic energy, among other things, which, yes, is non linear with respect to velocity. To lecture and insult technical people about a high school physics idea and claim no one gets it is beyond unimpressive. The author constantly tells the reader his professors were all fools who didnt understand what they were teaching because they only think in the context of their fields. He talks about how he fooled his business school professors by using language they didnt understand. He talks about how he knew the same things as Mandelbrot despite never reading it (which reinforces the fact that perhaps the author is less informed than he realizes). He talks about how no one gets it (when they do because the points are simple). I try to be an avid reader and even works where the authors tone was condescending I try to look through it to measure the content. This is the first time I found it almost unbearable to finish. If you want the best overview of what this book is about read the few page article by Taleb in This Explains Everything. There are some important ideas in this book, relying on models creates risk biases which create fragility. Distributions of outcomes for social sciences are poorly understood, hence trying to be formulaic can be naive. But overall these ideas have other more articulate authors (Knight, Minsky, Hayek, Keynes, Mandelbrot, Shiller to name a few) who have less anger towards everyone. Something has happened to the author in the last few years and it is very unhealthy...

Unfortunately since his first book <hl> Nassim Taleb has become more and more unbearable from my perspective <hl> .


Question: How is the plot?

Once the big reveal happened that Amy was framing her husband, the book became really predictable.  I thought the initial idea of the Amy diary was clever and how she framed him, but it left everything else lackluster and dragging on.  I never found myself rooting for any of the characters.  I felt the ending was flat and without any impact.  I would have ended it with someone dying or something.  Them continuing a fake relationship was not satisfying to me.  Overall it could have been good but instead just became annoyingly predictable.

Answer: Overall it could have been good but instead just became annoyingly predictable

Once the big reveal happened that Amy was framing her husband, the book became really predictable. I thought the initial idea of the Amy diary was clever and how she framed him, but it left everything else lackluster and dragging on. I never found myself rooting for any of the characters. I felt the ending was flat and without any impact. I would have ended it with someone dying or something. Them continuing a fake relationship was not satisfying to me. <hl> Overall it could have been good but instead just became annoyingly predictable . <hl>

Once the big reveal happened that Amy was framing her husband, the book became really predictable. I thought the initial idea of the Amy diary was clever and how she framed him, but it left everything else lackluster and dragging on. I never found myself rooting for any of the characters. I felt the ending was flat and without any impact. I would have ended it with someone dying or something. Them continuing a fake relationship was not satisfying to me. <hl> Overall it could have been good but instead just became annoyingly predictable <hl>.

<hl> Overall it could have been good but instead just became annoyingly predictable <hl> .


Question: What's your favourite character?

I have no idea what book the other reviewers read, but I sure didn't read the same one because I thought this book was horrible. The Silent Wife: A Novel was amateurish, seemingly written by a high school student, and devoid of the depth necessary to make the characters interesting.The story itself was appealing because I thought it was going to be a mystery of sorts. Sure, you know the main storyline from the book description, but I figured there would be some energy or plots twists to make it exciting. Instead, I quickly got bored of Todd and Jodi and didn't care what happened in their relationship. Especially since the title is misleading - Todd and Jodi are not married so Jodi is not a silent "wife."One of the main reasons for my dislike of this book was the needless introduction of flashback of Jodi's therapy sessions with Gerard. That side story goes absolutely nowhere and doesn't really fit into the overall plot. It just wastes pages and detracts from the plot. Yes, there is somewhat of a revelation at the end of the book that has to do with Jodi's therapy sessions, but that has nothing to do with the way she behaves in the story and doesn't shed light on anything at all. Also, some of the conversations in the book are ludicrous! For example, Todd (one of the main characters) gets into an argument with his best friend, Dean, and Dean calls Todd a "blockhead" and a "stinking turd." Now remember, these characters are in their late 40s. Who the heck calls someone a blockhead or a stinking turd unless they are still in elementary school?? At another point in the book, the author says, "Jodi's brother Ryan was 6 yrs younger and a boy." Uh - duh!! You just wrote "Jodi's brother," that by definition means Ryan is a boy. And another time, the author writes about Jodi's "disuse of chambers of her heart." What the heck??? Such language is just plain silly.And then, unless you are a high school student, you would know that there is no way in the world characters in their 40s who have been together for 20 yrs would act so stupidly. The only person in the book whose actions seemed to make sense were Natasha's and that's because she was in her early 20s and still in college. The other characters were just too stupid to be believable - especially since Jodi has a doctorate degree and is a psychotherapist. I felt like I was reading a movie script for a tween television show that would be aired on ABC right after some so-called "drama" like Pretty Little Liars! That's not a good thing.It's true that the switching back and forth between the point of view of Jodi and the perspective of Todd does add a neat feature to the book, but it's definitely not enough to justify paying more than $0.99 for this book.I just cannot recommend "The Silent Wife" by A.S.A. Harrison. The characters are superficial, the story is contrived, and the writing is sloppy.

Answer: these characters are in their late 40s

I have no idea what book the other reviewers read, but I sure didn't read the same one because I thought this book was horrible. The Silent Wife: A Novel was amateurish, seemingly written by a high school student, and devoid of the depth necessary to make the characters interesting. The story itself was appealing because I thought it was going to be a mystery of sorts. Sure, you know the main storyline from the book description, but I figured there would be some energy or plots twists to make it exciting. Instead, I quickly got bored of Todd and Jodi and didn't care what happened in their relationship. Especially since the title is misleading - Todd and Jodi are not married so Jodi is not a silent "wife."One of the main reasons for my dislike of this book was the needless introduction of flashback of Jodi's therapy sessions with Gerard. That side story goes absolutely nowhere and doesn't really fit into the overall plot. It just wastes pages and detracts from the plot. Yes, there is somewhat of a revelation at the end of the book that has to do with Jodi's therapy sessions, but that has nothing to do with the way she behaves in the story and doesn't shed light on anything at all. Also, some of the conversations in the book are ludicrous! For example, Todd (one of the main characters) gets into an argument with his best friend, Dean, and Dean calls Todd a "blockhead" and a "stinking turd." <hl> Now remember, these characters are in their late 40s . <hl> Who the heck calls someone a blockhead or a stinking turd unless they are still in elementary school?? At another point in the book, the author says, "Jodi's brother Ryan was 6 yrs younger and a boy." Uh - duh!! You just wrote "Jodi's brother," that by definition means Ryan is a boy. And another time, the author writes about Jodi's "disuse of chambers of her heart." What the heck??? Such language is just plain silly. And then, unless you are a high school student, you would know that there is no way in the world characters in their 40s who have been together for 20 yrs would act so stupidly. The only person in the book whose actions seemed to make sense were Natasha's and that's because she was in her early 20s and still in college. The other characters were just too stupid to be believable - especially since Jodi has a doctorate degree and is a psychotherapist. I felt like I was reading a movie script for a tween television show that would be aired on ABC right after some so-called "drama" like Pretty Little Liars! That's not a good thing. It's true that the switching back and forth between the point of view of Jodi and the perspective of Todd does add a neat feature to the book, but it's definitely not enough to justify paying more than $0.99 for this book. I just cannot recommend "The Silent Wife" by A.S.A. Harrison. The characters are superficial, the story is contrived, and the writing is sloppy.

I have no idea what book the other reviewers read, but I sure didn't read the same one because I thought this book was horrible. The Silent Wife: A Novel was amateurish, seemingly written by a high school student, and devoid of the depth necessary to make the characters interesting.The story itself was appealing because I thought it was going to be a mystery of sorts. Sure, you know the main storyline from the book description, but I figured there would be some energy or plots twists to make it exciting. Instead, I quickly got bored of Todd and Jodi and didn't care what happened in their relationship. Especially since the title is misleading - Todd and Jodi are not married so Jodi is not a silent "wife."One of the main reasons for my dislike of this book was the needless introduction of flashback of Jodi's therapy sessions with Gerard. That side story goes absolutely nowhere and doesn't really fit into the overall plot. It just wastes pages and detracts from the plot. Yes, there is somewhat of a revelation at the end of the book that has to do with Jodi's therapy sessions, but that has nothing to do with the way she behaves in the story and doesn't shed light on anything at all. Also, some of the conversations in the book are ludicrous! For example, Todd (one of the main characters) gets into an argument with his best friend, Dean, and Dean calls Todd a "blockhead" and a "stinking turd." Now remember, <hl> these characters are in their late 40s <hl>. Who the heck calls someone a blockhead or a stinking turd unless they are still in elementary school?? At another point in the book, the author says, "Jodi's brother Ryan was 6 yrs younger and a boy." Uh - duh!! You just wrote "Jodi's brother," that by definition means Ryan is a boy. And another time, the author writes about Jodi's "disuse of chambers of her heart." What the heck??? Such language is just plain silly.And then, unless you are a high school student, you would know that there is no way in the world characters in their 40s who have been together for 20 yrs would act so stupidly. The only person in the book whose actions seemed to make sense were Natasha's and that's because she was in her early 20s and still in college. The other characters were just too stupid to be believable - especially since Jodi has a doctorate degree and is a psychotherapist. I felt like I was reading a movie script for a tween television show that would be aired on ABC right after some so-called "drama" like Pretty Little Liars! That's not a good thing.It's true that the switching back and forth between the point of view of Jodi and the perspective of Todd does add a neat feature to the book, but it's definitely not enough to justify paying more than $0.99 for this book.I just cannot recommend "The Silent Wife" by A.S.A. Harrison. The characters are superficial, the story is contrived, and the writing is sloppy.

Now remember, <hl> these characters are in their late 40s <hl> .


Question: How is the character?

The characters and plot line in this novel are very entertaining and thankfully, clean and upscale.  I needed something light-hearted, and this definitely fulfilled my expectation.  At times one does tire of the references to ice cream, but it makes the story realistic to a certain point.  Still reading it, but am thoroughly enjoying this up-to-date story that makes witches out to be a little more down-to-earth than the Harry Potter books!!

Answer: The characters and plot line in this novel are very entertaining and thankfully

<hl> The characters and plot line in this novel are very entertaining and thankfully , clean and upscale. <hl> I needed something light-hearted, and this definitely fulfilled my expectation. At times one does tire of the references to ice cream, but it makes the story realistic to a certain point. Still reading it, but am thoroughly enjoying this up-to-date story that makes witches out to be a little more down-to-earth than the Harry Potter books!!

<hl> The characters and plot line in this novel are very entertaining and thankfully <hl>, clean and upscale. I needed something light-hearted, and this definitely fulfilled my expectation. At times one does tire of the references to ice cream, but it makes the story realistic to a certain point. Still reading it, but am thoroughly enjoying this up-to-date story that makes witches out to be a little more down-to-earth than the Harry Potter books!!

<hl> The characters and plot line in this novel are very entertaining and thankfully <hl> , clean and upscale.