The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I think therefore I am - Rene Descartes, Discourse on Method, 1637

I write therefore a writer I am; I read therefore a better writer I am - Dahlia Liwsze, 2010

As a writer, I love reading different genres. Some of my favourite authors and poets include Jane Austen, D.H. Lawrence, Kathy Reichs, Michael Crichton, Tess Gerritsen, John Keats, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

I, however, am not always fond of books that "everyone's reading" or that make The New York Times Best Sellers List. The Lovely Bones and Eat, Pray, Love are two such books that immediately come to mind. I also am not usually swayed by Heather's Picks, and my eyes glaze over the minute I hear the words "Oprah's Book Club List."

I do confess though that the NYT Best Seller to recently have caught me in its wonderful literary grasp is Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Not only is Larsson's novel a hit in the States, but it is an international bestselling novel as well.

Action. Intrigue. Investigative journalism mixed with private investigation. Jail time. Revenge. Sex. Family secrets and feuds. Murder. A mysterious disappearance and possible murder. Pure intensity. Sound writing. Interesting and multi-dimsensional characters. Great plot. Beautiful location - Sweden. What more can a reader ask for?

Although I found the beginning of the novel started off a bit slowly, I was soon captivated by the lives of Lisbeth Salander (or "Salamander" as I usually read it!) and Mikael Blomkvist. Troubled woman (with many tattoos and piercings) in her 20's turned private investigator meets financial journalist in his 40's turned biographer and investigative journalist. Enter business tycoon and concerned uncle in his 80's turned financial magazine partner and even more concerned uncle, and you have the recipe for a fantastic story.

I confess that it is books like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Aayan Hirshi Ali's Infidel, and others that remind me how it is sometimes good to check out what is presently popular.

I guess I'm sometimes hesitant because I know what I like and what I don't like and have never been a follower. My Dad has always said, "If the crowd is running one way, go the other because they're usually wrong." I've learned though that this is not always the case with literature.

Until my next post, I'll keep reading about Lisbeth, Mikael, and Henrik.

If you haven't read Infidel or The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I strongly recommend that you do so! Happy reading!