The Girl in the Spider's Web is a big disappointment

I put off reading The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz for a good long while. I was just so afraid it wouldn't live up to my expectations due to how much I loved the original three books in the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo series by Steig Larsson, as well as the movies based on the books.

I am glad I finally read The Girl in the Spider's Web, but it absolutely was nowhere near as good as the original series. In fact, there were parts that I found to be just downright irrelevant and even, dare I say, stupid.

There were also several aspects to the story that simply weren't well developed and others that were so incongruous with the original series that they made it difficult to take much of the novel seriously.

Lisbeth Salander is one of my favorite literary characters, and Lagercrantz dropped some of the tight, focused aspects of her personality while adding in other details that didn't fit with the character all that well. I wondered how much of this was due to Lagercrantz's own spin on the series versus Larsson's original notes for the book versus a lack of attention to detail by Lagercrantz with regard to the original series.

My other issue with this book is the translation. Perhaps it was translated for a British audience? I don't know...there were numerous spots where the translation felt clunky and where terms that were particularly colloquial were used (for example "sticky plaster" instead of "Band-Aid" or "bandage").

In general, I found the discrepancies between this novel and the original series to be quite glaring and I do NOT recommend this book.

In fact, I found the differences to be so huge and the side stories or background details so odd that I actually want to go back through the original three books and this one so I can map out all of the details--every little one!--to see if my impressions of this book are accurate or if I'm forgetting details of the original series. So, you may see some related posts coming out soon!

Although there were a few sections of the book and story that I liked, overall it was a huge disappointment--so much so that I am NOT linking to Amazon's listing for the book in this post. Instead, check out the four suggested books below, all of which I LOVE and highly recommend:

Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines

Whoa!

That's what I have to say about Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines--Whoa!

I picked up this book due to a vague sense that the title was familiar and one I wanted to read. Well, it turns out that it wasn't actually the book I had in mind--that book is The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

A few notes about Girl on a Train...
First, it is a self-published title on Amazon Create Space. In the past, I've not been overly thrilled with self-published works, but this is the first time I've handled or read something published on Create Space. I was truly surprised. It looks and feels just like any other professionally published novel. In fact, I only realized it was self-published when I went to post about it on my personal Facebook page and on Instagram. In those posts, I generally include the publisher. I only realized Girl on a Train when I couldn't find the publisher information and finally looked it up online.

Second, although the quality of the book was excellent, there were a few formatting errors. I have no idea if they were due to a glitch or overlooked by the author before she published, or what, but they are there. Mostly it is paragraphs breaking in the middle of a sentence. Thankfully, there aren't too many of them.

Now on to the review...
Girl on a Train is a thriller set in England and it delivers! Waines has crafted a page turner with suspense and intrigue throughout. She also deftly develops her characters and relationships in a way that make them all feel real.

The book truly is about a girl on a train and the events that lead up to her death and how the murder is uncovered.

The story centers around Elly Swift, the girl on the train, and Anna Rothman. The two characters meet on a train and the intrigue begins! Ultimately, Elly is murdered, but due to the circumstances, the cause of death is listed as suicide. Anna doesn't buy it. Anna has her own experience with suicide and doesn't think Elly's behavior fits. Unfortunately, proving that Elly was murdered isn't so easy.

What's interesting, besides the intrigue and mystery, is that Waines has also built a novel around a woman who is rather lonely and who has suffered a major emotional trauma. As a result of that emotional trauma, she's cut herself off from all but a minimum of personal relationships. Over the course of the story, Anna builds new relationships and ends up with a multitude of friends and supporters.

In fact, I enjoyed the side story revolving around Anna and her relationships that I'd like to read more about her and her life!

This novel includes murder, two suicides that might not be suicides, attempted murder, a sociopath, finding new family and friends in unexpected places, and a couple of twists you just won't see coming.

I highly recommend this fresh, fast, exciting novel!

I found Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines at my local library, but because its' self-published via Amazon Create Space, you likely won't find it at your library. If that's the case, you can buy a copy of Girl on a Train, The Girl on the Train, and two other novels that looks really good or below.

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The 6:41 to Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel

In addition to just finishing Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbø, I also just finished The 6:41 to Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel. I honestly only picked this novel up because it takes place in France and touches upon Paris. I guess I was feeling a particularly acute case of wanderlust at the library last week when selecting reading materials! Most of the fiction I picked up takes place in countries other than my own--the USA. 

Anyhow, I definitely didn't pick it up due to the cover--a rather unpleasing mix of shades of green and yellow that I dislike. And, I didn't pick it up due to the story line--two former lovers meet again on a train. However, I was pleasantly surprised and ended up enjoying this little, fast read so much that I wanted more. 

The 6:41 to Paris is indeed about two former lovers meeting again on a train, 27 years after a relationship that ended suddenly and badly in a room in London--an ending that was so jarring for one of the characters that she never returned to London again, and even went out of her way in all of her travels to avoid the whole of Great Britain. Interestingly, after the end of this love affair, she went on to great success in her life, maybe all the more so because of how the relationship came to an end.

However, the novel does center on both parties from that former affair and is written from both points of view. This was difficult to get used to at first--I had to go back and reread the first several pages as the the author doesn't clearly denote the change of point of view. Eventually, it became clear that the shift in point of views was signaled by the layout of the book with each shift starting much as if it were its own chapter, on a separate page, but even this was without chapter headings or demarcations otherwise. 

This novel takes place almost entirely in the thoughts of the two characters with very brief--and I do mean very brief--bits of dialogue. You get a sense of who these two people were, are, and will become by their thoughts, and as I read, my feelings towards each character shifted from sympathy to frustration to care. I wouldn't necessarily want to sit down to coffee with either of these characters, but that is part of Blondel's genius in this novel. He makes his characters feel REAL. They have the same worries, hopes, frustrations, lingering disappointments, and so on as the rest of us. His characters feel fully formed and human. 

And, the book has such a perfect ending that you can't help but to wonder, what next?

The entire story takes place on a train ride that is less than two hours long, yet the arc of what these characters have been through together and separately spans nearly three decades. 

The 6:41 to Paris is masterful and I will definitely seek out more from Jean-Philippe Blondel!

I rate this as 5 out of 5!

Pick up The 6:41 to Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel at your local library or buy it on Amazon HERE.

If you enjoy books set in France, you might also enjoy the memoir Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard.

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Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo

My reading dropped off quite a bit in April and May, but in June I've managed to start and finish two books so far with a few others well under way. 

The first novel that I finished this month is Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbø. This was my first read by Nesbø and I loved it! I as looking for something easy but with a strong enough plot to keep me interested and Midnight Sun was perfect. 

The novel is mostly one of suspense with the occasional bit of thriller thrown in. I can see why some might not enjoy the book as there are several sections where pages upon pages are primarily devoted to the main character's thoughts. But, I like that kind of approach--I enjoy being inside someone else's head, even if it's a fictional character. 

The main character, Jon, is on the run after failing to complete a hit--to kill someone--for his boss. In fact, he'd actually never killed anyone before to begin with. The problem is, his boss, the Fisherman, always gets his guy and never stops looking. So, Jon skips town with pretty much nothing but the clothes on his back and a bunch of money. He finds his way to one of the most remote places in all of Norway, a tiny village that turns out to be a sort of religious enclave with its own secrets, dangers, and stories. He introduces himself by a new name, Ulf, and is suspicious of everyone in the town but two people--a young boy named Knut and Knut's mother, Lea. 

Can you see where this is going?

Of course, there's a bit of a romantic tension and undercurrent and you can see from a mile away that Jon--or Ulf--and Lea are meant for each other. Immediately Ulf and Knut form a bond with Knut becoming a sort of guidepost for Ulf, even if they aren't aware of it. Lea, however, has demons of her own and they come back to haunt her partway through the novel. Meanwhile, Ulf makes a mistake here and there and risks it all for a few seconds with another woman which could potentially be his undoing and the end of him later in the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the mix of tension, suspense, romance, and the rare episodes of humor. I continued to enjoy the book even when I was able to predict what would happen next. It truly kept my attention. It also made me want to visit the remote parts of Norway that set the scene for the novel; although, I will pass at fish balls and some of the other foods mentioned.  

The scenery is as much a character in this novel as the people with wide swaths of open land, rocky shorelines, and a road that winds its way through hills and plateaus to the next town. There's even a bit of nature with an elk--a substory of it's own that was heartbreaking in the end, even though it ends up saving Ulf's life. 

I will definitely reading more of Nesbø's work in the future!

I recommend this book with 5 out of 5 stars.

Pick up Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbø from your local library or from Amazon HERE. 

And, be sure to follow me on Instagram to find out what I'm reading next!

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What Now? by Ann Patchett

I wanted to love What Now? by Ann Patchett. I wanted to be able to read it and exclaim over and over "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

But, I just couldn't.

Maybe it was because I'm much older than the average person in the audience when Patchett gave her commencement speech at Sarah Lawrence College, the speech upon which this book is based.

Like Patchett, I am a Sarah Lawrence Graduate, but she received her Bachelor's degree from the school while I earned an MFA in Writing. Patchett also had attended Sarah Lawrence straight out of high school as a young woman just beginning to find her way in the world. I went to Sarah Lawrence as a woman in her late 30s and as a single mother. Patchett's experiences were framed by the lens of living on campus in student housing. My son and I lived a little over a mile away in a regular apartment building.

While I greatly appreciated this little book and am glad I read it, I didn't connect with it as deeply as I had hoped. Perhaps if I was younger and had just finished a milestone and was looking forward to my next "What now?" moment, it would have had more meaning.

I did enjoy the no fuss, realistic, and practical advice given by Patchett in this piece, but what I enjoyed most was the story of how she found her way into the home of the school's then president, Alice Stone Ilchman. At a time when the young Patchett felt lonely and a bit lost, happenstance brought her to Ilchman's house without her even realizing who the house belonged to. That led to a number of circumstances later--after college--that allowed Patchett to eek out a living as she pondered her many moments of "What now?" before she began to have publishing success.

But, the other feature of What now? that I truly loved was the amazing images throughout. I would suggest picking up the book even if only for the pictures. If you allow yourself to really spend time looking at them, they can invite you into a contemplative state.

  

I recommend this book with 4 of 5 stars.

Pick up What Now? by Ann Patchett at your local library or from Amazon HERE.

Find my other non-fiction reviews HERE.

And, as a bonus, take a listen to writer Elizabeth Gilbert and Ann Patchett talking about the creative life:

The Perfect Score Project: Uncovering the Secrets of the SAT by Debbie Stier

Just a brief review today!

I LOVED The Perfect Score Project: Uncovering the Secrets of the SAT by Debbie Stier! My local library classified it as test prep material, but that's only part of what this book is about. It's actually much more of a memoir about parenting teens as a single mom and dealing with some of the struggles of trying to motivate and connect with a teenager.

The premise of the memoir is that Stier's son wasn't living up to his academic potential at school and Stier was looking for ways to motivate him to study for the SAT in an effort to improve his likelihood of college admissions.  As a parent, and a single mom, there were so many times when I laughed and cried as I read Stier's book. I could relate on so many levels!

Stier decided that a great way to motivate her son to study for the SAT and to help him score as highly as possible, SHE would take the SAT herself! Not just once, but every single time it would be offered over the course of the year. And, on top of this already ambitious goal, she decided to test out a different test prep method for each exam--7 exams in total.

At times, Stier is really onto exceptional methods, but other attempts are utter failures. Along the way, her relationship with both of her children (a daughter as well as her son) is tested, even to a degree that at one point her children move out and go to live with their father for a brief period of time.

Most of the challenges Stier experiences with her kids are typical of many parents, but through the lens of SAT prep, she gives the reader a unique point of view. The Perfect Score Project is part memoir, part parenting guide, and part study guide. I had a hard time putting it down, and I gleaned insights into my own relationship with my teenage son.

Even if you aren't interested in the parenting and single mom aspects of this memoir, I highly recommend it if you or your child needs to take a standardized test. While the methods Stier tries are specifically for the SAT, they can easily be applied to many other exams as well. I picked up several tips and ideas that I plan to apply to some tests and courses I have coming up.  

As an aside, did you even know adults could take the SAT??? I didn't! And, I'd been wondering about adults taking the SAT already--as a private tutor, I'm often asked to tutor the SAT, but it's been so long since I took it myself and the test has changed so much that I usually turn down such requests. Now I'm considering studying for the test just to see how well I can do--maybe I'll do well enough to feel confident tutoring it! Time will tell...

I highly recommend this one! FIVE stars!

Pick it up at your local library or buy it HERE.

Check out all of my memoir reviews HERE.

Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard

I love books that involve a story AND a recipe! Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard is no exception.

I have long wanted to not only travel to Europe, but to live there. I have yet to do either, so for the moment I live vicariously through memoirs. Elizabeth Bard is an American writer who studied and worked in England and found herself traveling to Paris, France, eventually meeting her love, Gwendal.

Bard takes us through the tentative first date jitters to the moment she knew Gwendal was the one, through ups and downs in their relationship, navigating two cultures, and more. Through it all is a carefully woven gastronomic treat--multiple recipes from Bard's Jewish American family, as well as recipes from her now husband, and others from his French family.

Although I have yet to make any of recipes, I've copied out several to try--the challenge for me, however, will be making them dairy free to accommodate my severe dairy allergy.  As an aside, my dairy allergy is so severe that it's one of my biggest concerns when considering traveling or living abroad. How does one live in a place like Paris without eating dairy??? I suppose people do it--others with allergies, vegans, and so on, but it just seems like eating dairy free in Paris would be like missing a big part of the Paris experience, right?

Bard has a magical, ethereal manner when describing the markets of her Paris neighborhood and the food in the many cafes and restaurants she and Gwendal find themselves in. She also has a delicate, but honest touch when writing about the difficult aspects of immersing oneself in a new culture, despite how familiar it might be. As an American in Paris, there are just some things she misses such as the direct approach many Americans take in the face of problems or the "can do" attitude that we seem to have when faced with a challenge. She also does a good job of navigating the challenge of having one foot in each culture, but rarely both feet in one. 

While I haven't lived in another country, I have lived in five states within the USA, and at times I found myself nodding with understanding when Bard wasn't as happy or comfortable or confident as she thought she should be.

Overall, I loved this memoir, and the end is excellent--Bard comes out on the upside of life as an ex-pat and I highly recommend this memoir! What I really want is to go to Paris and spend a couple of days with Bard, shopping at the various markets and cooking and eating.

I hope you'll give it a read, and if you try any of the recipes, let me know which ones you loved the best! I can't wait to try the chocolate souffle--she makes it seems so easy!

FIVE stars!

Pick it up at your local library or find it on Amazon HERE. 

Check out my other memoir reviews HERE.

Bootstrapper: From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm by Mardi Jo Link

I stumbled upon Bootstrapper: From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm by Mardi Jo Link while looking for business development and personal finance books at my local library. I was drawn to the book by the word "bootstrapper" in the title and didn't read the cover blurb at all until I had the book at home and started sorting that day's library haul. I was actually expecting it to be a book for entrepreneurs who are just starting out.

Bootstrapper: From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm is not at all a book for entrepreneurs as I expected. Instead, it is a memoir that spoke to me on so many levels! I loved every word and every page of it! I even loved the acknowledgements at the end and hope you will read them.

I was delightfully surprised to find that the book is actually Link's memoir of how she went from an about to be divorced mother of three on a farm she couldn't afford to a divorced (with a big event later in the book!) mother of three on a farm she managed to figure out how to afford, at times in unconventional ways. As a single mom of a teenager, and frequently financially struggling, I was drawn in immediately!


Link writes about the ups and downs of being a single mom, the joys and worries of parenting boys, the pleasure in living close to the land, and the unpredictable nature of life. Her style is straightforward and to the point. When she worries about how to feed her children after a power outage results in pounds and pounds of spoiled food, you feel the despair, but you also feel the disgust as she describes pork juices oozing out of a freezer onto her cellar floor. I almost felt like I was standing there next to her (I'm so glad this book didn't include scratch-and-sniff! Ew!). When her youngest names a noxious rooster that attacks anyone that comes near, you likely will laugh out loud or knowingly smile and nod at a precious parenting-child-family moment that likely inspired many jokes among the older family members.

If you are a struggling single mom, I hope you will read this book. It isn't a parenting manual, a personal finance book, or anything else of the sort. But, it is an uplifting memoir that can help you feel less alone in your single, struggling parenthood. It may help you to see that there is a light at the end of your tunnel. Link has been-there-done-that. And, if you have ever thought about homesteading but aren't sure if it's right for you, Link's memoir includes horses, a pig, chickens, a big-ass garden, and more. She writes about bonds with animals, tragedies, ups and downs, and the realities of running what is essentially a homestead.

I HIGHLY recommend this one! 5 stars!

Pick it up at your local library or find it HERE on Amazon.