The Postcard Killers

I've read books written by Liza Marklund earlier, but never any of James Patterson's books. Liza Marklund writes easy read crime books. Nothing wrong with it, but I tend to get a bit bored so I can't read many of them at a time. This book was in the same class as her earlier books. It's a good read when you don't want a book you have to think a lot about or challenges you to think. I like the idea of a book written through mail while the two writers sat in two different continents, that thought is awesome and shows me how far technology has developed. I love the idea of our world getting smaller and how easy it is to talk and work together across continents. Back to the book, it's about a killer or actually two killers who travels around killing couple while sending a journalist postcard about their killing. Nothing to new and original. I think the killers were a bit obvious and the characters of the killers didn't have enough depth to be revealed that early in the book. I didn't hate the book, I just know I'm not lining up in a queue to read James Patterson's novel.

The Little Prince

I'm probably one of the few who haven't read it. I've heard for as long as I can remember that The Little Prince was a book I just had to read! It took some time before I followed all the advice I got about reading it. Now that I have read it, I can't understand why I didn't read it before. It's such a lovely book! I love the way the book asks philosophical and existensial questions in a simple and easy way. The book has charm and is clearly a children's book written for adults! I want to read this one out loud for my daughter. The drawings in this book is charming and just strengthen the expression of the book.

Salvadoreña

Another book by Cecilia Samartin. She's been called the new Isabella Allende, but to be honest I don't think Isabella Allende needs that comparison. I think Isabella Allende is a whole other league than Cecilia Samartin, and the two of them can't be compared.

Salvadoreña starts out quite brutal, with Ana surviving an attack in her hometown in El Salvador because her mother hides her. She later escapes with Sister Josepha to USA and starts as a nanny for a rich family, Trellis and here the real story starts. I have to say I'm already going to break my promise about no spoilers, so if you haven't read the book and want to read it, DON'T READ FURTHER.




The totally innocent Ana and her admiring Mr. Trellis or Adam, is from the start quite transparent. The reader has a pretty good idea where this relationships goes right from the start. It just takes so damn long before that happens, and it really doesn't get to the point where the relationship is a story. The story is really how Ana can stay with this family as a nanna for so many years. We don't get any other picture of Ana than her being a nanna who's fallen in love with the father and love the kids. The character of Ana, which starts out quite promising, turns into a 2 dimensional and flat characther. We only see the nanna and her naive way of looking a life. I don't really believe it, how to stay out of everything that happens in the world for so many years, and only stay in tune of the family? I get that she's in love, but it just isn't that believable to me! I think this book started out promising, but the ending didn't keep Ana alive and trustworthy. To me it was the worst book by Cecilia Samartin so far, since I haven't read them all, and I'm not sure I'm going to either.

Ulvenatt

Ulvenatt er min første roman av Tom Egeland. Tom Egeland er en forfatter jeg har hørt mye om, men aldri lest noe av tidligere uvisst av hvilke årsaker. Tror egentlig det er litt tilfeldigheter og at jeg da jeg hørte om Tom Egeland, leste ganske lite og valgte forfattere og bøker jeg var sikker på at skulle være gode. Nå etter å ha lest Ulvenatt kan jeg si at det ikke blir siste bok av Tom Egeland. Dette var god krim og spennende skrevet! Gisseldrama i norsk tv-studio med deltakere i et debattprogram som gisler og tsjetsjenske terrorister! Mye spenning og mye som skjer både utenfor studioet med politiaksjoner og forhandlinger og inni studio. Mens jeg søkte etter bilde av boka, fant jeg jammen meg ut at boka er filmatisert også og dermed fant jeg ut hvor ute av det jeg er i forhold til norske nyere filmer også. En ting er nå sikkert og det er at jeg kommer til å leie eller kjøpe Ulvenatt. Siden boka følger gisseldramaet omtrent minutt for minutt i boka, regner jeg med at filmen er en ordentlig actionfilm. Jeg fant også ut at Kristin Bye og Gunnar Borg opptrer i flere av Egeland sine bøker. Må ut og låne flere bøker av Egeland, for dette var god spenning! Måten han skriver på minner meg på en litt mer lettlest utgave av Henning Mankell, og jeg vet egentlig ikke helt hvorfor. Kristin Bye og Gunnar Borg som hovedpersoner er også interessant, men Gunnar Borg fikk en ganske liten rolle, men viktig, i Ulvenatt. Regner med at han er mer fremtredende i andre bøker. Kristin Bye trådde ikke like tydelig fram som en hovedperson som andre krimhovedpersoner, men jeg må lese flere bøker for å gjøre meg en bedre mening. Det kan også hende at jeg synes Kristin Bye ikke var en klar hovedperson, siden jeg ikke visste at hun var med i flere av Egeland sine bøker. Samtidig dreide plottet seg om hennes research, og hennes mindre fremtredende rolle kan ha noe med at hun hele romanen var gissel i et lite tv-studio. Alt i alt, ga det mersmak.

Små sitroner gule

Små sitroner gule av Kajsa Ingemarsson ble anbefalt meg av en venninne! Den starter med at hovedpersonen, Agnes får livet endret, kjæresten slår opp og hun får sparken fra jobben. Selv om starten er noe som kunne gitt en litt deprimerende bok, er dette en positiv bok med en lett tone. Egentlig minner det meg litt om Mariah Keyes og den type glad-dame-romaner, hvor hovedpersonen finner ut av å stå på egne bein og ikke være avhengig av menn, litt Bridget Jones-light. Ikke noe i veien med sånne bøker. Alt til sin tid. Jeg plukket ikke denne boken for å få en dype leseopplevelse, men for å lese noe som fikk meg i godt humør og til det er denne boka helt riktig. Antallet chicklit-bøker jeg kan lese er begrenset, men denne var ganske velskrevet. Selve handlingen er ganske forutsigbar, men med denne sjangeren trenger i alle fall ikke jeg de største overraskelsene for å bli underholdt! Det er måten handlingen blir presentert på og pakket inn, som er viktigst. Jeg koste meg og kan trygt anbefale boka til de som trenger noe lett og underholdende å lese. Nå vet jeg ikke helt hvordan det er å låne et bilde, men dette bildet er nå lånt fra Gyldendal norsk forlag.

Løp hare løp

Jeg har lest flere ungdomsbøker av Harald Rosenløw Eeg og sett et par av filmene han har skrevet manus til, og jeg har likt det jeg har lest og sett. Han har en god måte å skrive på og miljøet han har plassert handlingen i Løp hare løp, er beskrevet levende og en som vokste opp på 80-tallet sitter ufrivillig å humrer av gjenkjennelsen av hullete bukser, Steffen Tangstad, Bill Cosby og alt det andre 80-tallet sto for! Jeg merker at jeg blir litt distrahert fra selve handlingen siden 80-tallet kommer nær igjen og jeg mimrer om hva jeg drev med. Bror, hovedpersonen i boka, får livet sitt forandret ved at moren får kreft, jenta han er forelsket i forsvinner og han slutter å løpe. Boka fenger, og jeg er litt usikker påom det er fordi handlingen er lagt til et miljø jeg kan kjenne meg igjen i eller om det er fordi Eeg skriver så fengende. Jeg tror det er en blanding av begge! Samtidig må jeg si at jeg synes boka minner om mange andre norske bøker jeg har lest tidligere om oppvekst i Norge på 80-tallet, bl.a. av Lars Saaby Christensen og Tore Renberg! Lettlest bok, men ikke så dyp som jeg innbiller meg at Eeg kanskje ville at boka skulle være!

Can Books Protect You?

I always knew books were important, but I never thought books could save your life, of not. Not literary anyway. This video proves me kind of wrong, but since I'm a weird person with really weird and nerdy habits, the thing that worried me and what I thought after watching this video, was not the bullets, but the poor books. They ruin the books! Good books, new books, readable books, and yes, I have to admit, it kind of hurts a bit when people destroy books even though it was to prove a point. I know I'm weird.

Enjoy, here it is!

Percy Jackson, The Lightning Thief

I watched the movie last year, and I wasn't impressed. Now I've read the book, Percy Jackson - The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, and I'm still not impressed. I guess some of it has to do with age. The book is really meant to a different audience than I am, read; younger. I was frankly a bit bored while reading the book, and I shouldn't be since it's supposed to be a thriller. But I can understand why young readers will enjoy this book. It's about a "normal" boy who discovers he's not that normal after all. Heard it before you say? The way Rick Riordan actually mixes old Greek myths into the story is quite good, and I like the way he uses the myths. I just never thought it as well written as Harry Potter or other fantasy-series I've read. I'm not a big fantasy reader, but I read some and this just never spoke to me. Percy Jackson's stepfather is too much and I think the thought of that many half gods is a bit too much as well. Not sure if I can manage to finish the other two books I've got about Percy Jackson. I'll have to see about that.

The Angel's Game

Last year I read The Shadow of the Wind and that was one great book. Great book, and I just loved the environment the story took place. Before Christmas a friend of mine gave me The Angel's Game. I didn't have time to read it before Christmas, but now I've read it and it's so great! This is a really well written book. I love the main character, the way he discovers his talent for writing and the way life and destiny takes him. I'm not going to reveal anything, but I love the thought of the bookstore and the Cemetery of the Forgotten books. The thought of books chosing its read and not the other way around appeals to me! I love the smell of books, old books with old, great stories, and I just dream away about the forgotten books. The characters Zafón uses are so colorful and well written, villains and good guys. I love the irony of writers writing books for selling but under another name. I love the love story and the way in unravels mysteries and challenges for the main character. Yet another time Carlos Ruiz Zafón has manage to write such a compelling story. This was the book I couldn't put down. I just couldn't stop reading. I hope Carlos Ruiz Zafón keeps writing novels like this!

Free Fall

I read a lot of books for kids and youth due to my work as a teacher. Last year I started on the Tunnels series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. I liked it a lot. I didn't have the time to read book number three, so I read Free Fall this year. It's actually the weekest of the three books I've read so far, I think. I didn't like the plot around Rebecca that much, I didn't find it that believable. I won't say what, since I'm trying not to do spoilers in this blog. I still enjoyed it, and I'm going to read Closer as soon as I can get a hold of a copy! I'm too into this series and the underworld to let it go. I have to know what happens next, and Will Burrows is a character I like! I think these books will be well received by the audience it's meant to as well. They'll probably end up as movies as well.

On the Road

Not only have I challenged myself to read 104 books in 52 weeks, but part of the challenge is to read some of the books listed by The Telegraph among many. In other words, I'm trying to update my knowledge about the classic novels as well as the new books. I've had On the Road by Jack Kerouac in my book shelf a long time. Actually it's been in my book shelf so long the pages are kind of yellow instead of white. I don't even remember when I bought it, which is not a good sign. Well, I knew I tried to read it once before, but this time I was really determined to finish it.

I didn't have to be that determined. I don't know what stopped me the last time I tried, but I enjoyed the book. I liked the way the main character just longs for the road, to travel and I loved the way travelling was a completely different experience than it is now. The book has charm, and I can't believe it's not a movie yet, but it's coming. Hopefully the movie have kept the mood in the book, like always on the way to something or from something! This book I recommend you to read.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Last year I joined a group and challenged myself to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Since children took a big part of my life I really haven't been reading a lot. Life before children was a whole different matter. I read a lot, actually more than a lot! I was practically a reading machine;) LOL Well, children changed that. Unfortunately it didn't change my shopping habits as drastically as my reading habits. Some 8 years later I find myself in a house full of books I've bought, I want to read them and I think they are good books, but I just haven't gotten around to read them. So last year I thought it was time to get back to the books. I finished more than 52 books last year. But most importantly I actually found my reading spirit again. I'm always an optimist and since I did so well last year, I'm aiming for 104 books in 52 weeks this year! Yeah, I know it might be a bit too optimistic, but I never liked goals I knew I could reach. I love a good challenge.

I've started this year well and the first book I read was The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I've read all of his books, and I have to say I didn't find this as well written as the others. I loved Angels and Demons. I also enjoyed The DaVinci Code, but The Lost Symbol was a lot of the same. Since I've read him before I could almost know for certain what was coming next in the book. Not that the intrigue and the "facts" about the Mason and every thing hidden underneath the White House wasn't interesting to read about, but I had a feeling I've read it before. He uses the same pattern in his other books, and even though it's fascinating to reveal hidden symbols and solve riddles, it can be too much. At least to me! Not the best book to start 2011 with.