Book Review - The Girl Who Played With Fire

The Girl Who Played with Fire By Stieg Larsson
Maclehose Press
ISBN 978-1906694180


It's great to get back into a book which has a familiar feel yet new and exciting at the same time. I'm always wary of sequels as they never seem to live up to the promises of the first. But I was first impressed by the Harry Potter series (well and if it comes to it The Famous Five weren't that bad.)However, Larsson pulled this second book in a trilogy very well. 


We get to know Lisbeth Salander even more in this book and what lengths she is prepared to go to. I really like her feisty, edgy and at times completely wacky character. It's so fulfilling to have a female MC who is prepared to mock traditional stereotypes. Salander certainly does this and takes a few down with her in the process. She is extremely intelligent yet at the same time a little rough around the edges, not afraid of anyone or anything it seems. We find out more about what made her like that, what drives her and the reasons for some of her actions.


Blomkvist is also still there as her wannabe protector (though she does her best to try and shake him off) and the underlying love story which is very subtle is quite beautiful. He is back at Millenium and working on exposing more bad people when things go very wrong for Salander. But she has been absent from his life for over a year and despite his efforts to contact her she is very reluctant to let him back into her life.


Some of the action towards the end of the book may come across as a little unbelievable but you must remember that this is fiction and it's thriller fiction. It is fast and pacey and has lots of nasty cliffhangers which just beg you to turn the page. It's a great read and the third is proving to be the same. It's a shame Larsson never lived long enough to see the fervour that his writing has stirred up. And now I hear that the trilogy is going to be filmed - I have some thoughts about who might be up for these two characters, what do you think?


Readability: 10 (didn't notice any translation hiccups)
Recommendation: 100%

Book Review - Discovering the Writer Within

Discovering the Writer Within – 40 Days to more Imaginative Writing

By Bruce Ballenger and Barry Lane

Publisher: Writer's Digest Books; New edition (Mar 1996)

ISBN: 978-0898797398

I’ve not read ‘Discovering the Writer Within’ from beginning to end, so you may well ask why am I writing a review? Well, it’s not a book to be read in a sitting, it’s a book of writing exercises – which could take 40 days if you wish – or something to be dipped into when you feel the need. It’s kind of like having a lesson planner and the exercises on your desk for those time when you think ‘I can’t do this’. This book will not show you how to do it (you should have learnt by now, there isn’t one book on earth which will teach you to ‘write’) but it does provide some inspiration.

‘Discovering the Writer Within’ helps to get something down on paper, whatever that may be. It encourages you to release your dreams, live out your writing fantasies and get started. The book is based on the very simple and well-known premise, that the only way to become a writer is to ‘write’. Why do we never believe it is that simple? Well because writing is never just about writing, it’s about a truckload of other stuff too, but without the words, there isn’t any writing, so this is the first step.

‘Discovering the Writer Within’ promotes a kind of keep fit regime, providing exercises that will encourage you to explore your creativity and produce interesting ideas. It also takes you past the first ‘drafting’ phase and into revision so that the writing can become a polished piece if you want it to. It’s something to dip into when you are feeling hot, flustered and long to feel a sense of calm and understanding.

I’m now off to read Day 20, which is about retelling classic fairy tales, as there is a competition that I want to enter where the theme is ‘Modern Twists on Fables’. I’m hoping that it will allow me to shake off the glass slipper and find a hip and new way to tell the love story of a poor girl and her horrid sisters.

About the Authors: Both Ballenger and Lane are successful American authors with a considerable publishing history between them. Lane is also a singer/songwriter.

Readability Rating: It’s hard to set a rating as it’s not that kind of read. It provides examples of the authors experience and then asks you to undertake an exercise.

Recommendation: Sure, if you need help in getting started, this is a good place to go.