Comments on: Column: Book Fare

By: Cindy Overmyer

Cindy Overmyer — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:33:06 +0000

I got a big kick out of Stieg Larsson’s new incarnation of Pippi – tattoos, piercings, Goth hair but the same striped stockings in her first appearance in Book 1! Her pot of gold is stolen E-assets and the horse? Possibly the stolen Harley? A Pippi for the 21st Century… My group of friends always say we need to “let our inner Pippi out” to encourage each other to do something odd or unique – I guess we were right:-) The Millenium triology are wonderful stories that brought back many happy memories of a summer spent in Denmark & Sweden (no, no murders included:-)

My favorite books of this summer also include: Star Island by Carl Hiassen (beware the spiny sea urchin), Juliet by Anne Fortier, and Let the Great World Spin by Colm McCann. Fun and intelligent writing – reading time well spent.

By: sally m

sally m — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:44:52 +0000

Stieg Larsson is great airplane reading. But that’s all I’ll give him. The novels are interestingly plotted but way too long, the characters black and white cardboard cutouts (except the delicious L.S.), and I just find Mikael and Erika just too impossibly cool and perfect for words. Finger down my throat! Gag me with a spoon! Who knows people like these? (Olive Kitteredge my pick of the decade.)

By: DT

DT — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:21:08 +0000

The nanny state will suck the life force out of hornets even? Maybe it IS time to reclaim America from … something or other.

By: Steve T

Steve T — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:48:29 +0000

Re: The title of the third Stieg Larsson book … Swedish hornets are very taciturn and antisocial. There’s always only one to a nest. The biggest disappointment of that volume is that Mr. Larsson has created the most original literary character of the new century and then RELEGATES HER TO A VIRTUAL CAMEO in the third book! Jeez. You’re right about copy editors at the big pub houses, but where are the EDITOR editors? Somebody should’ve smacked some sense into him. But I guess it is kinda tough to argue with a dead man.

By: Mary Fancher

Mary Fancher — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:14:29 +0000

I, too, enjoyed and agreed with most of this column. But I have to object to all the rapture about Olive Kitteridge. As you said, Olive is a bitch. It may be my fault and not that of the book but I do not believe she deserves any break at all. I can’t forgive her treatment of her son and offer her a friendly hand at the end.
Try The Invisible Bridge by Orringer and Postmistress by Blake. Both may have lessons but only if you care to take them. They are good stories and page turners.
No pressure.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:09:47 +0000

Thanks for this column, which I enjoyed and agreed with in almost all points - Except! The ban on dystopian novels, my favorite form of literature. These range far and wide, of course, but since I have been reading science fiction since the age of 8, I've enjoyed the many efforts to extrapolate current trends to future results. It does give one a different point of view and doesn't have to be depressing unless you notice how many predictions are being borne out. These novels also often show a shrewd understanding of how humans respond to changed circumstances. One of the major practitioners today of dystopian thinking in fact and fiction is James Howard Kunstler. His World Made by Hand [link] is a good read as well as thought-provoking. I've come to appreciate wheat bread a lot more after reading it. (The referenced link leads to some nice YouTube dramatizations of the book's themes.) Now I'm going to have to reserve the sequel at the AADL.