Thoughts on:The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest

I finally finished reading Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy last week. High five.

This also means, I finished reading the first book for BOTH my reading challenges. Double high five.

No plot spoilers coming up, promise.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is only 658 pages. It's been way too hot at night this last week and I compensated for my lack of sleep by reading at break-neck speed. It's a great final installment of the trilogy and although the first (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) is still the best, I definitely recommend reading the entire Millennium trilogy. The second book (The Girl Who Played With Fire) goes slightly downhill but the pace picks back up again in Book No. 3.

Stieg Larsson is a really great writer and addresses so many social and humanitarian issues in these books and I love that. The books are not just fiction thrillers but tell a tale of so much more about Swedish society and the realities of the world.

There are pros and cons to each of these books and if anything I'd say Larsson's attention to detail in his attempt to paint a picture can get a bit tedious at times. But, it's forgivable considering the rush these books provide - you just have to know what happens next. It's sad Larsson never lived to see how well his books are doing and the reading pleasure they provide.

Oh and this wasn't intended to be a review - just my thoughts on the book. May be now I can watch the movies.

Moving on, my current reading list:

• Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh
• Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson

I usually read 2 books at once and I am anticipating the Steve Jobs biography to be a long read (it's only about 600 pages and no thriller like the Millennium trilogy so I will take my time with it, I'm sure).

Off the Shelf: 2013

So I've chosen my books for Off the Shelf. There are different levels for the challenge, starting at 5 books from your shelf and going up to 200! I'm going to keep it simple and go with Tempted: 5 books to read.

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I know, a bit of a modest attempt but I don't want to commit to 15 books and there is no level for 10 books. So I picked 6 books I most want to read. Hopefully, it will spur me to read some other ones off the shelf as well. They are: 

1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson
   This is the third book in the Millennium trilogy. I have really enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. I don't read many thriller style novels and these books have really got me hooked. The plots are complex and really gripping. I've been meaning to finish off the trilogy for a while now, just haven't gotten around to it!
   
2. Steve Jobs: A Biography - Walter Isaacson
   I really like reading biographies and have had this book for a while now. This is a MASSIVE book and 2013 is the year I conquer it!
   
3. The Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh
   Amitav Ghosh is one of my favourite authors. I first read Hungry Tide by him, many years ago and absolutely loved it. Many, many people have since told me how good Sea of Poppies is. I bought a copy of the book on my trip to India in 2010 and I am ashamed to say I am yet to read it!
   
4. Hell's Angels - Hunter S. Thompson
   I bought this book soon after reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in 2007 and never actually got around to reading it. Gotta be done!
   
5. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
   A frequent pop culture reference and a classic I am embarrassed to say I haven't read. Yet.
   
6. The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga
   Been meaning to read this one since it won the Booker prize. But again, books sit on your shelf and you forget.

Ok, time to start reading then!

Reading Challenges: 2013

For the last few months, I have used tiredness as an excuse many a time and didn't bother reading. And as mentioned in this post, got more sucked into watching mindless, crappy telly and read less and less. To combat my embarrassing lack of reading, I am signing up for a couple of reading challenges this year.

I signed up for the Good Reads reading challenge a couple of days ago and set myself a modest goal of reading 30 books in 2013. Then I read Psych Babbler's post on the reading challenges she is doing and found the Off the Shelf Reading challenge. In short, this challenge commits you to reading those books you enthusiastically bought but have since been gathering the proverbial dust. Perfect.

The best part is both challenges work together as the ultimate goal is simply to read more. Besides, less TV also works very well with more reading.

I am yet to pick my books for Off the Shelf, so I will do another post later this week outlining the deets of what books I must convert from unread to read on my shelf.

Wish me luck! :)

#NaBloPoMo: Of compliments

Today's prompt is: Talk about the last compliment you received.

Compliments. I love them. Giving them more than receiving them. But receiving them is always nice.

I compliment people a lot (genuinely) but I'm very often blown away by how many people don't know how to accept a compliment. I was always taught to receive compliment graciously, with a "thank you" so it irritates me when people respond to compliments by laughing at the complimenter; by trying to out-compliment the complimenter or try to downplay it as if the complimenter is silly for even thinking it's worth a compliment. If you're being given a genuine compliment, it's nice to let the complimenter know you appreciate what they're saying. It's not hard - just smile and say thank you. Job done.

Anyway, this is meant to be about a compliment I received, so -

Tonight our Colombian Spanish teacher complimented my pronunciation. She said I sounded very authentically South American and I'm pumped. :)

We've only been studying Spanish for about four months and I know we have a long, long way to go but just to know I'm getting basics like pronunciation right is very exciting. I try to pay very close attention to the way our teachers pronounce their words and so to have a native speaker tell you that you sound authentic is HUGE. It motivates me so much to keep going and keep working harder.

And yes I replied with "Muchas gracias. Estoy intentando" (Thanks very much. I'm trying)

*This post is part of the November NaBloPoMo blogging challenge.

#NaBloPoMo: My Favourite Quotation

Today's prompt is: Tell us your favourite quotation and why.

Tough one. I love quotes. I used to "collect" quotes as though it were some valuable hobby. By collecting I mean I have 4 (very thick) notebooks where I wrote down quotes for future reference (i.e. writing in cards). I even brought them over to Australia with me because books of quotes would obviously be very handy when writing my Masters thesis.

Also, I love words. They inspire me, make me cry and bring me a lot of joy. They are such beautiful things - some with lilting rhythms, others with dirty sounds; some with perfectly proportioned vowels vs. consonants, others just ugly in their obvious misuse of the alphabet. Ah words…

So you understand, yes? Quotes are made of words and I love words. Therefore I love quotes. QED.

Anyway, so how do you choose just ONE favourite quote? You don't. Instead, I picked a theme and decided to share some of my favourites that relate to the broad theme of happiness and self-discovery (because it's my area of interest/ obsession at the mo)

 "If you don't get lost there's a chance you may never be found" - Unknown

This has been my email signature for many years now. It speaks to me because for a long time I was really lost. I had lost all sense of self and was trying incredibly hard to be someone I wasn't and living someone else's life. But in losing myself, I also learnt many things about myself and the person I really am. Without trying to sound very cliché new age(y), I found myself.

"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it" - Paulo Coelho 

I am one of those millions of people who swear by The Alchemist. I first read it as a 15 year old and really enjoyed it but obviously didn't have the life experience to understand some of the deeper layers of meaning. I have re-read it many, many times since and it always means something new depending on where I am with my life. This (much too) oft-quoted line from the book isn't inspiring to me by itself but it just works to remind me of the message of the book - that dreams are powerful and I shouldn't underestimate them or try to lock them away in the attic of my heart.

"This above all, to thine ownself be true" - William Shakespeare

I am a Shakespeare fan girl. True story. And no, stop telling me Shakespeare didn't actually write those pl…. La-la-la-la…I can't hear you! Anyhoo, this quote is Shakespeare's version of the ancient "Know thyself" and always reminds me to stay true to myself, my principles and my beliefs.

"Every form of happiness is private. Our greatest moments are personal, self-motivated, not to be touched." - Howard Roark (Ayn Rand)

I've spoken of my love for The Fountainhead before. Like The Alchemist, it's a book I first read as a teenager but has come to mean so much more with future re-reading. This quote I love because it always reminds me my happiness is my own, it's personal. What makes others happy doesn't necessarily define my happiness and I should remember that.

"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Albus Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling). 

It's no secret how much I love Harry Potter and that Dumbledore sure said some wise things. This quote just reminds me that who I am and the direction my life heads in is up to me, is in my control, is because of the choices I make.

I have many more that follow the same theme but I think I'll stop for now.

Going by my long winded answer above, I don't think anyone will ever want to interview me. One question would take up a whole page. Why would anyone want to interview me in the first place? Well duh, I am going to be famous justyousee.

*This post is part of the November NaBloPoMo blogging challenge.