On to Book 3…
I finished The Girl Who Played With Fire tonight and if I can manage to start the next book before I go to bed, I’ll still be on schedule! This follow-up to Stieg Larsson’s first book was, as expected, not quite as good as the first one. I enjoyed it, but I felt that like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, the build-up was a bit long and slow. It was satisfying in that there were loose ends from the first book that were tied up in this one. I found myself more and more drawn into the world of Lisbeth Salander, one of the two main characters. She definitely took more center stage in this novel, which I appreciated. She’s an infinitely interesting, flawed but incredibly strong female protagonist. These weren’t the best books and as I said before, they’re quite different than what I usually read but I’m sure when the final book comes out next May, I won’t be able to resist buying it and finishing the trilogy. I might even buy it in hardcover!
Since I had a bit of a tough time choosing my second book, I decided to leave my third book selection up to randomizer.org. Whichever number came up, I resolved to read the corresponding book from the alphabetical list, regardless of whether I was “in the mood” for that book or not.
So, the 3rd book turned out to be - To Kill a Mockingbird.
I was actually really excited because I had already thought about reading this one next. In all honesty, I’m pretty sure I’ve read this book before - a million years ago when I was in junior high or high school. But I’m also pretty sure that it doesn’t count as a book that I actually read because when I say I “read this book before,” I mean I read it for a class. That means I read the first chapter, the last chapter, the CliffsNotes and skimmed through it before the test. I’ve also seen the movie, but I want to be able to truly and honestly say I’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird because it seems a travesty for someone who considers herself to be well-read not to have this one under my belt. Very excited - bring on Scout, Atticus Finch and Book Radley! (I told you…CliffsNotes)
