The Girl With The Dragon Tatto

This book caught my eye because it was translated from the Swedish. I have read many books written by Swedish authors and enjoy the experience of reading a book written by someone from a different culture, who speaks a different language. I like the spare, somewhat melancholy style of Swedish authors; the story usually set during a grey, cold, colorless winter, leaving the door open for lots of interesting contrast with characters and settings.

Anyway, this book was great. The best mystery I have read in awhile. Very nicely paced, the plot held my interest through 465 pages. If you can stomach a quite graphic rape scene, and the amorality of the main character (which I find to be a general trend in European novels, probably truthfully reflecting the surrounding culture, sad to say), you will find the book to be very engaging. The characters are well-fleshed out and true to life. Beyond the general lack of morality of the main character (he isn't evil, just not principled) the book is a clean novel. The story is multi-layered, complex and yet fluid and concise. I enjoyed the slow revealing of one of the principal characters, Lisbeth Salander, the tattooed, genius hacker, who plays side-kick to the main character, Mikael Blomkvist. Mikael is an ordinary journalist who inadvertently gets caught up in solving an old crime that leads to lots of other buried secrets and current scandals. It's a great plot, made more interesting as it is set against the backdrop of modern Sweden. From the Swedish financial districts to the small coastal towns, the different foods and customs, I enjoyed the "view" all along the way.

This book is the first of three books written by Stieg Larsson. To my dismay, the back of the book reports that Larsson, though a relatively young man, died in 2004, shortly after delivering the manuscripts for these three books. Now I have some detective work to do, because I want to know how and why.

An Irish Country Village

I just finished reading, "An Irish Country Village" by Patrick Taylor. This is the second book that I have read by the author, and it was every bit as well written and enjoyable as the first. I enjoy reading books about Ireland. There is something unique and endearing about the Irish way of life and the landscape seems fit for the setting of a fairy-tale-brought-to-life with it's misty moors and green country lanes by the sea.

This book continues the experiences of young Dr. Laverty, an apprentice to Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, as they serve the small country village of Ballybucklebo, in Northern Ireland. This story is light-hearted and sincere, full of the culture and oddities of Irish rural life. The people are warm-hearted if eccentric, and the good doctors are called upon to treat a full range of medical woes. Patrick Taylor spins a creative and engaging tale, with good realistic details, no doubt due to his own experience working as a rural general practitioner. Taylor grew up in the country where his story is set, though he has now lived in Canada for many years. If you enjoy good creative writing, every-day humor and a realistic glimpse into a time and culture from the past, you will enjoy this book. It's the perfect book to enjoy on a long rainy afternoon with a cup of hot tea by your side.

A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco

This book, "A House in Fez" by Suzanna Clarke, chronicles the adventures of an Australian couple who, after visiting the ancient city of Fez in Morocco, decide to purchase a house there. Suzanna and her husband Sandy fall in love with this ancient Medina, or walled city. Fez is located just across the Strait of Gibraltar from Europe in the Northwestern corner of Africa, but is separated by the rest of Africa by the great Sahara desert. The culture has been influenced over time by the mix of African, Berber, Arab, French and Spanish peoples who have lived there. Suzanna describes in wonderful detail this beautiful city that is filled with very old architecture, from the green tiled minarets, to the stone streets and walled passageways, gateways, arches and courtyards of the largest car-free urban area in the world.

Suzanna writes, "Morocco has the mystique of a land from the Old Testament yet appears to be coping comfortably with modernization. Internet cafes rub shoulders with artisans' workshops; peasants on donkeys trot beneath billboards advertising the latest mobile phones...You can eat at a street stall, in a Parisian-style cafe, or next to a tinkling fountain in an ornate courtyard. You can find yourself in the midst of a crazy, honking traffic jam, or dodging donkeys in cobbled alleyways, or riding a camel in the solitude of the Sahara."

Suzannna allows her readers to tag along as she and her husband spend months restoring an aging house in the old part of the city. From their frustrations at dealing with the bureaucracy of obtaining permits, the difficulty in hiring reliable workmen to help with the restoration process, language barriers and cultural faux pas, to the feeling of living in the culture while being apart from it, Suzanna shares her interesting experiences with us and brings the rich culture of Morocco alive. Through the process of carefully restoring this house in keeping with the style and setting in which it is placed, Suzanna and Sandy develop a great affection for the people, which make the city of Fez such an interesting place. I finished this book with a new appreciation for a culture I barely knew existed, half a world away. I am again amazed at the astonishing variety and complexities of the human race, which to me, once again points to an infinitely creative Creator God. This book was educational, entertaining and it was fun to share in the very interesting experiences of this unconventional couple. If you can't travel to Morocco anytime soon to see it for yourself, I'd recommend this book as a substitute!

The author has a blog with pictures and more information on this interesting city. Check it out at riadzany.blogspot.com.