An Echo in the Bone, Diana Gabaldon

John Trumbull, The Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga

(December 30) Love these books, this series. Love Claire and Jamie and the thousands of secondary characters, each one created in vivid detail, all of them interesting, right down to the dogs and cats. So much detail! In everything!

The author loves the eighteenth century, and she communicates her joy in it. Things go over the top sometimes, but I forgive her. I like her voice... something about her syntax, vocabulary, pacing, sense of humour, whatever else, is like a pleasant drug. I like her insights into human nature. There's an agreeable feeling that you're learning a lot about history, even though there is no scholarly annotation.

Never cared for the Bree/Roger thread when it first introduced, but I kind of liked them a lot in this take... perhaps because of the two time lines?? Or because Bree is less of a selfish diva now?? There are four threads in this book, I find out afterward from reading the jacket blurbs. I can't be sure what the fourth one is. Ian and Rachel? Rachel and Denzell? Percy Wainwright? Jennie and Ian Sr. and the rest of the folks in Scotland? Actually, it's probably William.

Liked the Lord John element as well... enough to make me go and purchase Lord John and the Private Matter. Well, this is partly because of newfound interest in Lord John and partly just to have more of Gabaldon's voice telling a story.

Woman is a storyteller -- no doubt about it.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, Stieg Larsson (translated by Reg Keeland)

Johannes Wessmark, Ostgotastreet, Stockholm

(December 28) Inhaled it (600 pages) in four days flat... loved the whole series and was so happy to get ahold of the newest and, alas, final one. After The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I was leery of Larsson -- he can get a bit graphic -- but that is, at the same time, part of the thrill of the books -- the fear that things will get worse than they already have.

Thankfully, this book is not as over the top that way as the first two were... although there is a freaky bit at the end there with a nail gun... heh.

It’s a good continuation of the series -- the plot gets so thick by this book that it sets a record for elemental density, I'm sure -- but basically it brings all the action and personalities to a fever pitch and delivers the necessary ending and ties up all the loose ends (except: what about Camilla?).

Mainly I love these books for the hero -- the anti-hero -- Lisbeth Salander -- except for her, these books are on the level of a decent television crime drama, or thriller novels like The Bourne Identity or The Little Drummer Girl, etc., -- but the creation of Lisbeth elevates them -- she is original -- dorky and punk and kind of soulless -- but your heart goes out to her the more for that -- and she is the equal of any classic female protagonist -- Lizzie Bennet, Miss Marple, Jo March, Anne Shirley, Nancy Drew, Clarice Starling... she inspires.

Love the food in these novels. People are always stopping for coffee and sandwiches that sound fabulous.