The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson

I finished it! And I couldn't stop reading it. Yes, I have joined the countless others who became so engrossed in the story of Lisbeth Salander, that I really hope that the legal battle involving Larsson's unfinished manuscripts are resolved so that his partner Eva Gabrielsson can complete and publish them. Once again, I say read these books, but read them in order, they don't make sense otherwise. This is the conclusion of the trilogy. Where Lisbeth's story is completed and her trial takes place. I think it was well written and enjoyable reading.

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson

This is the second of the Millennium trilogy by Steig Larsson and the book where Lisbeth Salander really gets to you. In the way of, I need to keep reading this series and finds out what will happen to her. So much so that I immediately jumped into the third book of the series (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) and now that I'm reflecting on the second book, I want to make sure I don't mix up the story with the third. The continue on to each other quite nicely. Again, I feel as I must state that these books are graphic so if that turns your stomach, skip these books. But you are really missing out. These are great books. In this, the second book, you start to find out Lisbeth's past. Why was she placed into a psychiatric hospital at a young age? Why is she placed under guardianship, even though she is of age? The answers will shock you. The scope of the mystery widens in ways completely unexpected. And as for Mikel Bloomkvist? He's back too. And she doesn't want to have anything to do with him. That doesn't mean that he doesn't want to have anything to do with her. Of course none of this would make any sense if you haven't read the first book, so make sure you read them in order. And have the next one handy as you will want to keep reading.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Check 2 for books that have been out for a while that I haven't yet read conquered.  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is the first of the Millennium Trilogy.  It is a crime thriller.  At first I was wondering what all they hype was about, then at about the 4th chapter, I couldn't put it down.   The main character Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist hired by Henrik Vanger to solve the 40 year old mystery of his niece's disappearance.  Interspersed in the story is the character of Lisbeth Salander, a genius hacker whose footsteps will lead her to assist Mikael in his journey.  What at first seems like an impossible cold case, twists and turns into unexpected places. It's highly addictive reading and I look forward to the next 2 books in the series.  I also would love to watch the movies that have been made from these books, both the Swedish versions (already released) and Hollywood (coming this Christmas).  One word of warning with this book is that there is scenes of graphic violence which I wasn't expecting going into the book.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I know, I know, I'm late on the draw with this one.  You know you are behind on your reading when the book you are reading already has a movie version out.  I beat the movie by about 2 weeks.  For those of you like me who haven't yet read this book and have just been hearing murmurs about it, here's a breakdown for you.  The Help is set in the early 1960's and features 3 main characters.  2 are black maids and one is part of the society that they serve in the southern US.  It is the story of unlikely friendship and a look into life from the Help's point of view.  I fall into the category of readers that just loved this book and cheered right along with the characters.  I was so hooked on it that I bought my mom a copy of the book for herself.  I look forward to watching it on the big screen, hopefully soon :)

The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews

This book made me glad I read A Complicated Kindness, purely because it led me to here.  I enjoyed this book so much more than A Complicated Kindness.  It was darkly funny.  The characters were well developed.  The story was interesting. The subject matter is heavy, but it isn't heavy to read.  It is written in such a way that you can find humour without making light of the topics.  It also has prompted me to dig out my copy of Little Miss Sunshine to watch again.  If you enjoyed that movie, you will like this book. 
This is the story of Hattie, 28, who returns home to Manitoba from Paris to help out her sister Min, (who is spiraling in depression) and her kids.  Hattie has just broken up with her French boyfriend and feeling a little lost herself.  Her fly by the seat of her pants plan starts with checking her sister into the psychiatric ward of the hospital and packing up the kids to search out their long lost father.  Thebes (12) is pretty much running the home.  She is trying to cling to any sort of order she can in her  world.  She is a fantastic character, one I won't soon forget.  Her brother Logan (15) has his own share of teen angst that makes sense as the story unfolds. 
I'm pleasantly surprised by this book and would recommend it to others.

A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews

This book has been jumping off the shelves at me for the past 5 years at least. Every time I'm in a bookstore or at the library, it calls to me - read me Kris!  I've picked it up, looked it over and thought, really another Canadian book on the prairies?  Nope, not for me.  And put it back down again.  And then there it was again and again, flaunting it's Governor General award winner badge at me.  So finally I gave in.  Because I had such low expectations of this book (I really thought I wouldn't like it at all) I was surprised to find myself engrossed in the story.  I have since read reader reviews of the book and it seems to me that people either love it or get so bored with it they don't finish it.  I don't fit into either category.  I think the writing was good, but I really couldn't call it much of a plot lined story.  There was lots of missing pieces of information that you wanted to have and I still don't have them at the end of the book.  There's a lot of filling in the blanks to do.
This is the story of Nomi Nickel, a teenager growing up in a Mennonite small town community in rural Manitoba? (I had envisioned Saskatchewan until reading the author was from Manitoba).  You learn early on that Nomi lives with her father Ray.  Her mother and sister left separately 3 years before - though you don't learn the whys of those departures until much later in the book.  The community of East Village is controlled by Nomi's uncle nicknamed The Mouth.  The Mouth takes his religious doctrine to the extreme, quashing any notions of worldly influence.  This isn't too far fetched.  The story is set in 1982.  I, myself grew up in a community with a large Mennonite population and had friends who had certain restrictions regarding movies, music and dance.  The Mouth takes it too the extreme however and you learn that shunnings are commonplace.  Being a Christian myself (and a pastor's wife) I can see the bent theology clearly here and it is no wonder that Nomi's sister Tash, becomes disenchanted with the church, looking to atheism. 
The story is told through Nomi's eyes, a 16 year old stuck in depression really with no way out.  She kind of watches life, looking to her boyfriend, drugs and nostalgia for pleasure.
The gem of this book for me is her relationship with her father, Ray.  Ray is a solid fellow who is lost in his own unrealized bewilderment of where life has taken him. 
This is the kind of book I would be interested in discussing with other readers, particularly those who were raised Mennonite, or in a small town community.  You do at times wonder if the book's accolades are merely a reflection of our society's need to discount religion, or, if it really is a deep, meaningful book?

Elizabeth I by Margaret George

I absolutely love a new Margaret George book.   I've been waiting with eager anticipation for this one to come out.  What sets Margaret George apart from a lot of historical authors is her incredible research combined with fantastic writing skills.  The result is a historically accurate and highly readable novel.  Don't let the size of her books scare you off (this one is close to 700 pages).  What is inside is interesting reading.
This book begins in the later part of Elizabeth I's reign.  It is the time of the first Spanish Armada and continues until the end of her life.  The story of Lettice Knollys (a cousin and enemy of the Queen) is intertwined in juxtaposition.  This book is a departure from many recent writings of Queen Elizabeth.  George keeps her as the true Virgin Queen (where many others maintain that she was no virgin).  It shows her as a strong woman, a symbol of a time remembered as the Golden Age of England.  The secondary characters read as a who's who of the time (William Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, William Cecil, and even Guy Fawkes making an appearance among others).  I completely enjoyed this book and found it to be a good installment for her books of the era.  She previously authored tales of King Henry VIII (my favorite of her works) and Mary, Queen of Scots (also a fantastic read).   I look forward to her next offering and wonder which historical figure she will tackle next.