006. Read 30 books, 068. Keep a "have read"-diary (33/30)

1. Stardust by Neil Gaiman (February 8th, 2008) - Thumbs up! Liked it.
2. Så blir du mer kreativ - på jobbet, i livet, i skapandet by Eva Sanner (March 13th, 2008) - Roughly translated the titles is "Become more creative - at work, in life, in creating". The book had me spell bound up until the middle and then I had a hard time finishing it. I don't really know why. Maybe because it got me thinking so much I had trouble focusing on the words? Interesting book with many reflections that really hit home with me.
3. En drink före kriget/A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane (April 9th, 2008) - Had to read for quite some time for the book to "catch me". I hated the langauge and the jargong at first and I don't know if the tone of the book changed or if I got used to it. Think I can blame some of the annoyances on the translator... Overall, not a super duper exciting book but also not the worst crime story I've read. I am way more impressed by Lehane's Mystic River and Shutter Island.
4. Den brinnande flickan/The Burning Girl by Mark Billingham (April 16th, 2008) - Unfocused and kind of boring. Finished it because I "had to", but I think I could've put it down never to think about the novel again...
5. A spot of bother by Mark Haddon (April 27th, 2008) - I started reading this book ages ago but gave it up with a bookmark stuck into it. When packing for my trip to Spain last week, I found it laying in my nightstand table and decided to give it another shot. This time around I loved it!!! I had fun reading it. It made me smile. And giggle. And moan... One of the best novel experiences I've had in a long time.
6. Italienska skor by Henning Mankell (May 9th, 2008) - The titles translates as Italian Shoes and the novel is written by one of Sweden's most famous authors. Boyfriend read this novel a couple of months ago and said that he thought I'd like it. He was right. I loved it! The main character is an elderly man living on an island with his dog, his cat and an anthill in one of his rooms. He used to be a doctor but decided to retract to this island twelve years ago when something bad happened to him professionally. One day someone from his past comes to ask him to fulfill a promise he gave to her some 40 years ago. While reading it, I laughed, smiled and cried. Loved it!
7. Förändringen/Changing by Liv Ullman (May 18th, 2008) - Another book I really enjoyed reading. Didn't know what to expect but I was impressed with the language and the details. I loved the way she described things, people and feelings. I couldn't help but read some of the passages out loud.
8. Lustmördarna by Björn Ranelid (May 26th, 2008) - The title translates to Murderers of Passion and the novel is written by a well-known author here in Sweden. I've tried reading one of his other novels before and hated it. Now boyfriend has nagged me about reading this one and I gave in. And hated it. Not all of it, but a lot. I didn't like the language and the way he jumped back and forth in time without making it clear. The story was kind of interesting and I liked the main character up to a strange twist in the stiryline that just left me confused. Never Björn Ranelid again!
9. Edward Finnegans upprättelse by Roslund & Hellström (June 1st, 2008) - The title translates very roughly to Edward Finnegan's Revenge. Loved this book. The author duo has written two earlier novels with Evert Grens as the main character. This one was just as good as the other two. It's human. It's politics. It's tragedy. And thoughtworthy. Read it!!!
10. En bit av mitt hjärta/A Piece of my Heart by Peter Robinson (June 15th) - One of the Alan Bank's novels. I quite liked it, but I doubt I'll remember it in a couple of weeks.
11. Flyga drake/The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (July 5th, 2008) - Wow! I cried my eyes out while reading this book. It was beautiful, warm, terrifying, sad and well written. I loved it. And highly recommend it! I'll remember this book for a long time.
12. Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (July 15th, 2008) - I needed something not too heavy after The Kite Runner. Joy Luck Club was the book for it. I haven't seen the film so I can't compare the two. I had a problem keeping all the four mothers and their daughters and their stories apart. I giggled a few times and thought there was a deeper meaning to some passages than what I could care to find.
13. Tillsammans är man mindre ensam/Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda (July 21st, 2008) - I really liked this story and I loved the characters in it. I had difficulties putting this book down and read it in long stretches. Highly recommend it!
14. Fienden inom oss by Jan Guillou (August 1st, 2008) - The title translates as The Enemy Within Us and the author, Jan Guillou, is one of Sweden's most famous authors. He's written the books on Carl Hamilton (the Coq Rogue-books) and Arn. This is the second novel with Ewa Johnsén as the main character. I liked the first one more. This one is about terrorism in Sweden and parts of it is very technical when it comes to law stuff. Can't imagine I'll remember this story in a month.
15. Godnatt Mr Tom/Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian (August 9th, 2008) - One of my favourite books from being a pre-teen. I've read it a couple of times but it was a while ago now. Still love it.
16. Får det gjort! Svart bälte i vardagseffektivitet/Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen (August 11th, 2008) - A book on how to clear up your brain and create an action management system. It's about organizing and simplifying reminders. About archives and references. I've written a first blog post about it here.
17. Kalle och chokladfabriken/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (August 24th, 2008) - Another nostalgic read, brought on by a visit to a second hand store... I love Roald Dahl. Love, love, love. I haven't read all of his books, and to be honest I think this was only my second time reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (as oppossed to The Witches or Matilda that I've read more times than I can count) and there were loads of stuff I'd forgotten.
18. The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland (October 4th, 2008) - I've had a thing for Douglas Coupland ever since the first time I read one of his novels (back in 1999). This one wasn't one of my favourites. I doubt it'll last in my mind for a long time. I loved parts of it; the structure and the way everything played out in letters or entries in a diary. But the story that was told within the story (Glove Pond) was something I found mostly annoying.
19. Flickan under gatan by Roslund&Hellström (October 14th, 2008) - The title translates to The girl under the street. I love this writer duo and their novels. This is their fourth. Each book has a different and very important theme. The first one was about child molesting, the second was on trafficking, the third on capital punishment. This fourth one is about kids that are homeless and living, not on but, under the streets of Stockholm. All books have been crime novels and the main character is a very grumpy police detective that I can't help but like. If you want to read crime books that make you think for a long time after you've finished it, go for Roslund&Hellström!
20. Pojken från Mars/Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars by Daniel Pinkwater (October 27th, 2008) - I read this one as a young teenager and thought it was about time to re-read it. What can I say? Some books are better when you're a teenager than they are when you're in your 30's. This is one of them. I kind of regret reading it again as I didn't find it all too impressive this time around...
21. Ninas resa, En överlevnadsberättelse by Lena Einhorn (November 7th, 2008) - The titles translates to Nina's Journey, a Tale of Survival. The book is non-fictional and written by Nina's daughter. It tells the story of Nina's life during the second World War. Nina was a jewish girl in her early teens when she and her family were forced into the Jewish Ghetto of Warsaw. I started reading this book on a train ride and I finished it the same night. What I found remarkable about it was that it told a very touching story in a way that wasn't "sappy" or "over-kill". I don't know if this book can be found translated, but it's worth looking for (if you don't want to tackle the original Swedish version)!
22. How to be a Canadian by Ian and Will Ferguson (December 28th, 2008) - A Christmas gift from my sister. I did laugh, snicker and smile quite a lot when reading this book, but I didn't get everything. I know sometimes it was a language issue, but sometimes I think it was more cultural. Which is sad as this book is sort of written as a "manual" for foreigners on how to blend in as being Canadian in Canada... The book was mostly funny but I found myself getting less and less "involved" in it. Got tired of their sense of humour? Could be.
23. Expedition L by Erlend Loe (January 12th, 2009) - I've read two other novels by Erlend Loe and I think I liked both of them more than this one. It's an absurd plot; a Norwegian man wants to make Norway famous again (like Thor Heyerdahl did) and comes up with a theory on his own on how people migrated from South America to Polynesia... Apparently they skated on ice... A group of boys/men goes to an island in Polynesia in the hopes of finding skates in the water or on the shore to prove the theory. It made me laugh more than ones but I also yawned some. It was a bit too absurd for me.
24. Harry Potter och de vises sten/Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling (January 15th, 2009) - Saw the first four movies on TV during Christmas break and thought I'd give the books a chance. Don't really know what to say about the first one. It's a kid's book. I guess the plot is intriguing and the people well-drawn, but I can't say I'm impressed with the style or language used. Hope for the next one to be better.
25. Harry Potter och Hemligheternas kammare/Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (January 17th, 2009) - Can't really make up my mind on these Harry Potter-books. They're easy. Nothing fancy in language. And I think I've read most of it somewhere else before. Maybe I was expecting to much? They are, after all, kid's books. Or maybe, they pick up and get better?
26. Harry Potter och fången från Azkaban/Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (January 22nd, 2009) - They're getting better...
27. Harry Potter och den flammande bägaren/Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (January 28th, 2009?) - This is my favourite so far...
28. Harry Potter och Fenixordern/Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (February 3rd, 2009) - This is 1,000 pages long. I think at least 300 pages could be cut without me missing anything. Soooo wordy. And repetative. I did cry when reading this one. More than once.
29. Harry Potter och Halvblodsprinsen/Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (February 15th, 2009) - These books are slow. But still I keep reading them. There's something to the story that makes me want to read to the end. Even when there's a ton of school stuff and love affairs thrown in there...
30. Harry Potter och dödsrelikerna/Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (February 22nd, 2009) - This last novel was very different from the others. The plot was more confusing and had more twists to it. I liked it! Cried some.

1. Sommarbarn by Katerina Janouch (February 22nd, 2009) - The title translates to Summer child. Katerina was born in Prague in the sixites and came to Sweden with her family in the mid-seventies. This book is about her and her life as a kid and young teen. I didn't know what to expect from it, but I wasn't too impressed. Nothing really grabbed me or made me feel as I was reading it. The characters lacked something.
2. The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs (April, 2009) - Funny! Interesting! Made me think a lot!
3. Miraklet i Anderna/The Miracles of the Andes by Nando Parrado (May 2nd, 2009) - Ever since I saw the movie Alive! I've been fascinated by the story of the Fairchild that crashed in the Andes leaving a group of people to fight for the survival and their rescue. This book tells the story from Nando's point of view; his feeling, thinking and reasoning. Interesting.