5 inspiring authors :)

1. Malorie Blackman (Noughts and Crosses) because she has written an amazing series on a dystopia where black people (crosses) descriminate against white people (noughts)
2. JK Rowling (Harry Potter) because she had no money and sent her first book to the publishers in a reporters jotter, and it was left alone for a couple of years before they published but the series is amazing :)
3. Jacqueline Wilson (Tracy Beaker etc) totally iconic children's stories and she wrote LOADS
4. Jerry Spinelli (Star Girl) It's impossible not to love Stargirl's amazing, if slightly erratic character. In my opinion she represents the creative fearless person in all of us that we're too scared to show for fear of standing out.
5. C.S Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia) I love this series and I admit to trying to walk through my wardrobe shamelessly looking for Narnia.

Recently I've Been...

Hopelessly reachin' (sorry Mcfly song, couldn't resist)

Recently in the life of Bex...

• I'm in the process of entering the Guardian's Young Critics competition (need to type up and send away) in hope of winning £25, sweet :)
• Reviewing an Open Day (may win a hoodie- fingers crossed!)
• Planning to go to another open day this saturday focusing on an ENGLISH LITERATURE DEGREE- scary stuff, how am I applying to uni already?
• Getting my English book list for next years and probably will review on here at some point

1. Tess of D'Urbervilles- Thomas Hardy
2. Blue Remebered Hills- Dennis Potter
3. Songs of Innocence and Experience- William Blake
4. Assorted Pastoral Poetry
5. Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronté
6. Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen
7. The Worlds Wife- Carol Ann Duffy

• I also plan to read A Streetcar Named Desire, Oranges are not the only Fruit, The Catcher in the Rye and Rebecca so keep your eyes peeled!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

My first review is going to be Steig Larsson's 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (Quercus, 2010)

Plot

The book starts with a rather ambiguous prologue which confuses the reader as they are unsure what the book is going to be about. Larsson then goes on to introduce one of the book's main protagonists, Mikael Blomkivist, the amusing 'womanizing' journalist. One of the sub-plots of the book is that Blomkivist is convicted of lying in an exposé of the industrialist, Hans Wennestrom and will do anything to prove he was 'set up' and expose Wennestrom as a crook.

However a cover up is in order to protect Blomkivist's magazine 'Millenium'. So, Blomkivist leaves the magazine. He promptly receives a phone call with a job interview (if only it were that easy) from Henrik Vanger, asking him to investigate the alleged murder of his niece, Harriet Vanger some 40 years previously under the pretence that he is writing the family history. He agrees to work for Vanger for a year, after being hooked by an offer of information on Wennerstrom.

On arrival to Hedeby Island, Blomkivist sets off trying to unlock the mystery. In the process he strikes a precaurious relationship with Cecilia Vanger which is on, then off, then on again, then definately off. He finds striking new leads including uncovering the meaning of some phone numbers, which are instead bible quotes with links to murders commited in Sweden. Mikael then gets in touch with Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo, who is a hacker and an excellent researcher, to help him find the murders Harriet had uncovered. They are threatened several times by members of the Vanger family who fear that Henrik's 'obsession' with finding the truth about Harriet will kill him. This escalates when Henrik is taken to hospital, ill.

After several months Blomkivist accuses Martin Vanger and his father Gottfried Vanger of the murders and suspects Harriet was killed for discovering this. He is then captured and tortured by Martin Vanger, who admits to everything other than killing Harriet. Salander then saves Blomkivist and chases Martin, who then deliberately crashes his car and dies.

After that Salander contacts Plague, a fellow hacker, who arranges a team to aid her and Blomkivist to hack Annita Vanger's phone in London. Blomkivist attempts to talk to Annita but is refused and she subsequently telephones a number in Australia, where Blomkivist travels. Salander returns to Sweden where her mother has just died.

In Australia, Blomkivist locates Annita Cochrane, who is actually Harriet Vanger. They return to Sweden to tell Henrik Vanger. Henrik's lawyer Dirch Frode then reveals Henrik's information on Wennestrom is effectively useless, however Salander reveals she has hacked his computer and has all the information Blomkivist needs. The rest of the book develops their relationship and Blomkivist writing his expose, before concluding with Salander witnessing Blomkivist and his 'occasional lover' Erika Birger.

My response

A complex plot, with many sub-plots but completely worthwhile reading, with it's daringly different heroine and the irresistable Blomkivist. Witty, fun and very engaging I rarely put this book down.

1. Cover- my version is less good- I prefer the original cover
2. Plot- Complex but engaging- 9/10
3. Characters- I love Salander and Blomkivist, and found the very corrupted Vanger family's dramas more entertaining than Eastenders- 8/10
4. Overall impression- 8.5/10 :)

Hey :)

Hi I thought I would start by telling you a little bit about me...

• My name is Bex
• I'm 17, well nearly.
• I am studying psychology, sociology, science and English literature A Levels.
• I plan to do an English Literature with Journalism degree at a local University, then progress to a postgraduate teaching course.
• I love to read and the aim of this blog is to produce user-friendly book reviews.
• If you have any comments or ideas please leave a comment :)

Thanks x