Book Review: The Girl Who Played With Fire

I know, I know another Book Review.  I  finished this book a week and a half ago...its better than three weeks.  Can you believe that I am actually already half way through another book by the time that I post this blog?  But this post is about Steigg Larson's second book The Girl Who Played with Fire  I was a little overwhelmed by how this book started (due to the violence) but this book really impressed me.

I am not going to go into too many details because I want ya'll to enjoy the book, but I can at least give a basic premise.  This book continues pretty much where the last one left off.  Most of the original characters are back and the new topic is human sex trafficking in Sweden and scum that proliferates it.  Several new characters are introduced in the story to include detectives.  These new characters added a new flow to the story, where in the The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo told the story from Blomkvist's and Salander's perspective, this book adds a third perspective through the investigation of the detectives.   At times throughout the book, two paths may cross and they combine for a couple of chapters.

This book was more action oriented than the last book, and spent less time with the graphic details of human trafficking.  As stated earlier, the book did start out harsh in the first chapter, but the pace quickly changed.  These books (The Millenium Series) are definitely among my favorite books.  Some books I pick up and flat out refuse to read.  I definitely can't wait for these books to be made into the films (they already are in Sweden) by my favorite director David Fincher.  Lisbeth Salander in my opinion is the Clarice Starling of the last decade (wow one more decade down).  This is a must read for fans of thrillers and suspense. 

Book Review: Lone Survivor

So I just got done reading the book Lone Survivor by Marcus Lutrell...like a 3 weeks ago...but I am BUSY!!!  Marcus Lutrell is a US Navy SEAL Team Leader whose team was over taken by Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces in Kunar Province in 2005.  He was on a Secret Squirrel mission (did I really just type that?!?) to capture/kill some high-value target but it went horribly wrong and became the worst loss in US Navy SEALs history.  They dropped in there with little Intelligence support in the wrong spot in the province.  They also didn't know how many bad guys there were supposed.  Marcus and his team after insertion had to traverse the rough terrain of Afghanistan at night to get to their location.  They had to travel by night and in the rain on a full moon.  When the rain stopped, bullets started flying from up above.  The only place for his team to go was down, so they dove down the rocky terrain several times.

After a pretty intense firefight, Marcus was the only one left.  Before his Team Leader died, he was able to make one last attempt to contact American forces.  The SEALs back at Bagram immediately saddled up and went to rescue their comrades, but during the infiltration an insurgent fired a rocket at the chopper and killed every one on board.  Marcus and one other guy were still at the bottom of the mountain at this time and they got blown up by an RPG.  His buddy died, and Marcus was luckily launched somewhere behind some rocks, his leg was filled with shrapnel and knocked out.  What is amazing is that through all the tumbling and constant explosions his sniper rifle stayed with him the whole time.  When he woke up, he found his rifle just in time to take out three more insurgents.  He crawled out from behind some more rocks and fell down again.

He landed by a stream and started crawling to quench his thirst.  When he looked up from his journey to refill his body with life rejuvenator, he saw four armed men waving him down.  He immediately went into "fight or flight" mode but had little energy to do anything because he was dehydrated.  One thing that he did notice before he passed out was that the armed Afghans that were approaching him did not have hate in their eyes.  He "came to" every now and then while they were taking him to the village, and told them that he was a doctor.

The village was Sabaray.  The village elder was named Sarawa.  In Afghan culture, age means everything and in this village Sarawa was the boss.  Marcus was taken to the village and his wounds were dressed and cleaned.  At nighttime the insurgents kicked in the door (because Afghan hut village doors are very heavy) and immediately started interrogating him.  Sarawa risked his life and confronted the Taliban and told him that Marcus was under the protection of the village.  This is part of the Afghan culture, specifically the Pashtuns (an ethnicity) known as Nanawatey.  This means that if someone is a guest in your village, you have to defend them with your life no matter what or risk violating Pashtunwali (the Jedi Code for Pashtuns).  Begrudgingly, the Taliban left the village after roughing Marcus up a little. They threatened the villagers with the concept of total annihilation of their village before they called "deuces".

After the insurgents left, the villagers all gathered together to discuss what should happen with Marcus.  Sarawa made a hard point about Pashtunwali and it was decided that he would stay even if it meant that they could all be killed.  (Interesting ain't it?)  Sarawa's son a police officer (by Afghan circa 2005 standards) was appointed his guardian throughout Marcus' recovery.   This man would become Marcus' greatest friend during his tenure.  Sarawa then left on a journey to the nearest base to notify that Marcus was still alive.

 

Marcus recovered in a few days and was soon able to stand.  He got out his rescue beacon from his assault pack and placed it at the window.  Every time he heard a helicopter he stumbled out to the middle of the village and tried to get the chopper to land.  At one point the US dropped some supplies off for the survivors.  They did not know who had survived, but someone was using that beacon.  Throughout his stay he made a quickbond with the Afghan children.  The children had notified Marcus of the supplies, and even volunteered to bring it back.  One time, when the children returned, they looked disheveled and beaten.  The Taliban found the supplies too, and used aggressive tactics to take the supplies that were of value from the children.  This infuriated Marcus and he immediately tried to leave and catch up with Sarawa so that the village would no longer be burdened by his presence, but he was not yet healthy enough to make the journey. 

 

The Taliban returned a couple of days later and to scare the villagers.  Marcus was being moved from house to house so that he would not get caught.  The insurgents did not find him and later that night it was decided that he was healthy enough to attempt the journey to the US base. 

 

Marcus and Sarawa's son left in the dark of night (I have said before that Afghanistan has to be the darkest place in the world except for the bottom of the sea) but their journey was at the limits of Marcus.  At one point they came across the Taliban leader that Marcus' SEAL team was sent to kill, but he gave a nod to the village elder'sPashtunwali. 

 

They climbed up a hill and ran into an armed Afghan.  He was wearing a "Luv Ya Dubya" button using American weapons.  He was Afghan Special Forces and as soon as Marcus noticed him, Army Rangers came out of the terrain and were excited that they had found their fallen comrade.  They were immediately exfiltrated.

 

Concurrently, Marcus' family in Texas had been holding a five day long vigil.  Their only shred of hope for Marcus' survival was that his twin (also a SEAL) could still sense that his brother was alive.  After months of recovery in an overseas Army Hospital, Marcus returned home. 

 

Marcus would eventually go back to Afghanistan to finish out his tour and escort the bodies of his comrades to the their loved ones in the United States. End.

 

I really liked this book.  It really gives you a perspective about how persistent the enemy can be in the war that I am in right now.  Initially I was mad that Marcus seemed lapsed in Afghan cultural awareness (he called them Afghanis which is the currency of Afghanistan, and he referred to Allah as "Their God" when in fact its the same God as Christians), but then I realized that he had only been with the Afghans for five or so days.  My only real gripe about the book was that 40% of the book was spent on SEAL training (not a bad subject, but is misleading to the reader wanting to delve into Afghan culture) and 15% of the book was about what his family was doing in Texas.  It is Marcus' book so he can write whatever he wanted, but I was expecting a more thorough examination of the Afghan culture.  I blame the people who recommended this book to me.  Don't get me wrong, I loved the action aspects of the book and the tactical knowledge you gain of the enemy, but it is not a good read for cultural enlightenment. 

 

Stay Frosty,

 

JoJo

 

I am finally done with this review!!! It took me 10 days because I am so busy!

Book Review: Millennium Falcon

Well here is another book review.  The funny thing is, is that I have been finished with this book since 28 Dec 10.  I have really been slacking in putting up this review, but I have been busy, and I wanted to at least do the book some justice. 

So before I deployed, I bought a Kindle and loaded it with all sorts of books.  I had a variety of History, Classics, Educational, Non-Fiction, Bestsellers, and Fun.  I am a semi-Star Wars fan (so you don't think that I am that big of a nerd) so my fun books that I bought were various Star Wars Novels.  I haven't really read a Star Wars book in eleven years, so this is really reliving my childhood.  Note: At home I do read a lot of comic books, but those are really hard to get in the far-away Hindu Kush...so I have embraced E-Readers.  I hated my first encounter with an E-Reader (Aerospace Basic Course) but now I realize that the have some value through portability and the extensive library you can possess in the palm of your hands.

Back to real subject...do you readers feel that I go off topic a lot?  Maybe its because I blog in stream of consciousness style.  Hoh-Kay.  Millennium  Falcon. (focus, JoJo, focus)  So I decided to read a novel about one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars universe, and that is the Millennium  Falcon.  I know that it is hard to believe that a ship can be a character, but I consider the Falcon to have a vital role in the Star Wars stories.  Who doesn't give their car a name, or think that their respective vehicle sometimes talks to them?  Not in the Knight Rider sense....but in the sense that there are some things that your car does or doesn't do that gives your car "character"  Well this is how that Millennium  Falcon is to Han Solo (he is captain of the ship...but if you didn't know that...or that the Millennium Falcon is a spaceship....then stop reading now to avoid future headaches for you and disappointment on my part).  Even though sometimes...most times...he is fixing some sort of mechanical problem with the ship, the Falcon always seems to turn on allowing the characters to narrowly escape danger.

This book explores the Millennium Falcon's history through the adventures of two groups of characters.  One group (of course) is an older Han Solo and Princess Leia and their grand daughter.  This was a little odd for me at first, because I know nothing of the events that happened after Return of the Jedi.  So this was a crash course history lesson of the events in the thirty years after the explosion of the second Death Star (feeling nerdy yet?  I will tone it down...maybe) The other group is actually one character named Jadak who is a former pilot of the Falcon, which was then named the Stellar Envoy, who has been in a coma for forty or so years that was caused by an unfortunate accident with the ship.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you kept reading, then whoops....because this will ruin some aspects of the story which is not my problem at this point.

So Han's family is relaxing after a brutal fight in from two years before where their son had turned to the darkside and he was killed by his own sister.  (I haven't read those books yet, but those are in the future) This is how they acquired their grand daughter.  But she is about elementary school age and very adventurous.  In her romps around the ship she discovered an artifact embedded in the ship.  It was some sort of communicator from the times of the old republic.  This peaks Han's imagination because he thought that he knew every inch and bump on that ship.  Thus they set out on an adventure to delve into the history of the Millennium Falcon.  Throughout their adventure you discover the various roles the Falcon played in the Star Wars history before the rebellion.

Jadak's story is one where he is from the past, but he is working his way to the future.  He was on a secret smuggling mission when all of a sudden the Stellar Envoy (Millennium Falcon) turned off and unfortunately he was left on a collision course with a frigate.  In the last minute (like always) his ship turned on, but not before being sideswiped (if that could happen in space) leaving him in a coma....for 62 years.  He was given a message that left him feeling guilty that the mission was not accomplished.  Jadak wondered why he was kept alive for so long.  There was a doctor from the medical facility he was in who happened to be a collector.  This guy was somewhat of a bad guy but not really. 

Eventually Han and Jadak end up on the same planet through their journey.  Initially Jadak pretended to be the pilot that Han was looking for and sent his assistant to steal the ship.  The was foiled because Han had installed an anti-theft device on the Falcon.  Jadak did not care about how famous of a hero Han was, but he did care about completing the mission he was on 62 years before. 

They pair up and travel to a planet that was victim to some sort of alien plague from earlier novels....like I said...I haven't really read these books EVER.  They end up finding some seal that the Old Republic had hidden away before the hostile take-over of PalpatineJadak barely made it out of the dying planet alive (like always). Han and Jadak then spend time reliving old stories that they had with their ship.  The ending of the novel leads on to another series of novels regarding a side story. 

Despite all of the cliche's in the story.  I really enjoyed it.  Can you tell from the really long blog?  I love the fact that the book made me nostalgic about the Original Star Wars Trilogy.  This story had many elements that the new trilogy lacked.  It was also very interesting seeing how the Falcon had various roles throughout its existence.  I also liked how this was a novel that integrated some of the past stories of the Star Wars universe that a reader might not have had the opportunity to read (like me)   I recommend this to any fan of the old Star Wars movies....before they were revamped.

Stay Frosty,

JoJo

Book Review: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

I have finished reading the The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and I have to say that it was a fairly enjoyable murder mystery.  I haven't actually read a murder mystery in about seven years.  That was the good 'ole days when I was a librarian at Franklin High School.  Yes, I was a librarian my senior year of high school.  I had the extra time and it gave me an opportunity to order the books that I wanted.  I was a big Thomas Harris (He created Hannibal Lecter) fan because he wrote a lot of crime solving books.   I like books where mysteries are solved by the main character putting puzzle pieces together and discovering conspiracies.  Consequently the Hannibal Lecter Trilogy were the last murder mysteries, much less recreational reading that I did since now. 

Back to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo...it was a fairly easy read about an investigative reporter solving the murder of a girl nearly forty years earlier.  Don't worry I won't reveal any spoilers. (its not my style)    When I picked up my Kindle and started reading, I was a little surprised by the main theme of the book.  This book was originally written in Swedish with the title "Men Who Hate Women".  This title was more in line with the contents of the book than the American title.  From the Swedish title you can gather that it was a novel about crimes against women.  It wasn't American Psycho bad, but it was graphic enough.  The interesting part of the story was that the investigation is performed by a financial crimes reporter.  This contrasts the FBI agents that are the main characters in the Harris stories.  He took on the case because his reputation took a big hit because he lost a court battle to a major financial corporation about on of his reports.  The other main character was a girl (with the Dragon tattoo) who perform background checks for a security firm.  They were tasked with solving the missing person mystery that happened on an island in the 1960s by the Grand-uncle of the girl.  He suspected murder, because his family was as twisted as they come.  I do not want to reveal the story, but it is an understatement that the family in the novel has a couple of skeletons in the closet.


My one critique of the book, is that the climax of the story occurred when I was about 75% through with the book.  (I know 75% because my Kindle keeps track...and it does my laundry j/k)  At that point one of the main character's ethics are challenged and some readers might feel disappointed.  The last quarter of the novel is spent settling the score for one of the main characters.  However, I did like how the last pages of the novel read.  The author ended the story on a very realistic note, after building up the reader to think that the story was going to be very cheesy.    I think that Steig Larsson is a pretty good author...to bad he died earlier this decade.  Decade, wow, I wonder what this first decade will be remembered by?  Probably the Afghanistan and Iraq wars sadly and probably Lady Gaga.  Oh well, 2011 bring it on!!!

Stay Frosty,

JoJo

Book Review: Becoming Batman

Salaama Layukum Folks!

I have finally finished my first E-book on my Kindle.  My first Kindle broke on the way to Afghanistan and I had to wait for another one to be sent at no cost, unless you count time, to me so that I could continue reading.  Plus since I spend the majority of my work day reading, I spent some nights watching movies on my computer.  Excuses aside....I am done with Becoming Batman.  In case you are wondering, I am not out at night in spandex fighting crime on the FOB.  That was the title of the book my E. Paul Zehr.  He explored the feasibility of a human being actually transforming into the Dark Knight.  Being that I am a super nerd (not geek, there is a difference) I was fascinated by the subject.  Paul is a well versed martial artist and a doctor in exercise sports science.  He explored concepts such as biological disposition, dietary, psychology, senescence, and training time line in his book.  He took a scientific approach and used an imaginary character know as Bob Wayne as Bruce Wayne's (Batman) twin for the control is to assessing if an average Joe (or JoJo) like you or me could become the caped crusader.  (I will run out of alternate names for Bats soon :P) Back on subject.  Paul explore various factors that and goals that one must achieve to become that terror that flaps in the night (wait that's Darkwing Duck) and provides scientific data to prove his hypothesis.  In my opinion he was too scientific in his approach.  Not for me (because I majored in Biology) but for the average person.  At times I had to dig deep in to my memory to be able to understand some of the biological theories that Paul noted had to be met for a person to become the masked manhunter.  I did like the fact that he had studied various forms of martial arts (like yours truly) and assessed ninjitsu to be the style that Batman would choose.  I also enjoyed a plethora (heh heh plethora of pinatas) references to actual Batman  comics, movies, and commentaries by writers to historically link Batman to certain assessments.  In the end he assessed that it was possible for a person to become Batman.  However, to stay Batman, and he means at the peak of his career represented in the majority of his comics (shout out to The Dark Knight Returns) would not be feasible.  Thus Batman could only be Batman could only be Batman could only be Batman (just checking if you were actually reading) for roughly 10 years.  He compared that to boxers and other athletes who are at their physical peak while performing that play sports that are comparative to the amount of beating that Batman would sustain while keeping the streets of Gotham safe.  This was a fun read and I recommend it to anyone who thinks that they want to fight crime and likes a realistic approach to the world of comics.  Next book The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Stay Frosty, (whoops still in caps...I mean italics)

JoJo