Book Club Nuts and Bolts

We will be reading one book a month. We will have weekly group discussions if you are interested with a final discussion at the end of the month. The new book choice for the following month will be posted at least two weeks before the beginning of the new month. You can pick and choose if you want to participate. We will have at least one giveaway each month for our readers! If you have any book suggestions, please email either Jessica or MiMi. We are in new territory, so we might have to work out some kinks as we go along. We hope you make new friends and have fun!

Our new email address: readwithgirlfriends@yahoo.com

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Spoiler Alert Tuesday


Have you all started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?
We got a lot of e-mails from people being concerned about the choice because of a) there are some weird names in the book that can be hard to read; and b) it starts out very slow.

In answer to the two main concerns I have two much sought after secrets to let you in on:
About the weird names; the book is actually Swedish and has been translated. The names are still weird, so I suggest coming up with different names to use instead.

Examples would be: Blomkvist pronounced as Blowhard. Just a suggestion. You can use any name you like.
And yes, the first chapter is boring. It's explaining a bunch of political and business partnerships that are confusing because we're not Swedish.

So here's a synopsis on the first chapter, in my own words, in case you are bored by it and/or don't understand it. This is seriously condensed down. And I'm not even sure I have it correct, but here
it is anyway. It's a Spoiler!

Spoilers Below!!!
The first chapter details a Financial Reporter named Blowhard Blomkvist who tried to take down a giant corporation called Wennerstrom through tips from a "secret" source. Nothing could be proved because the corporation covers it's tracks very well. Either that or possibly they paid someone on the inside off.

The whole scheme that the corporation was involved in, is kind of convoluted or murky, I think because it's lost in translation, as they say. Either that or I'm just stupid. Which could be the case.

Basically, the Swedish government gave big amounts of money to big Swedish corporations to build up
 their companies.

This corporation, Wennerstrom (here on out called Weineschnitzel, pronounced with a V), took the money and used about 2 million of it to do what they were supposed to do. They were given 50 million.

Even though they only used the 2 million, and should have given the 48 back, they sunk it into something other than what they were supposed to, but they said it went towards building the company and therefore didn't have to pay it back. So they kept a bunch of money from the government (ie, taxpayers) and spent it on who knows what, and got away with it. (hey! this sounds like it could be in the US!)

When Blowhard Blomkvist tried to take them down, they had covered it all up so well, that they were able to sue him in return and now he's headed for 3 months of jail.

Now. I have no clue what that has to do with the story. Because when the story takes off, and it does, I promise (right around page 35-40), it begins to talk about a young investigator and a murder. And a weird family. And all kinds of weird stuff.

So. Stick with it, I've heard so many good things about it, and if you get past the first chapter, you're good.

Let us know what you think so far!

8 comments:

  1. You are cracking me up! I'm on the last bit of CeeCee, you know us Southerners are slow about everything we do. But I will definately keep Blowhard in mind when I start this - hopefully this weekend!

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  2. I'm almost done with it and I have really enjoyed it. It changes from a corporate espionage story to something way more interesting!

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  3. I haven't started it yet but I hope to pick it up this weekend.

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  4. The first five chapters were pretty slow for me but if you can make it that far, the story really picks up and it's very, very good.

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  5. I had a really hard time with it at first, but because of all the reviews, I kept reading...and now Im totally into it. I get lost and sleepy whenever books (or anyone) talk about investments...blah blah blah...interest..blah, blah...corporate...blah...so Im glad the book picked up, and it really did. Im enjoying it now.

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  6. I tried to do this audio book a while back and couldn't get into it. Keep saving it for when I don't have anything else lined up. Maybe I should give it another chance.

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  7. Im picking this one up on Friday because I have really been wanting to read it...maybe sometimes this month I can actually read it!!!

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  8. I tried to read the book also but just couldn't get into it. Maybe I will have to give it another chance, we'll see!

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