The Millenium Trilogy

I'm sure you've heard of them - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson, the Swedish author who tragically died of a heart attack shortly after turning in the manuscripts that became a huge best selling series of books. I waited to read them, because everyone I talked to who had read them raved about how good they were, and I didn't want to have to wait in between books. And I'm so glad I made that decision! And my friends didn't steer me wrong, either - the books are fantastic!
I highly recommend reading them all in a row, if you haven't yet, because they are actually one big story. One leads right into the next. What makes them so fascinating, though, are the stories within the story itself. I read online there is actually the beginning of a fourth novel. However, because Stieg didn't marry his girlfriend of many years, his estate (including his book rights) went to his dad and brother, and although the girlfriend would like to finish and release the fourth book, she refuses to unless the dad and brother relinquish rights to the books, which they won't. Apparently, she helped Stieg write the Millennium Series, so it is a real shame the dad and brother won't bend. It is likely all about the money, isn't it? One would think they have enough by now, but they want more. Greed... Ironically, this is one of the themes of the series.
I loved the main character, Lisbeth Salander, so much I wish I could be even a tenth as amazing and tough as she is. I hate to admit this, but I had to force myself to put these books down. They brought new meaning to the word "gripping," for me. I shared a little bit of the story with my B's, of course, and even they were fascinated. Lisbeth is something special, that's for sure. And of course Mikael Blomkvist, the other main character, was extra cool for me, because I was able to picture him as Daniel Craig in my mind, because that is who played him in the Dragon Tattoo movie. My James Bond, remember? I do love him...
So if you haven't read the books, and you are looking for some stimulating reading material, pick these up. As my friends told me, it is a bit tough in the beginning, because there is a lot of Swedish mumbo jumbo, but it is all useful information, and before you realize it, you will be hooked!
And now, I am dying to see the movie, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, although I am disappointed from the previews, because they made Lisbeth incredibly ugly, and she isn't like that in the book. Why did they do that? I heard it kind of ruined the movie, but for me, I still have to see it, because I know the story, so it won't matter as much to me how she looks, (theoretically, right?). Lisbeth will always be a hero, living in my head as characters from my favorite books do. She ranks right up there with Elphaba (from the Wicked Series, by Gregory Maguire), TullyandKate (from Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah and yes, the names are supposed to be squished together like that) and all the characters from Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. Reading... I love it!