The Verdict...

Girl with the Dragon Tatoo
It was just OK. The story was interesting despite the complicated family tree The ending was anti-climactic and disappointing. I did like the characters Blomkvist and Salander, but I'm not that interested in reading the rest of the series. Too much hype. I would like to see the movie, but that's mostly because I think Daniel Craig is hot.

A Dance with Dragons
It was good. I particularly liked the adventures Tyrion went on and the surprising new character he discovered while at sea. Actually that boat scene where he comes to befriend everyone was pretty good. It was funny and I felt the camaraderie. I liked seeing what happened to Theon since I had completely forgotten him and I was glad to see Asha come back. Although Daenerys' storyline is getting really tired (nothing's really happening with her!), I was really moved by the scene in the colosseum pit where she is trying to get some control over Drogon (I think it was Drogon). I felt like I was right there, either as Daenerys or as myself watching her. I could hear the crowds screaming in the background and people running about in a frenzy; I could see Drogon flapping his black wings, the dust rising from the pit as a result, and I could feel the heat and see the heatwaves when he opened his mouth to release flames. It was so vivid! 

Reviews... helpful or hurtful?

Image from Goodreads

I'm currently reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I usually don't like to read books that I know everyone else is reading. The fact that something is on the Oprah's Book Club list is a bit of a turn off (although I did read What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day and I enjoyed it - it was different from what I usually read). I don't want to be told what to read by mass media. But sometimes your curiosity can't help but be peaked.

A crime drama, a 30 year old mystery, a social outcast with a gift... I think it was probably images of the movie, particularly Lisbeth Salander, on TV that made me decide I wanted to check it out. Also it takes place in Sweden, not North America. A friend of a friend married a Swedish guy, they have a great social system I hear, other than that I know nothing about the place. I'm also at a point in my reading where I don't have anything I'm waiting on from the library. I was recently thinking that it's only really gotten interesting just before page 200, which makes me wonder why I didn't put it down beforehand. Is it really that interesting or am I swayed by its mass appeal and the fact that it's been made into a movie. I made the mistake of reading some Amazon reviews and the first paragraph of Wikipedia's entry, and damn if they didn't give away stuff that I didn't need to know! Ugh, I hate that! Do reviews really ever help?

Image from Goodreads

I loved the first part of the story which took place in Afghanistan. I remember being caught up in the authors description of the beauty of his surroundings before Russia invaded. I was so mesmerized; it was dreamlike. I thought the characters were interesting, particularly the Hazaras with their Asian eyes from their Mongolian ancestors (cool!). I was really into the story and I cared about the characters. Somewhere along the line I made the mistake of reading an Amazon review while I was still reading it. It made some mention of the second part of the book and how it was written as if the story was meant to be made into a movie. I can't remember exact details (thankfully) but I went into the second part of the story with that in mind and it totally ruined it for me. I still enjoyed the book but I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't tainted by that review. Would I have come to that same conclusion as that reviewer? Probably not.

I do find myself moved by reviews. Good reviews, bad reviews, spoilers. I think it's better to save them for when I finish the book, at which point it doesn't really matter.