Worth the Wait?

I do sincerely apologise for the long delay in posting- I believe this is the Cardinal Sin of the blogging world and if I"m not unceremoniously given the boot, I promise never to let it happen again.

So what have I been doing all this time? Ploughing through the uninspiring pages of Jo Nesbo's Nemesis is what. All 706 of them. Given that my reading mainly takes place in the 20 seconds before I fall asleep at night you can understand the momentum with which I propelled through the predictable and dull narrative.

I thought it would be extremely poor form to admit defeat however and managed to get through it eventually. And rather than bemoan its shortcomings I am equally determined to draw out what was well done and enjoyable (and therefore won't keep you long ;) )

First the well done- I haven't read the Larsson books and only part of one of the films. But much like the Bourne trilogy, I imagine when these were being created the author had a director's chair, attractive actors and many many dollar signs in mind. And this is what Nesbo seems to be doing. He has written a strong contender for the cinema screens. There is the right mix of action, thriller, cliche lines and customary sexual tension between characters for this to be a blockbuster... except, well, oopsy Larsson beat him to the post.

And now the enjoyable- Jo Nesbo is Norway's answer to Stieg Larsson-a fact blazoned across the cover like a garish medallion-and here we come to why I chose the book. As I was travelling to Oslo for the first time last month, I thought reading a tale set in the city would be a romantically touristy thing to do. And it was wonderful! The scene of the crime was on the street I was staying! After I had left, reading about the main areas of Oslo extended the holiday feeling long into the following week.

I urge you to do the same- reading a book set in the place your visiting is like having a special guide giving away some extra inner secrets you don't find in a guidebook.

So phew, I'm through it. Not inspiring but if you had a loooooong train journey, it could well serve as a distraction.

Throughout the time I was being held hostage by this mediocrity I visited many bookshops, each time looking longingly at books that seem much more promising. You can therefore look forward to more cheery and timely posts in the coming weeks.

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