Comments for Kindle Product Guide http://www.kindleproductguide.com Kindle Product, Discounts, Reviews and more Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:10:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 Comment on The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Zechristof http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=981&cpage=1#comment-4124 Zechristof Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:10:09 +0000 http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=981#comment-4124 This is the third book in what is now a trilogy of novels centered around the character Lisbeth Salander. Salander is unique -- a deeply flawed but also incredibly resourceful individual who will fascinate you. This book begins where the previous volume (The Girl Who Played With Fire) ends, with Salander brought to the emergency room of a hospital in Goteborg, Sweden, with three bullet wounds, including one in her head. One of the persons who tried to murder her later comes into the same hospital into a room two doors from Salander, bearing grievous wounds that Salander herself inflicted. <br /> <br />You will have to read the first two volumes of the trilogy to understand the storyline in this volume. That should be no problem, because the first two volumes were hard to put down. This third volume is the longest in the series, but it reads even faster than the first two. The first half of this volume sets up a situation involving legal charges against Salander that seem irrefutable, especially as police and prosecutorial resources are marshaled against her. Because of the charges against her, Salander is locked into her hospital room with no access to a computer and only very restricted access to information from outside. This lead-in creates tremendous tension, as the reader is allowed to look into the careful measures that Salander's friends and foes are taking to prepare for a courtroom denoument. <br /> <br />If you have already read the first two volumes in this trilogy, you will not need any coaxing to buy this third volume. It contains much less explicit descriptions of sexual behaviors than the second volume contained -- all to the good in my view. I found it to be the most exciting of the three volumes. It is rumored that a fourth volume in the series exists, but it is in need of editing and may also be locked up a long time in litigation regarding the deceased author's estate. Whether a fifth or sixth volume exist in outline form is anyone's guess, but we are unlikely to see anything beyond a fourth volume anytime soon, and even getting at the fourth volume in our lifetime may be a stretch. All of which is to say, get this book and enjoy it. It may be the last we ever see of Lisbeth Salander. Rating: 5 / 5 This is the third book in what is now a trilogy of novels centered around the character Lisbeth Salander. Salander is unique — a deeply flawed but also incredibly resourceful individual who will fascinate you. This book begins where the previous volume (The Girl Who Played With Fire) ends, with Salander brought to the emergency room of a hospital in Goteborg, Sweden, with three bullet wounds, including one in her head. One of the persons who tried to murder her later comes into the same hospital into a room two doors from Salander, bearing grievous wounds that Salander herself inflicted.

You will have to read the first two volumes of the trilogy to understand the storyline in this volume. That should be no problem, because the first two volumes were hard to put down. This third volume is the longest in the series, but it reads even faster than the first two. The first half of this volume sets up a situation involving legal charges against Salander that seem irrefutable, especially as police and prosecutorial resources are marshaled against her. Because of the charges against her, Salander is locked into her hospital room with no access to a computer and only very restricted access to information from outside. This lead-in creates tremendous tension, as the reader is allowed to look into the careful measures that Salander’s friends and foes are taking to prepare for a courtroom denoument.

If you have already read the first two volumes in this trilogy, you will not need any coaxing to buy this third volume. It contains much less explicit descriptions of sexual behaviors than the second volume contained — all to the good in my view. I found it to be the most exciting of the three volumes. It is rumored that a fourth volume in the series exists, but it is in need of editing and may also be locked up a long time in litigation regarding the deceased author’s estate. Whether a fifth or sixth volume exist in outline form is anyone’s guess, but we are unlikely to see anything beyond a fourth volume anytime soon, and even getting at the fourth volume in our lifetime may be a stretch. All of which is to say, get this book and enjoy it. It may be the last we ever see of Lisbeth Salander.
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by doggroomer http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=981&cpage=1#comment-4123 doggroomer Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:01:39 +0000 http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=981#comment-4123 I bought my hardback from Amazon.UK because I couldn't wait until next year to finish Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy. The US publisher should move up their release date for this book, what the heck are they thinking? <br /> <br />No spoilers here! At 600 pages it's a whopper. The first half of the book is filled with at least 6 different stories being told and is a little hard to follow, but hang in there. It's when the stories begim to cross each other that makes it hard to put the book down. When you get to the last 200 pages, it's just impossible to stop. There are parts where the suspense builds and you get that awful feeling something really bad is going to happen. All in all, Larsson wraps his very feminist trilogy up nicely. I wasn't disappointed at all, only sad because that's all, folks. <br /> <br />4 stars because I loved "Played with Fire" as a 5 star book. Larsson wrote Salander as a remarkable unapoligetic feminist hero, and there is more of her in "Fire" than "Tattoo" and "Hornet's Nest." Rating: 4 / 5 I bought my hardback from Amazon.UK because I couldn’t wait until next year to finish Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy. The US publisher should move up their release date for this book, what the heck are they thinking?

No spoilers here! At 600 pages it’s a whopper. The first half of the book is filled with at least 6 different stories being told and is a little hard to follow, but hang in there. It’s when the stories begim to cross each other that makes it hard to put the book down. When you get to the last 200 pages, it’s just impossible to stop. There are parts where the suspense builds and you get that awful feeling something really bad is going to happen. All in all, Larsson wraps his very feminist trilogy up nicely. I wasn’t disappointed at all, only sad because that’s all, folks.

4 stars because I loved “Played with Fire” as a 5 star book. Larsson wrote Salander as a remarkable unapoligetic feminist hero, and there is more of her in “Fire” than “Tattoo” and “Hornet’s Nest.”
Rating: 4 / 5

]]> Comment on The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by prisrob http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=981&cpage=1#comment-4122 prisrob Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:35:43 +0000 http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=981#comment-4122 For those of you who have not read the first two volumes of this trilogy, I urge you to start on Volume one and proceed. The characters are so complex and real that an understanding of their background seems to me to be a must. The first two novels set up the reader for this wonderfully clever conclusion. The tale of good versus evil is one that is a history in time, and Stieg Larsson has given us a treat to savour. <br /> <br />The first one hundred pages of the third novel brings us up to date, and then we start the real read. More characters are introduced and at times during this 600 page read, I wondered if I could keep them straight. For the last two hundred pages, this book is very hard to put down. This is a tale of a series of conspiracies and how they come to cloud the Swedish democracy. How did Lisbeth Salander become the abused young woman, and will the people and times trying to destroy her win? And, Mikael Blomkvist, the journalist, will he be able to expose through his words, the wrongs that have been done. Will he regain Lisbeth's confidence? <br /> <br />Lisbeth Salander is in the Intensive Care Unit, she has been shot in the head. Her father is in a room down the hall, reportedly shot by Lisbeth. How did this come to be. Why are the Swedish Secret Service surreptitiously going in and out of his room? Why do we pick on those we do not understand? It is easier for us to believe those that are in power than to question the truth. The theme of the trilogy is that women are equals. There is no unnecessary overt sex and even though there is violence, it is believable. Blomkvist is a hero, he is the main antagonist and the muscle behind the investigation. He is out to assist Lisbeth Salander in becoming the woman she is meant to be instead of the woman who was looked at as the mad lesbian killer. He says, "When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it's about violence against women, and the men who enable it." The characters who surround them are wonderfully sketched out. We can picture in our mind's eye their faces and their countenance. This novel sums up the story of Lisbeth Salander, but leaves us wondering what is to be. Unfortunately, Stieg Larsson. because of his death, won't be continuing the series, it is up to us to find her rightful place. <br /> <br />It is easy to understand why this trilogy of Stieg Larsson's has become such a phenomenon. The search for justice and truth from a young, abused woman who has the nerves and strength of steel gives us all hope. We can believe through this wonderful narrative that the world is indeed a good place. <br /> <br />Highly Recommended. prisrob 10-13-09 <br /> <br />The Girl Who Played with Fire <br /> <br />The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Vintage) Rating: 5 / 5 For those of you who have not read the first two volumes of this trilogy, I urge you to start on Volume one and proceed. The characters are so complex and real that an understanding of their background seems to me to be a must. The first two novels set up the reader for this wonderfully clever conclusion. The tale of good versus evil is one that is a history in time, and Stieg Larsson has given us a treat to savour.

The first one hundred pages of the third novel brings us up to date, and then we start the real read. More characters are introduced and at times during this 600 page read, I wondered if I could keep them straight. For the last two hundred pages, this book is very hard to put down. This is a tale of a series of conspiracies and how they come to cloud the Swedish democracy. How did Lisbeth Salander become the abused young woman, and will the people and times trying to destroy her win? And, Mikael Blomkvist, the journalist, will he be able to expose through his words, the wrongs that have been done. Will he regain Lisbeth’s confidence?

Lisbeth Salander is in the Intensive Care Unit, she has been shot in the head. Her father is in a room down the hall, reportedly shot by Lisbeth. How did this come to be. Why are the Swedish Secret Service surreptitiously going in and out of his room? Why do we pick on those we do not understand? It is easier for us to believe those that are in power than to question the truth. The theme of the trilogy is that women are equals. There is no unnecessary overt sex and even though there is violence, it is believable. Blomkvist is a hero, he is the main antagonist and the muscle behind the investigation. He is out to assist Lisbeth Salander in becoming the woman she is meant to be instead of the woman who was looked at as the mad lesbian killer. He says, “When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it’s about violence against women, and the men who enable it.” The characters who surround them are wonderfully sketched out. We can picture in our mind’s eye their faces and their countenance. This novel sums up the story of Lisbeth Salander, but leaves us wondering what is to be. Unfortunately, Stieg Larsson. because of his death, won’t be continuing the series, it is up to us to find her rightful place.

It is easy to understand why this trilogy of Stieg Larsson’s has become such a phenomenon. The search for justice and truth from a young, abused woman who has the nerves and strength of steel gives us all hope. We can believe through this wonderful narrative that the world is indeed a good place.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 10-13-09

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Vintage)
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by E. Jacobs http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=981&cpage=1#comment-4121 E. Jacobs Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:41:00 +0000 http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=981#comment-4121 For the ending of this book alone, it is worth reading. However, while I wish I could say that this book was of the same caliber as that of the prior two books, in my opinion it was not. The book picked up right where the last left off, with Salander in the hospital being treated for her injuries. Blomkvist continues to sleuth on her behalf in order to expose those who have made her life hellish and attempted to frame her for all manner of crimes. Of course, in his spare time he also still manages to attract every woman within a 500-yard-radius like a bee to honey, but I digress. All of the other familiar characters from the prior books return. <br /> <br />I don't want to spoil the plot of the book, so I will give a general review. The overall feel of the book to me is that it was the least edited and least considered of the three. This would make sense if Larsson had intended to go back and do some more tweaking and editing before publication, but he was obviously unable to do so after his death. There are entire sections of the book that meander on and on with no apparent purpose with regard to moving the story forward. These sections would have benefited greatly from some serious editorial paring. <br /> <br />To me, the plot did not at all move along at the same clip as the prior books. The suspense just wasn't there to the same degree. I recall that I simply could not put down the previous books, but I was nowhere near as riveted by this one. In addition, there were a number of somewhat annoying grammatical errors, sentence fragments, etc. <br /> <br />For the good points of the book, the ending (if that is what we can call the last 150-200 pages) is a very nice, tightly written section that ties everything together beautifully. Again, it struck me that perhaps Larsson had written the ending earlier than the rest of book three, as it appeared to be the best-constructed section of the entire book. For the ending alone, this story is worth reading. I wavered between a 3-and 4- star review for this reason. Ultimately, I considered whether the book, standing alone without the other two, would be a 4-star book, and I don't believe that would be the case. <br /> <br />As an aside, one minor issue is that on the book cover of the copy I picked up while in Belgium, the first blurb says "The Trial", as if the book is mostly about Salander's trial itself, which it is not. The trial itself takes up about the last tenth of the book. Whether this type of advertising will occur with the North American edition I don't know, but I write this warning simply so you might know what to expect. <br /> <br />In summary, anyone who has read the first two books simply will not be able to deny themselves the final installment, nor should they. Although I did not find the book to hold the same level of suspense and I sometimes found it rather dull, the ending of the book makes it very worthwhile reading. It is a great loss that Mr. Larsson passed away before he could really fine-tune the final book, and before he could write another. Rating: 3 / 5 For the ending of this book alone, it is worth reading. However, while I wish I could say that this book was of the same caliber as that of the prior two books, in my opinion it was not. The book picked up right where the last left off, with Salander in the hospital being treated for her injuries. Blomkvist continues to sleuth on her behalf in order to expose those who have made her life hellish and attempted to frame her for all manner of crimes. Of course, in his spare time he also still manages to attract every woman within a 500-yard-radius like a bee to honey, but I digress. All of the other familiar characters from the prior books return.

I don’t want to spoil the plot of the book, so I will give a general review. The overall feel of the book to me is that it was the least edited and least considered of the three. This would make sense if Larsson had intended to go back and do some more tweaking and editing before publication, but he was obviously unable to do so after his death. There are entire sections of the book that meander on and on with no apparent purpose with regard to moving the story forward. These sections would have benefited greatly from some serious editorial paring.

To me, the plot did not at all move along at the same clip as the prior books. The suspense just wasn’t there to the same degree. I recall that I simply could not put down the previous books, but I was nowhere near as riveted by this one. In addition, there were a number of somewhat annoying grammatical errors, sentence fragments, etc.

For the good points of the book, the ending (if that is what we can call the last 150-200 pages) is a very nice, tightly written section that ties everything together beautifully. Again, it struck me that perhaps Larsson had written the ending earlier than the rest of book three, as it appeared to be the best-constructed section of the entire book. For the ending alone, this story is worth reading. I wavered between a 3-and 4- star review for this reason. Ultimately, I considered whether the book, standing alone without the other two, would be a 4-star book, and I don’t believe that would be the case.

As an aside, one minor issue is that on the book cover of the copy I picked up while in Belgium, the first blurb says “The Trial”, as if the book is mostly about Salander’s trial itself, which it is not. The trial itself takes up about the last tenth of the book. Whether this type of advertising will occur with the North American edition I don’t know, but I write this warning simply so you might know what to expect.

In summary, anyone who has read the first two books simply will not be able to deny themselves the final installment, nor should they. Although I did not find the book to hold the same level of suspense and I sometimes found it rather dull, the ending of the book makes it very worthwhile reading. It is a great loss that Mr. Larsson passed away before he could really fine-tune the final book, and before he could write another.
Rating: 3 / 5

]]> Comment on The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by J. Avellanet http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=981&cpage=1#comment-4120 J. Avellanet Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:44:14 +0000 http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=981#comment-4120 Just as Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" is held up as the trilogy to which all fantasy trilogies are inevitably compared, I've little doubt that Larsson's Millenium series will play that benchmark role for mystery thrillers over the next few decades. <br /> <br />"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest" is an incredibly worthy successor to the previous two books in the trilogy. And toward the end, there will be moments when tears are brought to your eyes. Larrson knew precisely how to play with timing, rhythm, and wording to pace the story and its ending just right. I'm hard pressed to even guess how else he could have ended this series. <br /> <br />The story follows the natural conclusion of the events in the first two books as everything dovetails toward a "behind-closed-door" trial. Larrson did a very good job of the first part of this book that takes place in the hospital where Lisbeth is recovering. I really enjoyed reading things from her perspective, then spinning out to others involved and each of their limited pieces of the evolving puzzle. And things just get better as the book moves along. <br /> <br />Frankly, once you hit part three of the book, it's almost impossible to put down. I picked it up just once...just to read a chapter or two in the second half of the book...only to find that three hours had gone by and the book was over. <br /> <br />Larrson's tying up of many loose ends throughout the book - and this is key - throughout the book (not all in the last few chapters like so many other writers) is masterful. And that emphasizes the one tragic aspect of this final book: knowing that we will never again be graced with Larrson's storytelling mastery. <br /> Rating: 5 / 5 Just as Tolkein’s “Lord of the Rings” is held up as the trilogy to which all fantasy trilogies are inevitably compared, I’ve little doubt that Larsson’s Millenium series will play that benchmark role for mystery thrillers over the next few decades.

“The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest” is an incredibly worthy successor to the previous two books in the trilogy. And toward the end, there will be moments when tears are brought to your eyes. Larrson knew precisely how to play with timing, rhythm, and wording to pace the story and its ending just right. I’m hard pressed to even guess how else he could have ended this series.

The story follows the natural conclusion of the events in the first two books as everything dovetails toward a “behind-closed-door” trial. Larrson did a very good job of the first part of this book that takes place in the hospital where Lisbeth is recovering. I really enjoyed reading things from her perspective, then spinning out to others involved and each of their limited pieces of the evolving puzzle. And things just get better as the book moves along.

Frankly, once you hit part three of the book, it’s almost impossible to put down. I picked it up just once…just to read a chapter or two in the second half of the book…only to find that three hours had gone by and the book was over.

Larrson’s tying up of many loose ends throughout the book – and this is key – throughout the book (not all in the last few chapters like so many other writers) is masterful. And that emphasizes the one tragic aspect of this final book: knowing that we will never again be graced with Larrson’s storytelling mastery.

Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 6″ Display, White – 2nd Generation by robinne http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=979&cpage=1#comment-4101 robinne Sun, 05 Sep 2010 04:51:30 +0000 http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=979#comment-4101 For about 7 days, I owned both the Kindle 2 and Sony PRS-505 and was able to use and compare them. My intention was to buy and love the Kindle. I only purchased the PRS-505 after owning the Kindle for a few days and finding that it was not suiting my needs. Luckily I found a local store that carried the PRS 505 with a 30 day return policy (same as the Kindle). <br /> <br />I fell out of love with the Kindle because the gray text on gray background was actually quite distracting to me and I could not focus on reading. I found myself constantly changing the angle of the body, changing the font size up and down and the distance away from me. The resolution and reading experience with the PRS 505 was perfect and I loved it. But I was reluctant to return the Kindle because of the dictionary support, search feature, note taking capabilities, ease of turning pages, bookmarking and returning to book location. I found a huge benefit in being able to download book samples from Amazon; I was able to find many books I really would like to purchase and some...not so much. I tried out the free 14 day trial on newspaper downloads, what a great way to get your news- no advertising distractions, easy to navigate and automatically downloaded every day. <br /> <br />After a while though, I started to dislike the plastic body of the Kindle and the plastic creaking sound when turning pages. The WHITE color starting bothering me too. I don't want a 1" white border around my reading area. The Sony is much smaller, the reading area is dominant and the body is more solid. Once I got used to it, the navigation was easy too. The actual reading area (screen) is about the same in both readers...Sony might be slightly taller. <br /> <br />My choice to keep the Sony PRS-505 was based on the main purpose of a book reader, which is to read. I don't need or want regular internet access on my book reader. I am already used to downloading files to my gadgets from my computer, so moving books from the PC to the reader is not a big deal. Now that I have many books downloaded, how often am I going to get a new book? <br /> <br />Either book reader can be used with Calibre software (free, but you can donate) to download daily news feeds (worldwide newspapers) and format documents for your reader. So, I can still get news on the Sony and they have RSS feeds available from the Sony site which I have not downloaded yet. One reason I was hesitant to go with the Sony was because it is not their latest model, so I thought it would be dated. That is not the case, and in fact the newer model, the PRS -700, does not have the screen clarity due to an extra layer of plastic to allow for touch-screen. Not worth the upgrade considering it still does not have dictionary support (but you can search and take notes). I'll wait until the newest Sony (or Kindle) takes care of some of these drawbacks and for now I am perfectly happy with the Sony PRS-505. <br /> <br />In summary: <br />Kindle loses points for: <br />1) text contrast (the deal breaker) <br />2) creaky, plastic. <br />3) size. (although if I had not compared it to Sony, it would have been fine) <br />4) No directory organization for books - no hierarchy. This is minor, because you can save all your books at Amazon.com and load and unload them as you please. You don't have to have 300 books all downloaded, at all times. <br />5) charging $30 for an accessory (cover) that is really needed for the product. <br />6) headphone jack at top of unit? where should the cord go? <br />7) Amount of time you have to hold the `off' switch before powers down. <br /> <br /> <br />Kindle gets points for: <br />1. Dictionary support. Great feature. <br />2. book samples <br />3. Ease of downloading, and the integration with Amazon.com for shopping. <br />4. Search. Yea! Awesome feature. <br />5. Note taking ability. <br />6. easy free download of classic books. <br />7. E book pricing is low....most are $10 or less <br /> <br />Sony gets points for: <br />1. Compact size and sturdy - well made. <br />2. No frills face, easy to focus on reading only. <br />3. hierarchy of books, alphabetical sections (e.g. by author A-D). <br />4. lower overall price, with nice leather cover. <br />5. headphone jack at bottom of unit. <br />6. Easy to read, great resolution. <br /> <br />Sony loses points for: <br />1. The Sony store is cumbersome to navigate, and slow. <br />2. Fewer book choices. (100K vs 240K) <br />3. No availability of sample books <br />4. `100 free classic' books offer: getting these books downloaded and into e-reader was frustrating - too time consuming, and the books are already free on Amazon. (offer expires 3/31/09). <br />5. Books cost more - about $2 more, sometimes $3 or $4 more than Amazon. <br />6. Is charged by USB to PC, not a wall charger. A charger is an extra $30. I don't think I'll need one, when am I ever away from a computer...never. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Rating: 3 / 5 For about 7 days, I owned both the Kindle 2 and Sony PRS-505 and was able to use and compare them. My intention was to buy and love the Kindle. I only purchased the PRS-505 after owning the Kindle for a few days and finding that it was not suiting my needs. Luckily I found a local store that carried the PRS 505 with a 30 day return policy (same as the Kindle).

I fell out of love with the Kindle because the gray text on gray background was actually quite distracting to me and I could not focus on reading. I found myself constantly changing the angle of the body, changing the font size up and down and the distance away from me. The resolution and reading experience with the PRS 505 was perfect and I loved it. But I was reluctant to return the Kindle because of the dictionary support, search feature, note taking capabilities, ease of turning pages, bookmarking and returning to book location. I found a huge benefit in being able to download book samples from Amazon; I was able to find many books I really would like to purchase and some…not so much. I tried out the free 14 day trial on newspaper downloads, what a great way to get your news- no advertising distractions, easy to navigate and automatically downloaded every day.

After a while though, I started to dislike the plastic body of the Kindle and the plastic creaking sound when turning pages. The WHITE color starting bothering me too. I don’t want a 1″ white border around my reading area. The Sony is much smaller, the reading area is dominant and the body is more solid. Once I got used to it, the navigation was easy too. The actual reading area (screen) is about the same in both readers…Sony might be slightly taller.

My choice to keep the Sony PRS-505 was based on the main purpose of a book reader, which is to read. I don’t need or want regular internet access on my book reader. I am already used to downloading files to my gadgets from my computer, so moving books from the PC to the reader is not a big deal. Now that I have many books downloaded, how often am I going to get a new book?

Either book reader can be used with Calibre software (free, but you can donate) to download daily news feeds (worldwide newspapers) and format documents for your reader. So, I can still get news on the Sony and they have RSS feeds available from the Sony site which I have not downloaded yet. One reason I was hesitant to go with the Sony was because it is not their latest model, so I thought it would be dated. That is not the case, and in fact the newer model, the PRS -700, does not have the screen clarity due to an extra layer of plastic to allow for touch-screen. Not worth the upgrade considering it still does not have dictionary support (but you can search and take notes). I’ll wait until the newest Sony (or Kindle) takes care of some of these drawbacks and for now I am perfectly happy with the Sony PRS-505.

In summary:

Kindle loses points for:

1) text contrast (the deal breaker)

2) creaky, plastic.

3) size. (although if I had not compared it to Sony, it would have been fine)

4) No directory organization for books – no hierarchy. This is minor, because you can save all your books at Amazon.com and load and unload them as you please. You don’t have to have 300 books all downloaded, at all times.

5) charging $30 for an accessory (cover) that is really needed for the product.

6) headphone jack at top of unit? where should the cord go?

7) Amount of time you have to hold the `off’ switch before powers down.

Kindle gets points for:

1. Dictionary support. Great feature.

2. book samples

3. Ease of downloading, and the integration with Amazon.com for shopping.

4. Search. Yea! Awesome feature.

5. Note taking ability.

6. easy free download of classic books.

7. E book pricing is low….most are $10 or less

Sony gets points for:

1. Compact size and sturdy – well made.

2. No frills face, easy to focus on reading only.

3. hierarchy of books, alphabetical sections (e.g. by author A-D).

4. lower overall price, with nice leather cover.

5. headphone jack at bottom of unit.

6. Easy to read, great resolution.

Sony loses points for:

1. The Sony store is cumbersome to navigate, and slow.

2. Fewer book choices. (100K vs 240K)

3. No availability of sample books

4. `100 free classic’ books offer: getting these books downloaded and into e-reader was frustrating – too time consuming, and the books are already free on Amazon. (offer expires 3/31/09).

5. Books cost more – about $2 more, sometimes $3 or $4 more than Amazon.

6. Is charged by USB to PC, not a wall charger. A charger is an extra $30. I don’t think I’ll need one, when am I ever away from a computer…never.

Rating: 3 / 5

]]> Comment on Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 6″ Display, White – 2nd Generation by Kacheek http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=979&cpage=1#comment-4100 Kacheek Sun, 05 Sep 2010 03:22:57 +0000 http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=979#comment-4100 Update: June, 26, 2010 <br /> <br />I've been using a the iPad 3G for a couple months now and here is my perspective on Kindle vs. iPad for prospective buyers. <br /> <br />- The iPad is definitely slicker and cooler looking, with a wide range of applications and customization that has infinite possibilities (like color) <br />- As a primary reading device, the Kindle is still better...it is light in your hands so you can hold it without getting tired (it's often hard to find a comfortable position with the iPad due to its weight and balance), Kindle's screen is gentle on the eyes for long periods of reading time (you don't have to worry about changing the brightness of an LCD screen which requires exiting an application and going to the settings menu on the iPad), and the real life buttons are simple and easy for reading (close to the edge of the device, and you know when you've clicked something) <br />- Since Kindle's content is loaded directly onto the device memory, you don't have to have a live internet connection for it to work. I find it very frustrating that many of the applications on the iPad require an active internet connection just to work (e.g. news, streaming music/video, magazines). That said, for the eBook applications (Kindle, iBooks) content is saved onto the iPad <br />- If you have both devices, you can sync between them without repurchasing content. One of my favorite features is the "sync to last page read" which takes you to the last page you read across all devices on your account. The Kindle app for iPad is pretty simple, though I would like to see some additional features (e.g., adjust screen brightness within the application, ability to better manage content like deleting books from iPad memory, ability to buy and access periodicals, being able to shop for books within the application) <br />- With the recent Kindle price drop, it is significantly more affordable than the iPad. You also don't need to pay for cellular service for the Kindle, though you can't do any complex internet activities on it either--just shopping for books <br />- On the subject of content, I will have to defer to others. I'm pretty happy with what is available via the Amazon Kindle store, but it has its limitations <br />- There is so much more that is possible for books to be with these new platforms (like greater interactivity and using graphics more creatively), but today neither device fully showcases them <br /> <br />All in all, I see the iPad as a multi-functional personalized mini-computer that can do a lot of whiz-bang things--downloading and reading books is just one those things. If you are interested primarily in reading, the Kindle is still better in terms of functionality and price. <br /> <br />------------ <br /> <br />As one of the original Kindle's biggest fans and an owner for over a year, I can speak to the Kindle from two perspectives--the benefits of owning a Kindle, and Kindle 2 improvements (as I've now had it for half a day) <br /> <br />The benefits of owning a Kindle (these do not change) <br />- Absolutely, Jeff Bezos is right that the Kindle 'disappears' as you read it...as I read other reviews (and non-user critiques) about the Kindle, this point is often lost. Once you have the Kindle in your hands, you forget everything and become immersed in the content of what you're reading. Isn't that really the whole point? <br />- I read more now that I have my Kindle, 10 years out of college than I did when I was in school, and I really enjoy it. Books look a lot less intimidating when they aren't sitting on your bookshelf and 3 inches thick. I recently finished Team of Rivals, and I am sure that if I had to read it in book form, I would never have gotten through it because it would have felt so intimidating. <br />- Heft and weight is a complete non-issue with the Kindle. I like to read in odd positions (in bed, on the couch, on a plane, poolside, shifting around in a lounge chair) and I've always had trouble with real books because unless you are in the absolute middle of the book, it always is weighted to one side or another and frankly, my arm and pinkie finger gets tired holding it up. The Kindle is balanced and portable, and entirely usable in any situation. <br />- I can be in the middle of a lot of different books at once...not much more to say here. You never run out of space on the Kindle, and though it may be a little bit hard to maneuver around a lot of books in your library, it's still better to have access to all your books at any time. <br />- I now read newspapers. I always found physical newspapers to be clumsy and take up too much space to actually subscribe to. They are great for short content pieces, but terrible for reading in transit because the pages are so big. I also read some articles on my BlackBerry, but find myself scrolling a lot and waiting a long time for page loads. On the Kindle, you have wireless delivery, easy navigation, no ads, no need to flip to page D17 and find the place where you left off. You also have a searchable/annoted/bookmarked archive of all your newspaper articles if you ever need to find something again. <br />- All of these things can probably be accomplished with any eBook reader. The difference with the Kindle is that you have wireless delivery of content. This means, literally, that I can be sitting on the plane, start talking about what good books the guy sitting next to me has read recently, look it up on my Kindle, read the reviews and download it before the rest of the passengers have boarded and the plane doors close. This has happened. <br />- My biggest complaint, which I'm sure will be addressed in due course is that the entire wireless benefit does not exist outside of the US. I have taken my Kindle to Canada, Mexico and China, and I found that I had to (gasp), decide what I wanted to have on my Kindle before I left the US. Foreign language support would also be a plus, but again, I see why this might come later. <br /> <br />Now, onto improvements with the Kindle 2 <br />- There are the obvious ones: sleeker look and feel (it feels solid in your hands), sharper screen, no longer accidentally depressing the next page button by accident and having to find your place in the book again...you can read about these from various sources) <br />- The 5-way button, though a bit small, allows you to select left and right, and not just up and down like the original version. This is very helpful when you want to select and highlight. <br />- There are now two layers of interaction...before when you were reading a paper, you could only go back to the previous screen to select the next article. Now, there is an option at the bottom of the screen to skip to the next article when you tire of the current one. <br />- Page loads are much faster. I can feel that the delay between pages is much less. Only issue is I need to recalibrate now--in general, I try to anticipate how much time it will take the next page to load, and when I'm two lines from the bottom, I would hit the next page button. Now I need to push the button later. <br />- Text to speech is cloogey, but fun. I'm not sure how useful this will end up being. I tried to have the voice read the user's manual to me and it paused at commas and periods, but skipped right over hard returns. It also scrolled the page as it was reading, so if you are trying learn English and don't mind developing a metallic accent, it could really help. :-) You can also choose, male/female and speed. I think this could be a nice feature, though probably won't be using it all the time. <br />- Managing your books is much easier. It's easy to see what is in your archive and re-download onto the Kindle. Also easy to delete and manage your books. That 5-way button is magical...though a bit unintuitive--you need to train yourself to think that there might be something useful if you scroll to the right. <br />- Dictionary is improved. Now you can highlight a word and it automatically gives you a definition at the bottom of the screen. It also lets you look up words (that are not in the text), which is an improvement since the last version. <br /> <br />I'm sure there are still a bunch of things that I haven't yet discovered about the Kindle 2. I don't really bookmark/annotate/highlight that much, but for those who do, I think this has also been improved upon. <br /> <br />Overall, the Kindle is an amazing product. It did the basics well in the original model, the Kindle 2 has improved on a lot of dimensions, and I look forward to seeing what new bells and whistles are still to come. <br /> <br />If you are considering buying one, and need to see before you order, find someone in your city who has one and can show you. There is now a special board for this on Amazon. Kindle owners (at least this one), are always happy to talk about it, and you will be delighted with the screen and the possibilities in such a compact package. Rating: 4 / 5 Update: June, 26, 2010

I’ve been using a the iPad 3G for a couple months now and here is my perspective on Kindle vs. iPad for prospective buyers.

- The iPad is definitely slicker and cooler looking, with a wide range of applications and customization that has infinite possibilities (like color)

- As a primary reading device, the Kindle is still better…it is light in your hands so you can hold it without getting tired (it’s often hard to find a comfortable position with the iPad due to its weight and balance), Kindle’s screen is gentle on the eyes for long periods of reading time (you don’t have to worry about changing the brightness of an LCD screen which requires exiting an application and going to the settings menu on the iPad), and the real life buttons are simple and easy for reading (close to the edge of the device, and you know when you’ve clicked something)

- Since Kindle’s content is loaded directly onto the device memory, you don’t have to have a live internet connection for it to work. I find it very frustrating that many of the applications on the iPad require an active internet connection just to work (e.g. news, streaming music/video, magazines). That said, for the eBook applications (Kindle, iBooks) content is saved onto the iPad

- If you have both devices, you can sync between them without repurchasing content. One of my favorite features is the “sync to last page read” which takes you to the last page you read across all devices on your account. The Kindle app for iPad is pretty simple, though I would like to see some additional features (e.g., adjust screen brightness within the application, ability to better manage content like deleting books from iPad memory, ability to buy and access periodicals, being able to shop for books within the application)

- With the recent Kindle price drop, it is significantly more affordable than the iPad. You also don’t need to pay for cellular service for the Kindle, though you can’t do any complex internet activities on it either–just shopping for books

- On the subject of content, I will have to defer to others. I’m pretty happy with what is available via the Amazon Kindle store, but it has its limitations

- There is so much more that is possible for books to be with these new platforms (like greater interactivity and using graphics more creatively), but today neither device fully showcases them

All in all, I see the iPad as a multi-functional personalized mini-computer that can do a lot of whiz-bang things–downloading and reading books is just one those things. If you are interested primarily in reading, the Kindle is still better in terms of functionality and price.

————

As one of the original Kindle’s biggest fans and an owner for over a year, I can speak to the Kindle from two perspectives–the benefits of owning a Kindle, and Kindle 2 improvements (as I’ve now had it for half a day)

The benefits of owning a Kindle (these do not change)

- Absolutely, Jeff Bezos is right that the Kindle ‘disappears’ as you read it…as I read other reviews (and non-user critiques) about the Kindle, this point is often lost. Once you have the Kindle in your hands, you forget everything and become immersed in the content of what you’re reading. Isn’t that really the whole point?

- I read more now that I have my Kindle, 10 years out of college than I did when I was in school, and I really enjoy it. Books look a lot less intimidating when they aren’t sitting on your bookshelf and 3 inches thick. I recently finished Team of Rivals, and I am sure that if I had to read it in book form, I would never have gotten through it because it would have felt so intimidating.

- Heft and weight is a complete non-issue with the Kindle. I like to read in odd positions (in bed, on the couch, on a plane, poolside, shifting around in a lounge chair) and I’ve always had trouble with real books because unless you are in the absolute middle of the book, it always is weighted to one side or another and frankly, my arm and pinkie finger gets tired holding it up. The Kindle is balanced and portable, and entirely usable in any situation.

- I can be in the middle of a lot of different books at once…not much more to say here. You never run out of space on the Kindle, and though it may be a little bit hard to maneuver around a lot of books in your library, it’s still better to have access to all your books at any time.

- I now read newspapers. I always found physical newspapers to be clumsy and take up too much space to actually subscribe to. They are great for short content pieces, but terrible for reading in transit because the pages are so big. I also read some articles on my BlackBerry, but find myself scrolling a lot and waiting a long time for page loads. On the Kindle, you have wireless delivery, easy navigation, no ads, no need to flip to page D17 and find the place where you left off. You also have a searchable/annoted/bookmarked archive of all your newspaper articles if you ever need to find something again.

- All of these things can probably be accomplished with any eBook reader. The difference with the Kindle is that you have wireless delivery of content. This means, literally, that I can be sitting on the plane, start talking about what good books the guy sitting next to me has read recently, look it up on my Kindle, read the reviews and download it before the rest of the passengers have boarded and the plane doors close. This has happened.

- My biggest complaint, which I’m sure will be addressed in due course is that the entire wireless benefit does not exist outside of the US. I have taken my Kindle to Canada, Mexico and China, and I found that I had to (gasp), decide what I wanted to have on my Kindle before I left the US. Foreign language support would also be a plus, but again, I see why this might come later.

Now, onto improvements with the Kindle 2

- There are the obvious ones: sleeker look and feel (it feels solid in your hands), sharper screen, no longer accidentally depressing the next page button by accident and having to find your place in the book again…you can read about these from various sources)

- The 5-way button, though a bit small, allows you to select left and right, and not just up and down like the original version. This is very helpful when you want to select and highlight.

- There are now two layers of interaction…before when you were reading a paper, you could only go back to the previous screen to select the next article. Now, there is an option at the bottom of the screen to skip to the next article when you tire of the current one.

- Page loads are much faster. I can feel that the delay between pages is much less. Only issue is I need to recalibrate now–in general, I try to anticipate how much time it will take the next page to load, and when I’m two lines from the bottom, I would hit the next page button. Now I need to push the button later.

- Text to speech is cloogey, but fun. I’m not sure how useful this will end up being. I tried to have the voice read the user’s manual to me and it paused at commas and periods, but skipped right over hard returns. It also scrolled the page as it was reading, so if you are trying learn English and don’t mind developing a metallic accent, it could really help. :-) You can also choose, male/female and speed. I think this could be a nice feature, though probably won’t be using it all the time.

- Managing your books is much easier. It’s easy to see what is in your archive and re-download onto the Kindle. Also easy to delete and manage your books. That 5-way button is magical…though a bit unintuitive–you need to train yourself to think that there might be something useful if you scroll to the right.

- Dictionary is improved. Now you can highlight a word and it automatically gives you a definition at the bottom of the screen. It also lets you look up words (that are not in the text), which is an improvement since the last version.

I’m sure there are still a bunch of things that I haven’t yet discovered about the Kindle 2. I don’t really bookmark/annotate/highlight that much, but for those who do, I think this has also been improved upon.

Overall, the Kindle is an amazing product. It did the basics well in the original model, the Kindle 2 has improved on a lot of dimensions, and I look forward to seeing what new bells and whistles are still to come.

If you are considering buying one, and need to see before you order, find someone in your city who has one and can show you. There is now a special board for this on Amazon. Kindle owners (at least this one), are always happy to talk about it, and you will be delighted with the screen and the possibilities in such a compact package.
Rating: 4 / 5

]]> Comment on The Girl Who Played with Fire by R. Bennett http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=980&cpage=1#comment-4108 R. Bennett Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:51:47 +0000 http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=980#comment-4108 This is the follow up to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I suggest you read that one first, though this novel is reasonably self-contained. <br /> <br />This book opens with Lisbeth Salander enjoying her newly ripped of wealth lazing in a hotel in Granada. No one knows where she is (as usual), and back in Sweden, Millenium magazine are preparing a an expose of the sex slave business in Sweden. The journalist who is preparing the expose is murdered, along with his partner, and Salander's legal guardian. Salander, now back in Sweden is the prime suspect, and the police hunt is on. <br /> <br />To say things get complicated from this point is an understatement. There are multiple investigations (Salander's of course, the police and Millenium's), multiple suspects, more murders, red herrings galore, and just general mayhem. Dark as all this is, it is actually quite funny in places: the police have no idea at all what is going on, despite a well meaning and competant detective in charge. <br /> <br />This is all tremendous fun for the reader. It is as anything remotely boring (and probably realism suffers) has been left out, yet despite the novels sheer page turning ability, (I read this too fast, I will need to read it again), it still has the power to inform. <br /> <br />So buy it, read it once, and then read it again. Rating: 5 / 5 This is the follow up to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I suggest you read that one first, though this novel is reasonably self-contained.

This book opens with Lisbeth Salander enjoying her newly ripped of wealth lazing in a hotel in Granada. No one knows where she is (as usual), and back in Sweden, Millenium magazine are preparing a an expose of the sex slave business in Sweden. The journalist who is preparing the expose is murdered, along with his partner, and Salander’s legal guardian. Salander, now back in Sweden is the prime suspect, and the police hunt is on.

To say things get complicated from this point is an understatement. There are multiple investigations (Salander’s of course, the police and Millenium’s), multiple suspects, more murders, red herrings galore, and just general mayhem. Dark as all this is, it is actually quite funny in places: the police have no idea at all what is going on, despite a well meaning and competant detective in charge.

This is all tremendous fun for the reader. It is as anything remotely boring (and probably realism suffers) has been left out, yet despite the novels sheer page turning ability, (I read this too fast, I will need to read it again), it still has the power to inform.

So buy it, read it once, and then read it again.
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on The Girl Who Played with Fire by L. Blumenthal http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=980&cpage=1#comment-4107 L. Blumenthal Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:48:15 +0000 http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=980#comment-4107 This is the second in the late Steig Larsson's "Millennium" trilogy. I was so hooked by the first in the series, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," that I decided to send away to www.amazon.co.uk for this sequel, because I was not willing to wait until July for the U.S. release of an English-language version. These days, the pound has been kicked around as badly as the dollar, so I ended up paying largely what I'd pay in the U.S., and the shipping fee was minimal. <br />I really couldn't wait to crack the 700-page volume to revisit the characters: Mikael Blomqvist, the heroic investigative journalist; Lisbeth Salander, a petite powerhouse afflicted (or gifted) with Asperger's syndrome; Erika Berger, the fearless editor and Blomqvist's sometime bedmate; and the intrepid staff of the magazine, "Millennium." Whereas "Dragon Tattoo" was largely about Blomqvist and his search for a presumed-dead heiress, this sequel focuses squarely on Salander and her difficult adjustment with society. At the end of the first book, she abruptly walks away from the faithless lover Blomqvist. She continues her aversion in "The Girl Who Played with Fire," ignoring him, hanging up on his cell phone calls, tossing out letters, and otherwise pretending he doesn't exist. He's broken her heart and Lisbeth Salander is not one to forgive. <br />However, she soon learns she needs friends--plenty of them--as an ever-tightening noose of danger tightens around her, made up of her evil legal guardian Nils Bjurman, a cadre of nasty social-service doctors and psychiatrists, some rogue cops, members of a Hells-Angels-like motorcycle gang, and a shadowy figure known only as Zala. When one of Blomqvist's best reporters and his wife, are gunned down, police find Salander's fingerprints on the gun and the hunt is on--with the entire police force, plus the host of the other bad guys after her. <br />Larsson keeps the pace breathless throughout the story, which hinges on a seamy sex trafficking trade. Even when he stops to explain what is at stake and how "Millennium" will cover the story, he never slows the movement. You'd think that in a novel of this length there would be myriad subplots, but there really aren't too many threads to follow. Salander's sad past is deconstructed chapter by chapter, and Blomqvist gets to the bottom of police malfeasance and international espionage. But nothing takes the focus off the chase that Salander eludes so brilliantly. <br />I'm sure there are things that a savvy editor could do to tighten Larsson's prose. He adds a love affair too many and drags out the tense ending to a breaking point. Also, it may not seem odd to Swedes, but Larsson's habit of using the last name for every character becomes extremely confusing, because everyone is an Andersson or an Ericsson or a Nilsson. The sameness becomes mind-boggling. It's impossible to even know the gender of the character. <br />I know about this problem personally, for my own grandfather changed his last name because there were too many Nilssons in the army. He chose a name that was a little more distinctive. Larsson could have learned a lesson there. Using a few first names now and then also would solve the problem nicely. <br />But these are nitpicks. I'll be waiting for any news that an English version of the final version of the "Millennium" trilogy is available. These books are just that good. Rating: 5 / 5 This is the second in the late Steig Larsson’s “Millennium” trilogy. I was so hooked by the first in the series, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” that I decided to send away to http://www.amazon.co.uk for this sequel, because I was not willing to wait until July for the U.S. release of an English-language version. These days, the pound has been kicked around as badly as the dollar, so I ended up paying largely what I’d pay in the U.S., and the shipping fee was minimal.

I really couldn’t wait to crack the 700-page volume to revisit the characters: Mikael Blomqvist, the heroic investigative journalist; Lisbeth Salander, a petite powerhouse afflicted (or gifted) with Asperger’s syndrome; Erika Berger, the fearless editor and Blomqvist’s sometime bedmate; and the intrepid staff of the magazine, “Millennium.” Whereas “Dragon Tattoo” was largely about Blomqvist and his search for a presumed-dead heiress, this sequel focuses squarely on Salander and her difficult adjustment with society. At the end of the first book, she abruptly walks away from the faithless lover Blomqvist. She continues her aversion in “The Girl Who Played with Fire,” ignoring him, hanging up on his cell phone calls, tossing out letters, and otherwise pretending he doesn’t exist. He’s broken her heart and Lisbeth Salander is not one to forgive.

However, she soon learns she needs friends–plenty of them–as an ever-tightening noose of danger tightens around her, made up of her evil legal guardian Nils Bjurman, a cadre of nasty social-service doctors and psychiatrists, some rogue cops, members of a Hells-Angels-like motorcycle gang, and a shadowy figure known only as Zala. When one of Blomqvist’s best reporters and his wife, are gunned down, police find Salander’s fingerprints on the gun and the hunt is on–with the entire police force, plus the host of the other bad guys after her.

Larsson keeps the pace breathless throughout the story, which hinges on a seamy sex trafficking trade. Even when he stops to explain what is at stake and how “Millennium” will cover the story, he never slows the movement. You’d think that in a novel of this length there would be myriad subplots, but there really aren’t too many threads to follow. Salander’s sad past is deconstructed chapter by chapter, and Blomqvist gets to the bottom of police malfeasance and international espionage. But nothing takes the focus off the chase that Salander eludes so brilliantly.

I’m sure there are things that a savvy editor could do to tighten Larsson’s prose. He adds a love affair too many and drags out the tense ending to a breaking point. Also, it may not seem odd to Swedes, but Larsson’s habit of using the last name for every character becomes extremely confusing, because everyone is an Andersson or an Ericsson or a Nilsson. The sameness becomes mind-boggling. It’s impossible to even know the gender of the character.

I know about this problem personally, for my own grandfather changed his last name because there were too many Nilssons in the army. He chose a name that was a little more distinctive. Larsson could have learned a lesson there. Using a few first names now and then also would solve the problem nicely.

But these are nitpicks. I’ll be waiting for any news that an English version of the final version of the “Millennium” trilogy is available. These books are just that good.
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> Comment on The Girl Who Played with Fire by Mark A. Cartier http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=980&cpage=1#comment-4106 Mark A. Cartier Sun, 05 Sep 2010 01:00:44 +0000 http://www.kindleproductguide.com/?p=980#comment-4106 This is the second book in the Millenium series created by Stieg Larsson. The plot revolves around the human and sex trafficing industry in Sweden and the murder of three individuals with connections to the Lisbeth Salander character. <br /> <br />I found this to be a pleasing (yet inferior) sequel to "Dragon". While one does not need to read Dragon, I would recommend it. For my money it (Dragon) is the superior read. <br /> <br />The Lisbeth Salander character is a very interesting protagonist. When Lisbeth is being written about in The Girl Who Played with Fire, the story seems to move - when she is not, the story drags. <br /> <br />The Mikael Blomqvist, Erica Berger etc. characters and how Steig Larsson created and developed the characters seemed deeper, fresher and have more substance in the first novel. I thought the first book had a better focus, pace, fewer hanging threads, was more intricately plotted and had a better overall story. <br /> <br />With that said, the sequel is a good, not exceptional, read. My recommendation is to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo first, then this novel to fully appreciate the world that Steig Larsson created. <br /> Rating: 3 / 5 This is the second book in the Millenium series created by Stieg Larsson. The plot revolves around the human and sex trafficing industry in Sweden and the murder of three individuals with connections to the Lisbeth Salander character.

I found this to be a pleasing (yet inferior) sequel to “Dragon”. While one does not need to read Dragon, I would recommend it. For my money it (Dragon) is the superior read.

The Lisbeth Salander character is a very interesting protagonist. When Lisbeth is being written about in The Girl Who Played with Fire, the story seems to move – when she is not, the story drags.

The Mikael Blomqvist, Erica Berger etc. characters and how Steig Larsson created and developed the characters seemed deeper, fresher and have more substance in the first novel. I thought the first book had a better focus, pace, fewer hanging threads, was more intricately plotted and had a better overall story.

With that said, the sequel is a good, not exceptional, read. My recommendation is to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo first, then this novel to fully appreciate the world that Steig Larsson created.

Rating: 3 / 5

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