Well, it took me much longer than I thought it would to finish up this trilogy. Why? I’m not so sure. Of course all the books were high up there in the review section of every bestseller list, but perhaps that led me to expect too much.

The first installment, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was, I’ll give it, a great weekend read. It’s easy to get through and that exotic ‘hacker’ element keeps it interesting…everyone finds that whole internet prowess seductive on some level; I know I sure would like to be a white hat!

The Girl Who Played With Fire, though interesting, wan’t as captivating. Though I read the whole thing through, this time it took me about a week – a sure sign that I was getting sick of Blomsky and his ‘player’ ways. Lisbeth was still fascinating, but Erica made me want to scream…very annoying.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest took about 2 months to finish throughout which I read several other books. I just couldn’t get into it. I’m not exactly sure why, but I do know that I wouldn’t have finished it at all if it weren’t part of a trilogy.

Anyway, since I’m reviewing these books as a group, 3/5 is the best I can do. First one was great, the last one was crap…the middle one was just annoying.

Classic line:

I have so many hickies people are going to think I’m a leper!

                                                        – Rizzo (Grease)

Now, before you read any further just let me tell you: I love books. I always have, and I don’t see how that’s going to change too much. The problem is that I move around a lot. I still have pounds of books that I lug from location to location, unwilling to get rid of!

This summer my brother was showing me his new Nook and iPad. I’d never considered getting an eReader before – they just seemed too cold and impersonal – but he put together a rather compelling argument (I’m still not sure about the iPad, though).

One of the things that really sold me on the contraption was the fact that the screen is not back-lit…that is to say: when the lights go out, you can read no more. I had always thought that it was like a small computer screen and didn’t quite fancy the eyestrain which generally follows. This feature alone – and the changing font size – makes it pretty cool.

An element that really bugs me about the device is the time it takes to change screens. Sure, after awhile you get used to it, but it’s still a bit frustrating. The controls, however, are quite intuitive; it doesn’t take long to become comfortable with how it works.

The Kobo (Chapters / Borders) is generally lined up next to the Kindle (Amazon) and the Nook (Barnes & Noble). For the price, the first is the clear winner in my mind. Sure, the wi-fi connectivity is a cool feature found on the others, but as a straight reader, it’s not really required…and with the sketchy internet access in the north, it’s not a feature I would be able to take advantage of anyway.

Check it out…it’s fantastic for any type of nomad.