The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

Barb chose the book and hosted the meeting.

Barb took a trip to Ikea and served us a table full of Swedish-inspired dishes including Swedish meatballs, Swedish cookies, ginger cookies, and a homemade pumpkin dip. Yummy!

There was no need to give an author bio since this was a repeat author from last month.

This book expanded our knowledge of Lisbeth, especially her family background. It gave us details on her parents and her crazy life. Many of us thought the middle of the book was a bit confusing because of all the characters and some unfinished story lines. We all agreed that it had a "stay up all night" kind of ending.

Lisbeth was the product of her parents. Raised in a dysfunctional family, she kept trying to do the right thing but had to figure it out on her own as she went along. She had a couple of good, supportive friends along the way; her boxing mentor and, of course, Mikael who always gave her the benefit of the doubt. The trust and respect of a true friend is hard to find, but Lisbeth and Mikael had that for one another.

It was suggested by Lori that we not read sequels so if a member did not enjoy the first book, she would not have to read the author's subsequent books. We agreed. Many in the group loved the book and did not want to have to wait until January to read the third installment anyway. So Lucia will choose a different book and switch months with Judy so she has time to make a selection.