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Artmaking…


"The reasons you have for doing what you're doing are probably the most important aspect of your work. It's not about the final product. In fact, too much emphasis on the outcome blinds you to what is really at the bottom of it all." — Gregori Bresaz

Winter’s Reading

The Snowman

The Snowman

So far, it’s been a winter of crime novels, especially if they are Norwegian. Here’s what I’ve been into lately. Click on Responses (above) if you have any suggestions for other books or just want to share your thoughts about any of these books.

Out Stealing Horses, Per Petterson. Dark, engaging, 1st person narrative set in post war Norway.

The Snowman, The Devil’s Star, Nemesis, The Redbreast, Jo Nesbø. Definitely my favorite Scandinavian crime writer who’s novels feature an always on the brink police investigator Harry Hole. I enjoyed them all.

Don’t Look Back, He Who Fears the Wolf, The Water’s Edge, The Indian Bride, When the Devil Holds the Candle. Karren Fossum. Inspector Sejer series: another very well developed Norwegian Cop. As with the Nesbø books, the plots are engaging and complex.

 The Man in My Basement, Cinnamon Kiss, Fear of the Dark, Walter Mosley. Well crafted and interesting plots featuring carefully developed characters.

Never Too Old, Roy Rowen. Advice from a 90 year old on how to conduct your life. Little useful advice and way too much about what a full and wonderful life he has had. Made me feel old.

Sign of the Anasazi, Mark Lieberman. I’ll let you know.

11 Comments

  1. Carl
    April 2, 2012

    Håkan Nesser, The Inspector and Silence along with Borkmann’s Point
    —both excellent mysteries. Nesser’s sense of humor comes through.

    Also just finished Jo Nesbø’s The Headhunters. Overly clever, requiring excessive (implausible) explanation at the end. Entertaining nevertheless.

    Reply
  2. Carl
    February 26, 2012

    Just finished Henning Menkell’s One Step Behind. Really good, but he doesn’t seem as meticulous as Nesbø in terms of the detail, some of which are left dangling. Nevertheless, absorbing once you get used to his writing and are about a third of the way into it.

    I’m working on his Man From Beijing.

    Reply
    • Serious
      March 7, 2012

      Just finished Man From Beijing. Enjoyed it quite a bit (despite the dim witted Swedish judge, Birgitta Roslin). Thought it dragged on a little but at least the ending wasn’t rushed to the point of being insulting as in One Step Behind.

      Reply
  3. chantal zakari
    February 18, 2012

    Thanks for the book list. I am enjoying reading about them. I am making a long list for myself.

    Not a book but recently I saw a Norvegian movie: Sons of Norway. Really liked it, I think you would too. Very liberal, hippie, counter culture father moves his family to the suburbs. Celebrates Christmas by decorating with bananas to remind his children we all are related to apes. Then something horrible happens and it’s the story of him and his son going through it together… suburban punk band from the 80s. One scene where he is totally naked on a motorcycle – long hair, long beard. I told you, you would like it. I don;t know if you can find it on Netflix but Belmont World Film might show it in September.

    Reply
    • Carl
      February 26, 2012

      Thanks Chantal, I’ll definitely find the movie somewhere – sounds good.

      Reply
  4. Carl
    February 9, 2012

    Just finished reading Sign of the Anasazi: the 84 chapters in this 236 page mystery set a fast pace for the not-too-deep characters in this relatively uncomplicated tale.

    While that may sound like a slam, I don’t intend it so. It helped me get part way through a bronchial infection and was precisely what I needed.

    Reply
  5. Carl
    February 5, 2012

    On my way to the library.

    Reply
  6. vivian
    February 5, 2012

    oops, goof, the book by Henning Mankell is call The Man from Bejing. Good.

    Reply
  7. vivian
    February 4, 2012

    You know I loved the Nesbo books. I did not Karen Fosum as much. I like Nesbo’s Harry better than other detectives around. He is so kind of desperate himself all the time. Always falling into drinking and despair, but then coming around and solving the crime. I think my favorite of the books was The Leopard. But I made the mistake of reading the Leopard first before The Snowman, so I kind of knew what had happened at the end of the Snowman, which I then read. I think Fosum’s stories get kind of similar. They seem to feature a lot of kids and bad stuff happening to them. Down here in Mex. I am reading a Swedish author who is really good- Henning Mankell. I am reading The Silence on my nook. You should try him.

    Reply
  8. Guy
    February 4, 2012

    Tell us more about Harry and the brink he’s on!

    Reply
  9. Cameron Sesto
    February 3, 2012

    Very fun to hear about these books. Guess I won’t want to read the last one. I don’t feel old and would like to stay that way. . . .

    Reply

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