Stieg Larsson finished a trilogy of books that he claimed he really wrote for his own pleasure. Shortly after finishing the "Millennium Trilogy," Larsson died. The first book of the trilogy, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" was published posthumously to great international acclaim and success.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines a murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.
Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pieced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
Book of the Month
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The July 2009 Book of the Month
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Cold Dish: Book of the Month for June 2009
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson, 30% off during the month of June 2009 (in-store purchases only).
"The Cold Dish" by Craig Johnson is the Book of the Month for June 2009 at the Bookmark at the U, at the University of Utah Campus Store. Johnson is an exciting voice in the mystery genre, who tells his stories with both great characters and settings. The characters of Walt Longmire, Henry Standing Bear, and Victoria Moretti have become some of my favorites in the mystery genre. Sitting down with a Walt Longmire mystery is like sitting down for a chat around the campfire with old friends.
"The Cold Dish" introduces us to Walt Longmire, sheriff of the fictional Absaroka County in northern Wyoming and his attempts to keep the peace in what should be a relatively peaceful place.
"Longmire knows he’s got trouble when Cody Pritchard is found dead. Two years earlier, Cody and three accomplices had been given suspended sentences for raping a Northern Cheyenne girl. Is someone seeking vengeance? Longmire faces the most volatile and challenging case in his twenty-four years as sheriff and means to see that revenge, a dish that is best served cold, is never served at all."
Friday, May 1, 2009
May 2009 Book of the Month, City of Thieves
The Bookmark at the U's Book of the Month for May 2009 is "City of Thieves" by David Benioff. The review of this book was written by Josh Clemens, buyer at The Bookmark.
When Lindsay Wood, a rep from Penguin, recommended this book to me, I told her that I was planning on reading it but I had to get over my unfounded resentment towards the author first. She rapidly deduced the root of my envy and responded “Why? Because he’s married to Amanda Peet?” Absolutely! David Benioff has a successful writing career and he’s married to Amanda Peet! How lucky can one guy get? Wait until you read this book before you answer that question. It is purportedly based on the experiences of his grandfather during the siege of Leningrad in 1942, and it would seem that luck runs in the Benioff genes. One could say that the author has a diluted variation of the Benioff luck gene, and he would likely agree with that assessment.
A blazing quick read, City of Thieves reads like a screenplay, implausible yet not surprising, considering the author is also a screenwriter. The action takes place over a few days in the drawn out siege, and there is no surfeit of transcribed Russian words to stumble over. The narrator does his share of stumbling, but each time it is fortuitous. “Not everybody has talent,” Lev Beniov tells another character who inquires about his talents, but he doesn’t yet realize his own talent for survival. Mistaken for a thief, Beniov is paired with Kolya, a charismatic deserter, and given the task of locating a dozen eggs by a colonel in the NKVD. It is an impossible task in a besieged city, but Kolya is irrepressible. When the pair falls in with a band of partisans and meets Vika, a tomboy sniper, finding the eggs becomes Lev’s second most important conquest. Full of likable characters and humor even in the face of atrocities, City of Thieves deserves to be recommended rather than resented!
Sphere: Related ContentThursday, April 30, 2009
It's Time to Play- Book of the Month Contest
It's here! The Bookmark at the U "Book of the Month" contest for May. In April we selected, "The Elegance of the Hedgehog." We have selected another book that we really like, a book that has made an impression on us, and one that we think many of you would like as well. We will write about it in the blog and hope that, if you have read it, or read it during that month, you will be part of the conversation about that month's book.
But, wait! We're not going to tell you what the book for May is yet.
To kick off the Book of the Month for May we are holding a contest where you can win a free copy of the book. All you have to do is this: follow us on Twitter and watch for clues about the book. The questions will start vague and difficult, and then begin to get specific. If you are the first person to send us a DM (Direct Message) via Twitter, with the title of the book and the author's name, you will win a free copy of the book. The first person to DM us will be based on the time and date stamped on Twitter. We do need to limit this contest to the United States and Canada, but other than that, start following us on Twitter and play along.
Monday, April 13, 2009
In Remembrance: Henry Hubert
The Bookmark at the U is saddened to note the passing of our friend and former book sales representative, Henry Hubert. On Saturday, April 11, 2009 I received an email informing me that he was no longer with us.
Henry had worked in the book industry for many, many years, longer than many of us who worked with him, and longer even than some of our younger booksellers have been alive. For many years he sold for Oxford University Press, University of Chicago Press and other University Presses, and we valued the relationship we had with him. Henry was knowledgeable about the books he recommended and sold to us and his suggestions made our store better.
In an earlier post, we mentioned that Henry among others were forced into retiring or leaving the book business because the economic climate no longer made selling books profitable (what little profit there is in our business). So, while we were originally saddened by the last visit Henry made to us in the spring of 2008, his recent passing makes this loss even harder to bear.
Thank you Henry for the time you spent with us in this business you loved. We won't soon forget you.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
News Flash! Zombies Attack the Bookmark
I have gained a new appreciation for Jane Austen this last week, more specifically, for "Pride and Prejudice," a book I was forced to read in high school (thanks a lot Mrs. Hansen). I hated the book.
Now, before I start receiving hate comments from you Darcyophiles who read the book every year, I want you to know I consider it to be great and classic literature- for someone else. "A Tale of Two Cities" or "To Kill a Mockingbird" are more my style of classics. But, I am considering reading "Pride and Prejudice" in its new incarnation- "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.
How can you go wrong with an opening sentence that not only embodies the classic style of Jane Austen but includes a warning about zombie attacks? "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."
This has turned out to be the hottest book on the shelves this last week, not just here at the Bookmark, but in stores around the country. The publisher has already gone back to the presses for two reprints. We sold our last copy on Friday, three days after it arrived in the store. And, what's worse, somebody stole the "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" poster we had hung up in the store to promote the book. They stole it from a main aisle, in broad daylight, with the lights on! I don't know about anyone else, but I'm blaming zombies.
"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith is published by Quirk Books and is $12.95 in paperback.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Video- The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Join us in reading this fabulous book during April 2009! Purchase the "Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery in the store or through our online fulfillment partner, Powells.com.
