A real taste of Sweden

STOCKHOLM: Novels become more alive when you read them in the environment they're describing. Reading Stieg Larssons posthumously published crime novels in the cafes of the Swedish capital beats most experiences I've had with this literary genre.

Men who hate women is a decent gysare, and not only because a journalist is the main character. The main plot is captivating, but the ending is so-so. The novel contains revenge, pointed characters, disturbing themes and tragic fates. It's definitely worth reading.

From what I have heard, Stieg Larsson was an old school journalist and died from a heart attack only 49 years old. A Swede I met had spoken to Larsson numerous times.
"During the day he worked as a journalist. During the night he wrote novels. His body just couldn't take it anymore."

A warning to some of us. Without comparison to the Swedish master, see also the Facebook group "Studentpolitikere som jobber seg ihjel".

That's entertainment

We know that the two crime authors at the bottom of the heap are brilliant. But in general I'm no fan of crime novels, so I'm a bit sceptic towards Thomas M.'s latest literary recommendation, which is lying on top. Jo Nesbø's talents include football, singing/songwriting and societal analysis, so I'm giving his debut novel Flaggermusmannen (The bat man) a try. The setting is my former country of residence for one year, Australia, so it shouldn't be that bad.

But before that, I'm attending a seminar on the Quality Reform of higher education in Norway. It happens at Ås, which this weekend also hosts the national board meeting of my acquintances in the other national student union in Norway.

Next week I'll be in Stockholm, enjoying a one-week vacation. The plan is to do absolutely nothing.