Book Review

Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor dynamite, is better known today for the annual awards given in his name for achievements in the areas of Peace, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature and Economics.

He once wrote that "a recluse without books and ink is already a dead man." I must be doing well then as I keep reading interesting books and use my 21st century ink, this blog, to keep my almost 63 year old flame alive.

Thanks to Roger Kelly, the man behind EuroPlayers.com, for calling to give me an"Atta Boy!" about the blog yesterday.

One compliment can give you energy for weeks.

David P.Lassen introduced me to the writings of British author and Arsenal Gunner fan Nick Hornby two years ago when he suggested that I read Hornby's book "Fever Pitch" about growing up as a Gunners fan.

In America this would be akin to being a Chicago Cubs fan but with a bit of hooliganism always looming in the distance. It was a fun read so when I saw the following book in the English language section of the Hässleholm Library I decided to give it a go.

The plot is simple enough, on New Year's Eve four strangers randomly all show up on the roof top of Toppers House, North London's most popular suicide jump spot. They each want to end it all but mutually talk each other out of it and then form a new support group/bond to help themselves through the next few months.

It was not an easy read because of the subject matter.

I put the book down several times vowing not to finish it but then the characters kept creeping back into my head and I would wonder where they were headed. I finished the book on the bus to Göteborg from Oslo yesterday and I was glad I stuck with it in the end.

Now it is finally on to Swedish mystery writer Henning Mankell's first Inspector Wallandeer book, "Faceless Killers" set in Ystad and the local Skåne region!