Before we left Sweden, I downloaded six e-books to my tablet. Now I have finished all of them, so here are some reviews and book tips. Please tell me what I should download to my tablet now! I prefer to read reality-based books or novels set in other cultures, but if you have tips on books with suspense, I'll pass them on to Peter.
Table of contents
Expedition: My love story by Bea Uusma
In 1897, three men travelled to the North Pole in a hydrogen balloon. The André expedition was supposed to bring the men fame, but instead all three died. The question is how? Bea Uusma is obsessed with finding out what really happened and spends much of her life investigating.
The book describes both the expedition and Bea's search. Sometimes the text is a bit dry and you don't get to know much about Bea as a person. Nevertheless, you get sucked in and become almost as obsessed with the André expedition as the author. Fascinating reading!
Why did you come here? by Julia Svanberg
Ellen is a Swedish backpacker who is travelling around Colombia, but only gets as far as a hostel called Parrot. Here she makes friends with the Colombian girl Lila. On the surface they are very similar and they soon call themselves sisters, but the book makes it clear that the difference is huge.
The world is unfair and people with different backgrounds and skin colours do not have the same opportunities. Ellen's and Lila's adventures at the Parrot end very differently. Julia Svanberg, who lives in Colombia and runs the blog Mammas Machete, knows her Colombia, which makes the book particularly interesting.
Life after you by Jojo Moyes
Louisa is a young inexperienced working class girl with no ambition. Will is a handsome successful businessman who has travelled all over the world and is used to moving around at upper class dinners and exclusive skiing holidays. So far, the book is almost similar to 50 Shades of Grey, but there is one major difference - Will is totally paralysed after a motorcycle accident and Louisa gets the job as his assistant.
This is a love story where there is no good ending. In the beginning I thought the book was a bit childishly written, but it grew and by the end it was impossible not to cry rivers.
The Midwife of the East End 2 by Jennifer Worth
I liked the first book, about the midwives of the nunnery Nonnatus House and the poor people of the Docklands in London in the 1950s. The sequel continues in the same warm spirit and follows one poignant story after another.
Among other things, you realise the horror of ending up in a poorhouse, even though poorhouses were perhaps a first step for society to take care of those who are unable to do so themselves. A reminder of how good we have it today!
Sky Beach by John Ajvide Lindqvist
In the evening, the people in the four caravans fall asleep on a normal, pleasant Swedish campsite. When they wake up the next day, everything is gone. All the houses, cars and roads are gone, even the sun is gone, and all that is left is a large field. One by one you get to know the characters in the caravans and one by one they face their demons during the scary reading.
I love Ajvide Lindqvist's mystical books, such as Little starperhaps partly because he does what he wants and doesn't care about any rules about how a book should be written. shall be. This time, however, he is a little too reminiscent of a pop musician who wants to stop satisfying the audience and instead explore his own anxiety and his own limits. It's fascinating reading, but it's quite hard to understand...
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
Ifemelu and Obinze meet as young people in Nigeria. Obinze constantly dreams of America, but it is Ifemelu who manages to get there and make a life for herself, before returning to Nigeria much later and meeting Obinze again.
This is not a romance novel, but a book about culture clashes, about race and about how white people look at black people. Sometimes I think the book is unnecessarily long, but many times it works as a real eye-opener. Interesting reading that I don't regret!
Annika says:
I have read Bea Uusma's book and really liked it.
I became almost obsessed too, started googling, started reading. Wanted to know more. Enjoyed it, and loved the pictures!!!
Ajvide and I went to the same school. He is two years younger than me. So I really know everything he writes about in Let the Right One In. I know who the characters are, I even think I know who Eli is.
Fascinating. Stopped reading Ajvide after Människohamn. Got a little enough there 🙂
But, I could probably imagine starting to read him again after the break I've had for a few years now.
I agree with you that he writes so well. It was probably the fact that I had a horror, and disgust, overdose after Human Harbour.
Thanks for the other book tips!
14 April 2015 - 15:29
Alexandra says:
Morning in Jenin is my tip! Read it last summer and still can't stop thinking about it.
14 April 2015 - 16:44
Ditte says:
E-books are great for travelling. Otherwise I like to browse through them. I have now received an offer via Telia to download books free of charge for three months via Storytell, where I can listen to books. Suitable right now because I find it difficult to read in the sun (I am in the shade, but the sun is strong anyway).
I have a couple of suggestions for books; "The First Lie" by Sarah Larsson and a trilogy by Peter May where I think "The Black House" is the first one. You can google the content and you might get an idea.
Thank you for your tips and some I have read, among others. Bea Uusman and Life after you.
14 April 2015 - 17:36
BP says:
So, apart from Lindqvist, you and I don't have the same taste. I think I agree with Peter's line. But - I don't know if you've read Hundraåringen by Jonas Jonasson. His other book is called Analfabeten and is absolutely superb.
To Peter. Maybe he likes my favourite authors:
Christoffer Carlsson (two books so far. Different and good.
All of Buthler & Örhrlund's books are great.
Arne Dahl's as well.
14 April 2015 - 18:26
The travel dream says:
My tip is the book: Canada by Richard Ford. The book is set in Montana in the USA and Saskatchewan in Canada in the 1950s. The Parsons family carries out a bank robbery after a series of events. The main characters in the book are their son Dell and his twin sister Berner. The bank robbery is just the beginning of an exciting story that will also involve three murders. A well-written book. Now this sounds like a suspense book but it is classed as fiction.
14 April 2015 - 19:09
admin says:
Annika, wow, interesting and exciting that you know a bit about Ajvide and his first book like that! I like his books a lot, but the last one was borderline too tricky.
Alexandra, thank you! I have read it, but I can only agree. Really good book!!!
Ditte, great offer! Thank you so much for the book tips! I will google and read some more about them!
BP, thank you so much for the tips, especially to Peter! He has already downloaded books by all three authors!
🙂
The travel dream, thanks for the tips! Sounds interesting! Will google it and read some more!
14 April 2015 - 20:08
Britt says:
Thanks for the tips on interesting books I haven't read. I have Bea Uusma in my "to read" pile but I haven't heard of the others before.
14 April 2015 - 21:18
Lena says:
Oh dear, do you have time to read books? Thanks for the tips, though! I have started -Fifty shades of grey, it is tricky but exciting, I can say.
14 April 2015 - 23:22
Snows says:
I find Moye's books to be light entertainment at times but I was a little disappointed with Ajvides latest. Good but still not...
15 April 2015 - 7:55
admin says:
Britt, great to have the Uusma book in front of you. It is special and captivating!
Lena, how do you mean? We are free all day long and have no jobs to go to... Some days there is a lot of driving or travelling, but far from all days and evenings...
Znogge, I agree with you about the Ajvide book. It was a bit too difficult to understand...
15 April 2015 - 8:58
Helena says:
Thanks for the great tips, the best book I've read lately is
Kjell Westö's "mirage 38". Set in 1938 in Helsinki.
Greetings from another Helena
15 April 2015 - 9:18
Helga says:
I often find it easiest to concentrate on reading when I have proper time off. Of those books, I have only read "life after you" and I really liked it. Right now I'm reading Kristian Gidlund's book. I also have Jojo Moye's latest on the shelf.
15 April 2015 - 9:37
Ama de casa says:
"Life After You" is the only book I've read by those guys. Agreed - went a lot of handkerchiefs there at the end....
🙂
15 April 2015 - 9:54
Annika says:
Let me give you a book tip:
Devoured Katarina Sandberg's trilogy about Maj.
The one that starts with Giving birth to a child.
Read them out so quickly!!! SO good.
For the time being, I've gotten into books about American prisons. Read three in a row, crazy depressing and horrible reading. Will break that trend soon. I can't stand them, but at the same time I get involved in them.
Understand that you have many cosy days when you can sit and read and have a good time.
15 April 2015 - 14:38
Mr Lars Andersson says:
Hello!
Hope you can stock up on more books, you seem to be diligent!
Readers, even when you're out exploring.
Can recommend the "Biography of Nelson Mandela",
Got to the centre, think it's good.
Goodbye!
Lars and Inger
15 April 2015 - 14:59
Mr Steve says:
Unfortunately, I don't take any of the tips because my desire to read is still on hold.
15 April 2015 - 17:53
admin says:
Helena, many thanks for the tips!
Ama de casa, yes Peter thought I was snoring a lot.. hehe
Annika, thank you! I have heard about it, but not read it. Now I'm interested! Right now we are watching the TV series Orange is the new black, so we have enough American prisons at the moment... But I have probably read some too, including the one about Annika Östberg.
Lars Andersson, biographies of interesting people are often interesting. Thanks for the tips!
Steve, reading can go up and down, and you should read when you feel like it!
15 April 2015 - 19:03
towe says:
Loved Bea Uusma's book and Life after you. I have just finished Jojo Moyes' book Last Letter from Your Lover and liked it a lot too. Otherwise, I recommend Katarina Wennstam 🙂
15 April 2015 - 20:48
admin says:
Towe, glad you liked it and thanks for the tips! Don't know Katarina Wennstam, but will check it out!
15 April 2015 - 22:15