Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Whodunit


I can’t remember the last time I took the opportunity to sit down and read a book. I haven’t been a reader since my younger days and then it was Mickey Spillane detective stuff. Yeah I know; pretty ancient material at best. With the advent of the computer, you couldn’t tear me away from the screen, and so, has been the story of my life.

Many things happen to dictate the roads in life you will take. Health has been one of them for me and the challenge of survival. Picking up a book was not high on my list of priorities. Of course all that changed a short while ago, when my computer died an unnatural death! At first I thought it was the end of my world, for try as I may, I came up short in the fix it dep’t. Weeks turned into months and I could not accept that my baby was beyond repair, no matter what they told me. Eventually I was proved right, but that’s another story.

Over the winter months we have watched a lot of movies on DVD/blue ray. We get them from our library. One was a “Kurt Wallander” mystery video. It was taken from several novels written by Swedish writer Henning Mankell. What proved interesting about that was a second disc which covered an interview with the author. After listening to him and being so enthralled with the movie, I just had to read one of his books. That was it! He has written twelve books in the ‘Kurt Wallender series’. Since then I have read six of them and am part way through number seven! I can’t ever remember being so consumed by a book the way I have with this series. The books are about 400 to 500 pages long but I just seem to devour them. It’s been a long time since I had books that you just cannot put down. I recently went through a two week period where I could not get another book until more came in to the library. Can you believe I went through Wallander withdrawal symptoms!

If you like intrigue that you just sink into and become one of the characters, then this is a read for you.

C'ya

16 comments:

Margie said...

Hi Eric
So nice to have a post from you again.
Hope you are feeling well.

Gosh, those books by Henning Mankell must be great!
It's wonderful when you find an author that you enjoy as much as you do this one!
Happy reading to you, my friend!

Take good care, Eric.
My best wishes to you, always!

Margie :)

Eric Valentine said...

Thank you Margie, what a pleasant surprise to see you here again, thank you for your kind words my friend. :)

swenglishexpat said...

There's nothing like a good read, Eric! It pleases me particularly well that you have chosen a detective series that takes place in a small town very close to where I come from in Sweden. ;-) In the UK Kenneth Branagh has made a short TV series of them playing Wallander himself. He is very good. You have gone all Swedish now, you'll be reading Strindberg next! :-0

zirelda said...

I wondered where you'd gotten to.

I'm glad you are back Eric.

I love reading and got to do quite a lot of it last year. Not so much this year though.

Ah well.

Eric Valentine said...

Yes Swen, I'm really hooked on Mankell and his writing, thanks for the tip on my next author :))

We saw the first dvd with Kenneth Branagh & we are looking to get the other. :)

Eric Valentine said...

Hi Zirelda, it's nice to be back and to see u here visiting..

It has been a long haul but things are getting better these days, of course the weather now helps. :)

Sam!! said...

Hi Eric,

Nice to see u blogging again...:)

HAPPY READING!!

Hope u doing great in ya life..

Regards,
Sam..

forsythia said...

Eric, My brother-in-law keeps urging me to read those books by the Swedish author who wrote about the girl who kicked over the hornets' nest, and I keep resisting because I have TOO MANY BOOKS. last month To make it worse, I donated six to the church book sale and came home with 12. Our grandson's school is having a booksale in late June. I'm thinking I should volunteer to help out, but maybe I shouldn't.

Eric Valentine said...

Hi Sam hope all is well with you, nice seeing you again also my friend.. :)

Eric Valentine said...

Hi Forsythia, I never read that book but we have seen the Tattoo lady movies...... really quite good...... but I know the author you are talking about. Certainly worth reading. :)

Margie said...

Eric, thinking of you & sending good thoughts!
Hope you are doing well.
Miss you!!!

Margie :)

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Margie said...

Eric, I do hope you are okay!
Be well, my friend!

forsythia said...

Eric, Hope you are well.

Eric Valentine said...

Hi Margie and Forsythia, I am very sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I have been pretty ill now for a while, right now I am trying to get over a chest infection. Of course this intolerable heat has not helped at all. Each day is a struggle but it is slow progress but I think we are winning.. :))))

Thank you so much for your encouraging words and thoughts my friends, hopefully we will be on track soon. :)

Margie said...

Eric, so sorry to hear you are ill.
You are in my good thoughts and prayers!

Margie x