Snow outside, Wallander on the TV and all around us, conversations that begin, ‘In places where they have weather like this every winter…’ or, ‘I remember in 1947/1963…’
It seems like the right time to check out Stieg Larsson’s ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.’
Is it as good as they say?* So far, yes. Yet curiously, although the story begins in Sweden in late December, none of the characters is complaining that they can’t get anywhere because of the snow. Clearly, in places where they have weather like this every winter…
* LATER – Yes, absolutely.
Ruth Downie 
I hope you enjoy Larsson’s book. I think the next in the series, The Girl who Played with Fire, is even better than the first. And you’re right – none of the characters seem to be even remotely stymied by the weather. We’ve just had a hard time here in Tennessee with very cold temperatures and icy roads – schools closed and grocery stores packed with people stocking up. One of the DJs on a local radio station used to say he thought rumors of snow were started by the grocers to bring in more business.
Sorry Susie, I’d have replied earlier but I just HAD to get to the end of the book… by the sound of it, another silence will ensue when I get hold of the next one.
Y’know, I’d always imagined Tennessee as sort of warm-ish. Doing this blog is a real education. Hope it cheers up soon for you.
Glad you liked Girl With the Dragon Tattoo…I have it on audio and thoroughly enjoyed it…and guess who the narrator is? Simon Vance!
Only the best!
I read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and found it readable, and also kind of interesting because I lived in Stockholm for some years in the past. But I have yet to start the sequel because I realized that I didn’t like ANY of the characters, except perhaps the girl herself; and I felt no particular urge to meet them again.
Whereas I just finished reading Ruso and Disappearing Dancing Girls, and I found I cared about the characters and wanted to meet them again; so I’ve ordered book 2.
Yes, there is snow in Sweden in winter, but not necessarily very deep. People usually get around OK. You can get car tyres with metal studs for better grip; these are legal in Sweden but not in some other countries. They chew up the roads something terrible.