Live Lagom: Balanced Living the Swedish Way by Anna Brones

Live Lagom: Balanced Living the Swedish Way by Anna Brones,
221 pages

I think if everyone lived life like the Swedes, the world would be a much happier place.  Live Lagom is about balanced living, not too much, not too little.  So true. The book is divided into four parts: work, home, health and nature.  Light colors, relaxed living, more vacations, and bringing nature inside are what add to a balanced life.  One of the best books I have read in a while.  It also includes some beautiful pictures.  I also believe there are a few other books written about this subject.

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson, 128 pages

I loved this book!  I have read many books on the art of cleaning, but this book just made so much sense.  Margareta writes how you do this cleaning at any stage of your life.  She claims her age to be between 80-100.  But, this way of dealing with clutter works for me.  Basically, she writes to get rid of anything that no one in your immediate family has an interest in inheriting.  Items that might mean something to you, may just be a burden for family.  Those she says you can mark as get rid of when I die.  I like this book because it just makes sense to get rid of junk and ask the people you care about if they want old pictures, artwork or documents before you die.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson, 465 pages

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson, 465 pages

Mikael Blomkvist has been convicted of libel against a pretty corrupt businessman.  So when Henrik Vanger calls and says that he can give Blomkvist proof of the man's corruption if he agrees to investigate an unsolved murder, of course Blomkvist agrees.  He starts investigating a family mystery from the 1960s, and with the help of Lisbeth Salander, hacker extraordinaire, he comes so close to the truth that his life is in jeopardy.

I really wanted to like this book, because Lisbeth Salander is an appealing character- a tech-savvy young woman who doesn't care about anyone or anything, but handles her own and takes care of business.  However, this book was really unpleasant with the amount of graphic violence and rape.  I want everything to turn out alright for Lisbeth Salander, but not enough to finish the series.