Book review of Lowenskoldska Ringen

Löwensköldska ringen / Charlotte Löwensköld by Selma Lagerlöf

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book is also by a Swedish Nobel Prize winner, Selma Lageröf. She was the first woman ever to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. She grew up in a little village outside the city of Karlstad in western Sweden.

The book is a story about a ring. The ring was worn by a powerful general, general Löwensköld. When he died, he wanted to keep the ring with him, but a poor farmer and his wife stole it from him. Because of that, they were troubled with bad luck for the rest of their lives.

The ring kept moving from person to person, with the owner not knowing he/she was in possession of it. When a maid, jungfru Spaak, works for the descendants of general Löwensköld, a the ghost of the general appears and she that way finds the ring and returns it to the general.

I found this book to be so-so. I usually don't like fantasy, although this book had some interesting aspects. It was also written in old Swedish, so it was hard to understand.



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Book Review of Minnena ser mig

Minnena ser mig (av Tomas Transtromer) [Imported] [Hardcover] by Tomas Tranströmer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is by one of Sweden's most famous writers, Tomas Tranströmer. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2011, and he writes books mainly for adults. However, this book can be read by anyone. It is about the writer's life, from when he was born until he was 60. He reveals a lot of facts about himself - he came from a poor-ish family, his parents divorced, he went to the same school as I did, he didn't like his teacher, etc. He also talks about his hoobies. He tells the reader funny stories from his childhood and how he was afraid of World War II. He also talks a bit about politics and his engagement in them.

I found this book very interesting, and well worth reading. It's quite a short book, but it is full of information. It is not a normal book with an introduction, climax, and conclusion - it is an autobiography, with personal touch. That makes it special. Unfortunately it is only availiable in Swedish, but after getting the Nobel Prize more and more of Tranströmer's books have been translated.

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Book Review of Gold Fuzzed Bees

Gold Fuzzed Bees by Fabiana Vilsan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The book is a collection of short stories; one of them is named Golf Fuzzed Bees. However, my favorite one is named Reservations at 6. It is about a young couple who are in a hurry because they have to get to their prom at 6. The characters' names are Annie and Tim, and Tim keeps on getting mad at Annie because she "won't hurry up" and becaues she is "selfish".

Gold Fuzzed Bees is about two best friends eating ice cream together, when a bee comes. They start talking about the bee and their experiences, and soon enough they realize that the bee has caused them to have a very interesting and long discussion. They understand that even small things, like bees, are important to us.

I think this book and these stories are great! Not only because it was written by my old friend, but because the stories have a meaning to them and they are quite deep.

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Book review of Tagg i Hjärtat

Tagg i hjärtat by Cannie Möller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book is about Mia Forsman who is writing a play. The play is about Orfeus and Eurydike, two mythical people. Eurydike gets trapped in the underworld by the devil, and Orfeus tries to save her. There are numerous different scenes in the play, and it is partially a musical; there is a lot of singing done by the ensemble. A big group of people help to make the play. The book is about Mia's play that is going to be performed in a new "culture house", but also about her love life with Juan. There is also a side character, Helen, who is mentally ill and has to go to the hospital because she always gets extremely angry about everything. But the book really starts out with Mia's best friend, Lisa, not being able to come to a concert because she is with her new boyfriend. Mia gets mad adn thus writes the play to express her feelings. She feels like Eurydike.

I think that the book is really good and interesting, however a little bit girlish. It's a book that is well thought through by the author and very descriptive as well.

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Parody of "Friday Night Bingo on the Bone"

Well there was this old guy who lived in a house
He lived near a station, unfortunately with a mouse.
He loved setting traps to get some mouse meat
Let me tell you,
He didn't even bother to eat
He could crawl under the bed
However, he would try to keep it neat
He sensed it come and would stand on his feet
When he saw the animal,
You would have heard him shout.
Trapping a mouse,
It just took him out.

"This is Just to Say" Parody

I have taken
your wallet
that was in
your unlocked locker

and which
you probably
needed
for lunch.

Forgive me
I was hungry
and the food
was delicious

"She Walks in Beauty"

"She Walks in Beauty". Sounds like a nice name for a poem, doesn't it? It sounds simple and clear. It's not. Lord Byron, the author of this poem, was born in 1788, so as you can understand, the English is very hard to understand and it uses words that are not used today. Personally, I don't understand why this poem is considered to be so "great". Maybe that's because I don't understand half of it... However, the poem sounds very nice.

What strikes me about this poem is the extreme expression of love. This whole poem is dedicated to just one person. Every single line in this poem talks about how the person is beautiful, like a calm night, etc. There is nothing else in there. There are lots of metaphors, there is imagery, personification, and similes. These start directly from the first line, which is "She walks in beauty, like the night." That is an example of a simile. Another thing that strikes me about this poem is that the beautiful woman is compared to night, and not to day. Usually, when you say someone is beautiful, you say that they glow like the Sun or something like that. But in this poem, the woman is compared to a dark night that is very calm.

This poet knows that love is real. It is very clear throughout the poem. He has made up his mind about that this is the person he loves. The example of this is the whole poem. If you just skim through it, you will notice that this person is completely, madly, in love. He explains that he can't impare the grace of her completely, because she is so nice. He also explains that she has beautiful black hair (being compared to a raven) and that she is very sweet and serene. He strongly believes in what he is saying in this poem.

This poem doesn't matter to anyone except for the poet. He is the one writing this, he is the one expressing his love, and he is the one who will do anything to get to this girl. Again, the only example of this is the whole poem. Lord Byron states that "She walks in beauty". What more is there to say? He is obsessed, in a good way. He is a man who can love.

I like this poem. Even though it is hard to understand, it is a very good testament of love towards another person. The message is very clear. However, this poem doesn't really matter to me that much. Why? Because this poem is not about me, it's about another person, and I'm not interested in their private love affairs. However, the sound of the poem is beautiful and the adjectives and description used are lovely.