Mystery Lover...but overall a very eclectic reader. Will read everything from the classics to historical fiction. Biography to essays. Not into horror or much into YA. If you would like me to review a book, then please see my stated review policy BEFORE emailing me.
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Sunday, August 28, 2011
Crime Fiction on a Europass--Denmark
Leaving Holland and Belgium behind, our next stop on our Crime Fiction Europass vacation get-away is Denmark. My destination of choice is Copenhagen--home of Mikkel Birkegaard. He is an author of fantasy fiction with a mystery/thriller twist. Birkegaard's debut novel, The Library of Shadows, was a bestseller in his native Denmark and has now gone on to be published in 21 languages. His second book, "Over mit lig" (Over my dead body), was published in Denmark in august 2009 and has been sold to Holland, Norway, Italy, UK and Germany. I've seen a lot of talk about The Library of Shadows out in the blogosphere and I'm very interested in reading it. I've added it to the long TBR list and hope to get to it sooner rather than later.
From the book blurb:
Imagine that some people have the power to affect your thoughts and feelings when you read, or they read a book to you. They can seduce you with amazing stories, conjure up vividly imagined worlds, but also manipulate you into thinking exactly what they want you to. When Luca Campelli dies a sudden and violent death, his son Jon inherits his second-hand bookshop, Libri di Luca, in Copenhagen. Jon has not seen his father for twenty years since the mysterious death of his mother. When Luca's death is followed by an arson attempt on the shop, Jon is forced to explore his family's past. Unbeknownst to Jon, the bookshop has for years been hiding a remarkable secret. It is the meeting place of a society of booklovers and readers, who have maintained a tradition of immense power passed down from the days of the great library of ancient Alexandria. Now someone is trying to destroy them, and Jon finds himself in a fight for his life and those of his new friends.
I'm halfway done with this and was planning to write about it for the Denmark stop of the Europass challenge. But then the hurricane happened and my mother got ill and all reading stopped. When I found you posted this, Bev, I went with my second choice (Scapegoat, a true crime novel).
I recommend The Library of Shadows if you like these type of secret society thrillers. It's very much a bibliophile's book. Loads of talk about old books, bookstores, book collecting and most importantly - reading books. Actual books. Not e-books. ;^D But it's more of a fantasy since the crux of the plot is about supernatural powers the members of the Society have. Although there are plots and murders in the story I wouldn't really classify it as a crime novel. An adventure thriller with fantasy elements is more apt. I thought it was going to be like The Da Vinci Code but it turns out to be more like something in a China Mieville vein, if you know his work.
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gen. Jon has not seen his father for twenty years since the mysterious death of his mother. When Luca's death is followed by an arson attempt on the shop, Jon is forced to explore his family's past. Unbeknownst to Jon, the bookshop has for years been hiding a remarkable secret. It is the meeting place of a society of booklovers and readers, who have maintained a tradition of immense power passed down from the days of the great library of ancient Alexandria. Now someone is trying to destroy them, and Jon finds himself in a fight for his life and those of his new friends.
I'm halfway done with this and was planning to write about it for the Denmark stop of the Europass challenge. But then the hurricane happened and my mother got ill and all reading stopped. When I found you posted this, Bev, I went with my second choice (Scapegoat, a true crime novel).
ReplyDeleteI recommend The Library of Shadows if you like these type of secret society thrillers. It's very much a bibliophile's book. Loads of talk about old books, bookstores, book collecting and most importantly - reading books. Actual books. Not e-books. ;^D But it's more of a fantasy since the crux of the plot is about supernatural powers the members of the Society have. Although there are plots and murders in the story I wouldn't really classify it as a crime novel. An adventure thriller with fantasy elements is more apt. I thought it was going to be like The Da Vinci Code but it turns out to be more like something in a China Mieville vein, if you know his work.