vacation countdown: 47 hours

Yes, I'm excited about my upcoming family vacation, which I've already written a lot about. I've actually been waiting to post until I finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the final chapter of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy.

As previously written, I was really looking forward to reading this book. The first book of the trilogy can really stand alone, but the second flows right into the third, having laid all the framework for the court trial that is the focus of the plot. (Don't worry, I won't give away any spoilers or anything.) After reading it, I actually think that the second book was the best of the three. Larsson started losing me about 2/3 of the way through by doing the same things that have bothered me in the other books--bringing in and thoroughly describing even more characters, and giving seemingly excessive and boring background on various socio-political issues in Sweden. HOWEVER, I read online that Larsson (who died after handing in the manuscripts for the trilogy) intended for the series to be as long as 10 books! Knowing this kind of softens my criticism, especially about one character in particular who was introduced with only about 40 pages to go. I also hope that had Larsson finished the series, Camilla would have come into play, I really thought that was going to pan out in the end. The stronger aspects of the series are present in Hornet's Nest, and I literally had to chuckle out loud as the trial was unfolding--if you are a fan of the second book and absolutely wanted to know what happened, this novel will make you so happy.

So now, I just have to bide my time for a day and a half until I leave for Beijing. I will be without VPN access for about 10 days, so no blogging or Facebook--piece of cake, after the first few months here in China. Gosh, I really can't wait! I know my mom and Keenan are excited, so at this point it's just everyone arriving and getting started with the adventure! My next post will certainly be full of stories of the Abners in the Orient...

"One foot in and one foot back-but it don't pay to live like that

So I cut the ties and I jumped the track

For never to return..."