The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules

The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules

Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg

Harper Collins Publishers, 2014

Genre: Comedy, Fiction, Adventure

1^st in the Little Old Lady Series

Martha Andersson is 79 and today she has decided she is going to rob a bank. On her way she thinks of her friends and their substandard living environment at the retirement home. Their home, Diamond house was just bought by a new owner, and they want costs to be cut. So lately the food has become flavourless, they get less coffee, they don’t get any sweets, and they must go to bed earlier. So in order to get her and her friends out of the home, they need money. Martha intends to get better conditions, even if it means going to prison.

This book was very funny and quirky. You have to love the lengths the “League of Pensioners” go to, to get their money. I loved each and every one of the characters, they each had their qualities to make you laugh. Following their interactions as they just try to get the most out of their final years was extremely enjoyable. Even though parts of the plot were far-fetched I think that you will be able to suspend reality and get into this book.

To me this book made me think. Do we really appreciate our elderly? Or do we just assume they are losing it a little and patronize them. Yes it was done through humour but I walked away thinking that it is possible to live a daring and adventurous life even from the home. You should never stop, no matter what life looks like. If you can laugh while you’re at it, all the better.

I will say that the writing was a bit immature. I think that it was meant to be funny and silly. The words goofy and caper come to mind. So it wasn’t a serious dramatic piece of writing. If you are expecting this to read like a serious drama then you shouldn’t be picking up this book. I think that if you go into this book with the right mindset you will find that you’ll laugh along with the “League of Pensioners”

My Verdict: You’ll enjoy the laugh

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Did you read these books, what did you think? Did you get a giggle or two in?

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If you liked this, try:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

The Little Old Lady Strikes again

Cuckoos Calling

Cuckoos Calling

Robert Galbraith

Sphere Books (Little, Brown & Co) 2013
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime

Book 1 in the Cormoran Strike Series

Cormoran Strike a private detective, has just broken up with his girlfriend, is sleeping in his office, lost his leg in Afghanistan, is down to his last client, but has some very nice creditors knocking on his door. He is sure he can’t keep the new temp receptionist he’s hired, Robin. But she is very efficient and bright, so he wishes he could. This is when John Bristow walks into his office, asking for Strike’s help. His sister, Lula Landry, is the famous super model whose face is splashed all over the news due to her recent death. It has been reported that she committed suicide, by jumping off her balcony. But John doesn’t believe it. He wants Strike to investigate the death, and find the truth of who killed his sister.

Well hello again interwebs. I took a bit of a break as I had classes and then it snowballed from there. However, I would justify it to myself saying that, it doesn't matter anyway because no one really reads except for a few friends and family. Apparently, that is not the case. Thank you to everyone who has asked me what happened to the blog, and when it would be back up. I really appreciate you reading. I would like to say though...that if you don't say anything, how do I know you are reading it. I mean really people...show the love! So with the many comments I've received lately here is the blog again. 

The reason I picked up this book, was because who wrote it. Now I know what I said up there, Robert Galbraith, but that is just a pseudonym. It was all over the internet, and I read the truth before I saw the book. I wish the pseudonym route worked for her, but it didn’t, it was leaked and that was it, it was a best seller. Is the suspense killing you? Are you dying to know? The actual Author of this series is J.K. Rowling. I know! The Hogwarts master herself. I was really excited to read these books after I heard that she wrote them. I wish I could say that I was impartial. I wish I could say that I found out about it after I read the book, but I didn’t I was tainted. So I can’t say to you I loved this book, before I found out who wrote it. All I can say to you is that I loved this book.

I really loved the depth in the characters here. Cormoran was the lovable tough guy, that looks gnarly and haggard but really is a good man. Robin who has tenacity, and strength she didn’t know she had. Lula who suffers and yet has more privilege and experience than most will ever have. It is Galbraith’s familiar attention to detail and the world that is described to you that makes the characters and these stories so vivid. These characters had a familiar pull and I liked it. The character depth, I think, is her talent. All her books are so well developed as is the world they are in. It's not just one character that she is writing about, it's all of them, and what they are doing to move towards the conclusion of the story.

This was a good ol’ fashioned mystery and I loved it. It was reminiscent of the old private eye television shows or radio shows and it made me happy. If these types of stories aren’t your thing, then what is wrong with you? I read that some people felt it wasn’t smooth or it felt choppy. I think that is due to the perspective. You follow Cormoran around, but you don’t know where he’s headed, how else would you be kept in the dark?

My Verdict: I know you’re going to read it!

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Did you read this one before you know who wrote it? What gave her away? Will you read the next two books in the series?

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If you liked this, try:
The Silkworm

The Yard

Moriarty

The house of Silk