I knew I would have some downtime on a recent trip to NYC and wanted to make sure I had a good book with me and I figured that there was no better time to catch-up on the book that all my book-loving friends have been raving about.  I downloaded a copy Stieg Larsson’s highly acclaimed book, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” onto my Kindle, and could barely wait to start reading.

Once I made it through airport security, I sat at the gate and began reading, and of course, you know what happened next.  I was instantly hooked!  So much so that I found myself more than a little irritated that I had to turn off my handy-dandy “electronic reading device” for take-off.  I couldn’t wait to hear the flight crew give the all-clear to turn all approved electronic devices back on so that I could dive right back into the work of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist.

I have not yet seen the Swedish version of the film, and instead have chosen to wait to see any version of the film until I’ve completed the books.  I am just weird that way I guess.  I want to see how the book translates on film.  I want to read the book first, then see the movie second.

If you are a huge fan of the Millennium Trilogy from Larsson, then you probably have heard that an American remake of the film is underway, with a scheduled release date of December 21, 2011.  The film boasts a fantastic director, David Fincher, and an all-star cast including the following:

Daniel Craig as Martin Blomkvist

Mara Rooney as Lisbeth Salander

Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger

Stellan Skarsgard as Martin Vanger

Robin Wright as Erika Berger

Joely Richardson as Anita Vanger

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo tells the story of Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist in the middle of personal and professional crisis, who receives an offer to redeem his career and reputation.  When approached by Henrik Vanger, an elderly titan of Swedish industry, Blomkvist hesitantly takes an offer he can’t refuse.  Blomkvist agrees to spend a year researching a cold case, a mysterious death of a young girl that has haunted the elder Vanger for four decades.   Using a cover story of writing a Henrik Vanger’s biography, Blomkvist pours through boxes of research and police reports, and embarks on interviewing remaining Vanger family members.  With his leads going nowhere, Blomkvist enlists the help of an unconventional investigator,  Lisbeth Salander, an incredibly misunderstood young woman with a ton of authority issues. This page turner will keep you up at night, because in Larsson’s tale, nothing is as it seems.

So now, I will have to sit and wait another 11 months.  I’ll eagerly be waiting for the release of Fincher’s film adaptation of this fantastic book!  And I’m sure I’ll be having my own private movie marathon at some point to watch the Swedish films.

So dear reader, tell me…have you read Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy?  If so, which was your favorite book?  Have you seen the Swedish films?  What do you think of the casting choices for Fincher’s film?  Will anyone else be ticking off the days on the calendar waiting to see this upcoming film?  I think I see a Bookette get-together coming in December!  Who’s with me?