The Pussycat says her piece on "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"!

So, TGWTDT! First of all, I have to confess that I was not too excited about reading the book everyone was talking about (this is the reason I have not read the Da Vinci Code). But boy, was I wrong!

TGWTDT is a great book, although I would not call it a fine piece of literature. I mean, I don’t think that it will make it to the required reading list of any educational institution any time soon. The author often goes into unnecessary detailed descriptions, and really, who needs to know specifics of Lisbeth’s computer, especially when it takes up about half of the page and is gibberish for people not technically inclined. Also, these descriptions made me learn that Swedes like open-faced sandwiches (often with pickles), coffee and IKEA. The book is action-packed, fast-paced, reads like a movie script, which are not intrinsically bad things. But, in my opinion, the author could have used more insight into the characters’ souls, if you will.

But enough with the criticism! I LOVED TGWTDT. I burned through it and the two books that followed. It sucks you in and holds you tight until the very last page. There are unexpected turns and twists that will leave you wanting to read books #4, 5 and 10. Too bad that the author did not live long enough to write them. I wonder if the meaning of Lisbeth’s tattoos would have been explained? Would she have had a ‘bad romance’ with her doctor from book 3 (well, bad, v-club approved kind of way ;))

Would we get to meet her sister? Alas, these questions will never be answered. I liked the plot and how it developed; I genuinely loved or hated the characters and was pleased with how the author presented the events. Violence scenes did bother me initially, but I felt much better after proper revenge took place. Now I want Lisbeth to join our club!

Puuuuuuurrrr,

The Pussycat

Vagina Vixen on "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"!

Ok, I must admit I didn't finish the book!

I KNOW I KNOW!!!!  Wtf right?

In my defense I was in the middle of a move and the book is huge!!!

I got about half way though and it was just starting to pick up!  You'd think the extra month extension would have helped me but no such luck!

Lucky for us, our honourary male member, P-Jina, found us lovely ladies a copy of the movie online!  Turns out it was released in Sweden about 2 yrs ago and has only picked up steam here now!

Now, if you'd like, I can review the movie!  Which according to the other vaginas is the book entirely!

If so, then yes, it's graphic, interesting, and above all entertaining!  The movie is loooong though, about as long as the book looks!  One very graphic rape scene kinda left me with goosebumps, but the actress who plays the part is amazing in it!  It's exactly how I imagined Lisbeth being!  She makes you feel exactly how she does!  You empathize with her so much!  There was a lot of action and the only thing missing from the movie was Blomkvest's sandwich eating (which in the book, happens very often!)  And there is this one scene just happens to stick in my head, a sex scene between the two main characters that reminds me of two bunnies in heat!  Although I must say that i didn't really sense an attraction or any sort of chemistry between the two main actors!  Nonetheless, it was a pretty entertaining two and a half hrs!   

Great little twist at the end when revealing the truth to the case!  Most of the girls proceeded onto reading the next 2 installments!

Me, I'll just watch the movies!

Heart!

vagina vixen

V-Licious discusses "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"!

Et Voila. My review of  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo ( It RHYMES!!!).

Ok, so you can all probably tell from my mid-read review that I was
totally into this book! So much so it made me step back and wonder if
perhaps I was a little TOO much into it. I mean, when you can't put a
book down that deals with violence against women, rape, murder and
animal cruelty, you can't help but self analyze. But the fact is, this
book is addictive. Larsson was a brilliant author who masterly crafted
his characters, to the point that you feel attached to them and become
protective, almost vengeful when something happens to them! It's a
rollercoaster of emotions.

And then, to add the cherry on top, we all watched the movie (I watched
it twice! See...I told you I was way too into it!). In my opinion the
movie did an impeccable job representing the book. Perhaps it was
because it was in Swedish (avec subtitles) and therefore stuck to the
original script versus going off into Hollywood production lala land.
Noomi Rapace plays Salander to the TEE. She is exactly how I pictured
her in the book! I must say they could have come up with a cuter
Blomkvist, but hey...you can't have it all! Needless to say, if you
haven't read this book, it's definitely safe to watch the movie. It does
it justice.

The book & movie had it all. Suspense, romance, violence, and most of al
intrigue! I love a book and movie that keeps me on the edge of my seat.

I'm currently half way through the Girl Who played with Fire and fully
intend on reading the Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest.

By far, the best book of our club to date in my opinion!

Yours,

V-Licious

Lolita Vaage's review of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"!

Hello readers!


WOW!

Talk about a book being way off in our perception.. no wonder you come across so many people reading the darn thing! Credit goes off to Fofinha for her pick.. i have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about reading something so mainstream, but here I stand corrected and totally hooked on the 'Millennium" trilogy (currently on the third and last book.)

I feel bad for the author not being able to enjoy so much success, I certainly hope he's got family and children who could enjoy some of the much deserved merit.

I liked the book, it contained all the elements to get you hooked, and not being able to put down the book (even though it was past 1 am sometimes and kept dozing off).  You know you are dealing with a great book when while reading it, you can identify with the character, and can almost feel what this person is feeling when going through different situations, as it is the case of Lisbeth Salander. She is freaky and creepy, no doubt about it.. nonetheless, as you get deeper into the story and start to realize why she's turned out the way she did, you empathize with her, and can even relate with her feelings and actions of course.
I think the book should have kept it's original title 'Men who hate women', but alas, perhaps for marketing purposes something was lost in translation.

Overall a great, quick and easy read, even though a couple of the subjects it brings forward are no joking/light matter (rape, abuse).

Highly recommend it!

4Vs from me!

Sincerely,

Lolita Vague

Book 4 - THE BRIDE STRIPPED BARE by Nikki Gemmell

July's book pick "The Bride Stripped Bare" by Nikki Gemmell!

This book was picked by our very own Pussycat!

She's the super sexy, super hottie of the bunch!

This book promised to be very provocative, stimulating, and to leave us all wanting more! 

Rumour is, it was originally written under Anonymous, because the author was writing such vulgar, inner most thoughts that she knew her husband wouldn't really appreciate!  Turns out, once her identity was discovered as the author, her husband left her!  Some men just have a problem with powerful, in control women!

The book has 2 cover, one under Anonymous and one with the authors name:

The book might also be a little hard to find seeing as it is no longer being published, but we were able to find it online pretty easily and sent our way! 

Reviews for the book coming soon!!! 

V-Licious' mid-way review of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

Ok, so, I’m half way through the book and I’m totally hooked!! Usually 1000+ page books either scare me away, or pull me in. This one has definitely pulled me in! Sure, there are some parts where the author could have summarized some details, but even those parts are worth getting through. I’m totally loving it so far and read it every chance I get! at lunch time, I even bring with me to the gym while I’m on the treadmill!! I’ve also  now started taking the long way around on the subway to get and from work just so I have more time to read!!! (if you’re going downtown and want to avoid the 9am/5pm groping abuses of our overpriced TTC, I suggest taking St George and going around via Union to get downtown, instead of the Yonge/Bloor line filled with smelly & groping pedophile prone assholes). Oh and you almost ALWAYS get a seat, so you can read in peace. 

V-Licious

Lolita Vaage's take on..... Sex as a Second Language by Alisa Kwitney

well perhaps I do like a bit of chic lit for amusing purposes.. I would just get very depressed reading world issues, biographies and history all the time.. anyhow...back to SASL
I did enjoy the book, found it an easy read and entertaining, and it was the departing point for this blog and all our wonderful ideas! so bonus!
 

I have the feeling the book was written as an introductory book for an actual ESL class since it touches upon a few of the mannerisms and characteristics of the western culture.
Yes, characters never really develop, there are a couple of twists that I’m sure the author wanted to write differently but perhaps had too little time? and ended up having to wrap up the book quickly.
 

But, at the end of the day, the book did what it was written to do... enterntain (lets not forget the couple passages that at least got us thinking and fantsizing of our own Mangnus, who worked for the CIA and went for chinese food.)
 

For the bits of the book that made me laugh out loud and chuckle in the train (while trying to cover the name of it so people wouldn’t think I was some sort of perv).. I give this book 3Vs.
 

Lolita Vaage

Book # 3 - THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson

May's book pick was by our lovely Fofnika!

She's the hip, cutesy, tall one!  

It's suppose to be a thriller/suspense novel, a kind of whodunit, from what I can gather!  

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson

I must admit, the sheer size of this book scared me when I picked it up off the shelf in the book store!  To my surprise, the print was larger than usual, so it calmed me down a little.  

Don't know too much about it other than what the back of the cover says... that and what trailers I've seen for the movie that's out right now....  hhmmm..... think I can get away with just watching that??  >:D

vagina vixen

Memorable quotes of...... Sex as a Second Language

A collection of our favourite (and pointless but funny) quotes:

"I love you.  I'm a spy." - Magnus Grimmson

"He worked for the CIA..... he came and left for Chinese food....."  Katherine Miner

"Dead fish, think about dead fish!"  Katherine's friend

"Wench, be silent!"  Magnus Grimmson

"You're thinking with your dick!"  Katherine's friend

"They were no bigger than his palm....." Katherine to one of her friends

"Oh, God, Magnus."  Katherine Miner

"Men vanish, that's just what they do!"  Katherine's friend

V-Licious says... a review of Sex as a Second Language by Alisa Kwitney

I must say that this was DEFINITELY an improvement from Brick Lane. Yes, it was pure chick lit, and yes, it seems like I was the only one of the group who actually enjoyed it!  It may have a little to do with the fact that I had a little more time on my hands than  the others while reading it…but hey I liked it! There were some good plot lines… I mean who doesn’t enjoy a little teacher/student romance…and well, when the student’s name is Magnus, that’s just a given right??! Fun book. Easy read. 

*V-Licious

Book # 2 - SEX AS A SECOND LANGUAGE by Alisa Kwitney

April's book was the choice of Lolita Vaage.

She's the creative, artsy and in tune to anything romantic-comedy like!  

Which is no surprise why we got stuck with your typical chick-flick type book!

Sex as a Second Language by Alisa Kwitney

The story of a 40-something actress turned English teacher to immigrants, who falls for one of her students, an Icelandic spy out at a mission that someone, you'll never guess, involves her!  

To be honest, I didn't finish the book!  Shocking eh?  It just didn't interest me enough!  It opened with a dinner convo between her and her two best friends, which was something that sounded a lot like what normal women would, in fact, discuss together as friends, and I thought, ok... seems O...K.... so far!  But then it went sour and I lost interest.  So obviously I won't have much to report on this one!  Although, I must admit, we had a good laugh pulling our favourite "quotes" from the book and posting them as Facebook statuses!

At least one thing came out of the book.... a new blog spot which we'll title....  'He said, She said....  Memorable quotes of ....................'

This book gets vagina vixen's stamp of PREDICTABLE! 

vagina vixen 

Lolita Vaage's take on Brick Lane by Monica Ali

I have decided to play devil’s advocate and find something good in all books that would otherwise let us know there are way to many people out there who think they can write (even if just for argument’s sake.)

Brick Lane,  I have to admit that when first introduced to the book (in the form of the gracious googlebooks blurb and reviews), it sounded like a fantastic read! Monica Ali presents a great plot, a love affair, and well, an introduction to a culture other than our own (why not say this is what caught my attention.) 

I like books that delve into the roots of different cultures, and give us some insight in all the small things that most of us living in the western hemisphere take for granted. I believe Ali does a good job at getting right down to the nitty-gritty of things, I enjoyed the detailed and precise descriptions of things in a few of the chapters; such us Nazneen’s description of her husband – it’s not very often that one gets a description of a person’s stomach being so big that it could rest on the counter, or that the roundness of a face made someone look like a toad – for that I commend her.

Ali tried to give us a crude and real image of what the life of a woman married off in a Muslim culture might be like; and I found myself feeling sorry, concerned and angry (all at the same time) that many women have to go through the many hardships Nazneen had to go through. 

I think Ali did a fantastic job in describing the culture shock most immigrants go through when they move to a country other than their own, and to all that add another language, another society and well the great battle between trying to stay true to themselves (and roots), and dealing with trying to adapt to a new life (even more so difficult once they have children.) 

For all the good details the book had and the fact that most immigrants coming from traditionalist societies would more than likely be able to relate to the main character and the theme of the book, I’m going to give this book a 3Vs (out of 5).

-Lolita Vaage 

V-Licious discusses Brick Lane by Monica Ali

Since I was the one who picked this book, I guess I have to explain why I would ever thing this would make for a good INAUGURAL book to our book club! Well, I thought it would have a little bit of everything….a cultural aspect (Indian culture vs. Western/English culture) a social aspect (fitting in and assimilation) and a little romance (Nazheen’s affair with Karim)…but it turned out the book was just a bore from beginning to end! Well I can’t even say end, because I didn’t finish it! Yes, I admit it. I picked the book and didn’t finish it. But hey, I guess it worked having a boring first book for our book club, because by the end, we were all so sick of Brick Lane we couldn’t wait for the next month’s book! My strategy worked. :)

- V-Licious

our last member has a name!! Finally!!!!

May I present, our previous nameless member..................... 

Lolita Vaage

Now ladies........ get those book reports into to me STAT!!!! 

:)

Introducing...... (drum roll please!)

The Vagina Club Five!!!!!!!!!!

Vagina Vixen will feed it to you raw!

V-Licious will get your motor roaring!

The Pussycat will fluff you up good!

Fofnika will set your loins on fire!

...... and one nameless wonder (will you hurry up and pick a name already!!!)  

We 5 ladies are your guides through this fabulous book club!!!  We welcome you and encourage your opinions and suggestions!

May pick has been chosen!  Posting coming soon!!

Pussycat's review of Brick Lane by Monica Ali

All I can say is that the book was dull. As dull, I guess, as the Brick Lane itself, judging by its description. As I was reading it, I realized that I did not like reading about boring lives of boring people. I think that this was my main issue with the book, there was no one single exciting character. I would not want to meet any of them in person or get to know them better. They even managed to make a love affair a snooze fest! While the Brick Lane does give the reader some food for thought it fails to be a truly enjoyable read. Monica Ali, I suggest that you try again, and be less strained and pretentious. Try to have some fun, will you?

Love,

The Pussycat

Hot find - Quattro for Women Trimstyler

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Check it out!! Well worth the buy, especially if you hate waxing!!

http://www.quattro4women.ca/

V-Licious

Book # 1 - BRICK LANE by Monica Ali

Book # 1

March's book pick was made by Vaginalicious!

She's the wiser, more serious of the Vaginas!  But spunky, fun, and unique!

After much deliberation, she chose one snoozer of a book!  (I can say that now because it literally was!)

Brick Lane by Monica Ali

It tells the story of a well behaved, small town Indian girl married off to a man twenty years her senior and shipped off to England to live on, you guessed it, Brick Lane!

The characters never really develop, although the story line takes place over a 20 yr span.

My thoughts on this book?  BORING!

God, I'm so hard to please, I know!!  But it was soooo hard to get into this book!  It was long and winded and just seemed like the author was trying too hard!  Her descriptions went on forever!  If she was describing a plastic bag, she'd tell you what it was made of, how it looks, how big it was, what it smelled like, what it tasted like, what colour it was, what shape it was, what texture it was, how big it was, etc, etc, etc!  Get my drift?  As an author, yes, you have to sell your product, and descriptions are fantastic, but to describe EVERY SINGLE THING this way gets a little repetitive and dull!

This gets vagina vixen's stamp of BLAH!

vagina vixen

 

It's our time ladies.....

A great article regarding the 15 minute fame of vaginas!!!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/style/vaginas-enjoy-their-15-minutes-of-commercial-fame/article1544454/

Check it out!!

How we began.....

Hi,  my name is Vagina Vixen and I'm the originator of this wonderful club!

I was sitting around one day looking at all the books on my shelf and thought, wow, so many that I've begun and never finished!  Some became boring... some weren't all too interesting to keep me entertained.... and some, well, I fooled myself into thinking I should read!  But now they just sat there, collecting dust and staring at me!

I wondered how I could possibly read more, what could I do to make reading more enjoyable?!

So I emailed a few of my closest girlfriends!  I figured, why not start a book club!  One where once a month, we choose a book, read it, and meet up to discuss it!

Not that us girls ever really need an actual reason to meet up, but this one would be for a good, solid thing!

A commitment to read something not chosen by you... something that may not be in your comfort zone, something you may have never picked out yourself!  And really force yourself to get through it!

Mind you, I've been pretty horrible at making time to read in the past... but now, in the present, I will make the effort to stop and read!

So here's how it works:
 - I assigned everyone a different month to chose a book! 
 - That person then is in charge of choosing the book and meet-up location
 - Usually, the meet-up is scheduled for the last week of the month

I was thrilled when they all agreed!  What better excuse to force me to do something I really don't enjoy (reading, that is, not meeting up with my friends...  lol!) and have an excuse to see some of my favourite ladies once a month, because let's face it, as we get older, it's harder to stay connected!  Now we can say to our families, work, significant other, etc, "No, I can't tonight, I have a book club meeting!"  AND hopefully, we don't come off as old, uncool and boring chicks!

I must confess, we have a blast at our meetings!  We discuss the characters, their flaws, how realistic they and the plot are, and usually end the night by picking and choosing funny quotes, that taken out of context, crack us up!

Follow us here on our blog for our monthly book picks and comments!  There are 5 of us with 5 very different and strong opinions!  Leave us comments, messages, follow us on Twitter and Facebook!  Discuss with us!!  We'd love to hear your opinions and suggestions as well!

Look for our picks at your local book store and library!  You'll know it's our pick by the sticker on the book!  ;)

Have a great one ladies.... and remember.... no vagina, no opinion!

vagina vixen

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Welcome.....

Howdy!

Welcome to The Vagina Book Club Blog!

We are 5 hot, young, vibrant 20-somethings who were looking for a reason to widen our horizons and read more!  So why not start a club with your closest girl friends?!

We meet up once a month to discuss, and it usually lasts for hours and there are a lot of laughs!

Join us in our quest for knowledge, by learning from the books we read and each other!

Welcome to The Vagina Book Club ladies!

See ya soon,

xoxoxo

Vagina Vixen