Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Classic Swedish Noir

Martin Beck Book Series by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

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In 1965 writing partners (and partners in real life) Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö embarked on a quest – to write and publish ten novels in ten years featuring Stockholm’s Martin Beck. The novels, police procedurals, were structured as not only mysteries, but reflections and commentary on modern Swedish society. The duo wore alternating chapters – but since I haven’t read any of their individual works I couldn’t;t guess who wrote which chapter in any given novel. The books are cohesive and follow policeman Martin […]

Anxious People: Not what I expected, but charming

Anxious People by Frederik Backman

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This was our June Book Club pick. This is an unexpected and delightful novel. I saw all of the press and buzz about A Man Called Ove and was never really tempted to read it. But this delightfully quirky and human story has made me curious about Backman’s other works.  This is a novel about a bank robbery. And an apartment. And a hostage situation. And the conflict between City and country Swedeners. And love. And marriage. And winning. And losing. And dying . And […]

a very special episode in a very farcical town

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

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*”Yakkety Sax” blares through your speakers* A robbery- wait, but not quite. A bank robber, but not who you expect. An accidental hostage situation. Aggressively unhelpful witnesses. A nervous eater who devours a whole lime, pith and all. Bumbling cops. Feisty old ladies. Sounds fun, yes? It is fun! There is a solid farce at the core of this story. Misunderstandings, misdirection, and missed connections fly in and out of quickly slamming doors. A manically wound player piano would not be out of place in […]

Leaving it all on the field

The Terrorists by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

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Is this it? Really it? All I get from the Martin Beck series? Damn. What great books these are. They’ve ruined the police procedural for me forever. When I first sat down to read Roseanna about five years ago, I would have never guessed this would become one of my favorite book series of all time. I found it to be a drab, uninspiring procedural novel. Fun if you like reading about shoe leather detective work but otherwise nothing special. And then someone turned me on to […]

The Swedish Maigret? Hah!

Cop Killer by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

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I don’t know if Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö planned for there to only be ten books in the Martin Beck series but here, at book nine, things seem to be wrapping up. This book is the most self-referential of its predecessors by far, even going as far as bringing a former convict from one of the past crimes back as a minor but important character. It acknowledges the journey you go on with these people. At the heart of this one is Martin Beck. […]



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