I enjoyed this not because of the violence, but because I was constantly reminded how well Noomi Rapace played Lisbeth Salander in the films. I had seen all three Swedish movies from the series (American versions are currently in the works) before picking up the book and so far they seem to be as good or better than their print versions.

As far as the storyline goes, there were several moments when I had to let out a vocal cheer for Salander - I'm a sucker for badassery. I typically get bored with books after 200 pages, but Larsson kept my attention on almost every page.

I won't say too much more as there are plenty of other reviews that outline the good and the bad parts of the book. Other than piquing my interest a little bit about Swedish culture, I didn't walk away from the story feeling like it touched the depths of my soul - I reserve 5 stars for books that can do that.

Check out Molly's review for an excellent Goodreads discussion about the book. Thanks also to her for mentioning the Joan Acocella piece in The New Yorker.