I've only written
reviews for two novels on the internet. It's not that they were the most profound novels I have ever read, but more that these were the only times that I could be bothered. One's good, one's bad, the novels anyway.

John Fante - Ask the Dust

I finished reading this on the tube. At the last word I looked up at the empty seats opposite, then looked back and read the last page again. I felt as though I had been punched in the balls. Damn you, Camilla Lopez.

Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (excerpt, applies to Millennium Trilogy in general)

Larsson seems to have three rules that his characters obey without fail:

1) A character may only be competent if they are either female or a feminist male, and a poor view of women is always the preserve and excuse of the mediocre male
2) Any character that is a "bad guy" is also a sex criminal,
3) All the female characters sleep with Blomqvist.

After 3 books, watching a group of cookie-cutter PC liberals run rings around a group of sadistic misogynists, barely hampered by whatever chauvinistic deadweight their team has to carry, reads like either a utopian fantasy or a bad gender studies essay, or maybe both.
(cs1ca, Sun 8 Jan 2012, 1:04, 2 replies)

If you like ask the dust, you should read the three other 'arturo bandini ' books.
You can get the 'Bandini Quartet' its absolutely wonderful
Also you may enjoy Charles Bukowski, Fante was a massive influence on him.
(shezam slouching towards nirvana., Sun 8 Jan 2012, 10:29, closed)

Already done both
My only complaint with Bukowski is that so many people I know compete to see who can posthumously suck his cock the hardest.

Having checked your old posts, you get a big thumbs up for ghibli. And 'Hunger' is currently in my 'to read' pile.
(cs1ca, Sun 8 Jan 2012, 13:25, closed)

Seconded
There's a bit of continuity drift between the four but they're excellent.

Never got round to Bukowski but I will tomorrow, thanks.
( The Disappointed Caravanner of the year, Sun 8 Jan 2012, 20:46, closed)

When it came to reviewing the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Escapist's Move Bob did the best deconstruction of the characters I'd seen.
( evil_andy Stick stick stick stick sticky sticky stick stick, Sun 8 Jan 2012, 11:38, closed)