January 2020 with Olga Tokarczuk, Anne-Britt Harsem, Martina Haag and Margaux Dietz.

1. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (by Olga Tokarczuk)
Elena’s rating: 4 of 5 stars. 
From “what am I reading” to completely hooked in a second. If I did not know that Olga won a Nobel Prize in literature I would have given up on the book before reaching it’s midpoint. But i was decisive to get through it and take it like a pill since good books are good for you – you don’t need to like them. This one was almost like a fancy dinner that you long after while being very hungry, while the cooks take their time! It’s a painful wait, but in the end you get your reward. I got my reward after approximately 70%. The language is exquisite throughout the book. And it plays with an interesting philosophical question: what do you do if you disagree with the law?

2. Mammas svek: den sanna historien om ett fruktansvärt brott (by Anne-Britt Harsem)
Elena’s rating: 4 of 5 stars. 
I started reading this one accidentally, being curious about the title. And then I could not stop reading until the end. It’s a hurtful read so don’t do it unless you are in a very happy and stable state and have good margins to handle the pain of this book. It’s based on a true story – so called “Alvdalsfallet” in Norway 2011. About the role and the power given to us as a parent, and a terrible case of misusing this power. The most scary part of the book is that the kids had a skewed concept of right or wrong, and also had a Stockholm syndrome – a sympathy to their worst enemy, their own mother.

3. Det är något som inte stämmer (by Martina Haag)
Elena’s rating: 3 of 5 stars. 
You know sometimes you get this urge of reading something light. With that thought I decided to read a Martina Haag-book since they are always so fun and light. And at the same time, maybe it was an unconscious decision after I laughed so hard at the scene with Strömstedts in Rapport från 2050 (the scene starts at 41:53), without realising the connection. I must say that I love all three of them: Martina Haag, Erik Haag (her ex) and Lotta Lundgren (her ex’s new girlfriend). And the book was anything but light. I can imagine that for a Martina it was a therapy to write it. She is screaming out her feelings. I cried several times while reading and could not sleep afterwards.

4. Your best life (by Margaux Dietz)
Elena’s rating: no rating. 
I am not in the target group so it would be unfair to set any rating. I was curious about Margaux-phenomenon which triggered me to reading it. One thing I liked is the importance of friends around you and the importance of making an effort and meeting them in person from time to time and giving them a hug. Another thing to pick from the book is the importance of having good timing (cannot be controlled), and having a plan and being prepared (Margaux has planned to film and stream the brith of her child well in advance which was a bold and unique move and made her very popular).