Fiction
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson, 2005
The first installment in the wildly successful Millenium Trilogy follows mysterious hacker Lisbeth Salander and notorious journalist Mikael Blomkvist as they sift through complex familial relations and lascivious secrets to solve a decades-old murder. The unlikely duo reunites in two additional fast-paced thrillers, The Girl Who Played with Fire (2006) and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2007).
The Road, Harry Martinson, 1948
Set in 1890s Sweden, The Road follows protagonist and cigar maker Bolle, who must adjust to modernization in Stockholm as his handicrafts are losing value in an increasingly machine-dominated industry.
Non Fiction
Stockholm Series, Per Anders Fogelström, 1960
This five-book series details life in Stockholm from 1860-1968, when the city experienced changes like the implementation of the welfare system that helped shape what it is today.
For Children
Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren, 1945
Lindgren’s iconic redheaded orphan makes friends and gets into a fair share of trouble while living alone with her pet monkey and horse. Fun Fact: Stieg Larsson admitted that he envisioned The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Lisbeth Salander as the grown-up version of Pippi. Headstrong, independent orphans, both are unlikely protagonists with a flair for trouble.
Films
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, David Fincher, 2011
The movie version of the wildly successful Millenium Trilogy follows mysterious hacker Lisbeth Salander and notorious journalist Mikael Blomkvist, played by Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, respectively, as they sift through complex familial relations and lascivious secrets to solve a decades-old murder.
