YVO’S SHORTIES #207 – Snowblind & Every Tool’s A Hammer

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around the first book of a Nordic Noir series I LOVED and a memoir that sadly didn’t live up to expectations.

Title: Snowblind
(Dark Iceland #1)
Author: Ragnar Jonasson
Translator: Quentin Bates
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: 2010
Publisher: Orenda Books
Finished reading: January 9th 2021
Pages: 300
(Originally written in Icelandic: ‘Snjóblinda’)

“This peaceful little town was being compressed by the snow, no longer a familiar winter embrace but a threat like never before. The white was no longer pure, but tinged blood red.”

I’ve enjoyed his writing in the past and I’ve been looking forward to finally try his Dark Iceland series… And with the final book being recently published, I do hope to actually finish this series before the end of the year! Why? Let’s just say that I ended up having a fantastic time with Snowblind and it turned out to be the perfect atmospheric nordic noir read to help me forget about the world as well as the ongoing heatwave down here for a few hours… I found myself to be hooked from the very beginning. There is just something about Ragnar Jonasson‘s writing that draws you straight in, and the many detailed descriptions really made the small town of Siglufjörður come alive. I really enjoyed meeting the new main character Ari Thor Arason, and even though I’m never a fan of the whole cheating angle somehow I didn’t really mind too much here. It might just be that I was too intrigued by the many secrets in this small town and too busy enjoying the story to stand still by the small things that might have irked me otherwise… I did guess some of the twists, but I personally didn’t mind too much as I enjoyed seeing the plot develop over time. Suspense and tension are build up successfully and the claustrofobic vibe of the snowed in town only added to that ominous feel. Snowblind turned out to be a great introduction to a series I already can’t wait to continue!

Title: Every Tool’s A Hammer
Author: Adam Savage
Genre: Non Fiction, Memoir
First published: May 7th 2019
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Finished reading: January 12th 2021
Pages: 320

“We all have brains, and the ability to do remarkable things with them, but what we do with them is up to each of us.”

I was a big Mythbusters fan when I was younger, so I couldn’t resist adding Every Tool’s A Hammer to my shelves as soon as I first heard about it. I’ve been meaning to read it ever since, looking forward to refresh memories of the show and getting to know better one of the hosts… I have to be honest here and say that this memoir wasn’t what I expected at all, and I don’t think it’s in a positive way. Rather than focusing on the show as expected, Every Tool’s A Hammer more about creativity and creating itself and it could get really tedious and repetitive in points. I even started skimreading sooner than later, as the writing could get considerably dense and focused on small details I honestly couldn’t care less about. Sure, I like the idea of everyone being a potential creator and that there is no limit to creativity or what is ‘creating’ and what isn’t. But did I actually enjoy reading this memoir? Sadly, I don’t think so. It reads more like a self help manual mixed with rambles about random projects and moments of his life… Not exactly what I thought I had signed up for, and unfortunately not my cup of tea at all.