Welcome to Litsy!

The opening chapter of Sigurdardottir's The Legacy had my heart in my throat. While her husband is away at a medical conference, Elisa is woken up in the middle of the night by her daughter Margret who tells her that she saw a man sitting in the living room. This kicks off one of the best scandi crime books I have read in a very long time with twisted crimes, great characters, a propulsive plot & thoughtful commentary on social issues. Loved it!

Over the last few years I‘ve read quite a few books set on tiny remote islands, has this become a new genre? I think I‘ve liked every one I‘ve read, so I am in favor.

Set on a tiny island off the Wales coast, 18 yr old Manod lives with her father and young sister in a fishing village. A whale washes ashore, and two strangers come to study it and the villagers. Takes place just before WWII, and I felt Manod‘s yearning to escape isolation.

Wouldn't necessarily recommend but glad I read it. Manod lives in a remote, Welsh island with her younger sister & father. She is smart but so sheltered from the outside world & has almost no one she can learn from. A whale washes up on shore & 2 English ethnographers arrive to document the whale & the island's residents. Her world expands immensely but her version of reality is greatly distorted by the perception of the outsiders.

If I had a BP monitor attached while reading the opening two chapters it would have read' Out of range. No surprise as this is from the same mind as the delightfully twisted horror I Remember You, but this one is firmly in the territory of Scandi Crime Noir. Halfway through but so twisted & clever with characters to care about.

enchanting, evocative, and not a wasted word. this short novella is a perfect read.

I started this on a flight from Toronto to Calgary and may have finished it if I wasn‘t savouring every sentence. So far, this book is perfect.

I have an island thing. But this was lovely. It‘s also quick and fun, and sneakily informative. Ivar lives alone on an isolated island, and Scottish minister John Ferguson is sent to evict him. They don‘t speak the same language. Ivar speaks Norm (a now-extinct Shetland Island language). Still they end up bonding.

Sometimes I enjoy YA - and sometimes the characters annoy me so much I can‘t even focus on the plot. Unfortunately, this is the latter.

#HauntedShelf #RestlessSpirits