Welcome to Litsy!

I read this for Cult Classics book club, and honestly I might not have finished it otherwise. Set in a Swedish suburb in the 1980s, the story follows Oskar, a relentlessly bullied 12-year-old, and Eli, his mysterious new neighbor who also happens to be a vampire. Vampires I can handle, but Eli's human companion is a pedophile and everything involving that man was stomach-churning, as was Eli's origin story. Apart from that, it was very good.

Finished in March for #TwinPeaksReadingChallenge
#TheManFromAnotherPlace

A new girl has moved in next door. There is something wrong with her, though. And she only comes out at night.

This is a really good vampire story. It‘s very detailed, a little gory, and possibly disturbing to some. Great for readers who like their vampire fiction dark and creepy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#Read2025

Starting next for #TwinPeaksReadingChallenge

#TheManFromAnotherPlace: Translated from a different language than English

#TPRC #Read2025

This was a very dark gritty horror. I can‘t say it wasn‘t well done, but I will say I wanted to be done reading it atleast 100 pages before it ended. it was endlessly gory & the bullying Oskar experienced was stomach turning. I‘m not typically squeamish but it got to be ALOT. I love a gross ugly vampire story & the atmospheric mystery surrounding Oskar‘s neighbor delivered for sure.

Characters were well created but hard to relate to. Oskar was my favorite character but I was just bored when I read from other characters POVs.

For me horror is something that should made me feel scared & thrilled but this was pretty boring. This was more about characters' miserable lives than something else.

The last part of the book was more thrilling but I struggled with the most of the pages.

#SeriesLove23

@wanderinglynn I can‘t even begin to tell you how found this box was to open. I loved everything about it and the fact you found some of these books amazes me. Thank you so much. #HauntedHollowSwap. Pumpkin 🎃🖤

Happy #JolabokaflodSwap

Thank you so much @Ericalambbrown !!! You went above and beyond with the books and goodies. Yes, that book definitely is the “right one”, lol, so no worries! I‘ve been so looking forward to reading it and watching the new show it‘s based on. And such decadent chocolate with fruit! I will have a wonderful night of reading and eating treats, thank you 😊 🍫📚🎄

At the theatre. Apparently there's a risk of blood splatter in the first row. Not quite sure what I'll think of this one - but I did like the book and film.

I didn‘t love this book; I didn‘t hate it. It‘s a good story but the writing is atrocious; I‘m convinced that Lindqvist didn‘t have an editor. Ultimately, my interest in how Oskar and Eli‘s story played out kept me from not slamming the cover shut for good. Lindqvist tries too hard to give us an epic, instead of keeping his focus where it counts.

If you‘re looking for a sexy or scary vampire novel this is not it.

Fantastic! One of my favorite vampire books now, for certain. The corresponding movies are also worth watching - just binged both.

Currently reading... I have a feeling this is likely to become one of my favorite vampire books.

Yoshi bags just do the best book bags ever!! How cool are these!!! 😎 🔪 🩸 😱

takes a bite of gender. doesn‘t chew. the objectification of children being made literal -- including turning one into a vampire so he or she doesn‘t age -- is sick rhetoric. but cutting off her penis and then he lives as a girl while the narrator switches to the use of masculine pronouns is more “what?” than “oh fuck.” the novel talks a lot about eli not being a girl, without contributing much to the topic.

3.5 stars

I was expecting to be terrified and was left underwhelmed.

I‘m in the mood for chilling.

Surprising book. Lots of difficult subjects, including bullying, drug/alcohol abuse, complicated family relationships... and more. I would stay away if the dark side of humanity can be a trigger for you. Also includes vampires! I did enjoy it a lot, personally, but it isn‘t a light reading in any way.

This was quite a read. Fairly long, felt longer. It was interesting how all the characters got together in the end. I do have some questions about the vampire rules, but otherwise it was a good story. Now I need to go watch the movie.

You know, I really could‘ve done without all the pedophilia. This was a book we had to read for class, and I‘m kinda glad I missed the class discussions for the latter half. I‘m not really sure how I feel about the book? None of the characters were very likable, and the only ones I kind of liked either died or had an ambiguous ending. 2? stars?? +55 points

#merryreaders #wintergames #24b4monday #readathon

A friend came over to drop off a Christmas present and stayed a bit longer than anticipated, so I didn‘t get to read much before work.

#24b4monday #readathon #wintergames #merryreaders

I did see the movie of this one a few years back, and the book makes explicit some themes that got touched on in the film but weren‘t fleshed out. A big CW: Pedophelia has big plot implications; it‘s not glorified but it‘s a recurring point. I knew it was going to be dark, but it‘s much darker than I expected. It was engaging enough that it felt like a break from the world, which is exactly what I wanted this past week.

I thought this was a pretty exceptional horror read.The story moved slowly but the atmosphere and the characters with their varying moral and or social problems made this so realistic and creepy. I'd definitely reccomend this to anyone looking for an unsettling vampire story, would also suggest reading on cold winters night if possible 😬
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

For 3,5 hours I was unsure. As I told you, I spoiled myself and from there on I constantly feared to fear upcoming events because during that season of year I am mostly listening to audiobooks in the dark. (I‘m a chicken.) To the last 2,5 hours I listened while cooking and eating, and, wow, was I impressed. Yes, it‘s very brutal and dark but I ended up loving the variety and diversity of characters and the art of plot building.

#30DaysOfGratitude by @jb72

Prompt: Tell 3 amazing things about yourself.

• I am good with words and language
• I take into account the needs of those around me (and am excellent in not prevailing).
• I am good at being lazy and making it comfy and relaxing.

Today I‘m grateful for
1 – having learned about the zero-waste-shop in the neighbourhood
2 – the possibility to snooze this morning
3 – a quickly answered email

This is an intriguing and complex story, albeit incredibly slow moving. It did take me a while to feel fully immersed in this. While its potential was clear from the start, there was so much going on and it jumped around quite a bit. I did find the author brought all of those pieces together nicely as time went on. Once I better connected with it all, I found myself really enjoying the book and the pacing did speed up as the intensity increased.

But you know, it‘s still the case, that I am quite a chicken and not really into horror or even into it‘s little sister, the scariness …

So it might not be wise to listen to this in the evening of the dark season, where at 17:30 I already need to turn on the lights if I want to see the fingers of my hand in front of my face.

Let‘s see how brave the best goal turns out to be. 😳 4 hours, 35 minutes to go …

You might remember, about 4 weeks ago I started this audiobook for the first time and told you that, while translating its blurb for you, I accidentally spoilt myself.

Then the landing period expired and I turned my back on it because I lost interest. I mean, I “knew” what was going to happen. But yesterday I gave it another try because I remember I haven‘t been in far. And you know what❓My “spoiling me” is revealed around minute 70, anyway. 😇

It looks like I‘m in love with my books.

Unspeakable Things ~ 4 stars

Horrid ~ 4 stars

My Lovely Wife ~ 4.5 stars

Every Heart a Doorway ~ 2 stars

Within the Walls ~ 3.5 stars

Don‘t Look For Me ~ 3.5 stars

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue ~ 4 stars

Theodore: The Neighbour‘s Cat ~ 3 stars

Skunk and Badger ~ 3.5 stars

Hex ~ 3 stars

The Stepford Wives ~ 4 stars

Sometimes I Lie ~ 3 stars

Let the Right One In ~ 4.5 stars

Spending tonight in with the tagged book, a couple drinks and a pork tenderloin in the oven! Doesn't get much better then this! Wishing you all a very safe and Happy Halloween 🖤🎃👻🧹🧙‍♀️🖤

“That the man was still alive was nothing short of a miracle. Not a miracle of the kind that the Vatican would want to wave their incense at, but a miracle nonetheless.” 😂

~From Let the Right One In/John Ajvide Lindqvist

„In a suburb of Stockholm, the corpse of a boy is found, his body no longer contains a single drop of blood. Everything points to a ritual killer. 12-year-old Oskar is also fascinated by the news: Who could be the murderer? And why are the windows always darkened in the neighboring apartment?“

Stupid thing: I think, I accidentally spoilered the plot to myself while translating the blurb for you. 🙄

I didn‘t love it. Too slow and not scary. Good writing but a mediocre story. Overall sort of disappointing

Friday night cuddles with Awna

Finally starting this. I‘ve been excited to start this one for a while. SO in the mood for spooky vampire read.

Morning reads ☕️

A vampire story that delights and scares. Rightly said by The Times- The new Stephen King.

I picked this up recently and cannot put it down. Loving it.

A fabulous creepy-meets-campy gothic tale. The characters are all hideously flawed; a lonely preteen who still wets his pants, a group of drunkards each with their own brand of oddness to boot, an eternally 12-year-old child, and more.

I was on edge the whole story, unsure of what to expect, and on the edge of my seat towards the end as the story began to unfold.

A fantastic thriller. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TBRChallenge #AudioBook #ABookThats

#BookHunt Round 2 #isolationgames

Something else about it: A beautiful book, but trigger warnings for EVERYTHING!

Creepy and often gruesome vampire tale that makes Salem's Lot look like Twilight. One or two of the minor characters were maybe surplus to requirements but the central friendship between poor bullied Oscar and vampire next door Eli was surprisingly moving.

For some reason I thought this was gonna be a cool & twisty Scandi murder mystery thriller. Was NOT expecting vampires. Caveat: Lestat has ruined me for vampire fiction. Sorry, not sorry. Initially was intrigued by Oskar & Eli's relationship but got distracted by several other less interesting storylines going on at the same time. Overall, I was left dissatisfied - plot was thin & characters unlikable.

This is my next read ... not entirely sure it's the best choice after finishing Owen Meany but it was on my schedule & the schedule must be obeyed!

Also it's another 500+ page read ... *sigh*

So much thanks to the super generous @WorldsOkayestStepMom for sending me this book and a cute note after winning her raffle! 💕📚 Book mail is the BEST! 😍#bookmail

This was good, but there were a lot of characters to keep up with and it didn't really start to come together until the end. I'm not interested in rereading this one, so I'm giving it away! Open to US residents only (postage costs). Leave a comment below with your favorite reading snack or drink to enter for a chance to win. See previous post for photo of the book. #giveaway
Also, I managed to get in just over 6 hours for the #24b4monday thing!

Starting the English version of "Let the Right One In" for my 75th book of the year!