Author Archives: Lucy Pollard-Gott

About Lucy Pollard-Gott

Author of The Fictional 100. http://fictional100.com http://fictional100.wordpress.com http://northernlightsreading.com

Review: “The House by the Fjord” by Rosalind Laker

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Lucy Pollard-Gott

The House by the Fjord by Rosalind Laker. Severn House, 2011. The House by the Fjord is the last novel of the prolific romance writer Barbara Øvstedal  (1921-2012), who wrote primarily under the pen name of Rosalind Laker. Her many … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical Fiction, Literature | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Call of the Deep North: “An African in Greenland” by Tété-Michel Kpomassie

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Lucy Pollard-Gott

An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie (trans. by James Kirkup, 1983; intro. A. Alvarez). New York Review Books, 2001. Tété-Michel Kpomassie is an extraordinary person and an extraordinary writer. His decision to leave his native Togo in 1959 and … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Call of the Deep North: “Palace of the Snow Queen” by Barbara Sjoholm

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Lucy Pollard-Gott

The Palace of the Snow Queen: Winter Travels in Lapland by Barbara Sjoholm. Shoemaker & Hoard, 2007. Author Barbara Sjoholm makes her winter travels in Lapland personal from her first pages, where she confides her deep sadness and restlessness after … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Arctic Mysteries Run Deep: “Under the Snow” by Kerstin Ekman

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Lucy Pollard-Gott

Under the Snow by Kerstin Ekman, trans. Joan Tate, Picador, 1999. (First published in Swedish in 1961) Kerstin Ekman’s Under the Snow stretches the police procedural  genre–or rather, freezes it–to fit its setting: a tiny Sami village on the Arctic … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Nordic Noir | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Northern Lights” by Eric Ewazen (for marimba)

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Lucy Pollard-Gott

Eric Ewazen – “Northern Lights” for solo marimba. Performed by Matt Moore on March 24 2011. Beautiful sound, isn’t it? It really does evoke the shimmering, curtain-like beauty of the Northern Lights. Eric Ewazen is a composer and teacher at … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and Art | Tagged | 2 Comments

Review: “The Laughing Policeman” by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Lucy Pollard-Gott

The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, trans. Alan Blair, Random House, 1970. My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Martin Beck series by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö changed the scope of detective fiction in Sweden, adding … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Nordic Noir | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Travel the World in Books Readathon–Wrap-up of Activities and Gratitude!

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Lucy Pollard-Gott

After two weeks of participating in the first Travel the World in Books Readathon, I am most happy for having spent time with this wonderful community of bloggers. Big thanks to our hosts–Moms Small Victories, Lost in Books, and Savvy … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Literature, Travel | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Daughter of Fire: A Portrait of Iceland by Katharine Scherman #TraveltheWorldinBooks

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Lucy Pollard-Gott

Daughter of Fire: A Portrait of Iceland by Katharine Scherman, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1976. Whenever I hear just the word Iceland, I feel exhilaration. I picture broad flat terrain, nearly treeless, punctuated by some flat-topped volcanoes and bubbling … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Travel the World in Books Challenge and Readathon

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Lucy Pollard-Gott

Since I’m joining the Travel the World in Books Challenge at the time of its first Readathon, this post will serve to outline my goals for both events. My thanks to Mom’s Small Victories, I’m Lost in Books, and Savvy … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Travel | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Nordic Noir and life at the extremes

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Lucy Pollard-Gott

“Who will see us? Who can search out our crimes?”–Psalm 64: 6-7 Why so much crime fiction? Detective fiction and police procedurals have emerged as the most characteristic genre writing in Northern countries, enough to have acquired the name, “Nordic … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Nordic Noir | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments