With a Twist of Fantasy

I don't know where I first found this book, but recently I have been reading THE SILVER BOUGH by Lisa Tuttle. I was looking for something to read that I could relax into, and so far, this book has fit the bill. It was buried in my TBR pile, so I am happy to have lowered that pile, if only by one book.

The book starts off perfectly normal, with an idyllic Scottish setting on the fictional island of Appleton. There are several points of view, including that of an American visiting family to reveal what happened to her grandmother when she was a kid, another American who now runs the local library, and Nell, a transplant to the island whose only goal is to reproduce the famous Appleton Fairest, an apple with legends attached to it.

After a landslide cuts off the only road leading to the island, the residents begin to notice strange things happening to their little town. Shops that were never noticed before appear. Mystical strangers appear in the town, causing different effects in the residents.

While it's clear all along what the point of the story is going to be, that doesn't make the journey any less enjoyable. I love the elements of fantasy creeping into the book, just like the fog surrounding the island. It's been a fun read.

I write this as Hurricane Ike points his feelers at Houston and everyone here is either heading out of town or hunkering down. My plan for the next couple of days involves catching up on my reading, and I have two books already next in line. Assuming everything stays intact, I should have finished a couple of books and had a few naps - two of my favorite things.

Nicole