Goodreads Ireland discussion
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What Are You Reading
Sara, I'm about 90 mins from finishing for the day, and 67 mins from the end of The Book Thief-so all is good! Taking a short break now, before finishing the second coat of paint on the walls tonight, then starting on the wood work and the new Adrian McKinty in the morning!
I've added Trudi Kanter's book. It sounds like an amazing story. Thanks, J.S.
@Jamielynn. His books are seldom airy, but he is an amazing writer. I thought you might enjoy him.
@Jamielynn. His books are seldom airy, but he is an amazing writer. I thought you might enjoy him.
Allan wrote: "Sara, I'm about 90 mins from finishing for the day, and 67 mins from the end of The Book Thief-so all is good! Taking a short break now, before finishing the second coat of paint on the walls ton..."
Allan, started the new McKinty today and it is wonderful so far. I can see why you like him. He writes well and the story is in your backyard. He's much better than Ian Sansom. :)
What is going on in Ireland? I see Seraphina and Declan both added the same Fredrick Douglass book. Is it Douglass Day over there?
Nah, Susan. He's very well regarded over here because of his various remarks about Irish history. Even in his narrative he mentions 'better to hang in England than die of natural causes in Ireland.'
There's a famous mural of him in Belfast.
There's a famous mural of him in Belfast.
@Declan, I first discovered this when we read that book "transatlantic". What a great mural. Thanks for sharing that.
Well, the painting-and audiobook listening-went as expected, as I managed to finish both the room and the Zusak and McKinty audiobooks. I have to admit that I cheated a little and listened on to the McKinty once I'd finished painting, as I was so gripped I couldn't leave the story until it was done, which I suppose means that McKinty has done a pretty excellent job once again-I'd definitely recommend this novel!
Having a look at the audiobooks I've still to listen to, I think I'll go for Vonnegut's 'Mother Night' next. Sara, did you ever listen to it? With it being seen as the sister novel to Slaughterhouse V, I hope it'll be an interesting companion to the monthly read.
Mother Might wasn't on my shelves, Allan, but it is now.
Declan wrote: "Nah, Susan. He's very well regarded over here because of his various remarks about Irish history. Even in his narrative he mentions 'better to hang in England than die of natural causes in Ireland...."I am not sure what he meant in the quote on his mural: "Perhaps no class has carried prejudice against colour to a point more dangerous than the Irish and yet no people have been more relentlessly oppressed on account of race and religion".
He seems to be saying that the Irish or perhaps Irish in America were prejudiced and at the same time refers to their own oppression because of race and religion. The idea of the Irish as a race has been both accepted and debated. As race is a cultural construction, in many contexts, such as British colonialism in Ireland, the Irish were treated as a race. It is tricky to analyze quotes out of context. Looks like I should go to the source and read Douglass's own words.
https://sites.google.com/site/frederi...
I actually find the quote enlightening. The Irish in America were initially seen almost as vermin, yet the still had their own racial prejudices resulting from their treatment. Typically, the worst racial, religious, and cultural bigotry come from poorer areas. I'd haard a guess that insecurity and deprivation have a lot to do with it. Irish slaves were treated terribly by their black counterparts in the West Indies.
The quote on the mural might have been more powerful if it at 'no people,' but it would have been a classic case of quote mining leaving out a negative aspect deliberately for the sake of appearances.
The quote on the mural might have been more powerful if it at 'no people,' but it would have been a classic case of quote mining leaving out a negative aspect deliberately for the sake of appearances.
Lol! Of all the things he could have picked on. Statues!?
Lol your so funny. I know, it's nuts
Jamie Lynn wrote: "Seraphina that is something I don't understand. I think it all started with Jesus on a grilled cheese sandwich. I'm not trying to be blasphemous but people who do this are looking for magic. If Jes..."Yeah. Why is it that Jimi Hendrix never shows up on a grilled cheese sandwich? Or in those images left by water stains on walls?
Back on topic:) I got Mary Robinson's book Everybody Matters as a daily Kindle special for $1.99 and decided to pick up the audiobook for $3.99. Though I have long been interested in Irish women's history, I only knew Mary Robinson as the first woman to be president of Ireland. Already, this puts Ireland 24 years ahead of the US in this respect. Although her narration isn't professional, I am enjoying it. It occurred to me yesterday that March is Women's History Month and the month of all things Irish. So it's a perfect read/listen for the month.I am enjoying whispersync and will use it more when I can get the book and audio at a bargain price.
Barbara wrote: "Back on topic:) I got Mary Robinson's book Everybody Matters as a daily Kindle special for $1.99 and decided to pick up the audiobook for $3.99. Though I have long been interested in Irish women's ..."Oh dear. We cross posted so this caught my eye. The US has never had a DOG as president either. Does that necessitate electing a DOG at some point? ---We need to quit electing categories of persons in favor of electing someone qualified, if anyone is left who is qualified and will have the office. That goes for the entire potential field of 2016 candidates: re-treads, hacks, and crooks.
Would be interested to read Robinson's book. But Mary Robinson is herself unsullied and it has nothing to do with gender. It seems politics does that for people. ---Was she given permission to build a manse on protected lakeside property, after "serving" the ROI? Everybody Matters But Some Are More Equal Than Others.
*end of rant and time for more coffee*
Edit: looks like it was Mary McAleese who built the McMansion. Same difference. Guess Bill Clinton's friends were not willing to buy the Girls a golf property like they did for the Clintons.
JS - I don't want to turn this forum into an unpleasant debate so I will refrain from saying anything else.
I haven't read it myself Barbara but she is someone I greatly admire. She was a very innovative president and her work in human rights since she finished her presidency is very impressive.
Jamie Lynn wrote: "Well you're the one showing me all the dirty pictures..."
I just spit me tea onto my laptop screen.
I just spit me tea onto my laptop screen.
It's a great book, Gerry, although I cheated and listened to it on audiobook! Enjoy! The Trainspotting novel is so much better than the film, in my opinion...Can I recommend Kurt Vonnegut's 'Mother Night' to everyone btw? I picked it up in an Audible sale that Sara posted about last year, and having only read his famous works, Breakfast of Champions and Slaughterhouse V, I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out to be a thought provoking, clever and witty novel that I thoroughly enjoyed!
After reading recommendations here of Donal Ryan's The Spinning Heart, I put it on my "booklist" for my trip here. I went to Charlie Byrne's bookshop in Galway and found it there. I didn't even realize until sometime later that it was an autographed copy. I just started it, and I think I'm going to like it very much.
I really enjoyed The Spinning Heart, Cathleen-I'm sure you will too. In my opinion, the awards it won were well deserved!
Anyone interested in a bit of Donal Ryan, he's doing a talk at Galway's Cuirt literary festival. Could be worth a day trip! Bit of Galway, dram of cider and a dose of Donal.Cuirt are really gaining some traction. I'd never really paid them any attention before last year but I went and saw Seamus Heaney talk there (I eventually left because Seamus was an utter bore and the free drink had run out). Now this year there's a little hype there. Galway has a great feel to it for literature even if it isn't actually that impressive in producing it.
I'm celebrating being Irish! On March 15 - 17 I'm giving away two Kindle books set in Ireland.
These are also available in paperback.
I write SF, crime and romantic suspense.
Murder At Irish Mensa - light crime, female sleuth, first of a series.
Silks And Sins - romantic suspense, equestrian and racing interest.
MURDER AT IRISH MENSA by Clare O'Beara
US: http://amazon.com/dp/B00E5JMQP4
Canada: http://amazon.ca/dp/B00E5JMQP4
UK: http://amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E5JMQP4
France: http://amazon.fr/dp/B00E5JMQP4
Germany: http://amazon.de/dp/B00E5JMQP4
Austria: http://amazon.at/dp/B00E5JMQP4
Italy: http://amazon.it/dp/B00E5JMQP4
Spain: http://amazon.es/dp/B00E5JMQP4
Japan: http://amazon.jp/dp/B00E5JMQP4
SINS AND SILKS by Clare O'Beara
US: http://amazon.com/dp/B00EGXYKR6
Canada: http://amazon.ca/dp/B00EGXYKR6
UK: http://amazon.co.uk/dp/B00EGXYKR6
France: http://amazon.fr/dp/B00EGXYKR6
Germany: http://amazon.de/dp/B00EGXYKR6
Austria: http://amazon.at/dp/B00EGXYKR6
Italy: http://amazon.it/dp/B00EGXYKR6
Spain: http://amazon.es/dp/B00EGXYKR6
Japan: http://amazon.jp/dp/B00EGXYKR6
Niall, I had a look at the Cuirt programme there, and there's quite an impressive lineup of authors that I'd go to see-aside from Ryan, authors like Hugo Hamilton and Roddy Doyle are entertaining at events, and I loved both Patrick deWitt novels and also enjoyed the Craig Davidson books I've read. I hope the Belfast festival in May has as impressive a lineup!Susan, I had a smile to myself and thought of you earlier there, while in Waterstones bookshop. I overheard ladies of a certain vintage discussing whether to buy CJ Sansom's 'Dominion', but put it back down because it 'wasn't a Shardlake'. I was going to give the book my stamp of approval but was concerned that they'd think I was going to mug them or something...
I didn't end up buying anything in Waterstones earlier, but instead used a £10 Amazon voucher from my birthday to buy a total of 9 novels-the Barrytown Trilogy by Roddy Doyle, so I can finally read The Commitments and follow it up with The Guts, William Kennedy's 'The Albany Cycle Book 1', comprising of 3 novels including the novel that is Willy Vlautin's favourite novel ever and the Studs Lonigan trilogy by James T Farrell, a series of books about an Irish American upbringing that are apparently seen as classics from the first half of the 20th century. Pretty good value I think!
Meanwhile, this weekend I am planning on finishing Ben Lerner's 'Leaving the Atocha Station', which I'm not really enjoying, before starting the Gerard Stembridge novel I haven't read yet, 'According to Luke'.
Has anyone else got any interesting reading plans? :)
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I never thought I'd read the words 'Sara' and 'not reading very much' in the same post! I always enjoy reading your weekend reading plans, so it's good to see you checking in to let us know what you're up to!Jamielynn, I wouldn't worry about the depth of your cozy mysteries-reading for pleasure is, after all, surely what we're all interested on in the group!
Re graphic novels btw, I was interested to see two Jim Larkin based graphic novels in Waterstones today-I've never read a graphic novel, but I was tempted briefly, until I saw their prohibitive price tags anyway!
I've picked up a few graphic novels myself and put them back seeing as it's a genre I love but it's always beyond the price range of any normal person. It had been a very quiet week in general on GRI.
I have to look into my local library. We moved into the city over 18 months ago but I haven't made it in to the library yet. Your use of libraries keeps encouraging me to
Allan and Seraphina, I'd check the libraries for graphic novels. You're right, they're very expensive but given the huge range available it's best to work out to authors you like and I've found libraries fantastic in this regard. I'm a voracious reader of some graphic novel genres so I'd be very interested in hearing what other people on this group read.
Mod
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Fables by Bill Willingham
Northanders by Brian Wood
most recently (and I'm eagerly awaiting and will purchase the day it comes out ">Saga by Brian K. Vaughan
Love and Rockets by the Hernandez brothers
Special Mentions:(because I think everyone should read them regardless of whether they think they like graphic novels because of the stories they tell):
Maus by Art Spieglman: Allan this one would go along with the other books related to the Holocaust you've been reading recently.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
I find graphic novels to be one of the few things I think it's absolutely worth it to purchase as a physical book v. an e-book anymore.
Mod
I've wanted to read sandman for a good while now.
Actually, Dublin City Liibrary has a good slelction (at least in quantity) of graphic novels. Fingers crossed, I might get Maus there, which I added previously on Sara's recommendation.
@Seraphina. Try the library. They have a great inter-library scheme that'll very likely find Sandman for you.
@Seraphina. Try the library. They have a great inter-library scheme that'll very likely find Sandman for you.
Thanks for the recommendation, Sara, and Brian, the next time I'm in the library, I'll have a look for the graphic novels-I've never considered that avenue. The one graphic novel that piqued my interest when I heard about it was the one that was released recently which is about WW1 and is like the Bayeux tapestry in how it tells the story-I can't remember it's name though...
Mod
That's the very one, Sara-I heard a number of interviews with Sacco when the book was released, and it sounds like a really interesting concept, if perhaps a little different from the usual graphic novel style. I know nothing about the Yugoslav war to be honest, so his graphic novel on it could be a starting point. Thank you!
I finished Everybody Matters by Mary Robinson last night. It was an ideal book to use Amazon's whispersync with. I will take advantage of Kindle daily specials to get whispersync - otherwise it is too pricey for my New England Yankee soul. But the advantage is that I am able to get through a book faster if I have it in both formats. Having the ebook in this instance was advantageous as there were several pages of photos at the end of the book.I am about 2/3rds of the way through The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner. It is a good followup to Vlautin's The Motel Life as the heroine is from Reno Nevada.
After Susan's and Allan's glowing reviews of Adrian McKinty's new book In the Morning I'll Be Gone I decided to read it before my trip to Belfast. And it was on special on Kobo, so I got the ebook through my local indie bookstore for $8.69. I was going to get the paperback today as I plan to go to "my" bookstore to pick up the new Willy Vlautin book The Free as well as a few others. But decided that saving $6 on the ebook was too good a deal to pass up.
Jamie Lynn - I do use the pubic library -mostly for new books that I want to read now and not wait for the paperback. I also get loads of books on Paperback Swap. But I am drowning in swapped books, sigh. However, the good members of this group push me to read more and more (smile).
I am interested in graphic novels as a genre that is particularly well suited for students learning English. I haven't read many but I did pick up one on my last trip to Ireland on the War of Independence titled At War with the Empire.
https://www.obrien.ie/at-war-with-the...
These books are pricey though. I see O'Brien Press has a few more on Irish history, including the Easter Uprising and Jim Larkin and the 1913 Dublin strike. There's one on James Joyce I just may have to pick up when I am in Dublin for my friend Maureen who is Joyce devotee.
Allan wrote: "Niall, I had a look at the Cuirt programme there, and there's quite an impressive lineup of authors that I'd go to see-aside from Ryan, authors like Hugo Hamilton and Roddy Doyle are entertaining a..."Allan - I forgot to comment on your getting 9 books for £10 - what a deal. Declan often shares the bargains he picks up. My local public library system (Sara's too) have a few library stores where they sell used library books and donated books. I haven't been recently as I am drowning in books and what you find is, of course, random. I have tried looking for specific titles but usually don't find them. It is better to just roam in my favorite section which is modern fiction. They have loads of mysteries too but I don't read many cozies which is the bulk of what there seems to be,
Lilliput is also good for history titles, Barbara. The following list may help locate specialty titles. Includes trad publishers owned by the big 5 conglomerates [ the Starbucks and McDonalds of the pub world] and micropresses there.http://www.irelandseye.com/cle/clenew...
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Barbara-I suppose I cheated with the 9 books because they're actually 3 books in 3 volumes-but I checked and I could've got each of the 9 novels at full price (probably £50 or so), so I did well! I hope you enjoy both the McKinty and Vlautin novels as much as both Susan and I did.Aside from buying books at events and with vouchers, and of course for monthly reads, I'm making a concerted effort to get through my unread shelves at home and on audiobook. As a result, I'm saving plenty of money, and currently really enjoying the Stembridge that has been sitting on my shelves for ages.
Sara - Know about ABC. Allan- I have Unspoken on my night table but I keep picking up others instead.
JS- thanks for the link. I'll check it out.
Barbara, Declan will vouch for me that Unspoken is a very worthy read. He enjoyed it a lot more than he enjoyed 'The Spinning Heart', which I thought was interesting. I actually passed the book over loads of times myself before I picked it up off my TBR shelf and read it, but devoured it when I did eventually get to it. Give it a go!It occurred to me last night when I was reading 'According to Luke' that a fair portion of Unspoken is actually set in Limerick, so I recommended it to Seraphina as a result. If you do end up reading it, Seraphina, I hope you find that it's not twee like Angela's Ashes was, but I don't think you will!
I will def read it Allan. I haven't had great success with the quarterly read the third policeman. I didn't enjoy it at all. So I'm keen to try another Irish author and see It sounds like a pretty interesting story going by the blurb
@Seraphina, I really disliked our last quarterly selection, The Fields. I never got the sense of humor. So I didn't tackle this one either. After reading comments about it, I'm glad I didn't.
Susan, The Fields was a monthly read, which most people, including myself, didn't get (although I see it's on Tesco shelves at present so is probably selling by the van load)-it was Troubles that you and a couple of others didn't enjoy-I, and I know most others who read it, absolutely loved it, but I definitely think there was a big element of the humour 'lost in translation'. I'd definitely not be put off Irish authors as a result though!I have to admit that, while I have 'The Third Policeman' on my TBR shelf, the comments I have seen have so far put me off a little from reading it.
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I loved Unspoken, for sure, and I'd recommend it to anyone in the group. As you liked The Book Thief, Seraphina, I really think you'll enjoy this. It has the coming-of-age appeal that TBT has, but you'll appreciate the social commentary of Ireland in the '60s.
I loved Troubles and couldn't see why it wasn't more popular. The Third Policeman is a personal favourite of mine, but I knew it would be divisive. That kind of surreal storyline coupled with the humour was bound to put people off.
I hated The Fields on so many levels. It felt like Maher sat down and just thought about the best way to flog books to Irish people. It's a long time since I hated a book that much.
I loved Troubles and couldn't see why it wasn't more popular. The Third Policeman is a personal favourite of mine, but I knew it would be divisive. That kind of surreal storyline coupled with the humour was bound to put people off.
I hated The Fields on so many levels. It felt like Maher sat down and just thought about the best way to flog books to Irish people. It's a long time since I hated a book that much.
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Goodreads Ireland
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How about everyone else? Allan how's the painting and audio book listening going?