What Are You Reading Showing 2,351-2,400 of 6,935

[Seraphina]

I have the boxset of the wire and loved season one and two of it but it just died for ms in season 3. It was just more of the same. I lost interest in it altogether and didn't even finish it. Pity because it started so well

[Barbara]

Gerry - I loved the show Homicide. I should see if its available on Netflix. It was quirky before there was even a word for it. One episode I loved is when Falsone, an Italian American cop, suspects someone they are investigating is using an assumed name. He tricks the guy after a few visits by throwing in some uniquely Italian gestures and the guy start doing the same. Don't know why that episode stuck with me. Great actors - Andre Braugher, Melissa Leo and more.

Emma - I think DVD's are best for burning Audible books as they hold so much more. Otherwise, I think I've read, you end up with a handful of CDs. Somewhere - maybe here on GR - I read the best way to transfer audiobooks to disk (DVD).

[Susan]

I got this book to review and I want input from all of you. It's called Lonely Planet Ireland. It's really not my cup of tea as most of the accomodations are for hostels and campgrounds which is not the way I want to travel.

Declan, did you say you were from the Liberties? They recommended the Fumbally Cafe, Leo Burdock's and Lock's Brasserie? Have you heard of these places and are they good?

Paul and Trelawn, they say 2/3 of Maynooth's population is from NUIM and recommend canoeing there. I don't think I would do that. They recommend staying at NUI (which I think I'd pass up) and eating at Mohana's and Avenue. What do you think?

Seraphina, Limerick sounds fascinating. They recommend St. John's Castle, the Hunt Museum and the city museum. For eating they recommend Cafe Noir and Chocolat.

Allan, I got a big kick out of the Belfast section. It starts, "Once lumped with Beirut, Baghdad and Bosnia as one of the 4 B's for travellers to avoid..." Wow. They recommend the Queen's Festival in Oct., the Titanic, the Ulster Museum and the Crown Liquor Saloon. Their favorite restaurants? Barking Dog and Molly's Yard. They also call Carrickfergus Northern Ireland's most impressive medieval fortress.

There were two places I was interested in and wondered if anybody had been to. One is Dun na Si Heritage Center and the other was Clonmacnoise. I was wondering what you thought of adding them to my itinerary.

My favorite section said the secret to understanding the Irish is to know they are low on self esteem. They are suspicious of praise and tend not to believe anything nice said about them. "The Irish play at false modesty like a sport." If this true, poor Declan must suffer at the hand of the Americans who worship him.

[[deleted user]]

Susan, Fumbally Cafe isn't too far from me but it would be a push to say it's in the Liberties. I've never eaten in it but it looks nice. I might try it out and tell you more. Locks Brasserie is most definitely not in the Liberties. It's about two or three miles away. I had to look it up as I didn't know it. In the Liberties (for cafes) I'd recommend the Food Gallery -where I had coffee with Cathleen- or Peacock Green on Lord Edward Street. I've heard good things about Queen of Tarts (also on Lord Edward Street) but I've never eaten there. I might get back to.you about that, too.

Burdocks is a Dublin institution. There's no seating. Most people (who aren't bringing their food home) might walk across and eat in the grounds of Christchurch or walk down Werburgh street and eat in St Patrick's park.

[Susan]

It seems like the guidebook is off then. Thanks for letting me know.

[[deleted user]]

I will try it so, Emma. The likely reason I haven't tried it is I'm spoiled for choice with cakes. Manning's is a stone's throw from where I live. It lacks ambience but its cakes are delicious.

[Susan]

I've heard of the Queen of Tarts mentioned before so it must be good. I am not sure what a chipper is. Is it a place that makes potato chips?

[Paul]

Mohanas is an Indian restaurant. still to try it. Avenue has a good reputation but maynooth is spoiled for restaraunts.

[Paul]

There is a big college related population all right but not in the part we live in.

[Susan]

I checked Trip Advisor and Avenue is rated the number 1 restaurant in Maynooth and their chicken wings seem to be the food of choice.

[Trelawn]

Avenue is my friend's favourite restaurant but there are so many it all depends on taste. It was my birthday over the weekend and we tried somewhere different called Chill which i'd definitely recommend.e

[Paul]

With Trip advisor most ratings are by visitors rather than locals so hidden gems get lost in it all.

[Seraphina]

Declan I'm shocked you've never been to queen of tarts. That's always a stop off when I'm in Dublin. One of my work colleagues from Dublin keeps telling me to try beshoffs for fish and chips. I've yet to go though.

[[deleted user]]

@Seraphina. To get to Queen of Tarts I'd have to walk pass Mannings, The Food Gallery, Cafe Noto, The Apple Blossom Cafe and Peacock Green. I'll give there soon, but they'd have to be special to make me pass all those to return again.

[Seraphina]

Ah well your Spoilt for choice then ;) not a bad complaint

[Allan]

Susan, I had a laugh at the Belfast description-I'm not sure if we're quite as bad as those other three places, but can understand why they wrote that for effect. The events and attractions that they mentioned are fine, but I was a little surprised by their choice of restaurants. The Barking Dog is nice but not amazing, and Molly's Yard is much the same-the sort of place you'd go to for lunch rather than dinner. Both are in the University area, well away from the Cathedral Quarter, where most of the 'fashionable' restaurants are located.

As for Carrickfergus, I'd agree with the fact that the Castle is impressive, although in comparison to the likes of Edinburgh castle, there's little to see inside-it's just the rest of the town that is a dump!

I have to say that I do like the Lonely Planet guides-I'd always have either their book or a Rough Guide before going to a major city to which I'd never been, though we'd use Trip Advisor quite a bit while away.

[[deleted user]]

@Seraphina and Emma. A lot of money is being pumped into the area, including the building of 500 student apartments. We might havea Starbucks soon enough.

@Allan and Paul. I'm starting to get the impression these guide or published for budget travelling rather than typical holiday makers.

[Paul]

Declan, Lonely Planet is strictly on a budget travelling. The college accommodation in Maynooth is about 25 quid a night but certainly wouldn't be the best. Carton House would probably be the higher class. Canoeing wouldn't be the main sporting draw either with some of the best golf courses in the world in the area as well as the Horses but they'd be a bit more high class.

[[deleted user]]

@Emma. We already have a Tesco's express. After that a Starbucks doesn't seen so crass.

@Paul. That sounds fair enough, but it still shouldn't be difficult for them to find suitable places actually in the Liberties.

[Allan]

I find that the Lonely Planet editions I have bought have a mix of activities for different budgets. They list Michelin Star restaurants alongside burger joints and 5 star accommodation alongside hostels. In fact, when I used to travel on a real budget in the summers in the mid to late 90s around Europe (we used to have £20 a day to pay for food and accommodation!), I used the Let's Go and Cheap Sleeps guides, which were more geared toward students, because Lonely Planet would've been featuring accommodation and eateries beyond my budget.

[Paul]

Agreed Declan. No excuse for getting the location wrong in a guide.

[Seraphina]

I enjoy lonely planets guides and find them far more reliable than trip advisor who's top 10 have been known to be biased via the hotels/restaurants getting staff and friends to put in good ratings.

[Susan]

I think Lonely Planet is aimed for a younger audience than me. The chances the I would fly so many hours to Ireland and go canoe is not very likely. At 61 I want comfort and nice surroundings. I want to stay in a castle again. How much time do I have left to do that?

I don't use Trip Advisor much except to get names and locations. I don't use the booking engine on it. I usually negotiate with the hotels to get a travel agent rate.

I just wanted to get a feel for how accurate the guide is so I could review it.

Allan, on that Queen's Festival or are there authors?
I went on their web site and it seemed like the big draw was Elvis Costello.

[Allan]

Susan, you'll get a mix of all Arts in the festival-to be honest there'll be very few authors, but you'll get some. It's a pretty long running festival though, and would draw the biggest names of any of the festivals in Belfast.

[Paul]

Emma, the college accommodation in Maynooth is available all year. The guide book say its NUI but its actually St Aptricks so isn't used by students and is in a 300 year old building which is great ( you'd like the building at least Susan.
And nothing wrong with a 5 star hotel from time to time ;-)

[[deleted user]]

Walirlan, your comment seems to have gotten lost among the travel guide chit-chat. It happens every now and again.

I have little knowledge about Cole. Isn't she a crime writer? If so I'm sure there must be more than a few members who've read her work.

[Paul]

Sky did an adaption of at least one of Coles books , I think it was the Take. My sisters friend was in it but I never watched it.
If you liked the book Walirlan it might be worth keeping an eye out for the miniseries

[Barbara]

Susan - I like Lonely Planet for Ireland and just bought the kindle edition for my recent trip. I was only going to Dublin and Belfast, but I find it handy to have multiple reference books:) I am a travel book addict and have to control myself before any trip. I have to confess for this trip I also got the Rick Steves Guide to Northern Ireland, a Belfast atlas, and the Wallpaper Guide to Belfast.
I last ate at Leo Burdock's in 2009 when I was staying at the Jurys at Christchurch. When I went, the line was mostly locals, working guys, so despite its fame, it's not a yuppie place. One dinner was enough for 2.
As Paul said, the real gems are known to locals and rarely show up in guidebooks.

[John]

Susan wrote: "I thought you got CD's and played them on your stereo. I am hope..."

@Susan this is from a few weeks back. I think you missed it :) https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Barbara]

Back to 'what are you reading?' - I am reading This Is the Way: A Novel by Gavin Corbett, a young writer from Dublin, for my book club next Monday, and listening to Ordinary Grace by William Kruger.

I am itching to get to Time Present, and Time Past by Deirdre Madden. A friend read it over the weekend and said it transported her to Dublin. I think Cathleen just read it. And Steinbeck keeps calling me.

[Allan]

I'm reading and much appreciating two non fiction titles at present-Homicide by David Simon and The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell.

[Barbara]

Allan - that's one of the Orwell's I've been meaning to read along with Down and Out in London and Paris and Homage to Catalonia.

[Susan]

John, thank you. I did miss it. I must update myself sometime.

Barbara, Ordinary Grace is a lovely book. It moved me in ways that I can't explain. I'm anxious to hear what you think of it.

[Allan]

Barbara, I'd definitely recommend all three titles above any of his more famous novels that I've read. 'Down and Out' is fascinating, particularly in its Paris section, and I have read it a number of times. You might be interested to know that both it and Road to Wigan Pier are on Audible for less than the price of a credit, just in case another sale comes on board!

[Allan]

Barbara, I'll be interested to see what both you and Sara think of the Gavin Corbett novel. I think I've lifted the UK edition a few times and may buy it if it's any good.

[Susan]

I just ran across Lady Gregory when I was researching my trip. Can anybody recommend one of her books or a book about her?

[Susan]

Thanks, Emma.

[Paul]

I think Emma is right. Once she died her plays all but disappeared . Her best legacy is extensive diaries detailing both her own life and the irish literary movement.She left a mass of information for biographers

[John]

Last week I tried asking Facebook Friends for book recommendations.

One was Dark Matter which I just finished. It was ok but my main reaction was "Ghosts! really!?". I sometimes wonder if ghost stories are only designed to scare people who actually believe that nonsense. Though I loved The Little Stranger which was so much more than just a ghost story.

Today I will be starting Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal on Audio. Which two friends highly recommended. But hadn't heard of before now. It's been a bit too long since I read non-fiction so I'm looking forward to that.

Ticking along very slowly on Kindle still is If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, which I think is losing a lot of punch, as I'm only reading it every night and mostly conking out after a page or two! (also: I accidentally bought this thinking it was his book of short stories: This Isn't the Sort of Thing That Happens to Someone Like You. For the forseeable future I plan to mostly read short stories or novellas on the Kindle.

This is turning into a very long "what are you reading?" congratulations if you got this far. I'm also planning with great trepidation to read Middlemarch (on Audio) to give myself one more go at an old classic, and take a break from my endless appetite for very contemporary novels. I've toyed with a few options and recommendations but I think Middlemarch will be the one. First time I've seen a book with several versions on Audible.

[Trelawn]

If you're not particularly into classics I wouldn't have started you off with Middlemarch. It's a bold choice. Let us know how you get on John.

[Paul]

If I was going for Eliot I'd go with Silas Mariner which I found much more enjoyable.

[Paul]

I loved Silas Mariner . Its such a sweet story in its way.

[Trelawn]

It's a really good book and ab easier foray into the classics than Middlemarch.

[Diane]

George Elliot is one of my favorite authors but I agree with the advice to start with Silas Marner. Personally I don't think Middlemarch a good candidate for audio listening. Victorian writing is complex and doesn't lend itself to multitasking. At least when I listen to audio, I'm also doing other things.
It is a wonderful book though and I do recommend reading it. The mistakes people make in the book to screw up their lives people are still making today.

[John]

Middlemarch was one of the recommendations that came up when I asked on Facebook. One friend said it can reasonably claim to be the greatest novel in the English language. But I'm definitely taking the feedback on board from you guys. I will first test the George Elliot waters with Silas Marner.

Thanks

[John]

Wow

-Silas Mariner on Kindle: free
-Add Audiobook to purchase: €0.73

Bargain. Cheap classics for the win!

[Paul]

Bargain

[Paul]

Emma , surely you've no issue with Charles Dickens / Gonzo the Great

[Paul]

I've not read any of The Mill on The Floss but her other books have been good so worth a look Emma.

And very true Theresa. Some books can really suit a stage in our lives and just not work at others

[Diane]

@Emma. Say it isn't so. Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of my favorite books.