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[Susan]

I think it's because it's in a private car for only four people. They did have a link to a bus tour for 30 euros. I just don't like busses. I am in a quandary right now. I was going to fly into Shannon and leave Dublin but have discovered this costs $150 more so for two people that's $300. I am trying to reorganize my trip but can't wrap my mind around it. I thought about going to Trim the first night. We had a lovely time there and stumbled into a local bar where I proceeded to get drunk on Drambouie. I hadn't been drunk in 30 years but those darn Irish charmers kept buying us drinks and calling each other wanker. I have fond memories.

[J.S.]

That is for the whole day and would normally apply to a group. IF it is just you, then you might contact him for a better rate if interested. The advantage is that with a guide what might take 3 days on your own will take just one day. Obviously 300 euros split 4 ways for an entire day is reasonable. Particularly given the price of gas/petrol in Ireland. It's a matter of the price of something vs the inherent value.

Vehicle: he uses a little black Lexus ( ? -- I'm not up on car models per se; might be a Mercedes) so it is a cushy ride for a group. Different than being stuffed into a rental car/van, breaking off the rear view mirrors on the country lanes' ditches,
while searching in vain for the next field that holds Tlachtga, or Fourknocks; and etc ! ---- ; )

Overall, if it is just Bru na Boinne you/group wish to visit in co Meath, then a bus tour from Dublin city centre might do. If you want to see Loughcrew, then the Bru, then Fourknocks, and have a few stops at lesser sites, then use a guide. Or if you just want to see the abbeys with a quick trip to Slane Castle, he can do that. --- And a guide knows if the car-park robbers are active, knows whether it will rain or be relatively clear, and other invaluable factoids... In the case of M Fox, he will also work in garden tours if that is your interest, and will stop at little bookshops. He understand the different eras represented in Meath sites, and is a very civilized person. Hmmm. Have almost talked myself into a trip there !

[Paul]

Well finished the John Connolly Novella
The Museum of Literary Souls
extra quick and it was simply brilliant If it is more available now on ebook or other do get it.
I've hit another Novella straight away
Legion
Very good start if a tad weird

[Paul]

I wonder why the name changed between the special edition release and the Kindle release

[Paul]

The special edition was the fastest selling Biblio mystery ever done by the bookshop . It sold out well before publication. Possibly a copyright issue maybe.

[Paul]

next time he's in The Gutter I will. Oddly I like both names.

[Susan]

Emma, Amsterdam? I am gnashing my teeth in jealousy.

[Diane]

My teeth are gnashing, too. Susan, wouldn't it be wonderful to live where you could visit other countries and it would be as easy as popping over a State line? Everything i want to visit is so far away.

[Paul]

Should be fun. Ive never been but part of an anthropology module I did was on the Windows of Amsterdam (not the naughty ones by the way).it was very interesting.

[Paul]

I work with quite a few planners Emma. There's quite a crossover with my work but I tilt more to environmental jobs than towns.

[Susan]

Just to make us really green with envy, Emma, how much does it cost to fly to Amsterdam. If you tell me less than $100, I am going to seriously consider a move to Ireland. :).

[Paul]

I did a lot of Urban mapping for town planning as well but nothing Irish. I did a bit for Jeddah and it was interesting working with the town planners although most of my work was on pollution modelling I did get to do a bit on roads.

[Paul]

Its not the longest flight to get to Amsterdam which makes it a great city break. Edinburgh will come before it though for us

[[deleted user]]

@Susan. You can guarantee cheap fights if you book with a budget airline at off-peak times of day. Myself and Fiona flew to Edinburgh for under €100, total.

Enjoy Amsterdam, Emma. It's my list of must-see cities.

[Susan]

Is the house next door to you, Declan, available for rent?

[[deleted user]]

Unfortunately no, Susan. But we might find you somewhere nearby.

[Susan]

LOL. BTW, are we not doing movies anymore?

[[deleted user]]

To be honest, Susan, I completely forgot about them. It feels like years since we've done one.

[Kat]

Just started reading Historie Ostatnie by Olga Tokarczuk, it's in polish. I cannot understand why we as a nation don't try to publish our best authors abroad. heh

[Paul]

I don't think I've ever come across a polish book translated into English. An old friend of mine used to Translate English books into Polish for a living.

[[deleted user]]

I'd would have thought any Polish writer who showed mass appeal would be automatically translated into English, Kat. It seems to work for well for Scandinavian writers.

[Kat]

@ Declan - we are a bit different, lol; we have some superstar writers in Germany but I don't know why we don't cross more borders. I could easly recommend at least a dozen Polish writers to my western friends, just someone would have to do all translation. You mentioned a mass appeal, well in Poland we don't sell that many books to compare with UK as an example, not many writers can make a living from writing even if they are popular, celebs ect. Strange.

@Paul - wow thats awsome, I'd love to meet that person, I'm sure we could talk for hours

[[deleted user]]

Kat, maybe they should start writing in English?

[Kat]

hahahahaha oh, yeah I really like your sense of humor guys lol :)))

[[deleted user]]

But was I actually joking, Kat? ;)

[J.S.]

Theresa wrote: "Surely Kat with epublishing there is some hope that books will start to get translated as there won't be the worry about print runs and distribution costs. Perhaps you could think about translating..."

How prescient, Theresa. There is a new translation service called Babelcube, with the translator's fee deferred and recouped in a royalty split, with the copyright holder, of future book sales. It is in still in startup mode.

[[deleted user]]

That's a great idea, J.S. This is the kind of thing I like about the digital age.

[J.S.]

Keeping an eye on it to see how it does over next year.

[Trelawn]

I've started reading One Summer: America 1927 by Bill Bryson. It charts one summer in America's history when there was a rapid amount of change, innovation and achievement in a number of fields. It reads very well so far but it's Bryson so that's to be expected. So far it's focusing on aviation with other tidbits thrown in. Looking forward to what's to come.

[Cathleen]

Trelawn wrote: "I've started reading One Summer: America 1927 by Bill Bryson. It charts one summer in America's history when there was a rapid amount of change, innovation and achievement in a number of fields. It..."

I'm always amazed at how Bill Bryson writes these grand, minutiae-filled books. The last book of his I read was At Home. I'll be curious what you think of this one.

[Trelawn]

I read At Home a few years ago and loved it. I'll let you know how I get on with this one Cathleen.

[Paul]

I've started reading Madeline Millers The Song of Achilles
It won the Orange Women's prize for literature a couple of years bck, which for me has turned up better books over the years thann the Booker.
Interesting book so far.
Its also possibly the most decadent copy of a book I've read. The edges of the pages are covered in actual gold , the book is signed in gold and there's gold paint on the cover. It was a limited special edition from when the book first came out.

[Paul]

Well its about Achilles and Patroclus so I'm assuming that its going to have an angle on their relationship so it will be interesting to see where she goes with that .It reads very well so far and I'm enjoying it.
Its already better than Troy but that's not hard ;-)

[Paul]

Its nice to read a decadent copy. We're terribly careful and all our books are covered and dust jackets have protecters.

[Paul]

There's a few books we won't read due to age or value but not many. The cotton gloves are on standby ;-)

[Paul]

No dust here. We have the 2 year old trained to dust the bookshelves regularly

[Paul]

Theresa , he even hoovers and cleans the floors.

[Barbara]

I'm finally reading East of Eden and 40% through it (I do find the % done feature on GR motivating). Steinbeck has excellent character development, sometimes without a lot of description. His description of the settings are beautiful. One interesting feature is there are intermittent philosophical essays.

[Paul]

He loves his food Jamie Lynn, none of it would make it to our plates if he cooked.

[Paul]

We have to eat quick these days. He finished food before me yesterday so started shouting and pointing at the food on my plate. I lost half my sausage to him

[Paul]

Its great having a toddler who likes his food. I've seen the stress a fussy eating child can cause.Now we just have to get him reading the classics and we're sorted

[Paul]

Lucky us then ;-)

[Paul]

Never been an issue. :-)

[Allan]

Barbara, glad to hear that you're reading, and seemingly enjoying, East of Eden-that's in fitting with pretty much everyone who read it last year for the monthly read. It really is an epic!

I'm presently reading / listening to two non fiction titles: the profoundly depressing but very important 'Lethal Allies: British Collusion in Ireland', and Max Hastings' 'Catastrophe 1914', which I'm now 20 hours into, and not particularly enjoying but am learning snippets from and am determined to finish.

Trelawn, I'll be looking out for your final thoughts on the Bryson book, as I've enjoyed many of his previous titles, and have this one in my wishlist in Audible.

[Trelawn]

I'll let you know how I get on Allan.

[[deleted user]]

@Barbara. I'm delighted you're enjoying, East of Eden. It's a book I absolutely love and will have to reread. I can't wait to see what your final thoughts are.

I just finished a photo journal about Dublin in the late 1960's to the early '70's. It's a gorgeous book with some gorgeous photos, but the way Browne harps on about the devil that is modernisation I can only imagine he pines for polio and tuberculosis and hates that vaccinations and modern housing have robbed us those charming people who struggle to walk down the road.

[Trelawn]

Thanks for the update Emma, I'll definitely pick up a copy at some point. I still have to read Mary Barton first though.

[Paul]

I did give out a little about the Booker.

[John]

I've been known to give out about the booker myself over the years. It's definitely no indication that the nominees will be very enjoyable. I've really hated some. Though I've loved others. While others are in between. I've grown really bored of typical Booker books though: poor family in a poor country overcoming trials and tribulations against a backdrop of political turmoil.

Having said all that I've just started another Booker: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves which I'm quite enjoying and it's not typically Bookerish.

I've just finished Silas Marner. My thoughts are here: http://www.johnbraine.com/2014/07/sil...

[Susan]

I have a fond spot for Karen Fowler. I liked Jane Austen's Book Club. She was also a student of one of my high school classmates. She lives in N. Calif. I have marked this as a TBR.