Announcing the March tag

[Anita]

I've never quite seen a trouncing like we have had this month. Never. Our tag for March is (by overwhelming consensus):

Ireland

Please share your reading plans and recommendations below!

Remember, for the regular monthly reads, the book can be shelved as Ireland on Goodreads, or be a book that is not yet shelved that way but you feel should be.

To find books to read for this tag, please visit:

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

This Goodreads genre page may also prove to be of use as you make your selections:

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/ireland

Excited to see everyone's recommendations and plans for March. Pretty fortuitous with St. Patrick's Day!! Oh randomizer . . .

[Anita]

So pretty sure I'm going with a book off of the PBT Top 100:

The Picture of Dorian Gray

But am intrigued by Brooklyn since that is an author I've never read, but would like to try.

Other books that seem intriguing:

The Princes of Ireland

And would also really like to try Colum McCann. He must have written something that fits the tag, right?

Sadly, I don't have much in the way of helpful recommendations for anyone . . .

[Jen]

I love Colm Toibin so would recommend books by him. I loved Heather Blazing and I will read Nora Webster. Others books I recommend include:

The Master by Toibin
The dubliners by Joyce
The sea by Banville - not for everyone

[[deleted user]]

I am probably going with A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy. Since I own it, that will help me to clear another novel off my bookshelf.

Btw, I almost was cheering for Star Wars to win; almost. :-)

[Flo]

I have no idea what I'm going to read, but looking at the Goodreads shelf, the only books that I have on my to-read list that fall into this category are The Wonder and The Bone Clocks. I think I'll probably read the latter out of those two, but we'll see how it goes. I would totally reread The Picture of Dorian Gray too since that counts!

[Anita]

That's a great endorsement of The Picture of Dorian Gray - - happy to see that!

[Book Concierge]

I liked the movie of Brooklyn better than the book.

I love the humorous books by Brendan O'Carroll which begin with The Mammy

And Angela's Ashes is a poignant and powerful memoir.

For me I'll probably try to read something by Maeve Binchy

[Tracy]

Colm Toibin is wonderful. William Trevor and John Banville are good choices, too, as is John McGahern. One of my guilty pleasures is Cecelia Ahern's PS I .Love You.
Off the beaten path: The Poor Mouth by Flann O'Brien is a fun read. I also like recent Edna O'Brien, but she is NOT for everyone.
I have a few on the shelf by Trevor, Toibin, and Tana French.

[Karin]

Hooray! I'll be back with my reading choice and suggestions later.


Shelf/Tag appropriate music from true Irish citizens here

[Karin]

PS I found that image online from someone on Wordpress and did NOT design it myself!

[Jenni Elyse]

I'm glad Ireland won, especially since it's for March. It seems appropriate. I'm curious if I'm the only one who voted for Star Wars, though, lol. Care to divulge those secrets, Anita?

I've been wanting to start The Dublin Squad (Tana French series) for a while, so I might read that, especially since I've been in a thriller mood lately.

The only books I've read that could be tagged Ireland are the first two Artemis Fowls. I enjoyed them and I do plan to continue the series eventually. Maybe, March is a good time to do that...

[Cora]

I have one book recommendation for Ireland. It is The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle. It is short stories about the immigrant experience in contemporary Ireland.

I will probably choose Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier if I can find where I put the book.

[Anita]

You were not the only one, Jenni! In fact, Star Wars beat out military history to my surprise. But let's just say, it wasn't remotely close this month.

[Jenni Elyse]

Anita wrote: "You were not the only one, Jenni! In fact, Star Wars beat out military history to my surprise. But let's just say, it wasn't remotely close this month."

Oh good. I'm not the only Star Wars fanatic here. ;)

[Ladyslott]

Yay for Ireland!

I would recommend Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, set in Ireland and Brooklyn of course. It's a lovely book and the movie is wonderful.

I never miss a chance to mention A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. It's a classic coming of age book, the only book I have ever read 3 times.

I will finsih up the last of the Dublin Murder Squad books I have yet to read: Broken Harbor

[Jgrace]

We have Angela's Ashes on our non-fiction list. That would be my top recommendation.

I gave The Princes of Ireland 4 stars when I listened to it 5 years ago. It was a good overview of Irish history, a lot like Michener. I may read the second book, The Rebels of Ireland.

Irish authors don't always write about Ireland, and I'd really like to read a book that is set there or that is about Irish immigrants.

I'm thinking about:
Confessions of a Pagan Nun
The Secret Scripture
The Gathering or something else by Anne Enright
I own Cashelmara, it's hiding somewhere on my kindle.

I'm very happy about this tag. Lots of good choices.

[Barbara M]

Book Concierge wrote: "I liked the movie of Brooklyn better than the book.

I love the humorous books by Brendan O'Carroll which begin with The Mammy

And Angela's Ashes is a po..."

Just put Mammy on my list for this month - hope to get to it.

[MaryAnn (EmilyD1037)]

I am going to try for Angela's Ashes. It is on my TBR.
I also think I have another one but will have to look.

[Nicole R]

I honestly would have been happy with any of the tag options but Ireland is March-appropriate!

I will be reading Island of Glass by Nora Roberts, the final installment in her Guardians Trilogy.

I should make quick work of that so other options will be:
Hunting the Merrow by a local RI author
Brooklyn
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

I would eventually like to read Angela's Ashes but am not currently feeling it. Maybe I will change my mind by the end of March.

I do not use the Ireland tag much but I will say that lots of Nora Roberts books are set on the Emerald Isle! ;)

Anita, do not look at my review of Dorian Gray....ugh.

[Sushicat]

Angela's Ashes has been sitting on the shelf for at least 10 years...

But I'm more likely to read some genre fiction - also sitting on the shelf - for this one:
Christine Falls by Benjamin Black
I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKintzy
Haunted Ground by Erin Hart
In the Woods by Tana French

[Anita]

Nicole R wrote: "I honestly would have been happy with any of the tag options but Ireland is March-appropriate!

I will be reading Island of Glass by Nora Roberts, the final installment in her Guar..."

Seriously? You hated it . . .ugh. You know I'm going to have to go look now, lol. Why can't we all see eye to eye on every book. It would make it so much easier, wouldn't it? Lots of recommendations for Angela's Ashes, a book I was alone in disliking, lol.

[Susie]

Phew!

I'm definitely going to read The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride, and then I might look to Sebastian Barry or Anne Enright.

My favourite Irish novel is A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride, but it is very difficult to recommend. I think Anita's review is a great description, although I loved it a little more. I'd be scared to tell anyone they should read it!

[Marina]

Phew, am I relieved!...

Anita, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a great book, as are all the other books by Oscar Wilde. I would recommend Lady Windermere's Fan and/or The Canterville Ghost.

I would also recommend a light and funny book, Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks. OK, it's no masterpiece, but it is funny.

I was going to read In a Glass Darkly in March anyway, for a challenge in another GR group, so I'll go with that, since the author, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, comes from Ireland. I might also read something by Jonathan Swift, like A Modest Proposal, A Tale of a Tub or The Battle Of The Books, all of which I have on my Kindle.

[[deleted user]]

Karin wrote: "Hooray! I'll be back with my reading choice and suggestions later.Shelf/Tag appropriate music from true Irish citizens her"

Great idea, Karin! Time to queue up all my Celtic instrumental songs to create the appropriate Maeve Binchy reading ambiance.

[Jen]

Tracy wrote: "Colm Toibin is wonderful. William Trevor and John Banville are good choices, too, as is John McGahern. One of my guilty pleasures is Cecelia Ahern's PS I .Love You.
Off the beaten path: The Poor M..."

hmm, book twin we are almost in complete agreement except for Edna Obrien who's books I dislike immensely.

[Joi]

I have a feeling we will have more "crossover" books this month- multiple readers reading the same book. I love that, more perspectives and discussion since the book is fresh on everyone's minds.

I plan on starting the Tana French series, In the Woods.

If I can make it to a second book, I'll probably read Brooklyn.

Will say that we read some of the stories of Dubliners in high school, and it was one of the only books I REALLY liked for required reading. Hopefully I can get to this one too. I only read 1 book for quirky, and it was the tag I was most excited about in a while.

[Red52]

Jgrace wrote: "We have Angela's Ashes on our non-fiction list. That would be my top recommendation.

I gave The Princes of Ireland 4 stars when I listened to it 5 years ago. It was a ..."

Confessions of a Pagan Nun is a great book. Highly recommend

[Book Concierge]

Oooooh .... In the Woods ... fits a couple of challenges in other groups, AND it's been on my tbr for ages....

[LibraryCin]

I'm happy it's Ireland! It's also a theme in one of my groups over at LT.

My ONE recommendation, people probably have either read, or are already planning to for this month (if they aren't forgoing it altogether) but I'll mention it anyway:
In the Woods / Tana French

What I really want to read is:
Faithful Place / Tana French
but there are (surprisingly!) 10 holds on only 2 copies of it at my library! I'm on the list at #10, so it's unlikely it will come in for me in March.

Instead, and more likely, will be one by Maeve Binchy:
Scarlet Feather

[Kristel]

I am currently reading High Dive . I will make this last so I can claim it next month. I would recommend this if you are working on 2016 books, books on the short list for Tournament of Books. It is set in England and Ireland and involves IRA and is historical fiction of the assassination attempt on Margaret Thatcher.

I would also recommend The Master. I really liked this book, a lot. I've read Brooklyn and did not like it as much but I think he is a very good author.

I would love it if I could get to the Dubliners this month. I really want to read that one.

For a real quick read for the month you could read A Modest Proposal. It is satire and I thought is was great.

There are so many great Irish authors and books. It should be a great month of reading for everyone no matter their tastes.

[~*Kim*~]

Another hard tag for me. LOL! I would recommend Orphan Train.

As far as what I'll read, I'll probably pick up In the Woods if they have it at the library.

[Barbara M]

Joi wrote: "I have a feeling we will have more "crossover" books this month- multiple readers reading the same book. I love that, more perspectives and discussion since the book is fresh on everyone's minds.
..."

In the Woods is on my list too. I think you may be right about lots of cross-over since I see that Kim and BC among others are also planning that one.

[Barbara M]

I've put a couple of books on reserve at my library but I'm not sure just how much I'll get to this month. However, I have lots of yard work to do so, if I get a couple on audio, I could end up with a good number completed!

In the Woods
The Princes of Ireland
Heart and Soul
The Mammy
considering: Ireland's Pirate Queen: The True Story of Grace O'Malley, 1530-1603
and Born in Fire

[Nicole R]

Barbara, totally go with Born in Fire! It has been a long time since I read that trilogy but I remember really enjoying it.

[Regina Lindsey]

My one recommendation is Dubliners. It is a great way to get in a James Joyce without having to commit to Ulysses

I will be reading:

King Dan: The Rise of Daniel O'Connell 1775 - 1829
The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845-1849
and
St. Patrick of Ireland

[Amy]

I could always sneak in a Nora or two. I have like four choices, but I think I'm going with Brooklyn, maybe the Kitchen House, or the one someone recommended -A Modest Proposal.

[Michael]

Recommendations:
The Guts--Roddy Doyle (recent entry into Barrytown series starting with The Commitments)
TransAtlantic--Colum McCann
The Ginger Man--J.P. Donelavey
The Mammy--Brendan O'Carroll
Connemara: Listening to the Wind--Tim Robinson (nonfiction)

I would love to read:
The Gathering--Anne Enright
At Swim-Two-Birds--Flan O'Brien
The Story of Lucy Gault--William Trevor
The Granny--Brendan O'Carroll
Stones of Aran: Pilgrimage--Tim Robinson

[Karin]

I am going to look for something Irish from Bloom's Western Canon. Sadly, it's all lumped with Great Britain. And I don't want poetry.

[Joi]

Kristel wrote: "For a real quick read for the month you could read A Modest Proposal. It is satire and I thought is was great. "

This is a great idea! Can definitely fit an extra 50-pager in! My boyfriend and I were talking about this book last night, what a coincidence.

[Michael]

Regina wrote: "My one recommendation is Dubliners. ..."

Great recommendation! Very accessible. Really going for some serious history with your TBR. And they've got a lot of that.

[Michael]

Barbara wrote: "I've put a couple of books on reserve at my library but I'm not sure just how much I'll get to this month. ..."

Tana French is great. I don't know wjy I stopped after 2 of tje Dublin murder squad.

[Jennifer]

I need to finish Into the Woods so I'm going to do that for March and I just got The Wonder too. That should be all I have time for.

[KateNZ]

I've read Into the Woods (enjoyed it) so this seems like a good opportunity to pick up number 2 in the series.

I know I should take the hint to make myself read Ulysses. But, well, you know ... Dubliners, however, may work.

[Karin]

I'm considering reading James Joyce. If anyone who knows my reading tastes is sure I will strongly dislike, please speak now or forever hold your peace ;).

[Ghost of a Rose]

Yay! I highly recommend Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley.

I would like to read The Wonder by Emma Donoghue, Connemara by Tim Robinson ( I was there a couple of years ago), and A Girl is at Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride. And a mountain of other books . . .

[JoLene]

Some good timing for the tag, but I must admit that I was giggling to myself at the thought of Star Wars winning.

I have a wide ranges of genres as something different to recommend. One of my favorite fantasy trilogies is based on Celtic mythology. The first book is The Paradise War.

I have read several books by Marian Keyes. She had a series about the Walsh sisters. You can read out of order. They are chick lit in the "Liane Moriarty" variety --- take as a complement. They are about woman, but generally tackling meatier topics than just finding a husband.

If you like urban fantasy, I read the The Fever Series several years ago. Note -- these are not the best written works (especially the first one), but I was recovering from several surgeries and I flew through the 5 books.

Lastly, another fantasy series that I liked Through the Door. Bonus, I'm pretty sure it's on Kindle Unlimited. I needed a book for a challenge and I was pleasantly surprised by this series.

[Nicole R]

JoLene, Paradise War has been on my TBR forever! Good to know it fits this tag!

[JoLene]

Nicole R wrote: "JoLene, Paradise War has been on my TBR forever! Good to know it fits this tag!"

Yeah --- I recommend it, although my husband found the first book a bit slow.

Also, I think you'd like the Fever series as escapist --- if you haven't read them. I think the first book is Darkfever

[Nicole R]

Thanks for the recommendation! I will check it out.

[Tracy]

Karin wrote: "I'm considering reading James Joyce. If anyone who knows my reading tastes is sure I will strongly dislike, please speak now or forever hold your peace ;)."

The good news is that all his books are probably readily available from the library :)
I didn't love Ulysses- it pretty much takes a guide to get through it and halfway understand it.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was better, and his short stories, especially The Dead, are very good.