A Short History of Ireland by Richard Killeen

A Short History of Ireland by Richard Killeen-72 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐

While in Ireland, I purchased this book because I wanted to learn a bit more about Irish history. This book is a good, very broad overview of Irish history. It's a pretty good, easy read. I had learned some of the things mentioned in this book from my trip, but I did learn some new things about Irish history, also. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a short, broad overview of Irish history. 

The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy

 The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy

368 pages

★★★

As she drives her mobile library van between villages of Ireland's West Coast, recently divorced Hanna Casey is determined to reclaim her independence by restoring a derelict cottage left to her by her great-aunt. But when the threatened closure of the Lissbeg Library puts her personal plans in jeopardy, Hanna finds herself leading a battle to restore the heart and soul of the Finfarran Peninsula's fragmented community. And she's about to discover that the neighbors she'd always kept at a distance have come to mean more to her than she ever could have imagined.

Lark Ascending by Silas House

 Lark Ascending by Silas House, 272 pages

Every once in a while I go out of my comfort zone and read something totally different.  Phewee, this is a story of survival of the rawest kind.  America is on fire, few people survive, they head to Ireland because it is supposedly the last place of refuge.  A family that started out together is now just down to one.  Quite the dystopian ride.  It was ok.

Irsh Hearts by Nora Roberts

 Irish Thoroughbred by Nora Roberts - 443 pages

This contains 2 books,

Irish Thoroughbred

"COME TO AMERICA. YOUR HOME IS WITH ME NOW."

Adelia Cunnane's uncle had written her. So Adelia had left Ireland to join him on what he had described as the finest horse farm in Maryland.

Adelia agreed with her uncle about the farm. But what should she think about its owner, Travis Grant?

She knew that he could master his strongest horse. She had seen his eyes soften at the birth of a foal. Yet his lips on hers demanded a submission that she was not yet ready to give -- at least not until he had spoken the words she had to hear. 

Irish Rose

Burke Logan was a gambler, and luck had made him owner of Three Aces, one of the finest stables in Maryland. He'd come to Ireland to buy horses, but one look at Erin McKinnon's fiery beauty told him that he'd be leaving with a whole lot more.

Erin McKinnon had dreams and ambitions--and no intention of living out her days in the small town of Skibbereen! She knew Burke held all the cards, but when he asked her to come with him to America, it was an offer she couldn't refuse. Burke Logan was a man to be reckoned with, and from the moment they met, Erin knew that even if she lost, she'd win. 

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

 

                                                                             

           The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont-307 pages

I love anything Agatha Christie; so of course I had to read this!  Sad to say it was a real struggle for me
to get through.  I had to keep reminding myself that this is a work of fiction.  There are too many strange story lines and the whole plot is bizarre.  Since the story teller is Arche Christie's mistress, Nan O'Dea, it is more her story than Agatha's. I found myself wondering what Dame Agatha would have thought about such an outlandish re-imagining of her mysterious eleven missing days.

Not sure what I was expecting but it certainly was not this. 

Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price

 Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price-656 pages

This is a sweeping look at the Vikings and the Viking Age (roughly 750-1050). I have seen Vikings on screen (Vikings on History Channel, in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla the video game, and other places) and I am very interested in learning more about the "real" Vikings and how they lived. I was not disappointed with this book. It is a good, fairly easy read. Vikings did not live glorious lives nor should they be glorified or celebrated. In many ways, Vikings were a very brutal people and Price compares them aptly to pirates (especially those who operated in the Caribbean in the 17th and 18th Centuries). Vikings owned and sold slaves and a goal of many raids was to capture slaves to be sold. Slaves were called thralls at this time and were treated very poorly. Thralls had no real rights or freedom and had little recourse to attain freedom. Many thralls were even sacrificed, sometimes to be buried with their owners when they died. Viking burials are explored in great detail in a chapter and an elaborate boat/ship burial is explained. A Viking male who was almost assuredly of some prominence was buried with several different animals who had been sacrificed and butchered (which was apparently common practice, according to the author). Furthermore (and more brutal, disturbing), a female thrall volunteered herself to be sacrificed and buried with him. According to Price, the female thrall was thence repeatedly raped by males of the community before being ritually butchered and buried with her owner. It paints a pretty picture, right! Price also explores the religion of the Vikings. He explains that they didn't have any real organized religion but they did have somewhat of a relationship with the gods (Thor, Odin, Freyya, Freyr, etc.). They did sacrifice and pray to one or more of the gods at times and they did believe in an afterlife, although not necessarily in the since of heaven and hell/good and bad. Price discusses much of the politics and everyday life of Vikings. For a while, they didn't have unified countries with rulers, but they operated more in war bands and communities. What I found most fascinating in this book, though, was Price's discussion of the raids and battles that took place throughout the Viking Age. The raids started as isolated events, but became much more coordinated as the Viking Age continued. The Vikings held much of England more than once with the longest period being during the Danelaw. They left their imprint on much of Europe and even into North America, the Middle East, and Russia. By the end of the Viking Age, they had raided and/or explored/colonized Frankia, England, Ireland, Scotland, Vinland, Iceland, Egypt, Spain, and Greenland among potentially others. Some of their coordinated attacks may have included hundreds of Viking longships and thousands of warriors. It wasn't really until the 11th Century that Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland started to become more unified and kings tried to unite and rule. This somewhat coincided with the influx of Christianity to Scandinavia. I was fascinated by reading this sweeping history on the Vikings and I have a better grasp on how they lived and their psychology. 

In the Woods by Tana French

In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad #1) by Tana French, 429 p.

"As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children. He is gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox (his partner and closest friend) find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past."--Goodreads blurb 

My first book by French, I was impressed with her immersive writing style. While this book is pretty long, I never felt like is slowed and each character had their faults, not the least of which was Rob, whom I came to have a love-hate relationship with (as did Cassie). I like how the book didn't come to an end when the murderer was found, but you followed the aftermath of the case and all that it wrought on these people's lives. I will be continuing on with the series. 

Murder in an Irish Bookshop (Irish Village Mystery #7) by Carlene O'Connor

 Murder in an Irish Bookshop (Irish Village Mystery #7) by Carlene O'Connor-304 pages

This is the latest in the Irish Village Mystery series by Carlene O'Connor. I just finished the first in the series ("Murder in an Irish Village"). The story of Kilbane and the O'Sullivan Six continues. In this latest installment, a new bookshop opens up in Kilbane and the owners are selective about who gets inside to shop. The owners, Padraig and Oran McCarthy, host an event with 3 Irish authors who try to impress an agent in order to sign with him. However, one of these authors, Deirdre (the others are Lorcan Murphy and Nessa Lamb) is murdered. Who murdered her and why? I enjoyed reading this and I enjoyed the ending. I started this for last month's challenge, but didn't finish in time. I would recommend this to anyone who likes M.C. Beaton and/or Agatha Christie. 

Murder in an Irish Village (Irish Village #1) by Carlene O'Connor

Murder in an Irish Village (Irish Village #1) by Carlene O'Connor-353 pages

This is the first novel in the Irish Village series. It's another "cozy mystery" and crime novel. I am expanding my horizons when it comes to reading new authors. I have always had an affinity for Ireland and I do have a wee bit of Irish ancestry, so this piqued my interest. The O'Sullivan Six lost both their parents in a car accident a year prior to the events of this story and Siobhan has taken the role of mother of the brood. A body is found in the bistro operated by the O'Sullivans and the oldest, James, is suspected of the murder. Siobhan is bent on clearing her older brother's name and finding the real killer. She gets herself into the business of her neighbors and asks all kinds of questions of them in search of the murderer. Will Siobhan find the murderer and clear her brother? I enjoyed reading this one and I look forward to reading the newest one in this series "Murder in an Irish Bookshop." 

In the Unlikely Event by L.J. Shen

 In the Unlikely Event by L.J. Shen -- 338 Pages

Sometimes you meet people who are out of this world, so you make them a part of yours.

A one-night stand born from vengeance in a foreign land. An explosive chemistry neither of us could deny. We signed a contract on the back of a Boar’s Head Pub napkin that said if we ever met again, we would drop everything and be together.

Eight years and thousands of miles later, he’s here. In New York. And he’s America’s music obsession. The intangible Irish poet who brings record executives to their knees. The blizzard in my perfect, unshaken snow globe.

Last time we spoke, he was a beggar with no intention of becoming a king. But a king he became, and now I’m his servant. I’m not the same broken princess Malachy Doherty put back together with his callused hands. I have a career I love. A boyfriend I adore. An apartment, a roommate, a life. I changed. He changed, too. But Mal kept the napkin. Question is, will I keep my word?

Love & Luck by Jenna Evan Welch

Love & Luck by Jenna Evan Welch -- 303 pages

Addie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding, and hoping she can stop thinking about the one horrible thing she did that left her miserable and heartbroken—and threatens her future. But her brother, Ian, isn’t about to let her forget, and his constant needling leads to arguments and even a fistfight between the two once inseparable siblings. Miserable, Addie can’t wait to visit her friend in Italy and leave her brother—and her problems—behind.

So when Addie discovers an unusual guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, hidden in the dusty shelves of the hotel library, she’s able to finally escape her anxious mind and Ian’s criticism.

And then their travel plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with Ian and his admittedly cute, Irish-accented friend Rowan. As the trio journeys over breathtaking green hills, past countless castles, and through a number of fairy-tale forests, Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother. That is if they don’t get completely lost along the way.

Grounded Hearts by Jeanne Dickson

                                         







                                             

Grounded Hearts by Jeanne Dickson-337 pages

A love story involving a midwife and a wounded RAF pilot that arrives injured at her door.  She has to allow her heart to love again.  Her injured heart and his serious wounds needs to heal in secret because during WWII, Ireland was neutral and anyone found in their country from either side had to wait out the war in internment camps.  I recommend it for anyone who likes a nice, easy, clean read.

The Upside of Falling Down by Rebekah Crane

The Upside of Falling Down by Rebekah Crane -- 239 pages

For Clementine Haas, finding herself is more than a nice idea. Ever since she woke up in an Irish hospital with complete amnesia, self-discovery has become her mission. They tell her she’s the lone survivor of a plane crash. They tell her she’s lucky to be alive. But she doesn’t feel lucky. She feels…lost.

With the relentless Irish press bearing down on her, and a father she may not even recognize on his way from America to take her home, Clementine assumes a new identity and enlists a blue-eyed Irish stranger, Kieran O’Connell, to help her escape her forgotten life…and start a new one.

Hiding out in the sleepy town of Waterville, Ireland, Clementine discovers there’s an upside to a life that’s fallen apart. But as her lies grow, so does her affection for Kieran, and the truth about her identity becomes harder and harder to reveal, forcing Clementine to decide: Can she leave her past behind for a new love she’ll never forget? 

Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon

Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon
(Gethsemane Brown Mystery #1)
271 pages / 8 hrs, 9 mins

"With few other options, African-American classical musician Gethsemane Brown accepts a less-than-ideal position turning a group of rowdy schoolboys into an award-winning orchestra. Stranded without luggage or money in the Irish countryside, she figures any job is better than none. The perk? Housesitting a lovely cliffside cottage. The catch? The ghost of the cottage's murdered owner haunts the place. Falsely accused of killing his wife (and himself), he begs Gethsemane to clear his name so he can rest in peace. Gethsemane's reluctant investigation provokes a dormant killer and she soon finds herself in grave danger. As Gethsemane races to prevent a deadly encore, will she uncover the truth or star in her own farewell performance?"  --from the publisher

Love the setting, and it's a very well-written cozy mystery.  The dialogue between Gethsemane and the ghost is snarky and entertaining.  My only complaint is with the audio format.  Gethsemane's thoughts are read in a British accent, but her words are spoken in an American accent.  That was just too strange for me.  I'll probably continue the series, but I'll try print next time.

Too Many Leprechauns by Stephen Krensky

Too Many Leprechauns: Or How That Pot o' Gold Got to the End of the Rainbow by Stephen Krensky-32 pages

I chose this book based on the cover. I enjoy stories of leprechauns, Ireland, and St. Patrick's Day. This is the story of how Finn O'Finnegan tricks the leprechauns into leaving his town that he has just returned to from Dublin. Leprechauns have overtaken the town making shoes and so much noise that the townspeople can't get any sleep. So, Finn outwits the leprechauns by hiding their fairy gold at the end of a rainbow and bargaining with them to leave in order to get it back. I enjoyed reading this short picture book.

My Life in Shambles by Karina Halle

My Life in Shambles by Karina Halle -- 350 pages

When Valerie Stephens made the resolution to say yes to new adventures, she never thought she’d end up in the tiny town of Shambles, fake engaged to one of Ireland’s top rugby players. But there’s a first time for everything. 

They say bad things happen in threes. After my boyfriend broke off our engagement, I lost my apartment, and was laid off from my job, I can definitely attest to that. 

They also say life is what happens when you say yes to new adventures. So when my two sisters invited me to ring in the new year in Ireland, I decided to throw all caution to the wind and go for it. I was going to let “saying yes” be my new resolution. Little did I know I’d spend New Year’s Eve having a one-night stand with Padraig McCarthy, one hell of a sexy Irishman. I also didn’t know that the brooding and intense guy was one of Ireland’s top rugby players. A rugby player with a proposition for me: 

Come with him to his tiny hometown of Shambles and pretend to be his fiancé for a few days, just so that his ailing father can have some peace of mind. It sounded simple enough. It was anything but. Not when a town gets up in your business, not when the media hunts you down, not when your past comes back in the picture, not when there are real hearts and feelings at stake. Not when there are secrets that could break you. They say life is what happens when you say yes to new adventures. This is my life in Shambles.

An Irish Country Cottage by Patrick Taylor

An Irish Country Cottage by Patrick Taylor
(Irish Country #13)
352 pages / 12 hrs, 25 mins

"The New Year brings challenges and changes to the colorful Irish village of Ballybucklebo. The Christmas holidays have barely passed before a fire engulfs the humble thatched cottage housing of Donal Donnelly and his family. Although the family escapes the blaze more or less unsinged, Donal, his wife, their three small children, and their beloved dog find themselves with nothing left but the clothes on their back...

"Meanwhile, matters of procreation occupy the doctors and their patients. Young Barry Laverty and his wife Sue, frustrated in their efforts to start a family, turn to modern medicine for answers. O'Reilly must tread carefully as he advises a married patient on how to avoid another dangerous pregnancy.

"As a new and tumultuous decade approaches, sectarian division threaten[s] to bring unrest to Ulster, but in Ballybucklebo at least, peace still reigns and neighbors look after neighbors."  --from the publisher

It's a nice installment in the series, but I didn't think it was outstanding.  It ends without resolving a few of the stories, and that's always a negative in my opinion.  Still, the characters and setting are entertaining.  I gave it three stars out of five.

Dark Witch by Nora Roberts

Dark Witch by Nora Roberts - 352 pages
Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy #1

Iona Sheehan is changing her entire life.  She's just packed up and moved to Ireland to be with her cousins.  Turns out she is one of the three descendants of the Dark Witch.  She's destined to work with her cousins to defeat the ancient evil sorcerer Cabhan.
This the first in Nora Roberts Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy set in Ireland.  Each book will focus on the romance of one of the cousins while telling the story of the defeat of Cabhan.  I tried reading the series when it first came out and ended up not finishing it.  So I decided to try listening to it on audio.  I enjoyed the story more than when I tried to read it.  However, I hated the narrator.  She was too emotive.  It was also annoying that while she tried to use different voices for different characters, two of the characters had the exact same voice.  I'm glad that the other books are narrated by other actors.  Hopefully they will be better.

Leprechauns and Irish Folklore by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce

Leprechauns and Irish Folklore by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce-115 pages

This is the companion nonfiction book to Leprechaun in Late Winter. As I stated in my post on reading Leprechaun in Late Winter, I have long had an affinity for most things Irish. It was interesting to read about fairies and leprechauns and what the Celts believed and practiced in regards to them. In some instances, the Irish still build houses and building in a certain manner if a fairy path is believed to be on the property. Some Irish still believe in fairies and leprechauns, apparently. Fairies generally fit into two categories: solitary and trooping. Leprechauns are solitary fairies as they usually live alone. Overall, it was fun to read a bit more about Irish folklore and I really want to visit Ireland someday.

Leprechaun in Late Winter by Mary Pope Osborne

Leprechaun in Late Winter by Mary Pope Osborne-111 pages

Jack and Annie are taken back to Ireland in 1862 to inspire Miss Augusta (who later becomes Lady Gregory) to learn the Old Language (Irish Gaelic) and write Irish stories and folklore. I really enjoyed reading this because I have long had an affinity for Ireland and Irish (I want to visit someday and I have already been to Scotland and I enjoy watching The Quiet Man, Darby O'Gill and the Little People, and reading other stories of Ireland). The only small, wee issue I have is that some of the Irish characters use Aye instead of yes and, to my knowledge, Irish don't say Aye. Scottish use the word Aye in place of yes sometimes, but not Irish. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book.