Goodreads Ireland discussion

@Cathleen, I got offered to review one of her books and I asked here if anyone had read her. Nobody had so I passed. Big mistake as I got Isabel Allende's new book, a mystery, that turned out to be drivel. Let me know what you think. I am anxious and wonder if she is in the Marian Keyes area.

Cathleen wrote: "Right now, I'm reading a book that I can't decide if I like or not. It's called The Disenchanted Widow by Christine McKenna. It was one of those impulse reads; I had been reading a lot of dense m..."

I have a book by her on my shelves which I got last summer. I haven't read it though. I have to say I noticed it appears to be self-published but it may just be a very very small press. I don't mean to imply that self-published books are necessarily inferior, but not all are that good. There are plenty of stories of how great novels and blockbusters were passed by til a small press took them on. And there are plenty of published books that are bad. But published books do have to jump certain hurdles that imply some kind of review has taken place before they get to us.

I'm reading (well, listening to) My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, which is funny and sweet in a through-the-eyes-of-a-child kind of way. A nice light feel-good read, which is great to do now and then. I guess it's a children's book, but is also universal.

I thought I got it from here http://www.brit.co/fall-books/ but not sure where I got it from now.

John, it's narrated by David Tenant! He's one of my favorites!

Barbara wrote: "Cathleen wrote: "Right now, I'm reading a book that I can't decide if I like or not. It's called The Disenchanted Widow by Christine McKenna. It was one of those impulse reads; I had been reading..."

My cousin wrote a self published book. It's horrible. I won't even tell anyone what it is! I bet some of them are excellent though. Heck I've read college papers that impress me more than some books.

Allan wrote: "I rang my mum today to see how she was, and how she was getting on with the books I bought her after her injury. She's nearly through the Maggie Farrell book-I asked her what she thought, and she s..."

Descriptive is just one of those words that is so vague. Your mother is very tactful.

I'd love to know what Ms. Farrel is describing haha

Allan you wouldn't give her a dirty book. My mom read a book that had some graphic sex in it when I was in high school. She loves the cozy mysteries. She didn't expect pornographic details in this particular book. She did something that still makes me laugh. She put it in a brown paper bag and threw it away so my brothers wouldn't read it. I told her that makes it more intriguing. They wouldn't pay any attention to her books anyway! Teen boys don't usually take time to read and certainly not old lady mystery books. (At least my brothers didn't) Her paranoia about having a naughty book in the house still makes me chuckle!

Jamielynn wrote: "John, it's narrated by David Tenant! He's one of my favorites!"

Yes he's really good. He gets the tone just right without actually trying to make his voice sound young.

Allan wrote: "So I went to see my mate with the broken leg again today. He's back home but will be incapacitated with his cage on for 4 months minimum. Thankfully cabin fever has yet to set in, thanks mainly he ..."

Allan: Oh wow! That's a long time to be stuck like that! My son was in a cast when he was little from his waist to his feet for 6 weeks. It was rough. Thank God he had video games! He wasn't a reader. I feel for your friend.
I remember one day when he was mad at his sister he said "When I get out of this cast I'm gonna punch you in the face!" I went into the kitchen and laughed my face off. I know that sounds like an odd reaction. You had to be there. He suffered a lot though. It was NOT fun. Luckily your friend is an adult and completely understands it all.

Allan I'm glad to hear that your friend can be mobile. I'm giggling here about the leg warmer.

Allan and LMM I am kind of ashamed to say I haven't read Steinbeck. Unless he wrote "Of Mice and Men" which I found very depressing but I had to read it with my son for school (special ed.) They were always reading depressing books.

I would like to read "East of Eden" if I ever get to it.

I'm smiling here at all the love for Steinbeck. I'm sure your friend will be a die-hard fan by the end, Allan.

I've actually gone ahead and added Ghostheart. I'll probably spend the last third of the book guessing the twist.

I still have to read a couple of those short novels myself, Allan, and they are quite expensive because Steinbeck is still quite popular to read. Even in Chapters very few second-hand copies of Steinbeck ever appear on their shelves. People see to be reluctant to give them up once they've read them.

The Pearl was my first exposure to Steinbeck and it's is quite hard going, but beautifully written. There's also surprisingly little dialogue in the book.

I'll be checking out the BR post before I leave.

Please do let me know, Allan. I can't wait to hear.

Allan I'm also curious as to what you think of the shorter stuff. I'm interested in trying Steinbeck again, but think I want to start with something short...less of a time investment that way.

Allan wrote: "It's funny that the same is the case re availability of Steinbeck books in Belfast-I really had to search for that Cannery Row book before eventually finding an edition from the sixties buried behi..."

Allan- what is your John Steinbeck "want to read" list?

This seemed like the category "closed" in topic to my question. Does anyone have some good recommendations for books related to Christmas? I just ordered a couple of cozy mysteries, but I love to read cheesy or sentimental Christmas-themed books. I plan to reread Patrick Taylor's "An Irish Country Christmas" this year. The recommendations don't have to be cheesy or sentimental. Just set during the season to satisfy my yearning.
BTW I highly recommend Jennifer Johnston's A Christmas Tree. Maybe in December I will nominate it:)

Barbara did you try listopia. I just typed in "Christmas." They have different genres for the Christmas books.

Jamielynn wrote: "Barbara did you try listopia. I just typed in "Christmas." They have different genres for the Christmas books."

Awesome! I never have used listopia and didn't realize it is in Goodreads.

Allan wrote: "Barbara-as regards a Steinbeck 'Want to Read' list, I have two books in my Amazon basket that I'm keeping an eye on the used price of-'In Dubious Battle' and 'The Wayward Bus'. I'll be reading the ..."

I had NO idea he had written so many novels etc. Another example of folks on that side of the pond teaching me about my own country's literature:)

Allan wrote: "Barbara-I read-or rather listen to- 'A Christmas Carol' every year on 1st December, and absolutely love it! A short book, but the book that brought many of our modern Christmas traditions into bein..."

Just ordered Stephen Price's 'The Christmas Club' from Kenny's. I've been meaning to order Kevin Barry's new one so i ordered both.

Barbara wrote: "Jamielynn wrote: "Barbara did you try listopia. I just typed in "Christmas." They have different genres for the Christmas books."

Awesome! I never have used listopia and didn't realize it is in Go..."

I still don't know the whole goodreads site! I keep finding different things and ways to use them.

Barbara wrote: "This seemed like the category "closed" in topic to my question. Does anyone have some good recommendations for books related to Christmas? I just ordered a couple of cozy mysteries, but I love to ..."

What a great idea, Barbara. I remember another GR friend wrote about how much she enjoyed a series of Christmas-themed books by Donna Van Liere. They sounded like cozy, feel-good books. She also highly recommended a book called Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris and a Fannie Flagg book called A Redbird Christmas. I haven't read any of them, so I can't personally recommend them, but I've enjoyed her book reviews.

Allan wrote: "Barbara-great to see that you've taken the plunge with Christmas Club, and that you were able to get it from Kenny's alright. I think New Island publish it, but the edition I see on Waterstones she..."

Allan- Kevin Barry is coming to DC, I think sponsored by Solas Nua the Irish contemporary arts organization I do the bookclub with (not grammatical :). I loved his City of Bohane - a distopian portrait of Ireland in the future. I also have a new volume of short stories he edited. I think this is his second volume of short stories - the first was There Are Little Kingdoms which I haven't read. And I haven't read any of those American authors you mentioned except maybe Updike, but that was eons ago. I think it'd be worth reading those novels that have "stood the test of time".

Cathleen - thanks for the recommendations. I may be able to find them at my library.
I should add that I really really enjoy John B. Keene's Christmas short stories and reread some of them every year. Also the late David Marcus has 2 collections of Christmas themed short stories by Irish writers - excellent, but only available used.

Barbara wrote: "Allan wrote: "Barbara-great to see that you've taken the plunge with Christmas Club, and that you were able to get it from Kenny's alright. I think New Island publish it, but the edition I see on W..."

I'm going to look for some John Keane's stories. I just looked him up, and his writing sounds very appealing.

An Update on my Adventures with Stephen King: While on my mini-vacation, I read/listened to the the last two thirds of Doc Sleep (from Audible), the sequel to the Shinning. It was a different kind of book than the Shinning, less of a straight horror piece, and I think for that reason I liked it a bit less...Either that or I've read too much King this year already (this being the 4th book I've read by him this year). I still may read Joyland by him though this year.

All that said, I adored catching up with a middle aged Danial Torrance. As someone who has family in AA, his battles to remain sober and his reliance on a circle of AA friends ring very true. As an aside, are there AA (Alcoholic Anonymous) groups in Ireland? King always writes very human characters. I also disagree vehemently with the few reviews I've read that find Abra Stone (the teenage girl 2nd protagonist) to be too one dimensional.

I'll be interested in seeing what Allan thinks of the book, especially of twists near the end of the book. We might need to start our own spoiler thread!

@Allan, are you talking about James Franco, the actor, who has a new book out?

He is very impressive except in hosting the Academy Awards. He is teaching a class at USC in screen writing right now on top of everything else he does. Let me know how his book is. I'm curious.

I can't find Cathleen's post in response to the John B Keane suggestion. But he has 2 books of Christmas short stories - Irish Stories for Christmas and More More Irish Stories for Christmas. The book An Irish Christmas Feast: The Best of John B. Keane combines both books in one volume. I don't know if the book An Irish Christmas : Stories contains the same stories as the others. One of the funniest stories in the Irish Stories for Christmas is about the Black and Tans, though they are not a funny topic normally.

Allan wrote: "Sara, I'm hoping to get started today or tomorrow on The Shining (I've just woken up this morning!), just in time to scare the bejaysus out of myself for Halloween! I'll be up for discussing the co..."

Allan - envying your break but I do have the 4th week of November off (but already a long to do list). Got the Kevin Barry and all my Christmas reads:)
I will be reading Troubles, but have 3 months for that. I read The Long Road Home a year or so ago and it is a really good book, but won't reread.
I am glad to hear about the Donna Tartt and am tempted to get the ebook. I am still working my way through Dissident Gardens. I love the structure of the book with each chapter focusing on a specific person and moving back and forth in time.

Allan wrote: "I've just had a look there, Barbara, and An Irish Christmas Feast is available for £5 including postage second hand on Amazon. Do you think that it's a book that I'd enjoy, or would it be a little ..."
It might be a bit twee for your taste. £5 is a fair amount in dollars anyway...

I haven't cracked a book open for a few days. oh oh! I started one...I'm just waiting for Donna Tartt to come in. I got bored with the mystery series I'm reading.
Sometimes a series keeps you reading and sometimes it's the same old same old.

Allan wrote: "Barbara, I liked the narrative style Lethem used in Dissident Gardens, and am glad you are enjoying the book. I'm nearly half way through the Donna Tartt now and still really enjoying the sweeping ..."

I put it on my "to read" when you first marked it "to read" as I liked the description. Not sure when I'll be able to tackle it, but it certainly seems like a "must read". As we move closer to the holidsys - for us in the US Thanksgiving and then Christmas and New Years - I will probably have less time for reading. It's also the end of our fall semester. And I have a lot of writing to get done for January and early February.

Nerdly book alert. Not in the GR system yet, the Important new volume about Tara's archaeology and history,
Tara ---From the past to the future :

http://www.wordwellbooks.com/index.ph...

ISBN : 978-1-905569-76-2

I was going to download the audiobook version of the new Donna Tartt, but the reviews I read seem to suggest that the narration (by the author herself) was not up to par. With my backlog of TBR books, I'll probably instead just wait until it comes out in paperback.

I'm currently trying to decide what to get with my monthly Audible credit. I'm debating between a few different things. Anyone have any thoughts?

Dracula which Barbara loved,
Geekpriest: Confessions of a New Media Pioneer which is by a Catholic priest from the Netherlands who does podcast I adore all about his life, pop-culture, and Catholicism
and The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan...which is part of a curated collection in which Neil Gaiman personally selects books and matches them up with a narrator. It's also on my shelf of physical books I own but haven't read and comes highly recommended by a bookseller friend.

Thanks Allan! I'm still waiting for the library. They're still on hold. They might be for awhile. The due date is in mid November..long wait.

Ah! I was looking at the Audible version of her first book...That's the one that she narrates...Adding the Goldfinch to my wishlist. I'm not sure (after listening to Doc Sleep) that I want something quite as long as the Tartt, however, so my dilemma still remains.

I think I will go with the recommendation by Neil Gaiman and my bookseller friend that also allows me to knock a book off my physical owned but unread shelf. Hitting the buy button...NOW.

I so rarely buy a book. The Library let's me try before I buy. I rarely reread books.

Allan wrote: "I wish I could say the same about book buying, Jamielynn-I rarely buy anything other than books, entertainment wise anyway, though I justify many of my purchases by telling myself that a 1p Amazon ..."

The only thing that gives me nightmares is James Patterson. Which is odd because he doesn't write horror. What's wrong with me LOL!

I've been reading Gaiman back since his comic writing days in the 1990s way before any of the hype. Gaiman is one of those authors that gets press because he's actually that good...also because his latest book was his first for adults in about 10 years...He's also incredibly selfless about using his blog and twitter to promote lesser known authors...I wouldn't start with Ocean though, but with Good Omens

Another mark in the Kiernan's books favor is that the author was born in Dublin.

Allan wrote: "I wish I could say the same about book buying, Jamielynn-I rarely buy anything other than books, entertainment wise anyway, though I justify many of my purchases by telling myself that a 1p Amazon ..."

The Shining is a spooky one.

I've bookmarked it to read later. I probably wait until the prequel issues are collected into trade back graphic novel collections. before buying though. I find the purchase of individual comic issues to be prohibitively expensive.

@Cphe, thanks for the recommendation. I have added Declan Burke to my wishlist.
BTW, how do you pronounce your name?

Cphe wrote: "http://www.amazon.com/forum/mystery/r...

I've included the link for the thread if anyone is interested"
Thank you, Cphe. I'll have to look for those two books. Have you read any of Brian McGilloway? I've read one of his and will look for more.

Wow. I'm really enjoying the narration on The Goldfinch. I really enjoyed the same guys trading of The Marriage Plot. Very surprised people don't like it. Best I've heard in ages.

Sorry... on a phone. I meant "...same guy's reading...".

Allan wrote: "Cathleen-I see that Brian McGilloway is releasing his latest novel at No Alibis next Saturday!

https://mobile.twitter.com/NOALIBISBO..."

Allan, I am so jealous of you :) You get to go to No Alibis regularly and see all these incredible people.

Allan wrote: "Did you know that McGilloway is Head of English at St Colum's College, the school that Seamus Heaney and John Hume among others attended? A man of many talents! To be honest, I've only read one of ..."

I didn't know that, but now that I know he's a teacher--I like him even more. :)

@John As it turns out the narration folks didn't like was Donna Tartt narrating her own first novel, The Secretary History. I misread the reviews on Audible.