Our Irish Roots

While in Ireland, we connect my Mom with some long-lost relatives.

The Mystery of an English Garden

I was drawn immediately to The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Its spine was well creased, so I knew it had been loved for a time – read all the way through and then kept, given a place amid Shakespeare and Irish verse. 

For what do you hunger?

The heatwave wasn’t as extreme in NI, and temps in Armagh only ever rose to about 28ºC. There was also a constant breeze, so it never felt as hot as the thermometer indicated. I saw the heatwaves as an opportunity: a chance to read outside and deepen my tan!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Since my travels to the Emerald Isle, it’s been a holiday I’ve held dear – if only because it makes me feel a bit closer to the place. 

Diving Deep

A fan of Rick Riordan, I picked up Daughter of the Deep. Though the read was quick and engaging, I didn’t think it lived up to Percy Jackson.

The Calling of the Clans

I’ve finally finished Diana Gabaldon’s Drums of Autumn. The end was a long time coming, and when I got there I was disenchanted with the plot. But the characters pulled me through like they always do.

A Royal Backstory

Why are we, as a human race, fascinated with royalty? Americans have an obsession with Britain’s royal family, and the book recs which show up most often on my Pinterest feed are those fantasy novels that spin tales of kings, queens, and their bloodline.

Seeking Heritage

A photographic capture of life in Franco’s Spain – Ruta Sepetys novel sheds light on a lost history, and though beautifully written, is it as effective as it could be?

Returning Kindness

The rules of magic dictate: What you give will be returned to you threefold. Life has been doing that for me lately, but Alice Hoffman’s novel Magic Lessons didn’t deliver as well.

A Book’s Family

The Book of Speculation grabs your attention, pulls you in, keeps you waiting. You see the end coming, but the words weigh on you, like water against your chest as you hold your breath under water. Reading is slow, not for lack of skill or language, but because the story sits heavy on the heart, the mind, as it asks it questions in a dark, and sometimes twisted, way.