Ireland Reads 2023

Ireland Reads Day - Squeeze in a Read

What is Ireland Reads Day you might ask? Well it is a National Day that celebrates reading and it is a day that asks you to give time to reading, whether that is for 10 mins or an hour.....whatever time you have.  You can even pledge the time you will be reading on the Ireland Reads website.

Me and Ireland Reads

The library service I work for has been featuring staff and their favourite reads across their Social Media channels for "Ireland Reads" Day.

Here's how I responded to the great questions put to library staff for this day:

Favourite childhood book? What was your favourite read when you were a child, or what book always reminds you of that time? 

What a great question! It’s got me thinking back to my childhood and all of the books that I enjoyed reading.  Of course I was a big fan of Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl but I also enjoyed some of the older “classics” like the Millie Mollie Mandy series by Joyce Lankester Brisley (amazing to think they were published between 1928 and 1967) and others like the “Just William” series. I also enjoyed Pippi Longstocking and The Bullerby  but my twin sister and I also got a kick out of Astrid Lindren’s perhaps less well known character, the bold Karlsson of “Karlsson on the Roof”. And then there were also favourites that I read over and over again like Noel Streatfeild’s and Judith Kerr’s “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit”.

Favourite Irish author? 

My favourite Irish author has to be Maeve Binchy. I love how she interwove social issues and changes in Ireland in to her books and of course her characters were so well written that it felt like they were your best friends – different elements of Circle of Friends’ Benny, Eve & Nan were all so familiar to me.

Favourite recent read? 

Two of my recent reads stand out – the first is “The Light Pirate” by Lily Brooks-Dalton.  It’s a recent publication and I was introduced to it by my sister who had attended an author talk in the States with Brooks-Dalton which was chaired by Judy Blume (yes, that Judy Blume!) who gave it high praise. I found it to be an intensely sad read in parts but the resilience of humans was the message I took from it by the end.

The other recent read was “Running with the Bulls” by Valerie Hemingway which was recommended to me by my mother. I am a big fan of Ernest Hemingway so always enjoying reading about his life and this was written from an interesting perspective as Valerie was one of the inner circle in Hemingway’s life working as a secretary for him initially and then going on to marry his son. Of interest to me however, personally was that Valerie was a boarding student in the 1950’s in the same school that I attended in the 90’s! Valerie Hemingway’s life itself could be the focus of a book in it’s own right as she moved in Irish-US circles that brought her contact with literary greats such as Brendan Behan – this book is worth reading purely to find out more about this.

“Running with the Bulls” is available in libraries now and can be reserved through your local library, with “The Light Pirate” on order currently but not in stock just yet (but you can reserve a copy in order to put your name on the waiting list).

Favourite book ever? 

I’ve lots of favourite authors and I enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction.  Books by Bill Bryson give me a great laugh and I always enjoy reading anything by Elin Hilderbrand while on holiday as she writes great beachy stories about Nantucket. My all time favourite book is “Love Dad” by Evan Hunter (also known as the great Ed McBain) which is about a father-daughter relationship through the 1960’s.  It’s a book that I return to again and again for an enjoyable read.  Unfortunately I think this book is out of print now, so you may only find second hand copies through online booksellers.  It’s a book that I think would make a great film so hopefully this happens at some point in the future.

And speaking of books to movies I have to mention, “Hello God, it’s me Margaret” which was a favourite of mine when I was younger and I am very much looking forward to seeing it on the big screen when it comes to cinemas in Ireland very soon.

What will you be reading for Ireland Reads 2023?  With the success of “An Cailin Ciuin” I would like to read the book that the film is based on for Ireland Reads 2023 – it’s Claire Keegan’s “Foster”. 

However I am currently half way through “Lady in Waiting” by Anne Tennant (Lady Glenconner) so I need to finish this first!

For further reading you can see my review of "The Light Pirate" here.....and you can also reserve a copy on the Libraries Ireland website.

Book Review: "The Light Pirate" by Lily Brooks-Dalton

Book Recomendation - "The Light Pirate" by Lily Brooks-Dalton

On my recent trip from Ireland to visit my sister in the USA, she recommended a book to me called "The Light Pirate" by Lily Brookes-Dalton. My sister had discovered the book by attending an author event in Books & Books in Key West.  Books & Books store founder Judy Blume (yes!!) was in attendance and gave glowing praise for the book, saying she doesn't normally read post apocalyptical novels but that she really enjoyed this book.

When I had finished reading the book my sister mentioned it being a read for young adults, this was not something I picked up on at the time of reading. But looking back now, it is probably a book that would interest older young adults, perhaps 15 years plus.  In my opinion, while an easy read, the subject matter could be too harrowing for younger people.

So that brings me to the subject matter, which is in essence, what happens when the power goes out. Specifically in Florida where the central character is based. The protagonist and central character being Wanda who was born in the middle of a hurricane and is named after said hurricane. 

As we know Florida has always experienced huge weather events and now sea levels are beginning to rise. Brooks-Dalton writes about a family and how they are torn apart by these weather events and the effect the weather has on all of those who live in the areas that experience the catastrophic weather events. It is not just Florida with hurricanes but California with rising temperatures which leads to fires and other catastrophies. It should be noted that me calling this "weather events" somewhat minimises what is going on, and also possibly casts mankind as victims in these natural occurences - please be aware that I don't believe that they are natural events and unfortunately they are our doing with our over reliance and use of non-renewable energy and our abuse of natural resources. Humans through our excessive behaviours have caused climate warming and global changes and these are the results. We are no innocent victims in this scenario.

Ultimately, the book maps out terrifying scenarios where homes and towns are devastated and people lose their loved ones to tragedies and have to move away from everything they know to find safe areas to live. It is a deeply sad story in parts but yet there is some hope.  The resiliance of humans is shown and that is something that we will always have.

It's a beautifully written story and very gripping. I read it on a Florida beach while sunbathing (how apt!) and with only two chapters to go I had to leave the beach as I had got too much sun. However, I stopped at a small pocket park close to the beach and sat under the shade of a tree in order to finish the book - it's that good!!

If you are looking for a good read by, I have no doubt, an upcoming and soon to be successful author, do yourself a favour and buy a copy of The Light Pirate from your local bookstore, or borrow from the library.  And hey if your local library doesn't have it in stock, make sure you make a suggestion for purchase!