#bookpost – Rosepoint Publishing

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline #FeelGoodFiction #bookclub #TuesdayBookBlog

A Heartfelt Historical Novel Spanning Generations and Friendship

Nominee

The upper midwest experienced a bad T-storm that resulted in lots of tree loss, roads closed, and power outages, including our area residences and businesses. That included the YMCA where we missed having our regularly scheduled book club meeting last week. Rescheduled for this week, we had a smaller group than usual, but as always, a lively group.

This book club selection was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee as well as a #1 New York Times bestseller. The author has eight bestsellers, has been published in forty countries, and is a prestigious award winner. (Not all of the books we’ve read for book club have been out for more than ten years, but I’ve become aware that few were recently released. They’ve stood the test of time and prevail on the charts.)

My Thoughts

Molly Ayer is about to age out of the foster care system and good riddance! Busted again for a minor theft, she is given the option of community service and she chooses to help an elderly woman clean out her attic. The woman is ninety-one and doesn’t want to part with anything, but as they go through boxes and share stories, the more Molly realizes that despite being generations apart, they have very similar experiences.

Vivian Daly lives in Maine, an Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City. A young red-headed Irish girl back when that was not cool, she was deemed a difficult adoption prospect and sent with others on the orphan train out west where the train stopped for prospective parents. Granted, many had no intention of being parents; their objective was to obtain young, free labor services.

Molly is a Penobscot Indian, unwelcome and abandoned young, who has also been in and out of foster homes, a couple of which she had to flee. She’s developed attitude, hardened to life, cynical. Both of them have questions about their past and harbor secrets.

It’s an epic tale told in emotional description, a story sincere and genuine, and it plays out with unexpected revelation.

Many thanks to our local well-stocked library for providing me with the opportunity to read this novel. The thoughts expressed here are my own as well as my interpretation of the consensus of the book club participants.

Book Club Thoughts

The publisher provided the questions for discussion at the book club, and we tackled Orphan Train after a quick introduction to next month’s book and interesting information about that author.

Among questions for discussion were:

► Both characters experienced several name changes depending on who or where they were—contrasted—the group acknowledged both had similar experiences with either their names being changed for convenience and ease of clarity or of their own choice (the marriage of Vivian). The impact of those changes probably impacted Vivian more so at the beginning, but both names reflected their heritage, a larger degree of identity loss.

► Vivian’s ghosts were a recurring theme in her POV (told as first person, while Molly’s POV was third). As Vivian was portrayed as a 91-year-old with many years of experiences, much of the story regarded her childhood.

► Interesting that adoption included the promise to send the child to both school and the church of their choice—which didn’t happen for either child and included debate whether or not it was either child choice or whether or not they cared. Yes on the education.

****SPOILER***

► Was the reader surprised by Vivian giving up a baby when her own childhood was that of an orphan? YES! But discussion led to much observation between social services back then and now, which would have been handled much differently. Still, it was an unsettling twist.

Memorable Quote:

Sometimes you don’t look for perfect. Sometimes enough is the most you can hope for.”

The heritage of both children set off an extended discussion of the current strides in DNA and interest in ancestral history. That discussion could have continued much longer were we not required to vacate the room.

Book Club and my star ratings

Book Details:

Publisher: Mariner Books
Publication Date: April 2, 2013

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: A #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including The Exiles, Orphan Train, and A Piece of the World, Christina Baker Kline is published in 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as the New York Times and the NYT Book Review, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, LitHub, Psychology Today, Poets & Writers, and Salon. Born in England and raised in the American South and Maine, Kline is a graduate of Yale (B.A.), Cambridge (M.A.) and the University of Virginia (M.F.A.), where she was a Hoyns Fellow in Fiction Writing.

Kline lives in NYC and Southwest Harbor, Maine. She serves on the advisory boards of the Center for Fiction (NY), the Jesup Library (Bar Harbor, ME), the Montclair Literary Festival (NJ), the Kauai Writers Festival (HI), and Roots & Wings (NJ), and on the gala committees of Poets & Writers (NY), The Authors Guild (NY) and Friends of Acadia (ME). She is an Artist-Mentor for StudioDuke at Duke University and the BookEnds program at Stony Brook University.

The YMCA Book Club

The Final Target, The Keeper, Yesteryear, Buckeye—Audiobook Mini-Reviews -–#HistorialFiction #Suspense #TuesdayBookBlog

Four short reviews of audiobooks on one page; short, sweet, and that hopefully will pique your interest. (Links on individual covers are to Amazon.)

Quite the variety of genres in the books below as well as authors but all unique and recommendable! Give a peek into each.

Take a peek!

The Final Target by Nora Roberts
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: January LaVoy

Arden is a successful debut author being stalked by a wannabe. Or is it worse than that? Dustin is totally obsessed. Following an assault, he is sent away but absence only appears to make his heart angrier and more determined. He’ll find her wherever she went.

Arden is a strong, independent character and meets Gideon in her new location. They form a loving, relaxed relationship that doesn’t overpower the suspense dwelling in the background.

Including Dustin’s POV provides a sense of tension and desperation. Of course, he feels he is intellectually superior and has everything planned out. She’ll be his to do as he bids.

It’s a suspense thriller that’ll be hard for you to put down. Of course, I’ve long been a Nora Roberts fan. You too?

Suspense fans? Thriller fans? It doesn’t get much more thrillerish than this one. Totally recommended.

The Keeper by Tana French
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Narrator: Roger Clark

This is the third book in the Cal Hooper trilogy (read #2, The Hunter back in 2024 and The Searcher before that). If you read Tana French, you know her books can tend to get…lengthy. That is because she loves to write long-winded Guinness-driven discussions by the good ole boys in the local pub. I’ve said before, she might be a master of thrillers, but she is definitely a mistress of dialogue. I listen to the audiobooks to get that Irish flavor and obviously I can listen to it for quite some time.

As with the first and second, this tale is wholly atmospheric. You can live between these pages, lost in the characters. Even if you didn’t start with the first installment, these characters will grow on you. Well, maybe not everyone, but I learned to love them all and watched with interest the growth and maturity of Trey. Cal Hooper is the ex-Chicago PD detective well out of his element but thrust into the center of Ardnakelty business anyway.

This time, young, soon-to-be-engaged Rachel Holohan goes missing and turns up in the river. Dead.

The gossip runs rampant. The whole village in arms and divisive in theory. Deeply descriptive prose has you feeling the chill of the fog, the collision of sentiments. Such an immersive story and sad to see the end to this series. If you haven’t read it yet—yeah—it’s long but delightfully easy listening.

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator: Rebecca Lowman

A debut novel that sparked a lot of controversy over whether it was meant to be a satire–or not. What you thought you were getting, you weren’t. I was interested in the premise, not really a new one, but definitely deceived.

Natalie has created a lifestyle and made herself a controversial influencer by adopting a “traditional” family, living the good life. But it’s a front and a front she detests. That includes the kids (all six of them), her husband, the whole scene, her eight million followers (particularly “the angry women.” If only they could see behind the scenes. That kitchen? A front. All those homecooked meals? Yeah, she has a cook, nanny for the kids, and the farm is not particularly idyllic either.

It’s okay if she doesn’t like anyone. The reader doesn’t like her either. She’s nasty and whiny.

So does she get her comeuppance when she wakes up in 1855 to an old farmhouse where the bathroom is a hike outside, the kids are dirty and she must (gasp!) care for them, her husband is exhausted and worn and never was exciting in bed. She has to cook on what? Wash clothes in a wash tub? Are you kidding?!!

Well, this could have been a real lesson in contradiction: a culturally, politically, morally flawed individual. She created this version of herself. Can’t she also change it? End it? Is she trapped in 1855, a victim of herself?

I found it a difficult and long audiobook, easily distractible. Maybe I’m just too tired or too short on time to dig for the deeper meanings. You may love it; it’s rather cerebral.

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator: Michael Crouch

The novel spans several decades and generations and focuses on Cal Jenkins and Margaret Salt. The sympathy all goes to Cal, the empathy to Margaret. And yes, the novel a long one. I actually started this one once before and lost the loan before I could finish it. On a wait list, took a while to come back around.

WWII only highlighted Cal’s childhood deformity, denying him participation in the fight when all the others left. He marries Becky, who practices her gift as a spiritual medium, which annoys Cal and drives a wedge between them.

Margaret was abandoned to an orphanage and her early life consisted of foster placements until she got to an age where she struck out on her own and discovered how cruel the world really could be. She eventually marries a gay man who finds the love of his life. It isn’t her.

These two flawed main characters find each other in a novel of multiple themes, including love and loyalty. While it paints a transparent picture of post-war middle America, written in beautiful emotional prose, I found it incredibly sad. Four lifetimes, the sacrifice, and the loss.

A literary hangover with these four characters, their decisions, obligations, strengths, and weaknesses in a look back during a historically turbulent time. You may enjoy the authenticity and the major events noted during the decades, but this one didn’t provide sufficient grief relief for me.

The first three of these books were released during the second quarter of this year all receiving acclaim. Buckeye achieved a Goodreads Choice Award as a Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction in 2025.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to these audiobooks. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Audiobooks

Rosepoint Reviews – July Recap – Dog Days of August Are Upon Us

Actually, I thought the “dog days” referred to all of August. Wrong! It’s actually from July 3^rd to August 11^th. Who Knew? The Dog Star, Sirius, is the brightest star in the night sky, sitting in the constellation Canis Major. Those ancient Greeks and Romans had some amazing ideas, huh?

Our July was first spent in healing and convalescing and then the passing of one of our Navy buddies. The good news is that the second trip to the hospital was the charm for the CE. Now the process involves healing on the inside as well as the outside and the wait for release to resume the activities we were formerly enjoying.

The bad news is the loss of Ted. The CE served with him in the Navy in Taiwan back in the late 60s when we met he and his wife and their two babies. We enjoyed a number of great get-togethers through the years, and it was nice to see their “babies” all grown up with kids and grandkids of their own.

The water garden with fairly new Rosy Red Minnows was cared for during our time away in Texas for the memorial service by a neighbor. Fortunately, the week was forecast for pleasant 70^o temps, but we arrived back home in the middle of one of the Northwest’s famous severe T-storms. While our neighborhood was spared, many were not.

The veggie garden got a good soaking, so both the water garden and the veggie plants were happy at least. Texas was predictably very warm.

We continued to read and listen to audiobooks (albeit sparingly with traveling and visiting in Texas). The links on the titles are to our reviews that also include purchase information. I expect to review the titles we managed to finish beginning in August.

Rosepoint Publishing - July Reviews

EBooks

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick (bookclub book)
Captain Hope and the Battle of Attu by Neil Perry (CE review)
The Rector’s Daughter by Jean Grainger

Favorite Book of the Month

Favorite for July – Captain Hope and the Battle of Attu

My Reading Challenges page…I’ve been lucky to turn on the computer. My Goodreads count won’t be accurate anyway, but the opening page shows 79 books (twenty-two behind schedule). I think it’s obvious I’ll have to edit the goal. Also, I have several audiobooks finished but not posted and soon coming.

UpComing Audiobook Mini-Reviews

The Final Target by Nora Roberts
The Keeper by Tana French
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

To my readers and fellow bloggers, I appreciate every view and like and appreciate so much your taking the time to check out my posts and leave your comments.

Rosepoint Reviews – June Recap – July Heat and Firecrackers

June first ushered in a whole new lifestyle and schedule around here with the sudden emergency we experienced with the CE.

Notified that his Loop (cardiac implant) went off, he was sent to Emergency at our nearby hospital where he ended up with a whole new device. Unfortunately, he proved to be allergic to the wound adhesive and round two occurred one week later. He got his staples out two days before his birthday. Needless to say, I’ve taken a blog sabbatical. His estimated full recovery is expected to be eight weeks.

Now with the heat dome and temps at the century mark, the water garden isn’t looking too healthy and my mosquito fish (the Rosy Red Minnows) agreed it was too much for them. The Mystery snails are quite happy with each other, but it’s a struggle to keep that water temperature below 85^o F and that won’t work for them either, sad to say. We don’t usually experience these temps, so the whole thing must obviously be my fault.

The veggie garden doesn’t need a whole lot of attention except for some water. Going to the YMCA is out for the CE, although I might try to do one or two days a week, including book club next week and Bingo the next. One of our Navy buddies has passed away, a friendship of almost sixty years, so our son will be driving us to Texas. Yes, Texas in July. From the frying pan to the fire.

The CE and I did have six books we struggled to finish and I to post. The links on the titles are to our reviews that also include purchase information.

Rosepoint Reviews - June Recap

eBooks

Abigail Trench by Randy Overbeck (buddy read with the CE)
Mayhem in the Mountains by Jane Loeb Rubin

Audiobooks

Ironwood by Michael Connelly
Still Alice by Lisa Genova (book club)
The Divorce by Freida McFadden
Lorne by Susan Morrison

Favorite Book of the Month

The CE loved Randy Overbeck’s book. It was unique and very timely as well as thought-provoking. I greatly enjoyed it as well and can recommend for our America250 celebration. The favorite book for June:

Favorite for June – Abigail Trench

My Reading Challenges page…I’ve been lucky to turn on the computer. My Goodreads count won’t be accurate anyway but opening page shows 75 books (eleven behind schedule). I think it’s obvious I’ll have to edit the goal. Also, I have several audiobooks finished but not posted.

To my readers and fellow bloggers, I appreciate every open and like, and thank you so much for taking the time to check out my posts and leave your comments.

A little light summer reading.

The Paris Wife: A Novel by Paula McLain #AudiobookReview #bookclub #TBT

Book Club at the YMCA

Best Books of the Year 2011

Nominee for Favorite Book of 2011, Winner for Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction (2011), Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Goodreads Author (2011)

Sorry, but this one was regarding Ernest Hemingway—not my fav. We have to remember it’s a novel and certainly not penned by Wife Number One, Hadley Richardson. At twenty-eight years old in Chicago 1920, she definitely would have been termed a “spinster.” I don’t think it was the Jazz Age Paris that set Hemingway into a hard-drinking social life with some cronies who were already achieving name recognition, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. I think the man, well ahead of the myth, was already a hard-drinking narcissist who pulled Hadley along for the ride. And when it ended. It ended.

But what a ride it was!

This is the book club selection for March, discussed rather low key at our April meeting.

My Thoughts

Hadley experienced a tragic childhood, from the suicide of her father to the death of a sister in a fire. Neither his family nor hers had been thrilled with the two together. Hadley was considered the old maid at 28 and Hemingway back from the war at just nineteen.

After she met Hemingway and together enjoyed a whirlwind romance, they were married in 1921. Shortly after, they moved to Paris where he struck up with contacts during his fledgling foreign correspondent days and Gertrude Stein in turn introduced him to additional authors who fed his need for the spotlight and his ego.

Living a fast-paced Bohemian life took a toll on the marriage; the drinking, the free-wheeling moral code, his lust writing the Great American Novel…and women. Her discovery of his affair with her friend, however, became the final straw.

Many thanks to our local well-stocked library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own as well as my interpretation of the consensus of the book club participants.

Book Club Thoughts

The publisher provides pointed questions for discussion at the book club.

The Paris Wife - UK cover — The Paris Wife – UK cover

Among the items specifically examined this time were:

►We were reminded a couple times that this book is fiction, a novel, not a biography. We can draw some conclusions but would have to independently research key details of interest.

►A big question regarding what her perceived role was, with the majority feeling it was to feed his ego, and unfortunately, following his success, no longer needed that extra support.

►We wondered what Hadley might have seen in him and the consensus generally felt that he took her out of her expected lonely, spinster life to one of discovering the big world out there.

►A big point of discussion was the loss of his entire work to date when she traveled to meet him. Did he ever really forgive her for losing all his manuscripts? Perhaps we’ll never know.

There were additional questions and discussions, of course, one being the lifestyle and the hard drinking of Paris life, and the contradiction of Hadley’s acquiescence to attending the running of the bulls (and death of the animals) by occupying herself with crocheting baby clothes.

Book Club rating vote

Book Details:

Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator: Carrington MacDuffie
Publication Date: February 22, 2011

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Paula McLain is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun, Love and Ruin, and When the Stars Go Dark. Her latest novel, Skylark, a GMA January 2026 pick, is a mesmerizing tale of Paris above and below, revealing a story of courage and resistance that transcends time. McLain was born in Fresno, California in 1965. After being abandoned by both parents, she and her two sisters became wards of the California Court System, moving in and out of various foster homes for the next fourteen years. When she aged out of the system, she supported herself by working as a nurse’s aid in a convalescent hospital, a pizza delivery girl, an auto-plant worker, a cocktail waitress–before discovering she could (and very much wanted to) write. She received her MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan in 1996, and is the author of two collections of poetry, a memoir, Like Family: Growing Up in Other People’s Houses, and the debut novel, A Ticket to Ride. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, O: the Oprah Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, Huffington Post, the Guardian and elsewhere.

The YMCA Book Club

Shamrocks, Blarney Stones, and Wild Irish Tales #ReadingIrelandMonth26

Reading Ireland Month (The #Begorrathon26) had a good run this year, with ebooks and audiobooks read and reviewed. Surprisingly, although Waking the Titanic was supposed to be on Netflix, I gave up looking for it, as it was obviously taken down at some point. Then, in quick succession, we gave up on Derry Girls, Lies We Tell, and The Fall of the House of Usher.

Reading Ireland Month26 - wrap up

Back when I published a number of my grandfather’s books, I tried creating a book trailer or two and made one for Cocos Island Treasure using one of Marc Gunn’s songs.

Of course, I always recommend my favorite Irish podcaster, Marc Gunn’s Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. This year’s St Patrick’s Day podcast included one of his own songs that I thought I’d share.

Years ago, I also posted a St Patrick’s article regarding one of his more interesting poems, The Bonny Bell from Yarn Four.

By now you’ve read my chuckle-fest St Patrick’s Day post that I titled Beans, Beans…(A St Patrick’s Day Revisited). Check it out if you haven’t seen it before. And don’t forget that special Irish Soda Bread recipe from one of our favorite Irish authors, Jean Granger.

We only use Netflix on the internet along with our antenna, so don’t have a large selection of streaming services but did enjoy The Siege of Jadotville. Hope you got to view that or have it on your view list.

Recommendations

I already mentioned the lone movie we were able to get and highly recommend. As always, one of those long-buried stories taken from history worthy of public note, The Seige of Jadotville deserves a look-see.

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is a fast and furious, bordering on fantasy, dark comedy series, and I suspect, for those who enjoy a unique and wild ride with their whiskey.

The ebooks and audiobooks were a bit of a disappointment, though I enjoyed my ebook copy of Carlene O’Connor’s Murder in an Irish Churchyard.

We do have fun with this every year and it usually gets me out there researching and finding stuff I had no idea was available. Hope you read or listened to one of these books or movies, and if you did, I’d love to know.

Reading Ireland Month 2026

The Siege of Jadotville – Netflix Movie – #waraction – #readingirelandmonth25

Introduction

I am reviewing this movie for Reading Ireland Month. It is hosted by Cathy at 746 Books. Please check out her page for suggestions on reading, audiobooks, or music on her spotify list and use the hashtags #readingirelandmonth26 or #begorrathon.

The Movie

According to Google, the movie was first a book detailing the 1961 battle called Seige at Jadotville: The Irish Army’s Forgotten Battle. It was written by Declan Power, an Irish security analyst published in 2005. This Netflix film was released in 2016. There are other books on the battle detailing the 157 UN Irish peacekeepers who were grossly outnumbered in the skirmish in the Congo.

My Thoughts

Although the film is a bit slow getting into the story, the storyline becomes quite engaging and the movie well acted. Not exactly the Alamo of Ireland, this is the account of the UN Irish peacekeeping forces facing a vastly outnumbered force (20-1) who not only managed to hold on while suffering no casualties against the Katangese forces (in reality, a mix of hardened European mercenaries with untested locals), but inflicting several hundred casualties on the opposing forces as well as more than one thousand wounded.

While not entirely historically accurate, the movie conveys the “last stand” spirit of the Irish. They defended their position (possibly five days according to internet accounts) until they ran out of ammunition and water, which resulted in surrender and imprisonment until a negotiated prisoner exchange resulted in their release, where they suffered the derisive term “Jadotville Jacks.”

The acting is gritty, hard-bitten, and filled with tension. Cast members included Jamie Dornan, Guillaume Canet, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Jason O’Mara, among many others better known to the Northern European theatre. Jamie Dornan as Commandant Pat Quinlan did an Academy-level job of conveying the brutality, desperation, and power of his position and the decisions he made under terrifying and desperate conditions. It’s the heroics of men plunged into circumstances no one should or could prepare for.

Filmed on locations in South Africa (north of Johannesburg) and Ireland, an honest representation of the atmospherics of the Congo, the look and feel of the battle.

Released by Netflix in 2016 – currently streaming

Genres: Irish, Military Movies, Drama, Movies based on books, movies based on real life…

Watched with the CE, we both enjoyed this one. The CE, being a veteran, enjoys most military movies and we both celebrate St Patrick’s Day, my grandfather being from County Cork and his grandmother from Dublin.

Rosepoint Recommended-5 Stars

There is plenty of action, great acting, tension, emotions, and a lovely epilogue at the end. Yes, the men finally get recognition of their efforts, if too late for some. And, movies based on true stories are history come alive, the best. If you haven’t viewed the film, I heartily recommend it. If you have, I’d love to know if you agree with my sentiments.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Background intro banner above courtesy Military Archives, color pics courtesy Facebook, movie camera courtesy Freepik

Reading Ireland Month – The #Begorrathon is Back and We’re All About Irish

Reading Ireland Month

Reading Ireland Month (The #Begorrathon) will return for the twelveth year during March 2026, although this will be my eighth year. It is hosted by Cathy at 746 Books. Cathy is a big supporter of everything Irish. Check out her page and you’ll find all kinds of suggestions for reading, listening, or music on her spotify list. Of course, I always recommend my favorite Irish podcast, Marc Gunn’s Irish and Celtic Music Podcast.

Please use the hashtags #readingirelandmonth26 or #begorrathon26 if you plan to participate.

Yes, we do tend to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in grandiose style in the US with parades, pub specials and green beer, corned beef and cabbage. And as I’ve mentioned before, in “Chicago-land” they turn the Chicago River green. You might think that represents a good-sized population of Irish folks or Irish descendants and you would be right!

I always include the post I wrote years ago following one of our more interesting St Patrick’s Days, titled Beans, Beans…(A St Patrick’s Day Revisited). Check it out if you haven’t seen it before.

I usually try for one ebook a week, an audiobook or two, and again this year looked for movies or series I can glean from our lone streaming service, Netflix. Not that many this year and of the ones listed, only found a few. Perhaps you can find them on your own streamer.

Reading Ireland Month 2026 - Books and Movies

MOVIES

To be viewed in no particular order:

Waking the Titanic – In 1912, fourteen Irish immigrants from Addergoole, County Mayo, embarked on the Titanic’s ill-fated maiden voyage to seek work in America. ‘Muintir Maigh Eo ar an Titanic’ (Documentary)

Lies We Tell

The Seige of Jadotville

SERIES

Derry Girls
The Fall of the House of Usher (mini-series)

Suggested High Ratings Irish-related (Not Found on Netflix)
In the Land of Saints and Sinners
Hard Times

BOOKS

From my local library:

The Burning Soul by John Connelly (CE book)

Murder in An Irish Churchyard by Carlene O’Connor – ebook

I will probably include one of my grandfather’s poems and, of course, Irish author Jean Grainger’s soda bread recipe.

We do have fun with this every year and it seems to get me out there researching and finding stuff I had no idea was available. Hope you’ll enjoy a book or one of these movies and if you do, I’d love to know.

Reading Ireland Month 2022