Location: Ireland

by Debbie Rosenberg

It's March, which means it's almost St. Patrick's Day when I get to pretend I'm more Irish than I am.  In celebration I decided to look for books that take place in Ireland. I started at our catalog and changed the dropdown "all fields" to "subject" and typed "Ireland" in the search box.  From over 1000 results, I can then narrow the search to the format, audience, and further subject, such as "mystery fiction" "love fiction" or "Ireland - history" for nonfiction.  I think I found some winners!

Mysteries

Vengeance: a novel  by Benjamin Black is first on my to be read list.  Benjamin Black is the pen name of the Man Booker Prize winning novelist John Banville who lives in Dublin. By clicking on either the book cover or the title I can see if the book is available and basic information such as this mystery involves police in Ireland. Below the location and availability I can click on "Explore series, summary and more" to find out more. "It's a fine day for a sail, and Victor Delahaye, one of Ireland's most successful businessmen, takes his boat far out to sea. With him is his partner's son--who becomes the sole witness when Delahaye produces a pistol, points it at his own chest, and fires...." yep, looks interesting.

Lying in Wait : a novel by Liz Nugent is a psychological thriller that fans of Ruth Ware and Gyllian Flynn will enjoy.  On the surface, Lydia Fitzsimons has the perfect life, but there's a family secret and her beloved son is getting closer to figuring it out.  "My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it." 

Love Stories

Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy is a wonderful story about a young girl, Elizabeth White, sent from London during WWII to a small town in Ireland where she meets Aisling O'Connor who becomes her best friend.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin is the story of a young Irish woman who gets a job in Brooklyn in the early 1950's.  As she starts to get over the pain of leaving family and country behind and begins to fall in love, she's called back to her small Irish town.  This one we own as a book, book on compact disc, Book Club Kit, and the Oscar nominated movie on dvd.  (I may have to cheat.)

And History: 

History of Britain & Ireland : the definitive visual guide call number 941 History 2019

DK publishes many visual reference books. This one covers the pivotal military, political and cultural events from the Stone Age to the modern era.

The Graves Are Walking : the Great Famine and the Saga of the Irish People by John Kelly. Call number 941.5081 K297 2012

John Kelly's deeply researched, novelistic book explains the perfect storm of bacterial infection, political greed and religious intolerance that contributed to this monumental human tragedy.  

Debbie Rosenberg has worked in the FDL Public Library Reference department for 30 years.