The Life of Saint Patrick

Do you know much about Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland? I didn’t, so I went looking for more information at the Thunder Bay Public Library. I found some really helpful books in the Children’s Department, namely Joyce K. Kessel’s St. Patrick’s Day, Joanna Ponto’s St. Patrick’s Day, Edna Barth’s Shamrocks, Harps, and Shillelaghs:... Continue Reading →

Becoming Belle by Nuala O’Connor

In “Becoming Belle,” Nuala O’Connor brings the extraordinary life of Isabel (Belle) Bilton into the mind of her readers. As someone who appreciates a believably written period piece, I was grateful for O’Connor’s appropriate choice of language and sentence structure. It allowed me to fully immerse myself into this almost unbelievable story set in the... Continue Reading →

Someone You Know by Brian McGilloway

On my first trip to Ireland, I found myself in a bookstore discovering a number of new authors to me, including couple of great mystery writers, Liz Nugent and Brian McGilloway.  While, Nugent has yet to break the North American market, McGilloway has been quietly building a fan base with his Benedict Devlin and DS... Continue Reading →

Me and my sisters, by Sinéad Moriarty

I read this book on the recommendation of a patron whose two-word justification: “She’s Irish!” apparently explained everything – meaning that  because the author is Irish, this is a really good story, obviously very humorous, as well as heart-rending. I couldn’t not read it. When I first started out I was highly skeptical, as it... Continue Reading →

A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle

 I first found Roddy Doyle through the movie, "The Commitments" and was struck by the raw, funny and bawdy style of the writing. The dialogue in the movie, about a talented, dysfunctional band pursuing their dreams of stardom in Dublin, was taken for the most part from the novel. "The Commitments" was the first... Continue Reading →

The Pig Did It

National Pig Day will soon be upon us.  It's only 7 days away. To clear up any confusion, it's a day "to accord to the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man's most intelligent and useful domesticated animals". In honour of NPD (not to be confused with NDP), lets look at... Continue Reading →

If You Could See Me Now

Everyone needs a little magic in their lives, but for Elizabeth Egan, life is black and white .She's raising her nephew Luke, caring for her irresponsible flighty sister,cheering up her permanently depressed father and working 24/7 to pay the bills.  So when her nephew comes home with Ivan his imaginary friend,from "Eveileb Ekam", she's sure... Continue Reading →

Website Built with WordPress.com.

Up ↑