For the Record: March 2011

The month of March was dominated by my trip to Ireland...preparing for it seemed to take as much of my time as actually being there!  February was so inundated with heavy reading (at least it felt like it) that I've totally been in the mood to do some simpler reading...maybe I'm ready for those summer reads already!

I have decided to put aside my Daily Lit selections for a little while, since they were just stressing me out.  I'd like to pick up Daniel Deronda and finish it in some longer sittings.  Our Mutual Friend?  I might pick that back up via Daily Lit, as it worked well for me that way...I'm really not interested enough to read Dickens otherwise (but I want to be able to say "I've read Dickens" and so I carry on...how sad is that?)

8 Books Read in March: (31 Year-to-Date)
2 for the kiddos:
  - From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg
  - Dragon Spear, Jessica Day George
1 for book club:
  - The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
1 ARC:
  - Expiration Date, Sherril Jaffe
1 Read-Along:
  - Villette, Charlotte Bronte
3 just for fun:
  - The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing, Melissa Bank
  - How to Be Good, Nick Hornby
  - The Secret Scripture, Sebastian Barry




3 Current Reads: (greatly decreased since finishing my bible, my kiddos books, a book of poetry, and suspending Our Mutual Friend and Daniel Deronda for the time being)
  - If There is Something to Desire by Vera  Pavlova (poetry)
  - At Home by Bill Bryson (nonfiction)
  - The Troll Garden by Willa Cather (short stories)


On my nightstand:
  - The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton (ARC)
  - Ghost Light by Joseph O'Connor (Dublin's One City, One Book)
  - Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (first foray into Persephone)
  - The Bride's House by Sandra Dallas (ARC)
  - Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson (ARC)
  - Townie by Andre Dubus III (Indiespensible)

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

The Secret Scripture is one of the books I brought home with me from Ireland.  It was recommended by a bookseller that shared my enthusiasm for Joseph O'Connor's Star of the Sea.  I went into the shop to find a copy of his Ghost Light (Dublin's One City, One Book choice, being read this month) and ended up asking her for other recommendations.

The synopsis the bookseller gave me was intriguing.  All she told me was that it was a book about Ireland's unfortunate tendency, in the past, to commit women to insane asylums for moral issues and convenience rather than any mental instability.

This is a book told from two points of view.  The first is Roseanne's: as she approaches 100 years of age she reflects on the early years of her life: those before her long years spent in an asylum, those that shed light on the things that determined the fate of her life.  The second is Dr. Grene's, the hospital's psychiatrist, who is tasked with deciding whether any of the residents are suited for life outside, and who finds himself intrigued with Roseanne's story.

And who can blame him?  The main events in Roseanne's life take place against the backdrop of the World Wars, and more immediately significant: Easter Rising in 1916, War of Independence in 1919-1921, and the Irish Civil War in 1922-1923.  Roseanne grows up in Sligo, and the words that Sebastian Barry uses to describe  her perceptions of this place are magical.

The prose strolls through memory, collecting pictures and stories as if they were flowers in a garden, presenting them for inspection and contemplation.  Once I slowed myself enough to listen to the language, I found that it moved rather quickly.  The plot (to me) seemed in danger of being rather sensational--I was a little afraid that it might put every sordid detail in so bright a light that it would no longer seem real--but what I found were characters so lifelike that it was more like uncovering your family's hidden secrets than reading a novel.  The simplicity and quietness in which details were revealed had more impact on me than they would have if they were pumped up and dramatized.  Sometimes a humble acceptance of misfortunes makes more of an impression than a volley of protests.

As a side note, I was scrolling through my Amazon wishlist after returning home from Ireland, and I was shocked to discover that I'd put this book on there back in August 2010.  Here I'd thought that I'd never heard of it before, when I obviously had.  It must have been a book blogger recommendation, which makes me excited to read the other books I've placed on my wishlist based on blogger rec's.  You all haven't steered me wrong yet!

Title: The Secret Scripture
Author: Sebastian Barry
Pages: 312
Published: 2007 Faber and Faber (orig. 2006)
My Rating: 4.5 stars

Sunday Salon: Coming Home with New Books

Before I left on my vacation (which was simply fabulous, by the way) I posted about the never-ending dilemma of packing books.  Of course, I packed way too many books...especially considering the fact that I bought more while I was there.  Oh well, better safe than sorry, right?  I finished 4 books, but I must have brought twice that many.

I love buying books while on holiday--they make wonderful souvenirs.  While in Dublin, I purchased 3 books at the Temple Bar Book Market.  The next 2 I purchased at a lovely little shop in Clifden, and our last stop was at a shop in Dingle.


1. An Ideal Husband, Oscar Wilde
I didn't even realize that Oscar Wilde was an Irish author until I went to the Dublin Writer's Museum.  The Importance of Being Earnest really sold me on his wit and imagination, so I thought Ireland was a better place than many to acquire my next sampling of his work.

2. McCarthy's Bar, Peter McCarthy
Okay, to be honest, I never would have bought this book of my own volition.  But the bartender at the hotel where we were staying in Dublin had really good taste in whiskey, and he was reading this book.  Sometimes I'm a really easy sell.  The fun anecdotes will provide happy-Irish-thoughts when I'm really wishing I was back there.

3. Sweet Liberty: Travels in Irish America, Joseph O'Connor
Well, I like Joseph O'Connor (loved Star of the Sea) and the Irish, and America.  That's about all there was to this choice.  This may be one of those books that sits on my shelf for quite a while...but oh well.  It's a "someday" read.


4. Ghost Light, Joseph O'Connor
This was only released in the US on 2/1/2011, but it has been out in Ireland long enough to be in paperback.  When I found out that Dublin had chosen this book for their One City, One Book, I decided I'd join them.  They are reading this in April, so I can get cracking at any time!

5. The Secret Scripture, Sebastian Barry
Recommended by the bookseller in Clifden, this book is about a woman who has lived much of her life in an insane asylum in Roscommon, and whose psychiatrist is wondering if she ever should have been there at all.  It was a great read--I'll be reviewing it soon!

6. No Country For Old Men, Cormac McCarthy

Decidedly un-Irish in setting, but my husband keeps asking me if I've read it, so it seemed a good time to pick it up!  I thought The Road was so vivid and unsettling, I was amazed at McCarthy's talent and am eager to try another of his novels, unsettling though it may be.

7. The Passage, Justin Cronin

This was my husband's purchase actually, but I'm counting it anyhow.  He rarely has time to read, much less explore new authors, so seeing him dive into this huge book was a rare treat for me!  He's finished it already--what a guy. :)

Now...I am definitely not in need of more books.  My TBR shelf weighs on me enough already.  But if it is a matter of bringing home goofy knick-knack souvenirs or books, you have to know which I'll be choosing.  It's hard to resist, especially when I don't get the chance to buy from small booksellers very often.  Most of my new books come from Amazon, B&N, or used from my local book shop.  But a small bookseller featuring newly published books?  Just not so common around here.  I wish it were!  Do you have small booksellers around you? Wish you did?

Northern Ireland & Connaught

I considered not putting more Ireland pictures here, since they aren't necessarily bookish and I'll be putting a bunch up on my family blog anyhow, but I want to share them with all of you too, so here they are.

Belfast City Hall

After being in Dublin for 4 days, we rented a car and drove up to Belfast.  I was really curious to experience any difference there might be between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but in the words of our cab driver, "It's all just Ireland."  Meant in a good way, of course.  There aren't even any border markers.  The main difference seemed to be that they use Pounds Sterling instead of Euros, although the atmosphere did seem a bit heavier.  The highlight of our trip into Northern Ireland was driving the Causeway Coast.

Panorama of the Causeway Coastline

Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge

Giant's Causeway

I loved driving along the coast and seeing a peak of Scotland, where some dear friends live: so close, yet so far.  After our two days in Northern Ireland, we drove towards the Connaught area.  I loved the landscape here.  It wasn't, perhaps, quite as dramatic as some of the coastlines, but it made my heart sing.  

Connemara--way more impressive in real life!

Remnants of peasant farming still visible in Connemara.
Hard to imagine the amount of people this area once held.

Also the Connemara/Mayo County area.

Sunset on Lough Corrib, Cong

It's still difficult for me to grasp just how incredibly lovely this country is.  So many times we just had to stop and soak it in.  It was literally breathtaking.