This book was recommended to me and having read it, I am delighted I listened and decided to make it a book club choice.  The story revolves around the life of a man, A.J. Fikry, who runs a book shop on an island near Hyannis in Massachusetts.  His bookshop is not doing particularly well and he is a bit of a literary snob, so he isn’t great at catering for the masses or indeed making an effort to sell them what they might like. He is at an exceptionally low point in his life when we first meet him.  He is grieving the loss of his wife, who tragically died two years previously. He is drinking too much and he is pretty much one step away from a breakdown.  Only for the support and love of his sister in law, Ismay, he would be sunk.  Life goes from bad to worse, when the only valuable item he owns, a first edition copy of  Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘Tamerlane’ is stolen one night when he is in a drunken stupor.   We forget about this during the telling of the rest of the story, but there is a twist which we are to discover later. We then meet the second main character of the story, Amelia, who is the sales rep for a book company.  When she first meets A.J, he is exceptionally rude to her and it seems they are doomed never to get along.  However as the story develops, so too does their relationship.  But it is when an abandoned baby called Maya is left in his bookstore that A.J.’s life really changes.

There are moments of tragedy and joy throughout the story, as we follow the lives of A.J., Maya, Amelia and the people surrounding them, such as Daniel, the smug self satisfied writer who is married to A.J’s sister-in-law, Ismay.  Their story is secondary to the story of A.J., Amelia and Maya, but is no less interesting for that.

This book for me was a complete joy from start to finish.  The story is told with humour, warmth and a touching sincerity.  It’s all about books, so if you are a bookworm, then it should definitely warm your heart.  I would describe this as the perfect holiday read.  It is lighthearted, takes next to no concentration to read, and leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling.    Zevin’s gift is in her ability to make  you fall in love with the characters, and to feel empathy for A.J. and also Amelia.  You are plugging for them from the start (well I was anyway).   The author also introduces other interesting characters, such as Chief Lambiase, who again, is one of those people you just can’t help but like.  The story portrays life on a small island as idyllic, with a close knit community who all know your business, but are there to support you.  At times for me, the story was a little ‘too’ perfect, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of it.   I particularly liked the book recommendations for Maya at the beginning of every chapter, and indeed made a note of a couple of the books to read myself!

I would highly recommend this book as a lighthearted, warm, funny, ideal holiday read.   If you love books and bookshops, it may also just make you want to go and open one!

As promised, I would like to announce that the winner of the best blog comment during the last month goes to Clare Hawken, for her comment on ‘H is for Hawk.’  One of the main joys of doing this blog, is that someone may be inspired to pick up a book that they wouldn’t normally read, so for that Clare, you are a winner!

I am also giving away two books to my two most loyal followers who have supported this blog since it’s inception, and for that I thank them most humbly! So Kim and Corinne, you will also be getting a copy of the paperback version of the book next time I see you.   I know you cannot contain your excitement, but please try!!

Please scroll on down to the next blog post which is about August’s book club and the new Harper Lee release.

I read ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ when I was about 15.  I think that is the case, although I honestly can’t remember exactly what age I was.  What I do remember is how much I loved the book.  And I mean loved.    However I haven’t ever re-read it, and I can’t honestly explain why that is the case.  God knows, I have watched the film too many times to admit.   I think the book is better though, as books usually are.  I just have a thing for Gregory Peck!

Anyway, I am counting the days until her new (!) book ‘Go Set a Watchman,’ is released and we don’t have long to wait.  14th July!

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee.

I found all the controversy surrounding the release of the book slightly disconcerting.  I so hope the lady wasn’t taken advantage of.  I like to think she retains some of the spirit I saw her character display in the film Capote.    Well, whatever the truth is, I hope she can at least raise a glass to how much the public loved her characters, and cannot wait to read more!   So on my holidays I will have a copy of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Go Set a Watchman.’   I will be reading one after the other and enjoying every second of it.  I shall report back on my return.  I would love it, if you are a fan, if you read both and then we could compare notes!   The other book club choice for August is ‘The Girl on The Train.’ by Paula Hawkins which you can find out more about on The Monthly Book Club page.

Helen Macdonald with her goshawk Mabel.

Photo courtesy of The New Yorker Magazine.

H is for Hawk is a memoir written by Helen Macdonald, a third year research fellow at Cambridge University. Her father dies suddenly of a heart attack. She was very close to her father and she used to go on outings with him, when he worked as a professional photographer.  Helen Macdonald had been interested in falconry from childhood, and by this point in her life she is a very experienced falconer. She has read (and written one) numerous books on the subject. Following her father’s death, she buys a goshawk for £800 and sets about trying to tame her.
This book is about her training the goshawk, who she calls Mabel, and coming to terms with the loss of her father. But in my opinion it is so much more than that.

I was attracted to this book by some deep instinct. Every time I went into the book shop I kept looking at the cover and I didn’t know why. When I picked it up, it sounded like the last book I would be interested in reading, and yet, it kept calling to me. So I made it the book club choice and here we are.
Well my instincts were right. For me personally, it was not an easy book to read, but from the start I found it riveting, mesmerizing and fascinating. I don’t think I have ever read such beautiful and raw descriptions of nature anywhere before. I found the writing almost hypnotic. I would stay awake reading it till two in the morning, which if you know me, never ever happens. In saying that, as I previously mentioned, I didn’t find it an easy read and at times it was actually difficult to read, but no less enjoyable for that. So what made is so captivating?

The language is complex, original and describes the countryside around England in a way that I have never heard before. Macdonald knows every tree, every hedge and every flower she passes. Nothing escapes her eye when she is out in nature. Her descriptions astounded me.

She describes the depths of her feelings with a refreshing bluntness and honesty that I loved. Her grief for her father is so palpable, and having gone through losing my own father, there were several parts of the book where I broke down and cried with empathy and understanding.
For example, on page 150, she writes:
‘On the way home, I felt a great and simple sadness, I missed my dad. I missed him very much.’
Well that was all I needed to read to set me off, and it fitted perfectly in context, as did every word in this book, in my opinion.

There is a parallel strand to the narrative as the author describes a book she is reading by a man called T. H. White who also trained a Hawk back in the 1930s. As the author trains her own goshawk she relives the life of White and his difficulties and obsession with his own hawk. Although I wasn’t as interested in this part of the book, it works, as she comes to understand her own complexities through his experiences and draws solace from his failures and successes.
I grew fascinated by the goshawk’s actions and training. I had absolutely no idea about hawks at the start of this memoir and the descriptions of Mabel killing her prey I found very hard to stomach. It was the only part of the book I didn’t like so much, but it was still described superbly.

Sometimes you come across a book that’s a bit of a challenge. In day’s past I wouldn’t have persevered, I would have just put it down. I didn’t have to persevere at all with this book, I loved it, but I can see how some might. I would beg you to stick with it though, if only for the incredible talent the author has for language. It is simply sublime. This book will take pride of place on my bookshelf and I have no doubt it is a book I will re-read in a couple of years.

At the beginning of 2013 I set out on a journey of discovery.  A discovery of the story of my father’s life.  I thought I knew pretty much all there was to know.  I was wrong.  Over the course of the next six months, every few weekends we would sit down together and he would tell me about his life and I would listen.  I then put together, over time, what became our book entitled:

Conversations with my Father: Jack Kyle.

I know I am obviously biased, but there is no denying that he was an exceptional man.  I still want to say ‘is’.  Sadly he died last November and I am still grieving.  I miss him so much it feels like I’ve got a cage around my heart and it is being squeezed tight.

I am so blessed that I got to spend so much quality time talking to him and listening to his fascinating stories.   If you know nothing about him, in brief, he played rugby for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions in the 1940s and 50s.  He travelled a huge amount, ending up working in Zambia as a surgeon for over 34 years.  He was an exceptionally talented sportsman, a humanitarian who cared so much about people, and to boot he was funny, kind, warm and wise.   This book is a tribute to a man who lived in a bygone era when men were gentlemen and sport was not all about money.   There’s something for everyone in this book even a bit of poetry.   Check it out at this link:  Conversations with My Father.

Thank you to those of you who have voted.  The winner of the People’s choice for the July book club is….drum roll please:

‘The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry’ by Gabrielle Zevin.

From what I have already heard this is an excellent choice.  I have put a brief summary and link to the book on Amazon under The Monthly Book Club page, so please go there for further details.

In other news I am hoping to add a lot more content to the site over the coming weeks and to recruit some more followers.  If you know of any book lovers, I would be most grateful if you would tell them about the site and encourage them to share their thoughts.

I will be attending The West Cork Literary Festival in July and will let you all know how I get on there, as well as more book reviews and recommendations.  I am desperately trying to find a bit more time to read, so if any of you have any tips for stealing some reading time, perhaps you could share your thoughts.  Do you read in chunks of time?  Or do you read every night, or perhaps you travel by public transport and you have time to read then?  How much do you read?  I am struggling to read more than one book a month at present, which really isn’t enough.  I know I could read more.  I am torn between time I want to use for reading and the time I use to write.  Anyway, it’s all good!   Oh, and if you haven’t finished reading (or started) ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen Macdonald, which was June’s book club choice, you still have plenty of time.  I won’t be putting up my review until the last week of June.   If you have read it feel free to share your thoughts anytime.   That’s all for now.  Happy Reading!

I hope you are all enjoying the book club choice for June which is ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen MacDonald.    I am finding it mesmerizing and engrossing.  I am nearly finished.  As it was a rather unusual choice, I thought I would put July’s book choice out to the people by way of a democratic vote.   I am going to put up three choices of very different books and the one with the most votes will be July’s book club choice.  That’s how we do it in the other book club I attend, and I must say I think it is very fair!   So, here goes:

1.  The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

“It starts with a murder, is obsessed with ancient Greece and creates the delicious illusion of being admitted to the most dangerous of confidences.”  The Guardian.

2.  The Lives of Women by Christine Dwyer Hickey. ”  A streetwise tale of sex and scandal in Middle America.”  The Independent.

3.  The Storied Life of A.J Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (already recommended to me by a book club follower and I have read it praised by other writers.) “This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love–love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory.” — Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child.

I look forward to hearing your votes!  Just put a comment at the bottom of this post with your vote on it.  Thanks so much.  I will publish the chosen book on Monday 8th June.   Happy Reading!

This book was recommended by two lovely followers of this website, so I decided to make it the Book club choice of the month for May. The thriller genre is not one I would usually read, and I found it interesting that it was recommended to me by two women. That may sound immediately sexist, but from my initial introduction to the book I felt it was definitely a book more suited to men. So it was good that I shattered both my aversion to thrillers and my sexist thoughts, by thoroughly enjoying it.
For a brief summary I will turn to my friend Amazon: ‘Pilgrim is the codename for a man who doesn’t exist. The adopted son of a wealthy American family, he once headed up a secret espionage unit for US intelligence. Before he disappeared into anonymous retirement, he wrote the definitive book on forensic criminal investigation.’
That is a very brief summary of an altogether more complex set of plots and sub plots. The main story goes as follows: A secret intelligence agent, who becomes known as Pilgrim, has entered the world of espionage partly as a result of a very insecure upbringing – he was adopted by wealthy parents, but he didn’t have any kind of a relationship with his mother and he had a difficult relationship with his father. As the story progresses, we discover that his relationship with his adopted father forms an important and meaningful part of the story, as he realizes his father did care very much for him, and Pilgrim (also known by several other names earlier on in the book) regrets not treating him with more respect.
As well as investigating two murders, the main plot follows Pilgrim, who is trying to track down a man known as the Saracen, after the discovery that he is about to cause absolute carnage in the USA. (I won’t tell how or why as this forms the crux of the book). The Saracen had become a teenage jihadist after watching his father’s beheading in Saudi Arabia, the crime – disparaging the Royal Family. The story develops as we read with baited breath to see whether Pilgrim will be able to stop the Saracen’s ruthless plan. The back story of both the Saracen and Pilgrim are also told in detail, so we understand their motivation and their absolute determination, albeit entirely misguided (in the case of the Saracen anyway.)
There is also the matter of two other murders, one in New York and one in Bodrun which turn out to be linked and along with another cop (who becomes a friend) called Ben Bradley, Pilgrim sets out to solve these murders as well.
There are several other sub plots and the book is a roller coaster ride of intrigue, mayhem and mystery from the off. I felt it was the sort of book that would be ideal for a holiday read. It required time and speedy reading to keep up with what was going on. It was fast paced and although there are some gruesome scenes, I felt the book had enough emotional depth to keep you interested in the characters. I actually grew to like and care about ‘Pilgrim’ and what happened to him.
Some have argued that it was fanciful, unrealistic and not at all credible. I beg to differ. Yes, I felt parts were stretching the realms of the realistic, but it was all part of the thrill and made for an exciting, unputdownable book. I liked the character of Pilgrim, even though he was capable of killing without remorse. I understood there were reasons for that and he had great loyalty to those he cared about.
As the author was a journalist, the research was thorough and the details added so much to the plot. Terry Hayes is also a screen writer and it is very evident in this book. It read so visually and it will make a terrific film, which I am sure is what the author intended.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for ideas for their summer holiday read. Not my usual choice, but very enjoyable nonetheless.

Hello book fans.  Just thought I would check in firstly to thank those who have commented so far on May’s book club choice ‘I am Pilgrim,’ and to ask those of you who may have started it or may be contemplating it, to get  your skates on!

What do you think so far?  Enjoying it?  I have now finished it, but I am not going to put up my review until the last week of May as promised, so if you haven’t read it yet, you best get going!  It’s not a short read!

If you have finished it, what else are you reading?  I am going to put up June’s book club choice on the Monthly Book Club page later today.  If you wish to get started it is called ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen Macdonald, and I have to admit this is a very personal choice.  You will see why when you read the summary.  You have plenty of time to read it, as I won’t be reviewing it until the end of June.

So, what I want to know is, what else is everyone reading?  I have a pile of books so high by my bed, it is becoming ridiculous.  Among them are; ‘The King’s Curse’ by Philippa Gregory, ‘The Last Empress’ by Anchee Min (the sequel to Empress Orchid which I absolutely adored) ‘The Sense of Style, The Thinking Person’s guide to writing in the 21st Century’ by Steven Pinker (non-fiction, started….brilliant so far) and ‘The Signature of All Things’ by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I feel utterly overwhelmed just looking at them all.   Any tips for which ones I should get on with immediately?!   Anyone read any of them?  Care to comment?

Earlier this year I had a meeting with the people who published my dad’s life story that I wrote with him, Hachette Books Ireland.  As I was leaving they said, ‘oh would you like some books?’ and proceeded to fill two enormous bags with the latest bestsellers.  I can’t even look at them, as I break out into a sweat at all the books I have yet to read!  So if you need any books, you know where to come.  At least I won’t have to buy a book for at least the next year (maybe two!)

Anyway what are you reading? Please do tell.  I am also having a strange urge presently to read classic novels.  I think it was going to see ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ that did it.  I was reminded of what an amazing story teller Hardy was, and I want to dive back into Tess and all his other great stories.   Oh well, I will just have to take it one book at a time and learn how to speed read!

I first discovered Persephone Books when my aunt sent me ‘Someone at a Distance’ by Dorothy Whipple for my birthday one year.  This beautiful package arrived with a book with an elegant grey cover and cream pages, and a lovely book mark.  I was intrigued.  Who on earth was Dorothy Whipple and what was this book all about?  I discovered it had been bought and sent from Persephone Books, a very unique book shop in London I had never heard of.

The founder Nicola Beauman had a vision of printing books by women written during the 1930s and 40s that were now out of print.  Boy did she do it in style!

The website tell us the following about the founder of this treasure trove for book lovers: “The founder of Persephone Books, Nicola Beauman (née Mann), was born in 1944, brought up in London, and read English at Newnham College, Cambridge. She is the author of A Very Great Profession: The Woman’s Novel 1914-39 (1983), Cynthia Asquith (1987), Morgan: a biography of E.M. Forster (1993) and The Other Elizabeth Taylor (2009). She is married with five children and lives in London. She likes brogues, daffodils, mattress ticking and madeira.”

As for the books themselves – quality is the order of the day.  Beautifully written stories by women about relationships, domesticity, the appalling tragedies of war and much much more.   I remember my cousin recommending Monica Dickens to me, the great granddaughter of Charles.  Her book ‘Mariana’ is available and by all accounts is hilarious. There are also books by men now available and the whole collection is sublime.  For a taster I would read their blog recommendations at http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/books-info/blogs/

They also stop for tea every day at 4 pm which I think is most civilized!   These books make great presents.  If you have read any of them, or have visited the shop, please let me know as I would love to know your thoughts.  I hope to visit the shop next time I am in London.