Pages As Planes: Ireland
We are back on track! This week was full of catching up after the craziness of election week. Did it feel 900 years long to anyone else? Just me? Cool. But it’s Saturday and I’m happy to be sharing another Pages as Planes!
I have so much fun putting together these posts because they make me dig through some awesome backlist books! We shouldn’t get distracted by all the shiny new books in the world…though I am definitely guilty of doing that!
Today we are flying off to Ireland! The land of my people! My family is Irish and it’s another one of my favorite places to visit. If you’ve read any, let me know and leave a comment where you’d like us to travel next!
Pages As Planes: Ireland
Normal People by Sally Rooney—Could this be one of the most talked about books on the decade? Maybe. It made Barack Obama’s list of favorites so you know it’s something special. It’s also been made into a show on Hulu!
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne—If you need a book to sob through, let it be this one. Boyne writes with such intelligence but note that his writing style is satire, so you can’t take everything he says seriously. It follows the life of Cyrus from his childhood in Ireland to his adulthood in New York as he tries to fully understand who he is. It’s a coming of age story that spans decades. I LOVED it.
In the Woods by Tana French—I don’t read a lot of thrillers, but if I did, I would read Tana French’s! She is a masterful Irish writer. “As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours. Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox--his partner and closest friend--find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.”
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue—If you liked Room, you’ll definitely like this one by the same author! “Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale's Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl. Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, The Wonder works beautifully on many levels -- a tale of two strangers who transform each other's lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.”
Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy—Ummm could this be any cuter? “"Iris Thorne wants to blaze her own path. That's easier said than done when you're the granddaughter of M. E. Thorne, famous author of the Elementia series, hailed as the feminist response to J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. And with a major motion picture adaptation of her grandmother's books in the works, Iris can say goodbye to her dream of making her own way in the music industry.
When Iris and her brother get invited to the film set in Ireland, she's pretty sure the trip will be a nightmare. Except Iris can't deny the rugged beauty of the Irish countryside. And brushing shoulders with the hot, young cast isn't awful, especially the infuriatingly charming lead actor, Eamon O'Brien. Iris even finds the impassioned female director inspiring. But when the filming falls into jeopardy, everything Iris thought she knew about Elementia--and herself--is in question. Will making a film for the big screen help Iris to see the big picture?”
The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy—This is a joyous story about the meaning of home and family set in the idyllic greenery of Ireland. It’s about a local librarian looking to rebuild her community while rebuilding her own life as well.
Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch—I included Love & Gelato in the Italy edition of this series. This isn’t a sequel but it has the same kind of vibe. It’s about Addie’s road trip through Ireland to attend the over the top destination wedding of her aunt. it is about love, adventure, and the true meaning of family.
Forever by Pete Hamill—I talked about this book a TON on Read It Or List It recently and i still think it’s one of my favorite books. it follows an Irish man from the 1700’s as he searches to avenge the death of his father. He is granted immortality, but only if he remains on the island of Manhattan. It begins in Ireland with the coolest history and eventually brings you to NYC. It is a fantastic book.
Angela Ashes by Frank McCourt—A true classic! I read this book in high school and it has stayed with me ever since. It’s a love letter from son to mother that will pull at your heartstrings and appreciate the resilience of women.
Ireland by Frank Delaney—How could I not include this one? “In the winter of 1951, a storyteller, the last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. For three wonderful evenings, the old gentleman enthralls his assembled local audience with narratives of foolish kings, fabled saints, and Ireland's enduring accomplishments before moving on. But these nights change young Ronan forever, setting him on a years-long pursuit of the elusive, itinerant storyteller and the glorious tales that are no less than the saga of his tenacious and extraordinary isle.”
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin—Perhaps it’s because I come from an Irish family and lived in New York, but i am sucker for that storyline. This book (and film) is stunning and a must read/watch.
P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern—I’m starting to feel like most books set in Ireland/about the Irish are tear jerkers…anyone else? Another classic book turned movie that is a must read and watch!
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney—Sally Rooney does it again with this intimate look at female friendship. “Frances is a coolheaded and darkly observant young woman, vaguely pursuing a career in writing while studying in Dublin. Her best friend is the beautiful and endlessly self-possessed Bobbi. At a local poetry performance one night, they meet a well-known photographer, and as the girls are then gradually drawn into her world, Frances is reluctantly impressed by the older woman's sophisticated home and handsome husband, Nick. But however amusing Frances and Nick's flirtation seems at first, it begins to give way to a strange--and then painful--intimacy.”
Broken Harbor by Tana French—Another Tana French masterpiece! “Mick "Scorcherˮ Kennedy is the star of the Dublin Murder Squad. He plays by the books and plays hard, and thatʼs how the biggest case of the year ends up in his hands. On one of the half-abandoned "luxuryˮ developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children have been murdered. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Scorcher thinks itʼs going to be an easy solve, but too many small things canʼt be explained: the half-dozen baby monitors pointed at holes smashed in the Spainsʼ walls, the files erased from the familyʼs computer, the story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder slipping past the houseʼs locks. And this neighborhood--once called Broken Harbor--holds memories for Scorcher and his troubled sister, Dina: childhood memories that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control.”
The Irish Girl by Santa. Montefiore—”Born on the ninth day of the ninth month in the year 1900, Kitty Deverill grows up in Castle Deverill, on the sunning green ghills of West Cork, Ireland -- the same place her ancestors have always dwelled. She isn't fully Irish, as the son of the local veterinarian likes to tease her; but this doesn't stop Kitty and Jack O'Leary from falling in love...
Bridie Doyle, daughter to Castle Deverill's cook, cherishes her friendship with Kitty. Yet she can't help dreaming of someday having wealth, having glamour, having... more. And when she discovers Kitty's darkest secret, Bridie finds herself growing to resent the girl in the castle who seems to have it all. As Irish and British forces collide in Southern Ireland, Jack enlists to fight -- and Kitty throws herself into the cause for Irish liberty, running messages and ammunition between the rebels. But, her allegiance to her family and her friends will soon be tested... and when Castle Deverill comes under attack, the only home and life she's ever known are threatened.”