Irish Books

Wow! A hip National Geographic-type photographer around age 30, Geneva Becker keeps it real. Her sort of misty memories of childhood incidents (including her mother's disappearance) have always mildly haunted her, while she works very hard at her career and drives her Jeep Cherokee all over the country making beautiful photography, expressing her passion. A romantic interest or two, a mysterious Native American man who appears to sort of act as her "grandfather," Geneva's day-to-day issues such as grocery shopping and finding decent things to eat along the highways of the Southwest, coping with the loss of her family, having some bizarre and psychic dreams, and making a trip to discover more about her ancestral roots-- her mother's people-- all come together in this adventure novel that neatly jumps between the past and present, between uninhabited (well, almost!) Canyon de Chelley in Arizona and a little waterside town in Ireland and Geneva's Albuquerque stomping grounds. Fascinating! Well written. Worth your while. I'd compare it to "The DaVinci Code."

What a wonderful book! It provided hours of delightful reading. If you love the American Southwest (like I do), Native American Culture, Shamans and Celtic history, this is a book for you.
I love to wander the deserts of the southwest, taking photographs and enjoying the people and the incredible natural scenery. For this reason, I felt a real kinship with the book's heroine, Geneva.
Geneva is a photographer who is always on one adventure after another that takes her to a variety of locales.
I loved how the author wove the mixture of Native American history and culture together with the Celtic. I also learned tidbits about the Celts I did not know and it whetted my appetite to do additional reading in that area.
I especially liked the novel idea of combining a musical CD with a book of fiction. You can sit and read and listen to Native American flute and be transported to another time and place; and then play an Irish tune and imagine yourself on the Emerald Isle.
Kudos to Ms. Dalton on a book well done.

Dori Dalton takes us on an impressive 2,000-year 10,000-mile journey, where the heroine (Geneva) traverses the confines of time and space, back and forth from current day in the U.S. Southwest to ancient Druid/Celtic epic events in Ireland during the time of the Roman Empire. Geneva, as a modern-day independent-minded woman, provides for us the eyes that enable us to not only understand but also appreciate the mystical world of a Native American shaman as it its thrust into the equally mystical world of an ancient Druid priestess.

If these elements are "your cup of tea" you are in for a real treat. Most importantly, however, even if you are not usually interested by those themes, you are also in for a treat. At the end of the day, they are but the mere carriers of the wave. A very powerful wave, a very powerful story of self-discovery, courage, strength, wisdom, love, the yearning for learning about one's own roots, and maintaining one's own values, integrity and honor in the face of tremendously powerful forces. I said you are in for a treat, because Dalton manages to combine all these elements with the skill of a consummate storyteller. In short, this book has the potential to become a classic!

As if this were not enough, its attached CD, with music which obviously must have been composed expressly to accompany some of the chapters in the book, conjures the emotions and the "feel" of the written word in that uniquely powerful way, which only music can achieve.

Since this is a review, I feel compelled to search for something critical to say. The only comment that comes to mind is that I had wish for a second CD with additional music, ideally with one piece for every chapter. But, that would be icing on the cake. To conclude, go read --and listen to-- it soon, before the movie comes out and robs you of the opportunity to imagine these engaging characters as you see fit.

This book is SO cool! I really liked the way Shannon and her freind Helped Mi Ling. I think the next two books about Shannon will be interesting. I can't wait to read them!

Shannon is a ten year old girl who has just arrived in San Francisco from Ireland. On an errand to Chinatown with her father, she sees a young girl in a window. Who is she? Why is she there? Shannon, with the help of a new friend, is determined to find out.

I thought this book was very well written. Even though I'm a bit too old to be reading it I still enjoyed it. Shannon is an Irish immigrant that has just moved with her family to San Francisco in 1880. Although she misses her old home she soon makes some very good friends, one of them is a girl called Betsy. Shannon's father is a doctor so one day she goes with him to Chinatown so he can get some medical supplies at a Chinese shop that alsp sells pets. Shannon gets off to a bad start with the shopkeeper when she frees some birds in the shop without thinking first. At the shop Shannon sees a Chinese girl in a window who looks sad. This book is very enticing as Shannon and Betsy set out one night to help rescue Le Ming, (the Chinese girl). It turns out that Mr. Wong, the shopkeeper, is most likely part of a gang that sells children as slaves. When Shannon pretends that she has alerted the Constable, he leaves in a hurry. Since Le Ming has no where to go she stays with Shannon's family until there is a court case concerning the kidnapping gang. This is a wonderful book. I really enjoyed it. It's a nice book to read when you don't want to have to feel committed to a book for a long time. You should read it!
Sandy

The simplicity and depth of these stories floored me. I have just started learning to speak Irish and I have found these stories to be both helpful and deeply moving.

Padraic Pearse was, foremost, headmaster of a boys' school in Dublin, but his summers were spent in his modest Connemara cottage writing stories about the Gaelic-speaking faction of that region.He always maintained that this place and its humble residents truly represented the real Ireland, that ancient, heroic ideal that existed in the tales of Cuchulainn and Finn Mac Cumhail. With his usual gentle touch, Pearse brings the joys, travails, and superstitions of the people of the Gaeltacht to vivid life, celebrating their simplicity without ever making them seem ordinary.All the stories are imaginative, but especially moving was "Iosagan," a tale of renewed faith and redemption.I absolutely recommend it, and any other work by the gifted Padraic Pearse.

This book, containing some of the short stories of Padraic Pearse, my current favorite writer, is essential. The story "Iosagan" takes my breath away, every single time I read it...and believe me, I've read it plenty! These stories are particularly good if you've just read or are planning to read his collected poems. This should be required reading for anyone interested in Ireland's political and/or literary history!

I purchased this book for my husband, but read it myself first. It is very well written with good insight as to Sir Edward Coke. I would cheerfully recommend this to anyone with an interest in legal history.

Allen Boyer has produced a worthy successor to Bowen's The Lion and the Throne.

Boyer shows us the pragmatic Coke, the shrewd lawyer who energetically represented his clients. He also shows us the idealistic Coke, the jurist who championed and clarified the English common law.

Boyer's legal background makes Coke come alive, a lawyer's lawyer. Still an inspiration after 400 years!

Whether one is interested in History, Law or just seeking some insight into someone who has shaped our world Allen Boyer's work is a pleasure. I must confess my exposure to Sir Edward Coke was rudimentary at best but over the course of this text I became familiar with his accomplishments and gained an intimate insight into Sir Edward Coke's life. Allen Boyer's mastery of the written word is quite apparent and his ability to entertain and bring life to this important historical figure makes the work a true joy to read. His tireless research and familiarity with the subject matter is found in almost every crafted word.
Simply stated, it is a must have for anyone interested in the history of Law, Sir Edward Coke and those who wish to read a finely crafted text.

Sir Sidney was a wonderful man and this is a fitting tribute to his remarkable life.

Sir Sidney Hamburger achieved a substantial role in Manchester, the City of Salford and the North-West region, England as chairman of the Planning and Finance Committees of Salford City Council, leader of the Labour Group on the City Council, and Mayor of Salford during 1968-69, as well as playing a leading role in the post-war reconstruction of his city. Sir Sidney Hamburger And Manchester Jewry is the story of a remarkable politician and community leader who was also deeply involved in the Jewish community's Zionist movement through the massive social and political upheavals of the post-war years. He derived his idealism from an Orthodox Judaism to which he was strictly committed. An outstanding biography of a provincial Jewish leader, Sir Sidney Hamburger And Manchester Jewry is a superb study of leadership in provincial Anglo-Jewry, an informative exploration of the collective identity of a Jewish general born in Britain to parents of Eastern European origin, and a welcome contribution to Judaic studies reading lists and library collections.

Since Sir Sidney Hamburger passed away in July 2001, Bill Williams' work will become the definitive biography of the man the Anglo-Jewish community called "Mr Manchester." Virtually nothing of significance happened in the Manchester Jewish community from 1945 to 2000 without Sidney Hamberger's personal involvement, surely a unique record in any major diaspora Jewish community. In addition, Hamburger was a successful businessman, outstanding local politician and farsighted health services planner and administrator. Bill Williams,doyen of the historians of Anglo-Jewry, has provided a masterful biography and fascinating record of post-war Jewish life developing, expanding and fragmenting after the damage and hardship of World War II.

This is the authoritative book on the subject of this the first modern English Poet - more neglected than he ought to be - out of print in Europe - Wyat survived life as a courtier/diplomat in the court of Henry 8th - a king as corrupted by power as its possible to be - a 16th C saddam Hussein - and yet produced these deeeply sensitive poems.

His voice still rings beautiful and true after five hundred years. What he has to say concerns our daily lives in this hard, competitive society as much as the intrigues of the Henrician court.

Wyatt is, quite simply, a brilliant poet, taking the Petrarchan love poem and adapting it to represent life in the promiscuous court of Henry VIII. And "They Flee from Me" is one of the greatest poems in the English language. Rebholz's introduction and notes make this THE edition for serious study of Wyatt's achievement.

I really enjoyed the family values in the story. The author is a great story teller. Looking forward to his next book.

Never realized how much the Irish struggled for independence until I read Soldier of Ireland. A great review of the history of the Irish and their determination to unite Ireland and to free her of foreign intervention.

Soldier of Ireland is a fine story of Ireland's struggle for freedom, and the courage of Irishmen and women in the struggle.

Soldier accoutrements are often only mentioned in passing in books dealing with the uniform details. Although extant artefacts can be seen in various museums, this book gathers all the source material on the British Army of this period relating to this one single topic into a magnificent volume with terrific illustrations. Details just pop out on every page! For example, who would have realised that grenadiers would sport a wound cord item on the back of their shoulder belts? This point is just not apparent in practically every other "expert" book on uniformology. All reenactors and modellers should get a copy!

This is truly indispensable for students of the British army and the detail is amazing. These drawings are a fantastic resource and show many clear images of some of the more obscure pieces of British army equipment you will find no where else. It is a great reference and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the particulars of 18th and 19th Century military kit. Top notch reference.

A splendid book, finely and accurately illustrated with detailed color drawings of the accoutrements used by Great Britain from 1750 until 1900. What do they mean by 'accoutrements'? Accoutrements are the soldiers field equipments: canteens, waterbottles, mess-tins, haversacks, belts, pouches, musket and rifle slings, bayonet frogs, knapsacks, buckles and other odds'n'ends used by the British cavalry and infantry soldier over about a 150 year period. Believe me they are all there, illustrated in expert detail, right down to the stitching, with a scale rule in inches on each page to provide dimensions. In addition to the equipment illustrations the artist, Pierre Turner, provides a few illustrations of soldiers actually wearing the equipment to show how it was all arranged on the body. Anyone familiar with Osprey Publishings series on military uniforms and campaigns will recognize Pierre Turner's name. Now don't misunderstand, this book is not an illustrated uniform reference, packed full of splendid soldiers in red. There are just a handful of soldiers illustrated where necessary to explain the arrangement of particular pieces of equipment. This book IS a thorough, well layed out, illustrated work on every piece of field equipment that the British soldier and cavalryman of the mid-18th and 19th centuries wore. Each piece is shown in great detail from every angle. These include variations, changes and upgrades over the years. The belts, straps, packs, etc. are laid out on the page as if they were right there in front of you - any you would never get this view of them any other way except if you actually could handle or owned these items. The complicated Valise Equipment of 1870 through it's variations up to the 1888 Pattern are all there. Even the picks and shovels are included, something that no British soldier could do without even today. Mr. Turner should be congratulated for the painstaking care with which he went about creating this bible of British Army accoutrements. This book is a must have for any collector, historian, or hobbiest interested in the British soldier from 1750 to 1900.

Shakespeare's sonnets and narrative poems are something that every well-versed romantic should have a copy of and this well priced and durable volume is great for reading and re-reading and marking up your favorite passages to memorize later.

Having read "A MidSummer's Night Dream" I knew that the bard could pen page after page of love-filled, alluring rhyming verse. But if that's what you fancy then you must read the sonnets and the long lyric poems contained in this Everyman's edition.

I'm trying to commit sonnet #18 to memory. It famously starts "shall I compare these to a summer's day". These are among the greatest pick up lines of the 16th century.

The sonnets are beautiful in their appreciation of love and the feminie form. Shakespeare must have been exactly as he was potrayed in the film "Shakespeare in Love": always on the prowl for females and continually in search of a muse. (Interestingly the translation of "muse" in the 15th and 16th century is "poet.)

Finally, the poem Venus and Adonis is more of this romantic banter. This poem is red hot, much more erotic than anything you could read in Maxim or Cosmopolitan. Consider this: "Being so enraged (aroused), desire doth lender her force Courageously to pluck him from his horse...She red and hot as coals of glowing fire, He red for shame, but frosty in desire...Tis but a kiss I beg--what art thou coy."

This is titalliting, stimulating fair. ("Fair" means pretty in old English.) Who can read this without blushing. No wonder we didn't read this in high school.

This is the perfect way to read Shakespeare. I also highly recommend the other volumes of Shakespeare available from the Everyman's Library.

My daughter loves these books and has read nearly the entire series now. She easily relates to the heroine. She also has learned a lot from the situations Sophie finds herself in.

Sophie LaCroix is sure she and the Corn Flakes can shine in the school's talent show. However, when they are forbidden to use one of their films, they aren't sure what to do, until a new girl from Ireland, Darbie, moves into their group. She doesn't seem to like anyone, and Sophie can't figure out why- until her rough past comes to light.

Sophie decides to write a play based on Darbie's life. Darbie loves it, but Fiona's jealous and seems out to ruin the play.

Sophie thinks just like a regular girl, and her conflits are real. The writing is above par, and when the book concludes, there is the possibility of an unexpected new friend for Sophie.

Keep up the good work, Nancy Rue!

Just when Sophie thinks she's getting better at controlling her imagination and getting her schoolwork done, the unthinkable happens. An Irish girl comes to town, and Sophie is determined to befriend her, but Darbie wants nothing to do with anyone, Corn Flake, Corn Pop, or Fruit Loop, so she's quickly dismissed as a snob by the popular crowd but Sophie is determined to befriend her-even if Maggie, Kitty, and especially Fiona find her annoying and rude. Plus Sophie has her own problems-namely Lacie, who gets busted at a youth retreat and sent home early. Lacie's own problems leave the parentals spending all their quality time assessing the church youth group and Lacie's actions. And now Sophie's sister has plenty of time to spend with her, because for the first time ever, Lacie is grounded and very, very bored. And a boating accident questions the future of the Corn Flakes meeting at Fiona's house. Just when things couldn't get worse, Fiona is stressed over not having a nanny for her troublesome brother and sister, and Fiona is mad at Sophie for investing so much time in Darbie. But when Sophie learns about Darbie's horrible past, she envisions using the Corn Flakes talents in the school art show to educate the Corn Pops and the Fruit Loops. Only problem is, Fiona is upset at being neglected and decides that maybe being a Corn Pop is better. Ultimately, it is Darbie and Lacie who teach Sophie lessons about love and friendship, and through a Bible story Sophie learns about washing each other's feet and loving people as they are. This book draws upon the New Testament story of Jesus washing the apostle's feet and uses it as an example of loving others unconditionally. This is the fourth in a series by Nancy Rue, and was preceded by "Sophie's World" (1), Sophie's Secret (2), and "Sophie and the Scoundrels" (3). Another gem from Nancy Rue.