Ireland Books

I have been looking for this book forever and because it was out of print I had to go to the library every time I wanted to read it, which was often. The only copy I could find was $200. This book really tells the truth to what it was like as a person in the Imperial family. This puts an end to a lot of rumors flying around about Rasputin and Anna Anderson. This was told from a trusted person, someone that Olga trusted to put the truth about her family out there. It is beautiful and compassionate and a fabulous historical read.

I normally race through books like a speed demon, but this was so enjoyable I read it s-l-o-w-l-y - and several times.

Olga was a woman raised in the lap of luxury in the Russian court but was able and willing to work at hard physical labor on farms in Denmark and Canada for decades without apparent bitterness at what many might consider her "fall" from high status.

At the very end of her life with no income and relatives around her, she accepted an invitation from Russian emigrees and spent her last months on a second-floor apartment in a working-class neighborhood in Toronto.

I have been going through some drastic changes in my life - rather unwillingly - and have spent a lot of time thinking about Olga and how she accepted things that happened.

Was she perfect? No, but I wonder if I could have lived her life with so much courage and acceptance.

I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandra was nothing short of a amazing woman and this book is great in showing that. From her childhood days spent in her father's study to the Revolution to her days in Canada, this books gives vivid details of everything. Ian Vorres put this memoir together beautifully. A must have for all Romanov fans!

Honestly, I had trouble putting that book down at night, but we all have to get some sleep ;o) Reading that book is like reliving the splendor of Imperial Russia , and at the same time, going through the lives of those who left Russia during the Revolution in unimaginable conditions... in fact, we could say the worst conditions possible. As I gathered, Olga's life was no piece of cake to say the very least. What is also fascinating about that book is Olga's demystification of Raspoutine and Mrs. Anderson. She sets the record straight about those two, once and for all. I won't tell you about the rest of her life... you have to read the book, and believe me, it it a fascinating one!

I normally race through books like a speed demon, but this was so enjoyable I read it s-l-o-w-l-y - and several times.

Olga was a woman raised in the lap of luxury in the Russian court but was able and willing to work at hard physical labor on farms in Denmark and Canada for decades without apparent bitterness at what many might consider her "fall" from high status.

At the very end of her life with no income and relatives around her, she accepted an invitation from Russian emigrees and spent her last months on a second-floor apartment in a working-class neighborhood in Toronto.

I have been going through some drastic changes in my life - rather unwillingly - and have spent a lot of time thinking about Olga and how she accepted things that happened.

Was she perfect? No, but I wonder if I could have lived her life with so much courage and acceptance.

I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Cindy Brandner's latest book leaps in from page one with all the heat, humor and history of its predecessor. Mermaid in a Bowl of Tears continues the story begun in Exit Unicorns of the mysterious Pamela O'Flaherty and the two remarkable men in her life, Casey Riordan and Jamie Kirkpatrick. Yet it seems that two won't quite be enough for this woman. Mermaid entertains and enrages but always enlightens.

OK - I'm not good at synopsis, but you can read that elsewhere on this page. Ms. Brandner has done it again. I'd been looking forward to the sequel to Exit Unicorns for a long time, and it definitely surpassed my expectations! As others have said, if you haven't read Exit Unicorns, buy them both! Now! The author has the rare gift of making you feel like you really know the characters; so much so, that when you find out something "unexpected" about one, you find you're really not that surprised when you think about it! And don't think you need to be familiar with Irish history to follow the story. Ms. Brandner does a great job of weaving the history through the story in a way that is seamless and doesn't seem like a "history lesson". I understand that this story will continue after this book, and I, for one, can't wait!

As a sequel, I got all of the things I loved best about Exit Unicorns and much, much more. Simply put, this is the story of families trying to live and love in very turbulent and unpredictable times. Ms. Brander creates characters that are so incredibly real that you laugh, cry and grow along side of them. Quite often I will just pick up her books, randomly open to a page and begin reading as her writing is just pure enjoyment. The passion, the drama, the humor and the history embody everything I love about reading. And you will too. Buy both books....you'll be happy you did.

This is an amazing book! There were times I felt like I was reading about my own life. Ms. Brandner has insight to the human condition and relationships of every kind. That insight is presented in scenes that touch the heart. She also portrays the issues of Northern Ireland in a way that hits home and you feel as if you were right there. I loved reading about Casey, Pamela, Jamie, Pat and a whole new cast of great characters.

If you haven't read Exit Unicorns, buy both right now! You won't regret it!

This book, like its prequel, Exit Unicorns, is a rollercoaster ride of emotion. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, you will follow, and feel, the lives of Casey, Pamela, Pat and Jamie during the "Irish Troubles" of the 1960s. Expertly interwoven in the story is the history of Ireland and the cause of the troubles that Ms. Bradner's characters strive to survive.

Your heart will race, the laughter will bubble forth and the tears will flow...and by the time you turn the last page, you will be ready to turn around and start all over again!

I've taken several seminars at UCLA with Saul Friedlander, and to say that he is an objective and very insightful historian is an understatement. This book is terrific and deserves all the critical praise that it has received. Even if you are just curious about the Holocaust, or you are a serious historian of the time period, you should definitely pick this book up.

This book is an excellent book for anyone wanting to learn about the rise of Fascism in Germany. It is factual and yet easy to read. Anyone that wants to understand how Hitler got his power should read this. The author's bias is kept to a minimum.

Nazi Germany and the Jews is part one of the two set history of the Nazi reign of terror from Hitler's ascent to the chancellorship of Germany on January 30, 1933 to the regime's collapse in 1945. Volume I focuses on the years of persecution of the Jews from 1933 to the outbreak of World War II in the autumn of 1939. As the infamous Goering said, "I would not want to be a Jew in Germany".
Friedlander was born as a Jew in Prague, lived in occupied France during World War II and now teaches in Tel Aviv and UCLA. His book is a blunt, basic and brutal evocation of what it was like to be a Jewish individual in the Dantean hell of Hitler's unspeakably cruel Third Reich.
In plain language we see how the Nazis used German law to dispossess the Jews of their professions, homes, possessions and lives. We have explained the Nuremburg Laws of 1935 which gave definition to who is a Jew. It was horrible for this reader to witness the Crystal Night destruction of almost 300 synagogues and nearly 100 murders of Jews on the night of November 9-10, 1938. We see how concentration camps were set up administered by cold killer Himmler and his murderous SS thugs.
Friedlander posits that Adolf Hitler believed Jews to be behind the World Communist movement. It was Judaism and Communism he wanted to eradicate from the face of the earth. While most people turned their faces away from the horrors the Jews disappeared from German life. Goebbels and Nazi propoganda portrayed Jews as vermin which needed destruction if the Aryan German blood and folk were to be preserved.
As volume one ends the war has begun. Volume II covers the war years and the concentration camps where over six million Jews and other captive people would be murdered.
This book is written in a scholarly but understandable style for the general reader. It is one of the essential books you should read to inform yourself of a tragic time.

This is a wonderful book albeit with few personal experiences of the victims but on the whole you will enjoy the book. The writer's grasp of English is exceptional and in fact taking this parameter alone you can enjoy the book and learn something new in word and sentence formations. Though at first glance it may look like one of those boring and dry books, which inhabit the shelves of libraries all over the book without being opened for many years to come. The book is excellent and shows the level of utter nadir reached by Nazis and German people while persecuting their own. Seems to have been a sort of a collective disease in which even a modicum of humanity or decency taken a permanent back seat. The author has presented the facts and names of very difficult and guttural German names with such ease that there is no confusion to the reader.

I wonder why Israelis have to have any kind of relationship with Germany or Poland. . I think Israeli children are not really taught history but some kitsch formulated to draw their minds away from the murderers of their grandfathers to Palestinians. I think Israelis pretend that the Palestinians are the Germans of 1930's and 1940's, hence the highly ambiguous stance and conflicting gestures. Though it must be remembered that Arabs briefly flirted with Nazis like the Great Indian Leader Subhash Chandra Bose who fought against British imperialism - who excelled in demonstrative racial discrimination that was religiously followed by Germans with such ardor. I support the bombarding of German cities and also of the London Blitz. No doubt such "innocent" darlings hugely deserved each other.

This is an outstanding history. It is measured, detailed and backed by meticulous research. It is by far the best of this genre

The shame is that the much anticipated sequel is now not planned for publication.

But half a classic is better than none

Rick Steve's book is a down-to-earth book that gives so much information to which you can relate. It's a wonderful guide.

We are planning a trip to Ireland in April and this book was great. It gave us several great Bed & Breakfasts to stay in and also suggested what to see and what NOT to see.

Thanks.

We went to Ireland last year for the first time and loved it so much, we are going again this year. We purchased this book as well as another guidebook. This one is fabulous -- very well thought out and organized - you can tell he really knows what he is talking about -- this is the one that we will bring with us -- he even tells you when and how to drive the Dingle Peninsula to avoid the tourist buses -- does not give you too much information. He has a very honest and down to earth approach which makes for an informative and interesting read!

Rick Steves' Ireland 2008 is like your brother (your very detailed and analytical exploring brother) writing home with the in's and out's of each city and stop in Ireland. Hitting highlights and lowlights, Rick leaves no Irish pebble unturned for the common traveler. If you have a question about Ireland, it is most likely answered in this book; if not, then Rick has made himself available through his websites if you need further information. It is very helpful to not walk into a new situation unprepared and Rick's Ireland 2008 has proved most helpful!

Ireland offers visitors a diversity of memorable places to visit, memorable people to encounter, and memorable opportunities for recreation. Rick Steves is a seasoned and experienced travel writer and in collaboration with Ireland specialist Pat O'Connor has authored the "Rick Steves' Ireland 2008", a compact, 425-page travel guide that is packed from first page to last with informed and informative information for tourists and business travelers to the villages, towns, and countryside of the Republic of Ireland in the south, as well as the cities and counties of Northern Ireland. Of special note is the introductory chapter dedicated to the best use of this outstanding guide for planning a trip whether of short or extended duration, practicalities when traveling, money, sightseeing, sleeping, eating, 'Traveling as a Temporary Local', and 'Back Door Travel Philosophy'. Another special section is devoted to Irish history, art, literature, language, and an Irish-Yankee Vocabulary. Enhanced with appendices on resources; money matters; telephones, emails, and postal mails; transportation; holidays and festivals; conversions and climate; an essential packing checklist; and a sample hotel reservation form, "Rick Steves' Ireland 2008" is an ideal and enthusiastically recommended guide for anyone anticipating a trip to the Emerald Isle.

Good service, good price, the used book look new.
My uncle was with the 45th and he said the author was historically correct in his description of the men and battles in which the 45th fought. I found the book not only interesting but a keepsake for me and my family. I appreciate this indepth study of this gallant group of men.

Being a former National Guard officer and having visited the concentration camp in Dachau in a trip through Europe, I was interested in this book. The scene when the soldiers get to the Dachau concentration camp was unforgettable. This event makes us all realize how important it was to win this war against fascist and extremely racist dictators.

Whitlock does an excellent job in trying to report the facts without any moral judgements in all parts of the book. Whitlock also brings the reader to see the mistakes as well as the successes and gives his reasons. We see the events of Anzio from the level of generals, and other events from the reactions of lower level officers and enlistedmen. This book is a true testament to the sacrifice of Guard soldiers in World War II. I wish there were more books like this one on Guard units in World War II. This is an excellent book to read for the amateur military historian.

The Rock of Anzio chronicles the WW II experience of the 45th Division, a national guard unit primarily from OK, TX, and NM. This covers prewar status, the callup to federal duty, and its' prodigious battle action in Sicily, Italy including Anzio, France, and Germany. Personal remembrances of former thunderbirds (the divisions' nickname) are widely used as well as the divisional history. Far from being a dry accounting of the divisions' exploits, this book is very easily read, with many small details well covered as well as the overall strategic situation the division was facing at that time. I personally wasn't aware of the critical defense of Anzio by the thunderbirds. Battle actions are well written and exciting to read. I would recommend this book to anyone with a special interest in the Italian campaign and it is a excellent companion book to Edwin Hoyt's Backwater War.

I really enjoyed this book. It moved so well, and kept my interest from cover to cover. I have read many unit histories, and this work is the most complete. It cover the unit from activation, through all of its battles. Anzio and Dachau must get the highest praise. Anzio is written so well, I can hardly see how the US prevailed in that battle. I also never knew of the conflict between the Thunderbirds (45th ID) and the Rainbows (42nd ID), over the liberation of the Dachau Concentration camp (even having visited it). The author does a great job, buy this book!

My late grandfather was a Thunderbird (157th rgmt, M co), and seldom talked of his World War Two days. After reading this book, I now know why. I can only imagine what it must have been like to live for days on end in a wet foxhole, always cold and miserable. Only have the faintest idea of what horrors he saw when Dachau was liberated. The stories of those days were never told by him. As with many men of his generation, he did not want to remember those terrible events of nearly sixty years ago. _The Rock of Anzio_ tells the story that my grandfather was never able to tell, a story that should be told.

This book and the book "The Mist Filled Path" also by Maceowen are two of my favorites in my "top ten" list of books about shamanism. You won't be disappointed if you buy this book.

How rare it is to discover the voice of the Ancient Ones in modern writing. Truelly this is a book to reread and nurture over and over as your heart awakens from its own dreaming. I especially enjoyed the three segments as spirals of initiation for those called to the path of Celtic shamanism. My own experiences resonate with MacEowens as I too have walked backwards in time to remember from where I came. We are the ones we have been waiting for and may the Clan awaken globally.

Recently I have also read a book that has similiar energy and she too has some very amazing experiences from the days of old. Eclipse of Fate...my healing journey through past-life recall written by Barbara Burritt echoes the voices of ancient mysteries. Try it as well as Franks first book, The Mist-filled Path. Waiting to read your next one Mr. MacEowen!

I would like to recommend this wonderful book on Celtic Shamanism. The Spiral of Memory and Belonging is a journey of the soul, and our connection with the earth and spirit realms that our ancestors were attuned to.

There are exercises in here to help you get in touch with your ancestors, and explanations as to what a shaman really is. This book really opened my eyes to the Otherworld.

I bought this book to help me to understand the ancient tribes of Scotland. I found that and much more. I discovered my own hidden spirituality. It was a very inspirational book for me and written in a poetic style that made it a joy to read.

As someone who has some basic experience with shamanism, I find Frank's second book a most enjoyable and informative read. He takes us further along his personal journey and shares his well-researched material in a practical manner that we can easily integrate into our own practises and beliefs, whatever they may be. He has inspired me once again to explore my own Celtic Scotish shamanic heritage.

I am a reiki master. As I started reading this book I was struck by the simularities between Dana energy and Reiki energy. I believe them to be the same. This book explained some of the imagery in my initiation visions. It is a great book for energy workers and those who are begining or in the process of shamanic initiations. This book is more profound than his first book. It is more on am intermediate level. I strongly recomend it and for those more interested in Dana energies I recomend Reiki

What possessed me to purchase this book? There I was, in Bonanza Books, my favorite book store in my parent's home town. I looked at the title and thought, "Maybe I am interested in the struggle for mastery in europe (1848-1918).

I'm not at all a fan of european diplomatic history. Though the material has a certain "Wes Anderson" (filmmaker of Rushmore and Royal Tennenbaum) flavor to it. Lots of triple ententes, diplomatic notes and, my favorite phrase in the whole book- "secret diplomacy". You see, through out the time period of this book, few of the European Powers resembled the modern democracy of free press and public opinion. In fact- of the major powers (UK, France, Prussia/Germany, Austria Hungary, Russia and sometimes Italy and Turkey), only England was arguably a "demoracy" for the entire period.

So basically, European Diplomacy during this period resembled a version of Risk- alll the players plotting with first one partner, then the other, with the idea of maintaining a balance, rather then provoking a final reckoning. Taylor- an english historian who is widely acclaimed for being one of the first "tv" personalities from the history profession (though not on you tube), was also one of the very first "revisionist" historians. "Mastery" was originally published in 1954. Talor is revisionist in an American sense because he doesn't adopt a principled/moral perspective on the events of history. Although Taylor is "anti-German" in a broad sense, it's a more sophisticated perspective on world affairs then most americans are used to reading at the college level (though I'd imagine post graduate students of european history are required to read taylor.

In my reading, the nuances of each event (Colorful sub chapters like "The Andrassy Note" or "The Leauge of the Three Emperors" abound) are subsumed by the broad flow of Taylor's broader "anti-great men" of history approach. Taylor takes the position that most deailng in international affairs are dealing with a lack of solid information about their oppoenents and partners. I can think of at least twent occasions where Taylor was "But Minister X was wrong about his assumption."

That there largely was no war amongst the so-called Great Powers between the Crimean war of the 1850s and World War I of 1914 is largely ascribed by Taylor to the brilliance of Bismarck. Bismarck's genius is that he subscribed to a world view where Germany DID NOT dominate all of Europe. After he leave the scene, the German/Prussian leadership is gradually won over to the "German mastery over Europe." "German Nationalism" serves as an eerie prologue to events that this book does not cover, but the time period in Mastery is just as close to Napoleon's French Empire- an era also not covered in this book.

Taylor successfully tackles a sprawling, detailed subject -- seventy years of byzantine European diplomacy that set the stage for the First World War and, not so indirectly, the Second. He doesn't hold the reader's hand, and assumes you are familiar with many of the events and people he discusses. I wasn't, so I referred often to Britannica, Encarta, and Wikipedia as I read. By doing so, I learned a lot from this book.

El Prof. Taylor, de Oxford ,ha escrito una pieza maestra. Por decadas sera leido y recordado con furor. El libro es ameno y de facil comprension. Su estilo brillante y claro ha hecho historia en si mismo. Un libro para releer.

A. J. P. Taylor's The Struggle for Mastery in Europe is the book to start reading about those 70 crucial years in Europe's history.
The book begins with the Revolutions of 1845, that's why it would be a good thing to have some knowledge regarding the Napoleonic Wars and its outcome (Treaty of Metternich). Taylor analyses the out coming system of the Balance of Power that governed European diplomacy until War World I. According to This system, the five great powers (England, Prussia, Austria, Russia and the defeated France) would balance each others force, avoiding the out come of war.
The system worked pretty well until the fall of Bismarck. That is because Bismarck, as his successor once said, knew how to "play with three balls at the same time". He could keep Russia and Austria tied to Germany at the same time. Thus, France was checked. Nevertheless, when Germany didn't renewed its treaty with Russia the obvious move was Russia's alliance with France.
It could be said that by 1885 the outcome of a Great War was a matter just of time. The system of alliances so well designed by Metternich and so well understood and curried out by Bismarck was at the same time the cause of War World I. Without a great politician as Bismarck nobody could make Metternich's system work.
All through his book, Taylor explains what I have just summarized in a really better way. I highly recommend the lecture of this great book.

A. J. P. Taylor's book is the sine qua non for university students of European history. This is the real deal: Taylor was a genuine historian who never went further than his facts--and his facts are incredibly well researched, well documented, and bountiful. This is true historiography: the way history ought to be done! Plus, Taylor writes very well, in a lively and entertaining fashion. He has good language, wit, and trenchant observations.

It must be noted that this is a history of diplomacy--with some political and military of necessity treated. What does this mean? Well, it means that the characters of Taylor's book are mostly forgotten professional diplomats, and therefore most of their names won't be familiar to those unschooled in modern European history--Bismarck and Disraeli excepted. But this esoterica only increases the value of Taylor's work; for it reveals these forgotten characters to us once again: a gem of historical literature.

The author Peter Tremayne obviously has a great knowledge of Ireland in the 7th century and also on the Irish Law of the period. His Sister Fidelma book are attracting what can only be described as a cult following, but they are of interest to anyone who likes historical novels or mysteries. This series of books are set in Ireland in the 7th century, a time when there was total equality for women. The lead character is the beguiling Sister Fidelma. She is a brilliant scholar, a leading authority on Irish law and the sister of a king. This is also a period in history when celibacy was not yet a part of religious life.

In this the fourth book in a must read series of Irish mysteries, Sister Fidelma is called to investigate a murder at a remote abbey. But when she arrives there that is not the only mystery that awaits her. There is also the strange disappearance of a ship and all its crew.

I read this 300-page book in one day, which says something about Peter Tremayne's ability to keep the story moving with plenty of twists and turns. Tremayne artfully evokes the landscape and social setting of 7th century Ireland, and is adept at creating visual imagery to take us back to that world.

His heroine, Sister Fidelma, is the proud forerunner of today's special prosecutor, assigned to investigate evil deeds throughout the Emerald Isle. In this case, she ponders the grisly beheadings of two women at a monastery on the Southwest Coast, a mystery which soon becomes entwined with political intrigue and a threat to the kingdom.

Sister Fidelma is very much a modern woman in an ancient setting, and this will be appealing or offputting according to the reader's predilections. If the book has a fault, it is in Tremayne's gratuitously injecting his views on various theological controversies into a murder mystery. In the same context, others may question the historical accuracy of some of his claims.

These caveats nothwithstanding, the book is a page-turner that will not go half-read. Stodgy conservatives such as myself might be irked by this or that historical point, but we will nonetheless have had ourselves a good read.

To put it succinctly: this is a solid, well-written, nicely plotted mystery set in seventh century Ireland, where women had greater rights than they probably have today. Historically accurate (within reason for a mystery novel), this is about as good as the genre gets.

I'm not a fan of modern murder mysteries because I can too easily translate it into paranoia, and stay awake at night worrying about my own safety. But the setting of the Sister Fidelma mysteries is far enough removed from my own reality to just be a great escape. I'm also interested in Irish history, but I'm not one to just sit down and read a history book. I was delighted to learn that in Sister Fidelma's time in Ireland women often were on an equal level with men in many ways, perhaps even as much as today.

This story is the second of the Sister Fidelma mysteries I have read. Another reviewer mentioned the preferred sequence to read them, but I have not done so. You can pick up one and still know as much as you need without having read any of the others.

The Subtle Serpent is very difficult to put down. Even with kids fighting in the next room or my eyes begging me to let them close at night, I found it difficult to not go on to the next page. Sister Fidelma is a bright, bold, brave, compassionate, and likeable young woman who is called to figure out why a headless corpse has been found in the well of the Abbey of the Salmon of the Three Wells. You meet some very interesting characters and some interwoven plots while Sister Fidelma goes about solving this murder.

This fascinating historical mystery is set in Ireland in the year 666 AD. The author uses actual historical events as a backdrop for the story of Sister Fildelma, who is dalaigh, an advocate for the courts. In this capacity she is sent to investigate a murder at an abbey on the southwest coast of Ireland. During her investigation, several more murders are committed and Sister Fidelma becomes aware of local tensions and political machinations, as well as inappropriate behavior at the abbey.

This is a story that benefits from the excellent scholarship by the author who has thoroughly researched this historical setting. The time and place are vividly portrayed with lots of relevant and interesting details. The author is a capable writer with a talent for characterization and ability to build suspense. In addition, despite the fact that I have read none of the prior books in the series, I didn't feel lost by jumping in at the fourth book. However, I am intruiged enough to want to go back and start at the beginning!

If you love B*Witched and to know everything about them this is the book for you. It tells you about there History OF there life and there hopes and dreams for the future. There are plenty of pitures which are great.There are facts on B*Witched and even a quiz to test your knowledge. If you wanna know more about B*Witched this is most certaintly the book for you. Adam

I love this book SO much. B*Witched is my favourite band, and this book gave me SO much info on the girls and wicked pics...I REALLY suggest getting this book if you like B,

This book is must for big B*Witched fans like me. It has great pics, fab facts, and interesting stories on B*Witched. Definatly 5 stars!

The official book is a must for the true B*Witched fan ,such as myself. The book provides a delightfully fun yet informative insight about the girls, by the girls. The book doesn't take on the form of a stuffy autobiography, but rather takes on a fun narration of the story of the best group around. Simply said, a great book.

I loved this book and I am a huge fan of B*witched. There are tons of great pictures and loads of info on the group.

I love Susanne Strempek-Shea's books and this is one of my favorites. It's kind of like "Under the Tuscan Sun" but takes place in Ireland.

This was an amazing book. I was shocked as I read it how alike this town Booley was to a town I visited last time I was in Ireland called Doolin. Both towns had a row of about 5 or 6 shops, one of wich being a pub, both towns have cliffs with a holy well only about a mile or 3 fields away, and both are on the side of a hill next to the ocean on the west coast of Ireland not to far from Limerick. I swear Shea must have visited Doolin before writing the book because she captured the spirt of the little Irish town to a key.
Now a word about the book, wonderful, it's a classic love story that every woman wishes she could experience while on vacation, or as they say in Ireland "on holiday"

I first got into Shea when I read "Hoopi Shoopi Donna," to which I could relate because I, too, grew up second-generation Polish in New England. Although the characters and plots varied, Shea's first four or so books tended to focus upon Polish-American twenty-something heroines, usually living in Massachusetts, humorously dealing with their old-country relatives.

In "Becoming Finola," however, Shea tackles an unfamiliar country, Ireland, and does it wonderfully. Massachusetts native (she couldn't totally abandon the old and familiar, could she?) Sophie accompanies her friend Gina on a three-month trip to Ireland for a change of pace after Gina's husband's death. However, Gina lasts all of one night, heading back to America and insisting Sophie stay. She does, and finds it surprisingly easy to fall into small-town Irish life -- as well as the spot left by Finola, a local legend who broke hearts when she abruptly fled the village three years earlier. Sophie all but takes over Finola's old life as she works Finola's old job, and falls in love with her old boyfriend. And then Finola comes back...

Suzanne Strempek Shea must have been gone to Ireland during the Spring of 2002, when Americans began to go back to Europe, once we felt flying was safe again. First we went to countries where English was the official language - Ireland being the closest to US soil. We liked to be able to get on one plane, either in Boston or Baltimore, and get off in Ireland 7 hours later. We were worried about the dollar to Euro exchange rate and preferred that it be one for one, so we wouldn't have to "do the math." Shea must have gone to some of the Irish villages I visited, as she describes them wonderfully.
Not that anyone needs an excuse to go to Ireland, but if you're looking for more reasons to go there, read this book first.

I read this book a few months ago and it's still fresh in my mind, which I consider the sign of a truly good read. Overall, the book was a good story, told in an utterly charming and fresh way. The characters and setting are so well/vividly written that you feel as if you could picture it and almost believe such a place and people exist (and wish that you could visit them). Enjoyable read and one I've been recommending to friends.