Keep On Reading

March may be the month of St. Patrick’s Day but there are enough excellent contemporary Irish writers to keep readers occupied all year. Sally Rooney has been getting most of the attention but she is just one of many Irish writers making names for themselves. If you want an edgy story, there is “Wild Houses”, a darkly humorous novel set in County Mayo, by Colin Barrett, who now lives in Canada.

Two of Claire Keegan’s works of fiction have been made into acclaimed films: “The Quiet Girl” is based on “Foster” and “Small Things like These” with Cillian Murphy is based on the book of the same title. These are slender novels about rural Ireland in the 1980’s but they pack quite an emotional punch.

Niall Williams is receiving well-deserved attention for his lyrical novels about small-town Ireland in the 1960’s. His latest novel, “The Time of the Child” follows “This is Happiness” from a couple of years ago. Both are well worth reading, tender and moving without being sentimental.

Another Irish writer is Emma Donoghue, who also lives in Canada. She wrote the gripping “Room” which also was made into a movie. Her latest novel is “The Paris Express.” Meanwhile, one of our most beloved American novelists, Ann Tyler, has a new story about another quirky family in Baltimore (a theme that has never failed her) called “Three Days in June”.

Novelist Geraldine Brooks’ new book is not fiction, sadly. Called “Memorial Days” it is a memoir about the loss of her husband, writer Tony Horwitz, after a heart attack. Readers may remember Mr. Horwitz for “Confederates in the Attic”, an engaging description of being a Civil War re-enactor.

There are quite a few non-fiction books about animals. Have you ever looked at the birds at your feeder on a cold winter morning and wondered how they survive bitter temperatures (aside from filling up on sunflower seed you’ve provided)? There’s a new book by Peter Dunne with beautiful illustrations by renowned birder David Allen Sibley called “The Courage of Birds and the Often  Surprising Ways they Survive Winter” that will answer a lot of your questions about the resilience of our feathered friends.

Here’s a book about birds’ long distant (very long distant) ancestors, “The Lost World of the Dinosaurs: Uncovering the Secrets of the Prehistoric Age” by Armin Schmitt, a very readable look at life on Earth millions of years ago.

Another book about animals that is sure to be a hit with pet-lovers is “Puppy Kindergarten: The New Science of Raising a Great Dog” by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods. This couple, who are animal scientists at Duke University, provide lots of tested advice and include many cute photos of their subjects. You may have also seen their Netflix show “Inside the Mind of a Dog”.

 For all you bakers out there, here’s a book you can challenge yourself with-- “The Big Book of Bread”. The first challenge is lifting this thing; it’s as big and heavy as its name implies. Published by the King Arthur Baking Company, it includes over 125 recipes for every baker. But be warned; some of these recipes do look rather daunting. The photos however look good enough to eat.

Fans of PBS regular Rick Steves (“Keep on Traveling”) will want to check out “On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer” to learn all about his early adventures on the road way back when.

All of these books are available at your local public library, or can be sent to you there at your request through the SAILS library system (https://sailsinc.org/ Books are frequently available as audiobooks and e-books too. All you need is a library card to access great reading for free!

While browsing at the library, I found a three-volume set of “The Complete   Far Side” with a gazillion of Gary Larson’s weird and wacky cartoons from the ‘80s and ‘90s. You can’t really read through the whole thing at once. It would be like eating a giant bag of potato chips in one sitting. But all your old favorites are here, such as “Don’s discount shark cages”. There is Larson’s bizarre line-up of clowns, cave men, and all those goofy animals, especially snakes. My favorite Larson cartoon shows the “Crisis Center” building on fire as it heads down the river towards a waterfall. Some of his cartoons are as timely as ever.