Melinda in VT Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I leave tomorrow for a week in Dublin and environs, and I'm looking for books for my Kindle that are set in Ireland. I already started Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Grey, so I'm looking for a non-classic book or two. I've heard Maeve Binchy is good, but I'm not sure which one to pick. I read (and hated) Angela's Ashes. If you have good nonfiction book suggestions, I'll happily consider those as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 If you don't mind a novel set in the present and enjoy a good mystery, you might enjoy Tana French's books. I think she has three out. The first one is In the Woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Ireland: A Novel By Frank Delaney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 Thanks for the recommendation. It looks great, but the Kindle edition is priced higher than the hardback, and I refuse to pay more for an ebook than a physical book. (I'm trying to send a message to the publishing world.) I'll definitely keep this in mind for a time when I am not traveling and limited to the Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Best Maeve Binchy? They're pretty much all the same. Young, poor unwed teen with a drunk, unemployed father falls in love with a rough boy or a married man. Gets pregnant, dumps the loser, gets a job and works hard to raise her child. :D They're all good books; but most run together and I don't remember which is which. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 maeve binchy The Scarlett Feather is my favourite maeve binchy of all time, although Heart and Soul is a near second.... Andrew Greeley wrote a series set mainly in ireland, too.... have fun! ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I bought this one of Maeve Binchy's many years ago - it's the only book I've read by her but was enough to keep me interested: This Year It Will Be Different And Other Stories: A Christmas Treasury For all it has Christmas in the title, it sure didn't read like a feel-good Christmas book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktog29 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I second Scarlett Feather! Enjoyed Minding Frankie And the one where the lady runs the heart clinic...Heart and Soul, I think. But read Scarlett Feather first...some of the same characters are in each. Is there a book called Quentins as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xuzi Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 My fave Maeve Binchy is Circle of Friends. Heart and Soul, Scarlet Feather, Quentin's, Evening Class, etc. are all books that have both old and new characters featured. That doesn't mean they don't make good stand-alone books, but you miss out on some backstory. (Circle of Friends is a stand-alone) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xuzi Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Best Maeve Binchy? They're pretty much all the same. Young, poor unwed teen with a drunk, unemployed father falls in love with a rough boy or a married man. Gets pregnant, dumps the loser, gets a job and works hard to raise her child. :D They're all good books; but most run together and I don't remember which is which. LOL, ya, and she doesn't seem to hold men in very regard, as nearly all of them end up being cheaters. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piraterose Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 My vote is for Circle of Friends or Light a Penny Candle. For what it's worth I love Maeve books, but those two are my favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Heart and Soul is very good. I also like Light a Penny Candle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Aren't Rosamund Pilcher's set in Ireland/Scotland? I love to listen to these (esp the ones read by Redgrave) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I'm fond of Roddy Doyle's novels, particularly his Barrytown Trilogy (if you're familiar with the movie The Commitments, you'll have heard of him). And my Irish neighbor, whom I asked for suggestions, likes your list and hopes you have a wonderful trip. She adds that if you want something really fluffy, you might look at Marian Keyes's novels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I liked Evening Class. A group of people take an evening class together and you get to see how their lives are connected. Very easy and sweet to read. I liked her novels that were also like short stories. So easy to read while waiting at gymnastics or ballet, but I could put it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Tara Road was my favorite Maeve Binchy. I also like Circle of Friends and Evening Class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinD Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Tara Road, hands down. It introduces several of the characters who follow in Scarlett Feather, Quentin's, Evening Class, and Minding Frankie. It's also a really enjoyable read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinD Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Marion Keyes has also written some fun books. My favourite was This Charming Man. A word of warning: I think there is some Tea but not super graphic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc26 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I loved Tara Road, Scarlett Feather and Evening Class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 Thank you, everyone! My Kindle is loaded up and ready to go, and I have new items on my library list as well. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I'd also recommend Mary Lavin. I don't know if she has novels, but I enjoyed her short stories. Also for light reading, there is a series called the Irish Country Doctor, that is set in North Ireland (a little of the feel of All Creatures Great and Small only Doctors not vets). Then if you want to go really literary - James Joyce's Dubliners is a series of short stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amey311 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Marion Keyes has also written some fun books. My favourite was This Charming Man. A word of warning: I think there is some Tea but not super graphic. I've read this and am listening to it as an audiobook. I also liked the sort of series she wrote about the sisters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 If you like some romance with your story, Nora Roberts' Born In trilogy is set in western Ireland. Born in Fire, Born in Ice, Born in Shame. I always feel as if I've gone on a trip when I read one of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Respectfully, I wouldn't say that the previous synopsis (unwed pregnant teen, drunk father, etc etc etc) is accurate at all. I've read (I think) ALL of her fictional books and I've enjoyed them all, and I've actually read several of them several times over. But yeah, I would agree she doesn't always seem to hold men in the highest esteem (though she changed her tune big time for Minding Frankie) and she's definitely got something against the Catholic church, IMO. I really prefer her older novels (Circle of Friends, Light a Penny Candle, The Copper Beech, Evening Class, Tara Road) to her newer novels, but they're all good. Not crazy at all about her short stories. Her last several, starting with Tara Road revolve around several of the same people in Dublin. A lot of her old ones are based in very small Irish villages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angjune Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I have to agree with Lemonpie. I have read (i think) all of Maeve Binche's novels and I prefer the older ones to the recently published ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pqr Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 There is always Michner's Trinity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolamum Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Scarlett Feather & Quentins are my favs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 I absolutely LOVE Maeve Bincny. I prefer her older stuff. I've read all her books starting when I was 18 or so. I would just love to meet her someday. :) Have a fabulous trip! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in GA Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 She is one of my very favorite authors. I read both Circle of Friends (probably my favorite) and The Glass Lake twice. Oh, and Firefly Summer. I don't care as much for her short story collections. Her most recent novels have not been too great -- Quentins, Minding Frankie, Heart and Soul. It seems like she spends too much energy bringing back old characters, rather than just telling a good story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Circle of Friends, Tara Road, The Quentins, The Scarlet Feather - loved them all. Start with Tara Road though - I'm pretty sure it's the first one written. They are all stand alone stories, but the characters from one book will reappear in other books. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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