November Reading Roundup

I can't believe I am getting my November reading round up posted in November! I read four books this month and made plans for some great challenges next year.   Looking forward to more buddy reads, classics and nonfiction....but for now let's get this short post started.

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Bullfighting by Roddy Doyle

The Woman Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

November book travel took me to Rhode Island, Ireland and Italy.

📚 Currently Reading 📚

That's it for the November round up.   Looking forward to more good reading in December. I'd love to know what books you favored this month and what reading goals you may have for next year.  Hope life is good for you all :-)

Here’s a snap of Loki soaking up the sunshine.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday.

Roddy Doyle and Elena Ferrante {Armchair travel to Ireland and Italy}

When it rains I end up inside reading quite a bit.  No complaints about that!  First up is a trip to Ireland with Roddy Doyle's book of short stories titled Bullfighting.

In this collection of short stories the meandering stream of consciousness of an older man dominates the narrative.  I can see things from the female point of view when he wonders at what point in time did his wife move to another room.  When did certain things occur when he was, apparently, not paying attention.

The stories take you into a middle aged man's life in Ireland.

Getting older wasn’t too bad. The baldness suited Martin. Everyone said it. He’d had to change his trouser size from 34 to 36. It was a bit of a shock, but it was kind of nice wearing loose trousers again, hitching them up when he stood up to go to the jacks, or whatever. He was fooling himself; he knew that. But that was the point—he was fooling himself. He’d put on weight but felt a bit thinner.

The story Bullfighting is about four male friends in Spain and their honest conversations.  They are all middle aged and facing the realities that life is half over for them.  Admitting loneliness and being honest...for once.

Not my favorite book by Doyle by a longshot but a nice respite to read something short between anything else I am currently doing.  Themes of aging and loneliness with some humor and a great deal of Irish culture. 

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Next up we visit Naples Italy in the 1950's with My Brillant Friend by Elena Ferrante.  This was an enjoyable buddy read with Susan at The Cue Card.

This book starts off in Turin Italy, present time with Elena getting a frantic phone call from Rino, her best friend Lila's son.  His mother is missing. Lila and Elena had been friends for over 60 years and more than 30 years ago, Lila had confessed to Elena she wanted to disappear one day.  Leave without a trace. Apparently this is what happened.

The book is about Elena's account of friendship with Lila growing up in 1950's poverty stricken Naples. Lila was from a poor family, her father a shoemaker with little money to spare on a girl's eduaction...or anything else.  She was very intelligent and headstrong, teaching herself to read and educate herself  despite being held back by her family and financial standing.  That said, she never let anything dampen her spirit for life and learning.

Elena and Lila crossed paths in school at a young age but it wasn't an immediate or tender friendship. In the era described, their lives were filled with misogeny and violence, something they didn't find appalling as it was predominent in their culture and upbringing.  It was just life.

I think each girl challenged the other to do better.  Possibly from Elena's point of view she was motivated by Lila's  strong will and refusal to conform to the norms of their society.  Lila was intrigued by Elena's stubbornness and her refusal to capitulate to her bullying.  Not many stood up to Lila's strong personality.  That is my opinion on the ongoing relationship.

If you have read the synopsis this won't be a spoiler - it ends with Lila's wedding.  I was half expecting it to end with her appearance in the story, finding out where the 66 year old went and some resolution to her disappearance.  Book 2 will no doubt continue the story and I am looking forward to that eventually.

This would make a good series of books to read in August for the Women in Translation month/project but I can't wait that long to tackle books 2 and 3.

Currently I am working on a list of bookish goals for next year and hope to post about that next week. Happy reading to you all!

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday for Long Island and The Life Impossible.

The Woman Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle

Well, we are recovered from more travel than we usually do and now I can read again.  Yea! I started with the new Roddy Doyle book.  Also went to vote early and made another slow cooker meal for Crocktober - click HERE for Thieves Stew..

From my fall reading list I have managed to fit in Roddy Doyle's latest book The Woman Behind the Door. Our main character is Paula Spencer and one I am familiar with.  My introduction to Paula and her story was in the 90's with in The Woman Who Walked into Doors.  She was a young 39 year old reminiscing about her childhood (which was good) and dealing with her marrige to an alcoholic, becoming one herself.

Then ten years later the book Paula Spencer  was published. Continuing her story Paula is a widow, dealing with her new sobriety but also the PTSD of beatings and a horrible marriage.

This may well be Paula's final chapter (no pun intended) as we now see her as a sober 66 year old.  I loved the language and how you could grasp the raw emotions in some scenes, especially between Paula and her daughter Nicola. Not a cozy, feel good novel but a powerful look at a life with broken dreams, surviving it all and the impact it made on her daughter growing up.

The only two complaints I have is the way the conversations were not written with quotes or the typical identifier on the speaker.  It wasn't hard to keep up with but that's my preference.   The other is the excessive detail in some scenes about the ordinary things like making tea, etc.  

3.5 stars

Other books by Irish author Doyle which I have enjoyed are Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and A Star Called Henry.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. and Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday.

Women in Translation month and zucchini fritters

Let's start with my PSA regarding turtles and comments :-) So far, no turtles I can see and the nest does not appear to be disturbed but..we have had some serious storms and hard rains so, who knows.  

Also, if you don't see your comment here within 12 hours or so you can email me.  What is up with the spam redirect? Ugh.

What is new....

Watching the first two seasons of The Unit, an older series from 2006.  This is based on Eric Haney's nonfiction book Inside Delta Force.

I have read through the July entries of The Kitchen Diaries. Inspired I prepared the zucchini fritters.  I've done the fritters before and if you'd like to check out that recipe, click HERE to see it on my retired food blog. I've started Nigel's August entries already.

Currently reading A Girl Returned by Donatella Di Pietrantonio for Women in Translation month.

Just finished Trust Her by Flynn Berry.

More about this author HERE.

Coming up is September by Rosamunde Pilcher and one other book I haven't decided on yet. I need to rework my summer list as some titles weren't available and I bailed on others.

That's it.  Just in and felt like updating. Hoping you are well, the storms have missed you and you've good books lined up.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

The March book wrap up

Lovely Spring flowers around our place....

Blink your eye and it's April.  As Gilmour sang  in Time,  "then one day you'll find, ten years have got behind you..."

That's the truth.  Time goes so fast.  Since bringing this site back to life I updated on my February books here. This post is is a roundup of my March books.  Then I'll be on track with some sort of schedule that suits me.

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In March I finished the second book in the Cormac Reilly series by Dervla McTiernan.  I liked the first book, The Ruin, better than this second one - The Scholar. There are a few more to go before I am fully caught up.  If you like police procedurals this would be a good one for you, set in Galway Ireland.

Also read in March:  The Women by Kristin Hannah and Three by Valérie Perrin.

Three:  In 1986 three young children meet in school and become inseparable. They are all ten years of age and come from different home lives. Etienne, Nina and Adrian. They hold hands all the time, they support each other, assist with school work and personal issues. You can't imagine these three ever having a falling out.

The story is told in flashbacks and in great detail. By the time they are ready to graduate school and move on to university in Paris, the relationships are as strong as ever, even if there are a few secrets between the three. Then a fallout. A big one.

In 2017 a car is pulled from the water with a body inside. There is much speculation about a young lady missing for years - could she be in that car? As you go back and forth between time periods, reading about the very descriptive aspects of their lives, I found myself very supportive of some characters and almost despising another. It's a slow read but the last several chapters have revelations I never thought about. Loyalty, betrayal, love and forgiveness are the themes.

You don't know who the narrator is in this book until the end.  Then things fell into place.

This is the second book I have read by Perrin, translated by Hildegard Serle, and I will say I enjoyed Fresh Water for Flowers a bit more. She is an incredible author and I have already preordered her newest - Forgotten on Sunday.

March book travel took me to Vietnam, France, Ireland and California.  That's it for the March round up

 Looking forward to good reading this month.  Hope life is good for you all :-)

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday. and Reader Buzz for Sunday Salon.

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Getting current here on my February books.........

It's been a while since I book blogged...burnt out on the food blogging but books have always pulled me back to the keyboard.  Here are three of my February books. 

Beyond That, the Sea is a book spanning decades.

The working class family Reg and Millie Thompson decide to send their young daughter Beatrix from London to America during WW II.  The girl doesn't want to go but joins other children in relocation, safe from the bombs and destruction.

All the chapters are short and told from different viewpoints.  There is the Thompson family in London and the Gregory family in the U.S.  Nancy and Ethan Gregory have two sons, William and Gerald.  They welcome Beatrix with open arms and she eventually blends into their family, becoming the daughter they never had.

Meanwhile Millie is missing her daughter, feeling like she is missing out on Beatrix's childhood and indeed she is.  Mille and Reg are dealing with war, food shortages, burnt out buildings and hardship.   Bea, as the American family call her, lives with the Gregory family for five years and has many wonderful experiences.

Over the decades the stories are about love, death, disappointment, friendship and hope.  The settings are New York, Boston, Maine and London. 4.5 stars

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When All is Said by Anne Griffin is reflective story of a man's life and the people who meant the most to him.

Eighty-four year old widower Maurice Hannigan reflects on his life as he sits on a barstool, raising a toast to the five people he loved the most and the influences of others (not always positive) who shaped his life. He starts with his brother Tony and sips a stout, moving on to the other dear people in his life with a different whiskey and ale for each.

As he reflects on his regrets, triumphs, grief and revelations you are transported to another time when he was younger. I loved all of this book and true to Irish literature there are very sad moments.

The story unfolds and intertwines with the lives of the rich Dollard family and how they effected each other. Near the end some fairly interesting twists came to light.

The setting is Meath Ireland.

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Skylight by Jose Saramango

This is a novel translated from Portuguese by a Nobel Prize winner author. It's a slice of life from the 1950's in a small town, getting into the everyday lives of regular people. There are fractured relationships, secrets, love and deception.

Something I found interesting was the preface explaining about the author and how this novel came to be published after his death. He sent it to a publisher and unbeknowst to him, it was placed in a drawer and forgotten for over 30 years. When the company was moving to a different location the manuscript was discovered.

Imagine 30+ years later getting a call about this manuscript. Saramago immediately went to pick up his typed work, was offered to have to publsihed and he declined. He stated you must respect people and so he wouldn't have it published until after his death.
I rounded up to 4 stars.

One more to go and I'll start my March book stats.  So far, so good :-)

The No-Show and The Switch by Beth O'Leary

 

I liked this book. The author's first book The Flatshare was a nice easy read, chicklit in my opinion, and I knew I would read another as I like her style. 

This book focuses on two women, both named Eileen Cotton. There's the younger called Leena and her grandmother Eileen. Leena is used ot the fast paced corporate world of London but she is burnt out. After an incident at work she is placed on a two month sabatical so she heads up to Yorkshire to visit her grandmother. Leena has always been close to her grandmother and calls her all the time. 

She is barely on speaking terms with her mother Marion and this puts Eileen (the grandmother) in the middle. This is all a result of Leena's sister dying from cancer and decisions made which Leena couldn't come to terms with. It's all explained.

Eileen is 79 years old but don't think she sits around knitting and is all alone. She is very active and is always trying to get involved in new projects, organizing a festival, helping with crime watch and walking other folks dogs....you get the idea. Leena gets the idea to switch households for the two months as it's obvious both women need a change of scenery. Leena would live in Yorkshire and her grandmother would live in her flat in London.

It's nice to read about older people who had vibrant lives in their youth I was enjoying the parts set in Yorkshire as well and honestly, if I could and I had the physical stamina for those sort of cold winters, I would love to live in that area. 

This is a nice easy read that features love, infidelity, grief and life changes. I would read more by Beth O'Leary as she takes you right into the scenes. Love the descriptive parts about Yorkshire.

The No-Show: This book has quite a few surprises.  It appears Joseph Carter is a scoundrel who is juggling three different women, managing to stand them up on Valentine's Day.  As you start the book you will be supportive of these ladies outing him and possibly getting a bit of revenge. Word of warning, don't make assumptions as this is not a cookie cutter romance template.

This is not a story about a man cheating on his girlfriends.  There is a back story to each of the relationships which the author deftly weaves to a surprising conclusion.

There is heartbreak but I assure you, it won't be a scenario you're expecting. Somehow Beth O'Leary writes a light hearted story while interjecting real life hardships and situations.

There is more than one emotionally significant event to experience here. 

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy

 

The setting is Lough Glass in Ireland and it's the early 1950s. The story follows Mary Katherine McMahon's life as a child and the approximately ten years after her mother Helen disappears. It's thought her mother drowned but Mary (known as Kit) worried her mother killed herself.  She had a note from her mother but burned it without reading as if it was a suicide note she couldn't have a church burial.

Kit misses her mother very much and leans on friends and distant family to help her. She gets into a pen pal relationship with a woman named Lena Gray who claims to have known her mother.  There is certainly a surprise lurking for Kit in that relationship!

If you want to submerge yourself into 1950s Irish culture this will be a good book for you. It's dated in references but I liked it. The themes are loss and love.  I liked the comparison of English life vs Irish life from Kit's perspective.

 This is another book I am clearing from the shelves in my mission to read more books from the stacks at home.  It's already in the mail to a friend who may enjoy it!

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction challenge.

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan

 I am so happy to have discovered this author as I now have a new-to-me series to catch up on.  Police procedurals and mysteries are one of my favorite genres as are books set in Ireland.

Cormac Reilly was once a detective at an elite Garda station in Dublin.  He transfers and demotes in rank to a police agency in Galway as his partner Emma relocates for her work. For someone with his experience and skills the Galway posting is wasting his talents on cold cases.  One case in particular is a blast from his past.

The prologue tells how twenty years earlier Cormac was young officer sent out to a rural home for a domestic violence call.  What he found was Maude, a neglected thin 15 year old girl who was taking care of her 5 year old brother Jack.  Their mother was dead in an upstairs bedroom, liquor and drugs surrounding her.  

Then chapter one starts us in present time when Jack, now 25 years old, has commited suicide.  His partner Aisling is not convinced Jack took his life. The past has a way of being interjected in this investigation. There are so many facets of this story that are interesting and Cormac is now one of my favorite detectives.  I am very much looking forward to the next few books in the series and seeing the character development.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction challenge.

A Few of the Girls by Maeve Binchy

 

As Maeve Binchy died in 2012 I was quite surprised, yet delighted, to see a new book available at the library.  The forward is written by her husband Gordon Snell.  He explains how she would type up a storm and get her thoughts out, never once seeing her staring at a blank page as she searched for inspiration.

As a big fan of Ms. Binchy I grabbed a copy and settled in to read the short stories.  I will say I prefer her novels more than this collection and these stories are dated in the narrative of how women defer to men.

That said, this is a book of stories about friendships and relationships.  Some show how women support one another and others where women stand up for themselves. If you haven't read Binchy before I would not start with this collection as her novels are much better.  I have read all of her books and Light a Penny candle remains my very favorite.

Sharing with

 Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday 

 Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

 

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

 

This story will be enjoyed by those who loved C.S. Lewis' books about Narnia and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.  As someone who hasn't read those books in decades I realized you didn't need the background to be entertained by this narrative.

The story begins in 1950, location Worcester and Oxford England. Young George Devonshire is a frail little boy with a heart condition.  He is completely besotted with Lewis' book The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and wants desperately to know if Narnia is real.  He will occassionaly climb into the wardrobe in his room and sit, imaging the world outside and a life he'll never have chance to know.

His older sister Megs is a mathmatics and physics student in Oxford and doesn't think beyond mathmatical probabilities - it's either right or wrong. Fantasy and imagination never cross her mind with any serious thought.  

One thing for sure, Megs loves her little brother very much and rushes home from college to be with him each weekend and break. As she is reading to him one day George asks if she will approach Mr. Lewis and ask where the stories about Narnia came from.  Is it real? Where did the inspiration come from? Megs has been to a lecture of Mr. Lewis but is reluctant to approach him with this request.  Loving George so much she risks it as it's his dying wish.  From there - what a wonderful story this becomes.  

Megs is invited into the home called The Kilns, the residence of Warnie and Jack Lewis. (Jack is C.S. Lewis) and the story unfolds from there.  It's a nesting doll of stories

There is saddness in this story but it's also wonderfully rich with details aout Lewis' life from boyhood to present. Adventure seen through a child's eyes and some very imaginative adults.

I want to thank Katherine at I Wish I Lived in a Library for recommending this book.  It was one her favorites from 2021

Sharing with:

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

The Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Her Secret War by Pam Lecky

 

Sarah Gillespie is returning home after an evening out, worried she may not arrive before her unpredictable and violent father returns from the pub. 

Her younger sister Maura is waiting and frightened as German planes have been buzzing the area.  The time period is during WW II and Ireland is meant to be neutral but bombs are dropped and her home is destroyed. Sarah is in for heartbreak during the chaos of recovery, people are missing and presumed dead.

Sarah eventually moves to England to stay with her uncle and finds work to help with the war effort.  Her uncle gets her work at a Supermarine factory where Spitfires are manufactured. There are scenes from the countryside and London, espionage is inserted into the storyline but that's the only bit that doesn't seem believeable. 

I liked the characters and the ones you were meant to dislike were well written.  The ending was well done in my opinion and definitely sets it up so a sequel could be in the works.  That said, if it ended with this book you'd probably be satisfied and make your own conclusions about Sarah's future. I would seek out a followup book if there is one.

Publication date is October 14, 2021 by Avon Books UK.  Genre: General Fiction (Adult, Women's Fiction and Historical Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Sharing with Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2021 Historical Fiction challenge and Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

 

No one even knew they were together. Now one of them is dead.

56 DAYS AGO
Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin and start dating the same week COVID-19 reaches Irish shores.

35 DAYS AGO
When lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests they move in together. Ciara sees a unique opportunity for a relationship to flourish without the scrutiny of family and friends. Oliver sees a chance to hide who - and what - he really is.

TODAY
Detectives arrive at Oliver's apartment to discover a decomposing body inside.
Quoted from Amazon

This synopsis above is what drew me in and I can say I was not disappointed.  As with most mysteries there is that twist where you see how it will be played out but I can honestly say, I didn't see this one.  

Then, there is another twist and surprise to the story which I though was brilliantly woven in. What you'll find early on is both Oliver and Ciara have secrets.  The revelations are slowly introduced and my guesses for each secret was way off base.

When I first started reading it appeared it would be chick lit with budding romance and a simple mystery inserted. The interactions of Oliver and Ciara are a bit stilted at first but as the reader knows they have something to hide, it's understandable. Not chick lit or romance at all.

The storylines will change back and forth to the police investigation in present time then back to 56 days ago when Oliver and Ciara met, then move to 35 days ago as they are living together.  The perspectives and narrator changes as well.  You'll hear Ciara's side of things, Oliver's side and the detectives.

The author Catherine Ryan Howard is a crime writer from Cork Ireland and wrote this novel during the lockdown. 

My reading partner Loki.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

Northern Spy by Flynn Berry

"It's difficult to know how scared to be.  The threat level is severe but then has been for years." 

Bodies can still be found in bogs, searches are conducted to find informers the IRA had disappeared, at certain funerals, men in ski masks would suddenly appear in the cortage, chamber their handguns and fire shots over the coffin.  This is how many people lived in the Belfast area, wondering daily if there was a credible threat.

The story focuses on two sisters. Marian and Tessa.  Marian is not married and has been a paramedic for over six years. Her face is always so open and bemused while  her sister Tessa's expression tends to be more grave, her having to reassure people she's not worried about anything.

Tessa is divorced and mother of a 6 month old boy named Finn.  She works at the BBC in Belfast and is asked by some friends how she can work for the English. She went to university at Trinity College is a program reporter, working with political guests. 

We start with Tessa narrating and learn Marian is on a vacation to swim and explore caves in the north.  Neither Tessa or her mother can get ahold of Marian but they assume she's in cellular dead zone or simply having fun exploring.

Then a robbery and raid happen at a local gas station the news anchor asks for help identifying those responsible. Tessa stares at the images of the terrorists and suddenly sees her sister's face on screen, Marian pulling a black ski mask over her face.  Tessa's world dissolves.

The only negative in this narrative is the description of The Troubles as if it's a current situation.  Perhaps I missed the time frame in this book but it had the feel of being set in present time or a few years earlier.  The plot appears to be during the height of the violence and near the peace agreement which would put it around 1994, right?   That being said, I loved the book and couldn't put it down.

I see why this is a best seller with over 3,400 four star ratings.  I plan to read all of Flynn Berry's novels in the near future.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday. and Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2021 Historical Fiction Challenge. 

The Green Road by Anne Enright

 

This is the story about the Madigan family and told from the different perspectives of the four children over a course of time. The opening chapter tells of adult son Dan sharing his decision to become a priest and his mother’s reaction of horror.  This is from the 10 year old Hanna's perspective in 1980 in their county Clare home. The 

We read about Dan and his personal problems and predicament a decade later. He is living in New York and his life as a gay man is written about fairly graphically. 

The other siblings are Emmet who becomes a UNICEF worker in Africa. His was my least favorite story and had I started with it, I’d have ditched the book. 

Hanna's adult  story involves an issue with alcohol.

Constance storyline starts as the third chapter in 1997 at Durty Nellie’s in Bunratty, county Limerick. We were fortunate enough to visit around Limerick and saw Durty Nellie’s but didn’t go in. The description of the area brought back memories. As in much Irish literature, there is tragedy in her story.

The mother is Rosealeen and it's interesting to read how each of her children view her and the relationship they have with their mother.  A lovely Irish setting for the most part and a story of an ordinary family and everyday life.

 Linking up with

 Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2021 Historical Reader Challenge 

Joy at Joy's Book Bog for British Isles Friday.

Marg of The Intrepid Reader blog is the host for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge in 2021. T he sign up page may be located HERE so check it out if you'd like to join in.

Happy  reading!

Normal People by Sally Rooney

 

The beginning of the story unfolds in Carricklea, Sligo in western Ireland. Our main characters are Connell and Marianne and they are young adults, attending the same school and about to decide on university options. Connell is very popular and from a middle class background.  Marianne is from a well to do family, living in a mansion.  She is considered strange and avoided at school.  Connell's mother Lorraine is employed as a cleaner at Marianne's home and it's there Connell and Marianne first start talking and becoming friends.

Whatever went on in Marianne's early life shaped her to feel as if she could never be loved.  She does not have friends and when things start up with Connell she is pleasantly surprised.  They decide to keep their relationship a secret and this I found troubling.

When Marianne is physically abused Connell comes to her aid and she feels loved. He tells her she makes him happy.

  "Even in memory she will find this moment unbearably intense.....She has never believed herself fit to be loved by any person.  But now she has a new life...the beginning of my life."

They have a weird friendship and sexual relationship which eventually, as you can imagine, takes a huge turn.  The setting then moves to Trinity in Dublin for university.  Now the social situation is reversed and Marianne is the one with friends while Connell is at times merely tolerated.

Their lives and loves intertwine constantly over the years. They change each other, they support one another, they love and leave one another and always come back.

"All these years they've been like two little plants sharing the same plot of soil. growing around one another, contorting to make room, taking certain unlikely positions."

I enjoyed this author's writing style and will look for more.  Sally Rooney was born in western Ireland in 1991 and I feel her firsthand knowledge of the area is accurately portrayed in this novel.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield

 This is the first book I have read by author Stephen Mansfield and I can report that I found it very interesting. It was Guinness that attracted me to the book cover and upon picking it up, found I had read several pages whilst leaning against the bookshelves at my local library. Why not bring it home?

This is story about the humble beginnings for Arthur Guinness’ career in brewing beer. While many people are under the impression that Arthur started up the family business after acquiring long lease on St James Gate, you will be quite engaged to read about the real beginnings of his brewing experience. Arthur had roughly 25 years of experience before he started up at St James Gate. As a matter of fact, he brought hops from his family home in Celbridge and began brewing in Dublin after years of experience with his father and on his own talent.

The company treated the employees very well. You’ve read or heard about the benefits provided by Google to their employees? The Guinness family were the precursors for that business model.

Guinness IS good for you!

Each of the facts I listed below is written about in detail in this book, telling of the circumstances.

From the book
Some Guinness facts:

* More than ten million glasses of Guinness are consumed each day worldwide. That is nearly two billion pints a year.

* In 1759, Arthur Guinness founded the Guinness brewery in Dublin by signing a lease for famous property St James Gate – a lease that has given him rights to that property for nine thousand years!

* It is a myth that the water for brewing Guinness comes from the River Liffey. Most of the water comes from the streams of the Wicklow Mountains which lies just south of Dublin .

* A Guinness worker during the 1920s enjoyed full medical and dental care, massage services, reading rooms, subsidized meals, a company funded pension, subsidies for funeral expenses, educational benefits, free concerts and lectures and a guaranteed two pints of Guinness beer a day.

* During World War I, Guinness guaranteed all of its employees who served in uniform that their jobs would be waiting for them when they returned home. Guinness also paid half salaries to the family of each man who served.

* A Guinness chief medical officer, Dr John Lumsden, personally visited thousands of Dublin homes in 1900 and used what he learned to help the company fight disease, squalor and ignorance. These efforts also led to the establishment of the Irish version of the Red Cross, for which Dr. Lumsden was knighted by King George V.

Guinness was known for its care of its employees, One Guinness family member who headed the brewery said, “You cannot make money from people unless you are willing for people to make money from you.”

There were so many, “Oh I didn’t know that, how interesting” moments that I would stop and call out to Doug, “Listen to this” and proceed to share parts of this book.

We had been fortunate to have a family vacation in Ireland that took us to Arthur Guinness’ hometown of Celbridge and we enjoyed a pint there, talking to the bar maid about the town history, sipping our pints in the old pub on a chilly afternoon. We also took a tour of the brewery in Dublin and have our photo at the famous St James Gate. The tour was great but I wish I had read this book prior to going to Ireland .

A good read – I recommend it!

Sharing with Joy for British Isles Friday and Shelleyrae at BookdOut for the Nonfiction Reader challenge.

Catergory/Genre: Food as it's listed under food and cookbooks on Amazon

 The Nonfiction Reader Challenge hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out.  Check out the sign up post and info HERE. The challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2021. You can join in anytime!