September's Read

So August's bookclub was hosted by K in her lovely home in County Kildare. She cooked yummy enchiladas and we spent an enjoyable afternoon discussing the 19th Wife. We had all read and enjoyed the book - will wonders ever cease?

So we decided on the following book for September's BookClub:

The Wish List By Martina Reilly

Like any married couple, Allie and Tony have had their fair share of heartache. But when Tony's actions force Allie and her young sons out of their home, things take a turn for the worse. Without her husband around, Allie must cope with two inquisitive children - as well as the reappearance of her estranged father. So when her eldest Mark befriends next-door neighbour Jeremy, Allie's glad he's found a distraction. The trouble is that Mark believes Jeremy is Santa Claus and that he can put the family back together.
While Jeremy is increasingly mortified at the mix-up, a little magic never did anyone any harm - did it?

I will be hosting the next bookclub probably towards the end of September so get reading and i'll be in touch with details about the meeting later in the month.

Mountains to Sea Festival 2009

10th - 13th September

The Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival aspires to honour one of the world’s most unique literary landscapes with a festival worthy of that distinction. Mountains to Sea will feature a glittering array of writers both local and international including Paul Auster, Sebastian Faulks, Sadie Jones, Declan Kiberd, John Carey, Douglas Kennedy, Siri Hustvedt, Patrick Gale, Anne Enright, Hugo Hamilton, Diarmaid Ferriter, Julie Parsons, Ross O’Carroll Kelly and Maeve Binchy. Special theatre productions will celebrate the area’s close association with Samuel Beckett, James Joyce and Flann O’Brien. Author readings, theatre productions, political cabaret, grand literary tour, panel discussions, children’s events will entertain, challenge and inspire.
There is no other area more densely populated with contemporary writers than Dun Laoghaire & Rathdown. No other area can boast such rich associations with the great Irish writers of the past, with their memories and their works than DLR.

Come join us at the festival to find out more! Just a 20 minute DART ride from the city centre. Or, in the immortal words of Bagatelle, “Jump on a bus to Dun Laoghaire.” We look forward to seeing you.

For more information, check out http://www.mountainstosea.ie/

July/August Read: The 19th Wife

We enjoyed a lovely garden party courtesy of Shinners on Saturday - it certainly was the weekend for it with blissful sunshine. Shinners put on a lovely spread fresh from the Farmer's Market which we throughly enjoyed. It was a lovely afternoon sitting out enjoying our Irish summer. Baby bookclubber Sean made an appearance and treated us to a strawberry mashing contest!

So it was decided that our next bookclub read is The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.

Faith, I tell them, is a mystery, elusive to many, and never easy to explain.

Sweeping and lyrical, spellbinding and unforgettable, David Ebershoff’s The 19th Wife combines epic historical fiction with a modern murder mystery to create a brilliant novel of literary suspense. It is 1875, and Ann Eliza Young has recently separated from her powerful husband, Brigham Young, prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Expelled and an outcast, Ann Eliza embarks on a crusade to end polygamy in the United States. A rich account of a family’s polygamous history is revealed, including how a young woman became a plural wife.

Soon after Ann Eliza’s story begins, a second exquisite narrative unfolds–a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. Jordan Scott, a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist sect years earlier, must reenter the world that cast him aside in order to discover the truth behind his father’s death.And as Ann Eliza’s narrative intertwines with that of Jordan’s search, readers are pulled deeper into the mysteries of love and faith.

For more information visit the following site:
http://www.19thwife.com/index.html

K has graciously agreed to host the next bookclub due to take place hopefully in August. Looking forward to the road trip to the country and also hot discussions about polygamy and the Mormon community - will be interesting to see if anyone wants to switch religions!

Happy Reading.