I’m participating in #readingirelandmonth2023 this year (as I have the last several) and have put together a list of the books I’ll be reviewing along with their links to Amazon.

The books may be about Ireland, have an Irish protagonist, or be written either by an Irish author or author with Irish roots. Most of the books on my list have already been released. We in the US celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with parades, pub specials, and corned beef and cabbage. In “Chicago-land” (of which we are a part), they literally turn the Chicago River green. (This year promises a rainy day but that could change by next Friday.)

Cathy at 746 Books is hosting again this year and you may want to check her website to see her theme schedule. Additionally, she’ll be hosting a giveaway each week and sharing posts on her Facebook page. She has a monster reading list of 100 books you can peruse and a collection of recommendations. Be sure to use her hashtags #readingirelandmonth2023 and #begorrathon2023.

I tend to wear some green, look for the best bargains for corned beef, and scour my old posts to retrieve some vintage posts, one of which is titled Beans, Beans…(A St Patrick’s Day Revisited) that I’ll repost on March 17^th.

My sister sent some additional work written by my grandfather, Patrick J Rose (aka Stanley McShane) who (as far as we can tell) hailed from Cork, so I’ll try to use new material from him, as well as provide this link to my favorite Irish podcaster, Marc Gunn, the Celtfather. So here is my book schedule of books so far:

1. The Strange Courtship of Kathleen O’Dwyer by Robert Temple read by the CE on March 5.
2. Desert Star by Michael Connelly. My audiobook review scheduled on March 16. (This is a René Ballard-Harry Bosch installment—I’m hooked on that series, last one Dark Sacred Night.
3. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. My audiobook review scheduled on March 23. Read my first book by this author in January and was hooked—The Huntress.
4. The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly. My audiobook review scheduled on March 30. Previously read a couple books by this author—my last—The Wolf in Winter.
5. A Week in Summer by Maeve Binchy. My audiobook review scheduled on March 21. (This is a short story—very short.) This was very different than the last I read—A Week in Winter.
6. The Sea by John Banville scheduled for review on Tuesday, March 14.

I must admit to falling back on favorites this year, only John Banville is new to me (Robert Temple is new to the CE). Don’t forget the Irish Soda Bread recipe graciously shared by another of my favorite Irish authors, Jean Grainger.

Have you read any of the above? Any suggestions for one you enjoyed, possibly in a thriller genre?

©2023 V Williams

Chicago River Photo Attribute: NBC Chicago