NorthernIreland

bibliothecarivs

The Ghosts of Belfast | Stuart Neville

Random book from our personal library.

🇮🇪💀🇬🇧

8 likes

Suet624

Trespasses | Louise Kennedy

Oh my! If you‘ve read this book, you‘re going to want to see the film that‘s coming out soon. I got chills watching it.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPvhC5diNye/?igsh=Y3c4ajF2djFqamt2

squirrelbrain I have high hopes for this, even though I rarely watch films! 1mo

Suet624 @squirrelbrain I just hope we get to see it over here in the US 1mo

Suet624 @squirrelbrain I don‘t see how they‘ll ever be able to capture the claustrophobia that I felt reading this book but I‘m all for watching the romance part. 😊 1mo

See All 11 Comments

BarbaraBB I haven read the book. I should I guess? 1mo

squirrelbrain I hope so too, Sue! 1mo

squirrelbrain Yes, you should @BarbaraBB - I think you‘ll really appreciate it. 1mo

Suet624 @BarbaraBB you haven‘t read it??? With my Irish background it definitely may have hit harder, but yes, please, read it. 1mo

Cuilin Loved the book. So I‘ll probably love this too. (edited) 1mo

BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @Suet624 Will do now! You‘re very convincing ❤️ 1mo

Deblovestoread Oh, i definitely want to see it. Loved the book. ❤️ 1mo

sarahbarnes Oh wow. I did love this book. Thanks for the heads up about the film. 1mo

52 likes11 comments

monalyisha

Night Swimmers | Roisin Maguire

In September, I read a lot of ecru-colored books with waves on the cover. It‘s a vibe.

My favorites this month were Night Swimmers and Sleep (and Tuck, of course, but that‘s old news). I continued my HMRC (Her Majesty‘s Royal Coven) obsession and saw it through to the bitter (or sweet? No spoilers here!) end.

#AWreads2025
#personalreadingtracker

Clare-Dragonfly Did you know there is a graphic novel adaptation of Tuck Everlasting??? Grammar Girl just did an interview with the artist. 2mo

monalyisha @Clare-Dragonfly Yes! We just bought a copy for our collection at the library. The colors are lovely! 2mo

54 likes2 comments

monalyisha

Night Swimmers | Roisin Maguire

pick

A man grieving the death of his infant daughter & the dissolution of his marriage rents a seaside cottage in Northern Ireland — just for a week, to give his wife some space until she can stand to look at him again. Then, COVID hits. A week becomes much longer. He goes nowhere, which turns out to be exactly what he needs.

Eventually, his 8 year-old son joins him. And nowhere is exactly what Luca — deaf, misunderstood, & lonely — needs, too.👇🏻

monalyisha 1/4: Evan learns the pattern of village life from observing his gruff, hermitic landlady, Grace. A tragedy in her past has caused her to withdraw but her intimate knowledge of the landscape and her small, accepting village give her life shape. The unlikely duo saves each other in ways both grand and obscure. (edited) 2mo

monalyisha 2/4: What Evan needs is reflection and release. What Grace needs is to have someone trust her implicitly, and to fully appreciate her wild independence, capability, and strength. This novel is full of deep pain, as well as gradual and continual healing. There are such restorative moments of stillness and quiet. The bird, the fishing line, the cake; the midnight swims in the silver light of the moon. 2mo

monalyisha 3/4: I know others found the possibility of romance between Grace and Evan unbelievable and were pushing against it. I was rooting for it. The text conversations between Luca & Grace, on the other hand, I found a bit cringe (albeit sweet). And I needed to look past the townspeople ignoring Covid restrictions. IRL, I‘d be so angry and anxious. But I know that in a small, rural village, the response was more than likely a common & realistic one. (edited) 2mo

See All 6 Comments

monalyisha 4/4: Maguire‘s writing and her sense of place are gorgeous, simple, and profound. I couldn‘t put this down. Thank you to @TheKidUpstairs for mailing me your copy! It found its home in my heart. 2mo

CoffeeK8 This sounds really good! Stacking! 2mo

Christine What a great review! Stacked. (edited) 2mo

61 likes4 stack adds6 comments

monalyisha

Night Swimmers | Roisin Maguire

I have a new seagull friend. It‘s been hanging out with me for the better part of an hour, just a step away from the edge of my blanket. It slowly circled me and has now snuggled down and gotten cozy. Bud‘s got two different colored eyes.

Do you think it‘s a spirit bird with a message for me or is it sizing me up and I‘m actually in trouble?

…Only time will tell!

Ruthiella I think is wondering if you have a french fry 🍟 😜 2mo

vlwelser I love being bundled up and reading on an empty beach. 2mo

AnnCrystal Light-handed meaning: healing, renewal, and balance (varies by culture) 🤩🤩🤩💝💝💝. 2mo

See All 9 Comments

Graywacke He‘ll tell all for a snack. But he‘s so cute. This book title leaves REM in my head. 2mo

IuliaC Such a beautiful photo! 2mo

Suet624 I think that‘s lovely. Maybe he‘s lonely. If he were there just for food he wouldn‘t have stuck around. 2mo

monalyisha @Graywacke Every single time I see it! 🎶 2mo

monalyisha @Suet624 That‘s exactly what I thought. 🩵 2mo

monalyisha @vlwelser It was so delightfully quiet. I could actually hear each tinkle of sea glass or shell as the woman foraging along the shoreline found something small and special to add to her bag. 2mo

69 likes1 stack add9 comments

behudd

Factory Girls | Michelle Gallen

pick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I think fiction set during The Troubles is fascinating, &I learned a lot in this book, but it is a hard one to rate and review - it never really takes its foot off the gas. By that I don‘t mean that it‘s plot heavy, because it really isn‘t, but there just is not a lot of rest or relief for our characters. You do get a bittersweet, mildly hopeful ending, so you can picture Maeve building a wonderful life, but it was pretty bleak overall.

35 likes2 stack adds

charl08

Cal | Bernard MacLaverty

Yikes this cover.

32 likes

Jas16

Trespasses | Louise Kennedy

pick

Cushla is tying to juggle so much from her alcoholic mother,to assisting the family of a student when his father is severely beaten while living near Belfast during the Troubles. Adding an affair with an older, married man creates even more stress. The affair is more icky than romantic and I‘d have preferred it have less of a focus but I felt such a sense of dread wondering which of the balls she was juggling would drop first. #14books14weeks 10

Suet624 I felt such a sense of claustrophobia when I was reading this book. I thought it was brilliant. 1mo

56 likes1 comment

TheKidUpstairs

Night Swimmers | Roisin Maguire

so-so

This one is tough to rate, I keep bouncing back and forth between pick and so-so. I loved much of this book, the sense of found family, finding community and healing after trauma, and the beautiful healing power of nature and the sea. But some things were just so frustrating, they take away from my enjoyment. And in the end the frustration wins out. I'll put further thoughts in the comments under spoiler warnings!

TheKidUpstairs First of all, while I loved Grace, it seemed like the author had a hard time drawing a portrait of a 50 year old woman. Honestly, I thought she was at least 75 for much of the book and was shocked when her age was mentioned. It feels like Maguire wrote a book with a much older character, and then altered it when she wanted to insert the love story between Grace and Evan (more on that in another comment).

cont'd in next comment 4mo

TheKidUpstairs cont'd from above comment...

It seemed like inconsistent characterization to me. And I find it hard to believe on a search and rescue mission in a small coastal town, an able bodied 50 year old woman would be shunted to the side like an old lady. 4mo

TheKidUpstairs And the aforementioned romance/dalliance/whatever it is between Grace and Evan did not work for me at all. The first time Maguire hinted at it, I almost laughed. I REALLY felt like the book was setting up for a found family vibe, and then that? And then following through with it? It didn't feel earned to me at all. 4mo

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monalyisha Agh! I want to read this one so much and I‘m SO tempted to read your spoilers! I guess that just means I need to bump it up on my list so I can click “reveal.” 😅 4mo

Jas16 I totally agree about the romance aspect but it felt so tacked on to me that I pretty much ignored it and it didn‘t impact my appreciation of everything else. 4mo

BarbaraBB I hear you @monalyisha I feel the same! (edited) 4mo

TheKidUpstairs @monalyisha @BarbaraBB So far, I really seem to be the outlier on this one. Others either don't have the same issues I did, or like @Jas16 are better able to separate them from the good stuff. Maybe I'm just extra grumpy these days? 🤣 4mo

TheKidUpstairs @monalyisha @BarbaraBB if either of you want to read it without buying it, I'd be happy to send along my copy! 4mo

monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs I don‘t want to make you pay for shipping but I also wouldn‘t say no! 4mo

TheKidUpstairs @monalyisha no worries, I'll send it your way this week! 4mo

monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs Amazing! 🤩 I can Venmo you shipping if you want; just say the word! 4mo

BarbaraBB That is super kind but I am in Europe so that‘s quite expensive. @monalyisha is much closer! I will be looking out for a copy here 🤍 4mo

TheKidUpstairs @monalyisha it's on its way to you! Should be there in a week or so 👍😁 4mo

monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs Exciting!!! 4mo

monalyisha I was hoping to be a beach bum at some point this weekend and get a thematic shot of the book, which has indeed arrived…but I never made it there. Soon! And thank you! 😘 4mo

TheKidUpstairs @monalyisha you're welcome! Glad it arrived, and I hope you enjoy it. And that you get your beach bum day soon 😊 4mo

monalyisha I think the wobbliness of Grace‘s age had more to do with her outward presentation than it did anything else. She was perceived as older because she refused to participate in any of the accepted markers of youth & beauty. She‘d also “retired,” basically — from society, and from pursuing a future that held anyone else intimately in her orbit. She‘d given up pieces of herself that have a lot in common with what much older women give up on (or lose). 2mo

monalyisha And I think she was shunted to the side not only because she was older but because she was the one who placed the call. I think she was too close to it. The media I‘ve consumed usually has the immediate family stay at home during a search, right? Or maybe I loved the book so much, I‘m willing to make every excuse necessary. 😜 2mo

58 likes18 comments

Mollyanna

The Cold Cold Ground | Adrian McKinty

pick

The first in the Sean Duffy series (#SeriesLove2025). Duffy is a Catholic detective in Protestant N. Ireland during The Troubles. This was a great start to the series and Duffy is a complex character. I look forward to more in the series. Gerald Doyle was a fabulous narrator of the audiobook.

My first finish for #14Books14Weeks2025

Andrew65, Liz_M, TheSpineView

TheSpineView Well done! 5mo

32 likes1 comment

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