March 2019 Irish Authors TBR

After the incredible 3 month long January and 4 hour feeling Februrary, we're finally in March. And I love to read Irish authors in March. Why this month? Probably because of St. Patrick's Day to be honest. And I like that we're now into the 3rd month of the year and it's a good time to have a themed or set reading month. With all the excitement of new releases and reading challenges with the new year starting, there's no way I'd be able to focus on a themed month in January or February.

I started reading only Irish authors back in March 2014 and since then I pretty much only read Irish authors. Every now and again towards the end of the month I might pick up something else and I like not being too tied down to the theme. I've mainly tried to stick to people born in Ireland but I think after this year I'll start branching out to people of Irish descent too. I have some books I own that I want to try read, I might not get around to all of them but thought I'd put together a TBR list for this month for some of the choices I'll probably pick up. Let's start with the physical books.

I own a nice stack of books by Irish authors but these are the ones I think I'll try focus on this month.

1. The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir by Lesley Allen. I got this free when I went to the Irish Book Awards in 2016. I don't know much about it, the book starts off with the main character Biddy ringing in to a TV show on the subject of bullying and she tells her story.

2. We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan. I couldn't tell you what this book is about without having to look it up first. To be honest I don't even know if I looked at what it was about when I bought it! I probably picked it up as I've enjoyed Sarah Crossan's other books One and Moonrise. That and it was a good price.

3. Beatlebone by Kevin Barry. I've read Dark Lies the Island the author, a collection of short stories that were haunting at times. Beatlebone is a fictionalised account set in 1978 of John Lennon going to the island he bought off west coast of Ireland. 

4. Solar Bones by Mike McCormack. Most of the people I follow on Goodreads have said not to read the blurb when it comes to this book which is what I've done. I bought this in 2017 and showed it in a haul post (which also included The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir). I've read half of those books, proving I'm rubbish when it comes to reading the books I buy.

Now on to the ebooks and audiobooks

1. Things in Jars by Jess Kidd. I featured this in my most anticipated reads for 2019 and I'm happy to say I have an ARC and I've already started it. Set in Victorian London with a female detective investigating a missing child, I'm really enjoying it so far.

2. The Wych Elm by Tana French. Another book featured in my most anticipated post, I love Tana French and I'm hoping her first book not set in the Dublin Murder Squad world doesn't disappoint.

3. When All is Said by Anne Griffin. This has been on my radar for the last week or so, mainly because it keeps popping up on the Rick O' Shea Book Club. 84 year old Maurice sits at a hotel bar and orders 5 different drinks, toasting a different person who impacted and shaped his life. In doing so we hear his life story. It's intrigued me so I requested a copy on NetGalley.

4. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney. If you haven't heard Sally Rooney's name, then you probably live under a rock. I got this as an audio book during one of Audible's 2 for 1 sales.

There's a few other books I might pick up over the month. I'm mainly hoping I can get an early copy of Cruel Acts by Jane Casey as I've read the first chapter and I loved it. I have no non-fiction here so I might need to find one to break the month up too. 

If you've read any of these books let me know, it might help me pick it up faster!

Irish Authors Month TBR 2017

Hello! So once again I’ve decided to read Irish authors only for the month of March, it’s something I’ve done 2 out of the 3 previous years (2014 and 2016). I read Irish authors all through the year but I enjoy dedicating March to just Irish authors (and I chose March due to Paddy’s Day in case you’re wondering). I try to read authors I haven’t read before but there will be more of a mix this year.

These are some of the books I own by Irish authors that I’m hoping to read, From the top down we have Knights of the Borrowed Dark by Dave Rudden, Miss Emily by Nuala O’Connor, The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir by Lesley Allen, The Hurley Maker’s Son by Patrick Deeley, Holding by Graham Norton, Sisters and Lies by Bernice Barrington, Solar Bones by Mike McCormack and Woman in the Making by Rory O’Neill. I’ve shown most of these on here before for one reason or another (like my 2016 TBR post). I’m looking forward to reading through some of my own books as I can be really bad at forgetting to read what I own and being click happy on NetGalley. Or getting stacks of books from the library. Though speaking of NetGalley and the library I do have some books from those places also on my TBR for the month! Most of these are part of a series though.

 

The Blood Miracles by Lisa McInerney is the follow up book to The Glorious Heresies. American Monsters by Derek Landy is the final book in the Demon Road trilogy. I’ve requested The Reckoning by Jane Casey from the library, the 2nd book in the Maeve Kerrigan series. I read the first one last March and have really been meaning to pick up book two. The Forever Court by Dave Rudden is the follow up book to Knights of the Borrowed Dark, so I can get stuck straight in if I love that one! And finally The Gathering by Anne Enright is an audiobook I borrowed from library in 2014, the first time I did this all Irish March challenge.

Obviously I can’t get through all these books in the month, it would be too much. The three I’m most looking forward to are Holding, Knights of the Borrowed Dark and The Blood Miracles. There’s only two non-fiction books so I might go to the library if I’m not feeling any of these, but I do want to try to stick to the books I have as much as I can.

If you’ve read any of the above please let me know below! I’d love to hear your thoughts and it could push the book further up the list. And if you decide to read any Irish authors this month let me know who you’re reading.

Irish Authors Month TBR

In 2014 I read all Irish authors I hadn’t read before and really enjoyed it. I’ve decided to read Irish authors again this month, I’m going to try to stick to just Irish authors but I might read one or two that aren’t Irish. I have a list of books and authors I want to read, I won’t get to them all this month (or maybe even this year!) but there’s a few that I’m prioritising and looking forward to more than others. This is what this post is for! I know Beth from Plastic Rosaries is reading Irish this month too (she’s doing a different country every month and Ireland just happened to be in March!)

-The Secret Place by Tana French. I first came across Tana French when I read her first book In The Woods during the 2014 Irish month. And I fell in love! I’ve read all her books to date except this one, her latest which was published autumn 2014. I’ve managed to space out my reading of French’s book and saved it to read this month!

-Asking For It by Louise O Neill. I read her first book Only Ever Yours in August and I’ve had this book waiting to be read ever since. Truth be told I’ve been putting it off a bit, I know it’s going to be harrowing and upsetting and I just haven’t been in the mood for it. But I do want to read it and honestly is there ever a time to be in the mood for a book about rape? Not really. But essential reading.

-Miss Emily by Nuala O’Connor. I got this as an ARC at work last year and it’s been waiting for me to pick it up since. The book reimagines the life of Emily Dickinson told through the eyes of her Irish maid. I have read a few pages already and I liked it so we’ll see how it goes.

-Can Anybody Help Me? by Sinead Crowley. I’ve had this book ever since Sharon from Behind Green Eyes mentioned it. It’s a thriller about a new mother Yvonne who uses an online parenting forum. When one of her friends goes offline, Yvonne ignores her niggling feeling that something is wrong until a woman with similarties to her missing friend turns up dead. Sharon read it in one day which is a great endorsement!

 

-The Gathering by Anne Enright. I have this on audiobook from 2014, it was something I didn’t around to then and just kinda forgot about until recently. Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2007, it’s involves a family coming together for the wake and funeral of their brother and all the secrets a family try and hide from each other.

-The Lake by Sheena Lambert. I’ve had a copy of this ever since the author kindly sent me a copy. Set in 1970s Ireland, a body turns up in the manmade lake and when the detective sent to investigate arrives, tensions rise and family secrets will be revealed.

-Flawed by Cecelia Ahern. Confession: I have never read any Cecelia Ahern books. So when I saw her debut YA novel on NetGalley I requested it as it sounded interesting. Set in a dystopian world where obedience is key, one girl breaks a rule and is found to be flawed. After I read The Hunger Games series, I read a lot of dystopian YA series and I think I overdosed on them. However I do still like the genre (Only Ever Yours last year helped remind me of that) so I’m looking forward to reading this.

-Darkmouth: Chaos Descends by Shane Hegarty. I read book one last May and book two in October and I’m looking forward to this third book! Amazon lists this release to be April but the author said the book is out at the end of March so I’m hoping to get my hands on this by the end of the month!

There’s so many more picks too. I want to try a Donal Ryan novel and a Belinda McKeon novel. Having read Dark Lies the Island by Kevin Barry a few years ago, a collection of short stories, I’ve been eyeing up his novel Beatlebone. I’m waiting to see what the Rick O’Shea book of the month will be for March as well, if it’s an Irish author I’ll pick it up. I’d love to read one or two non-fiction books too (I do have About Face by Aisling McDermott and Laura Kennedy to read come to think about it!) so if you have any suggestions like me know in comments below