{"id":7129,"date":"2018-03-15T07:31:30","date_gmt":"2018-03-15T11:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=7129"},"modified":"2018-03-15T07:31:30","modified_gmt":"2018-03-15T11:31:30","slug":"good-health-good-luck-good-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=7129","title":{"rendered":"Good Health, Good Luck, Good Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_7130\" style=\"width: 262px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7130\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7130\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vweisfeld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Beer-Phil-King.jpg?resize=252%2C384\" alt=\"Beer\" width=\"252\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vweisfeld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Beer-Phil-King.jpg?w=252&amp;ssl=1 252w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vweisfeld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Beer-Phil-King.jpg?resize=98%2C150&amp;ssl=1 98w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vweisfeld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Beer-Phil-King.jpg?resize=197%2C300&amp;ssl=1 197w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7130\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo: Phil King, creative commons license<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Here are a few of my favorite books by Irish writers. Grab one of these books and pour yourself something tarry. <em>Sl\u00e1inte!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><strong>Literature<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Roddy Doyle\u2019s <em>Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha<\/em> won the Man Booker Prize for its recounting of the life of a 10-year-old Dublin boy whose family is on the eve of destruction.<\/li>\n<li><em>The Gathering<\/em> by Anne Enright, another Booker prize-winner \u201chas more layers to it\u2014of grief, love, lightness, tragedy, absurdity, and trauma\u2014than an onion, and may cause as much weeping\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/theamericanscholar.org\/a-st-patricks-day-reading-list\/\">The American Scholar<\/a>. I felt privileged to hear her reading last year under auspices of Princeton\u2019s Fund for Irish Studies.<\/li>\n<li><em>The Year of the French<\/em> is a wonderful historical tale (part of a trilogy) by American writer Thomas Flanagan. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. Don\u2019t know who Wolf Tone was? Read this and you will.<\/li>\n<li><em>The International<\/em> by Glenn Patterson, another writer who has appeared in Princeton, and his <a href=\"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=4219&amp;action=edit\"><em>The International<\/em><\/a> is the story of a single night in the bar of the International Hotel, while upstairs a consequential meeting forming the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association. It\u2019s not about militants at all but about state-of-mind.<\/li>\n<li>You may think there\u2019s not much new literary territory to explore in male-female sexual relations, yet award-winning author Eimear McBride\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=6161&amp;action=edit\"><em>The Lesser Bohemians<\/em><\/a> finds it and mines it. Innovative, immersive, dazzling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Year-French-Thomas-Flanagan\/dp\/159017108X\/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1521113154&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+year+of+the+french+by+thomas+flanagan&amp;linkCode=li1&amp;tag=victoweisf-20&amp;linkId=16ad23c756167af4ffda584232f6f88a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;ASIN=159017108X&amp;Format=_SL110_&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;WS=1&amp;tag=victoweisf-20\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=victoweisf-20&amp;l=li1&amp;o=1&amp;a=159017108X\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/International-Glenn-Patterson\/dp\/0771071116\/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1521113228&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+International+Glenn+Patterson&amp;linkCode=li1&amp;tag=victoweisf-20&amp;linkId=50970daf5405833f11c23f8bf779121e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;ASIN=0771071116&amp;Format=_SL110_&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;WS=1&amp;tag=victoweisf-20\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=victoweisf-20&amp;l=li1&amp;o=1&amp;a=0771071116\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Lesser-Bohemians-Novel-Eimear-McBride\/dp\/1101903503\/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1521113280&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=eimear+mcbride&amp;linkCode=li1&amp;tag=victoweisf-20&amp;linkId=95829e8f90666bec9afba934c925a7cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;ASIN=1101903503&amp;Format=_SL110_&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;WS=1&amp;tag=victoweisf-20\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=victoweisf-20&amp;l=li1&amp;o=1&amp;a=1101903503\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><strong>Crime\/Thrillers<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tana French is an American who\u2019s lived in Dublin for nearly thirty years. In her books about the Dublin Murder Squad, she has created what might be termed an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2016\/10\/03\/tana-frenchs-intimate-crime-fiction\">ensemble production<\/a>, as each department member takes a turn in the leading role. Of these, I\u2019ve read <em>Broken Harbor<\/em>, featuring Dublin detective \u201cScorcher\u201d Kennedy.<\/li>\n<li><em>The Ghosts of Belfast<\/em>, by Stuart Neville won the <em>LA Times<\/em> Book Prize for its depiction of an IRA assassin unable to come to terms with his past. Edge-of-your seat.<\/li>\n<li>Adrian McKinty writes about crime in his native Belfast amidst the Troubles. His detective, Sean Duffy, is a rare Catholic in the Royal Ulster Constabulary. <a href=\"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=1717&amp;action=edit\"><em>The Cold, Cold Ground<\/em><\/a> is first in the series. The 2017 entry\u2014which I would want to read based on the title alone\u2014is <em>Police at the Station and They Don\u2019t Look Friendly<\/em>. I recommend the audio versions for the super narration by Gerard Doyle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Police-Station-They-Dont-Friendly\/dp\/B06X9GH93W\/ref=as_li_ss_il?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1521112528&amp;sr=1-5&amp;linkCode=li1&amp;tag=victoweisf-20&amp;linkId=634db5f63bee2cb8846bac2c7bc702fa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B06X9GH93W&amp;Format=_SL110_&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;WS=1&amp;tag=victoweisf-20\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=victoweisf-20&amp;l=li1&amp;o=1&amp;a=B06X9GH93W\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/The-Ghosts-of-Belfast\/dp\/B002SRC2TK\/ref=as_li_ss_il?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1521113399&amp;sr=1-1&amp;linkCode=li1&amp;tag=victoweisf-20&amp;linkId=8a9c68371d9b07c559061119d2403a83\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B002SRC2TK&amp;Format=_SL110_&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;WS=1&amp;tag=victoweisf-20\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=victoweisf-20&amp;l=li1&amp;o=1&amp;a=B002SRC2TK\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #339966;\">Finally, to quote another notable Irish writer, Oscar Wilde, \u201cIf one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.\u201d Any of these is worth more than one pass!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here are a few of my favorite books by Irish writers. Grab one of these books and pour yourself something tarry. Sl\u00e1inte! Literature Roddy Doyle\u2019s Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha won the Man Booker Prize for its recounting of the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=7129\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Good Health, Good Luck, Good Reading - a St. Patrick's Day booklist","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[62,40,126],"tags":[424,331,412,1267,415,221],"class_list":["post-7129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-authors","category-fiction","category-reading-2","tag-family-drama","tag-ireland","tag-mystery","tag-romance","tag-thriller","tag-world-literature"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2NkiT-1QZ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7129"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7131,"href":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7129\/revisions\/7131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}