"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Thursday, August 7, 2025

Nonfiction review: SAY NOTHING (+Friday56 LinkUp)



Title: Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

Book beginnings quote: 
Jean McConville was thirty-eight when she disappeared, and she had spent nearly half her life either pregnant or recovering from childbirth. She brought fourteen children to term and lost four of them, leaving her with ten kids who ranged from Anne, who was twenty, to Billy and Jim, the sweet-eyed twins, who were six.
Friday56 quote:
Stories about the Price sisters began to circulate among British troops stationed in Belfast and to find their way into the accounts of visiting war correspondents. They developed an outsize reputation as deadly femmes fates who would venture into the mean streets of Belfast with an assault rifle hidden "down a bell-bottomed trouser leg."
Summary:
Patrick Radden Keefe's mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war, but simple murders.
Review: Last year the New York Time published a list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century and Say Nothing was in spot #19. I'd never heard of the book before and was intrigued by a book about the Troubles in Northern Ireland so when I saw it on a list of book club kits at my library I checked it out. I confess I knew very little about the Troubles. In fact, I knew so little I didn't even know that the conflict between the Catholics (Republicans) and Protestants (Unionists) was called "the Troubles." I did know a conflict was taking place in Northern Ireland, however, since I went to school in London for a term in 1979 and precautions were in place against attacks and the sheer length of thing, thirty years from 1968-1998. 

My husband and I opted to listen to the audiobook together on a recent long car trip. At first I thought, "oh no, a dense book about this bombing and that bombing" but soon we settled in and found ourselves quite caught up in the details. Keefe uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale about the violent guerilla war and then continues with the case as the peace treaty is signed and the search for the disappeared people began. In the beginning one gets the feeling Keefe is on the side of the IRA and the republicans' cause. All of the people we meet-- Gerry Adams, Brendan Hughes, and the Price sisters -- are in the IRA. Then, as the story of the conflict goes on, it feels like there is a turn, and one is left wondering what all this guerilla warfare is accomplishing. Finally, as the conflict ends and politic begins, we are left with the understanding of how cruel and heartless the actions within the IRA were. Both Don and I thought the book was brilliant and rated it with 5 stars.

But does a brilliant book necessarily make for a good book club discussion choice? We'll see in a few weeks. I'm worried, though. The book is long, 540 pages, which includes over 100 pages in notes and an extensive index. I've never seen such a well-documented book. One gal I spoke to yesterday said she isn't enjoying the book because it is so repetitive. (Bomb here, explosion there!) I wonder how many gals will read on long enough to get to the part of the book dealing with the murder and everyone's memories? Even though I am not charged with leading the discussion this month I thought I'd try my hand at writing out a few discussion questions.

Say Nothing Book Club Discussion questions/starters:
1. What did you know about the Troubles before reading Say Nothing?

2. Why do you think the author started the book with McConville obduction? How did her disappearance impact her children? Why do you think the neighbors didn't help the children?

3. In a lot of ways Say Nothing was the stories of two women: Jean McConville and Deloris Price. Do you think this was a good way to tell the story of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Use examples.

4. Roddy Doyle, writing for the NYT said Say Nothing reads like a detective novel. Do you agree or disagree and why?

5. After the peace agreement Gerry Adams disavowed his involvement in the IRA. Do you believe him? How does this compare to politics today?

6. How important are oral histories in understanding conflicts? What did you think about the Belfast Project with Boston College?

7. After wars/conflicts should any of the combatants be held accountable? What made feel the most outrage in Say Nothing?

8. Though the opposing sides were Catholics and Protestants did you feel like the Troubles were really about religion? Why or why not?

9. Northern Ireland voted to remain in EU when the rest of UK voted to exit in the Brexit vote of 2016. What did Keefe muse about this fact as he looked at the current uneasy peace in Northern Ireland right now?

10. Say Nothing won a bunch of book awards (National Book Award Nominee for Nonfiction (2019)Orwell Prize for Political Writing (2019)Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Nonfiction (2020)Arthur Ross Book Award for Gold Medal (2020)National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction (2019)Kirkus Prize Nominee for Nonfiction (2019)Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for History & Biography (2019)) Do you think it was award-worthy writing and research? Why? Why not? What did you think about it's over 100 pages of author's notes and the index? Would you recommend this book to anyone?

11. Compare the opening line (provided above) with the last paragraph of the narrative. Do you think the author did a good job bringing the book around full circle?

Challenges: 
  • 20 Books of Summer: this is the 24th book I've read this summer so far.
  • Big Book Summer Challenge: 540 pages, 412 pages of text.



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-Anne

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

50 favorite novels of the past 50 years



This past weekend was my 50-year high school reunion. To honor that momentous event I decided to create a list of some of my 50 favorite novels (fiction) I've read since high school. In 2005 I became a high school librarian, which made reading part of my job. Therefore, more books on the list are from the last 20 years than the first 30. I hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane with me. Hyperlinks take you to reviews, if I wrote one.

This list is not ranked. I just listed the titles as they came to mind. I love them all.

1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I listened to the audiobook and loved all 30+ hours of it!
2. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. This is in my top ten favorite books. I've read it three times!


3. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. I like all the Leif Enger books I've read but this one particularly speaks to me on a very personal level about faith and love.


4. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. I often credit this book with getting me back into reading after a several decades hiatus.


5. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Oh my. This book has it all -- likable/memorable characters, recognizable setting, and a fantastic STORY. I read this during COVID lockdowns, so I had plenty of time to consume this 800+ page delight.

6. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. A truly American story. While the world was bracing for war, we were obsessed with comic books.

7. Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres. A touching love story so well-written I could picture ever scene in my mind.


8. Alas Babylon by Pat Frank. An odd choice, but I think about this book often and the implications of nuclear war.


9. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Possibly by favorite book. I've read it so many times and each time I love it more.


10. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. This book is hilarious and so quirky. Listen to the audiobook!


11. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Another top ten book. I somehow escaped high school without reading this one.


12. Persuasion by Jane Austen. Jane Austen is my favorite author. I seek out her books when I need comfort from our crazy world.


13. The Road by Cormac McCarthy. How'd this one end up on the list? So well-written but heartbreaking.


14. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. There is a lot of backstory as to how this ended up on the list. Let's just say, it helped me understand my husband better after he returned home from a tour in Iraq with the military. 

15. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I think about this book, and it's message every single day.


16. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. Not for the casual reader, this book takes the theme of "time" and builds a complex story.


17. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I used to tell people this was my favorite book, then I reread it. Okay, not my favorite but definitely a good one!

18. Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx. I am attracted to books full of quirky characters and this one is full of them.


19. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. A book for book lovers!



20. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Possibly the best audiobook I've ever listened to, and I've listened to a lot.


21. Antidote by Karen Russell. A recent addition. I just read this book last month and was so impressed with the theme of memory.

22. Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. A favorite author and her best book set in Africa with a missionary family. I lived in Africa with a missionary family. Need I say more?

23. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth. Eek. I am afraid this book is coming true right now before our very eyes...fascism in America.

24. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. After a reread this book brought me tremendous comfort after a tragic death in the family. (Read my review for more details.)

25. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. The STORY! I loved every moment of it.


26. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. Though much of the story has faded in my memory I do recall being obsessed with this book, reading several spin-offs after reading this.

27. James by Percival Everett. Last year's favorite book of the year, a retelling of the Huck Finn story from Jim's point of view.


28. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Ha-ha-ha. Funniest book ever written.

29. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. Hamnet was Shakespeare's son. This is a story of what might have happened to him. I love this book so much yet I don't think I can describe it without going on way too long. Read my review?

30. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey. A coming-of-age story which hits all the right notes.


31. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. A little off-putting at first since the narrator is death, but it works especially considering how many people died during the Holocaust.

32. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. I loved the writing so much in this book but a lot of the story has faded over time. I probably should have selected Roy's next fiction book, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness instead, which I loved also.
33. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. The history of AIDS from a caretakers point-of-view. Boy, did this book speak to me!


34. Going Bovine by Libba Bray. A fun and whimsical YA novel which included an Odyssey type of journey.


35. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I think I've read everything John Green has written. I've read many of his books more than once, including this one.


36. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I read this book after the death of a dear friend, an Art teacher. I knew she would love it so much. I kept notes to share with her daughter. A hard, but rewarding read.

37. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Wow, just wow.



38. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. Another favorite author. This is one of her best books, in my opinion.


39. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Another book full of quirky characters and one I think best consumed in audiobook.


40. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rawling. What can I say? My girls grew up reading Harry Potter and in the early days I got to read the books to them. Such happy family memories.


41. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Two divergent stories told from each side of WWII. The descriptive writing swept me up.


42. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. The story has faded from my memory but not the impression this book left on me -- powerful and spell-binding.


43. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. Another book I  love dearly but never reviewed. Perhaps I should have chosen Verghese's next novel instead because I loved AND reviewed the book, The Covenant of Water.

44. The Justice Trilogy by Louise Erdrich. I read this trilogy out of order and I still enjoyed all the parts about Indigenous justice in America.


45. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. It is hard to make a list of favorite books read over 50 years (you try it!) I remember little about the plot but a whole lot about the love.

46. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. For some reason this book became a personal, almost cult-favorite for me. I think I've read it five times. The last time, however, I touched it after finishing it, and thanked it for its service. I don't think I need to reread it again.

47. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. This is the best audiobook ever with 166 unique narrators. Don't read this one, listen to it!


48. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Sometimes I read a classic book and wonder why it is a classic. Other times I read a classic and just know why it is one. This is one of those books.

49. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. Another complexly plotted book, with something like five divergent stories happening at the same time. When they all come together it blew my mind.
50. The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater. A shout-out to YA fantasy writers and readers. This is one of my favorites in that genre.


Egads! I don't want to stop. I have so many other favorites I wish I could list, but I will stop here. (And this list doesn't even include my favorite nonfiction books from the past half century. Time for a second list?)

After reviewing my list I realized how few were from my first few years after high school. Obviously memory is playing a role but I thought I would mention just a few books I do remember reading and liking from those earlier years -- Roots by Alex Haley; Watership Down by Richard Adams; ...And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer; Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg; The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay; A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving; and one which should have been on the top list, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

-Anne