The Troubles by Tim Pat Coogan

The Troubles by Tim Pat Coogan

I bought this book back when it first came out in 1996, and it has sat on my bookshelf for the past 13 years. I have always followed and read a great deal about the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland. And I believe I had a pretty fair understanding of the various issues that exploded on our TV screens during the 70's and 80's. I remember thinking how the media always seemed to focus on just the IRA. Many Americans probably never heard of the UVF or the Unionists, the Loyalists, the UDA or how about the Shankill Butcher. Because I had a preternatural inclination to follow the news in Ireland and a desire to know more about what was really happening, I sought out books like Tim Pat Coogan's "The Troubles". So why didn't I pick it up sooner?

When you first look at it, the book is quite daunting. Did I really want to bury myself in a topic that I knew would be tragic, heartbreaking and wrenching? And now that there finally is a sense of hope to the situation in Northern Ireland, why would I want to revisit it? I will attribute my decision to finally pick up The Troubles after all these years, to the fact that I actually had an opportunity to visit Northern Ireland this past summer and actually walk the streets and the areas of Belfast and Derry that dominated the news. It was an experience I will never forget. We had the experience of hearing about these events from people that lived it. This gave me an even greater appreciation, understanding and insight into exactly what it must of have been like to live in a constant state of uncertainty and fear. This experience gave me a greater desire to read more about it.

In fact the taxi driver, Gerard, who gave us a personalized taxi tour of the Falls Road (Catholic area of Belfast) and Shankill Road (Protestant area), recommended several more titles of insightful and accurate reporting of the situation in Northern Ireland to read. One particular title, "The Enemy Within" by Martin Dillon, was Gerard's personal copy, which he gave to me. If you are interested in a bibliography of Irish literature titles that include these titles related to the "Troubles" or of titles related to the history of Irish independence, I will be glad to post such a bibliography on the Reader's Cafe' blog.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

This is the final installment of the phenomenally successful Millenium Trilogy. And I am really going to miss the main characters, Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. Anyone who loves intricate plots, intrigue, suspense with well developed characters, will love these three books. You not only get to know these two characters, but you also come to really care about them.

It is such a tragic story of the author, Stieg Larsson, who died about a month after delivering the manuscripts of all three novels to his publisher. He died tragically from a heart attack at the age of 50. He did not live to see what a phenomenon his first novels have become.

Larsson was an investigative journalist and an activist who worked to counter the actions of right-wing radical groups in Sweden. In fact I believe Larsson patterned his main male protaganist, Mikael Blomkvist, after his own life as an investigative journalist.

As I said about the first two novels, the same holds true with this last novel. You will not want to miss this last installment. And like so many of us, you will mourn the fact that there may never be a fourth novel with Blomkvist and Salander. According to news reports, Larsson was nearing completion to a fourth novel in the series, before he died suddenly. His family claims that it will never be published.

All of us Millenium fans can still enjoy the Swedish made films of the three novels. The first two are out on DVD and the third novel, Hornet's Nest, is in theaters now. We also have the American film versions to look forward to in 2011.

I have purchased copies of all three novels for the RHS Library. They hopefully will be here by Thanksgiving.