The Book Club
The latest book releases from Irish authors
Maura O’Connell Foley
is a compilation of Maura O’Connell Foley’s favourite recipes created during her 60-year career. The dishes contained in the book follow Maura’s ethos of keeping food simple, cooking with care and using the best available local produce. With plenty of options to try at home!
Available to buy from www. mywildatlantickitchen.com
Jane Austen.
Who doesn’t love this romantic tale of misunderstandings and social rank? Elizabeth Bennet is a remarkable character for her cultural context – she’s intelligent, feisty and witty. She doesn’t conform to the expectations of her time and despite judging too quickly on occasion, she marries for love. Of course, I adore Mr Darcy too, despite his social awkwardness.
The English Patient Michael Ondaatje.
Be still my heart! A tale of desire and yearning, told through the flashbacks of a badly burned man at the end of World War II. The characters are haunted and scarred; there’s passion and betrayal. This book causes you to question the morality of one’s actions. Not to mind that it’s beautifully written. My favourite part? When Almásy falls in love with Katharine’s voice as she reads Herodotus. So sensual.
One Day David Nicholls
A novel I read (almost) in one day. It follows the lives of Emma and Dexter, chronicling events that occur only on St. Swithin’s Day each year for 20 years. This unconventional approach to story-telling gripped me from the very beginning. The characters grew and developed as each chapter moved on to the next. There’s love and loss; pain and joy.
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
Who isn’t enthralled by the metaphorical green light at the end of Daisy’s dock? How Gatsby reached for it, but never quite grasped it? Who doesn’t relate to the strength and determination of the human spirit? The American Dream has been explored in many novels, but none so critically as this masterpiece. Fitzgerald paints the empty, materialistic New York society with great skill, all through the narration of Nick Carraway. How dreams can sometimes be destructive.
Theodora FitzGibbon, Illustrations by George Morrison
This mighty tome took 15 years to complete. Theodora and her husband George were guests of the ‘Les Fruits De Mer’ festival committee which was held in Kenmare during the 1970s and we became friends, thereafter. Her knowledge of food was impressive. This book was published in 1976 and to this day, it is my go-to reference book.
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly Anthony Bourdain
This book written in 2000 caused an international flurry on both sides of the Atlantic. I really admired his courage and passion. The description was like upstairs and downstairs in the old manors. He exposed the entire structure of the professional kitchen in this book. It wasn’t always pleasant reading, but brutally honest and highly descriptive. What is amazing about restaurants is how little the customer knows of the inner circle of the kitchen, the pressure, the heat, the tension.
100 Poems Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney was a gentleman with a gentle voice and had many friends across the globe. We were lucky that two of his dear friends lived in Kenmare. He would stay at Shelburne with Tom and I. I love his poems, and one of our daughters used blackberry picking for a school art project and later when she married, ‘the scaffolding’ was chosen for their reflection. He was like Kavanagh, who made the ordinary extraordinary and when I pick up his book it touches the soul, like good music.
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari Robin Sharma
This is a life changing book. In my little black Filofax, I have written quotes that help me through life. One of the first quotes is “the purpose of life is a life of purpose”. One of the next ones is “positive overcomes negative”. Then there is
Brent Manley
The way of bridge! Bridge has been a major influence in my life and I simple love it. This is more than a bridge book and compares a pack of cards to one’s life. It shows you how to adapt the principles of playing this classic game to face challenges at home, at work and in everyday situations. You will be transformed by these life lessons.
Another favourite bridge book I love is ‘A Bridge Too Far: A First Year as a Pro’ by Tom Hanlon & Enda Murphy. It is a must for anyone with a bridge interest, a fascinating read, especially for young enthusiasts. You learn all about the circuit of professional international Bridge players through the eyes of young Tom Hanlon, considered the best Ireland has seen. It enlightens the reader to this fascinating business.
Maura's book
My Wild Atlantic Kitchen is out now