June 20, 2019 BOOK OF LOVE

Who plans their vacation around books?  Pubs maybe but books?  I do. Don't laugh. I'm serious. Just got back from Ireland. Wonderful trip. Started in Dublin where I  visited the oldest bookstore in Ireland. If you love books--you too must visit Hodges Figgis  on Dawson Street.  It's four floors of books including a WHOLE area dedicated to the Easter Rising of 1916. It's a REAL bookstore with REAL booksellers who KNOW books. Talk about books. When in Dublin the Book of Kells is also a must. Not only that but take a gander at Trinity College Library. Incredible. There are over 7,000,000 books--sized and placed alphabetically from A to Z--vertically-- at least 3 stories high. I've never seen anything like it.  While in Killarney couldn't help but stop at Dungeon Books.  Great selection of second handbooks and a friendly staff. While in Galway I also found my way to Charlie Byrne's Bookshop. Named Best Book Shop by the Irish Times, this unique store houses over 100,000 books in a maze-like store. It's filled with nooks and crannies where one could get lost for days. Loved it.
 I also loved the book I read on the plane--The Strays by Emily Bitto. Set in Australia in 1930, Lily the narrator of this thoughtful story, is an only child who longs for a different sort of life. After meeting Eva Trentham at school, the two girls become inseparable and Lily becomes a fixture in the Trentham household where non-conformity is the norm. Eva's father is a  avant-garde painter, who  opens his home to other like-minded painters to live-work-collaborate. In doing so, the girls, including Eva's sisters Beatrice and Heloise, are left to raise themselves and navigate an adult world they don't understand. Find out what happens after this "Utopian Society" turns dystopian when you read this 260 page novel. It's a beautifully written story about childhood, friendship and how the decisions we make shape our lives. It's a 3  mile run that packs a powerful punch. Enjoy.