Who needs a yacht?

Morgan Llywelyn is an author with whom I have never been disappointed. Her weaving of fact and fiction is so well done and intriguing that for the last twenty years I always anticipate her upcoming releases. When I discovered she was writing about St. Brendan the Navigator, I was doubly excited, as it is a story which has always fascinated me. Brendan was the 6th century Irish monk who, rather than choose serene and isolated contemplation like most of his colleagues, traveled to the ends of the earth. Using the ninth century document Voyage of St Brendan the Navigator, Llywelyn retells the story of the monk who, in his quest to find the The Islands of the Blessed, the eternal paradise, ends up crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Brendan tells the story of the monk from his early days, living in a quiet community, learning under the instruction of Ita, a gentle, patient nun. As his body and wisdom mature, he comes under the tutelage of Erc, a powerful Bishop and former Druid. In Brendan, Erc sees someone with great potential and leadership qualities, but is often frustrated by the younger man's questioning mind and adventurous spirit.

The novel shifts between time periods, a device which adds a dreamy quality to the novel. We read of Brendan's childhood, youth, adulthood (where he accomplished most of his adventures), through to his old age, where he records his memories in his journal. It is in the writing of the journal that Brendan recalls his greatest adventure of traveling with several other monks in a small boat called a curragh, where they see living islands, volcanoes, icebergs, all sorts of unusual people, as well as tragedy. It is speculated that Brendan was the first European to reach the shores of North America, a scene Llywelen describes beautifully in the final scenes.

Although Brendan is written about a Christian saint, it is not an overtly religious book. Brendan lived at a time when the Celtic church varied greatly from its Roman counterparts. Christianity was interwoven with pagan beliefs, marriages between church leaders was normal and encouraged, and even Brendan feels romantic love. It is more a story of a restless spirit, who happens to be a monk, the daring escapades he faced, and his relationship with his god which can only grow given the wondrous things he sees and experiences.

Worth the wait?

I remember several incidents when a new title in Stephen King's Dark Tower series would be released where library patrons would amiable complain that King needed to write the next book faster, as they were impatiently waiting for more! I would question them on whether they thought it would be worth it; perhaps the books were so compelling and left you wanting more because the author took his time writing them. If they were whipped off quicker, would it be as satisfactory?

Several times I've found myself in the same position with my favourite authors, thinking 'come on already, it's been two years! You must have SOMETHING to release!!!' With mystery author Erin Hart, I've been biding my patience for six, yes six, years for her next entry in the Cormac Maguire/Nora Gavin series. The first two titles, Haunted Ground and Lake of Sorrows, focused on Nora's fleeing to Ireland after her sister Triona's murder, seemingly committed by Triona's husband Peter. There, Nora stumbles upon two local mysteries, which she and Cormac help to solve. Hart's new release, False Mermaid finds Nora returning to the U.S. to finally confront her demons, namely, Peter.

The plot focuses on Nora's investigation in the States, where she discovers Peter is engaged to the younger sister of Nora's ex-fiance. She fears that Peter will do to Miranda what he did to Triona: slip her drugs which make her black out, make her suspicious of her own family, manipulate her into otherwise uncharacteristic actions. Nora also worries on how to approach her young niece, Elizabeth, who is unaware of the details of her mother's death,and must adjust to her new step-mother.

The storyline shifts to Co. Donegal, Ireland, where Cormac is trying to bond with his ailing father. There he finds one of his colleagues, a folklorist interested in the history of a missing local woman from the 19th century believed to be a selkie, living with Joseph Maguire in his isolated homestead. The story of the selkie plays a pivotal role in False Mermaid, as Elizabeth, like her mother in her youth, is also intrigued in this 'fairy tale.' So, like Hart's first two mysteries, False Mermaid ties in a current crime investigation with an older one, while examining rituals, traditions, and superstitions of a past people.

So, is False Mermaid worth a six year wait? Uhm, somewhat yes, somewhat no. It's a great book, and very gripping. The tiny details, the intriguing primary and secondary characters, the family relationships, the myth of the selkie tying in with the role of the modern day woman and her freedom and identity, the fast paced storyline, are all fascinating. As a stand alone book, it's excellent; but as part of a series I really enjoy combined with a six year wait, it's a bit of a disappointment. I think this largely stems from the fact that I prefer the Irish setting of the first two books, and the prehistoric subplot, albeit I enjoyed the selkie storyline most in this book. Perhaps if the book had been released in a more timely manner, or Erin Hart was a new author to me and I read the three books in quick succession, then my anticipation would not have reached the almost unbearable stage, and my expectations may have been better satisfied.

That said, however, nothing could have prepared me for the somewhat, I felt, rushed ending, which truly had me scratching my head in confusion regarding certain elements, but also leaving me feeling dread at its sense of finality! I want more! And hopefully before 2016!

To re-read or not to re-read

Too many books, too little time. It's a motto that pretty much all voracious readers live by. Working in the library is a kind of beautiful agony; surrounded by so much magnificent reading, I am aware that I will never, ever be able to read all the glorious titles that I see. I almost sigh with relief when a new book order arrives, and nothing tickles my fancy; I will not be distracted from the books I already have at home by some new hard-covered interloper.

Therefore, with so much literary temptation, I pose the question: should a book one truly loved and enjoyed be reread? Why take up something with which you're familiar? Well, I think good reads are like good friends; you get to know them, grow with them, find new significance with them; you don't just hang out with them once, you go back to them again, and again, and again...

Here's a list of some of the good friends I've made over the years:

Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley - The story of King Arthur from his half-sister Morgan Le Fay's point of view. And no, she's not an evil, conniving, power hungry you-know-what.

Marianna; Named of the Dragon; The Shadowy Horses - Susanna Kearsley - Kearsley combines past and present, either through reincarnation or ghostly visitors, in these eerie, romantic titles.

ANYTHING by Barbara Erskine - Like Kearsley, Erskine using themes of past lives, either those of the main characters, or through spirits possessing them, but is much, much, much more frightening!

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden - Two young girls are sold by their impoverished parents in 20th century Japan. Memoirs focuses on Sayuri, who becomes one of the most popular and sought after geishas of the time.

Morgan Llywelyn's Irish Century (1916, 1921, 1949, 1972, 1999) - The series follows the family and friends of Ned Halloran during Ireland's tumultuous struggle for political and religious freedom from Britain.

Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes - Three friends from Knockavoy, Ireland, lean on each other while trying to get through their (often hilarious) trials and tribulations.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - The enduring 'love' story of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff which is so bizarre it carries on into their children's lives.

The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman - Art, history, murder, suicide, mystery, love, suspense all rolled into 300+ pages! The kind of book that makes you (wish you could) take a sick day from work.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier - A retelling of an ancient Celtic tale: in order to free her older brothers from a curse which has turned them into swans, Sorcha must face years of silence as she knits them shirts made of nettles.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding - Get into the head and emotions of London's Bridget Jones as she looks for true love, and an outfit that fits just right.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - What lengths would a mother go through to save one of her children from illness and death, and is it fair to expect others to go along with her?

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund - Una, wife of Moby Dick's Captain Ahab, tells her story of unconventional life on the New England coast.

Possession by A.S. Byatt - Two modern day academics' lives become intertwined as they research two Victorian day poets and the truth about their past before it is discovered by rival colleagues.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier - A young girl inspires the Dutch painter Vermeer with one of his most famous works.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier - What happened to the first Mrs. DeWinter, the beautiful, vivacious Rebecca, and why does her memory continue to haunt her former friends and family, and particularly the new Mrs. DeWinter?

The Passion of Artemesia by Susan Vreeland - Based on the life of Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the few female painters of the Italian Baroque period.