CHECK IT OUT

You won’t need the luck of the Irish to find great reading for St.

Patrick’s Day at Newport Beach Public Libraries.

Just out from Irish author Niall Williams is “The Fall of Light,” a

dreamy epic that follows the travails of four brothers and their father

during the 19th century potato famine. As their destinies carry them to

Hungary, America and Africa, clan members are separated and united

several times in a saga replete with disaster, unabashed romance and

sometimes implausible adventure.

In the same general genre is “My Dream of You,” Nuala O’Faolain’s

debut novel published on the heels of her best-selling memoir, “Are You

Somebody?” Heroine Kathleen de Burca -- a middle-aged Irish travel writer

living in London -- shares O’Faolain’s personal despair over a loveless

family life and the plight of Irish women. Her search for passion

provides the basis for a complex portrait of a cynical yet ever-hopeful

romantic.

The romance is rooted in affection for Irish culture in Andrew

Greeley’s “Irish Love.” In his latest mystery starring singer/psychic

Nuala Anne McGrail and her American writer husband, the prolific priest

pens a tale about a series of crimes linked with a century-old mass

murder. Descriptions of the wild Irish coast and a carefully constructed

historical framework add interest to the somewhat formulaic whodunit.

Also set on blustery Irish cliffs is “The Nature of Water and Air,” a

debut novel from award-winning poet Regina McBride. The coming of age

tale about a young girl stumbling into forbidden romance as she chases

her mother’s secrets combines folklore with gothic romance. Descriptions

of the dark Irish soul are as hypnotic as the complicated plot, likely to

appeal to fans of brooding mysteries.

For those who enjoy both a good story and good history, Peter Stevens

provides a dramatic report of a real-life adventure in “The Voyage of the

Catalpa: A Daring Escape, a Perilous Journey and Six Irish Rebels’ Flight

to Freedom.” Read about struggles for independence following the

attempted uprisings of the 1860s, involving escapes from Australian

prisons and a rescue via whaling ship in this stirring account.

There’s hardly a better example of feisty Irish courage than that

displayed by Ronan Tynan, best known as one of the three Irish tenors.

After having both legs amputated below the knee, relearning to walk,

winning 18 gold medals and 14 world records in the Paralympic games, and

becoming a doctor, Tynan wrote “Halfway Home: My Life ‘til Now.” If

you’ve ever looked for inspiration for overcoming adversity, find it this

new autobiography offering ample testimony to the power of the human

spirit.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’ column is by Melissa Adams. All titles may be

reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at

www.newportbeachlibrary.org.