THE BOOK FOR APRIL IS:
THIS IS HAPPINESS by Niall Williams
Finely wrought novel about rural Irish life in the late 1950s. Niall Williams’ novel is an intricately observed portrait of a community, its idiosyncrasies and its traditions, its paradoxes and its inanities, its failures and its triumphs. Luminous and otherworldly, and yet anchored with deep-running roots into the earthy and the everyday, This Is Happiness is about stories as the very stuff of life: the ways they make the texture and matter of our world, and the ways they write and rewrite us.
If you plan to borrow the book from the library, request the book as soon as you register for the session. If you need help with this, you can call the library.
From January 2025 through May 2025, Deborah McDermott (formerly a York Weekly/Portsmouth Herald reporter) will be offering a 5-month series of Irish Author Book Group gatherings. These will be on zoom, with Deborah facilitating each session all the way from Ireland. You may sign up for as many as you prefer, no commitment to attend them all. Each session will begin at 2:00PM EST. You will be sent the zoom link once you register. The dates and chosen books include:
January 21 In the Woods by Tana French
February 18 A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ni Ghriofa
March 18 Amongst Women by John McGahern
April 15 This is Happiness by Niall Williams
May 20 The Country Girls by Edna O’Brien
Registration is limited to 15 for each individual session. You may sign up for one, or for all five. Or whatever number you want to commit to. Because we can only include 15 individuals, it’s essential that you only sign up for the dates you are sure you can attend. You will need to sign up individually for your choice of session(s). If you plan to borrow the book from the library, request the book as soon as you register for the session. If you need help with this, you can call the library.
About the Group Discussion Leader – Deborah McDermott
This is second year that Deborah has provided this opportunity to York Public Library. Last year was hugely successful and we appreciate her offer to do it once again.
Deborah McDermott is probably best known to York residents as the York Weekly/Portsmouth Herald reporter from 2014-2019. She has also held posts as Maine Bureau Chief of the Herald and editor of the Weekly. A dual citizen of the US and Ireland, after retiring she moved to Ireland where she has resided ever since. Currently she is enrolled in a two-year diploma program in Irish archaeology at the University of Galway, which keeps her aging mind quite busy. She volunteers at a cat shelter, is a local member of Tidy Towns (a nationwide town beautification program), and is among those leading an effort to establish a climate master plan in her town. She also has a blog about life in Ireland and her travels. It can be found HERE.
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