MAEVE BINCHY

I was at the gym one day and saw a book in the pass-along pile by Maeve Binchy called "Glass Lake." I really didn't know the author, though I had her lumped in with authors I have thus far refused to read, like Nora Roberts and that Collins gal.
But I needed a new novel, so I took it home and read it.

She's an Irish author, and the book is set in Ireland, which is what made it such an enjoyable read. On our round-the-world trip, Ireland was one of my favorite spots. I love it when a book can evoke a place so beautifully, so that you feel you are there again. It's pure escapism--lovely, heady, nostalgic.

Binchy develops some strong characters in the story and you care what happens to them, even though there's not really much plot. It's a slow, slice-of-life sort of story, similar to Rosamund Pilcher's work, for instance. It's not a page-turning thriller, though once you're pulled into the life of Lough Glass, it's hard to come back to your own. Those kinds of books are nice, because you can read as fast or as slow as you want, since you're not reading for story as much as character and place.

I'd read another of hers, if I saw one lying around. I'm not sure I'll go look her up at the library--there are SO many good books that I haven't yet read--but if it sounds like your kind of tale, give her a go.