This is the one that all the reading challenges has on it’s lists: the 100 books you have to read before you die, The Rory Gilmore challenge, The best memoirs in the world etc. It’s a modern classic, it’s the one everyone’s read (except maybe you), and it’s one of the memoirs that kicked off a memoir frenzy and won a pulitzer at that!

Angela’s Ashes is the first in the Frank McCourt biography trilogy where he shows us his miserable Irish catholic upbringing. McCourt was born in New York at the beginning of the depression and just a few years after his birth his parent’s decided to move back to Ireland. Described as tragicomic, I can’t wait to read this book of a man that by the looks of it manages to see the light in the darkest of times.

“When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.” 

Frank Mccourt, Angela’s Ashes

I have all three and if I manage to find the time I’ll definitely try and finish all of them, but I also have a few other picks from Ireland that I want to read this month! One of those is Louise O’Neill’s “Asking for it” about rapeculture in todays society. The book takes place in Ireland, but I’d be surprised if the culture around this topic is any different there than any other place or town that I know.

Another book I want to find time for is the latest Tana French. She had me hooked into the long hours in the morning reading her “Dublin Murder Squad” series, and her book “They Witch Elm” that came out last year is a stand alone. I’ve seen mixed reviews, but I love her work so much I can’t not read it! I would have loved to reread some C.S. Lewis or be able to squeeze in some James Joyce (Dubliners is still high on my list of MUST READS! but yeah… lady time…).

Have a great March reading time! Please share if you come over some amazing Irish authors that needs to be put into the TBR pile!