Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Since I am about 1/8 (or perhaps 1/16) Irish, I'll share a few things that I love about St. Patrick's and Ireland today.

First, of course, some books I'm reading!

Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams is a story of a boy and a girl who grow up and move on an ever-nearing track...until they finally converge and they meet their destiny... There are some nice landscapes and character sketches in this one so far... I am enjoying.

Land of Spices by Kate O'Brien is on my TBR. She's a beautiful writer, and this one about a young girl coming of age in an Irish convent sounds fantastic.

I don't have any other Irish books on tap right now, so if anyone has any favourites, please share!

Another lovely Irish treat is local to me, but I have to mention it... local chocolatier Derek Barr of Chocolate Barr's has created a seasonal treat that is already legendary after only a few years of production -- the Guinness Truffle. These are available for approximately four weeks before St. Patrick's and after tomorrow you are out of luck until next year. They are yummy and shaped like tiny pints painted with white chocolate foam. So adorable! I've had six packages of four already this year. They are my great downfall.

And finally, a beautiful Ireland inspired necklace created by my sister. Her new business, called Nutz About You! offers a special design this month, "Lush". Made of green jasper and hematite, and of course, with a Buckeye Chestnut pendant, as she says it is a great alternative to green beer :) There are a lot of other beautiful creations on the website so pop over and take a look, and you can support testicular cancer research with style.

Oh, and a final, random comment..... I looooove leprechauns ;)