Liffey Rivers and the Mystery of the Sparkling Solo Dress Crown by Brenna Briggs

Food to eat while reading: Pre-feis Spaghetti and Meatballs (come back tomorrow for the Tasty Tuesday recipe)


What I liked:

Liffey is a spunky, quirky girl who dreams of qualifying for a solo dress and eats spaghetti and meatballs the night before every competition. Because of her overbearing personality, no one, including the reader, can anticipate what she will do next.

The author pulls the reader into two new worlds that they may never otherwise explore. The first is the world of Irish dance. Second, she gives us a feel for the city of St. Louis, Missouri.

Read the full review here.

Interview with Irish Dance Writer Heidi Will

Heidi Will is the author and illustrator of The Ghillie Girls. She based her book on the experiences she and her friends had in Irish dance. Heidi is expecting her first child in March, and her friend, who is also represented in the book, is expecting a child on March 17th-St. Patrick's Day. Visit Heidi online at http://www.ghilliegirls.com/.

Read the interview here.

John Cullinane's Complete Works

Today when I checked my mail, I had a large package containing John Cullinane's complete works on the history of Irish dance. I did an Irish jig at the mailbox. I am not kidding.


For awhile now I have been wanting to know about the real history of Irish dance. Most of Celtic history (and Ireland history) was passed down by word of mouth and there is very little written on the history of Irish dance. I have a story in my head that wants to take place during the ban in Ireland of all things cultural.  In order to make the book an historical fiction, I really need to know my stuff.  Can you see why I am so excited?

 Expect to see some reviews of Mr. Cullinane's work, which are considered to be the most comprehensive volumes written about Irish dance history, featured here in the near future,