Faithful Place

A carefully staged photo

Do you see that picture up there? This is my happy place, my zen place, or whatever you choose to call it. All I need is a book and cup of coffee, and if I feel like not giving myself a headache, I also need that pair of glasses. I've been an avid reader since childhood, devouring books like I could never read enough of them to keep my imagination satisfied. Looking back on all the years of reading through school I remember the different stages of genres I found in the school library. The horse-racing books stage, the dragon stage (which is still one of my favorites), the contemporary girly stage, the fantasy world stage, the mystery stage. I could keep going but it might take us a while to get back to the point. The long story short is I could read for hours without moving if I have a cup of coffee in hand.

Faithful Place, published in 2010, is the story of Detective Francis "Frank" Mackey unraveling the mysterious circumstances surrounding the disappearance of an old love. Searching for answers takes him back to Faithful Place where he grew up and where his dysfunctional family still lives. Set in Dublin beside the River Liffey, French weaves together past and present, taking you back into Frank's memories while continuing to push his life forward to the future. This is one of those mystery books where you think you know who-donnit until the very end when you find out you're wrong. French keeps you guessing from page to page. While the focus remains on the mystery and what happened to Rosie, French takes detours in the lives of Frank's siblings, parents and child, which provide a touch of humanity and reality. The glimpses into their family dynamics and the individual lives of family members gives you just enough of a break from the darkness of the investigation and makes it read as you might imagine an investigation would work in real life. The character development French gives to all the characters, but especially, to Frank slowly draws you into their world in a way that you feel the cold rain on your face walking the streets of Dublin and into Faithful Place. They become more real and tangible with every page you read. If you enjoy a good mystery novel, I highly recommend this one to you. It's a page-turner with a surprising ending!

A few favorites from my personal collection.

I love to read. It is one of my absolute favorite things to do in my spare time. Reading takes my mind away from whatever is going on in my life at the time, good or bad. I like to find characters I can relate to personally, even if they're very different from me. Reading is so important. It keeps your mind sharp. This is a skill and an activity that should be fostered at a young age in children. Reading helps children develop their imagination and can make them dream of things they never knew existed.

I recently came across a Jimmy Kimmel Facebook video that startled me. In the video, ordinary people walking down the street were interviewed and asked the same question: Can you name the last book you read? Book. Not the last online article or blog post you read, but an actual book. They did not specify hard copy or electronic copy of a book. Jimmy states that 1 in 4 Americans have not read a book in the last year, and based on the answers people provided that statistic is entirely believable. The answers people gave ranged from a blank stare at the camera to Horse by Moby Dick. Yes, you read that right. As someone who loves to read and cherishes time spent in a coffee shop reading a book, it's almost unbelievable that some people can't name a book, period. For me, reading is and has been an important aspect of my life. Reading is what sparked my passion for writing into a living flame that takes a deep breath over an open book.

I will be forever grateful for the people in my life that took the time to instill in me the importance of reading, and for those who have encouraged me to continue writing in whatever way I can over the years. I'd like to encourage anyone whose reading this to pursue your passion, whatever that may be. Continue to do what you love, even if it's just a hobby at the moment. You never know whose reading what you're writing and you never know where it will take you.