London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe Doubleday, New York 2026 Patrick Radden Keefe’s latest masterpiece  “London Falling,”  a literary gem, is a true crime novel that opens with: “After Zac Brettler  died, his parents tried to decode the mystery of what happened to him, endlessly revisiting specific moments from his short life.” From this moment on, I’m  transported – enveloped in an intriguing mystery with so many twists and turns, examining clues that look promising until, alas, another dead […] Read More

Making Peace by George Mitchell Alfred A. Knopf 1999 Preface: In 2015, I interviewed former senator from Maine George Mitchell about his book “The Negotiator … A Memoir.” A few months prior to that interview, I stumbled across his book “Making Peace” about his role as Special Envoy to Northern Ireland to negotiate a settlement between the warring political parties. The book ‘Making Peace’ was released in 1999 and it wasn’t until 16 years later that […] Read More

Astronomical spring officially begins (or began) on Friday at 10:46 a.m. Eastern time. (Meteorological spring began on March 1.) After the brutal, snow-packed winter most of us have suffered through, spring deserves a huge welcome! With its arrival, we have some lovely things to look forward to — longer days, warmer weather, and for the cook, lots of citrus-inspired desserts like this pudding cake. It’s a light, tangy two-layer affair with a lemony custard bottom and sponge-like lemon cake […] Read More

Wednesday, March 11 | Thursday, March 12 | Friday, March 13  | All shows at 7 p.m. Topper Theater of the John and Joan Mullen Center for Performing Arts Bellow tells the extraordinary real-life story of one of Ireland’s foremost accordionists, Danny O’Mahony, a man who had dedicated his life to the preservation of traditional Irish music. Now, after 40 years of breathing life into centuries-old tunes, Danny is finally taking a moment to stop and consider […] Read More

Avoca Cafés and restaurants, with 14 locations throughout Ireland from Mount Usher in County Wicklow to Moll’s Gap in County Kerry, serve luscious lunches, dreamy confections, and sweet treats to eat-in or to take- away. Even some of the best cooks in the country supplement their own baked goods with offerings from Avoca, especially when the holiday season rolls around. This lemon curd cake (photographed at their Suffolk Street, Dublin loation) comes beautifully embellished with […] Read More

It may be a cliché, but everyone really is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! Aran knits, tweed caps, and shamrock-emblazoned scarves come out of the closet on the 17th. If you’re cooking, that means your treasured Irish recipes emerge, too, ones that everyone loves and expects on the most celebratory day on the Irish calendar. Whether you’re a parade-goer, watch it on television, or simply enjoy the day with a cup of tea or an […] Read More