When a reader compared Vicky Adin to Dame Catherine Cookson

Editor’s note: This post was first published in 2017 and has been updated. The Girl from County Clare has since been republished as Brigid The Girl from County Clare and remains available — find it here.

When a reader of Brigid The Girl from County Clare — a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree — left this review, I was utterly delighted:

“This was a delightful book and reminded me of an author that got me hooked on great stories about everyday people and their struggles to make a better life for themselves. It is not often that I put a book in the same sentence as Catherine Cookson, but this book so fits that.”

Being compared to such a prolific, well-known and respected author as Dame Catherine Cookson is one of those moments that stops you in your tracks. It also reminded me how much I used to enjoy her stories — I’ve since gone back and re-read several of her titles.

Like Catherine Cookson, I’m a passionate and committed reader — every single day, without fail. Words swirl around inside my head constantly, which means I can get easily distracted when I’m reading as new thoughts push their way in. I sometimes miss words, forget character names, or commit the unforgivable sin of forgetting what happened to a character. So I’m a re-reader.

But what I never miss is the feeling a book leaves behind — the memories, and in particular the people. Those are the books I return to again and again. A good story, well told, stays with you.

My bookshelves are full, and my Kindle is fast catching up. I keep my favourites so I can go back and check what I missed, or re-read earlier books in a series before starting the next one.

What about you? Which books do you find yourself returning to, and why? Contact me

BRAG Medallions are giving by a private reader group for quality stories

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