For fans of McCarthy’s Bar , a debut memoir about a woman’s humorous and poignant solo adventures of self-discovery on Ireland’s backroads following a painful divorce. When an introverted, divorced, middle-aged mother and school librarian from the Midwest decides to leave her comfort zone and travel alone to Ireland, her desire to fulfill her dream overcomes her fear as she immerses herself into what will become an adventure of courage and self-discovery. Motivated by her love of Irish music and Celtic spirituality, along with her desire to find healing from depression and divorce, Diane sets off for Ireland, a country she’s been obsessed with for years. Her romantic preconceptions of the Emerald Isle quickly clash with reality, however, and while there she faces many obstacles, including driving the narrow, ill-marked roads throughout the countryside she traverses. Nevertheless, this first sojourn leads to three more trips over the next six years, and she gradually learns to navigate Ireland’s back roads—not to mention her own personal and spiritual roads toward self-discovery and acceptance. This heartfelt and humorous account of Diane’s adventures—including hanging out with an Irish rock band, traveling remote roads in search of a hermit nun, and meeting her favorite Irish musician not once but twice—is sure to inspire readers to get outside their own comfort zones and take some rewarding risks of their own. What a wonderful memoir. I loved the author's handling of her depression while moving forward to building a new life with grown children and building her knowledge of digital photography and writing via travels in Ireland. Her growth throughout the story is visible even as she recognizes when she backslides a bit towards her struggle with depression and anger. - I could readily identify with the author's despair, and what she considered was holding her back in life. Looking for answers in the gorgeous countryside of rural Ireland appealed to me, and I was glad to have a window on her journeys of discovery throughout Ireland. This is a book you can't put down once you've started. I read it cover-to-cover in one session, curious to know where the story would take me next. - The theme of synchronicity throughout was fascinating as she took what came thru meeting all of the artists, writers, poets and musicians. - An interesting story that captures your imagination of Ireland's backroads. The author presented a picturesque view of the various landscapes and incorporated her personal experiences in the story. Reading this book can get you engaged as the storyline was very well constructed. - As a person of Irish descent this travel log to sites that are, for the most part, not well-known to most tourists is fascinating. In the author's approach to her travels she intrigued me to look up Salmon Publishing and some of the poets and books they have published as well as the history of many of the places the she visited. - This book is a delight, and I hope the author continues her writing as I would definitely entertain reading more of her books. Non-Fiction Book Award - Silver Medal Diane Hartman is a retired school librarian, photographer, dog rescuer, mother, grandmother, and lover of Ireland. She has received honors for her writing from Midwest Writers Workshop, Daisy Pettles Women’s Writing Award, and the Griffith Writing Fellowship at the Mary Anderson Center. Her photography has garnered several awards, including the Indiana Governor’s Award. She is an alumnus of Laura Munson’s Haven Writing Workshops and Retreats, and this is her first book. Diane lives in Indianapolis with her rescued corgi, Winston.