Mairtin O'Griofa (1938–1996)

Some time ago, my husband picked up “The Book of Irish Weirdness” at a used book store, thinking that it looked like a fun read. This particular copy seems to be from the Book of the Month Club, gives no name for any editor (I had to look it up online to find the name Mairtin O’Griost), and provides no information at all about the authors. That said, it appears that the stories are all out of copyright, given that there are very well-known authors here such as Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker, in addition to some tales that are merely described as “Traditional.” There are enough stories of interest to make me want to continue reading the book sporadically, but the structure of the publication is shoddy and very off-putting. So, points for the content but demerits for the form.… (mehr)

I want to include this in my books because it is the worst book I have ever owned. Even if you accept the premise of the publisher that it is OK to sift through old books of chess puzzles and reprint them at least you would hope that they would be good puzzles. Or interesting. Or have some redeeming feature. But no, nothing. Some of these puzzles will leave you feeling cheated (it doesn't always give answers - it gives solutions like "Other variations are obvious"). And the puzzles are artificial. I want to give it 0 or minus stars but it will look as if I didn't rate it so I am giving it an undeserved half.… (mehr)