In "Finding My Irish," Sharon Shea Bossard uses a simple letter mailed from Valentia Island, County Kerry, in 1949 to explore intimate family connections in America and Ireland. This book chronicles the author's touching, at times surprising, search for her family roots through Irish towns such as Cahersiveen, Ballinskelligs, Valentia, and Boyle. What emerges is not merely one family's never-ending quest to link the past with the present, but also an illuminating portrait of old Ireland. ($19.95 / 305 pages / findingmyirish.com)