Cathal Liam offers up an eclectic (at times downright scattered) collection of writing in "Forever Green: Ireland Then and Now." There's political commentary, poetry and history ranging from the 1916 rising to the 1998 Good Friday agreements. All in all Liam explores Ireland with a clear eye. He has a soft spot in his heart for the Emerald Isle, yet he's also unafraid to be critical. Away from the political end of things, Liam offers several off-the-beaten-track portraits of Ireland and its people. "Instead of reading this modest volume in a single go, digest it leisurely...maybe a story or two a day for a fortnight. Rather than polishing it off as you might typically do, I hope you would savor the stories, adding to each your own thoughts and musings," he writes. It's good advice. The same goes for the Introduction by Irish-American artist Edmund Sullivan, whose gorgeous painting adorns Liam's book cover. ($14 / 235 pages / St. Padraic Press)