An Irish Country Christmas    by Patrick Taylor Order:  USA  Can Forge, 2009 (2009) Hardcover, Softcover     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth If you have ever wanted to visit Ireland, not as a tourist but as a member of a community, reading An Irish Country Christmas will give you the thrill without having to leave the comfort of your own home. What a delightful book. Hard on the heels of An Irish Country Doctor and An Irish Country Village, the reader continues to be treated to the goings-on in the wee village of Ballybucklebo. Dr. Barry Laverty, junior partner to Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, has his hands full of the usual winter ailments of the patients in their practice while O'Reilly languishes in his warm bed with a bronchial malaise. But even more pressing problems plague Barry. His girlfriend, who is in London for further schooling, may not get home for the holiday. And a pregnant patient presents with a breech birth that the new doctor in town should have foreseen. Can this small town support three doctors? Barry doesn't think so. Especially when the new doctor believes in quackery medicine. To relieve his anxieties, Barry attends local Christmas parties and also seeks a way to help a single mother find the wherewithal to buy presents for her three children. Maybe by a questionable method, but Barry feels it's called for. An Irish Country Christmas is a wonderful book that will warm the cockles of your heart. And also supply you with recipes for Christmas Pudding and Brandy Sauce and other succulent dishes. It's a winner. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews