Mary Behan

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Mary Behan

Goodreads Author


Born
Ireland
Website

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Influences
Isobel Allende, Colm Toibin, Christina Baker Kline, William Kent Krueg ...more

Member Since
April 2020


MARY BEHAN was formerly a professor of neuroscience. Now retired, she devotes her time to writing fiction, memoir and short stories. Her first book, Abbey Girls, is a memoir she wrote with her sister, Valerie Behan, about their childhood in Ireland. Her debut novel, A Measured Thread, set in Wisconsin and Ireland, was named a Top 100 Indie Book in 2020, a finalist in the Page Turner Awards, and an eLit medal winner. Kernels, a collection of short stories, was published in 2021. Her stories have been published in the Irish literary journal, Crossways, and received Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. Mary lives with her husband in the Driftless Area of southwest Wisconsin.

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Popular Answered Questions

Mary Behan Hi Michelle,
I'm delighted you enjoyed A Measured Thread. Thank you! You'll be happy to hear that there is a sequel coming out on March 19, 2024 called…more
Hi Michelle,
I'm delighted you enjoyed A Measured Thread. Thank you! You'll be happy to hear that there is a sequel coming out on March 19, 2024 called "Finding Isobel". You can sign up for more information, and also get my quarterly newsletter (on each Solstice and Equinox). Just scroll to the bottom of the HOME page on my website, mvbehan.com.
Happy reading.
Mary (less)
Mary Behan I haven't experienced writer's block yet. That said, if I'm not in the mood to write, I don't force it. Usually by the following day I'm ready to writ…moreI haven't experienced writer's block yet. That said, if I'm not in the mood to write, I don't force it. Usually by the following day I'm ready to write again.(less)
Average rating: 4.36 · 149 ratings · 44 reviews · 4 distinct worksSimilar authors
A Measured Thread

4.38 avg rating — 74 ratings4 editions
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Finding Isobel

4.50 avg rating — 46 ratings3 editions
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Abbey Girls

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3.95 avg rating — 21 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions
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Kernels: stories

4.50 avg rating — 8 ratings2 editions
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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

The Bones of Basc...
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Mary’s Recent Updates

Mary Behan rated a book it was amazing
Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo
Life, and Death, and Giants
by Ron Rindo (Goodreads Author)
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This is such a beautifully written, gentle, thoughtful and non-judgmental book. It’s set in Wisconsin, familiar ground for me. Nevertheless, it introduced me to the Amish community in the state for which I’m very grateful. Recently two Amish families
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Circle of Nine by Valerie Biel
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Brigit Quinn is a delightful heroine. She’s at a challenging stage of adolescence, and her magical powers are growing. She can hear what people are thinking, and while she tries to handle this judiciously, at times she just wants to listen. Her night ...more
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Beyond the Flames by Gregory Lee Renz
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Beyond The Flames is quite the page turner! Suspenseful, dramatic and thoroughly engaging, Greg Renz’s new novel takes us into the underworld of Milwaukee gangs whose reach damages so many young black lives. In his sequel to Beneath The Flames, we fo ...more
Mary Behan is currently reading
The Bones of Bascom Hall by Betsy Draine
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Beyond the Cemetery Gate by Valerie Biel
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I enjoyed every page of Beyond the Cemetery Gate. It’s a thoroughly engrossing mystery that kept me guessing right up to the end. The characters are great, and I look forward to meeting many of them in the next Chloe and Maggie mystery.
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Haven by Valerie Biel
Haven
by Valerie Biel (Goodreads Author)
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It was only when I finished the book and re-read the Dedication that I fully understood the power of this story. Valerie Biel brings a challenging topic to the fore, domestic abuse. We see it through the eyes of Marbella, an eleven-year-old girl who ...more
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Izzy Strikes Gold by Larry F. Sommers
Izzy Strikes Gold
by Larry F. Sommers (Goodreads Author)
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According to Neil Gaimon, one of the great writers of children’s fiction, “A story should amaze and delight and thrill and sadden and take me somewhere new.”

"Izzy Strikes Gold" did all of this for me.

A kid who says “…we’re up here doing practice or
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Mary Behan rated a book it was amazing
Finding Isobel by Mary Behan
Finding Isobel
by Mary Behan (Goodreads Author)
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Gold Medal Winner - Best Adult Fiction eBook 2024 from the Independent Publishers Book Award
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