Book Review - A long petal of the Sea - Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende’s masterful storytelling is on display in this historical epic and family sage that spans continents and decades.
Book Review - The Colony - Audrey Magee
Set on an Island off the coast of Ireland in 1979, Audrey Magee’s lyrical novel is about imperialism, identity, art and self determination.
Book Review - Stephen King - Fairy Tale
Stephen King’s new book is about a boy and his dog, who set out on high stakes adventure in a strange world. King has a lot of fun with elements of fairy tales, but how does it compare to previous efforts?
Book Review - Factory Girls - Michelle Gallen
Michelle Gallen’s ‘Factory Girls’ is a scabrously funny and accurate story of a teenagers summer spent working in a factory in the north of Ireland in the mid nineties. If you’re missing ‘Derry girls’ you’ll love this.
Book Review - Diary of a Young Naturalist - Dara McAnulty
Powerful and impassioned book about a year in the life of 14 year old Dara McAnulty, who has autism, and finds great comfort and solace in nature.
Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
A classic for good reason, this gothic psychological thriller has stood the test of time.
Book Review - Rogues - Patrick Radden Keefe
12 collected pieces previously published in the ‘New Yorker’ about greed, corruption, the underworld and dark family secrets. Superbly researched and incredibly readable.
Book Review - The Queen of Dirt Island - Donal Ryan
Donal Ryan delivers again with this wonderfully written story about four generations of women living under one roof. It’s about love and loss, joy and grief, and all the stuff in between, but is mostly about family.
Book Review - Tennis Lessons - Susannah Dickey
Raw, funny and painfully honest story that follows the life of a young woman from childhood until adulthood. A strong coming of age debut from another talented Irish writer.
Book Review - The Daughter of Doctor Moreau - Silvia Moreno Garcia
Intriguing and very readable book, best described as Historical gothic fiction, about a secluded estate where a doctor who conducts mysterious experiments lives with his daughter, overseer and extended family. A new arrival upsets the balance in this idyllic place and things will never be the same again.
Book Review - Lost Connections - Johann Hari
Powerful book on what really causes depression, and what to do about it. Well researched, eloquent and persuasive..
Book Review - When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi
Paul Kalanitihi’s book is the story of a neurosurgeon who faces a terminal cancer diagnosis at the age of 36, and who moves from being a doctor to a patient. A brave, illuminating and rewarding book.
Book Review - Before my heart actually breaks - Tish Delaney
Funny and moving story about Mary Rattigan, a young Irish woman with plans who finds life taking a different turn. Engaging storytelling with lyrical prose.
Bad Relations - Cressida Connolly
Wonderfully written and well paced multi generational story that moves from the Crimean battlefields to an English summer in the seventies. An evocative, well paced story with interesting characters in a book I devoured in a couple of days.
Book Review - The Quiet whispers never stop - Olivia Fitzsimmons
Strong debut about a young girl trying to escape her claustrophobic home town, but dealing with a distant father, a mother who walked out on them and a deadly attraction to an older man. Vibrant storytelling dealing with some dark topics.
Book Review- Ghosts of the Tsunami - Richard Lloyd Parry
Fascinating and moving work of non fiction on the 2011 Japanese tsunami, focusing on a small village school where 74 children died, where unfathomable grief turns to anger.
Book Review - The Island - Adrian McKinty
Rip roaring and fun thriller about a family on a trip to Australia who just want to see some Koalas. What could go wrong?
Book Review - The Night Watchman - Louise Erdrich
Louise Erdrich’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel tells the story of a Native American tribe via a varied cast of characters and their fight to resist eviction from their ancestral homeland, and the problems they faced during the 1950’s.
Book Review-Piranesi - Susanna Clarke
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke is an wonderfully immersive work of fantasy, set inside a world of halls and vestibules, water and statues, that soon grabs you with its strangeness. Wonderfully compelling.
Book Review - Grand Hotel Europa - Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer
A book which uses the faded glory of the Grand Hotel Europa to tell a story of how the continent trades on it’s past but at the expense of what? Also looks at populism and tourism, it’s a long book but informative and readable.
