Clik here to view.
Ghosts by John Banville #johnbanville24
Before I started this Year of John Banville, I was a little nervous that I would find his writing too dense for me. So far that hasn’t been the case, but Ghosts comes close to what I imagined the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two Summers by Glenn Patterson
With summer on my mind thanks to the upcoming 20 Books of Summer, I very much enjoyed these two linked novellas from Belfast’s finest Glenn Patterson. Two Summers is a pair of novellas, titled ‘Summer...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Athena by John Banville #johnbanville24
Athena is the third book in John Banville’s loose ‘Frames’ trilogy, which begins with The Book of Evidence and is followed by Ghosts, which I reviewed last month. The focus, once again, is Freddie...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A trip to Listowel Writer’s Week Festival!
Last week I had the pleasure of heading to Ireland’s oldest literary festival – Listowel Writer’s Week – down in County Kerry for a few days. Founded in 1970, with the first festival taking place in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Untouchable by John Banville: Book 6 of #20booksofsummer24
Part literary thriller, part existential roman-à-clef, The Untouchable presents a fictionalised version of the well-known story of Anthony Blunt: art historian to royalty, writer and intellectual and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
June Miscellany!
June has, predictably, been taken up with trying to get a good head start on the 20 Books of Summer Challenge and so far I am pretty much on schedule, with 8 books read and 6 books reviewed. As I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Academy Street by Mary Costello: Book 11 of #20booksofsummer24
Academy Street is an affecting and evocative story of one woman’s life spanning six decades, from rural Ireland of the 1940’s to New York in a new millennium. The seed for Academy Street, Mary...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Death in Summer by Benjamin Black: Book 15 of #20booksofsummer24...
A Death in Summer is my second encounter with John Banville’s alter ego Benjamin Black and his wonderfully laconic leading man, the pathologist Dr Quirke. This novel, the fourth instalment of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Post Book Awards announces the 20 Best New Irish Fiction Writers!
Hot on the heels of last week’s Guardian article detailing the booming literary scene in Ireland, An Post Book Awards have announced their 20 Best New Irish Fiction Writers for 2024. The nominated...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shortlists Announced for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2024!
The Shortlist for the Irish Book Awards was announced yesterday evening and there are some great books and authors on this year’s lists. The An Post Irish Book Awards are a set of industry-recognition...
View Article