Library blog

9 April 2021
Aine reviews The History of Bees by Maja Lunde

This could have been a non-fiction title, and have become heavy with data, instead it is a work of fiction enriched by all the research it must have required. The book has three intertwinning stories, with beginnings in England in 1852, the United States in 2007, and China in 2098. And all this is what […]

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7 April 2021
Lorraine reviews Elsewhere by Rosita Boland

In the year 2000, Irish Times journalist and poet Rosita Boland set herself the task of reading the 13th edition of the Chambers Dictionary from cover to cover, collecting words which delighted her in a notebook. She uses some of these unusual and evocative words as chapter headings in this beautifully written book which documents […]

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19 March 2021
Aine reviews The affairs of others by Amy Grace Lloyd

This morning I would like to review a book called The affairs of others by Amy Grace Lloyd. The affairs of others reveals the different lives held within a Brooklyn brownstone; a landlady and her tenants. Apparently an ordinary story at the outset, the tale reveals characters, some of whose personal lives inhabit a dark […]

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18 March 2021
St. Patrick's Day postcards

Phil Tierney was an amateur historian who took a keen interest in his adopted town of Mullingar.  He was a regular contributor to local newspapers and radio on past political events and entertainment.  He had a particular interest in the history of the circus.  He was also an avid  collector of postcards which resulted in […]

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12 February 2021
Athlone in the Spring light

Do you feel that the routes you take for regular exercise are currently “On Repeat”?  Well here is your opportunity to shake that up!  With the “Fresh Eyes” project, you are being asked to observe, notice, admire; then capture what you loved in a photo. Whereas we get many days in February that aren’t sunny, […]

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5 February 2021
Lorraine reviews 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith

Lorraine from Athlone Library talks about 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith: This hugely entertaining book centers around 44 Scotland Street, a fictitious building in a real street in Edinburgh occupied by a wide range of interesting characters. The characters are so well drawn they become like old friends as the series progresses: among […]

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1 February 2021
A walk along Athlone's Coosan Point Road

Do you feel that the routes you take for regular exercise are currently “On Repeat”?  Well here is your opportunity to shake that up!  With the “Fresh Eyes” project, you are being asked to observe, notice, admire; then capture what you loved in a photo. Of my local routes, the favourite I have chosen for […]

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29 January 2021
Aine reviews Homes and Experiences & The art of Travel

Aine reviews two titles: Homes and Experiences by Liam Williams and The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton

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4 December 2020
Anne reviews The Scandal

The Scandal  by Fredik Backman review by Anne Byrne The Scandal is set in a small Swedish town called Beartown, and the community of Beartown live for hockey. They hope to win the league so that people with invest in their town. The author helps us understand the characters, and their hopes dreams, fears and […]

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27 November 2020
The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd

Margaret from Kilbeggan Library reviews The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd. Nan Shepherd offers a depth of scientific knowledge and lived experience from the point of view that "each of the senses is a way into what the mountain can give". The mountain being the Caingorms of Scotland. It is an invitation into a world […]

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