Kathleen from Athlone Library reviews The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. This is a memoir of a successful journalist's journey from the deserted mining towns of the American Southwest. Jeanette’s father was an intelligent man, but was an alcoholic unable to support his family. Her mother was an Artist, in her own world, and was […]
Ray from Kilbeggan Library reviews Dark Blue by Shane Carthy. Shane Carthy's journey over the last five years has seen it all. From the highs of Leinster glory in the Under 21 football final versus Meath in 2014 to the lows of waking up in St. Patrick's Mental Health Hospital a few days afterwards, a […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Aine reviews two titles: Homes and Experiences by Liam Williams and The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton