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My life in books: ‘I love to support local bookshops, so I’ll order through them when possible’
My life in books: ‘I love to support local bookshops, so I’ll order through them when possible’
Mark Gyves was inspired to be a writer after reading Maeve Binchy as a boy and then Roddy Doyle's books when he was in his teens

Sat, 10 Oct, 2026

Lex Croucher’s irreverent take on dark academia sub-genre
Lex Croucher’s irreverent take on dark academia sub-genre
Time travel, a brilliantly conceived otherworld, and a Russian nuclear submarine that appears to have gone rogue feature in this sci-fi/fantasy roundup 

Sat, 10 Oct, 2026

Launch of Páidí Ó Sé book
Book review: Confident, congenial Cowen was a victim of bad timing
Brian Cowen was elected taoiseach in 2008, but his timing ensured his tenure at the top would be a struggle and he would forever be associated with the trying to right a listing ship of state rather than making a significant mark on history

Fri, 09 Oct, 2026

Irish crime writers: We set up a WhatsApp — now we ask grisly questions about bodies decomposing
Irish crime writers: We set up a WhatsApp — now we ask grisly questions about bodies decomposing
A WhatsApp group devoted to female crime writing? Deirdre McArdle explores the twilight world ahead of a festival dedicated to the popular genre

Tue, 06 Oct, 2026

Former politician and novelist Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86
Former politician and novelist Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86
Kane and Abel author died "suddenly and peacefully" at home between writing sessions

Mon, 05 Oct, 2026

Book review: The reimagined world of Oscar Wilde
Book review: The reimagined world of Oscar Wilde
John Boyne does a remarkable job of writing a compelling tale with almost no action or introspection; he tells the story almost entirely through dialogue

Sat, 03 Oct, 2026

My life in books: Women of magic deserve more than a ‘witch’ label
My life in books: Women of magic deserve more than a ‘witch’ label
Ellen Ryan's latest book, 'They Called Us Witch', is for 14-plus readers and is a non-fiction collection of 10 true stories about women persecuted for their healing and magic

Sat, 03 Oct, 2026

Book review: Stallone memoir is just another yarn about believing in yourself
Book review: Stallone memoir is just another yarn about believing in yourself
The title of Sylvester Stallone’s book refers to those 72 steps in Philadelphia that Rocky so famously ascended in the breakthrough film

Sat, 03 Oct, 2026

Author interview: ‘Stations’ pulls perfectly from Kennedy’s personal experience
Author interview: ‘Stations’ pulls perfectly from Kennedy’s personal experience
Louise Kennedy follows up the critical and commercial success of her debut 'Trespasses' with 'Stations' with most of the action set in small-town Ireland and London in the early 1980s 

Fri, 02 Oct, 2026

Six For Your Radar: Irvine Welsh in Kinsale, Tom Cruise in Digger...
Six For Your Radar: Irvine Welsh in Kinsale, Tom Cruise in Digger...
Muldoon's Picnic also hits the National Concert Hall with an array of guests... 

Thu, 01 Oct, 2026

10 books for October: Hoggie, John Creedon, Sarah J Maas...
10 books for October: Hoggie, John Creedon, Sarah J Maas...
October has a bumper crop of new books 

Wed, 30 Sep, 2026

Book review: Forgotten power couple of Irish literature
Book review: Forgotten power couple of Irish literature
Margaret Kelleher has brought this singular couple back to life and shown how in matters of intellectual courage, tenacity, and depth of feeling, they demand to be our contemporaries

Sat, 26 Sep, 2026

My life in books: 'I read to understand or learn new things, rather than for escape or comfort'
My life in books: 'I read to understand or learn new things, rather than for escape or comfort'
Eoghan Daltun says it wasn’t a book that made him want to be a writer, but the temperate rainforest he has been rewilding for over 17 years now on their farm on the Beara Peninsula

Sat, 26 Sep, 2026

Children’s book reviews: Shadows of the pandemic in story of incarcerated young life
Children’s book reviews: Shadows of the pandemic in story of incarcerated young life
Pet O’Connell rounds up a selection of the latest children’s books from an intriguing twist on the time-loop concept to a tale of hibernation in rhyming verse and the challenges faced by girls aiming for the top in individual sports

Fri, 25 Sep, 2026

The Booker Prize 2026 shortlist announcement event at the Southbank Centre, London, UK - 22 September 2026
Irish hopes dashed as Booker Prize 2026 shortlist revealed
Past Booker Prize winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart make 2026 shortlist

Wed, 23 Sep, 2026

Tipperary based publishing press celebrates 30 years with new exhibition
Tipperary based publishing press celebrates 30 years with new exhibition
Erica Van Horn and Simon Cutts' move to Tipperary coincided with the evolution of the internet, which has helped them enormously in maintaining a business from such a remote location

Sun, 20 Sep, 2026

Book review: Personal story is something wonderful
Book review: Personal story is something wonderful
This is a work of emotional magnitude that interrogates pain at the source without searching for a neat encapsulation

Sat, 19 Sep, 2026

My life in books: I thought I was fairly clued-up politically until I read ‘Mindf*ck’
My life in books: I thought I was fairly clued-up politically until I read ‘Mindf*ck’
Author Felicity Hayes-McCoy says 'books are written because authors need to write them whether the world thinks it needs them or not'

Sat, 19 Sep, 2026

Book review: A speculative projection into America’s near future
Book review: A speculative projection into America’s near future
Emily St John Mandel's fluent style proves not quite enough to carry the unwieldy and over-extended plot in 'Exit Party'

Sat, 19 Sep, 2026

Book review: ‘Magill’ held power to account at time of huge change in State
Book review: ‘Magill’ held power to account at time of huge change in State
Kevin Rafter’s in-depth study of the phenomenon of the magazine is a story that will be compelling for anybody interested in late 20th-century history, journalism, or the legend that is Vincent Browne

Fri, 18 Sep, 2026

Author Djamel White longlisted for Booker Prize: Is he the next great Irish writer?
Author Djamel White longlisted for Booker Prize: Is he the next great Irish writer?
The author of All Them Dogs tells Marjorie Brennan how being longlisted for the Booker Prize has been game-changing but he's trying not to get too distracted by the news

Thu, 17 Sep, 2026

‘The original was set in Cork, wasn’t it?’: TV adaptation of Graham Norton novel starts tonight
‘The original was set in Cork, wasn’t it?’: TV adaptation of Graham Norton novel starts tonight
Amy Nuttall, Lewis Cope and Jenny Walser tell Lynn Rusk about their new thriller series, Forever Home, based on Graham Norton’s best-selling novel

Mon, 14 Sep, 2026

Book review: A valuable and thought-provoking account of our changing nation
Book review: A valuable and thought-provoking account of our changing nation
'Forbidden Ireland' could well be described as an insightful and erudite view of the changes in Church/State relations over the last 75 years

Sat, 12 Sep, 2026

Book review: Sci-fi writers’ warnings were ignored
Book review: Sci-fi writers’ warnings were ignored
The Artificial State will see the replacement of the liberal democratic nation-state, and the consent of the governed, with the rule of people by machines

Sat, 12 Sep, 2026

My life in books: I haven’t yet read a defining novel about those terrible years in Ireland
My life in books: I haven’t yet read a defining novel about those terrible years in Ireland
The DCU professor gets his students to read Katy Tur’s 'Unbelievable' — her campaign memoir of covering Donald Trump’s election in 2016 — to help them understand American politics today

Sat, 12 Sep, 2026

Author interview: Faith’s intuition sees her write sometimes with her eyes closed
Author interview: Faith’s intuition sees her write sometimes with her eyes closed
Faith Hogan found her niche in fiction after her initial efforts into writing crime novels failed to take off, she’s in a good place now but doesn’t like happy ever after endings for the characters in her books

Fri, 11 Sep, 2026

Book review: Billionaires versus democracy
Book review: Billionaires versus democracy
What can we do to control those whose wealth and influence make them the dominant force in our world?

Sat, 05 Sep, 2026

My life in books: ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ was a real lightbulb moment for me
My life in books: ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ was a real lightbulb moment for me
Jessamine O’Connor says we need books written by humans, and not AI, writing something only they know about, so other humans can learn from it or relate to it

Sat, 05 Sep, 2026

Book review: Tara Maclean’s memoir is a hymn to childhood
Book review: Tara Maclean’s memoir is a hymn to childhood
MacLean writes without the urge to flatten the people in her past into heroes and villains, and that generosity gives her memoir its unusual emotional texture

Sat, 05 Sep, 2026

Author interview: Scary extent of how algorithms are now dominating our lives
Author interview: Scary extent of how algorithms are now dominating our lives
Roisín Kiberd looks at the increasingly relentless pursuit of perfection and what it means to be normal now in her new book, she tells Marjorie Brennan how we’re always losing time, and that’s what the beauty industry preys on

Fri, 04 Sep, 2026

Jon Ronson: Modern men and their troubles adjusting to a changing world 
Jon Ronson: Modern men and their troubles adjusting to a changing world 
In his latest non-fiction book The Castle, the British writer looks at how some males have been somewhat unmoored by modernity 

Tue, 01 Sep, 2026

Terry Prone: Lucia Berlin’s words leapt from the page in the world’s oldest bookshop
S Terry Prone: Lucia Berlin’s words leapt from the page in the world’s oldest bookshop
Each and every one of what are described as 'short stories' reads like a faithful account of an episode in her own life. No pretension. No philosophising. No concealment.

Mon, 31 Aug, 2026

Book review: Ciaran Carson's extraordinary act of imagination
Book review: Ciaran Carson's extraordinary act of imagination
If there is such a genre of fiction as quantum realism, then 'X+Y=K' surely belongs to it

Sat, 29 Aug, 2026

My life in books: ‘Mickey Harte’s football diary was incredibly insightful and inspirational’
My life in books: ‘Mickey Harte’s football diary was incredibly insightful and inspirational’
Séamus Ó Tuama has completed his father’s unfinished manuscript, which transforms Belfast’s turbulent 350-year history into an intimate human story through the extraordinary Twomey family saga

Sat, 29 Aug, 2026

Book review: An exquisitely crafted slow-burn
Book review: An exquisitely crafted slow-burn
Told in dreamy, fluid prose that carries the reader along like a sailboat headed for the island on which it is set, 'Tenderness' is the ideal late summer read

Sat, 29 Aug, 2026

US-POLITICS-unrest
Author interview: Writer claims AI is the ‘best editor in the world’
Jason Van Tatenhove claims AI tools like Grammarly, Jasper AI, and ChatGPT have made him a better writer

Fri, 28 Aug, 2026

Dolly Parton death
Dolly Parton’s ‘visionary’ book scheme provided more than 400,000 books to Irish children
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has helped put hundreds of thousands of books into Irish homes since launching in Dublin in 2019

Wed, 26 Aug, 2026

My Life in books: When it comes to books in my house it’s a case of 'chaos reigns'
My Life in books: When it comes to books in my house it’s a case of 'chaos reigns'
Former religious affairs correspondent TP O’Mahony says a book should be written that focuses on the tyranny of popes, who assume a power and authority that have no foundation in the New Testament

Sat, 22 Aug, 2026

Book review: Plot barrels along in deft thriller
Book review: Plot barrels along in deft thriller
'Never to be Found' is inspired by the johatsu tradition in Japan, where a covert industry helps those who wish to vanish without a trace

Sat, 22 Aug, 2026

Book review: Complex profile of protagonist
Book review: Complex profile of protagonist
Through Carrie, author Rosie Walsh traces a persuasive character arc that metamorphoses from near defeat to a fledgling, resolute self-belief

Sat, 22 Aug, 2026

CECILIA AHERN
Cecelia Ahern: I am drawn to books with heart — I don’t want to read an AI novel
As she prepares to publish her 21st book, Cecelia Ahern talks to Kathy Donaghy about the joy of creating, why AI has no place in fiction and how the removal of a love lock bridge inspired her latest novel

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

Children’s book reviews: Séamus courts disaster in his futile attempts to be famous
Children’s book reviews: Séamus courts disaster in his futile attempts to be famous
Pet O’Connell rounds up a selection of the latest children’s books from a tale on the pointless pursuit of fame, to a canine caper of acceptance, and a children’s writing debut from best-selling author Cecelia Ahern

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

Culture That Made Me: Sara Baume on art, audiobooks, and Moomins
Culture That Made Me: Sara Baume on art, audiobooks, and Moomins
Cork writer Sara Baume tells Richard Fitzpatrick about her cultural influences, from the Crawford Art Gallery to Pat Collins

Mon, 17 Aug, 2026

My life in books: I only finish about every fifth book that I start reading
My life in books: I only finish about every fifth book that I start reading
Mike Omer is an award-winning crime, thriller, and fantasy writer whose books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He lives with his family in Cork. His latest book, In the Killer’s Sight, published by Thomas & Mercer, is out on September 1.

Sat, 15 Aug, 2026

Sinn Fein legal advice launch
Book review: An engrossing story of political struggle
It would not be fair to criticise her involvement in the IRA  without exploring her reasons, which is what she does in this book

Sat, 15 Aug, 2026

Ripe for change as older narrator yearns for belonging
Ripe for change as older narrator yearns for belonging
Sarah Moss’s sensual and absorbing ode to the Burren is also a vibrant portrait of life and loss

Sat, 15 Aug, 2026

FRANCE-ART-LITERATURE-POLAR-PORTRAIT
Book review: Big secrets lurk in a small town’s shadows
Karin Slaughter is still at top of her game with latest thriller

Fri, 14 Aug, 2026

Patrick Holloway: Uncanny devotion to Harry Potter's Dobby shows power of fiction
Patrick Holloway: Uncanny devotion to Harry Potter's Dobby shows power of fiction
The Bronze Age dead buried near Freshwater West are real, but they have become strangers. JK Rowling's Dobby is imaginary, but millions of people know him. That is the strange power of fiction, writes author Patrick Holloway

Fri, 14 Aug, 2026

Culture That Made Me: Anton Savage of Newstalk selects his touchstones
Culture That Made Me: Anton Savage of Newstalk selects his touchstones
The popular broadcaster includes Hothouse Flowers, Niall Tóibín, and John Steinbeck among his selections 

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

My life in books: I love chance finds and I don’t buy online
My life in books: I love chance finds and I don’t buy online
Adrian Duncan is an Irish artist and writer based in Berlin. His novel 'Love Notes from a German Building Site' won the John McGahern Book Prize. His latest novel 'A Thought Without Collision', published by Tuskar Rock, is out next week.

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

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