- NEWS
Martin wades into abortion debateAs the Dáil committee hearings continue on the abortion bill, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has waded into the debate saying it is important that Christian believers "be, and seen to be, on the side of life, especially when life is most vulnerable".
Payment cuts see families pay rent shortfallLimits on rent supplement payments set by the Government are forcing thousands of families to make undeclared top-up payments to landlords to secure places to live.
- WORLD
Anger as North Korea launches another missileNorth Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast, a day after launching three more of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said.
How Star Trek predicted the futureWHEN Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first dreamed up the concept of a television show based in the unexplored universe of Outer Space in 1964, the world was a very different place.
- BUSINESS
Warnings over future of eurozoneThe eurozone is heading towards a break up unless there are moves towards much closer political and fiscal union, according to chief economist with State Street Global Advisers, Chris Probyn.
Bruton defends corporate tax rateIreland will be able to maintain its current corporation tax code in the face of international pressure to prevent multinational corporations avoid paying their fare share of tax, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton said yesterday.
- SPORT
Mayo’s statement of intentGalway 0-11 Mayo 4-16 Five minutes to go in Salthill yesterday and James Horan was still cajoling his men to sew it into Galway.
Wilkinson inspires Toulon to gloryASM Clermont Auvergne 15 Toulon 16 Not for the first time this season, a matchday performance and the result have made a mockery of the statistics.
- LIFESTYLE
What Lenny Abrahamson did nextLENNY Abrahamson has directed three feature films: Adam & Paul, Garage and What Richard Did.
Why do women love to dress up?Trying on clothes, said Ewart, produced "sensations which bring deep peace and perfect contentment" to the female mind.
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First Thoughts
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Maria SempleWeidenfeld & Nicolson, €17.15; adobe ebook, €£8.49Review: Lyndsey Cartwright
This second offering from novelist and screenwriter Maria Semple follows mum Bernadette Fox, her brainy daughter Bee and husband Elgie.
Once a notorious architect, Bernadette now lives a life of near solitude in Seattle.
Her social anxiety and dislike for pretty much everyone outside of her own family sees her using the services of a virtual assistant to perform even simple tasks, such as making dinner reservations.
When Bee asks for a trip to Antarctica as a reward for her good grades, her wish is granted, only for Bernadette to go missing before the big trip.
Bee must then piece together the evidence to track down her mother.
Written largely as a mixture of diary entries, emails and correspondence, this is a light, enjoyable and often comic novel that constantly catches the reader by surprise.
Burying The Typewriter: Childhood Under The Eye Of The Secret Police
Carmen BuganPicador, £16.99; Kindle, £6.99.
Review: Liz Ellis
Carmen Bugan’s early childhood, growing up in the Romanian countryside, is one of laughter and joy.
Through her vivid descriptions of daily life, incorporating nature, agriculture and religion, the love and affection across the generations is established. One can feel the warmth of the sun shining down on these glory days.
This childhood innocence is in stark contrast to Bugan’s teenage years. Her father was imprisoned for protesting against the Communist regime in Romania at that time and consequently her family had to endure the brutality of the secret police, as well as being ostracised by most of their community.
All this is set against worsening conditions for the country as a whole, as bread queues grew longer and power-cuts more frequent.
In telling her story, Bugan does not try to apportion blame nor identify a hero, instead she lets the memories speak for themselves, allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions on the price of courage and the importance of family ties.
In Her Blood
Annie Hauxwell
William Heinemann, €17.15;
adobe ebook, €17.31
Review: Ellie de Rose
After a career as a screenwriter, In Her Blood is Annie Hauxwell’s first novel and the beginning of a series of crime thrillers based on the protagonist Catherine Berlin.
Berlin is a Financial Services Agency investigator who finds the dead body of an informant in the midst of a loan shark inquiry. After her unorthodox GP is killed, and her boss soon after, she finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation.
With a secret heroin addiction, no doctor to prescribe her maintenance dose and a team of crooked policemen watching, Berlin has seven days to prove her innocence.
London-born Hauxwell uses the grimy East End as a setting for this story of corruption, drugs and murder. With meticulous detail and great character depth, In Her Blood is an assured start to Hauxwell’s career as a novelist.
A Humble Companion
Laurie Graham Quercus, €18.60;
adobe ebook, €16.60
Review: Denise Bailey
Laurie Graham’s novel-writing career has, up to now, been littered with modern social comedies.
However, her latest effort sees her tackling historical fiction.
Set during the 18th century reign of George III, the Humble Companion of the piece, Cornelia, or Nellie Buzzard, the only surviving daughter of royal servant Louis Weltje, or Welche, acts as a sensible, imaginative and witty narrator, looking back on her life as companion to Princess Sofia, or Sofy, one of George and Queen Charlotte’s many children.
Brighton’s rise in social standing; the visits to Kew Palace and anticipation of seeing exotic animals and plants in Kew Gardens; and the environs of the villages of Chiswick and Hammersmith are cleverly interspersed with an intriguing story. Graham has conjured up a quite beautiful tale.