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Tag: books

Posted on February 4, 2023February 16, 2023

The Optician of Lampedusa by Emma Jane Kirby. Finished this last night. V short read


The Optician of Lampedusa by Emma Jane Kirby.
Finished this last night.
V short read based on true story of an optician from Lampedusa (title is real!) who, along with his friends, saved 47 migrants from Eritrea.

Posted on January 24, 2023February 16, 2023

We don't know ourselves by Fintan O Toole. Reads of 2023. This is a rather


We don't know ourselves by Fintan O Toole.
Reads of 2023.
This is a rather big volume of a book.
This is non fiction. This is a bit memoir and a bit history. It's Fintan O Toole telling the story of Ireland from the late 50s, when he was born until recent present day.
This book was recommended by @littlecassreads and I do take her recommendations seriously especially when we are on such a strong agreement of a page with regards to state separation and education.
This book tells all about Northern Ireland, the Christian brothers, Gay Byrne (who Fintan seems to not love), Fianna Fail( lots of Haughey and Ahern), Bishop Casey, Annie Murphy and the story and truth of how badly we have treated children and women in Ireland. Some of the history would make you retch.
I absolutely loved this book. It reads easily enough despite history being quite a serious thing. I loved remembering parts of this like how strong I thought Annie Murphy was during the Late Late interview with Gay Byrne and thinking, at the time how snotty and rude Gay Byrne was being to her. I rewatched that interview last week and am still so impressed by her.
If you want to see how far Ireland has come yet really see how little progress we have made, that we should have made then pick up this book.
The history of the church and its deep rooted connections with FF cannot be denied, even now, I'm afraid.
It took me about two weeks to read. Set myself 40 pages a day which was about 90 minutes reading as the content can get you down so you have to stop and take a break every so often.
Fintan also comes across as a lovely moral and kind person, which while irrelevant, counts as a big thing when you read the awful, awful people in our history.
There are plenty good people in Ireland and have been in our history but read this to realise fully that..
We don't know ourselves.

Posted on July 27, 2022February 16, 2023

Sea State by Tabitha Lasley. This is a memoir about a former journalist, who after


Sea State by Tabitha Lasley.
This is a memoir about a former journalist, who after having her laptop (and her novel in progress) stolen and a suffering a bad breakup, decides to leave her job writing for a magazine to write that book.
She wants to write a book about oil rig workers in the North Sea and heads to Aberdeen to interview hundreds of those workers. Her initial question is what happens to men when women are not around? She interviews 103 different men in all types of bars, clubs and settings and it gets rough and ready.
The first man she interviews is a guy called Caden. He's married and they start an affair.
Her writing is pitch perfect and it's a unique voice we have here. She evokes the city of Aberdeen so well, a place where it seems to rain or snow all the time.
Caden becomes a study of what it means to really be an oil rig worker, its uber and toxic masculinity is clear.
This started off quick then went very slow but once I started to see the signs of Caden and how they the reveal of the plot and indeed the overarching theme of the book, I could not put the book down!

The concept is fresh as is the writing and it does answer the initial question of what happens to men when there are no women around?

The whole subject of oil rigs and the oil corporations was unknown to me. That exploration in itself is brilliant reading.

I just hope Caden( not real name) reads the book. I'll say no more.

I've been quite obsessed with Tabitha Lasley since then. Googling photos of her and then trying to see if I could get one of her and Caden for though she writes him well, I'd still love to see what he looks like.

I hope Tabitha is happy or happier and that she has met someone who will realise what a gem she is and what a talented writer she is. 

I'd really recommend this book if you fancy something different but extremely readable. It will leave you thinking, for sure.

***** review

Posted on July 6, 2022February 16, 2023

The Fell by Sarah Moss. Apocalypse isn’t what it used to be these days.. And


The Fell by Sarah Moss.

Apocalypse isn’t what it used to be these days.. And the fact that“humanity’s ending appears to be slow, lacking in cliffhangers or indeed any satisfactory narrative shape; characterized, for the lucky, by the gradual vindication of accumulating dread.”
The Fell is written from the perspectives of four characters during 2020, Covid-19 lockdown and pandemic. I read this in two sittings. I kept thinking about it and the characters. The writing is quite rambling but beautifully done and comes out in the character's mind, a sort of free consciousness. If you don't like this or need punctuation marks then this book may not appeal to you!
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. A nice, short read that responds to a very bad and sad time in our world.


--

Rozz Lewis

Posted on September 4, 2021February 16, 2023

Me and the big house. The festival of writing and ideas runs, in pre pandemic


Me and the big house.
The festival of writing and ideas runs, in pre pandemic times, every June.

We have been attending it for ten years now. Every year!

This year the 2021 managed to go in August.

It was much smaller in terms of attendees but the original small festival feel was back in force with the artists, writers, musicians and speakers all mingling on the lawn.

My best talk was John Banville who seemed to be in jovial form.
I'd still prefer it to run in June though as August is birthday city in our family in August but either way we thoroughly enjoyed it and soaked up the ideas and debated /argued as normal after the talks.
Thank you @writingandideas

Posted on September 4, 2021May 22, 2022

Me and the big house. The festival of writing and ideas runs, in pre pandemic


Me and the big house.
The festival of writing and ideas runs, in pre pandemic times, every June.

We have been attending it for ten years now. Every year!

This year the 2021 managed to go in August.

It was much smaller in terms of attendees but the original small festival feel was back in force with the artists, writers, musicians and speakers all mingling on the lawn.

My best talk was John Banville who seemed to be in jovial form.
I'd still prefer it to run in June though as August is birthday city in our family in August but either way we thoroughly enjoyed it and soaked up the ideas and debated /argued as normal after the talks.
Thank you @writingandideas

Posted on March 9, 2021February 16, 2023

Shuggie Bain is a debut novel by Douglas Stuart and it is surely an outstanding


Shuggie Bain is a debut novel by Douglas Stuart and it is surely an outstanding book. Its writing, its characters and its plot are basically perfect. The opening scene of the main character, Shuggie Bain and the supermarket chicken deli he works in captured me straight into the depraved world of the Bain family.

Poor ten year old Shuggie has a hard life, he lives in  the city of Glasgow in the1980s during the Thatcher era with his two siblings and mother, Agnes Bain in complete poverty and misfortune. This is what happens when society forgets about people and children. 

Agnes Bain has a particularly hard life. Agnes is an alcoholic and this story is hers and Shuggie’s. There are so many touching and caring scenes between the two with Shuggie caring for her all the way that it can be hard to forgive Agnes for her failings as a parent. But, none the less Shuggie Bain is a tragic love story and we all know what happens in a good tragedy.

I found this book heartwrenching to the point I was afraid to pick up the book as I wasn’t sure how much more pain and hardship I could take. There are some humorous moments scattered but otherwise this book is not to be described as uplifting. I never shy away from sad books that deal with suffering and the ending does give us a glimmer of hope for poor Shuggie. 

I also don’t think books should be happy and fix the reader’s emotions. Reading a book like Shuggie Bain and the experiences of a family that live in utter poverty and depravity give the reader hope and gratefulness for their own lives. Well, it did for me anyway. It might for you too.

The writing in this book is so good, so good that if you are a writer, it might just make you want to throw your efforts away and go back to the day job. But don’t, the way Douglas Stuart writes setting and character in every line, every paragraph, every page will make you catch your breath, writer or non-writer. There is so much to learn from Shuggie, whether it is the atmosphere it paints or the strong emotions and connection for the characters.

Posted on March 9, 2021March 9, 2021

Shuggie Bain is a debut novel by Douglas Stuart and it is surely an outstanding


Shuggie Bain is a debut novel by Douglas Stuart and it is surely an outstanding book. Its writing, its characters and its plot are basically perfect. The opening scene of the main character, Shuggie Bain and the supermarket chicken deli he works in captured me straight into the depraved world of the Bain family.

Poor ten year old Shuggie has a hard life, he lives in  the city of Glasgow in the1980s during the Thatcher era with his two siblings and mother, Agnes Bain in complete poverty and misfortune. This is what happens when society forgets about people and children. 

Agnes Bain has a particularly hard life. Agnes is an alcoholic and this story is hers and Shuggie’s. There are so many touching and caring scenes between the two with Shuggie caring for her all the way that it can be hard to forgive Agnes for her failings as a parent. But, none the less Shuggie Bain is a tragic love story and we all know what happens in a good tragedy.

I found this book heartwrenching to the point I was afraid to pick up the book as I wasn’t sure how much more pain and hardship I could take. There are some humorous moments scattered but otherwise this book is not to be described as uplifting. I never shy away from sad books that deal with suffering and the ending does give us a glimmer of hope for poor Shuggie. 

I also don’t think books should be happy and fix the reader’s emotions. Reading a book like Shuggie Bain and the experiences of a family that live in utter poverty and depravity give the reader hope and gratefulness for their own lives. Well, it did for me anyway. It might for you too.

The writing in this book is so good, so good that if you are a writer, it might just make you want to throw your efforts away and go back to the day job. But don’t, the way Douglas Stuart writes setting and character in every line, every paragraph, every page will make you catch your breath, writer or non-writer. There is so much to learn from Shuggie, whether it is the atmosphere it paints or the strong emotions and connection for the characters.

Posted on February 13, 2021February 16, 2023

The Art of Falling by Danielle Mc Laughlin-REVIEW I read a review of this novel


The Art of Falling by Danielle Mc Laughlin-REVIEW

I read a review of this novel last weekend. The reviewer shared a quote that says a reviewer should never review a book on what it should or could be but only on what it is.
I may have the quote slightly wrong but it does pay to keep this in mind when reviewing Danielle Mc Laughlin's debut novel. Danielle is a supreme and natural short story writer and I, and many people, were very excited about this novel.
It does not let down in many aspects. The plot is pacey. Plots should be pacey, shouldn't they? Lots of stuff happens to the characters in the novel and that's always a good thing. I find the floating around and discussion, thinking heavy type of novel less generous for me.
The ideas and the drama are interesting too.
It's set in Cork, the setting is described beautifully and I couldn't think of a better way to escape in a pandemic. All the settings in this novel are fresh and alive. Setting is done extremely well here.
It's tells the story of Nessa. Nessa is a strange fish. She comes across as cold and unthinking but plausibly so for the reader. Nessa is in a right mess. She's about to display a statue from a very famous artist in her art gallery and a woman from his past comes forward to claim it as her work.
Nessa also has a mixed up and naughty past as does her marriage.
I'll say no more about the plot!
I read this extremely quickly. That's a brilliant sign.
Though I said at the beginning that I should not compare this work with Danielle's short fiction working, I struggled not to but I am rewarded throughout with many, many fine instances of beautiful prose and the last chapter won it for me. The atmosphere and essence that is conveyed in these few pages alone are beautiful and I'm left happy and satisfied as a reader.

Posted on February 13, 2021February 13, 2021

The Art of Falling by Danielle Mc Laughlin-REVIEW I read a review of this novel


The Art of Falling by Danielle Mc Laughlin-REVIEW

I read a review of this novel last weekend. The reviewer shared a quote that says a reviewer should never review a book on what it should or could be but only on what it is.
I may have the quote slightly wrong but it does pay to keep this in mind when reviewing Danielle Mc Laughlin's debut novel. Danielle is a supreme and natural short story writer and I, and many people, were very excited about this novel.
It does not let down in many aspects. The plot is pacey. Plots should be pacey, shouldn't they? Lots of stuff happens to the characters in the novel and that's always a good thing. I find the floating around and discussion, thinking heavy type of novel less generous for me.
The ideas and the drama are interesting too.
It's set in Cork, the setting is described beautifully and I couldn't think of a better way to escape in a pandemic. All the settings in this novel are fresh and alive. Setting is done extremely well here.
It's tells the story of Nessa. Nessa is a strange fish. She comes across as cold and unthinking but plausibly so for the reader. Nessa is in a right mess. She's about to display a statue from a very famous artist in her art gallery and a woman from his past comes forward to claim it as her work.
Nessa also has a mixed up and naughty past as does her marriage.
I'll say no more about the plot!
I read this extremely quickly. That's a brilliant sign.
Though I said at the beginning that I should not compare this work with Danielle's short fiction working, I struggled not to but I am rewarded throughout with many, many fine instances of beautiful prose and the last chapter won it for me. The atmosphere and essence that is conveyed in these few pages alone are beautiful and I'm left happy and satisfied as a reader.

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My Goodreads

Rozz's books

Tender
3 of 5 stars
Tender
by Belinda McKeon
Davy Byrnes Stories 2014
4 of 5 stars
Davy Byrnes Stories 2014
by Sara Baume
Foster
5 of 5 stars
Foster
by Claire Keegan
Superb, perfect short story telling from the genius of the form.
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
4 of 5 stars
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
by Wells Tower
hilarious and dark and funked up!
The Good House
1 of 5 stars
The Good House
by Ann Leary

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My Goodreads

Rozz’s books

Tender
3 of 5 stars
Tender
by Belinda McKeon

Davy Byrnes Stories 2014
4 of 5 stars
Davy Byrnes Stories 2014
by Sara Baume

Foster
5 of 5 stars
Foster
by Claire Keegan
Superb, perfect short story telling from the genius of the form.

Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
4 of 5 stars
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
by Wells Tower
hilarious and dark and funked up!

The Good House
1 of 5 stars
The Good House
by Ann Leary




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