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Tag: reading

Posted on March 8, 2023March 8, 2023

Outgrowing God by Richard Dawkins.


Outgrowing God by Richard Dawkins.

Posted on February 13, 2023February 16, 2023

2023 reads. Pine by Francine Toon. thank you @carlowlibraries


2023 reads.
Pine by Francine Toon.
thank you @carlowlibraries

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 29, 2023February 16, 2023

Mad Honey by Jodie Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. Reads of 2023.


Mad Honey by Jodie Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan.
Reads of 2023.

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 August 15, 2022February 16, 2023

*Review* Brouhaha by Ardal O Hanlon. I am always surprised when someone not from a


*Review*
Brouhaha by Ardal O Hanlon.
I am always surprised when someone not from a writing background ( whatever that is) pens a novel. We all know Ardal as a comedian and actor but here we go on his next novel!
This is a crime mystery novel set in a border town full of murders, dodginess and crime.
The story opens with the apparent suicide of localad, Dove and brings us back to the event the town just can't let go-the disappearance of a young girl under very dubious circumstances.
The book revolves around three main characters. Kevin, the retired garda who handled the disappearance case originally. Sharkey, Dove's best friend and a local reporter Joanne.
The writing is good,  heavy but quite observant in terms of a small Irish town. In places, it does go on a bit where it doesn't need to,  which pulls the drama back.
Overall I really enjoyed it. A crime mystery with a mix of creepy,  bloodthirsty and morally good characters. Sad too.

Posted on August 3, 2022February 16, 2023

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. *Review* This book has been on my radar but the lovely


Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. *Review*
This book has been on my radar but the lovely bookworm @littlecassreads prompted me to buy it when I was n Belfast in the gorgeous bookshop @noalibispress.
This book is not perfect.
It's set in Belfast during the troubles. A love story with a teacher and solicitor as  the star crossed.
The attention to detail in terms of the backdrop of Northern Ireland is impeccable. The characters are absolutely perfectly written and rendered. Louise' dialogue is exceptional. It's so natural and hilarious!
As a teacher, the main character, who is a teacher, is so plausible and realistic. I wonder was Louise a teacher in another life, that is how genuine the school abd the teachers were written.
The bad guys, the bad characters in this story were all multi dimensional, neither black nor white but a spectrum that is the human race.
The drama, the way the story kept going till the perfectly apt ending, left me feeling quite in awe of the skill of this novel. Plot and character is so hard and it's where a story and a novel can lose its way very easily if these are not good.
The ending is really sad, so well done, predictable to me but still it felt satisfying as a reader.
The imperfections of this book were minor. It started with a lot of telling and no showing. In many areas, paragraphs leapt out of nowhere with no connection to the last. I surprised an careful reading team or editor didn't get these.
But even mentioning these feel petty. The remainder of the work, the characters and their plausibility and charisma, the setting, the history, the plot and the importance of the evocation of the pain this awful time in Northern Ireland was is so, so well done.
I'm ordering her short story collection off the back of this. Bow down to Louise Kennedy and huge kudos to her.

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 May 14, 2022February 16, 2023

No one belongs here more than you. Stories by Miranda July.


No one belongs here more than you. Stories by Miranda July.

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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

goodreads.com

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  • Brian Condron on A little cloud by John Kelly, a short story from Dubliners 100
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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




goodreads.com

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