Fiction reviews Non-Fiction reviews Books for Younger Readers Author Interviews Books News and Features Books Home Page
Mary MacSwiney
Book extract: Woman who refused to be silenced in fight for republican independence
Betrayal of the republic, for Mary MacSwiney, would have meant betrayal of a brother she loved and admired, and it would have been almost impossible for her to think and feel in any other way

Fri, 11 Jul, 2025

Girls relaxing on the beach and reading a book
Children's book reviews: 12 books for July with Children's Books Ireland
Ruth Concannon says no matter whether it's rain or shine, there's adventures galore for every day of the month with this selection of books

Fri, 11 Jul, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: English teacher and Waterford native Rose Keating
Beginner’s pluck: English teacher and Waterford native Rose Keating
These weird, unsettling stories in 'Oddbody' focused on the body explore themes of desire, anxiety, and shame. How far can the human form be pushed and subverted?

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

Book review: Memoir rich in literary allusion, social mobility, and so much more
Book review: Memoir rich in literary allusion, social mobility, and so much more
'Homework' is an account of Geoff Dyer’s upbringing in Cheltenham in the 1960s and ‘70s, a world he evokes in gloriously minute, Proustian detail

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

Book review: Characters bring cheerful attitude to war
Book review: Characters bring cheerful attitude to war
'Dear Miss Lake' is a touching reminder of how powerful friendship and community can be in the darkest of times — and it’s an absolute must-read this year

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

Russia Belarus
Book review: Fresh, relevant, and concise
Donnacha Ó Beacháin’s central concern is Russian imperialism and — similar to other empires — the damage it causes to those at the receiving end

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

Book are my business: Children’s Books Ireland publications officer Ruth Concannon
Book are my business: Children’s Books Ireland publications officer Ruth Concannon
'I believe that a book can really spark something that can change the course of your life'

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

Karl Whitney: Why you should sketch your cats before attempting to paint tigers
Karl Whitney: Why you should sketch your cats before attempting to paint tigers
With the works of an old master in mind, Karl Whitney considers the value in building a base for important work and engaging our critical skill to improve technique

Fri, 04 Jul, 2025

Booker prize 2023
Author interview: ‘Gay life and history keeps on developing and changing’
The world of LGBTQ+ fiction is a completely different proposition now, and is flourishing thanks in no small part to writers such as Alan Hollinghurst

Fri, 04 Jul, 2025

Book review: Family secrets cannot hide forever within the walls of The Glass House
Book review: Family secrets cannot hide forever within the walls of The Glass House
Within this beautifully written novel lies a dark heart but there is beauty and connection too

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Book review: Status update of suspense and guilt
Book review: Status update of suspense and guilt
'The Night I Killed Him' is a gripping thriller that blends crime fiction with a sharp critique of influencer culture

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Full-time writer and mother Daria Lavelle
Beginner’s pluck: Full-time writer and mother Daria Lavelle
'Aftertaste' is a gourmet delight; it's highly original and hugely evocative, it definitely tugs at the heartstrings

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Bookbinder Tommy Duffy
Books are my business: Bookbinder Tommy Duffy
'I am a fourth-generation bookbinder; the business spans three generations'

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Poetry review: A debut that urges us to care
Poetry review: A debut that urges us to care
Divided into five sections, this is a collection that very deliberately speaks to Ireland in the 2020s

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Author interview: ‘I don’t really think too much about writing when I’m doing my day job’
Author interview: ‘I don’t really think too much about writing when I’m doing my day job’
In 'The Benefactors', a cast of memorable characters coalesce when teenager Misty Johnson, from a hardscrabble background, is sexually assaulted by three boys with a more privileged upbringing

Fri, 27 Jun, 2025

Book review: Horrific figures of history who refused to accept their crimes
Book review: Horrific figures of history who refused to accept their crimes
The failure to accept guilt for war crimes and crimes against humanity has been a recurring theme in the work of the human rights lawyer Philippe Sands

Fri, 27 Jun, 2025

Portrait of Henrik Pontoppidan
Book review: Novellas of a Nobel prize winner translated for a whole new audience
These are refreshing and a joy to read thanks to the fluency of Paul Larkin’s translation and his use of familiar idiom

Sat, 21 Jun, 2025

Book review: A fresh perspective on reflection
Book review: A fresh perspective on reflection
Theo Dorgan's novel is an intelligent book but not too high flown; it’s an easy read that flows, revealing a character who, despite his once-off crime, is one of the good guys

Sat, 21 Jun, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Belfast-born and Newcastle-based Gráinne O’Hare
Beginner’s pluck: Belfast-born and Newcastle-based Gráinne O’Hare
'Thirst Trap' is a brilliant portrayal of grief — and of growing up and it's written with humour, hope, and warmth

Sat, 21 Jun, 2025

Book review: Do not put this book on hold
Book review: Do not put this book on hold
This is fresh, highly considered work, from a writer deserving of the praise garnered for her debut, and cements Volckmer as a beguiling voice in literary fiction

Sat, 21 Jun, 2025

Children's books review: Sports rivalries, journey of self discovery, and a haunting Wolfling
Children's books review: Sports rivalries, journey of self discovery, and a haunting Wolfling
Pet O’Connell rounds up a selection of the latest children’s books from the next chapter of adept sporting twins to a tale of impending adulthood

Fri, 20 Jun, 2025

Author interview: America’s ‘high-brow’ Cold War propaganda operation
Author interview: America’s ‘high-brow’ Cold War propaganda operation
A secret American programme put 10m Western books and magazines in the hands of intellectuals and professionals in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union for 37 years

Fri, 20 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Librarian at Bantry Library Denis Murphy
Books are my business: Librarian at Bantry Library Denis Murphy
'Approaching high summer, the West Cork Literary Festival concentrates most of my attention'

Fri, 20 Jun, 2025

Book review: From podcast to page... unmasking the real story of Northern Bank heist
Book review: From podcast to page... unmasking the real story of Northern Bank heist
On December 20, 2004, one paramilitary group — most likely the IRA — robbed the Northern Bank in Belfast stealing £26.5m

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Crime writer Michael Connelly: I???m definitely not finished with Harry Bosch
Book review: A brand new detective hits the scene
In Michael Connelly’s 40th thriller he introduces us to a new lead character — LAPD detective Stilwell

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Irish Writers Centre CEO Mags McLoughlin
Books are my business: Irish Writers Centre CEO Mags McLoughlin
My job is to elevate awareness of the centre, its story, and get more money in for more writers to do more writing

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Counsellor and psychotherapist Sinéad Nolan
Beginner’s pluck: Counsellor and psychotherapist Sinéad Nolan
Nolan's debut novel 'The Counting Game' is clever and compulsive and the plot is lifted by the psychological insights

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Author Catherine Chidgey photographed at her Duned
Book review: How perspectives can vary
With much to unfold, and many plot twists to hide, Catherine Chidgey teases out her story with great skill in 'The Book of Guilt'

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Cute girl reading a book in a hammock in the garden.
Children's book reviews: Summer stories to warm up and inspire an eager imagination
Ranging from reality TV penguins to underwater antics, and even a sprinkle of time travel through unexpected worlds, there is something, as always, for every reader to enjoy

Fri, 13 Jun, 2025

Author interview: Dizzyingly inventive narrative exploring the nature of time
Author interview: Dizzyingly inventive narrative exploring the nature of time
The concept of time, and the privilege of having it, is explored by Cork writer Caroline O’Donoghue in her latest book, 'Skipshock'

Fri, 13 Jun, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Freelance writer and editor Anna Carey
Beginner’s pluck: Freelance writer and editor Anna Carey
Anna’s first book, 'The Real Rebecca', won the Senior Children’s Book of the Year at the 2011 Irish Book Awards.

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Paul Sharp
Book review: Light touch always present in a story that is about love, pure and simple
'Open Heart' is written with lyrical delicacy, featuring beautiful Hardyesque descriptions of nature with an intimate tone

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Book review: Touching tale of finding love in later life
Book review: Touching tale of finding love in later life
'Best Friends' takes unlikely romantic material — two outsiders in their 70s — and fashions a tender story about risk, fate, and second chances

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Bookshop children’s section manager Méabh McDonnell
Books are my business: Bookshop children’s section manager Méabh McDonnell
The former newspaper sub-editor found her dream job in Charlie Byrne's bookshop and believes there is 'a book out there for every child'

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Announcement of a Two Test International Boxing Series between Ireland and France
Book review: Unravelling every wrongdoing
Journalist, media entrepreneur, and migration activist Fintan Drury has handled the almost impossible task of framing the unframeable in his latest book, 'Catastrophe: Nakba II'

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Karl Whitney: When the journey of a writer hits a wall, it’s the perfect time to reflect
Karl Whitney: When the journey of a writer hits a wall, it’s the perfect time to reflect
While writers ply their trade due to their love of the medium, waiting to reach the next stage in a writer’s career is a unique creative challenge

Fri, 06 Jun, 2025

Author interview: Fighting past the pain barrier to deliver a riveting mystery
Author interview: Fighting past the pain barrier to deliver a riveting mystery
Michelle McDonagh’s third novel focuses on a murder investigation in Blarney, Cork, where multiple layers of the search for truth connect in an immensely well-paced offering

Fri, 06 Jun, 2025

10 books for June: Michelle McDonagh, Bill Clinton, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and more
10 books for June: Michelle McDonagh, Bill Clinton, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and more
Some of this is True by Michelle McDonagh stays close to home in her latest book, where, on an icy morning in January, a young tourist’s body is discovered at the bottom of the Wishing Steps at Blarney Castle

Tue, 03 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Bookshop owner Antonia Daly
Books are my business: Bookshop owner Antonia Daly
Antonia Daly is currently putting books together to sell at the Hinterland Festival, making sure that she has books from all the authors attending the festival

Sun, 01 Jun, 2025

Book review: Oona Frawley brings readers on a raw exploration of the past
Book review: Oona Frawley brings readers on a raw exploration of the past
As both her parents are now dead, Frawley feels able to tackle the thorny subject of her father’s alcoholism, his struggles as an actor, and her mother’s reasons for enduring dysfunction for so long

Sun, 01 Jun, 2025

Book review: IWU members' essays offer first-hand accounts of life after the Contraception Train
Book review: IWU members' essays offer first-hand accounts of life after the Contraception Train
Irishwomen United (IWU) member Evelyn Conlon and academic Rebecca Phelan cement the movement in Irish history

Sun, 01 Jun, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Virginia Evans
Beginner’s pluck: Virginia Evans
When she was 32 and still unpublished, Virginia was accepted on the MFA for creative writing at Trinity College, Dublin, moving her family over 'an life has never been better'

Sun, 01 Jun, 2025

Book review: Memoirs of Ireland’s wars told from an extraordinary ordinary soldier
Book review: Memoirs of Ireland’s wars told from an extraordinary ordinary soldier
Owen O’Shea is no stranger to the War of Independence and Civil War in Kerry. 'One Man’s Ireland' is his third book on this theme

Sun, 01 Jun, 2025

Edinburgh International Book Festival
Author interview: 'What are the politics of belonging if you don't have it'
Sarah Moss’s ninth novel, 'Ripeness', centres on Edith, a happily divorced 73-year-old who has found utter contentment since settling in the Burren

Sun, 01 Jun, 2025

UK - 2007 Edinburgh International Book Festival
Book review: Biography of a biography is an onerous read
An author using an introduction to try to justify a book’s very existence is an uninspiring start to proceedings, writes Sean Kelly  

Sun, 01 Jun, 2025

'Female friendship is not a perfect love story any more than a romantic relationship is'
'Female friendship is not a perfect love story any more than a romantic relationship is'
From Sex and the City to The White Lotus, the complexities of women’s companionship has been a source of fascination for many. Vicki Notaro tells Elle Gordon how the idea of ‘the one’ in female friendships inspired her latest novel

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Book review: Reinterpreting the Irish Famine as a consequence of unbridled capitalism
Book review: Reinterpreting the Irish Famine as a consequence of unbridled capitalism
The central contention in 'Rot' is that Westminster’s response to the starvation was defined by its overarching commitment to the principles of the free market

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Artist and writer Gethan Dick
Beginner’s pluck: Artist and writer Gethan Dick
An optimistic debut, this centres on love, motherhood, childbirth, and resilience and it’s glorious — funny, thought provoking, and wise

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Irish Novelist John Connolly Participates In Vlc Negra Festival
Book review: Ageing sleuth fights old and new demons
'The Children of Eve' will undoubtedly hook die-hard Parker fans and leave them eagerly asking what’s next for their favourite private detective

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Oxford Literary Festival 2025
Book review: Gripping tale of right v wrong
This  nail-biting thriller explores the fine line between justice and revenge and it’s a novel which will be remembered long after you finish it — it’s a triumph

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Latest

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited