New poetry by Lorna Shaughnessy; Philip McDonagh; Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh; and Padraig Regan
Catriona Clutterbuck on Throat Full of Feathers; Estuary; This Deep; The Matter
Book Reviews
Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus: A novel that starts with great promise but falls short
Most of the characters are puppet-like, reduced to stereotypes
Sinéad Gibney on The Fall of The West by Owen Jones: ‘We all need to read this book’
Despite us being brought up to believe the West is a place of democracy and peace, for many it’s justifiably linked only to death, destruction and corruption
The Song of Stork and Dromedary: the story of the Brontës reimagined
Supernatural a pervasive preoccupation, as is the relationship between sisters, and the circular nature of time
Elif Shafak: ‘This is the age of anger, anxiety, and AI’
The author reimagines Gustave Flaubert in her new novel, asking what literature can offer us in a time of war, political upheaval and uncertainty
The Silence of October by Sharon Guard: Black humour mixes with mystery and foreboding
Rich writing on dealing with grief could have undertaken a slower, deeper exploration
The Last Good Day on the Internet, and The Internet We Could Have Had: How it started vs how it’s going
Books by Mark Little and Christopher M Kelty take radically different approaches to the web’s lost promise
Books in Brief: A revolt against injustice, an artistic coming-of-age tale and a haunting myth
Novels by Sorj Chalandon, Alex Hyde and Madeline Miller
Sci-fi and fantasy: Go with confidence into Grace Curtis’s cleverly conceived otherworld
Plus new works from Lex Croucher, Adam Simcox, James Islington and Benedict Anning
Putting Stephen Hawking’s life under a microscope has a demystifying effect
While the author clearly admires his subject, this is no hagiography
O Now! by Niall Williams: A short story can contain immensities
A tale about listening and attuning oneself to signals from the air
The Glass Cage by John Healy: Stunning record of a life
A blistering honesty defines the prose, a willingness to present the author in an unflattering light
Brian Cowen: Anatomy of a Taoiseach - A ‘political life’ with little on the life of the politician
Well-paced account of Cowen’s public life leaves no clear picture of the man behind the decisions
Fiction in translation: from inner conflict in Ukraine to a Norwegian descent into madness
Books by Valerian Pidmohylnyi, Sevgi Soysal, Olga Tokarczuk, Hernán Ronsino, Glenn Bech and Thure Erik Lund
John McGahern, A Writing Life: Biography of literary giant who understood the human condition
Frank Shovlin provides an authoritative insight into a reclusive figure who was dedicated to his craft
The Boy by Mark Gyves: Promising underworld premise diluted by attention to detail
Cork-based story at its strongest when focusing on The boy and a villainous land baron with eyes on the gangland throne
John McPhee: Encounters in Wild America; Hemingway Knows Nothing; Ninety-Two: A Life in Football Grounds
Showcasing the natural world; Ukraine from the front line; football, ground by ground
What Should My Children Do? by Daniel Susskind: An optimistic book about AI
Susskind leans heavily on the analogy of the calculator as a disruptor to maths education
Protocols by Andrew Huberman: A book about the brain that could change lives
This is science made accessible in the golden age of neuroscience
Ply by Hernan Diaz: Sci-fi thriller and philosophical treatise a marvel of breadth and concept
Multiple threads converge into a research-crammed, physics-dense exploration of consciousness and human essence
Sleepers in the Snow by Joanne Harris: Novel is a mix of ghost story and personal tragedy
Author’s elegant prose captures the anguish of dementia
X + Y = K by Ciaran Carson: Excellent examination of reality in the context of art and war
Novel about modern Spiritualism mixes investigative journalism, ekphrastic essay and swampy detective fiction
Doom Painting by AK Blakemore: A dense, finely crafted narrative of the Peasants’ Revolt
Author’s full-on, pitch-perfect retelling blends visceral brutality with pure poetry
A nuanced and frankly terrifying guide to averting global annihilation
A nuanced and frankly terrifying guide to averting a third World War
This Cursed Beautiful Land review: Evan Gershkovich tells his story of imprisonment in Russia
The Wall Street Journal reporter recounts his arrest, trial and 16 months in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison
The Weight of Angels by John Boyne: What if Oscar Wilde had lived long beyond his 46 years?
A poignant, moving, sometimes funny novel about regret and atonement
Alice Cooper’s new book lacks bite, but the definitive story of The Shadows is masterful
Plus an enlightening overview of Ultravox and the fickleness of fame, and an eloquent broadside against the US country music industry
New crime fiction books, including Jasper Fforde’s funny triumph of human creativity
A 19th novel in the Jack Taylor series from the late, great Ken Bruen, plus compelling works from Carrie Lee South, Mick Herron and Jonathan Ames
Housing the Nation by Lorcan Sirr and Brittle by Ronan Lyons: indictments of an untenable system
Insightful, illuminating works by leading housing commentators both ultimately ask: remembering our past, while looking to the future, what kind of Ireland do we need to build?
Not the Perfect Victim by Nikita Hand: An immense and ongoing act of courage
The voice is clear, natural and readable, staying within the realm of personal testimony
Female Life on Planet Earth by Laleh Khadivi: Too many perspectives, not enough of an emotional thread
Despite qualms, the ending comes together beautifully
Glorious Monsters by Martina Devlin: An engrossing novel about Frankenstein author Mary Shelley
There’s a breathless energy to this novel that celebrates real-life figures in all their genius and flaws
A most enjoyable memoir from a great sportswriter
The Lost Sportswriter: A Life Up Close with Irish Sporting Greatness by Vincent Hogan
How much is anyone to blame for anything? Kathryn Paige Harden seeks an answer
Plus a wonderful and unflinching book from Trish Bourke and an enlightening read from Christopher Insole on questions about God
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices