Summer Stars runs from Tues 4 June to Sat 31 August. Get Reading! Now that school is over you can still spark your imagination, join in activities and take part in our exciting Summer Stars challenge.
End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites and the Path of Political Disintegration by Peter Turchin
By some estimates, 49% of the world’s adult population is due to vote in elections in 2024 and what better way to begin the year than with Turchin’s brilliant book about how much trouble some of these same societies are in.
Public libraries are currently delivering the nationwide Healthy Ireland at Your Library programme that will establish libraries as a valuable source within the community for health information.
The Great Recoil: Politics after Populism and Pandemic
In this insightful, thought-provoking and ultimately hopeful book, Italian sociologist and political theorist Paulo Gerbaudo argues that the devastating recession which followed the 2008 financial crash and the more recent Coronavirus pandemic have led to The Great Recoil.
Here are some of the most popular titles borrowed by you in 2022, our book-loving Dublin City library members. It’s great to see the One Dublin One Book choice, the Dublin Literary Award winner and some short-listed titles making the list. And always great to see Irish writers featuring so strongly as well.
Has Dublin Festival of History whet your appetite for history? Well look no further than your local library! We have lots of great history reads and resources for everyone, from the mildly curious to the practising historian.
Bog bodies suffered violent and grisly deaths. Of these bodies, the most famous, Cashel Man was discovered near Portlaoise in 2011, and at over 4000 years old, is said to be the oldest European bog body ever found with skin intact; then there is Old Croghan Man from Co. Offaly, and Clonycavan Man from Co. Meath. At 6’6", Old Croghan Man, who was killed between 362 BC and 175 BC, was a giant of a man. He bore the appearance of a nobleman from his well-manicured soft hands to his diet, rich in meat. Clonycavan Man was little more than 5 ft and used pine resin to keep his hair in place, probably sourced from Spain (a precursor to hair gel!) and demonstrates that he was a person of some wealth and standing in the community.Photo on the left shows the bog body found in Cashel Bog. Old Croghan man had holes cut through his upper arms through which ropes were inserted to restrain him, after which he was repeatedly stabbed, had his nipples sliced off, and was then cut in half. Clonycavan man was disemboweled and suffered three blows to the head with an axe, once across his body, and then had his nipples removed too. Ned Kelly, former keeper of antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland told the Irish Examiner that a clear pattern has emerged in each case. "We do not think of these bog bodies in the same way as we do axes or implements that are found," he said."You have to remember that these are individuals and it is absolutely essential to deal with their remains in a dignified manner. There would be no justification for taking these bodies unless we do so with respect and with the serious intent to tell their stories on their behalf.""Human sacrifice was apparently a normal part of the Celtic rituals, especially of kings in hard times. The killings tend to be excessive in that more is done to the bodies than would be required to bring about their deaths. Bog bodies may have their throats cut, been stabbed in the heart and have other cut marks. However, it is absolutely not torture, but a form of ritual sacrifice.""The king had great power but also great responsibility to ensure the prosperity of his people. Through his marriage on his inauguration to the goddess of the land, he was meant to guarantee her benevolence. He had to ensure the land was productive, so if the weather turned bad, or there was plague, cattle disease or losses in war, he was held personally responsible."Cutting the nipples was more than torture. The aim was to dethrone the king. "Sucking a king’s nipples was a gesture of submission in ancient Ireland," says Kelly. "Cutting them would have made him incapable of kingship in this world or the next.""By using a range of methods to kill the victim, the ancient Irish sacrificed to the goddess in all her forms. This manner of death is peculiar to the ritual killing of kings. It means that a king was being decommissioned."
Recommended reads if the world is making you anxious
Is the modern world doing our heads in? Here are some books that may throw some light on the subject and give us food for thought and some laughs along the way. How do we stay human in a technological world? and other questions are treated with wit, tenderness, and honesty. Marianne Power was stuck in a rut. Then one day she wondered: could self-help books help her find the elusive perfect life? She decided to test one book a month for a year, following their advice to the letter. What would happen if she followed the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? Really felt The Power of Now? Could she unearth The Secret to making her dreams come true? What begins as a clever experiment becomes an achingly poignant story. Because self-help can change your life – but not necessarily for the better. Help Me! is an irresistibly funny and incredibly moving book about a wild and ultimately redemptive journey that will resonate with anyone who’s ever dreamed of finding happiness. Perfect for readers who enjoyed Everything I know About Love by Dolly Alderton, Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon and Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig.Rules for Being a Man: Don't cry. Love sport. Play rough. Drink beer. Don't talk about feelings. But Robert Webb has been wondering for some time now: are those rules actually any use? To anyone? Looking back over his life, from schoolboy crushes (on girls and boys) to discovering the power of making people laugh (in the Cambridge Footlights with David Mitchell), and from losing his beloved mother to becoming a husband and father, Robert Webb considers the absurd expectations boys and men have thrust upon them at every stage of life. Hilarious and heartbreaking, How Not to Be a Boy explores the relationships that made Robert who he is as a man, the lessons we learn as sons and daughters and the understanding that sometimes you aren't the Luke Skywalker of your life – you're actually Darth Vader.The world is messing with our minds. Rates of stress and anxiety are rising. A fast, nervous planet is creating fast and nervous lives. We are more connected, yet feel more alone. And we are encouraged to worry about everything from world politics to our body mass index. How can we stay sane on a planet that makes us mad? How do we stay human in a technological world? How do we feel happy when we are encouraged to be anxious? After experiencing years of anxiety and panic attacks, these questions became urgent matters of life and death for Matt Haig. And he began to look for the link between what he felt and the world around him. Notes on a Nervous Planet is a personal and vital look at how to feel happy, human and whole in the 21st century.Access eBooks/eAudiobooks on your phone, tablet or reader. Once you have installed the app, search for Dublin in the ‘Library’ field provided and then sign in using your library membership card number and PIN. Watch our how to video on Borrowbox. Members of other library authorities will need to log in using a different link.
In this book Tim Costelloe examines the concept of faith on many levels, moving from his own personal experience to wider society and the various cultures and institutions that shape the world in which we live. Outlining the impact of historical religious events e.g. the Reformation as well as more recent tribal ones e.g. the war in Rwanda, he emphasises the significance of one’s values or lack of, on the life that’s lead.Citing different empirical research, other renowned authors and spiritual leaders he examines the popular secularism of to-day as well as the scientific arguments put forward in relation to this topic. His own vast life experience and career as CEO of the charity World Vision Australia leads him to state that faith “is deeper than happiness and speaks to identity and conviction”.Faith is an important message of hope and reconciliation – as well as an invitation to think about the many soul-searching events that challenge belief. In a world that is so often challenging, with events that cause us all to wonder what is going on, Tim Costello takes us on a journey through the notion of faith and how we all need to believe in something greater than ourselves, no matter what religious background we are from.Tim explores some of the world's most challenging issues, including refugees, corruption, war, intolerance, poverty, inequality and global warming. He meditates on what is going wrong and points out how we so often lose sight of our shared humanity. He points us to an inclusive faith, bringing people from across the spectrum of society together. Here, Costello gives us reason to pause and consider our world from the myriad perspectives of others as he meditates on the importance of true faith to humanity.Access eBooks/eAudiobooks on your phone, tablet or reader. Once you have installed the app, search for Dublin in the ‘Library’ field provided and then sign in using your library membership card number and PIN.Members of other library authorities will need to access BorrowBox using a different link. Check out our how-to BorrowBox video.Submitted by Mairead from the Relief Staff Panel
I’ve picked a few books to help us understand the dogs that share our lives and living spaces, how we didn’t actually domesticate dogs, they chose to befriend us. How they prefer their owners' company to that of other dogs, and how they are naturally cooperative and instinctively drawn to generous people.