blog

The Art of the Glimpse: 100 Irish Short Stories

The Art of the Glimpse is a radical revision of the canon of the Irish story, uniting classic works with neglected writers and marginalised voices – women, LGBT writers, Traveller folk-tales, neglected 19th-century authors and the first wave of 'new Irish' writers from all over the world now making a life in Ireland.
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22 March 2021

This book will put you to sleep

It’s four in the morning and I can’t sleep. I reach for the book I received as a Christmas present, Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker. Is someone trying to tell me something!
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19 March 2021

Sea swimming

Leap in by Alexandra Heminsley is one of a number of books I looked at reading because of my interest and new found habit of sea swimming.
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18 March 2021

Happy Birthday Lady Gregory

Lady Gregory is best known for her renditions of Irish myths and legends and for founding the Abbey Theatre in Dublin with W.B. Yeats. She was an important figure in the Irish Literary Revival. Lady Gregory was of great importance for the cultural life of Ireland and played a significant role in shaping the National Theatre of Ireland.
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15 March 2021

Comic Books Are Cool

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Batman. Wolverine. Green Lantern. Superman. The Incredible Hulk. Men in Black. Captain America. The Fantastic Four. Iron Man. Spider-Man.
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12 March 2021

Brilliant, sharp, inspiring - Short Introductions

Last year The Very Short Introductions launched a Podcast. A concise and original introduction to a wide range of subjects - from Ancient Greece to Fashion, the Middle Ages to Children's Literature, and Atheism to EU Law - by the expert authors of the 'Very Short Introductions' series
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11 March 2021

Researching your family history: Irish men who fought in WW1

Welcome to the 4th week in this second series. Last week we looked at the McLeod brothers from Gorey and how the Irish Army had awarded them medals for the part they played in the War of Independence.
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10 March 2021

Two of my favourite things

I love reading and listening to music. Lately I have discovered some musicians who are also gifted writers. Tracey Thorn is a magnificent singer and started out in 1980s indie bands The Marine Girls and Everything But the Girl.
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9 March 2021

A catchphrase for empowering women

Today I have chosen Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg to review. To find this book just log into your Borrowbox account and search by title or author.
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8 March 2021

While the music played

Highly worthy of its place on the 2021 Dublin Literary Award Longlist, this début novel by Canadian author Nathaniel Lande (nominated by the Hungarian Katona József Library of Bács-Kiskun County), is a notable addition to the Holocaust fiction canon.
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5 March 2021