Fiction reviews Non-Fiction reviews Books for Younger Readers Author Interviews Books News and Features Books Home Page
Author interview: Celebrating the Irish brothers who captured their moments in time
Author interview: Celebrating the Irish brothers who captured their moments in time
The Horgan brothers from Youghal, Co Cork, were pioneers in the fields of photography and cinema, leaving behind an invaluable chronicle of a formative chapter in our creative history

Fri, 01 Aug, 2025

Sarah Jessica Parker in possible conflict of interest over Booker longlisted author
Sarah Jessica Parker in possible conflict of interest over Booker longlisted author
Actor and book prize judge’s production company in process of developing novel by Claire Adam

Wed, 30 Jul, 2025

Revealed: The 13 authors in the running for the Booker Prize 2025
Revealed: The 13 authors in the running for the Booker Prize 2025
The ‘Booker Dozen’ features nine nationalities across four continents

Tue, 29 Jul, 2025

Books are my business: Tramp Press founders Sarah Davis-Goff and Lisa Coen
Books are my business: Tramp Press founders Sarah Davis-Goff and Lisa Coen
‘No better feeling in the world’ than discovering new authors

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025

Book review: Casual misogyny and classism abound in beautifully tackled tale of consent
Book review: Casual misogyny and classism abound in beautifully tackled tale of consent
This vibrant, sometimes hilarious, at times bleak novel set in Belfast, featuring a rich cast of distinctly ‘Erskinesque’ characters is highly recommended

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025

Book review: Familial bonds tested in harsh locale
Book review: Familial bonds tested in harsh locale
Hazel Gaynor's 'Before Dorothy' is moving and uplifting, and you will also learn a lot about the 1920s and 1930s in the US

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Full-time writer Grace Flahive
Beginner’s pluck: Full-time writer Grace Flahive
Funny and heartwarming, 'Palm Meridian' novel portrays a realistic, yet not dystopian view of the future

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025

UK. Gillian Anderson in (C)Black Bear film: The Salt Path (2024). Plot: A couple lose their home and later discover the husband
Karl Whitney: On true stories: If reality is a show, then we want our narrator to win
As fundamentally optimistic readers, we want to see our literature conform to the worldview of how to overcome adversity

Fri, 25 Jul, 2025

Author interview: Untold story of Irishman who survived a slave labour camp
Author interview: Untold story of Irishman who survived a slave labour camp
Don Ferguson, an accountant in Singapore during the Second World War ended up in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, and was lucky to survive to tell the tale

Fri, 25 Jul, 2025

Woman is typing on a laptop keyboard while lying on a sofa at home in the dark.
New Irish writer getting rave reviews — but nobody knows who they are
Pen names have a long history. Now Liadan Ní Chuinn is shunning publicity in an industry that demands ever more exposure

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Book review: A captivating read that’s hard to forget
Book review: A captivating read that’s hard to forget
'The Wildelings' explores how our childhoods impact on us and our relationships and exposes the vulnerability of young adults trying to adapt to the world

Sat, 19 Jul, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Full-time writer Hattie Williams
Beginner’s pluck: Full-time writer Hattie Williams
'Bitter Sweet' is fast-paced novel that deals with grief, past trauma, and relationship power play

Sat, 19 Jul, 2025

Book review: Little glamour, lots of graft: A look at every aspect of political life in Ireland
Book review: Little glamour, lots of graft: A look at every aspect of political life in Ireland
'The Secret Life of Leinster House' gives the common citizen a clearer understanding of the good, and the not so good, of our law makers

Sat, 19 Jul, 2025

Books are my business: Illustrator and author Margaret Anne Suggs
Books are my business: Illustrator and author Margaret Anne Suggs
Margaret lectures at Ballyfermot College of Further Education, where she founded the illustration course, and is also director of Illustrators Ireland

Sat, 19 Jul, 2025

Book review: Makings of a masterpiece
Book review: Makings of a masterpiece
Use the Words You Have  Kimberly Campanello  Somesuch Editions, £9.

Sat, 19 Jul, 2025

2014 Winter TCA Tour - Day 13
Author interview: Finding new life among the hidden worlds at the ‘Ends of the Earth’
'If life can thrive and survive under the ice in Antarctica, it might also be possible it can thrive in extraterrestrial environments too'

Fri, 18 Jul, 2025

A good read guaranteed with our top picks for summer
A good read guaranteed with our top picks for summer
Whether you’re a fan of fiction, a politics addict, or a history buff, there is plenty to throw into your book bag this summer

Fri, 18 Jul, 2025

Book review: Distorted view of reality is a common theme
Book review: Distorted view of reality is a common theme
Marni Appleton presents us with a glimpse of sexually fluid, uncertain, and hedonistic characters in 'I Hope You're Happy'

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Full-time writer Shane Tivenan
Beginner’s pluck: Full-time writer Shane Tivenan
The compassionate stories in this collection examine outsiders — showing interactions between the ‘lost’ and the ‘normal’ world

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

Book review: Twisty thriller keeps us guessing
Book review: Twisty thriller keeps us guessing
'The Woman in Suite 11' is the ideal holiday read for those who enjoy tense, psychological thrillers; it’s the definition of a page-turner

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

Book review: The short but extraordinary life of the Border Commission
Book review: The short but extraordinary life of the Border Commission
What 'The Root of All Evil' clearly shows is neither Sinn Féin nor the subsequent Free State government had a coherent plan on how to deal with the Ulster Unionists

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

Books are my business: Dublin Unesco City of Literature director Anne-Marie Kelly
Books are my business: Dublin Unesco City of Literature director Anne-Marie Kelly
'I help to promote Dublin as a city of literature, support the literary community, and strengthen links between the partners'

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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: 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

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

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

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

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

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

Latest

Scene & Heard

Newsletter

Music, film art, culture, books and more from Munster and beyond.......curated weekly by the Irish Examiner Arts Editor.

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

© Examiner Echo Group Limited