Published by Doire Press, Liberty Terrace is the second collection of short stories by Cork writer, Madeleine D’Arcy. I was lucky enough to ‘meet’ Madeleine at the (virtual) Cork World Book Festival in April this year and was thrilled when she contacted me recently and offered to send me a copy of this collection upon publication. So, what’s it all about? Liberty Terrace is a series of linked short stories which take place over a four year period between 2016 and 2020. During this time, we are given access to ‘what goes on behind closed doors’ in the homes and lives of the inhabitants of this ..read more

Freckles is published today by Harper Collins. Today also marks the beginning of the Random Tours blog tour for this much anticipated book by international best seller Cecelia Ahern. As part of the tour, I’m delighted to be able to share the prologue with you, which I’m sure will whet your appetite. PROLOGUE  The crunch of a snail under my shoe, in the darkness. The crack of the shell. The squish. The ooze.  It hurts me at the back of my teeth, a shooting pain through a nerve in my gums.  I can’t pull my foot up fast enough, I can’t rewind, the damage can’t be undone. I’ve hit ..read more

August is my favourite month of the year for many reasons, but mainly because I manage to relax completely from teaching and immerse myself in reading and writing. I’ve blogged about books a little bit less than usual, written more flash fiction and short stories than usual, and I’ve interviewed some amazing people for The Northern Connection Podcast as part of Women In Translation month. On book blogging Book blogging is a strange old hobby – it’s one that can bring huge highs and depressing lows. When posts are well-received and shared by other readers and bloggers, it can be thrilling an ..read more

Synopsis: Stokeland. It sits at a fork between two roads, one a thick, commercial highway bedeviled by ice for ninety percent of the year; the other a stripped, frozen weave of a road, impassable for ten months out of twelve and huddled beneath wedges of brilliant white snow. It is a wonder that Stokeland has any inhabitants at all; but it does, over a hundred souls. Angie, barmaid, too fond of the drink she serves. Gerry, the ancient trapper who has spent too long sleeping in the snow. Frank, teller of tales. Jack and Connor, bound to each other and to a shared life they cannot fulfill. Hett ..read more

An Anthology of Irish Working-Class Voices, edited by Paul McVeigh. The 32 is an anthology of Irish working-class voices, edited by Paul McVeigh, and is the sister project to Kit de Waal’s Common People: a hugely successful collection which was published by Unbound in 2019. From the moment I heard about this book, I knew I would read it and love it – in fact, I was part of the crowd funding campaign, and my name is listed at the back. I also attended the virtual launch, a wonderful event which was warmly hosted by Paul McVeigh, and where I was treated to many of the writers sharing one minute ..read more

A compelling novel full of brilliantly villainous characterisation. Orla Owen is a natural storyteller. Ronan Hession PAH! is Orla Owen’s second novel: The Lost Thumb, her 2019 debut, appeared on many book worm’s Favourite Books of the Year lists. It’s been on my mental TBR since then, but so far, I haven’t managed to get to it but I plan to remedy this before long! Bearing in mind that on Twitter, Orla is warm, friendly, kind and supportive of other bloggers and writers, I was not expecting such a dark read! I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I absolutely love it when books take me comp ..read more

Published by Phoenix books I love Cathy Rentzenbrink – she is so down to earth and normal, and is also fabulously talented. This is her first work of fiction, and as a fan of her non-fiction writing, and of her as a person, I was really keen to get my hands on a copy of Everyone Is Still Alive. Thank you so much to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to read and review the book. So, what’s it all about? Juliet, her husband Liam and five year old son Charlie have just moved into Magnolia Street to a house which has been left to Juliet by her recently deceased mother. Juliet is grieving ..read more

An anthology of stories from the edges, edited by Justin David and Nathan Evans I love short story anthologies; they inevitably introduce me to new authors and lead me down new reading rabbit holes. When Sarah-Louise from Inkandescent contacted me to ask if I’d be interested in reading and reviewing this collection, I was very excited about the premise of Maintstream then further lured by names like Kit de Waal, Paul McVeigh and Kerry Hudson. So, what can you expect from Mainstream? “This is an anthology of 30 stories which brings authors in from the margins to occupy the centre-page. Queer s ..read more

A while back, I read a short story by Elizabeth Baines called Kiss: it lodged itself in my mind for its heart-breaking beauty. I knew I wanted to read more of Elizabeth’s work, so when Anne Cater asked if I’d like to be on this Random Things blog tour, I jumped at the chance! Thank you so much Anne, and to Elizabeth for sending me a copy of the book which is published by Salt and is out now. Synopsis: After Patrick Jackson’s death his estranged daughter Jo begins to try to unravel the mysteries that always surrounded him. Why did he never talk about his past in Ireland? Why was he always so m ..read more

Helga Flatland is a Norwegian writer who is hugely successful in her own country. Her writing has been compared to Anne Tyler’s. Orenda have now published two of Flatland’s books. I read and loved A Modern Family, Flatland’s first book to be translated into English, so I was thrilled to get a place on this Random Things blog tour and to receive an ARC of One Last Time for review purposes – thank you Anne and Karen. Synopsis: Anne’s diagnosis of terminal cancer shines a spotlight onto fractured relationships with her daughter and granddaughter, with surprising, heartwarming results. A moving ..read more