A good read guaranteed with our top picks for summer
Geoff Dyer is one of the most idiosyncratic writers around, but his latest book keeps it simple.
Homework is a memoir of Dyer's youth in England in the 1970s, which means it will resemble computer code for younger readers but will be welcome nostalgia for the older cohort.
For the history-loving centrist
No shortage of options here — traditionally a crowded field and this year's no different. We recently reviewed Philippe Sands latest book, 38 Londres Street, a fitting companion to the gripping East West Street and The Ratline.
It's a slight diversion from Sands' usual stomping ground, the Second World War, but no less entertaining for all that.
For the person who really loved Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan in that movie
Certain periods of history acquire legendary status, and that's certainly true of the 60s in a certain part of New York City.
Earlier this year, we had a look at Talkin' Greenwich Village: The Heady Rise and Slow Fall of America's Bohemian Music Capital by David Browne, and its account of the tumultuous period which led to a creative explosion across a variety of musical genres.
It will surely become the definitive account of that era. The answer may not just be blowin' in the wind, but written in this book.
John Boyne's 'Air' at under 200 pages, makes for a short and satisfying beach read.
For the completist who's nearly there with one writer's work
John Boyne recently brought his ambitious Elements series to an end with Air.
While the subject matter may seem on the serious side, he brings his customary flair to this book which, at under 200 pages, makes for a short and satisfying beach read.
For the person keen to know what journalism was like in the great old days
The name may not ring many bells now, but there was a time when Irish journalist EJ Dillon was known all over the world, and no wonder.
He was present for the assassination of a Russian tsar, the Dreyfus trial, the Spanish-American war, and the Paris Peace Conference.
He counted Tolstoy and Dostoevsky as acquaintances and his personal life was equally eventful.
Kevin Rafter's Dillon Rediscovered: The Newspaperman Who Befriended Kings, Presidents, and Oil Tycoons is a meticulously researched account of Dillon's life made even more extraordinary given his humble origins in the slums of Dublin.
For someone who wants a thriller for a hot day at the beach
Jane Casey's track record is practically a guarantee of quality, and so it proves with her latest book, The Secret Room.
Fans will rejoice as favourites DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent return to try to solve the murder of a wealthy woman in a London hotel room where she was due to meet her secret lover.
A locked-room mystery executed with Casey's usual aplomb, it will have you gripped from beginning to end.
Erling Kagge details the expeditions which tried — not always successfully — to make it to the top of the world. Picture: Simon Skreddernes
For the person who wants to enjoy the heat by reading about the cold
Nobody wants to jinx the weather, but if you want to remember what it's like to freeze, try The North Pole: The History Of An Obsession by Erling Kagge, which details the expeditions which tried — not always successfully — to make it to the top of the world.
It's easier, however, than getting to the South Pole, according to Kagge.
For the music fan who likes to read about someone overcoming obstacles aplenty
Keith Donald is a familiar figure on the Irish music scene, but his memoir, Music and Mayhem, takes us on a journey that goes far beyond the stage and recording studio.
Donald did his tours of duty on Ireland's showband circuit, as a theatre musician, session player, full-time social worker, and arts administrator, but this book also reveals his battles with addiction. An entertaining and engrossing read.
For the sports fan who's also interested in 1970s Ireland
There was a time when the most famous man in the world was running up and down the Dublin Mountains to get ready for a boxing match in Croke Park.
This reissue of The Big Fight: When Ali Conquered Ireland by Cork author Dave Hannigan reaches beyond the square ring and into the nooks and crannies of the Ireland of 50-plus years ago to brilliant effect.
For the politics addict who doesn't really want to be a fortnight without their fix
The recent travails of Keir Starmer's Labour government may obscure the fact that he swept to power in a landslide, but the British prime minister is still a somewhat mysterious figure.
Get In: The Inside story of Labour under Starmer by Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund is a fascinating look at the people now in charge next door.
And the Corkman behind it all — the Morgan McSweeney from Macroom who masterminded Starmer's ascent to power.
Our reviewer correctly questioned the depiction in this book of a young McSweeney belting a sliotar against a wall with his 'hurl'. In Cork? Surely not. Still, a good read.
Catherine Kirwan on Barrack Street, Cork City, where her latest mystery novel is based. Picture: Chani Anderson
For someone looking for a more accurate depiction of Cork
Catherine Kirwan has been bringing her background as a solicitor to bear in chronicling the seamier side of Cork life for some time now, and her newest book doesn't disappoint.
The Seventh Body has a familiar setting for Cork residents — the historic Barrack Street stretch of the city — and readers with good memories will recall the real-life inspiration for the plot. But there's something for everyone in this gripping thriller.
For the high-concept crime thriller fan who likes a vicarious thrill
Carmel Harrington has a well-earned reputation as a master of the emotional family drama, but her new book takes a turn into darker territory and will surely give a few shivers to vacationing parents.
The Stolen Child features a child vanishing from a cruise, but the story goes much further than that enclosed setting. One to read while your children are all present and correct.
For the fan of historical fiction inspired by fact
Joseph O'Connor is an acknowledged master across a range of genres, and The Ghosts of Rome is a terrific portrait of Rome in the Second World War.
It's the second volume in a trilogy but can be enjoyed as a standalone book.
The famous Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty gives way in this book to his female co-conspirator, the Contessa Giovanna Landini. Shenanigans ensue.
For the person who likes a literary biography, or reading about a literary biography
The original of the species is Richard Ellmann's biography of Joyce, which looms over this genre in much the same way Ulysses looms over modern fiction.
Zachary Leader, who has a fair track record in the biography trade himself, has hit upon a decent idea here with a biography of a biography.
His new book, Ellmann's Joyce, is a fascinating account of how the biographer came to write his magnum opus, with quite a lot of information about Ellmann's own life shared out along the way.
For the poetry lover looking for a slim volume
It's been a good year for poetry, and one of Cork's finest talents, Bernard O'Donoghue, shows no signs of slowing down in his latest book.
The former Oxford academic's new collection, The Anchorage, got a glowing review in these pages recently and is well worth delving into.
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Irish Times
6 days ago
- Irish Times
Polari prize: Nominees and judges withdraw over inclusion of John Boyne on longlist
Ten authors nominated for this year's Polari prizes, a set of UK awards celebrating LGBTQ+ literature, have withdrawn from the awards over the longlisting of John Boyne , who has described himself as a 'Terf' – the acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist. Two judges have also withdrawn from the prize process, and more than 800 writers and publishing industry workers have signed a statement calling on Polari to formally remove Boyne from the longlist. Boyne, who was longlisted for the main Polari book prize for his novella Earth , is best known for his 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Author Nicola Dinan, who won the Polari first book prize last year for her novel Bellies, resigned from this year's jury for the debut prize. Guardian journalist Jason Okundaye asked for his book Revolutionary Acts to be removed from this year's first book prize longlist, while Andrew McMillan withdrew his book Pity from the longlist for the overall Polari book prize for non-debuts. Heartstopper author Alice Oseman along with the writers Nikesh Shukla, Julia Armfield, Naoise Dolan , Seán Hewitt and Kirsty Logan are among the hundreds to have signed the statement. READ MORE 'We are profoundly disappointed by the Polari prize's decision to include John Boyne on the longlist for this year's Polari book prize,' the statement reads. Boyne 'has publicly and unequivocally associated himself with trans exclusionary sentiments', it continues, citing an Irish Independent article in which Boyne expresses support for JK Rowling and describes himself as a 'fellow Terf'. Boyne declined to comment. Boyne's 'public statements on trans rights and identity are incompatible with the LGBTQ+ community's most basic standards of inclusion', the statement continues. 'In any year, the decision to include Mr Boyne on the longlist would be, in our view, inappropriate and hurtful to the wider community of LGBTQ+ readers and writers. That the decision has been made this year – in the context of rising anti-trans hatred and systematic exclusion of trans people from public life in the UK and across the world – is inexcusable.' The statement was drafted in response to one made by the Polari prize on August 7th. 'It is inevitable given the challenges we face and the diversity of the lived experience we now represent under the LGBTQ+ Polari umbrella, that even within our community, we can at times hold radically different positions on substantive issues,' it says. 'This is one of those times.' In a statement to the Guardian on Monday, the Polari prize added that the 'past few weeks have been extremely difficult for the trans and non-binary writers and communities' associated with the award. 'The hurt and anger caused has been a matter of deep concern to everyone associated with the prize, for which we sincerely apologise. We accept and respect the decisions of those writers and judges who have chosen to withdraw,' the statement said. 'Despite these events, we are committed to going forward with the prize this year. However, we will be undertaking a full review of the prize processes, consulting representatives from across the community ahead of next year's awards, taking on board the learnings from this year.' The Polari prize was founded by journalist Paul Burston in 2011. The longlists for this year's prize were published on August 1st, with the shortlists due to be announced in late September and the winners on November 27th. The statement in response, which garnered 821 signatures, was organised by the writers Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin and Emma van Straaten. 'We want there to be a literary prize that recognises the vital importance of queer and trans stories,' it concludes. 'That's why we're calling on the Polari prize to formally remove Mr Boyne from the longlist, to restore the integrity of this prize as a safe, inclusive and celebratory space for the LGBTQ+ community.' Other signatories include the writers Nussaibah Younis, Poorna Bell, Daisy Buchanan, K Patrick and Lex Croucher. – Guardian
Irish Examiner
18-07-2025
- Irish Examiner
A good read guaranteed with our top picks for summer
For the middle-aged holidaymaker who isn't averse to nostalgia Geoff Dyer is one of the most idiosyncratic writers around, but his latest book keeps it simple. Homework is a memoir of Dyer's youth in England in the 1970s, which means it will resemble computer code for younger readers but will be welcome nostalgia for the older cohort. For the history-loving centrist No shortage of options here — traditionally a crowded field and this year's no different. We recently reviewed Philippe Sands latest book, 38 Londres Street, a fitting companion to the gripping East West Street and The Ratline. It's a slight diversion from Sands' usual stomping ground, the Second World War, but no less entertaining for all that. For the person who really loved Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan in that movie Certain periods of history acquire legendary status, and that's certainly true of the 60s in a certain part of New York City. Earlier this year, we had a look at Talkin' Greenwich Village: The Heady Rise and Slow Fall of America's Bohemian Music Capital by David Browne, and its account of the tumultuous period which led to a creative explosion across a variety of musical genres. It will surely become the definitive account of that era. The answer may not just be blowin' in the wind, but written in this book. John Boyne's 'Air' at under 200 pages, makes for a short and satisfying beach read. For the completist who's nearly there with one writer's work John Boyne recently brought his ambitious Elements series to an end with Air. While the subject matter may seem on the serious side, he brings his customary flair to this book which, at under 200 pages, makes for a short and satisfying beach read. For the person keen to know what journalism was like in the great old days The name may not ring many bells now, but there was a time when Irish journalist EJ Dillon was known all over the world, and no wonder. He was present for the assassination of a Russian tsar, the Dreyfus trial, the Spanish-American war, and the Paris Peace Conference. He counted Tolstoy and Dostoevsky as acquaintances and his personal life was equally eventful. Kevin Rafter's Dillon Rediscovered: The Newspaperman Who Befriended Kings, Presidents, and Oil Tycoons is a meticulously researched account of Dillon's life made even more extraordinary given his humble origins in the slums of Dublin. For someone who wants a thriller for a hot day at the beach Jane Casey's track record is practically a guarantee of quality, and so it proves with her latest book, The Secret Room. Fans will rejoice as favourites DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent return to try to solve the murder of a wealthy woman in a London hotel room where she was due to meet her secret lover. A locked-room mystery executed with Casey's usual aplomb, it will have you gripped from beginning to end. Erling Kagge details the expeditions which tried — not always successfully — to make it to the top of the world. Picture: Simon Skreddernes For the person who wants to enjoy the heat by reading about the cold Nobody wants to jinx the weather, but if you want to remember what it's like to freeze, try The North Pole: The History Of An Obsession by Erling Kagge, which details the expeditions which tried — not always successfully — to make it to the top of the world. It's easier, however, than getting to the South Pole, according to Kagge. For the music fan who likes to read about someone overcoming obstacles aplenty Keith Donald is a familiar figure on the Irish music scene, but his memoir, Music and Mayhem, takes us on a journey that goes far beyond the stage and recording studio. Donald did his tours of duty on Ireland's showband circuit, as a theatre musician, session player, full-time social worker, and arts administrator, but this book also reveals his battles with addiction. An entertaining and engrossing read. For the sports fan who's also interested in 1970s Ireland There was a time when the most famous man in the world was running up and down the Dublin Mountains to get ready for a boxing match in Croke Park. This reissue of The Big Fight: When Ali Conquered Ireland by Cork author Dave Hannigan reaches beyond the square ring and into the nooks and crannies of the Ireland of 50-plus years ago to brilliant effect. For the politics addict who doesn't really want to be a fortnight without their fix The recent travails of Keir Starmer's Labour government may obscure the fact that he swept to power in a landslide, but the British prime minister is still a somewhat mysterious figure. Get In: The Inside story of Labour under Starmer by Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund is a fascinating look at the people now in charge next door. And the Corkman behind it all — the Morgan McSweeney from Macroom who masterminded Starmer's ascent to power. Our reviewer correctly questioned the depiction in this book of a young McSweeney belting a sliotar against a wall with his 'hurl'. In Cork? Surely not. Still, a good read. Catherine Kirwan on Barrack Street, Cork City, where her latest mystery novel is based. Picture: Chani Anderson For someone looking for a more accurate depiction of Cork Catherine Kirwan has been bringing her background as a solicitor to bear in chronicling the seamier side of Cork life for some time now, and her newest book doesn't disappoint. The Seventh Body has a familiar setting for Cork residents — the historic Barrack Street stretch of the city — and readers with good memories will recall the real-life inspiration for the plot. But there's something for everyone in this gripping thriller. For the high-concept crime thriller fan who likes a vicarious thrill Carmel Harrington has a well-earned reputation as a master of the emotional family drama, but her new book takes a turn into darker territory and will surely give a few shivers to vacationing parents. The Stolen Child features a child vanishing from a cruise, but the story goes much further than that enclosed setting. One to read while your children are all present and correct. For the fan of historical fiction inspired by fact Joseph O'Connor is an acknowledged master across a range of genres, and The Ghosts of Rome is a terrific portrait of Rome in the Second World War. It's the second volume in a trilogy but can be enjoyed as a standalone book. The famous Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty gives way in this book to his female co-conspirator, the Contessa Giovanna Landini. Shenanigans ensue. For the person who likes a literary biography, or reading about a literary biography The original of the species is Richard Ellmann's biography of Joyce, which looms over this genre in much the same way Ulysses looms over modern fiction. Zachary Leader, who has a fair track record in the biography trade himself, has hit upon a decent idea here with a biography of a biography. His new book, Ellmann's Joyce, is a fascinating account of how the biographer came to write his magnum opus, with quite a lot of information about Ellmann's own life shared out along the way. For the poetry lover looking for a slim volume It's been a good year for poetry, and one of Cork's finest talents, Bernard O'Donoghue, shows no signs of slowing down in his latest book. The former Oxford academic's new collection, The Anchorage, got a glowing review in these pages recently and is well worth delving into.
Irish Examiner
05-07-2025
- Irish Examiner
Book review: Memoir rich in literary allusion, social mobility, and so much more
It has become commonplace to laud English writer Geoff Dyer for his versatility, but that makes the praise no less valid. A multi-awarding author of numerous works of fiction, non-fiction, criticism, and other surprisingly genre-defying books, he has now turned his highly accomplished hand to memoir. Homework is an account of Dyer's upbringing in Cheltenham in the 1960s and '70s, a world he evokes in gloriously minute, Proustian detail. Dyer's 1960s working-class childhood is depicted as unapologetically ordinary, filled with the boyish toys and past times that arouse gentle nostalgia for the mid-20th-century world. He writes charmingly about his ever-growing collections of army figurines, Airfix models, Action Man dolls, and bubblegum cards, of playing conkers in the autumn, of the colours and tastes of long-gone sweets, and the rapture of receiving annuals at Christmas. Later, Dyer writes with understated wit and self-deprecation about his adolescent schooldays, detailing his clumsy efforts with girls, his love of football (undiminished by his own mediocrity at the sport), his bookishness, his embarrassing puberty, and his developing sense of physical inferiority. Surrounded by an array of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends, being an only child was never a cause for loneliness. A young Geoff Dyer in his bedroom in his family's home in Cheltenham, England. But, naturally, the two central people in his life — and in the book — are his parents. His portrayal of his reticent, Methodist-background mother Phyllis, whose birthmark tragically afflicted her entire sense of self, is tender and moving. Dyer's more complicated portrait of his father Arthur, a Labour-supporting, Thatcher-despising, staunchly anti-Royalist engineer, is of an unusually tight-fisted and tight-lipped man, who was also self-sacrificing and without any real meanness. He stresses that although they were not poor, his father's internalisation of the wartime rationing spirit simply meant he would never spend any money. Dyer presents distinct dead or diminishing worlds. There is his own vanishing world, the source of the memoir itself. There is the dying world of his parents' generation, and before them, his grandparents', whose farming lives were to the young writer an alien mixture of myth and the Victorian fiction of Thomas Hardy. Dyer's family history also acts as an account of social mobility in England over a century or so. His mother's father, a veteran of the Battle of the Somme, was an illiterate man from rural Shropshire, while much of Arthur Dyer's young life was shaped by the parsimony and violence of wartime experiences. Arthur is depicted increasingly at odds with the post-war consumer boom, constantly complaining about the cost of things, at one point even putting so little petrol in his beloved Vauxhall Victor that he has to coast down inclining roads. Even so, his father could not stop the forces of progress. In 1970, the family moved to a bigger home and, later, Dyer went to study in Oxford. Although Homework is not a book about Dyer's formation as a writer, it is a book rich in literary allusion. Yet, this literariness is never heavy-handed but lightly worn and always illuminating. Dyer is an immensely skilled writer, one who can seamlessly switch from joyfully endorsing his childhood love of sugar to considering, by way of Roland Barthes, the semiotics of an old family photograph. Like all the best memoirs, Homework also reflects on the process of recollection as well as offering a defence of it: 'Can't memory', he asks, 'be a species or form of fact?' The facts of his youth, as he recalls them here, are poignant, joyous, funny, sad and evocative, and offer a portrait of a life of reasonable contentment in post-war England that feels at once both fading and familiar.
