Long haul flight coming up and 5 books downloaded to my kindle just in case there are any spare moments on the 21 hours in total flights...
When we were Silent by Fiona Mc Phillips
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Girl in the Making by Anna Fitzgerald
The Coast Road by Alan Murrin
The Axeman`s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey.
My reading list was helped along by the wonderful book receommender that is @littlecassreads Aoife is actually better than ChatGTP. I asked her for good literary wriitng but easy going fiction for long journeys...She quickly came up with above! (Minus the Girl in the Making as that is a book club read)
Wish me luck!
What are you all reading this summer and what would you recommend for loooooooong flights?
#rozzie #australia
#sydney #perth #cairns #adelaide #melbourne #greatcoastaldrive #reading #emirates
Jul 20
Liam Gallagher, Thomond Park, Limerick, 14th July 2024.
The year is 1994. I have finished my Junior Cert year and I ready for the two years of study that will culminate in the Leaving Cert 1995. However, there is always time to stop and the album "Definitely Maybe" by Oasis made me do so!
I remember hearing this album in our favourite location in Belmullet-The Fiddler`s Green pub which is now a shell. The pub at the front was a normal standard one wherear at the back there was a wide open area with a dance floor and a 16 year old DJ from Belmullet, Ciaran Dixon. He played such cool vinyls, introduced me and my friends to the best in tunes!
When he threw this album on with this track "Live Forever", it sounded so fresh and you know what, it still does!
Liam Gallagher with fellow bandmate from Oasis, Bonehead minus Noel Gallagher played Thormon Park last night. They did the entire "Definitely Maybe" album, a 30 year anniversary celebration. Hard to believe. Plus a couple of excellent B-sides like Half the world away and It`s good to be free ( which incidentally sounded so good live!)
I saw Oasis in March1996 in The Point when I was in UCD with my cousin @clardeburca and we got right to the front! To be honest, the gig was night was as good and Liam`s voice has improved no end!
Last night was made even more special as I got to rock out to Liam Gallagher with my favourite people-Simon and Emrys. This was Emrys` first gig and a great way to introduce him to quality stuff!
My first gig was New Kids On The Block in Birmingham NEC Arena with @treens80 and @simonmlewis was Jason Donovan.
I would recommend getting tickets to Liam in Belfast in August as I have this awful feeling that this might be the last time we hear "Oasis", I doubt they will reform and this was the next best thing.
Live forever.
#liveForever
#liamGallagher
#Oasis
#90s
#indiepop #rozzie
@liamgallagher
Jul 15
The Amendments by Niamh Mulvey.
I loved this.
Thanks to @dubraybooks for my copy.
Beautifully crafted and written. Niamh skillfully brings the lives of three women from a family together to show family trauma. Couldnt fault one thing about this apart from it ended.
#rozzie
#niamhmulveyauthor
#the Amendments
Jul 8
Festival of Writing and Ideas 2024.
Very hard always to summarise the fun, thinking, talking and book buying that goes on on the grounds of Borris House every June. This was the 12th edition and we proudly have been to every single one. Emrys has been to every one since he was born as well! Over the years we have built up a groups of friend that head down and catch up in between the talks and at times these are the best times now!
From the brilliant Kevin Barry reading alongside the Ye Vagabonds performiing to Elizabeth Strout being interviewed by Minnie Driver, there were so many good talks. I saw Claire Kilroy talk about her new book, Soldier, Sailor, which I deboured and can reveal is excellent! Maria Cahill and Martin Doyle speaking on the troubles up North. David O Doherty and Dylan Moran both doing their comedian thing. Very funny especially David with his cheap keyboard act. Lots of talks about the environment from Adam Clayton and Isabella Tree, as is the norm iin Borris Fest.
Anne Enright was in great form being interviewed by Martin Doyle.
All in all, I could not believe when it was over! Really is it over? Did it happen? These photos tell me it did.
Onwards to 2025!
PS Kevin Barry a highlight for me. The way he performs his work is worth the weekend alone and he is a gentleman to his fans, which there are many and diverse.
#rozzie
#festivalofwritingandideas #borrisHouse #carlow #writing #literature #literaryFiction #fiction #kevinBarry
Jun 19
Water by John Boyne.
My first John Boyne read, shock!
This was super fast to read and get into and it turned out fine.
It reminded me of Ann Griffin but not as good.
It`s about a woman who moves to a remote island off the coast of Ireland to escape her past and her husband.
Its a familiar feel, for sure.
I knew within pages what she was escaping from and what her husband had done.
The writing is good but the landscape of the sea and the very oirish characters ie the red faced publican and the very welcoming priest with the next door neighbour gossips are over used.
The content should be dark and almost unspeakable but it`s dealt with too lightly and it doesn`t delve into things the way I would presume a master writer like John Boyne should.
This is the first book from four books released every six months. Written quickly about topical themes in Ireland so it might appeal to some.
Try Donal Ryan or Ann Griffin for better of this
#rozzie #novel #whatiamreading
May 22
The heart in winter by Kevin Barry.
Highly anticipated and i was highly honoured to get my hands on a review copy of Mr. Barry`s latest!
A gorgeous love story with at last a Kevin Barry novel that has brilliant plotting abd pacing. I adore his short fiction but only like his novel writing but this book is not only cleverly written in that very funny Kevin Barry turn of phrase but the chapter ends leave you hanging. Its very Country and Western but laced with irishness somehow!
Thank you to @doubledaybooks @penguinrandomhouse @netgalley for this review copy. Now the countdown is on as Kevin is reading at @writingandideas 2024! #kevinbarryauthor #rozzie
May 20
Cúirt 2024.
First time for us and what a time it was!
Ropes Literary Journal launch first up with me getting a story published in amongst fine company and the most loveliest editors I`ve met!
A slug and a snail, a bilingual play as Gaeilge and Béarla was simply sweet about its message. We have different ways and different homes but we are the same yet different and we can get along. #slugandsnail #travellerWriting
Paul Lynch`s reading and interview was packed with book club members, methinks. A solid, giving interview from Paul on his not dystopian novel and booker winning, Prophet Song.
Then, a short story nerd fest reading in the shape of Mary Costello and Tom Morris whose stories I love very much.
Pizzas @thedoughbrothers @pratai chips and massive burgers in #scottysburgersandwingsgalway plus Salthill, Leisureland, Charlie Brynes Bookshop.
Cúirt,we will return!
#rozzie
#cuirtfestival
#writing
Apr 28
The postcard by Anne Berest.
😘 this, a beautiful auto -fiction from an author who ponders on the sender of a mysterious postcard to her family when she was a child. She goes on a mysterious adventure to find out who sent the postcard and who her family were, what it means to be Jewish and the idea of trauma reliving again and again in a family history of the holocaust.
So well written and paced and the ending is perfect. Top recommendation from me and @littlecassreads
#rozzie #autofiction #reading
Apr 23
Rough Beast by Máiría Cahill.
Mairia Cahill writes about her life growing up with Sinn Fein and the IRA: her great-uncle Joe was one of the main founders of the Provisional IRA and her grandfather was Gerry Adams’s mentor in the republican movement.
When she was 16, she was sexually abused repeatdely by a prominent IRA man from Belfast and her Aunty`s husband.
A friend recommended this to me and seeing as she is going to speaking at the Festvial of Writing and Ideas, I thought I woud give it a go!
It is a long book and it goes into minute detail of every minute, hour and day that the author suffered as she attempted to bring Sinn Fein, the IRA and her abuser to justice.
I think this book could have benefited from a ghost author to support Máiría as no doubt what happenned to her was so harrowing that it was so difficult to get it all out so I think she just decided to get every single little meeting and text, email, photo etc out. This does not help the narrative of the book and at times I felt overwhelmed by the constant meetings she had with the IRA, the police, the media or politicians. Every tweet she made is detailed! New names and characters are often thrown in without introduction and I could not keep up!
However, this is a very interesting read as it she gives a brilliant account of the IRA, sinn fein and leaves us in no doubt as to who Gerry Adams is and the connections between IRA and Sinn Fein.
#rozzie
#roughBeast
#memoir
#irishWriter
Apr 7
Barcelona by Mary Costello.
Mary`s second short story collection is just so good. I read this every second i could. As good if not as brilliant as Claire Keegan`s short fiction. The choc-ice woman is a stand out story ans the longest in the collection. It ends with another stand out story, The Killing Line. We have recurring themes of women who are struggling with isolation and loneliness and cruelty towards animals rears its head frequently. I have to say that the irish short story absolutely is the best in the world! I can only recommend this collection. You`ll be rewarded! Looking forward to hearing Mary speak with Thomas Morris at @cuirtfestival in Galway in April.
#shortStory
#marycostello
#irishwriters
#rozzie
Mar 28
Into thin air by Jon Krakauer. This is a book written by a journalist who took part in a fateful expedition to Mount Everest in 1996. I feel like everyone I`ve spoken to has read this or knew about it! I really enjoyed this. Evocative and bursting with some great characters.
#rozzie
Mar 24
Out of it by Selma Dabbagh
A Palestinian novel set in Gaza, London and The Gulf. It follows three Palestinian siblings all trying to forge their own journey through the conflict and occupation. Very well written. Published in 2011 which interested me as it reads as current day sadly.
#rozzie #novel #selmadabbagh
Mar 16
There`s something I have to tell you by Michelle Mc Donagh.
The only reason i finished this book was to find out who murdered who?
I probably could have just googled the summary.
A big nope from me. The writing was 100% telling and zero showing. The whole thing was implausible. The characters unlikeable and unreal.
Onwards...
#rozzie
Mar 3
