A Review of “Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan: a powerful historical fiction about teen pregnancies
Book Reviews / Irish / The Latest

A Review of “Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan: a powerful historical fiction about teen pregnancies

Keegan is an Irish author who grew up in Ireland but she has also lived in the United States, Wales, and is now back in Ireland. Her writing, like all Irish writing seems to have to beauty and softness about it that I can’t quite explain, but truly love to read. I’ve written about my love of Irish authors a lot on this blog and one of my favourites is Niall Williams’ This is Happiness. You can read my review of Williams’ book here. Continue reading

Review of Niall Williams “This Is Happiness”: when the rain stops in Faha
Book Reviews / Irish / The Latest

Review of Niall Williams “This Is Happiness”: when the rain stops in Faha

When a telephone gets installed in Noe’s home, people line up to call loved ones from afar. However, the telephone calls are not really considered private. And indeed, many of the villagers feel that writing things down and sending letters is much more intimate and personal. Continue reading

Reading Class: A review of Sally Rooney’s “Normal People”
Book Reviews / Irish / The Latest

Reading Class: A review of Sally Rooney’s “Normal People”

That’s money, the substance that makes the world real. There’s something so corrupt and sexy about it. Sally Rooney’s novel, Normal People, follows the lives of Connell and Marianne, two high school students from Sligo, West Ireland, and their journey’s of self discovery, love, and friendship. The story is built on the foundations of class … Continue reading

Understanding Black Hair Culture: a review of Emma Dabiri’s “Don’t Touch My Hair”
African / Irish / Nigerian / nonfiction / The Latest

Understanding Black Hair Culture: a review of Emma Dabiri’s “Don’t Touch My Hair”

Emma Dabiri’s part memoir part scholarly investigation of African hair culture in and outside of African countries is close to my research heart. I have always been fascinated by female hair and beauty and the culture around it. So much so, that I wrote my master’s thesis on Black hair. Female hair and beauty are … Continue reading

Millennials and Money: a review of Sally Rooney’s “Conversations With Friends”
Book Reviews / Irish / The Latest

Millennials and Money: a review of Sally Rooney’s “Conversations With Friends”

Conversations With Friends was Sally Rooney’s debut novel published in 2017. Set in Ireland, the story follows the closely-knit and complicated relationships of Frances and Bobbi, who are both university students in their early 20s, and Melissa and Nick, a married couple in their early 30s. With these two couples, Rooney already offers up a … Continue reading

“When All Is Said”: a review of Anne Griffin’s knockout debut novel
Book Reviews / Irish / Opinion Pieces / reading / The Latest / Travel

“When All Is Said”: a review of Anne Griffin’s knockout debut novel

Note: plot spoilers and discussions of death by suicide. Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. Clicking through for additional information or to make a purchase may result in a small commission. In February this year, I had the chance to go to Ireland for a long weekend. I’ve been threatening to visit Ireland for … Continue reading