Lydia: A Story by Paula Gooder (Hodder & Stoughton, £16.99 / €19.99) A couple of weeks ago, over a Saturday lunch, we were discussing with a friend in her large rural garden, the question of those recent novels which mix history and fiction. The case in point was Colm Tobin’s book on Thomas Mann. I…
The tenure of Dr Sean Rainbird at the National Gallery ended in September. During his reign he was active in bringing to the Merrion Square Gallery a series of European derived exhibitions which were of immense interest, lively Continental experiences for visitors to enjoy. The Board of the Gallery announced back in August that the…
In the School of Saint Benedict: Benedictine Spirituality for Every Christian by Dom Xavier Perrin OSB (Gracewing, €11.99/£9.99) The author of this little book is currently the superior of Quarr Abbey, beautifully situated overlooking the sea on the Isle of Wight. This was where the Benedictines of Solesmes in Sarthe in the Pays de Loire…
“Your Word is a Lamp on my Path”: Reflections on the weekday readings for the liturgical year 2022-2023 by Martin Hogan (Messenger Publications, €19.95/£18.95) Martin Hogan is the curate at Finglas, Finglas West and Rivermount. Readers can imagine just how busy he must be in his pastoral work. The service to the city comes after…
The Horse of Selene by Juanita Casey, with an afterword by Mary M. Burke (Tramp Press, €16.00/£12.99) We are so flooded these days with works of modern genius, that all too many books once admired, or widely read, or necessary in some way, are driven down into forgetfulness. These books from the past are the…
The Way We Were: Catholic Ireland Since 1922 by Mary Kenny (Columba Books, €19.99/£17.99) Mary Kenny’s new book is of great importance, and in its arrangement will enlighten many about what has become a controversial aspect of our recent past. The first section deals with the course of Irish history, basically since the founding of…
Rainbows and Windmills by Peter Tarleton Stewart (Columba Books, €14.99/£13.99) Peter Tarleton Stewart retired two years ago after 46 years as an active Anglican pastor and parish priest. From those long years of widely spread and varied experience not only among his parishioners, but also with students, the sick and imprisoned, he has seen many…
Cracking the Egyptian Code: The Revolutionary Life of Jean-François Champollion by Andrew Robinson (Thames and Hudson, €14.99/£12.99) People often remark carelessly on what the sacred writings of the Bible and the New Testament “say”. They give little thought, as often as not, to the astonishing ability of being able to read a text in translation…
The Deep End: A Journey with the Sunday Gospels in the Year of Matthew by Tríona Doherty and Jane Mellett (Messenger Publications, €14.95/£12.95) Some readers may be familiar with the authors from their first book written together. Jane Mellett is an experienced pastoral worker, while Tríona Doherty is currently the editor of Reality magazine. God…
God in No 10: The personal faith of the Prime Ministers, from Balfour to Blair by Mark Vickers SPCK, €28.99/£25.00 This is a remarkable book, one which goes where historians have in the past been reluctant to go. It is, even more remarkably, written by a working parish priest in London. As the religious beliefs of…