Tag Archives: book

7 things about The Irish (and Other Foreigners) - the trailer of the book

  By darraghdoyle | November 5, 2009 - 11:42 am | Books, The Culch
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Here’s the trailer for Shane Hegarty‘s new book, just gone online today: Shane, Assistant Features Editor with the Irish Times and co-writer of The Irish Times Book Of The 1916 Rising, sent me a copy of his new book recently, called, as the title of this post suggests, The Irish (& Other Foreigners) From the First People to the Poles. Admittedly I haven’t had the chance to delve in properly, which is frustrating because this is a subject that interests me deeply. Why are the Irish the way they are? What is our genealogical heritage and why does that matter? How does it influence who we are as people and as a culture? The back of the book reads as follows: “Where did the first Irish come from? Where have the Celts gone? What did the Vikings ever do for us? And why is it that Chippers are run by … There’s more →

Dracula The Un-Dead: review

  By Niamh | November 1, 2009 - 9:00 pm | Books, Featured Post, The Culch
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Not too long ago I posted about the upcoming release of Dracula The Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker and the fact that he was coming to Dublin to hold some talks on the book. Sadly I couldn’t make it to the talk but I have just finished reading the book. Having only recently read Dracula for the first time I was really excited to read this ‘official’ sequel, approved by the Stoker family. In my previous post I had mentioned that the format was the same as the original, a story told through a series of letters, telegrams and diary entries. However, this is not entirely true. Although letters, documents, diaries and telegrams do play a part in Dracula The Un-Dead, the story is told through the authors narrative. The story picks up twenty five years after Dracula has been defeated by our band of heroes in Transylvania. Mina and Jonathan … There’s more →

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett - a new Discworld novel - is out now

  By darraghdoyle | October 12, 2009 - 6:49 pm | Books, The Culch
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Imagine my surprise, me, a so-called self respecting pTerry fan, when walking into Chapters yesterday I saw there’s a new Discworld book out. A full novel. Unseen Academicals. The 37th in the Discworld series. A hardback. €19.99. A book I didn’t know was due out so soon. Woot We’re back in good old Unseen University for this one, with Ponder Stibbons, Ridcully, the Librarian and the rest of the wizards up against a rather unexpected challenge not from the Dungeon Dimensions this time… Football has come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork - not the old fashioned, grubby pushing and shoving, but the new, fast football with pointy hats for goalposts and balls that go gloing when you drop them. And now, the wizards of Unseen University must win a football match, without using magic, so they’re in the mood for trying everything else. The prospect of the Big Match … There’s more →

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God - book available now

  By darraghdoyle | October 6, 2009 - 7:10 pm | Books, The Culch
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It’s one of the first blogs I ever read and one I check every week to see what people are confessing. Countless tributes and copies have emerged during the years (since January 1, 2005) but Postsecret still captures the minds, thoughts, emotions and secrets of countless individuals around the world. The latest book in the series, the fifth, is called Confessions on Life, Death, and God and it’s available from today. Here’s the trailer for Frank Warren‘s latest creation, something that started as a community art project. Since November 2004 Warren has received more than 150,000 anonymous postcards. This will be a book I’ll be sure to add to complete the collection.

Pat Ingoldsby’s new book ‘I Thought You Died Years Ago’

  By darraghdoyle | September 29, 2009 - 1:09 am | Books, The Arts, The Culch
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I was only delighted to be wandering down Westmoreland Street on Saturday and see that Pat Ingoldsby has a new book out. His latest collection of poetry (with some prose) is called I Thought You Died Years Ago and though a smaller book than his usual, it’s still packed with poems and thoughts that made me think, laugh and smile. From the back of the book: “People often say to me “I thought you died years ago!” in an accusatory sort of way. Almost as if I have let them down by not doing so. I always apologise and promise to try harder next time”. This collection, his 20th of poetry features some wonderful works. The book is a lovely addition to my already full collection of his work. Certain poems made me laugh out loud, certain ones make me realise just how much Pat knows, loves and laments Dublin … There’s more →

Free on Friday - The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

  By lecraic | September 11, 2009 - 2:13 pm | Books
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What is it? A book by Irish author Michael Scott. What’s it about? Two teenagers who get dragged into a fantastic adventure involving magic, myth, monsters, legends and a book that has the power to destroy the human race if it gets into the wrong hands. Will I like it? If you like fantasy that takes ancient myth and spins it into a roller coasting page turner, you will most definitely like it. Although a children’s book, this is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller that adults will enjoy too. Where can I get it? Via the link on openculture to download the PDF version. What’s the catch? There’s none. This is Free on Friday. It’s Free (and since it’s from the publisher, totally legit). If there is a downside, it’s that when you finish the book you’ll be bursting to get the next one. It’s a trilogy you see. If anyone … There’s more →

Dacre Stoker talks about Dracula The Un-Dead

  By Niamh | September 8, 2009 - 12:19 pm | Books, Events, The Culch
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So it would seem that Dacre Stoker, great nephew of Bram Stoker, has written a sequel to the immortal classic, Dracula along with writer Ian Holt. Happily the sequel, Dracula The Un-Dead, has received the Stoker family seal of approval. The plot and characters have been taken from handwritten notes made by Bram Stoker during the writing of Dracula, with the book beginning in 1912, twenty five years after Dracula had ‘crumbled into dust’. The book is centred around Quincey Harker, the now grown up son of Mina and Jonathan Harker. Having left law school Quincey heads to London to take to the stage. But he stumbles across a stage production of Dracula, being directed by Bram Stoker, and from here Quincey is plunged into the awful secrets of his parents past and the awful truth that something is still out there trying to kill off the original band of … There’s more →

My Sister’s Keeper

  By Niamh | July 14, 2009 - 10:16 am | Books, Movies & TV, The Culch
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‘My Sister’s Keeper’ tells the tale of Anna Fitzgerald, a 13 year old girl who is fed up being used as a donor for her older sister Kate and decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body. Anna was engineered to be an exact match for her sister to try to save her from leukaemia. Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and injections to help her sister, Kate, fight leukaemia. Anna was born for this purpose, her parents tell her, which is why they love her even more. But now she can’t help but wonder what her life would be like if it weren’t tied to her sister’s…and so she makes a decision that for most, at any age, would be too difficult to bear, and sues her parents for the rights … There’s more →