Reading for last few weeks of the summer break
There are some children’s books here for the last few weeks of the summer break. There’s also a book about a life in professional tennis and another one about childless women. There’s a novel about a woman who stays in love with her childhood sweetheart, although for years he has no idea, and there’s another novel about an old, dilapidated ballroom that gets a second lease of life.
Children’s Corner
Cloudspotting for Beginners Gavin Pretor-Pinney and William Grill, Particular Books, €20
This really is a gem of a book for kids, lavishly illustrated and endlessly interesting. And since we’ve had a lot of cloud this summer, might as well know what they are and how they behave! From low-lying Stratus to high-flying Cirrus, not to mention tornadoes, they’re all here, discussed in straightforward language. It’s an ideal book for a collaboration between adult and child and a brilliant way to get kids interested in the world around them, as opposed to their screens. Highly recommended.
Let’s Cook, Buddy Oliver, Michael Joseph, €23
Another collaborative book for parent and child (because you can’t let the nippers use the kitchen unsupervised!) is this book from Jamie Oliver’s son, Buddy. I have never met a child who didn’t like to cook, if given the chance, and on rainy days there’s no better way to kill an hour or two. These are good, nourishing recipes, yet they’re the things kids love; fish finger sandwiches, sausages and beans, spag bol and plenty of sweet treats. A beautifully presented book.
Lugs Branigan, Aidan Harte with Sheila Armstrong, Gill, €14.99
This is the story of the toughest cop on Dublin’s beat. Lugs Branigan was bullied as a child, but when he joined the gardaí, he took up fitness training and boxing, and became a boxing legend while still working on the force. He was known for being tough on criminals in the city centre and took no nonsense. We could do with a few more Lugses in these days! A bright and breezy slice of history with fabulous illustrations for the 7+ age group.
Adults
The Racket, Conor Niland, Penguin Sandycove, €25
Subtitled ‘On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation – and The Other 99 Per Cent’, this is the testimony of a life in pro tennis from Ireland’s former junior and senior tennis champion. It’s a wry look into a ‘seeded’ world where the game is everything and the sacrifices are huge. This is a unique and surprisingly witty account of the lives that elite tennis players lead, but also, more importantly, what life is like for the other ’99 percent’ who, like Niland was, are in the world’s top 200 (he was ranked 129 and played in Wimbledon) but who live a truly precarious existence. Revealing and droll, it’s a must for tennis fans but also extremely readable for non-fans, thanks to Niland’s distinctive voice.
Others Like Me, Nicole Louie, Dialogue Books, €25
It’s an odd thing that here, in the 21st century, women who have chosen not to be mothers are still viewed with a mild, barely disguised, curiosity. For all our strides in the equality game, we haven’t really dealt with this one. A woman who chooses not to be a mother is – if she’s not a nun – seen to be lacking somewhat. Look at Donald Trump’s treatment of Kamal Harris if you’re in any doubt. In this book, Louie takes us through extensive interviews with 14 childless women from across the world, in addition to her own testimony, exploring why some women make this choice and how it can have a devastating effect on their relationships. In a vastly over-populated world, you’d wonder what all the fuss is about. That ‘fuss’ is discussed at length in this book.
The Phoenix Ballroom, Ruth Hogan, Corvus, €17.99
Venetia Hamilton Hargreaves has been recently widowed and left a huge estate and a matching bank balance. She’s 74 years old and far from quietly fading into the wallpaper for her final years, she feels it’s finally time to get on with her life, on her terms, for the time she’s got left. Her son feels differently, but that’s another matter. She buys the dilapidated Pheonix Ballroom, with its drop-in centre and spiritualist church attached, and embarks on its ambitious renovation. This uplit story is exquisitely written, intelligent and funny. And it’s difficult to resist a story where the heroine is a flinty, iron-willed septuagenarian. It’s such a refreshment to find a female protagonist over 35! A bright, witty story for these decidedly dark days.
I Love You, I Love You, I Love You, Laura Dockrill, HQ, €16.99
This is a debut adult novel from a well-known YA (Young Adult) author and unfortunately the YA creeps in from time to time. It’s the story of first love, one that stretches from the teens into the 30s, with most of the love being felt by Ella rather than by Lowe. It’s also loosely based on the author’s personal experience. If you’re still remembering the bittersweet taste of first love, found and then lost, then this book may appeal. It’s definitely for readers not yet ground down by the harsh realities of keeping all the plates spinning, as one must do in a normal, busy, grownup life. David Nicholls addressed the whole first love thing in two novels, One Day and the fantastic Sweet Sorrow, both hugely successful. But then he’s David Nicholls! This novel is on the same track but it’s not as funny, nor as well written.
Footnotes
Write By the Sea, a lit fest in Kilmore, Wexford, that consistently sells out every year, runs from September 27 to 29. My advance warning is for people who want to go (it’s great!) and therefore really need to get booking their tickets now. Dingle Lit, for instance, takes place in November and yet all their weekend passes are already sold out.
The Dunmore East Festival celebrates bluegrass and country music and runs from August 22 to 25. See discoverdunmore.com for details and tickets.
In County Meath, Another Love Story, the annual arts, music and culture festival hosted in the grounds of Killyon Manor, runs from August 23 to 25. See anotherlovestory.ie for more information.