t’s hard to believe I haven’t put together a post-COVID review of the GBC’s year in books. Fear not, gentle reader – here we go. Heading for 2026, we have concluded 2025 with the annual EurobookVision get-together and taken stock…
“Enemies and Neighbours” is a timely read, given the heightened attention on the unfolding tragedy in Gaza. This book reaffirms that the period under study has been marked by one tragedy after another, putting current events into a broader context.…
The late Fergal Tobin’s A City Runs Through Them ambitiously explores the urban evolution of central Dublin through its bridges. Tobin adopts a conceptually intriguing approach, weaving the chronological development of Dublin with the construction and significance of its bridges.…
“Dead in the Water” attempts to unravel the enigmatic events surrounding the alleged hijack and attempted scuttling of the Brillante Virtuoso, an oil tanker embroiled in a complex web of ownership and insurance connections. The book’s initial sections hint at…
I dove into “Prophet Song” during the Christmas break, and I can’t say it provided the festive cheer I may have hoped for. The dark, Stalinesque future it paints for Ireland is undeniably bleak. While I have a soft spot…
My rating: 3.5 of 5 starsIn “Act of Oblivion,” Robert Harris undertakes an ambitious narrative journey, spanning decades, which is a significant departure from the more concentrated temporal scope of his previous works like “V2” and “Munich.” While this expanded…
“Brick by Brick” presents a compelling exploration, primarily geared towards business-minded readers, yet it offers a narrative that may also captivate Lego enthusiasts. This book delves into the tumultuous phases of Lego’s corporate history, detailing its near-catastrophic downfall at the…
I have long been aware of this book – seen it about – and actually had it sitting around – and yesterday finally dove in and was so entranced had to savour my way through. It is both a keystone…
What a thought-provoking wee read. Short, pithy, hinting, and intriguing.
A very quick review in praise of Stephen Clarke’s The Spy Who Inspired Me. A rollickingly good read mimicking Ian Flemming (or Lemming for copyright reasons) that shares one of the hero’s wartime tales demonstrating the vast amount of inspiration…
The fifth in the Wyndham and Banerjee detective series by Abir Mukherjee – The Shadows of Men – continues a stunningly engaging and superbly constructed detective tale set in late Raj-Era India. This volume adopts an alternating POV approach as the principal…
The club as a whole had a bifurcated experience tonight – apologies to all those who could not join in via Zoom. I won’t go on about the experience of being able to have a face-to-face book club after such…