Caroline E. Farrell's Blog, page 2

December 16, 2020

The Librarian’s Cellar: Boys Don’t Cry by Fíona Scarlett

Set in the soul of inner city Dublin, a family struggles with the lot of their circumstances and the wolf of criminal menace at their door. At the core are two brothers, one fading, the other lusting for an alternative life that they both deserve. Gritty. Devastating. This story will linger.


My thanks to Netgalley and Faber Books for the opportunity to read this ARC, due for publication in April, 2021.

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Published on December 16, 2020 06:32

November 27, 2020

Librarian’s Cellar: Some recommended reads…


WALKING WITH GHOSTS


A joy to read. Byrne’s memoir is beautifully told, his visual writing evoking laughter, but also profound sorrow through powerful and deeply personal reminiscence. Whether describing aspects of his childhood, his life in Ireland or his career adventures abroad, every experience is recounted with honesty, dignity, humility, and a riveting sense of place. My thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read this book.


 



A GHOST IN THE THROAT


“Perhaps the past...

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Published on November 27, 2020 07:50

November 9, 2020

BOOMER TRUDY: A Short Story

Delighted to share a short story of mine, recently published by Epoque Press in the 7th Edition of their é-zine, on the theme of ‘Isolation’.





You can read BOOMER TRUDY alongside some other wonderful work, HERE





Feature Image is copyright of Epoque Press. 2020

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Published on November 09, 2020 02:07

July 3, 2020

The Librarian’s Cellar Recommended Reads 2020: Monstrous Souls by Rebecca Kelly

Ten years ago, Heidi survived a horrendously savage attack, during which her best friend was murdered and her little sister went missing. Amnesia has plagued her, but now, she is beginning to remember…



Monstrous Souls is a tough read in relation to the sexual abuse and trafficking of children, though it is extremely well handled by the author, Rebecca Kelly. A taut thriller, the reader journeys alongside Heidi as she discovers clues from her slowly re-emerging memories… and the truth that shock...

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Published on July 03, 2020 03:00

April 5, 2020

On Writing: It’s just you and the words

Unprecedented days. If youre struggling, youre not alone and you know what unless you are one of our magnificent and brave frontline/essential services workers, not afforded the option of self-isolating staying safe, healthy and sane are all that most of us need to concentrate on right now.

For the writers among us, productivity may have waned, which may also have us feeling a strange kind of guilt, so I thought Id share this Facebook post from 2011:

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This was a much appreciated break in...

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Published on April 05, 2020 04:26

March 31, 2020

The Librarian’s Cellar Books 2020: Actress by Anne Enright

 

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Katherine ODell is an Irish theatre legend. As her daughter Norah retraces her mothers celebrated career and bohemian life, she delves into long-kept secrets, both her mothers and her own.

The narrator, Norah is a writer. In order to make meaning of her own experiences (the ghost in my blood) she remembers her mothers life and career. A tumultuous life that culminated in great sadness

There is pain and grief for Norah, but there is also catharsis, and for the reader, so much more between...

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Published on March 31, 2020 04:47

March 27, 2020

The Librarian’s Cellar Books 2020: Sisters by Daisy Johnson

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An eerie glimpse into the lives of haunted people, SISTERS is compelling and beautiful.

Born just ten months apart, July and September are as close as twins, never needing anyone but each other. When their single mother moves them to Settle House, a palpable unease slowly emerges, as do a series of unsettling revelations that will keep you reading until the very end.

Multi-faceted in theme and style, SISTERS creeps upon you and is completely absorbing.

 

Published July 2020. My thanks to...

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Published on March 27, 2020 03:00

March 23, 2020

Taking time out… and not writing.

Strange days are these, and everywhere I turn, there is advice for writers. How to make the best of all this spare time during social isolation. How to be more productive. How to finish that WIP. And I fell into all of it putting pressure on myself to produce, to create, though nothing of worth was emerging.

I was riddled with guilt that I wasnt writing until I copped on!

So I stopped trying. Left it alone. Shut the laptop and stacked the notebooks. I read more books, practiced my amateur...

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Published on March 23, 2020 05:16

March 13, 2020

The Librarian’s Cellar Books 2020: Recollections of My Nonexistence: A Memoir by Rebecca Solnit

Rebecca Solnit has written prolifically on feminism, politics and art, and while not a traditionally written memoir, Recollections of my Non-Existence is an interesting and relatable insight into her formative years, charting a journey of enlightenment, experiences and friendships that influenced her writing and activism.

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More importantly, the book shines a light on the experience of Rebecca, and indeed, for all women, finding their space in the world a world, that because of our gender, is...

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Published on March 13, 2020 06:48

February 20, 2020

The Librarian’s Cellar Book Recommendations 2020: You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce

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Fantastical, sinister and disturbing. Unreliable narrator, Cassandra Tipp is an elderly author, and she is missing. However, she has left a manuscript for her niece and nephew to read which details her strange and harrowing life, while also holding a password to accessing the vast fortune she has accumulated from her romance novels.

Cassandra’s story is darkly surreal and woven around her lifelong relationship with ‘Pepper-man’ a vampiric faerie (yes!) and his community of woodland...

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Published on February 20, 2020 03:22