Month: February 2023

SOMERS DEBUT, IS A BOUTIQUE HOTEL, THAT PROVIDES SOMETHING FOR EVERY TASTE. BUT ESPECIALLY THOSE INTERESTED IN MODERN IRISH HISTORY

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last year marked the centenary of the death of Michael Collins, who was assassinated on his journey from
Bandon to Cork in 1922. Collins was a soldier, revolutionary and politician who was a leading figure in
the battle for Irish independence. As an Englishwoman, I am sorry to say I had never heard of him until I
moved to Ireland. In English schools we are never taught any Irish, Scottish or Welsh history in a kind of
airbrushing of our past. I was equally surprised when I arrived to find that abortion was illegal in Ireland
and in fact contraception and the morning after pill were not widely available depending on the moral
stance of your GP or your access to women’s health centres.

In 1983 the 8th Amendment guaranteeing the right to life of the unborn foetus became the law so that only

where the life of the mother was in danger was abortion available. This forced those women seeking this option to travel to the UK or attend back street abortion clinics. The 8th Amendment was successfully repealed in 2018 after passionate and
sometimes acrimonious campaigns for and against. Ireland now prides itself as a liberal thinking country,
being the first to recognise gay marriages , although homosexuality was only made legal in 1993.
These differing threads come together in our second book review of the month. Its ‘Dolly Considine’s Hotel‘, by Eamon Somers and published in 2019 by Unbound (www.unbound.com)

It is 1983 and the battle is being fought to stop or allow the Pro –Life constitutional amendment. Dolly Considine
runs a late-night drinking establishment catering to the needs of thirsty politicians and theatricals in
Dublin’s legendary Catacombs. Paddy Butler arrives here under false pretences, representing himself as
someone else and using the name Julian Ryder. He’s an aspiring writer and needs a place to lie low from
his bullying older brother, who is soon to return from the UK. He becomes the hotel’s new lounge boy, gathering gossip, sharing the guest’s beds and using the place as fodder for his writings. Fantasy and reality soon begin to blur.


The story moves between 1983 and the 1950’s of Dolly’s youth, weaving the stories of multiple
characters into Julian’s fiction, Dolly’s secrets, party politics and the amendment debate. I struggled with
the number of threads and the movement backwards and forwards through time. I found Julian/ Paddy to
be not a particularly likable character, which is something I struggle with, my own failing , when I’m then
required to sustain commitment to a such a long book. Fortunately, I found several of the other
characters more engaging, including Dolly herself and Brendan the bully. The Chapters with Brendan’s
childhood story were very poignant and I looked forward to finding out more about him.
Personally I found the broad scope of this novel a little overwhelming, maybe because I am unfamiliar
with any of the history and couldn’t therefore assess the authenticity of the settings and story. It reminded
me a little of Ulysees and I’d expect that Joyceans would enjoy this more modern offering with its vivid
mix of characters , drama and politics.

Eamon Somers

This Irish Author Eamon Somers ( http://www.eamonsomers.com ) debut novel. He began his lifelong interest in learning about storytelling with classes at the People’s College in 1970s Dublin, before going on to study at London’s Goldsmiths and later Birkbeck College, attending summer schools at the Irish Writers’ Centre, and more joining masterclasses with admired American poet Diana Goetsch (via Paragraph Workspace in NY).

Eamon’s short stories have been published in literary magazines including Tees Valley Writer, Automatic Pilot, and Chroma. The Journal of Truth and Consequences nominated his Fear of Landing for a Pushcart Prize, and Nataí Bocht was included in Quare Fellas, a collection of LGBT+ fiction published by Basement Press in Ireland. He is currently working on revisions to his novel A Very Foolish Dream (Working Title) which was Highly Commended in the 2019 Novel Fair sponsored by the Irish Writers’ Centre in Dublin.


With St. Patricks Day only a fortnight away. This is certainly a book that would appeal to readers with an interest in the vast social changes Ireland has undergone in this period of many centenaries marking the period since the fight for independence
but I felt I would have enjoyed some of the threads unravelled and perused in their own right. Opinions
will of course differ and this is a book that will promote discussion amongst book groups and friends who
enjoy a meaty read.

Reviewed by Georgina Murphy

JACQUELINE AND THE POOCHES HILARIOUS TALE, HAS ME YEARNING TO GET BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN

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Adrian (my fellow Librarian, and husband) and I have recently been planning a long dreamed of trip to Australia. I floated the idea of travelling around Australia in a camper van. After further consideration we came to the realisation that as neither of us are at all good with creepy crawlies, in a country where every creature is trying to kill you, we might have a bit of unexpected drama. We quickly re imagined our itinerary to involve some nice hotels.  I suggested that sometime in the future we try a camper van or RV somewhere less dangerous. How hard could it be? I wondered, to be self-sufficient and out in nature in say, Europe or Canada?  Which brings us on to this months First book review, its Adventure Caravanning With Dogs : To Hel In A Hound Cart by Jacqueline Lambert and published by Amazon in December 2022

After reading this book, I think I would find enough trials and tribulations, plus excitement, wonder and reward on my continental doorstep. In this edition of Jackie Lambert’s series on adventure caravanning with dogs she charts their journey through France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, and the latter parts of the COVID 19 pandemic. Jackie, her husband Mark, plus their four, yes four Cavapoos (Cavalier Poodle cross) travel in Big Blue the RV towing Kismet the caravan. 

I came to this book with interest as I enjoy travel stories.  Those I have previously read include Josie Swales Pope’s epic story of her run around the world, Rob Pope’s ( no relation) recreation of Forrest Gump’s multiple crossing of the USA on foot and a story of a bicycle journey along the Silk Road by Kate Harris. Often their authors approach such a book in different ways. Some recite facts, mileage, calorie intake etc., whilst some reflect on the history and politics of the places they visit,  others philosophise . Mostly there is a start and an expected end, even with a few diversions on the way. 

I suppose the idea of a target was what I missed in this book. However, the whole idea for Jackie and Mark is to stop, savour, and enjoy as much as possible. Unfortunately, Covid 19 thwarted their  initial plans and made this account rather like trying to find your way out of a maze and so I didn’t feel the lure of the anticipated endpoint pulling me through. Not a lot they could do about that in a pandemic! And their frustrations in this regard illustrated what many of us felt like in relation to travel without even having to worry about crossing borders and maintaining supplies whilst constantly relocating. 

This is English author Jacqueline Lambert ( http://www.worldwidewalkies.blog) sixth book in the Adventure Caravanning With Dogs series. The others are Year 1 – Fur Babies In France (2020), Dog On The Rhine (2019), Dogs ‘N’ Dracula (2019), It Never Rains But It Paws (2022), Pups On The Piste: A Ski Season In Italy (2020). She is a dedicated doggie travel blogger and author. Whose previously rafted, rock-climbed and backpacked around six of the seven continents. A passionate windsurfer and skier, she can fly a plane, has been bitten by a lion, and appeared as a fire eater on Japanese T.V. Now, they’re at large in a self-converted six-wheel army lorry, with Mongolia in their sights. All Jacqueline’s books have received multiple five-star reviews and Dogs ‘n’ Dracula was a finalist in the Romania Insider Awards for Best Promotion of Romania Abroad. Dog on the Rhine has been a
bestseller in Amazon’s German Travel and Rhine Travel categories, and on release, Fur Babies in
France outsold Bill Bryson, albeit for a very short time!

Jacqueline Lambert with her dogs

Despite that plotless nature, I enjoyed the book for several reasons. I loved Jackie’s humour.  Her jokes, her puns, her satire on government all tickled my funny bone. I also loved the descriptions of the places they visited. Pont du Gard prompted a google search for images and I now have a hope to visit Krakow.  I didn’t know there were so many castles around Europe. I love a good castle! Often fretting about the difficulties of travelling with one dog, I now hope to do a campervan tour of Poland and France in the future with whatever pets I own at the time. Jackie made me feel like it would be both possible and fun as the book also provided practical advice. 

Now I’ve acclimatised to the jokes and occasional complaints in her books, I look forward to acquainting myself with her other books and touring more of Europe from my armchair. So, whether you’re a dog lover or a travel fan, with a sense of humour, I suggest, you let your fingers do the walking and order a copy online, then grab your fur baby’s leash and take it for a couple of long walks, while you wait for the book to arrive.

Reviewed by Georgina Murphy

This book review is part of a Random Things Blog Tour. To see what the other reviewers thought, visit their blogs listed below. Then if you get a copy, comeback and tell us what you thought. We’d really appreciate the feedback.