I am a reviewer for the New York Journal of Books – view here mainly specialising in young adult and LGBT+ fiction. My interest in books and reading stems back to my childhood growing up on a farm on the Sligo/Mayo border. My mother loved reading and in our sitting room there was a large bookcase filled mainly with novels that she had collected while living in England prior to marrying my father. It was only when I got older that I discovered many gems in the bookcase including works by Dickens, Shakespeare, Samuel Pepys, Nancy Mitford and Somerset Maughan.

I think everybody should be a reader. Books are the greatest source of knowledge. They allow us to enjoy new experiences and reassure us that other people’s lives are not so different from our own in the way we all think, act and love. Books also allow readers to enter into the realms of escapism, mystery and intrigue. Despite e-books flooding the market in the last decade, the printed word remains the preferred format for the majority of readers. Perhaps, it’s the feeling of holding a book, or its jacket cover, or the ability to easily flick through its pages which makes the experience special and personal to each individual – something which cannot be equalled in an electronic sense. think everybody should be a reader. Books are the greatest source of knowledge. They allow us to enjoy new experiences and reassure us that other people’s lives are not so different from our own in the way we all think, act and love. Books also allow readers to enter into the realms of escapism, mystery and intrigue. Despite e-books flooding the market in the last decade, the printed word remains the preferred format for the majority of readers. Perhaps, it’s the feeling of holding a book, or its jacket cover, or the ability to easily flick through its pages which makes the experience special and personal to each individual – something which cannot be equalled in an electronic sense.

I read book reviews every week in various newspapers. These are usually books which have just been published, but reviews are not only for new books, surely?  Whether a book is six months old or sixty years old, the person reading it will hold an opinion of what they’ve read. Some of my favourite authors include Ian McEwan, Colm Tóibín, John McGahern and Patrick Gale. It doesn’t matter if a book is by your favourite or by some new or forgotten author, there is a story waiting to be read and for you to voice your comments. A review is merely an opinion. One person might love a book but somebody else might feel less enthralled. The reviews I have written here are stories from an eclectic selection of writers. A lot of them are male authors which I must admit is bashful prejudice on my part!
 
I hope you enjoy my reviews and should you wish to share your own opinion on any of them please feel free to drop me an email via the contacts section on this website.