‘Seeing What’s Hidden’ – moving to more expansive spiritual world

With an eye on the Christmas present list, and with few books being published in November, the books we might choose as Christmas gifts are already in the shops. Here’s the first in a series of glimpses at the best of what’s out there.

Roisin Kiberd’s The Most Normal Woman (Tramp Press €16) is a series of essays exploring the business of attaining womanly perfection, or even normality, in the times we’re in. Her quest takes the reader to destinations far and wide to answer the question: am I normal yet? It’s a sobering and necessary read.

Since Twin Peaks is enjoying a revival and a whole new generation get to see it, Kyle McLachlan’s memoir Fictional Selves (Century €26.99) could not be better timed. He covers his career from disappointment in Dune to success in Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City and many other hits with humour, honesty and authenticity. And he can really write.

Housing a Nation: Seven generations of Irish land, politics and power by Lorcan Sirr (Hachette €23.99) looks at seven generations of a family, from a 19th century labourer’s cottage to a present-day quest for a foot on the property ladder, and therein describes our history of housing. From the ‘Big House’ to the Ballymun towers and from the Land League to the Celtic Tiger, Sirr illustrates how the issue of housing has always been about more than simply a place to live.

Chris Broad’s Journey Across Japan (Bantam €19.99) is subtitled ‘Adventures off the beaten path’ and Broad takes the reader to unlikely and surprising spots that most tourists miss. He’s an engaging writer with a nose for the strangest and weirdest experiences. He’s also funny and this is a must-have for the traveller and even the armchair traveller.

Nikita Hand’s Not the Perfect Victim (Hachette €17.99) leaves the reader in no doubt about the type of character Conor McGregor is and it’s a harrowing account of what happened to her, both at the hands of McGregor and then the DPP. As we know, she triumphed eventually but the struggle to get some kind of justice was execrable. A courageous story of one woman reclaiming her life.

Eoin Warner’s Through the Long Grass (Gill €22.99) is an elegant memoir of a life whose earliest memories are in the shadow of grief, following his father’s death in the Whiddy Island Disaster of 1979. Warner sought solace from his fractured family in nature and writes fluidly about the refuge he has found in the natural world. His friend Manchán Magan encouraged him to write this book and here it is, perfect for Magan fans.

Manchán Magan’s Seeing What’s Hidden (Gill €22.99) is his final book and, fittingly, it challenges us to move from the limited rational world to a more expansive spiritual one. Drawing on mythology, folklore and placenames, Magan shows us how our land has shaped the Irish psyche and continues to offer so much to see. A beautiful finale from a man who’s had such a huge cultural impact here and abroad.

Ourselves Alone: Sinn Féin Behind Closed Doors by Siobhán Fenton (Sandycove €17.99) is a definitive and impactful look at the Sinn Féin party, long defined by secrecy, message control and closed to public scrutiny. As the party’s former communications director from 2020 to 2024, Fenton knows exactly how it navigates its power (such as it is) and how its popularity waned after its ham-fisted reaction to the Dublin riots.

Anthony Scaramucci’s All the Wrong Moves (Bodley Head €18.99) is another political story, this time from a former White House insider, who tracks the consequences of three bad decisions made by both sides in America, and how their consequences put King Baby in the most powerful position in the world. Can America ever reclaim the ground – not to mention the credibility – that Trump has destroyed? Scaramucci believes so. And in the light of the recent elections, let’s hope he’s right.

Brian Cowen: Anatomy of a Taoiseach by Gary Murphy (Eriu €21.99) is a clear-eyed account of Cowen’s leadership of the country during Ireland’s greatest crisis. That was the time of the bank collapse and subsequent bailout, and then the country’s collapse and subsequent bailout – at great cost to us – as we handed the reins to Brussels. It’s a balanced examination of the Taoiseach of a Thousand Days. (Yes, it was a bit more than a thousand, I’m just exercising poetic licence here.)

Vincent Hogan’s The Lost Sportswriter (Gill €24.99) is his memoir of 43 years of sports writing, from the days when journos were allowed in the dressing rooms during big GAA matches through to where it is now, sanitised and sterilised by PR-managed exchanges. There’s a sadness in it but also huge energy and great memories.

Mark Little’s The Last Good Day on the Internet (Hachette €18.99) traces the development of the web from the good and glorious information highway to the cesspit of hate it has become. And he poses the question: what if we could take the internet back? A thought-provoking and important book.

Ivan Yates’s The Game of Life (Gill €22.99) offers a ‘no-nonsense guide to achieving success’ says the blurb. The book gives you the tools you need to climb the greasy pole, whether in politics or business, and Yates insists that success is not about luck. It’s about strategy. Hmmm…

Footnotes

Winterval Waterford starts this coming Friday, November 13, and runs to December 23. Ireland’s oldest city will once again be transformed as it welcomes 1.4 million visitors throughout its 23-day celebration. Full details on winterval.ie.

Belfast Christmas Market begins this Saturday, November 14, and also runs to December 23. Celebrate the beginning of Christmas magic in Belfast. Explore the stalls of local and international traders in the specially crafted festive village. Local traders make up over 50 per cent of the market’s stalls. See belfastcity.gov.uk for details.

Yulefest Kilkenny starts a little later, November 28, and runs to December 23. Featuring special festive events across the whole county and some key events running through to January, it promises everyone a good time. See yulefestkilkenny.ie for details.