Vibes & Scribes

21 Lavitt's Quay, Cork

Just around the corner from the Opera House on the River Lee is Cork's wonderful bookshop Vibes & Scribes. On the left is a second-hand shop and on the right is the shop with the new books. My first impression was that it was the kind of record shop I used to love. It does indeed have the charm of a record shop, except that today there are stacks and stacks of books.

This shop is a great alternative in Cork to the well-known chains.

Caoilinn Hughes: The Wild Laughter

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

****

Book: 

Waterstones

69 Patrick Street, Cork

This Waterstones shop is located on the main shopping street in the wonderful city of Cork. I usually love Waterstones shops, no matter where I've visited so far. I find this one rather average, which could also be due to the dark sales area.

It's still fun to browse though.

This shop also benefits from the charming surroundings of Cork city centre.

But watch out for pickpockets. From the other side of the street, I saw a boy stealing something from a man and running away. I hope he caught the damn bastard.

Stella Gibbons: Cold Comfort

After the death of her parents, Flora Poste has found a place to stay with a friend, Mrs Smiling, who offers her to stay with her to learn a work. Her friend also introduces her to one of her many male acquaintances, Charles.

The inheritance is not enough, so Flora decides to stay with one of her four relatives and writes letters to them. 

One of the four replies looks shabby and contains little information. It seems to be the most intriguing of all, precisely because it reveals so little.

She decides in favour of this one and sets off for Cold Comfort Farm in the fictitious village of Howling in Sussex.

The old and crazy Ada Doom rules the farm and remains hidden most of the time. The other inhabitants live out their misery in their own way. Flora's mission is clear: to change one life after another for the better.

Stella Gibbons‘ novel is entertaining, with the characters’ names alone being chosen very deliberately and with a great deal of irony (even those of the animals). The beginning was promising, and I found the time on the farm somewhat drawn out in parts.

This novel is considered a parody of British novels of the romance genre. 

Bookshop: 

***

Book: 

***

Dingle Bookshop

2 Green Street, Dingle

This very pretty little bookshop is located on the edge of Dingle town centre near St. Mary's Church.

There is a table with books about the region right by the entrance. The shelves with the novels are right next to it.  The children's corner is at the back, slightly elevated.

The bookseller is extremely helpful with recommendations.

It's definitely worth leaving the harbour and visiting this little shop.

The village should actually be called Delfingle. Dolphins are advertised everywhere, which is due to the famous inhabitant Fungie, who lived and acted very closely with humans.

Denise Brassil & Martha Brassil: What Anna did not

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

****

Book: 

Alan Hanna's Bookshop

270 Rathmines Road Lower, Dublin

This bookshop definitely has character - especially the back corner.

A likeable chaos. There's no other way to describe this shop. There are piles of books lying around, the shelves are crammed to the top. There is a lot of Irish literature, but also many other genres. So there should be something for everyone.

The interior is in an industrial style, not beautiful, but good in its own way and above all very fitting in this neighbourhood. I felt extremely comfortable, I can't explain why. I visited Alan Hanna's Bookshop directly after The Last Bookshop (second-hand, therefore not rated), where there is a lovely café in the garden. It was the first time I felt the city of Dublin.

John Connolly: The Instruments of Darkness (signed version)

Two-year-old Henry has disappeared. A blanket with the boy's blood on it is found. 

Colleen's husband Stephen (father of the boy), is certain that she must be to blame for the tragedy. 

The authorities also consider her to be a perpetrator. It is an election year and those in charge have other priorities.

Colleen's lawyer, who is handling the case, calls in detective Charlie Parker. He is immediately certain that Colleen is innocent.

Parker begins his research and soon finds a connection to Stephen...

The thriller is good, but there are a bit too many characters for my taste. I miss the classic structure and being able to guess the solution like in a classic crime novel. I also miss the goosebump effect that Scandinavians in particular are masters of.

And to be honest, I found the thriller too drawn out.

Bookshop: 

****

Book: 

***

Books Upstairs

17 D'Olier Street, Dublin

This beautiful bookshop is located in a building dating back to 1805. In 1897, the shop window was added, as well as decorations with Art Nouveau motifs.

The selection is located in two parts of the building on the ground floor and offers a lot of Irish literature. It is a real pleasure to browse through this shop. However, I don't know why the floor in one corner at the back was so wet and shiny.

A staircase at the back of the shop leads to the upper floor, which is dedicated to second-hand books. This floor is full of charm and proves that old books simply have more soul than new ones. But I have decided not to rate second-hand bookshops. I wanted to mention it here anyway because it's just so beautiful. This bookshop is highly recommended when visiting Dublin. 

Sebastian Barry: Old God's Time

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

****

Book: 

Chapter Bookstore

12 Lower Liffey, Dublin

Very unloving bookshop. Reminds me of the Swiss Ex-Libris shops with cheap, mainly commercially successful titles at lower prices. Interestingly, it also has second-hand books.

These books are displayed on white metal shelves in a rather long room. The interior is reminiscent of the exterior of the building, which also looks a little out of place.

It's exciting that there were still staff picks.

I found the atmosphere in this bookshop a little strange.

Kazuo Ishiguro: Never let me go

The story is about three friends, Kath (first person narrative), Ruth and Thommy. They grow up together at Hailsham, a boarding school.

They know that they are special and that their lives are clearly predetermined. As clones, all those who grow up at the boarding school are supposed to donate organs.

The extrovert Ruth and Thommy become a couple at boarding school, but actually Kath and Thommy have been closer from the beginning. When Ruth and Thommy then mutate into donors and Kath is still working as a carer, a lot comes to light, not only regarding the love relationship, but also what they had been told.

For me, the story gains a lot of power, drama and emotion in the last third. At the beginning, a lot of what could have been left out seems to me to have been told. Instead, the author could have provided clearer indications of the plot and the ending. Nevertheless, it is a very touching novel that makes you think.

Bookshop: 

**

Book: 

****

Dubray Books

Swan Shopping Centre, Rathmines, Dublin

This turquoise bookshop is located on the ground floor of the Swan Shopping Centre. It looks inviting from the outside, which it also is inside. But somehow it lacks a bit of charm. Nevertheless, I liked it in its own way because it was very tidy. It reminded me of those English card shops that start selling Christmas cards at Easter.

So I also opted for a staff pick that contained the colour turquoise.

Fien Veldman: Hard Copy

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

***

Book: 

Hodges Figgis

56-58 Dawson Street, Dublin

Hodges Figgis is Ireland's oldest bookshop. It has been around since 1768, and you can tell that this bookshop has a tradition that goes back decades. However, it has not always been at this address.

The selection on the four floors is immense and offers everything a reader's heart desires, from fiction to non-fiction.

Some of the floors are being renovated. I particularly like the first floor, as the light and the beautiful shelves are very nice and give the old building and the books a friendliness that this shop deserves. It could be a bit cooler though. Perhaps this will be taken into account during the renovation. Otherwise, you can buy fans in the non-books section on the ground floor :-)

Austin Duffy: the night interns

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

****

Book: 

The Winding Stair Bookshop

40 Ormand Quay, Dublin

Located directly opposite Ha'Penny Bridge and the Liffey, this small bookshop certainly benefits from the restaurant upstairs, the charming building and the excellent location.

The shop itself is rather average. The front section of the bookstore is mainly Irish literature and classics, the back section just seems dark. The two friendly booksellers sat behind a window like in a post office...

Colm Tóibín: Long Island

A strange man stands at the door and tells Eilis that he will leave the baby on her doorstep after his wife gives birth, as he will not bring up another father's child.

Eilis, who is Irish, married into an Italian family. Her mother-in-law and brothers-in-law live in the neighbourhood. The child's future is already sealed. The baby is part of the family.

But Eilis wants nothing to do with that child and travels to Ireland. Her mother is turning 80 and the next challenge awaits her in her home town of Enniscorthy: her old love Jim...

Tóibín has written an incredibly gripping novel with Long Island. Simply marvellous! I sympathised with the protagonists (particularly with Jim) until the very last page. And now we wait...

Bookshop: 

***

Book: 

*****

Charlie Byrne's Bookshop

The Cornerstone, Galway

This great bookshop is located right in the centre of this charming and very lively student town. Huge shelves of books await the reader already outside.

The great book lover Charlie Byrne came to Galway in the late 1980s.

His bookshop is a real gem. Over 100,000 new and second-hand titles adorn the rooms right up to the ceiling. I found it very difficult to leave. I was very pleased to see so many young customers browsing in the shop that Sunday.

It belongs in every Galway travel guide.

Kevin Barry: That Old Country Music

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

****

Book: 

eason

7/8 Main Street, Killarney

In the pretty village of Killarney, there is an eason bookshop and stationery shop in the town centre.

These shops are easily recognisable by their lime green colour. Although they are not particularly imaginative, their décor is very clean. The selection is mostly limited to the latest titles and more commercial books as well as some Irish authors.

As mentioned, nothing fancy, but it's good to have this bookshop in the charming town centre.

I was surprised at the price though, as I found it more expensive than most other bookshops I've visited in Ireland. And it was labelled as a sale. 

Good thing there are so many Second hand offers for books. New books are certainly a real luxury for many Irish people.

Ruth Hogan: The Keeper of Lost Things

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

***

Book: 

Crystal Cave & Bookshop

Upper Bridge Street, Killorgin

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I was swayed by the charm of this place when the bus to Tralee had to stop right in front of this shop.

So I had no choice but to go inside. Inside, it's a kind of mixture of spiritual articles and bookshop. It smells more like a second-hand shop. The bookseller is very friendly and makes up for the very small selection.

The packaging promises more than the contents deliver.

Katriona O'Sullivan: Poor

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

**

Book: 

bookstór

1 Newmans Mall, Kinsale

In the centre of the small coastal town of Kinsale, there is of course a bookshop to be found. And this one is really very pretty and colourful and cannot be overlooked from the outside.

I also find it lovely inside, even if the back of the shop is a bit dark and the floor is reminiscent of the former floor of Zurich airport. It has a surface like Lego bricks.

If you visit Kinsale, you should definitely pay a visit. The bookseller is also happy to make recommendations.

I was happy to accept the recommendation of this book, as the great bookseller at Vibes & Scribes in Cork also mentioned this book as worth reading.

Paul Lynch: Prophet Song

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

****

Book: 

Sneem Book Shop

Fordham House, South Square, Sneem

I was very surprised when I discovered a small bookshop in the little village of Sneem on the Ring of Kerry. Sneem is a place that I would never visit as an individual tourist. This community probably lives from the many tourist buses that come here to spend as much money as possible. There is not much to see or do.

The bookshop is divided into two parts: in the front part you will find books with mainly Irish themes and second-hand books, and there are also gifts and paintings for sale. The bookseller told me that these pictures were painted by a Swiss woman.

Of course, you can't expect much from this shop with a clientele from coffee trips, but it still has its charm, or at least that's what the older and very friendly lady represents.

Alan Murrin: The Coast Road

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

**

Book: 

O'Mahony's Booksellers

Castle Street, Tralee

My first impression of Tralee was not the best. My second, however, was very good. In this small town, there is a lot of street art between the charming Irish houses. This makes the centre very special.

I really liked this bookshop near the railway station, despite the rather small selection and the less attractive interior. O'Mahony's is Ireland's largest independent bookseller.

They support authors who are not yet household names. So I bought the book of the month from the Irish independent bookshops.

I think the doll stand next to the entrance is great. They reminded me a lot of the Muppet Show.

My wish: the carpet and the light should be replaced. No matter what.

Joseph Andras: Faraway the Southern Sky

Not read yet

Bookshop: 

***

Book: