September 2023

September was an unusual month for me. The stress that I unwittingly documented in this blog over the past few months caught up with me and I had to take some time off from work for health reasons. I’ve always been someone who’s constantly on the go. I achieve something and I wonder what’s next, I make endless lists, and when I have a day off, I force myself to find something to fill the time with. I’ve learned to go a little slower, filling my days with lots of walking, meditation and yoga. I’ve been working on my sleep, diet and exercise (with mixed results) and figuring out how I can marry my corporate work with my need to be a lot more gentle with myself. I’m hoping that’ll come to pass when I go back to work in a few weeks.

I actually did manage to get a lot of reading done this month, mainly because I’ve had a little more time on my hands, but also because reading is an easy way for me to be kind to myself.

The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan

I had really mixed feelings about Naoise Dolan’s first novel, so I wasn’t super excited about this one, but it’s definitely an improvement. Focusing on Luke and Celine, flashing back and forward throughout their relationship in the run-up to their wedding, it artfully studies love, settling and the ways in which we treat others. It’s an interesting meditation on modern relationships and what we’re willing to tolerate in the name of love, companionship and the social validation of being in a relationship. She’s a spare writer, leaving you to fill in the gaps in a satisfying way and the characters felt well-rounded.

Wicca 4 - 15 by Cate Tiernan

I finished the series and now I’ve got Sara hooked. Mission completed. I think I might do Gossip Girl next.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue

This hit a little close to the bone as I also lived in a weird little flat with my gay best friend in an Irish university in the late noughts, although we didn’t get up to the things that the characters in this book do. It felt achingly familiar and kept me engaged throughout. Rachel and James meet as booksellers in Cork, move in together, and then become intwined with Rachel’s lecturer and his wife. I loved the characters of the older couple that Rachel and James interact with, but their relationship and love story are rightfully the central focus. It perfectly articulates the codependency and obsession so many of us engage in in our first friendships of adulthood.

The List by Yogi Adegoke

I don’t know what I was expecting with this one, but it left me wanting more. I love Yomi Adegoke’s journalism, but something felt missing in the novel. It’s about a couple who are about to get married, feminist journalist Ola, and video and podcast star Michael, and how they deal with the aftermath of Michael being named on a list of abusers in media and entertainment that goes viral on Twitter. I really liked the concept and storyline, but I found myself not really understanding the motivations of the characters, or even really caring about why they were doing the inexplicable things they did. Some of the minor characters felt like cartoons and I think I would have preferred a long read non-fiction piece from Yomi Adegoke on the subject.

The Odyssey by Lara Williams

It’s really hard to describe this uncomfortable, odd and compelling novel, but it’s about a woman called Ingrid, who lives and works on a cruise ship, and is picked for a leadership course by the enigmatic captain. Ingrid is fascinating, grappling with addiction and the scars left behind by her life on shore. Her interactions with the guests, her colleagues and the captain leave no real clues as to who she is, but it makes you want to read even more to find out. An amazing alternative holiday read if you want something with a bite.

Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola

I campaigned hard to get this one picked for book club, because it felt like a well-earned lighter read following our run of intense books. I got what I wished for, but I don’t think I was in any way the target audience of this book. It’s set on a college campus, focused on DJ Kiki and her “will they/won’t they” with filmmaker Michael. It’s cute, but I’ve never felt so old reading something. I also don’t remember student media being this glamorous or influential when I worked for my university newspaper between 2007 - 2011. I mostly just try to suppress memories of lugging bales of newspapers across Ireland’s largest college campus.

Rememberings by Sinéad O’Connor

I think most Irish women felt a unique heartbreak when Sinéad O’Connor died. She articulated a rage and pain that’s associated with the Irish culture of silence, suffering and deference to the church. We lost the yoke of British colonialism, only to be ensnared by the toxicity of Catholicism. This book is so singularly in her voice, I felt that I could almost hear her saying the words. She goes through her childhood, her rise to fame, and the consequences of her tearing up a photo of the pope on Saturday Night Live. I cannot think of someone who lived a more authentic life and I think the world is a much less rich place without her. I want to listen to the audiobook, which she narrates.

A quick tip to finish on. If you have Spotify Premium, you now get 15 hours a month of audiobooks as part of your membership. I think I’m going to use it to listen to Rememberings.