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 Authoress A.S.King reading I believe the greatest gift you can give any child is the gift of reading. It is not surprising therefore that, every Christmas season, I systematically complain about the non availability of any good quality, modern and exiting reading for mature young adults, in the 15 to 18 year old bracket. This year I have been silenced with the launch of a novel by A.S.King.
The name Amy King is well known to residents in the lovely Co.Tipperary hamlet of Mullinahone, since she resided there for nearly a decade with her cabinet making husband, Topher. Amy taught adult literacy at the Word Aid center in Kilkenny City while writing her first novel, while simultaneously keeping an organic garden, breeding chickens, and restoring the old Maloney property in the towns-land of Modeshill.
Amy’s latest novel, targeting mature young adult readers and entitled “Please Ignore Vera Dietz“, was launched this week, to critical acclaim from major trade reviewers in the US.
A starred Publishers Weekly review starts, “This chilling and darkly comedic novel offers a gradual unfolding of secrets about troubled teenagers, their families and their town.”
Other reviews state,
“It is hard to describe how deeply affecting this story is. The writing is phenomenal, the characters unforgettable.”
“It is a gut-wrenching tale about family, friendship, destiny, the meaning of words, and self-discovery. It will glow in the reader for a long time after reading.”
“The book is deeply suspenseful and profoundly human” – Publishers Weekly.
“Brilliant, Funny, Really special.” – Ellen Hopkins, author of NYT bestselling Crank, Glass and Tricks”
This book is highly recommended for teenagers of 14 and older and indeed adults of all ages.
Speaking to www.thurles.info this morning Amy describes her time in Mullinahone as “The best years of my life.”
Amy said: “I had wonderful neighbours in Mullinahone and the most amazing job at ‘Word Aid’. I miss the students and fellow tutors there, so very much and I will always remain an avid Tipperary hurling supporter no matter where I live.”
This wonderful novel is not Amy’s first successful book release. Her first award winning novel “The Dust of 100 Dogs” published in 2009, the story of a Cromwell orphan girl-turned relentless Caribbean pirate reincarnated in 1970’s Pennsylvania with her memories intact, landed her on the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults list.
Amy presently lives in rural Pennsylvania with Topher and their two children.
Perhaps a nice gift idea for Christmas, this year, would be a personal ‘Signed Copy‘ of Amy’s new book and you can order same by clicking HERE and save yourself 10%.
The town of Thurles enjoys quick and easy accessibility by both train and road and as Thurles Railway Station is on the Inter-City line, there is an excellent train service with hourly trains to and from Dublin and excellent services also to Cork, Limerick and Killarney. Express buses, presently operated by Bus Éireann, also call daily to the railway station trafficking passengers to the outer areas of the county.
For me long train and bus journeys can be boring so I always unsure to accompany myself with some light reading material.
Talking of bus and train journeys and reading material, reminds me of the new splendid publication ‘It Happens Between Stops‘ which is a collection of short-stories, articles, essays, poems and a play written by current and former employees of the CIE group of companies. There is something for everyone in this collection and here is just a brief sample;
“The Eclipse on the Cheap” By John Bolton.
The morning news told of a full load of Concorde passengers who had paid some €2,000 for a figure of eight over Tenerife to see the eclipse. This way you got to see it from both sides of the plane twice.
For me, I loaded up my single decker to go to Dalkey. I got to Booterstown when I got this eerie feeling. I noticed the light change, but before I pulled back into the traffic, I noticed the start of the eclipse in the dark glass sun visor. The time was spot on between 11.18am and 11.22 am.
While watching this, an elderly lady asked if I was OK.
I replied, “It’s the eclipse, do you want to see it?”
She and all the rest queued up the centre aisle to see this from the drivers’ seat. I got a great round of applause at 11.25am, when it was all over.
I would be barking up the wrong tree to stick them for £2,000 each.
 It Happens Between Stops “Autumn Day” By Cathy Hickey
I am walking in the woods,
The Autumn wind takes the leaves from the trees,
They fall around me
And crunch beneath my feet.
I watch them dancing on the wind
And think of You.
You would wonder at this,
The sound of the river rushing by,
Breathing the sweet crisp air.
Absorbing the warmth of colour,
Enjoying the sight of a young squirrel
Busily preparing for Winter,
At the base of the magnificent old tree,
Simplistic, yet so complex,
This cycle of Life…….Nature…..
It saddens me to think, yet again,
You are missing this moment.
Then it occurs to me that you are not,
Because you are here, walking with me.
Sharing this joy !
I am not the only person to enjoy this fine witty publication, containing well observed and sometimes moving material.
It is, in the words of Lee Dunne, “As an entertaining well written, ‘dip in for a shot’ kind of book, this publication does not disappoint. So many tastes and flavours, none of them likely to give anybody indigestion.”
Irish Times journalist and RTE commentator Fintan O ‘Toole had this to say, “Witty and gritty, It Happens Between Stops is something rare in Irish fiction, a view of working life from the inside. It combines the freshness, vigour, humour and hard edge of everyday speech with the determination to transform the mundane with the power of imagination.”
‘It Happens Between Stops‘ is published by Original Writing. You can get further information on the Original Writings website or by emailing ciewriters@gmail.com
 Bolton Library in the shadow of The Cathedral of St. John The Baptist, Cashel, Co. Tipp. An exceptional collection of literature, described by experts as the one of the most important of its kind in Ireland has been taken into the care of the State, by the Office of Public Works (OPW).
The Bolton Library in Cashel, Co Tipperary, was first established by an 18th century Church of Ireland Archbishop and skilled Canon Lawyer, Theophilus Bolton, (1678-1744), grandson of Sir Richard Bolton, Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Educated in Trinity College Dublin, Archbishop Bolton became Chancellor of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 1714, Bishop of Clonfert and later Bishop of Elphin in 1724, before becoming Archbishop of Cashel in 1730. The Cashel Palace Hotel directly opposite Cashel Cathedral was originally built for his convenience, as a place of residence. His rare collection of some 11,000 books maps and pamphlets were bequeathed to the Cashel Diocese following his death.
This unique collection of antiquarian European books contain the thoughts, words and deeds of mankind for over 2,500 years, and include works by Dante, Machiavelli, Homer, Herodotus, and Plato. Amongst this collection can be found an interesting letter from a citizen of Athens to the then Roman Emperor, pleading for fair and reasonable treatment of Christians and amongst the maps a Geographical Survey of Ireland printed in Dublin in 1840, which warns of the disastrous effects of continuing to plant the potato crop.
The collection, currently securely housed in the Chapter House of the Cathedral of St. John The Baptist, has been traditionally cared for by the local Protestant Clergy and despite its immediate proximity to the Rock of Cashel, this rare collection is little-known and has attracted few visitors down the years.
Continue reading Bolton Library – An Exceptional Collection Of Rare Literature
 Archbishop Patrick John Ryan – His Life and Times – Ireland – St Louis – Philadelphia (1831-1911) was launched on May 7th by His Grace, Most Rev.Dr Dermot Clifford, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly in the Bookworm book store, here in Liberty Square, Thurles.
Our photo shows His Grace, Archbishop Dermot Clifford, with Dr Martin Mansergh T.D. who wrote a review of the book and the author, Patrick Ryan, the latter himself a native of Thurles.
Book’s Contents
When Patrick John Ryan went to St Louis, Missouri, as a deacon in 1852, he was far better prepared for the life he chose to lead, than he could have imagined.
Here in Ireland, where being a Roman Catholic was seen as a badge of exclusion, he saw how the economic and legal powers were wielded by the Protestant minority as a means of suppressing the Roman Catholic majority. He saw at first hand the concessions achieved through the actions of the Roman Catholic Church under the political leadership of Daniel O’Connell, ‘The Liberator’, (1775 – 1847), who now became his role model. He had benefited from a primary school system that developed along denominational lines and as a teenager he had witnessed the horrors of the Great Famine and the mass emigration which followed.
All of these experiences were to become directly relevant to his life and his future endeavours in America.
Continue reading Archbishop Patrick John Ryan – His Life and Times
So your kids are not reading, I hear you say, stuck on the PlayStation and on the TV, on every conceivable occasion and you are worried. Want the cure ?
It’s simple – Buy a copy of “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick. Why, I hear you ask? Because it’s possibly the best children’s book produced in recent years and is categorized under the heading ‘must have’, if you want to stimulate your child’s imagination and get them into the habit of reading.
 Winner of the prestigious Randolph Caldecott Medal in 2008, and like the writing’s of J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl, both children and adults will be totally enthralled and captivated by the magical story of Hugo Cabret, an orphaned 11 year old clock keeper, living in a Parisian train station.
In addition to a thrilling adventure, involving secrets, an automaton (mechanical robot) and an eccentric little girl, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” delivers over 300 of the most marvellous hand drawn sketches, which accompany and elaborate upon the text. Click here to watch the opening sequence of drawings in this magical read.
“The Invention of Hugo Cabret” is not exactly a novel, and it’s not quite a picture book, and it’s not really a graphic novel, or a flip book, or a movie yet, but rather a combination of all things required to captivate young minds.
Each picture, and there are nearly three hundred pages of pictures, takes up an entire double page spread, and the story moves forward, as you turn each page for a glimpse of the next moment unfolding in text. Teachers take note, this is for the classroom.
ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and the owner of a small toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put into jeopardy.
A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message all come together so brilliantly, in “The Invention of Hugo Cabret“.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret can be ordered through Book Worm, Liberty Square, Thurles. This book is suitable for all children aged 6 – 60, and with its spellbinding pictures, the book encourages the less experienced readers. Although maybe at first glance, slightly expensive, this book is worth every solitary cent. Indeed, in its short lifespan, it has even attracted the attention of acclaimed director Martin Scorsese.
This is a book which children will want to possess, will want read at bedtime, discuss for hours, boast as to ownership, while loaning it to close friends, will be totally out of the question.
Meet the future successor to Harry Potter.
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