It's that time of year when every invitation plucked from the pile heralds either a book reading, a book launch or - if one is awfully lucky - an intriguing combination of both
Dismantling Mr Doyle, the second novel from James Ryan, was launched on Thursday in Eason's to the delight of a large crowd of family, friends and well-wishers.
The book examines the thorny topic of what happens when old-style Irish patriarchy meets feminism, US style, prompting a wry speech by Nuala O Faolain. She agreed to launch the book before she knew what the book was about, she smiled, and only after reading it realised why James had chosen her. It was a book that was sure to cause a stir, she said. Thomas Keneally, the author of Schindler's Ark, was there with his wife Judith, as were writers Gordon Snell and Maeve Binchy, who herself was looking wonderful after a recent hip replacement operation. The Keneallys were here from Sydney to launch the new Institute of Republican Studies last night in Dublin, but had spent a few days in Mayo, where they had tackled Croagh Patrick. Unfortunately, said Thomas, St Patrick had thrown him into a penitent state by ripping his footwear. He hobbled down the mountain wearing only one boot.
With her feet firmly on the ground, psychologist Maureen Gaffney was at the launch telling friends she had taken up jogging again in a determined bid to keep fit. While she wouldn't reveal which if any political party had asked her to run for president, she ruled herself out of the race saying that her children would not like to move very far from Rathgar. As the queues for signed copies of the book lengthened, a lifelong friend of the author, Michael Ryan of Isaac's Restaurant in Cork, said his friend's creative talents were apparent from their schooldays. Sharing a room as boarders at Rockwell College in Co Tipperary, the young James would lie awake every night after lights out analysing absolutely everything that had occurred during the day. His observations were always sharp and invariably funny, Michael said. The diverse gathering included Ciaran Benson, chairman of the Arts Council, novelist Mary Morrissy and the new spokesman for the Irish Bishops' Conference, Father Martin Clarke. Members of the Ryan family from Rathdowney, Co Laois, were there in abundance. Representing Mr Ryan's London publishers Phoenix House was his editor Maggie McKernan, whose best-selling list includes Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World and Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy. Ryan's agent, Georgina Capel, was also there - only days ago she married Anthony Cheetham, one of the biggest figures in British publishing, in a glamorous Gloucestershire wedding. After the success of his first novel Home From England - for which Ryan recently completed the filmscript - Ms Capel said that Dismantling Mr Doyle was "definitely the one" to make the name of James Ryan known to a wider audience.
Of course, there are few places more appropriate to come over all bookish than in Waterstones bookstore. Clare Boylan looked delightful in red satin as she read from her new book, Room For A Single Lady, on Monday evening. The book charts the lives of a group of women growing up in 1950s Ireland and is, she revealed, semi-autobiographical. Also, Kate O Riordain read a passage from her new book, Boy In The Moon.
Clare is currently writing a new book on "marriage and madness", a publication her journalist husband, Alan Wilkes, will no doubt devour.
Lending moral support to Clare was the founder of the New Irish Writing series, David Marcus, accompanying his wife, author Ita Daly. David has just completed the editing of yet another anthology while Ita is beavering away at a new novel. Also at the reading were Clare's friend Laura Brady and her husband, Liam. Her two sisters Patricia Ryan and Anne Dalton came too.
"We are all dying to tell but the problem is we absolutely can't." Despite his evident desire to spill the beans in the great "who-wrote-whichbit" debate Colm Toibin remains tightlipped on his own contribution to the Dermot Bolger-led collaboration novel, Finbar's Hotel.
The novel revolves around a 24-hour period at the fictional Finbar's Hotel with each writer taking one hotel guest and charting his or her movements throughout the day. But none of the pieces is credited to a particular author. The seven co-authors, who also include Anne Enright, Joe O'Connor, Hugo Hamilton, Jennifer Johnston and Roddy Doyle, are giving nothing away. At the launch of the book in Hodges Figgis Bookstore on Thursday night, the authors further fuelled the mystery by reading both their own and each others' contributions to the book.
Joseph O'Connor began work on the book between the completion of his new novel, The Salesman and his play The Weeping Of Angels. He says identifying the authors was difficult even for them.