The People’s Emperor by Edward Shawcross: Entertaining and thoroughly researched biography
An attempt to redress the balance and rescue Louis-Napoléon, one of the most popular, if divisive, men in 19th-century France
Book Reviews
Translated literature: From a harsh and hilarious epic set in Apachería to a portrait of Toronto
Álvaro Enrique’s historical novel Now I Surrender tears up everything we know about the western
The Common Good Economy: An elegant examination of the direction we want states to sail in
Mariana Mazzucato’s positive work reminds the reader of the need for optimism around what the state can do, but big issues are not fully addressed
Jan-Werner Müller on how a place’s buildings affect how democracy is practised there
A thoughtful work; pity about the relative paucity of visual aids, photographs or diagrams
The Steppe and Its Empires: A scholarly and comparative exercise
Russia compared with other empires that have emerged from the steppe: the vast grassland plain that runs from China to Hungary
Enemies of the State by Fergus Whelan: The contagious bigotry of a ‘crazy Orangeman’
This is a valuable piece of historical detective work about the Waterford MP Richard Musgrave
Books in brief: Fascinating works by László Krasznahorkai, Kate Briggs and Liz McManus
From Krasznahorkai’s extraordinary Nobel-prize acceptance speech to McManus’s astute chronicles of tumultuous times
A Bitter Harvest: A Derry man’s family search for his ‘British state-sponsored’ killer
Garbhán Downey details the sinister murkiness of Seán Brown’s murder as well as its investigative failings
Babylon, South Dakota by Tom Lin: Dazzling, inspiring, slightly silly
With this ambitious book the author casts a spell, reaching into our canon to create something surprising
It Will Come Back to You by Sigrid Nunez: Unforgettable short stories from the author of The Friend
Kaleidoscopic collection covers a range of themes from technology addiction to climate breakdown
Forbidden Ireland: Church and State 1951 to present day
A timely first draft of history for future scholars examining Catholic Ireland’s eclipse
Killing Maradona: The one book you need on football’s greatest No 10
This clever, nonlinear, deeply sad cradle-to-grave account is a standout in the Maradona literature
Trouble Was by Charlotte Edwardes: Toughness of toxic families told with great tenderness
A powerful evocation of childhood and the treachery of the adults who are meant to protect then
New music books: From redreaming My Bloody Valentine to throwing shade on Taylor Swift
Latest releases include Sylvia Patterson’s I’m Not With the Man: A Writer’s Life, which has immensely rewarding interviews with Lady Gaga, Sinéad O’Connor, Liam Gallagher and more
Regime Change: The chaos of Donald Trump exposed in blow-by-blow accounts of highly sensitive meetings
How the second coming of the most mercurial US leader in history ushered in a presidency driven by ‘pure gut instinct’
Crime fiction: Hitchcockian flair in modern Ireland, and a note-perfect Mexican noir
Mingyoung Kang’s Plant Lady is a terrifically satisfying read unlike anything else published this year
Slightly Magical Irish Poetry and the Long 1990s: Thorn trees, wells and ‘railroad revelries’
Lucy McDiarmid discusses the work of 64 poets with a focus on mythology, folk Catholicism and the supernatural
ETA and the ‘Basque Problem’: A British perspective
Separatist group’s relationship with the IRA increasingly became an ongoing concern for London
How France’s far right went from the political fringes to the cusp of power
Next year’s presidential election could put Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National into government, which could affect France and the EU as deeply as Donald Trump has influenced the US
Soul Magic, A Century of Psychotherapy: Humanity’s continuing search for meaning
Engrossing, humane and intellectually ambitious exploration of how we try to understand ourselves
The Response: Former BBC editor brings home reality of climate change
Polemic shows UK is unprepared for environmental emergencies. Irish readers should feel nervous, too
Seamus Heaney’s translations: An exploration of a gifted work
Like Joyce, Heaney was keen to ‘dislodge’ his work from the single-perspective canon of English literature
The Cornucopia Story: Dublin’s wholefood institution is about much more than legumes
In Deirdre O’Mara McCafferty’s deeply moving memoir, food is indistinguishable from community, radical ideas and love
Country People: Small-town caper with larks aplenty
Daniel Mason’s latest novel is set New England with its hero a likable everyman struggling to finish his Phd
Reviews in brief: A very funny memoir and vital, ghastly testimonies from Gaza
New books by Keith Waldrop, Samar Yazbek and Jules Boykoff
The Red Mouth by Sheila Armstrong: A dazzling second novel as layered as the bog itself
This tremendous book is concerned with the impact of the past upon the present
Queenie is Working On It: A confident comeback that delivers on the promise
Candice Carty-Williams offers the reader an abundance of humour and heart
Page turners: 10 books to help you fall back in love with reading
From space stations to 1960s LA, these stories will transport and delight any reader
The Celtic World: A History – Were they superstitious, warlike hotheads as often depicted?
John Waddell takes the reader on a deeply personal tour and makes for the perfect guide
Opening Night by Sara Baume: Deep insights into her own psyche, with respect for the creative process
Writer crafts a book from a friendship she builds with American painter Mollie Douthit, and interrogates herself as to her motivations
Drunken Driving by Martina Evans: Sonnets from a prison
Evans’s latest work can be read as part of her ongoing inquiry into the ways we survive in a world of vampiric thirst and intoxicated protocol
Summer YA reads: from a Snow White who’d prefer not to to same-sex love-love on the tennis court
Books by Cindy Pham, Wren James, Edward Schmidt, Tom Ramsay and Kai Spellmeier
Nuala O’Faolain: Are You Somebody? Honesty that’s compelling and at times unsettling
Late writer’s memoir is equally striking in its treatment of female desire and the need to be seen
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices