The Wild West

Those of you who have grown weary of the daily routine of Starbuck's, property prices and traffic jams will know that there are few corners of Ireland where one can find shelter from consumerism.

One of the last places left untouched by modernity is Connemara, which has been a paradise for artists, poets and nature-lovers for centuries. Now, British writer Tom Robinson celebrates the region in a new book Connemara: Listening to the Wind.

Robinson's book is a historical and geographical guide to Connemara, an introduction to its people and their language and a treasury of Connemara's myths and legends.

As well as making readers aware of the huge symbolic power of Connemara, the book debunks some fantasies. Robinson refutes the 'Celtic Twilight' view of Connemara as the common ancestral home of the Irish race.

For him Connemara represents a unique example of man living in harmony with one of the most beautiful and challenging regions of his planet. If you cannot find the time for a holiday this year this book is the next best thing.

the glory that was rome

Early in the 1930s the poet Robert Graves found himself short of cash. To finance the pursuit of his muse he sat down and hammered out a pair of books. The result, I Claudius and Claudius the God, were the most successful works of fiction of the time and the first truly great historical novels.

In the 1970s they were filmed by the BBC with Derek Jacobi in the title role and John Hurt as Caligula.

The baffling stories that emerged late last year about the sinister rituals and bevy of knife-wielding women who dominated Grave's self-imposed exile on the island of Majorca have sparked a revival of interest in the man. They have also prompted Penguin into a long overdue re-issue of the Claudius books.

Set during the most decadent days of the Roman Empire the novels are the witty confessions of Claudius, an aged Roman aristocrat who, because of his stammer and deformed body, was regarded as an imbecile for most of his life.

While the great houses of Rome clash and conspire, Claudius bides his time before finally seizing the ultimate power and becoming emperor. The most revered classicist of the 20th century, Graves crammed the novels full of arcane Roman lore. He also created a hugely memorable cast of grotesque characters.

Even by today's standards the books are bursting with every species of lust, treachery and depravity. Their undimmed vividness means the Claudius books are sure to find a loyal audience all over again.

a new adventure for pan

Encouraging the young to read is hugely important but Booknotes is usually loath to recommend the appalling stories written for kids. It is with great relief that an honourable exception has been found.

Geraldine McCaughrean's Peter Pan in Scarlet was chosen ahead of 200 rival entries to become the official sequal to JM Barrie's 1911 fairytale, the origin of which was explored in the recent film Finding Neverland starring Johnny Depp.

Peter Pan in Scarlet sees the Darling children return to Neverland to find their hero and face the dreaded Captain Hook. It is both an exact recreation of the world Barrie imagined and a dreamlike piece of storytelling destined to become a classic in its own right.

What's more, the book is serving a noble purpose. The copyright of Barrie's original is owned by the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children and is set to expire next year. It is hoped that McCaughrean's book will match the annual revenue the Barrie copyright brings in. Booknotes hopes their dream comes true.