In the aftermath of two No referenda, the European Commission is trying to change its image to listen, communicate, and go local. It has a long way to go, writes Conor Brady

Last year's fashion for book clubs may be receding but as a forum for championing books – and making books popular – there are few current alternatives as successful. Books like The Lovely Bones, The Master and The Kite Runner have a universality that made them ideal club selections. You can picture the publisher's glee when they realise that a book they have is perfect for that market.

Despite the fortuitous date of its publication and the familiar voice of its narrator, Incendiary suffers from the demands its plot entails and the logistics of capturing an entire city slowly lapsing into chaos.

Nature expert Richard Nairn's new book on Ireland's beautiful coastline will make readers pack up their bags, buy a map of Ireland and head for the shore.

Billy Leahy has a religious experience at Alice Maher's latest show at her home of many years, the Green on Red Galllery

Last Thursday, Raglan Road merely provided a handy means of avoiding the crowd headed to Landsdowne Road for the Ireland Ruby friendly. But the next night, when Luke Kelly sang of it, and I listened from my garden bench in Clare under that lovely moon, 'Raglan Road' was again mythical; the poet Paddy Kavanagh was wastin' his time on the young one and Luke's voice was again in the business of breaking your heart.

Dermot Bolger looks at dingy pitches, dictator dads and the downfall of three of the world's most powerful leaders

Over the next few days thousands of lucky Leaving Cert students will receive CAO offers of places in third level. If their experiences over coming years are anything like mine, they will have times of unprecedented freedom, meet great friends and have doors opened to them that will change their lives. While they might not be the best years of their lives, they will be the best years they have had so far.

For anyone interested in the peace process, the next few months are going to be interesting ones. In my opinion, while public attention may wane at times, the vast majority of people want the process to succeed. This is not to say that everyone sits on the edge of their seats waiting for the next twist in the developing situation. On the contrary, the process has not been like that for some time. Although certain events, such as the arrival home of the Colombia Three, have the capacity to cause some excitement, the process has become something of a slow dance.

She has been called the Rosa Parks of the anti-war movement. Cindy Sheehan has been camped outside President George Bush's Texas ranch since 7 August.