The official sequel to Peter Pan, Peter Pan in Scarlet, has been commissioned by Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital Charity to compensate for the fact that the copyright on the original book, donated to the hospital by JM Barrie, has expired.
Daire Whelan charts the rise and fall, but mostly the fall, of the League of Ireland, while Patrick West looks at some of the spectacular Irish soccer players of the past 50 years. Reviewed by Ken Early
The term 'lifetime's work' is bandied about with irritating regularity. If we read every book whose blurb uses this old ruse, there would be little time for anything else. This makes the discovery of a work that can truly justify this boast a singular event.
Before reviewing Scarlet, the official sequel to Peter Pan, I decided to re-read the original book. I soon realised that 're-read' was the wrong word.
Recently the National Library of Ireland has been seeking ways to lose its image as the sanctuary of some of this country's more otherwordly characters. To give this great institution back to a far broader section of society, the superb idea of Library Late was conceived. This is a series of public interviews in which Ireland's most distinguished authors discuss their work with well-known journalists and literary critics. The fourth season has just kicked off.
Roddy Doyle makes a triumphant return to the intriguing character of Paula Spencer after 10 years and produces a wonderful read that is vintage Doyle. By Eamon Maher
Belle and the Magic Makeover is book two in the Fairies of Starshine Meadow series. Despite the word "makeover" in the title, this book, happily, has nothing to do with TV beauty programmes where attempts to jazz up the dowdy often make me wish for the return of the bride of Frankenstein as a reminder of how to leave well enough alone.
Two of Australia's grand old men of letters have new offerings. Things I Didn't Know is the truculent autobiography of veteran art critic Robert Hughes. A man who has lived life very keenly indeed, Hughes reminisces about his Jesuit education, his trio of catastrophic marriages and his hectic career which culminated with the publication of The Shock of the New, Hughes' landmark treatise on modern painting.
In the guise of Benjamin Black, John Banville has written a chilling crime thriller, writes Edward O'Hare
Paul McGrath's autobiography is a moving and often grim story which leaves you feeling a kind of awe that he had a career at all, never mind become one of Ireland's greatest football players, says Ken Early