Books

That fateful, frantic week in the literary calendar when all the speculation comes to an end and the rewards are finally given out has come and gone.

Elizabeth Royte is unsure who The Tree was written for but she thoroughly enjoyed this homage
to our leafy friends

Michael Cronin's insights about the crucial role translation has played in shaping debates about identity, language and cultural survival provide an impressive statement of intent, says Eamon Maher

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.

To quote from the press release: "Deep in the cellars of the O'Brien Press is a safe that contained stories too horrible to be read. But somebody has broken into the safe and the stories have been released." The Evil Hairdo is one of these stories and it certainly lives up to expectations .

Ron Rosenbaum is unabashed in
his lust for Shakespeare as he takes
his readers on a journey to discover
what was so Shakespearean about
the great writer. By Walter Kirn

Best known for founding Apple Computer, Steve Wozniak's autobiography isn't the most masterful of books but it reflects its author's restless inventiveness, says JD Bierdorfer

Clonmel has a great history. Bianconi launched the first stagecoach company there. It is the birthplace of Laurence Sterne, the clergyman who became famous as the author of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, that grab-bag of whimsy, pseudo-intellectual discourse and ribald humour which turned the 18th-century world on its head.

Robots Don't Cry is number 15 in the O'Brien Flyers series for young independent readers. Like other books in the series, it is instantly appealing with its comic-book format of large print, excellent big pictures and a narrative that is easy and exciting to follow.

While this book stands out in its genre as a balanced overview of Ireland's adaptation to globalisation, it fails to offer solutions to the problems it identifies, says Peadar Kirby