Books

  • The Silver Road

    The Silver Road

    9.50

    Myth and magic combine in this unforgettable adventure drawing on Irish folklore, from award-winning author Sinead O’Hart. The seandraiocht – the Old Magic – isn’t remembered like it once was. Its power is fading…

    When Rose is entrusted with a powerful stone by a Frost Giant, she is swept into an adventure full of danger. The stone can be used for great good or great evil, depending on its keeper. It leads Rose to discover the magic that runs through all of Ireland.

    A magic that is threaded together beneath the land: the Silver Road. But the Silver Road is under threat. Now Rose must keep the stone from falling into the wrong hands and embark on a quest to find its rightful owner and keep the magic alive .

    . . A stunning new fantasy adventure for children, drawing on Celtic folklore.

    Perfect for fans of Catherine Doyle and Ross Montgomery.

  • The Six

    The Six

    30.00

    It is September, 1922. As the National Army closes in on the anti-Treaty stronghold of Rahelly House in North Sligo, 120 Republicans of the 3rd Western Division abandon their headquarters and retreat to the mountains. En route to a cave hideout in the uplands, six of the men are surrounded and captured. They would not survive one of the most brutal advances of the new Free State Army. Their deaths caused outrage and bewilderment across the county and essentially marked the end of the Civil War in Sligo. These men came to be memorialised as Sligo’s Noble Six.

    This book looks beyone the well-documented accounts of the execution of Sligo’s Noble Six and explores the interwoven stories of their lives, their communities, their families, and their descendants. The men’s lives are illustrated through military archives, IRA dispatches, contemporary media coverage, and previously unpublished photos. Their memorialisation through poetry and prose, monuments and gatherings, has ensured that these six men live beyond the tragedy of their deaths.

  • THE SONG OF ACHILLES

    THE SONG OF ACHILLES

    11.95

    WINNER OF THE ORANGE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION

    Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’s mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess.

    But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfil his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

    An exciting, sexy, violent Superman version of The Iliad‘ GUARDIAN

  • The Spanish Armada

    The Spanish Armada

    12.50

    A dramatic blow-by-blow account of the defeat of the Spanish Armada by the English fleet – a tale of daring and disaster on the high seas by one of our best narrative historians. After the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558, Protestant England was beset by the hostile Catholic powers of Europe – not least Spain. In October 1585 King Philip II of Spain declared his intention to destroy Protestant England and began preparing invasion plans, leading to an intense intelligence war between the two countries, culminating in the dramatic sea battles of 1588.

    Robert Hutchinson’s tautly written book is the first to examine this battle for intelligence, and uses everything from contemporary eye-witness accounts to papers held by the national archives in Spain and the UK to recount the dramatic battle that raged up the English Channel. Contrary to popular theory, the Armada was not defeated by superior English forces – in fact, Elizabeth I’s parsimony meant that her ships had no munitions left by the time the Armada had fought its way up to the south coast of England. In reality it was a combination of inclement weather and bad luck that landed the killer blow on the Spanish forces, and of the 125 Spanish ships that set sail against England, only 60 limped home – the rest sunk or wrecked with barely a shot fired.

  • The Stolen Village

    The Stolen Village

    14.95

    In June 1631 pirates from Algiers and armed troops of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, led by the notorious pirate captain Morat Rais, stormed ashore at the little harbour village of Baltimore in West Cork. They captured almost all the villagers and bore them away to a life of slavery in North Africa. The prisoners were destined for a variety of fates — some would live out their days chained to the oars as galley slaves, while others would spend long years in the scented seclusion of the harem or within the walls of the Sultan’s palace.

    The old city of Algiers, with its narrow streets, intense heat and lively trade, was a melting pot where the villagers would join slaves and freemen of many nationalities. Only two of them ever saw Ireland again. The Sack of Baltimore was the most devastating invasion ever mounted by Islamist forces on Ireland or England.

    Des Ekin’s exhaustive research illuminates the political intrigues that ensured the captives were left to their fate, and provides a vivid insight into the kind of life that would have awaited the slaves amid the souks and seraglios of old Algiers. The Stolen Village is a fascinating tale of international piracy and culture clash nearly 400 years ago and is the first book to cover this relatively unknown and under-researched incident in Irish history. Shortlisted for the Argosy Irish Nonfiction Book of the Year Award.

  • The Story Of Brexit

    The Story Of Brexit

    8.95

    ‘The latest offering in the hilarious Ladybird for Grown Ups series is a funny mickey-take of the Brexit debate (and boy, do we need some fun)’

  • The Story of Yoga

    The Story of Yoga

    15.50

    How did a venerable Indian spiritual discipline turn into a £20 billion-a-year mainstay of the wellness industry? What happened along yoga’s winding path from the caves and forests of the sages to the gyms, hospitals and village halls of the modern West?

    This comprehensive history sets yoga in its global cultural context for the first time, leading us on a journey from arcane religious rituals and medieval body-magic, through Christianity and the British Empire, to Indian nationalists and the twentieth-century West. Yoga has now become embedded in powerful social currents including feminism, digital media, celebrity culture, the stress pandemic and the quest for authentic identity.

    Shearer’s revealing history boasts a colourful cast of characters past and present, in an engaging tale of scholars and scandal, science and spirit, wisdom and waywardness. This is the untold story of yoga, warts and all.

  • The Stranger in the Lifeboat

    The Stranger in the Lifeboat

    6.95

    Adrift in a raft after a terrible shipwreck, ten strangers try to survive while they wait for rescue. After three days, short on water, food and hope, they spot a man floating in the waves. They pull him on board – and the survivor claims he can save them.

    But should they put their trust in him? Will any of them see home again? And why did the ship really sink? The Stranger in the Lifeboat is not only a deeply moving novel about the power of love and hope in the face of danger, but also a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end.

    9780751584530

  • The Summer I Robbed A Bank

    The Summer I Robbed A Bank

    9.95

    *Winner of the Irish Children’s Book Award*

    ‘Funny, warm as toast and packed full of ideas that fill up your head and burst in your brain like fizzy magic!’ Noel Fielding

    ‘A totally fun, madcap adventure that ends up robbing your heart’ Stewart Foster, award-winning author of The Bubble Boy.

    There’s a feeling of relief that comes just after you’ve robbed a bank … Rex’s parents have split up and, to make matters worse, he has to spend his summer holiday on a remote and rainy Irish island – with only unruly sheep for company. The only upside: he’ll be staying with his strange and brilliant Uncle Derm.

    Then Rex discovers Uncle Derm is about to execute his most hair-brained plan yet … To rob the island’s travelling bank!

    Like the local legend of medieval Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley, Uncle Derm plans to redistribute the money to local needy causes on the island. And he needs Rex’s help … A chaotic robbery, plenty of sheep and a summer of discoveries come together in this hilarious and heart-warming novel from comedian, actor and author of Danger is Everywhere, David O’Doherty. A perfect adventure for fans of Frank Cottrell Boyce, Ross Welford and David Walliams.

  • The Tailor of Panama

    The Tailor of Panama

    17.50

    Charmer, fabulist and tailor to Panama’s rich and powerful, Harry Pendel loves to tell stories. But when the British spy Andrew Osnard – a man of large appetites, for women, information and above all money – walks into his shop, Harry’s fantastical inventions take on a life of their own. Soon he finds himself out of his depth in an international game he can never hope to win.

    Le Carre’s savage satire on the espionage trade is set in a corrupt universe without heroes or honour, where the innocent are collateral damage and treachery plays out as tragic farce.

    A tour de force in which almost every convention of the classic spy novel is violated‘ The New York Times Book Review

  • The Testaments

    The Testaments

    12.50
    Description
    THE NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER AND WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE’The Testaments is Atwood at her best . . .

    To read this book is to feel the world turning’ Anne EnrightThe Republic of Gilead is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, two girls with radically different experiences of the regime come face to face with the legendary, ruthless Aunt Lydia. But how far will each go for what she believes? Now with additional material: book club discussion points and an interview with Margaret Atwood about the real-life events that inspired The Testaments and The Handmaid’s Tale.

    _________________________________PRAISE FOR THE TESTAMENTS:’Everything The Handmaid’s Tale fans wanted and more. Prepare to hold your breath throughout, and to cry real tears at the end’ Stylist’Atwood challenges us constantly and poses the question that lies like a pearl inside the shell of this frighteningly readable novel, “Before you sit in judgement, how would you behave in Gilead?”’ Sunday Telegraph’She manages to write about the darkest and most terrifying parts of human psychology in a way that is still deeply funny and full of dark strange hope’ Naomi Alderman, author of The Power’A plump, pacy, witty and tightly plotted page-turner… Atwood is on top form’ Observer’She is one of the greatest writers of the past century’ Sunday Times’How did she manage to make darkness feel so effortless? How did she think to inject humour where no humour should exist? Because she’s Margaret Atwood, and she can do anything’ Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House

  • The Thing Around Your Neck

    The Thing Around Your Neck

    10.95

    ADICHIE, CHIMAMANDA NGOZI

  • The Thursday Murder Club

    The Thursday Murder Club

    12.50
    Description
    ‘Such a beacon of pleasure’ KATE ATKINSON’So smart and funny. Deplorably good’ IAN RANKIN’A gripping read’ SUNDAY TIMESTHE FIRST BOOK IN THE #1 BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY TV PRESENTER RICHARD OSMANIn a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.
  • The Tide Is Coming

    The Tide Is Coming

    50.00

    The Tide is Coming – a book of Coney Island in Sligo Bay by Maura Gilligan –
    is a beautiful limited-edition publication containing prose, poetry, interviews, photographs
    and artwork.
    As the title of this book suggests, the rhythm of the tides has, for centuries, dictated the
    rhythm of life on Coney Island. During his lifetime, Islander John McGowan called out the
    warning “the tide is coming” countless times, ensuring that visitors would cross the causeway
    safely before channels at either side closed the strand passage and made an island of his
    shores.
    This little island is said to have given its name to Coney Island in New York! Its ancient
    name, Inismulclohy, can be found in maps, records and annals.

    Contents
    Insightful poetry and prose reflect the author’s thoughts as she moves across the Island in
    space and time.
    Author-transcribed interviews with Island elder John McGowan form an integral part of this
    book, illuminating eight decades of life in a place inhabited by John’s ancestors since 1789.
    There are echoes here of life on other offshore Irish islands, now uninhabited.
    Photographer James Fraher’s haunting black and white images, together with Catherine
    Fanning’s remarkable paintings, prints and line drawings, add visual depth and magic.

    Special Features
    The book itself is a work of art; a striking hardback cover collage is enhanced by timeless
    quarter binding, head and tail bands, marker ribbon and rich-coloured endpapers.  Sumptuous
    Munken paper provides the perfect backdrop for superb illustrations and exceptional writing.
    Folded within the pages of this book is a surprise – an A3 loose-leaf ‘Map of Coney Island in
    Sligo Bay’, which can be framed. Created from an old and fragile line-drawn original, the
    current version of this map illustrates locations on and around the Island, some of which still
    carry their original Irish names.
    The Tide is Coming is a wonderful history of an Irish island and a perfect gift.

  • THE TIPPING POINT

    THE TIPPING POINT

    13.50

    In this brilliant and original book, Malcolm Gladwell explains and analyses the ‘tipping point’, that magic moment when ideas, trends and social behaviour cross a threshold, tip and spread like wildfire. Taking a look behind the surface of many familiar occurrences in our everyday world, Gladwell explains the fascinating social dynamics that cause rapid change.

  • The Tower of Nero

    The Tower of Nero

    12.95
    Description

    It’s time to face the final trial . . .

    The battle for Camp Jupiter is over.

    New Rome is safe. Tarquin and his army of the undead have been defeated. Somehow Apollo has made it out alive, with a little bit of help from the Hunters of Artemis.

    But though the battle may have been won, the war is far from over.

    Now Apollo and Meg must get ready for the final – and, let’s face it, probably fatal – adventure.

    They must face the last emperor, the terrifying Nero, and destroy him once and for all.

    Can Apollo find his godly form again? Will Meg be able to face up to her troubled past? Destiny awaits . . .