We’re thrilled to be joined by rising Irish talent Colin Walsh in July, to celebrate the paperback release of Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize shortlisted novel and gripping page-turner; Kala! Tickets available at waterstones.com/events 🎟️ . . . #event #events #waterstones #waterstonesevents #waterstonespiccadilly #thingstodo #thingstodolondon #london #londonbookshops #bookshop #bookevent #colinwalsh #kala #literary #irishauthors #irishfiction #thriller
32. #colinwalsh – #kala #promptreading #bookshelf #booklovers #reading #bookstagrammer #bookish #books
Kinlough is the Irish seaside town where our cast of characters reside. Helen, Aoife, Kala, Joe, Aidan and Mush are six teens who are young, wild and free. Immersed in the invincibility of their self-absorbed teenage years, we see the group striving to impress one another and pushing things to the limits. You’ll remember your youth in reading this book. Invincible yet insecure, teenage life holds a certain amount of vulnerability which is beautifully explored in this debut novel by Colin Walsh. Jump forward 15 years later and our protagonists are Joe, Mush and Helen. Nothing’s been quite the same for them since Kala went missing, and the past is dug up and laid bare when Kala’s remains are found. The story evolves perfectly as we dip in and out of the dual timeline. Every word in this book feels meticulously chosen, every narrative voice distinct. I loved how I could hear the characters in my head so clearly. It took me almost two months to read this book and it is through no fault of the author. Other reading commitments meant I had to put this aside quite often and I felt guilty for doing so - it was like a magnet pulling at me to pick it up and read it! I needed to find out what happened to Kala, I needed to know who was responsible. And boy, I did NOT see the reveal coming! I loved this sophisticated page turner, where Walsh takes a look at the complexities of humanity, warts and all; a truly wonderful debut and must have for your summer TBR. #ClaireIsGettingBackToBooks #BookReview #Kala #ColinWalsh
Happy publication day to Adam S. Leslie and his stunning new book LOST IN THE GARDEN - an eerie, dreamlike, post-apocalypse novel set in an English countryside where nature thrives in abundance and Summer lasts forever. Don’t miss Adam here in Manchester on Monday 15th July when he’ll be in conversation with Martha Lewis alongside Colin Walsh (KALA) Tickets start from £4 and are available instore, over the phone on 0161 274 3331, and online via link in bio.
👭 BOOK REVIEW 👭 KALA by Colin Walsh I just want to ramble about how much I love this book: a story of friendship, love, bravery, cruelty, secrets, closure and justice. The story of Kala Lanann, who went missing 15 years ago, when she was 15 years old, from the small Irish town of Kinlough. SYNOPSIS: Kala was the center of the six friends' group, the star around which they orbited. After the horror of her disappearance, the remaining 5 - Helen, Mush, Joe, Aidan and Aoife - quickly drifted apart. Some of them left Kinlough entirely. Aidan died tragically, only a few years later. Only Mush remained, working in his mother's café. But Helen and Joe are brought back home by Joe's career and Helen's dad's wedding. Is it a coincidence that at this exact moment in time, a body is discovered in the woods, forcing the 3 friends to confront what really happened that summer 15 years ago and the roles they may have played. MY THOUGHTS aka WHY THIS BOOK IS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Walsh masterfully switches between 3 distinct narrative voices: Joe, Helen and Mush. He generously but unnecessarily signposts when he switches narrator; unnecessarily because Joe, Helen and Mush are 3 unique voices and personalities. Yes, all 3 of them are haunted and lonely. But Helen is guarded and self-punishing, while Joe is insecure and self-involved and Mush (magical Mush) is private but affectionate. Helen won't - can't - let affection for others guide her, while this is all Mush is guided by. Both are desperate to uncover the truth but their methods are very different. Joe is brought along more from a fear of being left out. Like so many, I am a little in love with Mush. If nothing else convinces you to read Kala, let it be this wonderful protagonist, who I promise, you will fall for too. Beautiful inside and out, Mush's kind and sensitive nature - feeling more at home with women than men - is not built for the harsh world of Kinlough. Continued in comments...
My next read matching my jacket! Only 30 pages in and already feels very reminiscent of Eliza Clark’s Penance which was one of my favourite reads of last year!
Some recent purchases & gifteds ✨ these kind of make up my immediate TBR once I finish my current read & Sunlit Man! . Thank you @horrorhangover for my copy of 'The House that Horror Built' by Christina Henry. . Thank you @atlanticbooks for my copy of 'Kala' by Colin Walsh p.s the brilliant @marthaluvsbooks will be moderating a chat between Colin and Adam S. Leslie in July at @blackwellsmcr - tickets on sale now! . #thesilverbloodpromise #jameslogan #thesecretlifeofinsects #bernardoesquinca #somestrangemusicdrawsmein #griffinhansbury #onearthasitisontelevision #emilyjane #kala #colinwalsh #thezword #lindsaykingmiller #thehousethathorrorbuilt #christinahenry #thewatchers #amshine #notesfromthevoid #gianniwashington #firstlight #lizkerrin #younghag #isabelgreenberg #homebody #theoparish #deadanimals #pheobestuckes #youwillgetthroughthisnight #danhowell #naturalbeauty #linglinghuang
🍒 THIS WEEK'S READING PLANS 🍒 I've finished AND THEN SHE FELL: really interesting and fantastic in parts though I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending. It has absolutely stuck with me after finishing though and the way it deals with gaslighting of women and ethnic minorities is excellent I also finished THE WREN THE WREN, beautifully narrated by its cast on audiobook. This was written exquisitely and had some truly breathtaking moments but overall, my heart Is still with SOLDIER SAILOR to win the Women's Prize. Few books are as unique and visceral as Kilroy's So today, on my day off, I've started a bunch of new books!! Including KAIROS by #jennyerpenbeck and SOME STRANGE MUSIC DRAWS ME IN by #griffinhansbury (thank you @dauntbookspub for the gorgeous ARC), two completely different books but two which have already hooked me with their beginning chapters I've listened to so much of KALA over the past few days. I HIGHLY recommend listening to the audiobook which has 3 fab actors portraying Helen, Joe and ♥️Mush♥️. Once you've listened to it, then buy a physical copy and read it again, because my goodness, it's great! Definitely a favourite book, not just a favourite book of the past year. 💫 QOTD: Do you like to have multiple books on the go? Happy reading! #colinwalsh #audiobooks #rereads #favouritebooks #favouriteauthors #ReadingPlans #whatimreading #irishfiction #lovebooks #lovereading #bibliophile #booklover #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookworm #booknerd
📚Review: „Kala“ by Colin Walsh After years abroad, Helen returns to her hometown Kinlough because of her father’s wedding. She is apprehensive of confronting this place again that harbours so many memories - good and bad. She spent an unforgettable summer here with her five close friends from high school - Mush, Joe, Kala, Aiofe, and Aidan - in 2003. But in the fall of that year, Kala had disappeared without a trace. Aidan passed a couple of years later. Now, bound by the memories and tragedies of their past, the friends reunite. When Kala’s remains are found on the eve of the wedding, Helen is determined to find out what happened. Reluctantly Joe and Mush join the effort - each one of them forced to face their own demons in order to get to the truth. Colin Walsh’s debut „Kala“ is a novel that blurs the lines between genres. It is a mystery, has deep character studies and coming-of-age elements. I loved this combination as it has more depths than your average thriller. The story certainly has a slower start because it explores the characters and backstories of our protagonists. So, whether or not you enjoy this book may depend on what kind of reader you are. I would imagine that it may work better for lit fic peeps rather than fans of fast-paced thrillers. Personally, I really enjoyed it, I loved the writing and the mystery left me guessing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #bookreview #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #ColinWalsh #Kala #whattoreadnext #mystery #comingofage
It was so great to hear readings and interviews from Colin Walsh and Ferdia Lennon at the Cúirt festival this weekend. Both Colin’s book ‘Kala’ and Ferdia’s book ‘Glorious Exploits’ are some of the best works I’ve read in the past while. #colinwalsh #ferdialennon #cúirt #cuirtfestival #newirishwriting
“Long story short, you gotta believe in the world if you want to save it.” It’s summer in 2003 when Kala Lanann goes missing in the seaside town of Kinlough on Ireland’s west coast. Kala was part of a group of six inseparable teenagers who spent the summer running around town discovering themselves and rebelling against their caregivers. During the summer the group discover a dark and violent underbelly of Kinlough engulfed in secrets and soon after, Kala disappears without a trace. Jumping forward 15 years, three of the friends - Helen, Joe and Mush - are thrown together for the first time in years back in Kinlough. Human remains are discovered in the local woods and two more teenage girls, Mush’s cousins, end up missing in suspicious circumstances. Helen, Joe and Mush are left facing the consequences of their complicity in the events in 2003 and fighting to stop patterns repeating. Kala was SUCH a captivating read. The characters and the plot were both so complex and well-written and it was easy to quickly become invested in the story. It’s a very special thriller in that the writing is beautiful as well as being ominous which is no mean feat, especially from a debut. This one has been on my radar for so long thanks to @mel.on.books and @amdbooks86 and I’m happy that I can finally say I get the hype!
New thing, for book 16 of 2024, I'm only adding on here books I deem #gridworthy (hopefully Seinfeld fans will appreciate that ref). And it's a goodie and another sound recommendation- this time by @hillyfoz3. Kala by Colin Walsh - a really beautifully written and observed book. The Irish dialogue was spot on "I'm only after tidying that up" and more fecks than you can shake a shillelagh at. I loved the journey, the characters especially the eponymous Kala, the town with its dark secrets and some wonderful mis-directions. My other new thing is no more book shopping until I've cleared at least 3/4s of the pile by my reading chair. Currently have 18 waiting for me... #PoozReviewz #Kala #ColinWalsh #feck #yerlittlebollicks #feckagain
#currentlyreading #kala #colinwalsh
CONTEMPORARY FICTION BOOK REVIEW🩵📕 KALA BY COLIN WALSH Kinlough is a popular holiday sea-side town in Ireland home to plenty of culture, family run businesses, sunshine and now murder. Kala, Aoife, Mush, Joe, and Helen were inseparable growing up, until Kala Lannan went missing and still to this day, hasn’t been seen since. Fast forward fifteen years and the group unexpectedly come back to their hometown. With two girls newly disappeared and human remains turning up in the woods, what unfolds is a murder mystery full of twists and turns that can only be described as gripping. Colin Walsh’s novel is addictive, and perfect to read in the spring sunshine. ‘Kala’ is a book that Donna Tartt and Tana French fans alike will demolish in one sitting. This is one of my new favourite books and one that I will be recommending to everyone I know! -Niamh #independentbookshop #bookreview #contemporaryfiction #kala #colinwalsh #irishliterature
Katherine ‘Kala’ Lanann was 15 when she disappeared in 2003, leaving her friends Joe, Aoife, Helen, Mush, and Aiden and the whole town of Kinlough, Ireland in shock. Fifteen years later, shortly after Helen, Joe, and Mush reunite in their hometown, human remains are found in the woods, and Mush’s teenage cousins go missing. I grabbed this book because I saw it recommended as a literary thriller (although I don’t remember from who, if it was you please tell me!), and can confirm, the writing is beautiful. This is a mystery but also a coming-of-age story, digging into the psyche of the small Irish town, its shady characters, its long-held resentments, and its secrets. One thing that stood out to me was how well Colin Walsh wrote both male and female teenage friendships. I loved his exploration of gender, the expectations of teenage masculinity and idolization of teenage femininity, but also the experience of finding your people in a small town. The writing was missing the inherent misogyny I sometimes read between the lines of books (and especially female POVs) written by men. I’d heard the first half was slow, and I think it’s good to know that going in, because there’s quite a bit of set up. Through Helen, Joe, and Mush’s perspectives, the reader gets both the present-day story and the story of what happened in 2003. But instead of being dual timeline, the past is told through long swaths of backstory. It took time to get used to this—the first few transitions lost me, especially on audio—but by the second half, when you’re familiar with the structure and the many characters and the use of dialect, this book really does take off. I recommend KALA for anyone who liked PENANCE (because of the setting and the examination of teenage friendships) and fans of Tana French. I’d also just like to say that the American cover is bad, but the UK cover is very good (swipe!) and is definitely signaling PENANCE vibes. Also included a few quotes to give you a taste of the writing!
Kaya - Colin Walsh #books #bookstagram #epigraph #epigraphs #bookquotes #readersofinstagram #goodbooks #whattoreadnext #read #literature #authorsofinstagram #readers #write #inspiration #inspiring #quotes #yabooks #thefirstpage #igread #bookaholics #booksofig #igbooks #booklover #booknerd #booksta #bookworm #bookish #larricbookclub #kaya #colinwalsh
“the moments when you can say something are just that—moments—and once they’re gone, they’re gone, and you’ve added another brick to the wall.” maaaan, “kala” by colin walsh took me forever and a day to get through. for whatever reason i lost my reading groove on this one! it wasn’t that i hated it, it just took me quite some time to get into the story and even then it was a bit of a miss for me. this was a “thriller” set in a small town in ireland following a group of teenagers after one of their friends (kala) goes missing and her remains appear 15 years later. three of the group (helen, mush & joe) reconvene and all of the chapters are told from each of their point of view. there was animal cruelty that did not feel at all necessary and i truly hate that shit and skipped over a ton of it, so be warned if you do read it - but honestly, it’s not one i’d recommend. i never really connected with the story or the characters. #kala #colinwalsh #bookstagram #justread #justfinishedreading #bibliophile #booksbooksbooks #bookcommunity #readinggoals2024 #booksandblankets #bookworm #booklover #read #readersofinstagram #books
Book review: “In the seaside town of Kinlough, on Ireland’s west coast, three old friends are thrown together for the first time in years. They - Helen, Joe and Mush - were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann as their group’s white-hot centre. Soon after that summer’s peak, Kala disappeared without a trace. Now it’s fifteen years later. Human remains have been discovered in the woods. Two more girls have gone missing. As past and present begin to collide, the estranged friends are forced to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala’s disappearance, and to try to stop Kinlough’s violent patterns repeating themselves once again... Against the backdrop of a town suffocating on its own secrets, in a story that builds from a smoulder to a stunning climax, Kala brilliantly examines the sometimes brutal costs of belonging, as well as the battle in the human heart between vengeance and forgiveness, despair and redemption.” I really enjoyed Kala and read it in a weekend. I liked the relationships between the main characters and the way the book flicked back and forth through time telling of their friendships and how they had changed over the decades. There are some scenes of animal cruelty which I know have upset some readers so I’m adding that as a trigger warning for some. I think the reason it wasn’t a five star read for me was because of who the perpetrator was and that’s maybe because of other books I have read recently that have taken a similar angle and as I don’t want to plot spoil here so will say no more on that but an enjoyable read nonetheless. Book 15 of the year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #kala #bookreview #fiction #colinwalsh #bookpost #mylifeinboks #theyearinbooks2024 #reader #bookblogger #bookreviewer #crimenovel #irishfiction #fridayreads #bookcover
Kala feels like Ireland’s answer to the southern gothic, the seedy underbelly of a tranquil town, a twenty year old disappearance and a cast of characters returning after years away to face the past. I’m obsessed with Kala, it’s one of the best books I read last year, very Tartt-esque, particularly for fans of The Little Friend. All the different character perspectives and timelines make it like a mosaic of a story and you get to piece together everything in a super satisfying way. EXCELLENT!
so fire @perfctkid 🔥🔥🔥🔥absolutely fire it’s unbelievable crazy type sh #liquid #ruby #travisscott #colinwalsh @ajajplotz
⁉️ What's your current read??? I've just picked up Kala by Colin Walsh and I'm not really sure what to expect! I believe it's a literary thriller, set in Ireland, and have seen it compared to Donna Tartt's The Secret History 🤔 I'm intrigued!! . . .
[Pictured: my very real Sunday reading scene, crumbs and all ! 🫣] I’ve just finished Kala, the debut novel by Colin Walsh. My girlfriend got it for my birthday and she absolutely did not miss! My first impression is that the book is a marvellous companion to my beloved Penance, Eliza Clark’s second novel. This time, we’re in a fictional touristy coastal town on Ireland’s west coast, Kinlough, which thrives when its Festival and Races come around each year. Similarly, a local girl, the titular, charismatic Kala, has been missing since the early noughties. The story is told through the narratives of Helen, a struggling freelance journalist who’s emigrated to Canada; Joe, the internationally famous musician who’s crawled back from LA and Mush, who still works in his mam’s cafe in the town. When two more local girls go missing in the lead-up to the wedding, the three wind up uncovering the truth of what happened to Kala and their town’s darkest secrets. Walsh’s prose is so rich that I found myself forgetting that the text’s action takes place over about 4 days. It’s a sort of stream-of-consciousness between their youth and the present-day events. Walsh succeeds in crafting a troupe of complex, unique characters. It brought to mind Twin Peaks in his depiction of local colour eccentrics. If you’re keen on a thriller with sensitivity and nuance, you should make Kala your next read. What are you reading right now? I’m finally onto Susannah Dickey’s Isdal. Hope you have a good week. Thanks for reading. Amy x
Been craving a book set in contemporary times after going on a classics binge last year. This was just the title. The first half of this mystery kept me at the edge of my seat especially with the different elements the author threw in as red herrings. The second half of the book became a tad predictable, but I nevertheless enjoyed the author's neat and meticulous writing. In particular, I enjoyed his depiction of adolescence, its contradictions and how these leave lasting and sometimes detrimental impact on one's existence. The fragility and fearlessness, naiveté and cynicism, loneliness but sense of fraternity, all amidst raging hormones. #colinwalsh #kala
Kala by Colin Walsh Book 5 of #24librarybooksin24 'They remind me of Mam's notebooks, and what she wrote about how everything always happens in the present, but the present can echo forwards and backwards in time to itself.' This debut novel is astonishing. A tale of friendship and belonging. Of coming of age and growing up in a small town. Of secrets and lies. In 2003 six teenagers are the centre of each other's worlds in seaside town of Kinlough on the Irish west coast. And then in the autumn Kala disappears. Fifteen years later, Helen, Joe and Mush are reunited and we get chapters from their POVs. Helen and Mush are narrated in the first person and Joe in the second person and this works surprisingly well. With each of them we flit between timelines finding out about their lives now and gradually piecing together what happened when they were teens. Helen and Joe are newly back in town when human remains are discovered. And then two more girls go missing. It's a slow burn literary mystery which is character driven. The pace and suspense builds throughout the novel as the dark secrets hidden in the town are gradually revealed. It becomes a real page turner as the danger increases both in the past and present. The writing is incredible. These characters became so real that by the end I was emotionally exhausted. It's devastating & beautiful. I think Mush is one of my favourite characters ever. The dialogue is spot on. The local slang and phrases never feels forced or overdone but adds to the authenticity of the setting of the novel. Be warned that things do get very dark & there is a scene of animal cruelty but it feels realistic with the characters that it relates to. Darkly brutal & intense this is a mystery novel that will linger in your mind long after finishing the book. ✨✨✨✨✨5 stars #kala #colinwalsh #debutnovel #litetaryfiction #mysterynovel #literarymystery #literaturelover #librarybook #24in24 #bookstagrammeruk #bookstagram #bookworms #bibliophile #bookish #readergram #lovetoread #alwaysreading #bookreader #bookaddict #bookaholic #instabooks #igreads #waterstonesdebutfictionprize #debutfiction #irishfiction #recommendedread #fivestarreads
America’s Most Wanted Captures Fourth Fugitive in Three Weeks https://www.tvgrapevine.com/2024/03/americas-most-wanted-captures-fourth-fugitive-in-three-weeks/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social%2C+website&utm_campaign=ReviveOldPost #americasmostwanted #AmericasMostWantedCapturesFourthFugitiveinThreeWeeks #amw #amwcaptured #amwupdates #coldcases #ColinWalsh #davidyoung #fox #JohnWalsh #Truecrime
☘️ Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️ {Thank you to the tagged publishers for the gifted copies.} While we are not doing anything special for the day, Chloe & I do have our green on!!! I thought I'd share some of my favorite Irish authors & some of the books I've read by them. 🇮🇪 In the Woods by Tana French - this is the 1st book in her Dublin Murder Squad series. I actually want to reread this one before I continue on with the series. ☘️ Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent - I've read all but one of Liz's books & they have all been fantastic. This one is my new favorite! 💚 Trespasses by Louise Kennedy - the first book I read by Louise Kennedy & I loved it. I did just recently read her collection of short stories & I enjoyed those, too. ☘️ 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard - I'm a big fan of CRH & this one is one of my favorites of hers. 🇮🇪 Kala by Colin Walsh - this is Colin Walsh's debut novel & I loved it. I hope he has another book out soon! ❓️ Do you have a favorite book set in Ireland or a favorite Irish author? Have you read any of these books or any books by any of these authors? Are you doing anything for St. Patrick's Day? @scoutpress @blackstonepublishing #stpatricksday #Irishgirl #irishauthors #booksbooksbooks #tanafrench #liznugent #louisekennedy #catherineryanhoward #colinwalsh #bookblogger #bookinfluencer #bookishpost #bookrecommendations #bookbuddy #chocolatelab #chocolatelabofinstagram #alwaysreading #alwayswithabook #k2reader
How are you celebrating St. Patrick’s day? We’re so lucky to have these titles (and more) from such amazing Irish authors! Show your love for them by coming in and picking one of them up! 🍀 #barnesandnoble #stpatricksday #irishauthors #sallyrooney #carolineodonoghue #clairekeegan #emmadonoghue #ednaobrien #maevebinchy #megannolan #tanafrench #maggieofarrell #louisekennedy #dishabose #hazelhayes #lucyfoley #anneenright #patticallahanhenry # #sebastianbarry #roddydoyle #johnboyne #johnbanville #colummccann #paullynch #paulmurray #colmtóibín #colinwalsh
“Kala” is an explosive, riveting, and at times savage read that left me at the edge of my seat. The book is centered on an Irish town where secrets simmer beneath the surface, waiting to be unveiled. The novel weaves together the freedom, angst, and confusion of teenage years with a layer of nostalgia. The story revolves around a group of former friends who reunite after 15 years. Their lives have diverged significantly, yet they share a common thread: the disappearance of there their friend and girlfriend Kala. When her remains are discovered, the past resurfaces, and the search for what really happened all those years ago begins. A couple of times this book made me think of the legendary “Twin Peaks” and this book has all the makings of a Netflix series! 😊 I think that the tension, the nostalgia, and the unexpected twists would translate brilliantly to the screen. In summary, “Kala” is both a genuine page-turner and a book for people big on the nostalgia of growing up and those teenage years. Loved it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5+/5) #kalacolinwalsh #colinwalsh #langzullenwelezen #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookreviews #bookreviewersofinstagram #boekrecensie #boekreview #boekreviews #booklover #booksbooksandmorebooks #booksbooksbooks📚 #boekentips #bookstagraminbelgium #bookstagrambelgium #bookstagrambelgie #bookworms #boekenworm #boekenliefde
🇮🇪 Irish novels on my TBR A small celebration of fabulous novelists for St Patrick's Day. It's not original to say that so many of the best English-language books coming out at the moment come from Irish authors. Slides 1-2 show some of the many Irish writers on my bookshelves that I plan to (slowly no doubt) make my way through. All have come highly recommended and the only difficult thing is picking where to start! Slides 3-5 are just some of the highlights of last year's reading. Ordinary Human Failings is of course on the Women's Prize Longlist, and rightly so! If you haven't checked out Kala or Close To Home yet, I would strongly recommend either as well. Kala, in particular, was one of my absolute favourite books of 2024 💚 #irishauthors #irishfiction #tbr #bookpost #booklove #bookblog #booksbooks #megannolan #colinwalsh #michaelmagee #anneenright #thewrenthewren #kalanovel #eveningsandweekends #whatimreading #favouritebooks #booknerd #bookworld #bookworm
Looking to add a little Irish to your reading list this St. Patrick's Day weekend? You can't go wrong with these amazing writers - and with a bit of the luck o' the Irish, your reading celebrations will be as joyous as you and your mates after a round at the pub! ☘️ #StPatricksDay #IrishBooks #StPatrick #IrishAuthors #IrishReading #tbr #getreading #matchreads #springintoreading #bngenevacommons Geneva Commons Emma O Donoghue John Banville Sally Roony #carolineodonoghue #paullynch Tana French #colinwalsh
America’s Most Wanted Captures Fourth Fugitive in Three Weeks https://www.tvgrapevine.com/2024/03/americas-most-wanted-captures-fourth-fugitive-in-three-weeks/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social%2C+website&utm_campaign=ReviveOldPost #americasmostwanted #AmericasMostWantedCapturesFourthFugitiveinThreeWeeks #amw #amwcaptured #amwupdates #coldcases #ColinWalsh #davidyoung #fox #JohnWalsh #Truecrime
My blog post (link in bio) about crime novels by Irish or Irish-resident authors has been one of my most-viewed posts ever. Four years later, I've added many more to my list of favorites. Some of these authors are new to me and some of the books here are just newer books by authors I already loved. I'll be writing about some of these at more length but they all offer thrilling plots and different angles on what a crime narrative can be. Enjoy this selection just in time for St. Patrick's Day! THE TRAP by Catherine Ryan Howard THE HUNTER by Tana French STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND by Liz Nugent THE LOCK-UP by John Banville WHERE THEY LIE by Claire Coughlan DIRTY LAUNDRY by Disha Bose ALL HER FAULT by Andrea Mara A CROOKED TREE by Una Mannion THE CLOSE by Jane Casey KALA by Colin Walsh #Irishcrimefiction #stpatricksday #stpatricksdaybooks #catherineryanhoward #tanafrench #liznugent #johnbanville #clairecoughlan #dishabose #andreamara #unamannion #janecasey #colinwalsh
America’s Most Wanted Captures Fourth Fugitive in Three Weeks The FBI captured fugitive David Young at a home in Hermosillo, Mexico on March 9, 2024. Less than three weeks before that arrest, Young along with The Ghostface Gangsters and their vast drug-running operation in Georgia,allegedly responsible for multiple overdose deaths, were identified on an episode of America’s Most Wanted, which #americasmostwanted #America’sMostWantedCapturesFourthFugitiveinThreeWeeks #amw #amwcaptured #amwupdates #coldcases #ColinWalsh #davidyoung #fox #JohnWalsh #Truecrime
America’s Most Wanted Captures Fourth Fugitive in Three Weeks https://www.tvgrapevine.com/2024/03/americas-most-wanted-captures-fourth-fugitive-in-three-weeks/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social%2C+website&utm_campaign=ReviveOldPost #americasmostwanted #AmericasMostWantedCapturesFourthFugitiveinThreeWeeks #amw #amwcaptured #amwupdates #coldcases #ColinWalsh #davidyoung #fox #JohnWalsh #Truecrime
America’s Most Wanted Captures Fourth Fugitive in Three Weeks The FBI captured fugitive David Young at a home in Hermosillo, Mexico on March 9, 2024. Less than three weeks before that arrest, Young along with The Ghostface Gangsters and their vast drug-running operation in Georgia,allegedly responsible for multiple overdose deaths, were identified on an episode of America’s Most Wanted, which #americasmostwanted #America’sMostWantedCapturesFourthFugitiveinThreeWeeks #amw #amwcaptured #amwupdates #coldcases #ColinWalsh #davidyoung #fox #JohnWalsh #Truecrime
America’s Most Wanted Captures Fourth Fugitive in Three Weeks https://www.tvgrapevine.com/2024/03/americas-most-wanted-captures-fourth-fugitive-in-three-weeks/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social%2C+website&utm_campaign=ReviveOldPost #americasmostwanted #AmericasMostWantedCapturesFourthFugitiveinThreeWeeks #amw #amwcaptured #amwupdates #coldcases #ColinWalsh #davidyoung #fox #JohnWalsh #Truecrime
This is a wonderful book #kala #colinwalsh
Kala by Colin Walsh Literary thrillers are a current favourite genre of mine, so I was delighted to finally pick up Kala, Colin Walsh's debut novel, when my bookclub selected it. The book is set in the fictional town of Kinlough, where a 16 year old girl Kala vanished 15 years prior, never to be heard from again. The book is told from the perspective of three of her best friends Helen, Mush, and Joe who are reunited 15 years later and recalling events of the summer of her disappearance, which changed the course of their lives. The story alternates between their three distinct voices and how their perspectives on the events of that summer had impacted their life experiences. We hear what they were like as teenagers in the period running up to Kala's disappearance and in the present, as they try to piece together what really happened. For me, Kala is the best kind of literary thriller - each different voice gives a different lens and a nuanced understanding of what may have happened. Helen, has run away from the town and is only coming back for her father's marriage, Joe is a narcissistic rockstar and thinks the world revolves around him and kindhearted Mush who carries physical as well as emotional scars from that summer. The pacing is so well done, Walsh feeds you just the right amount of information at just the right time, which had me racing to finish. The town of Kinlough became almost a character in the book, and it really had a sense of a small Irish town - Mush's caff, the housing estates, th the town square and the small town hidden secrets all rang so true. I absolutely loved this book - I highly recommend it, and I absolutely can't wait to read what he writes next... ❓️Do you like literary thrillers or thrillers in general, and if so, which ones would you recommend? #kala #colinwalsh #debutnovel #irishwriter #irishbookstagram #thrillerbooks #literaryfiction #literarythriller #irishbookblogger #bookstagramireland #irishbookstas #bookrecommendations
📖📚 World Book Day 📚📖 Happy world book day!!!! To celebrate, I thought I'd share some of my favourite books! I have sooo many, it was so hard to choose, and I definitely have many, many more favourites!! I wanted to write a bit about each book, but it became an essay 😅😅 So I'll just say, I recommend every.single.one! 📖 📖 📖 #worldbookday #worldbookday2024 #anthonyryan #dawnoporter #colinwalsh #bloodsong #thewomenoftroy #patbarker #thespiritengineer #havenfall #johngwynne #leighbardugo #theshadowofthegods #shadowandbone
March #tbrstack I've got loads of books on the go but this is the stack of physical books that I'm planning on finishing this month (I've got two eARCs to finish as well) I'm #currentlyreading Kala by Colin Walsh which is one of my #24librarybooksin24 It's incredible so far and I can see why it was on the shortlist last year for the #waterstonesdebutfictionprize I've also started Alsatia which is a newly published dystopian novel by Dominic Forte. Thank you to @cranthorpemillner for the paperback. I've got a re-read of The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K Dick for a readalong hosted by @sci_fi_gem The Bridge of Little Jeremy by Indrajit Garai sounds very intriguing and thank you to @estelleliterature for the #gifted copy The next book from the Big Jubilee Read list for the #70platinumreads is The Nowhere Man by Kamala Markandaya My other #librarybook for #24in24 is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E.Schwab which has been recommended by a lot of people. Hopefully I can read this stack and my eARCs and then have a little time to fit something else in from my towering tbr stacks. What book have you started the month with and is it any good? #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstack #bookstacklove #librarybooks #supportlibraries #litetaryfiction #literaturelover #dystopian #scifi #modernclassics #fantasyread #readergram #colinwalsh #dominicforte #cranthorpemillner #philipkdick #indrajitgarai #kamalamarkandaya #veschwab
🍀 Lucky Stack 🍀 Books featured: 𝗟ittle Women - Louisa May Alcott 𝗨nder the Whispering Door - TJ Klune 𝗖old Mountain - Charles Frazier 𝗞ala - Colin Walsh 𝗬ou Are a Badass - Jen Sincero
Kala is the name of a teenage girl who disappeared fifteen years ago in a small, coastal, tourist town on the western coast of Ireland. Her friends have converged on Kinlough all these years later for various reasons, and then of course there’s the one who never left. Through multiple points of view and time hops - never confusing; always well placed - the reader becomes intimately acquainted with Kala and her friend group. The yearning, the young love, the disappointing family lives, the attempts to fit in or to go unnoticed. It all felt very real. Colin Walsh captured the small-town coming of age so perfectly I felt as though I knew these kids. • But this book is a thriller, so you know you’re not heading into a tinted sunset here. There’s violence, some of it quite awful. Fair warning to the dog lovers out there. And of course there’s a missing girl and the absolute shattering terror that goes with that. • BUT this book is also a literary thriller, so be prepared for throat-catching poignancy, choking tears, and descriptions of such force as to make you SO glad you don’t have to relive the angst of being a teenager in a cruel world ever again. We see what’s become of the friend group in the ensuing years and it’s a fascinating psychological study as well. • The patterns of speech, the dynamic accent and word usage is gorgeously specific to Ireland and I enjoyed hearing it in my head, translated into my mind from the page, in the voice of a dear Irish friend from when I was in my 20s who had just moved to the U.S. Thank you, Angie, wherever you are, for that gift. Overall I was enthralled by this reading experience. But it’s not for the faint of heart, so tread cautiously and soak in the beautiful prose for those who dare! #kala #colinwalsh #librarybook #bookreview #irishbooks #irishauthor #bookstagram
Sunday Shelfie "Why did it take me so long to pick up this book" edition. I have had Kala on my shelf for a very long time and I finally started it and I have to wonder, what took me so long? I love the characters and writing style and there is a mystery that keeps me turning the pages for more. I should trust the books on my shelves more often and stop looking for shiny new things. What book did you discover on your shelves that you waited too long to read and absolutely loved it? #sundayshelfie #sundayvibes #kala #colinwalsh #currentread
ORIGINAL ART WORK. Our clients get it. Here’s some of what worked in 2023. . . @colinwalshillustrations #colinwalsh @penelope_dullaghan #penelopedullaghan @mikeyburton #mikeyburton @cordialkitten #candicehartsough #scotthullartist @tigersheep_friends #tigersheep #emilydickinson @emilydickinson.museum #kaijubeer @kaijubeer @indianamuseum #museumdisplay #muralart #poster #posterart #packagingdesign #beer #beerlabeldesign #beerlabelart
Kala - Colin Walsh (2023) Colin Walsh’s debut novel, a dark coming-of-age story set in 2018 Kinlough, Ireland, follows three friends reflecting on a pivotal summer 15 years earlier when their teenage gang, led by the captivating Kala Lanann, was forever changed by her disappearance. The story is told by alternating characters, Helen, Mush and Joe - back and forth between the present and what happened 15 years ago. It’s an easy and riveting read. I didn’t want to put it down. I loved the suspense and the characters. Great storytelling. 5⭐️ #irishwriter #irishfiction #crimefiction #mysterythriller #contemporaryfiction #thriller #suspense #colinwalsh #kala #comingofage
Thank you profusely for all your kind words and messages for my Valentine's post, which was a pic of Dad & Maureen for their Wedding anniversary! I can now continue the story, after receiving another pic (courtesy of @philmorock)and an important 'tidbit' from FB friend Colin! The hall in which they married was Waverley School of Arts, as a wet-weather backup to Waverley Council Park. I received this beautiful photo from the reception at Catalina Rose Bay with me standing proudly behind Dad following him around like a shadow. He looked so happy and was shaking hands with Col Joye. Another warm memory for me like it was yesterday 💜🙏🫶🎵 Please keep your stories coming.........I truly appreciate them and often 'shed a tear' as I reflect upon reading them. 😌 #rockandroll #uk #shout #france #sydney #doublebay #daughter #50s #nostalgia #jok #love #rosebay #easternsuburbssydney #valentinesday #sydneyaustralia #UnitedStates #johnnyokeefe #babyboomers #memories #music #weddings #a #Anniversaries #colinwalsh # #philipmorrisphotography
Well!!! I haven't had an experience like that in a long time. Reading folks, I'm talking about reading! Occassionally, I like a good thriller. A literary thriller is even better and add in an Irish author and I know it will be a good time. I saw 'Kala' floating around the gram but you guys failed to warn me that I would end up rotting in my bed with this one. I picked it up, read a 1/4 of it and thought this is good. Then I had a snowday and I curled up with this book and could not stop reading it until the last page. I spent the full day not wanting to get up to eat, drink or be merry. I was completely invested in this story and the superb writing. A plot driven book about friendship, grief and community with a dark mystery at it's core. I can't remember the last time that I was do gripped by a novel! #seastheday #kala #colinwalsh #debutnovel #readsomegoodshit #bookstagram #beachplease #bibliophile #rottinginbed #snowdayread #nature
“Kala” by Colin Walsh • Review In the summer of 2003 in a small town on the west coast of Ireland, a friend group is forever changed when their fearless leader, Kala, disappears without a trace. Years later, the former friend group is reunited in their small town on the eve of a gruesome discovery - human remains, with a Polaroid tucked in the skull. When two more girls go missing, Helen, Joe, and Mush are forced to confront their own roles in Kala’s disappearance, and do what others should have done to stop the pattern of violence before it repeats itself. Devastating, beautiful, horrifying. I absolutely loved this book. Walsh tows the line between literary fiction and thriller and creates characters with incredible depth and complexity. Although the plot wrapped up a bit too quickly and had some slightly predictable moments, the characters really made up for it. This is a book I just can’t stop thinking about. #book #books #bookreview #review #bookstagram #kala #colinwalsh #thriller #literaryfiction #literaryfictionbooks
I don’t read many murder / mystery / thrillers but this was excellent. Kala by Colin Walsh. Five stars, it’s a banger. Read it. #kala #colinwalsh #irishficton #iamreading #bibliophile #reading #bookstagram #writer #readingtobeabetterwriter
The Big Book Reading 2024 Challenge #bigbookreading2024 . . . Thank you Carina @time4reading for organizing the Big Book Reading Challenge again this year. I know I am a little late to the PaRTy!🎉 This IS the year I tackle some of those big chunky books that have been on my shelf waayy too long. I always say to myself (more of a little whisper in my own head) - Oh yes I will absolutely read all the big books! No trouble for me! I’ve got this! But then I glance at them on my shelf and quickly look away. I have commitment issues with books that are over 400 pages friends! Well…I’m putting it out there. It’s now posted. I have to follow through. Yikes! Here are the big books I really want to tackle this year. According to Carina’s prompts these are the categories: 📖A book by a BIPOC author - Abraham Verghese, The Covenant of Water. I was so excited to read this last year, and every time I saw a glowing review I picked it up…only to put it right back down. 🫣 📖A translated novel - Lydia Sandgren’s - Collected Works. A novel about love, power and art. It was praised by many book friends who read it last year. 📖The One That Got Away - Rebecca Makkai - I Have Some Questions for You. The only question is why I thought it necessary to buy this book last February in the UK.🤔 📖A New to Me Book - Kala - Colin Walsh. I just picked this up for Mr Robinreads for Christmas, and I am using it in this category. Maybe keep this between us that I’ll be reading it first! 📖BONUS! One that will stretch me - Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry. I know many friends have loved and adored this one. I have no idea what to expect, and if I’m totally honest I am a bit uninterested in reading about Texas rangers and their adventures driving a cattle herd from Texas to Montana…but its a favourite of many, so I am going to grab my saddle and give it a go! (Looking forward to reading with @robyn4ryan and @vinomamajc) . . . . Please tell me if we share any books in this #bigbookchallenge?!
Devoured it in two days. Going to be in my top 10 of the year, I am sure of it. book review: Kala by Colin Walsh ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Three old friends are meeting for the first time in years, after remains were found in the woods. We are taken back to a group of six teenagers in 2003, where later that summer Katherine ‘Kala’ Lanann disappeared. When they come back together, two more girls go missing and they are forced to confront their complicity in the events of 2003. I’d heard really good things about this book from people whose reading recommendations I fully 100% trust. I’ve been told I will love this one and they were NOT wrong. This is a literary mystery. It spends most of the book quite slowly, quite fragmented. You are suspended, waiting for the events of the novel to kick off, while you get to know each character in depth. And then when the event happens, you are hooked in. This means that it won’t be a mystery for everyone, but it is certainly a mystery for me. It has such an intense focus on characterisation over plot, that you know these characters intimately. You feel like you have been placed in the middle of the mystery. It used this narrative technique that I am currently obsessing over - where you get different perspectives of the book apart from the main character of the novel. We never hear Kala’s thoughts, and yet she is so well-developed just from how you see her through other people’s eyes. It was so well done. I am obsessed. It was definitely an uncomfortable read, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. A really beautiful portrayal of grief, family, friendship and loss. I can’t wait to see what Colin Walsh does next. (Also - just to confirm, this is not my bookshelf. I’m at my boyfriend’s and all he owns is non-fiction books about WW2, Catch 22 and Stanley Tucci)
📚reading update I’m on annual leave this week so I’ve been spending it very slowly, trying to force myself to relax (I’m not very good at relaxing, I’ll be honest). But it helps that I had some injections in my wrist on Monday at the hosp so I’ve had enforced rest with not being able to move my thumb without excruciating pain for multiple days now. I wanted to continue with my big edit this week but honestly typing is too sore so I’ve just been reading in bed. 📖Milk Fed - Melissa Broder I can’t sort out my thoughts on this one at the moment. I finished it on Sunday, but I’ll post a full review hopefully tomorrow! 📖Kala - Colin Walsh I LOVED this book. Thank you so much to everyone who told me to read it. I’ve not been able to stop thinking about it for about two months so I picked it up a few weeks ago and have been staring at it on my shelf, waiting for the right time to read. Devoured it in two days. Will post a review this weekend. 📖Annie Bot - Sierra Greer [gifted] This is the book that I am starting today. I have a planned bed day today and I don’t think I’m going to move (that ideal reading day I described a few days ago? I’ve got one today). It is a proof very kindly sent over from @boroughpress and I’m SO excited to read it. It publishes next month [14th March 2024].
Wow! I’m about 80% through this audiobook. It’s very dark, and I’m on the edge of my seat! Lots of trigger warnings for this one, so make sure you seek those out if you have subjects you don’t want to come across in your reading. ❤️📚 #bookstagram #book #bookworm #books #audiobook #kala #colinwalsh #bibliophile #libby #librarybook #audiobooking #booklover #amreading #read #reading #readmorebooks #booknerd #irishficton #greatstorytelling #multiplepovs #multiplenarrators
Books I've read: 2024 Book 10 Kala by Colin Walsh The summer of 2003 six teenage friends; Mush, Helen, Joe, Aiden, Aoife and Kala get into the usual trouble that teenagers in a small seaside Irish town usually do, but then Kala disappears. 15 years later Joe, Helen and Joe are in Kinlough again for a wedding and are thinking back to that time, when human remains are found on a local building site the three really start trying to think about what really happened back then. I don't read very many crime books and this doesn't really read like a typical whodunit, so you're not constantly trying to figure it out, but just enjoying the fantastic writing and characters (of which there are many) and the chapters vary on whose point of view you see the story from, which is a trope I adore (AGOT, Trainspotting etc) This is a great read and comes highly recommended by me! #kala #colinwalsh #book #books #bookstagram #bookrecommendations
Mystery Monday this week we highlight an Irish Author Colin Walsh and his debut "Kala" https://theathlonebookshop.com/product/kala "A gritty heartbreaker of a thriller… Part heartfelt coming-of-age tale, part brutal Irish noir, this is a spectacular read for Donna Tartt and Tana French fans’ KirkusIn the seaside town of Kinlough, on Ireland’s west coast, three old friends are thrown together for the first time in years. They – Helen, Joe and Mush – were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann as their group’s white-hot centre. Soon after that summer’s peak, Kala disappeared without a trace. Now it’s fifteen years later. Human remains have been discovered in the woods. Two more girls have gone missing. As past and present begin to collide, the estranged friends are forced to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala’s disappearance, and to try to stop Kinlough’s violent patterns repeating themselves once again…Against the backdrop of a town suffocating on its own secrets, in a story that builds from a smoulder to a stunning climax, Kala brilliantly examines the sometimes brutal costs of belonging, as well as the battle in the human heart between vengeance and forgiveness, despair and redemption" #kala #colinwalsh #colinwalshauthor #tbrpost #westmeathbookshop #westmeath #irishbooks #TBR #brandnewbook #currentread #currentreads #read #reading #readers #TBRList #tbrpile #books #newbookrelease #athlonebookshop #athlone #book
11/69 Kala by Colin Walsh This book was recommended numerous times by the @westkirbybooks gang and why I didn’t listen sooner is beyond me! Note to self always trust Jordan and Dan’s recommendations 😅 This book is all I wanted and more the pace felt a little slow at first but it soon built and built and built to the point where I just didn’t want to put it down. At times I was a little confused with switches in narratives and timelines etc but that’s also cause I was reading multiple books at the same time! 🤦🏼♀️ But WOW! What a book I was totally hooked! Did I enjoy it? Yes ABSOLUTELY - so much so I was hosting a readalong and I may have finished it a week early 😬 but shhhhhhh don’t tell the others 🤫 Would I reccomend it? Yes - it was a very raw real book, the kind that I absolutely love so I would definitely reccomend it! Did it leave a mark on me? Yes! So far this year 20 something days into January I have read 3 of my favourite books of the year already - my future 2024 reads have ALOT to live up too! #kala #kalabycolinwalsh #colinwalsh #bookreview #booksta #bookstagram #books #booklover #bookrecommendations #bookaddict #readers #readersofinstagram #readersofinsta #readersgonnaread #readingrecommendations
It is too hot for me already. I'll be staying indoors and finishing #kala by #colinwalsh today ❤️ What are you reading?
I love a good book about a tight small-town friendship group - they seem to be everywhere at the moment, or maybe I just keep picking them up. Kala is exactly that. Loved the shifts in narration too. Good stuff. #kala #colinwalsh
‘I knew this town was after doing what it always does. Eating my poor girl.’ Kala Lanann was at the centre of her friendship group in the rural Irish town of Kinlough. They orbited this wild, colourful teenager, drawn in by her carefree nature - until they didn’t. Set 15 years after Kala’s disappearance, ‘Kala’ is a multi-POV coming-of-age novel wrapped in mystery and drama in the heart of a small town. All of these aspects crash together when human remains are found in the woods, and two other girls go missing. My third book of 2024 was this stunning debut by Colin Walsh, which clocked in at just over 400 pages, but I could have read more of it. Walsh expertly creates an intricate portrait of Kinlough and its inhabitants, and I felt so connected to the characters he gave us. They felt real, which can sometimes be missed when writing in a multiple POV, so for Walsh to tackle this and succeed was amazing. My favourite character would have to be Mush, though I also enjoyed Helen’s chapters (I’m sorry to say I didn’t care much for Joe’s chapters - sorry pal). And of course, all of the descriptions of Kala. I think I would’ve loved to be friends with her. I’m a sucker for gorgeous prose and I drank in every drop of this flowery - but never overly so - writing. Walsh has a real way with words and his descriptions were so refreshing and unique. I also loved that he could write about girlhood in a way that felt authentic and I appreciated this aspect of the novel so much. It was a novel tinged with darkness amidst the heartache of growing up and never forgetting the friendships that shape you as a teenager. It was laced with important commentary on the danger of keeping secrets and the abuse of power, and how harmful it can be. It was tender and lovely with a beautiful ending and I am excited to read more by Colin Walsh. Still can’t believe this is his debut! 🌾🤍✨ #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #bookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #thriller #comingofage #kala #colinwalsh #irishfiction #irishauthor #dailybooks #dailyread
Dark. Irish thriller. Coming of age. Friends reunited friends lost. Kala’s tragedy Kala’s discovery Kala’s lost. Can I say Please Read This Book #beacroftbooks #guardianbooks #booksworthreading #bookoftheyear2023 #thriller #comingofage #irishliterature #colinwalsh #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #tbr
KALA ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Kala was my first read of the year and one I had my eye on for a while. I read it on the plane to NYC and I’m still thinking about it — for the most part because it’s such an intensely character focused book. Set in Kinlough in the west of Ireland the book is a split narrative told through three perspectives — Mush, Joe, and Helen — as they reflect on the disappearance of their childhood friend Kala in the wake of her body being discovered in the woods 20 years later. Mush is still working in his mam’s café, Joe has found fame making music but has come back to Kinlough to open his own bar, and Helen is visiting from Canada for her dad’s wedding. As the book goes on and two more girls go missing, all three are forced to face their own involvement in the circumstances that led to Kala’s disappearance. Some of the choices the author made confused me like when he put Joe’s POV all in the second person, and I would have preferred larger chunks of flashback at a time but this book still worked so well on the whole. It really reminded me of some other books in the genre like Tana French’s Dublin Murder series which is always a win for me. I’ll definitely be looking out for more Colin Walsh books — a really good start to the year!
📚 Newly Shelved 📚 #hestermusson #thebeholders #4thestate #harpercollinspublishers #bridgetcollins #imogenhermesgowar #kiranmillwoodhargrave #andrewmichaelhurley #jesskidd #elizabethmacneal #natashapulley #laurapurcell #laurashepherdrobinson #susanstokeschapman #stuartturton #catrionaward #thewinterspirits #spherepublishing #colinwalsh #kala #atlanticbooks #memoriesfromtheshelf #newbooks #bookshelf #booklover #reading #bookstagram #bookish #books
This book has been getting me through. Like pure escapism in printed form. It’s a #slowburn kind of a read one that transports you somewhere else and meanders you along. I’m only half way through and that is fine by me. Sometimes you just need to absorb yourself in the ambience. This one feels a little bit #DerryGirls to me, but without the funny. A group of teenagers in parochial Ireland, on the cusp of growing up- then their bright, shining friend goes missing. This is a dual time-lined affair in which the duality is enriched by its flip-flopping across time. How the then informs the now. It’s all character insight with a blaze of mystery. #ColinWalsh sure can craft a complex plot and hold your readers attention. Thanks for the escapism. Is it wrong that I am picturing #BarryKeoghan in this one? #whatareyoureading #frommyshelves #5starreads #alwaysreading #bookstagram #recommendedreads #irishfiction #mystery #books
Books I read in the past year, which I think deserve more recognition ❤️ I loved all of these books and would love to see more readers enjoy them too! Three debut novelists feature amongst this selection (Colin Walsh, Cecile Pin and Priscilla Morris), and I've travelled to Vietnam, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Japan and Ireland via some of these books. They're certainly amongst some of my memorable reads in 2023. How many of these have you read and how many are on your radar? 📚 Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai 📚 Kala by Colin Walsh 📚 Conviction by Jack Jordan 📚 Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin 📚 The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa 📚 Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris 📚 Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson #BookRecommendations #ReadingList #WhatIveRead #NguyenPhanQueMai #ColinWalsh #JackJordan #CecilePin #HiroArikawa #PriscillaMorris #CalebAzumahNelson #BrilliantBooks #2023Reads #BooksIveRead #BookSpotlight #ReadThis #BookishThoughts #ReadersLife #BooksYouNeedToRead
Two drawings made while enjoying Messiaen's La Nativité du Seigneur in Lincoln Cathedral played by #colinWalsh . . . . #draw #drawing #dailydraw #lincolncathedral #messiaen #lanativitéduseigneur #organ #art #mattunderwood_6 #gothic #
I picked up this beauty in Waterstones on Sunday after wanting it for agesss and I cannot wait to read it🕺🏻 Especially after a cheeky 1/2 price bargain Every Irish novel I have read I have instantly loved so I have strong hopes for this one🇮🇪 Have you read this? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts 💫 #colinwalsh #kala #irishfiction #irishbookstagram
2023 was a slow year work wise for me, but on the plus side it was an epic year of reading. Partly because I included re-reads and audible… I’m not sure why I felt they didn’t “count” in the past but that’s silly, so here they are this year! 38 in total, new old, audible, paper and kindle. From dystopian to current affairs, historical, romance, thrillers, #bookstagram faves and young adult myths… it’s an eclectic bunch. 📖 Favourites? Well I demolished #fourthwing in a day, got lost in the language of #babel and couldn’t stop thinking about a future that mirrors #klaraandthesun …so I think they’re perhaps my top three. 📖 Returning to the #talesoftheotori continues to expand my imagination, whilst the characters drawn in #kala were complex yet familiar and while walking back into the world of Katniss and the #hungergames I realise how safe the bubble I exist in is while the global stage plays out acts of war in places not so far away to people not at all different from me, I’m reminded just how lucky I am to be able to escape into the literary world from the comfort of my couch, in a warm flat, safe in knowledge that these things are only coming to life in my imagination not on my doorstep. 📖 So, here’s to a new year - I like even numbers. #booklover #goodreads #goodreadschallenge #bookreview #whatareyoureading #bookclub #instabook #instagood #goodmaterial #dollyalderton #ironflame #rebeccayarros #kala #colinwalsh #yellowface #rfkuang #lisajewell #thethirdwife #thelist #yomiadegoke #rednotice #goingzero
catching up on my book reviews from last year 🫡 for a debut novel, ‘Kala’ was impressive. the set up of childhood friends amidst a chilling mystery reminded me a lot of ‘the secret history’ but also ‘the truants’ (both great books) first off, there were a LOT of characters and I was glad for the summary character list at the beginning of the book which I admit I did look back at multiple times 👀 I think the character development was great considering how many of them there were (although at times felt there could have been more emotion), but what kept me going was the writing style. I loved the change of style for each character, jumping from Irish to second person to first to whatever the hell it wanted to. perhaps that felt disjointed to some but for me it added to the messiness of the story 🖤 colin walsh’s writing, to me, was both distanced and deep simultaneously - it’s hard to explain but there was something defining about it. this was a fascinating book - dark, intricate, real. for some reason it doesn’t quite hold that 5⭐️ quality for me but it’s a solid 4⭐️ and I’d recommend. what are you all reading so far in 2024? (I’m finally reading fourth wing!!)