I haven’t written here for a while. I’ve been busy writing – that thing I’m supposed to be doing between tweets and emails – and reading. Are there more debuts out there this year than usual, or is it just that I’m noticing because mine will be one of them, the way you only notice the For Sale signs when you’re in the market for a house? Here are some:

Skin Paper Stone by Máire T. Robinson. A contemporary Galway story, sensitively told. Features Sheila Na Gigs and dry shite!

Rickshaw, by David McGrath. Yes, a relative (one I haven’t met). But that doesn’t make it less pacy, exciting, and just plain good.

I haven’t got to Eggshells, Catriona Lally yet, or Sarah Bannon’s Weightless… but I will!

Non-debuts I’ve also enjoyed: 

All Involved by Ryan Gattis. The book everyone’s talking about. On a personal note, I was a little involved; I lived in Long Beach during the LA riots, and always expected to write something based on the experience, so I’m bitter… but enjoying it. And: The Green Road, Anne Enright; Green Glowing Skull, Gavin Corbett; Tender, Belinda McKeon.

Currently reviewing: A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me, David Gates.