The Leabhar Hour podcast will be returning for Season 2 in September.
This time around, we've decided to do things a little differently.
We're releasing our full list of books before we kick off the new season, so you have as much time as possible to read along with us.
From Fiona Scarlett to F. Scott Fitzgerald, here's what we'll be covering in Season 2.
#1: Boys Don't Cry (Fiona Scarlett)
First up is Irish novelist Fiona Scarlett's 'Boys Don't Cry'.
Scarlett's emotive debut novel focuses on two brothers in a Dublin city tower block.
We're delighted to announce that Fiona will be joining us on the podcast to discuss the book.
Goodreads Synopsis:
"Joe is 17, a gifted artist and a brilliant older brother to 12-year-old Finn. They live with their Ma and Da in a Dublin tower block called Bojaxhiu or 'the Jax'.
"It's not an easy place to be a kid, especially when your father, Frank, is the muscle for the notorious gang leader Dessie 'The Badger' Murphy.
"But whether it's daytrips to the beach or drawing secret sketches, Joe works hard to show Finn life beyond the battered concrete yard below their flat.
"Joe is determined not to become like his Da. But when Finn falls ill, Joe finds his convictions harder to cling to. With his father now in prison, his mother submerged in her grief, and his relationships with friends and classmates crumbling, Joe has to figure out how to survive without becoming what the world around him expects him to be."
#2: Magpie Murders (Anthony Horowitz)
In episode two, we'll turn our attention to Anthony Horowitz' story-within-a-story murder mystery, 'Magpie Murders'.
The book, which has more twists than a rural Conamara road, will keep you guessing right until the end.
Goodreads Synopsis:
"When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, she's intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages.
"Conway’s latest tale has Atticus Pünd investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but the more Susan reads, the more she’s convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder."
#3: The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
We'll be reading and reviewing 'The Great Gatsby', regarded as one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature, in episode three.
Goodreads Synopsis:
"The Great Gatsby tells of the mysterious Jay Gatsby's grand effort to win the love of Daisy Buchanan, the rich girl who embodies for him the promise of the American dream.
"Deeply romantic in its concern with self-making, ideal love, and the power of illusion, it draws on modernist techniques to capture the spirit of the materialistic, morally adrift, post-war era Fitzgerald dubbed 'the jazz age.'"
#4: Open (Andre Agassi)
In episode four we will tackle Andre Agassi's acclaimed autobiography 'Open', the first non-fiction book to feature on the Leabhar Hour podcast.
Agassi's book charts his journey from childhood to tennis legend and gives readers access to his near-photographic memory of matches as well as an insight into his fame and personal life off the court.
Goodreads synopsis:
"From Andre Agassi, one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court, a beautiful, haunting autobiography."
"With its breakneck tempo and raw candor, Open will be read and cherished for years. A treat for ardent fans, it will also captivate readers who know nothing about tennis. Like Agassi’s game, it sets a new standard for grace, style, speed, and power."
#5: The Paper Bracelet (Rachael English)
"Every baby's bracelet held a mother's secret..."
We'll be discussing 'The Paper Bracelet' by Irish writer and journalist Rachael English in episode five.
We're honoured and delighted to reveal that Rachael will be joining us on the podcast to discuss her critically acclaimed novel, which was inspired by real events.
Goodreads synopsis:
"For almost fifty years, Katie Carroll has kept a box tucked away inside her wardrobe.
"It dates from her time working as a nurse in a west of Ireland mother and baby home in the 1960s. The box contains a notebook holding the details of the babies and young women she met there. It also holds many of the babies' identity bracelets.
"Following the death of her husband, Katie makes a decision. Katie finds herself returning many of the bracelets to their original owners. She encounters success and failure, heartbreak and joy. But is she prepared for old secrets to be uncovered in her own life?"
#6: In Cold Blood (Truman Capote)
In episode six, we'll review and rate 'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote, which will be our second non-fiction book of the season.
This original true crime novel, often cited as one of the greatest non-fiction books of all time, sees Capote delve into the brutal murders of four members of the Clutter family in a small Kansas town in 1959.
Goodreads synopsis:
"On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces.
"There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
"As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy."
#7: The Roald Dahl Collection (Roald Dahl)
“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.”
Whether it's The Witches or the Twits (we'll have five of them on the podcast), we'll be taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane to revisit our favourite Roald Dahl stories.
From the BFG to Matilda, from Fantastic Mr. Fox to Willy Wonka, no character will be safe when we tackle a wide range of Dahl's most beloved books.
Have you got a standout favourite? Which of these books captivated, charmed or traumatized you as a child (or even as an adult)?
Get in touch with us on social media or here on the website to let us know which of Dahl's tales you'd like to hear us discuss.
We might even read out some of the best entries on the podcast!
#8: Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?: A Memoir (Séamas O'Reilly)
In episode eight, we'll read and review Séamas O'Reilly's moving memoir 'Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?'
The Irish writer and columnist's book tells the story of his childhood in rural Derry - which saw his father raise Séamas and his 10 (TEN!) siblings after the death of Séamas' mother when the author was five - and is filled with funny stories from throughout Séamas' life.
Goodreads synopsis:
"A heart-warming and hilarious family memoir of growing up as one of eleven siblings raised by a single dad in Northern Ireland at the end of the Troubles.
"There's the time the family's windows were blown out by an IRA bomb; the time a priest blessed their thirteen-seater caravan before they took off for a holiday on which they narrowly escaped death; the time Seamas worked as a guide in a leprechaun museum during the recession; and of course, the time he inadvertently found himself on ketamine while serving drinks to the President of Ireland."
#9: The Thursday Murder Club (Richard Osman)
Richard Osman, who you may remember from the cult classic quiz TV show 'Pointless', produced an instant hit with his debut novel 'The Thursday Murder Club'.
Osman's heavily-anticipated sequel is due to hit bookshelves around the world in September, so now is the perfect time to jump into this story about four septuagenarians who get embroiled in a murder mystery in an English retirement village.
Goodreads synopsis:
"In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club.
"Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.
"When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?"
#10: YOU CHOOSE!
Our followers will choose what book we cover in the Season 2 finale.
We'll give our listeners a list of five titles to choose from, across a wide variety of categories, to determine which book we read and review in episode 10.
We followed a similar format in Season 1, which saw you vote for 'Where The Crawdads Sing' by Delia Owens on our social media pages.
We will reveal the shortlist of books to choose from on both leabharhour.com and our social media pages ahead of the finale.
Keep an eye on the website and our social media pages to stay up to date with the latest news about Season 2, and don't forget to catch up on all 10 episodes from Season 1 if you haven't already.
Happy reading!
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