Books this week; breathwork, trees, travel and intensive care

This week there’s no fiction at all, it’s all non-fiction and covering a very wide range of topics, which is probably why non-fiction outsells fiction hands down.

Trees, Roger Phillips, Macmillan, €50.75

Now that the season for lolling about in the sun is over and it’s time to take out the walking boots, this book could be useful for walkers and nature lovers in our forests, on our hills and even on our urban streets, who’d like to know more about the trees they encounter. It’s a beautiful tome, lavishly produced and brilliantly photographed, leaving the reader in no doubt about identifying any species. It has what it calls a ‘leaf key index’ so all you need is a leaf from a tree you’re curious about, and this book will do the rest. It’s a tad expensive, but it’s something an interested nature lover (and there are many of us about) would return to over and over again, with detailed notes on, and pictures of, 650 species of trees covering Ireland, Britain, Europe and North America. It would also make a gorgeous gift.

Truck It! The Drive Around the World that Saved my Life, Bobby Bolton, Macmillan, €29

Taking off on a round-the-world trip in a truck is one way of getting away from your problems. But with a failed business, no home to speak of and a long-term relationship on the rocks, Bobby Bolton decided it was time to leave Wigan and see what awaited him. With a truck he lovingly converted that would be his home for the foreseeable future, off he went. He was out of hope in Wigan and figured this was a ‘carpe diem’ moment. Travelling cross country to Australia, and indeed meeting a new partner on the way, was to be his salvation. I doubt very much if Bolton is the only person who has had thoughts of escape, in the hope of finding a bit of peace and even a bit of adventure, fun and wonder. This is definitely the way to do it!

Dublin’s Stained Glass, David Caron, Four Courts Press, €29.95

Stained glass lovers will of course be used to the names and incredible works of Harry Clarke and Evie Hone, but there’s a lot of stained glass in Dublin. Who are the other names of note in 20th century stained glass in the city? This sumptuous, truly elegant book takes the reader on a journey of the great stained glass windows of that time and place, with lots of lavish illustrations, both of the works themselves complete, and of details within them. It’s a book to make any art lover gasp in wonder. Caron focuses on key locations that contain significant works and while a lot of them (as you’d expect) are in churches and religious buildings, not all of them are. Bewley’s of Grafton Street is probably familiar to most, but there are also beautiful collections in both the Hugh Lane Gallery and the National Gallery. If you’re looking for a gift for the art fan in your life, I can’t think of one that would be more appreciated.

Intensive Care, Dr Suzanne Crowe, Hachette, €17.99

Paediatric intensive care; three words that would strike the fear of God into any parent. Dr Suzanne Crowe is one of the country’s leading specialists in the area and in this memoir she relates some of the stories of her patients, their parents and families, and the touch-and-go moments in her tiny patients’ lives. She has personal experience of the loss of a child, having lost her beloved daughter Beatrice. She says that experience reshaped her both as a medical professional and as a human being. At a time when children’s medicine is in such turmoil and confusion in this country, it’s heartening to read this book, written by a specialist who’s more interested in her patients than in her salary or conditions. If only more could be like her. It’s a profoundly human memoir.

Breathwork, Ashley Roberts, Leap, €17.99

This book insists that by working on our breathing techniques (and let’s face it, most of us don’t), we can clear our minds, gain some inner peace and oxygenate our entire systems. Roberts is probably best known for being a member of the Pussycat Dolls, although she has also presented TV reality shows too, mostly in the UK. She knows what it’s like to have a hectic schedule. Over the years she experienced extreme restlessness, anxiety and poor sleep patterns. She sought medical help and was advised that the use of breathwork could transform her life. And so that’s what she did, but rather than have us readers engage in expensive treatments and therapy, she lets us in on the basic breathing techniques that she uses when life gets too much. If you want to have a calmer and more peaceful life, then this could be the book for you.

National Hunt and Point-to-Point Racing in Ireland: A History, Frances Nolan, Four Courts Press, €29.95

Leinster and the midlands arguably have the best ‘horsey’ country in the land and they’re proud of it. But while the sport gains year on year with more and more people taking part, the history of horse racing, once called the ‘Irish sport’ actually predates the foundation of the GAA, with the first recorded steeplechase racing taking place in 1752 in Cork. There was obviously a rich seam of history to be mined here, and Frances Nolan has done a terrific job in presenting this book, beautifully produced with stunning illustrations, in tracing the sport from the 18th century to the present day, also tracing the striking differences that pervaded after 1922. A must-read for both horse lovers and horse riders and potentially another beautiful gift from Four Courts Press.

Footnotes

Culture Night 2025 is this coming Friday September 19 and, as most events are free of charge, it’s a night for all the family. Almost every town, city, village and crossroads hosts events of celebration. See culturenight.ie for details.