Love And Summer by William Trevor Viking, 20 Its mystifying that William Trevor failed to make this years Booker shortlist with the plaintive Love And Summer, a note-perfect study of the doomed love affair between a farmers wife and a photographer in smalltown Ireland. Brooklyn by Colm Tibn Viking, 14 Arguably Tibns most accomplished work to date, Brooklyn is a low- key examination of a Wexford woman who leaves Ireland in the mid-20th century to find work in New York. A subtle, graceful study of the immigrant experience. Me Cheeta: The Autobiography by James Lever Fourth Estate, 10 Me Cheeta is a satirical take on the showbiz memoir in which Cheeta (pictured, below right) looks back on his colourful career from life in the jungle to his battle with substance abuse with some gloriously bitchy swipes at Hollywood along the way. A Gate At The Stairs by Lorrie Moore Faber, 14 She may be better known as a short- story writer but Moore (below) has excelled herself with this post-9/11 novel about a student who gets more than she bargains for when she babysits for a liberal couple. which intertwines the stories of seemingly disconnected individuals in 1970s New York. A sweeping tale capturing the vibrancy of the Big Apple. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters Virago Press, 18 The popular historical novelist has written a deeply spooky ghost story set in 1940s rural England, where the Ayres family house, a crumbling country pile, hides more than one or two secrets. A seamless blend of social history and gothic horror. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Fourth Estate, 20 Henry VIIIs chief advisor is the subject of Hilary Mantels Booker- winning novel. Wolf Hall evokes power struggles in an unstable world torn between superstitious medievalism and the Renaissances urge towards new ideas. Not Untrue & Not Unkind by Ed OLoughlin Penguin, 14 The former Africa correspondent for The Irish Times, Ed OLoughlins debut novel examines the professional rivalries between a group of journalists reporting from a stunning but war-ravaged Africa. Perfectly paced and gripping throughout. Winterland by Alan Glynn Faber, 14 Dublin writer Alan Glynns post- Celtic Tiger thriller is filled with morally ambiguous characters (both underworld thugs and white-collar professionals) who are thrown together when two men from the same family are murdered. An effortless, hard-hitting page-turner. Legend Of A Suicide by David Vann Penguin, 10 An innovative, unconventional collection of interlinked stories, Legend Of A Suicide centres on Roy, a young boy growing up in Alaska, and is loosely based on the suicide of Vanns own father. Stark but compelling. Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann Bloomsbury, 20 The Dublin author won the prestigious US National Book Award for this affecting tale Bloomsbury, 20 The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters Virago Press, 18 The popular historical novelist has written a deeply spooky Its Christmas by the book Books GOOD READ, GOOD CAUSE From The Republic Of Conscience: Stories Inspired By The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Liberties Press, 20 To mark the UDHRS 60th anniversary in 2008, Sean Love, (then executive director of Amnesty International) and Roddy Doyle called on Irish authors to respond to the declaration with a short story, commentary or piece of art. Contributors include Anne Enright, Neil Jordan and Louis Le Brocquy. FESTIVE FICTION 14 Gift Guide Tuesday, December 8, 2009 index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html