Looking for something to read? Check out the books published within the last year by writers who have been featured on The Milk House.
The Ghostlights, by Gráinne Murphy
Fiction
Can anyone really choose to be forgotten?
An elderly gentleman checks into a B&B in a small village in rural Ireland where he knows nobody. Four days later, his body is found in the lake.
The Ghostlights brilliantly evokes the lives of the people in the town and explores the aftershocks of a stranger’s tragedy. What is identity? And strangerhood? What is the meaning of home, and what power do we have over whether or not we are remembered?
Published by Legends Press on September 1st, 2021.
Read Gráinne’s piece here.
Redefining Rich, by Shannon Hayes
Nonfiction
In our dysfunctional economy, “success” often comes at great personal cost . . . we’re tired, we’re stressed out, and we have no time for family and friends. It’s time to redefine “rich.”
From a third-generation farmer and successful entrepreneur, Redefining Rich is an entrepreneur’s guide to balancing work and family with the pleasures of the good life, with simple exercises and important lessons to serve everyone from the new sole proprietor to a seasoned CEO.
Published by Bella Books on August 10th, 2021.
Reach Shannon’s piece here.
Wife | Daughter | Self, by Beth Kephart
Nonfiction
Wife | Daughter | Self is an exploration of the composite self—and the people we become in relationship to others. Married to a spectacular Salvadoran artist with fantastical stories of his youth, Kephart, in Wife, sets out to understand what makes love last. A near replica of her father—his face, his discipline, his crippling anxiety—Kephart, in Daughter, takes a journey with him into heartbreaking transitions—loss of spouse, loss of family home, loss of health—and emerges with deepened affection and respect. Finally, alone with a page and pen, Kephart, in Self, comes to terms with the person she wishes she had been and the person there might be room, still, to become.
Published by Forest Avenue Press on February 11th, 2021.
Read Beth’s piece here.
Ten Truths From Wonderland, by Matthew Duggan and Maria Castro Dominguez
Poetry
A collaboration of ten poems on the theme of truth between two Prize Winning poets Maria Castro Dominguez ( Las Palmas, Spain) and Matt Duggan (Newport, Wales.)
In a time of change this pamphlet is essential reading.
All the poems are in English with translations into Spanish by Spanish poet Ana Gavila.
Published by Hedgehog Poetry Press on July 20th, 2020.
Read Matthew’s piece here.
Where the Edge Is, by Gráinne Murphey
Fiction
As a sleepy town in rural Ireland starts to wake, a road subsides, trapping an early-morning bus and five passengers inside. Rescue teams struggle and as two are eventually saved, the bus falls deeper into the hole.
Under the watchful eyes of the media, the lives of three people are teetering on the edge. And for those on the outside, from Nina, the reporter covering the story, to rescue liaison, Tim, and Richie, the driver pulled from the wreckage, each are made to look at themselves under the glare of the spotlight.
Published by Legends Press on September 15th, 2020.
Read Gráinne’s piece here.
Catching Air, by Vinny Glynn-Steed
Poetry
Catching Air by Galway-based writer Vinny Glynn-Steed is a sometimes intimate and often powerful exploration of new fatherhood and the wild southern Irish landscape. A wonderful lyrical debut from this award-winning writer.
Published by Maytree Press on December 4th, 2020.
Read Vinny’s piece here.
Delia Meade, by Martin Keaveney
Fiction
Now the last of Delia Meade’s many children have married and moved away, she decides to tidy up the little room under the stairs, known as the Glory-hole. Amongst the forgotten toys, worn-out clothes and dusty boxes of photographs, Delia travels through happy and sad decades of her time at 109, Bog Road
Published November 14th, 2020 by Penniless Press, United Kingdom.
Read Martin’s pieces here and here.
Because of the War, by Aziz Dixon
Poetry
In this poignant and sometimes heartbreaking collection, the poet explores the fragility of peace from post war Britain to the war ravaged streets of Srebrenica. A truly remarkable debut from an accomplished poet who we’re sure that we will be hearing more from in the future.
Published by Maytree Press on June 26th, 2020.
Read Aziz’s piece here.
The Collective Nouns for Birds, by Amanda Huggins
Poetry
Winner of the Best Poetry Pamphlet – Sabotuer Awards 2020. A beautiful debut poetry collection from award winning short story writer, Amanda Huggins. Poems of love, loss, family and heartbreak are interlinked with the sea and the elements of nature. The Collective Nouns For Birds is a most accessible collection and one to be enjoyed again and again.
Published by Maytree Press on February 28th, 2020.
Read Amanda’s piece here.
The Beasts They Turned Away, by Ryan Dennis
Fiction
Íosac Mulgannon is a man called to stand.
Coming Soon
Shannon Hayes, Redefining Rich, August 2021, BenBella Books. Read Shannon’s piece here.
Richard Hawking, A Countryman’s Winter Notebook, November 2021. Read Richard’s piece here.