Billy O’Callaghan is primarily an Irish short story writer, but in his novel “Life Sentences,” he writes three extended short stories, each one about a family member and how their lives persevered in their own times. How did each one live out their “life sentence” (their time on earth) by living up to their struggles, helping one another, relying on family, and finding their own way? They did it with heart, with courage, with truth, by learning to move forward, and ultimately by the love of family members who saw them through.

But those words hardly convey the beauty of O’Callaghan’s sentences describing each life. His sentences are beautiful, heart-breaking, life-giving, and, finally, revelatory for the reader. You will smell, hear, feel, taste and be touched by the realities of all three person’s lives. You will want to write down particular sentences O’Callaghan writes in order to remember to live by them. The final surprise is that the sentences of the book are those actually heard by O’Callaghan from his mother, his grandfather, his great-grandmother. It is as real as can be.

Three words that describe this book: beautifully written, heart-wrenching, life-affirming

You might want to pick this book up if: you want to learn more about Irish history from the Great Famine to today… learn from three generations of a fully revealed family’s struggle, love, and strength… learn how look at your own life with grace and forgiveness and hope.

-Woody

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog. 

I wish I’d had the book “How to Keep House While Drowning” or one like it when my kids were young. Or at any time in my life. I’m glad I’ve read it now. Some of it I’d already started to realize over the years, e.g. housework can trigger a lot of emotional/trauma issues. Some of this book is devoted to hacks that might or might not work for different people (and that’s okay! There’s no one right way!) while a lot of it focuses on self-talk and the need to be kind to yourself.

One thing I really liked was the approach of dividing work not by “division of labor” but with a “division of rest.” With this approach, everyone in the house gets a chance to rest.

Three words that describe this book: helpful, compassionate, wise

You might want to pick this book up if: You’re overwhelmed.

-Ida

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.