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michaelmagee__

@michaelmagee__

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Close to Home (Hamish Hamilton / FSG)

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Recent additions to my tbr / book haul time 📚

I’ve been pretty good at not adding too many books to my never-ending TBR pile but then I went to a couple of great charity shops and found some books I’ve been wanting to read for ages…and I couldn’t resist!

@harperfictionpr also very kindly sent a review copy of Royal Witch by @philippagregorybooks which I’m very excited to read this month.

Q: what is the most recent addition to your shelves?

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📚 Close to Home – @michaelmagee__ Magee

What a powerful and beautifully written debut novel.

Set in post-Troubles Northern Ireland, Close to Home is a raw, moving and deeply affecting portrait of a generation trying to find its place in a world still shaped by conflict.

Michael Magee’s writing is lyrical and evocative, exploring masculinity, class, addiction and the struggle to build a future when the odds feel stacked against you.

It’s a deeply personal story, but one that also has so much to say about society, identity and the lasting impact of the past.

Thought-provoking, quietly political and utterly compelling. This is one of those books that stays with you long after you’ve turned the final page.

A brilliant read that captivated me from beginning to end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#BookReview #Bookstagram #IrishLiterature #LiteraryFiction #QueerFiction

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Thanks to the brilliant Omar El Akkad for such a fantastic event last night, we had a wonderful time hosting the Belfast launch of the paperback edition of One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. Thanks also to Michael Magee for his insightful questions, and to the audience for coming along.
We have signed copies of the paperback in stock, available in store and on our website 📚❤️

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BELFAST! Omar El Akkad, author of “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This”, will be joined in conversation with Belfast’s very own Michael Magee (award winning author of ‘Close to Home’ and founder of Irish Writers for Palestine).

This will be held in the Mandela Hall, the iconic venue that students named after Nelson Mandela during the fight against apartheid in South Africa in 1980s.

Do not miss this opportunity to hear from Omar and welcome him to the city.

Wednesday 30th September 8pm

Organised by No Alibi Bookshop and Canongate

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scholarly activities i mBaile Átha Cliath

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Avançament editorial!📣 'A tocar de casa'. de Michael Magee

Un retrat de la joventut de classe treballadora irlandesa amb la llarga ombra dels Troubles de fons.

Després de quatre anys estudiant a Liverpool, en Sean torna a Belfast amb un títol universitari. Sense perspectives vitals i laborals clares en una ciutat en plena crisi, retroba els vells amics i els hàbits de tota la vida: els mateixos pubs, els mateixos excessos. Una nit agredeix un desconegut en una festa, i aquest acte desencadenarà tot un seguit d’esdeveniments que l’obligaran a decidir quin tipus de persona vol ser.

✍️Magee basteix un relat complex i fascinant al voltant de la masculinitat moderna, marcada per la classe, els traumes i el silenci, i sobre com trobar un lloc en el món en un entorn marcat per la violència i la desesperança.

Traducció // @nilsabates9

📚28 de setembre a llibreries i a partir del 18 a La Setmana del llibre en català!

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🪩 @simonescocktailclub

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baby angel @benosu

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my girl xxx

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world’s best bar - lobby bar

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fave film evaaaaa

favourite place to be for me 💙

my friends are in love with Scouse and Irish girls x

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bestie bestie 🤍

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soul sista 💖

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Catching up from West Cork + three hours in Dublin this spring 🐄 I picked up Close to Home in Books Upstairs Dublin and really enjoyed this short moody read.

The novel, set in Belfast, tells the story of Sean who is back home after university and cannot escape past difficulties both economic and social. Job opportunities are not plentiful and Sean keeps falling back into destructive behavior, intensely anxious whenever he’s outside the comfort of his childhood friends. His anxiety multiplies through legal problems, although we get bits of hope in Sean’s love life and efforts to join literary circles rather than stay in his usual dive bars.

Michael Magee’s writing left me with a vivid sense of hopelessness. Sean grapples with the difficulty of upward mobility in a town still recovering from the Troubles, where his community and family do not always have his best interests at heart.

I liked the writing a lot even though things felt bleak pretty much the whole time. But what’s new on here! Stay tuned for more bleak work by Irish authors! Cheers

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When Michael Magee received the Rooney Prize in 2023, he spoke of the honour of seeing his name alongside previous recipients whose work he had long admired.

His words reflect something at the heart of the Rooney Prize. Recognition from fellow writers and readers can offer reassurance, encouragement, and the confidence to keep telling the stories that matter.

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A bit late but I here is my August TBR - very excited to dive into these! #tbr #august #bookstagram

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Souvenir trom Belfast No. 2 - ‘Trespasses’ by Louise Kennedy (@louisekennedywriter) 📚

After getting my first souvenir from Belfast - ‘Close to Home’ by Michael Magee (@michaelmagee__ ) - at No Alibis (@noalibisbookstore) and loving the read, I decided to go back to the same bookshop and get another book.

While the first time I chose the book myself, this time I asked the bookseller for a recommendation.

A lovely lady suggested several books, briefly describing each one, and as soon as she mentioned Louise Kennedy’s book ‘Trespasses’ I got goosebumps and thought, ‘That’s the one!’

My gut feeling didn’t let me down (phew), and that turned out to be another book from Belfast that absolutely captivated me! ✨

I loved it so much and got so absorbed in it that I even caught myself saying ‘No!’ out loud while reading some of the passages, as if my ‘No!’ could somehow change the plot...

After finishing the book, I felt I wanted to read more by Louise Kennedy, so I ordered another of her books, which should arrive next week. Yay! 🤩

#Belfast #Trespasses #book #northernireland #reading

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July 💙☀️
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#blueroancockerspaniel #englishcockerspaniel #cockerspaniel #ireland #dogfriendlytravel

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