Dear Maeve by Maeve Binchy

Poolbeg Press, €5.99

Here in Irish Country Living, Christmas simply isn’t complete without a new book to enjoy in front of the fire. For many years, Maeve Binchy fans looked forward to her new novel under the Christmas tree, and this year they have one more chance to enjoy her powerful writing and fantastic sense of humour.

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‘Dear Maeve’ is a collection of Maeve Binchy’s columns for her days in the Irish Times and sums up how this Dublin writer could make the ordinary extraordinary and entertaining.

Simply how do you tell a lady her knickers are tucked into a skirt? Do you dare to correct your mother-in-law? Is it really possible to avoid a family Christmas argument? And what do you do when you find your son-in-law with a lady that is clearly not your daughter?

Behind her beautiful writing is an air of wisdom and these columns and many more combine into a book that will have you reading excerpts to your nearest and dearest around the Christmas tree. All royalties for the book go to the Arthritis Foundation of Ireland.