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Balancing Passion Projects and Real Life in 2025

Happy New Year! I hope everyone has had a lovely and merry festive season. Before Christmas I decided to take a break from writing long-form literary discussions. I’ve stayed active on Instagram in the meantime, but now that we are heading into a new year, I think it is time to try to get back to one of my most favourite things – talking about literature.

I’m not going to start the year with promises. I’ve always talked about how writing for my website is my passion project, but it is not my “real-life” job. This is still the case. I am very lucky to be able to say that I really enjoy my “real-life” job, and while I feel it is always important to maintain balance and fit in time to do things such as work on passion projects, sometimes the schedule gets very busy and full of events, and there have been some long-form topic ideas that I was really looking forward to writing, but I had to put them aside and take a break because there is only so much time in the day and you can only spend so long typing and looking at screens. (My “real-life” job involves writing too. I am one with my keyboard at this stage!)

So, while I would love to say that I will be publishing one long-form discussion every month here on Katelovesliterature.com, I don’t want to promise that and not be able to maintain it.

My aim for 2025 is to publish a discussion at least once a month. I’m planning to write longer pieces as publishing will be less frequent than it once was.

I will still be posting mini reviews/literary thoughts on Instagram so make sure you follow @katelovesliterature if you don’t already as my literary lover grid is the place to see what movies I’m loving, my current reads, theatre trips and much more. I love the bookish corner of Instagram, so when I’m not writing here on Katelovesliterature.com, I am more frequently active there.

I am going to kick off 2025 with a reading recommendation.

The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir by Kelly Bishop was one of my most loved books of 2024.

In this book, the witty, incredibly intelligent, resilient, and loving force of talent that is Kelly Bishop aka Emily Gilmore of Gilmore Girls, shares her life story. From her earliest days of falling in love with dance classes as a child, to her performing days in Las Vegas and of course her Tony winning run on Broadway, to her Hollywood credits including Dirty Dancing and of course Gilmore Girls, Kelly Bishop shares the ins and outs, the ups and downs of her life. Her professional life and her personal life, and even if you have never watched one single episode of Gilmore Girls, this is a must read. Kelly Bishop is an incredible storyteller, and her memoir is so open, honest, funny, and very moving. I think I read this book in three days. I couldn’t put it down.

I don’t read memoirs very often, but I loved every page of this one. It is refreshing to read about a woman who knows her own mind so well, because as you go through this book, with every chapter it becomes clearer and clearer that Kelly Bishop is a woman who knows herself. Even if she later decides that something was not the best decision, she knows exactly why she made the decision at the time. She talks about herself, her experiences, and the people in her life, at work and at home, with an amazing sense of clarity. It is impressive and it is a skill I’d love to further develop. There are also some absolutely beautiful photographs included in the book. It was stunning to see someone’s creative life displayed and celebrated in such striking shots.

I highly recommend The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir by Kelly Bishop to anyone who is a fan of the theatre, of dance, of Gilmore Girls, because this is a book that you will love. I would also encourage any reader to give this a go, because Kelly Bishop’s life story is a fascinating, entertaining read and I think anyone who sits down to read this book will enjoy it.

Here’s to 2025. Here’s to more literary chats.

Wishing a very happy, healthy new year to you all.

Kate xo.

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Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A book review by Kate O’Brien.

Can you imagine a world where books are deemed valueless by society? Can you picture living in a world where no one asks questions, where even walking outside is deemed suspicious? Can you imagine the chaos of what would happen if firemen were no longer heroic figures who put out flames and instead, they lit houses on fire instead? The scary thing is maybe we can picture this world. Ray Bradbury brings this world to life in Fahrenheit 451.

Guy Montag is a fireman. He has always been a fireman. His father was a fireman, his grandfather was a fireman, and these days it is almost like his hands move by themselves, pouring kerosene and lighting matches as though he has no part in the action. He is happy to be part of the world that never reads until he is not. Guy’s mindset begins to shift when his young neighbour Clarisse awakens a long-forgotten part of his mind, if it was ever awake at all, the part that likes to think, by asking a few questions. Then one day, a horrific fire forces Guy to admit that his hands do not move of their own accord. He does indeed start fires, he burns books and with them, he burns curiosity, he burns access to information, he burns wonder and stories until he can no longer burn anything anymore. Maybe he should take a look inside these books, maybe he should see what all the fuss is about, maybe he does not wish to be a fireman anymore.

Fahrenheit 451 is rather bleak, and it explores heavy themes such as conforming vs questioning, the individual vs society, emptiness vs meaning. This dystopian book may be desolate and at times it is quite dark, however it does end on a hopeful note, one that notes the resilience of humanity after exploring how cold humanity can become.

This book is about book burning, but not in the way that one might expect. Fahrenheit 451 is not about certain groups of people burning and banning certain kinds of books, this book is about a world where all books are deemed worthless. Fahrenheit 451 presents a world in which all emotions aside from happiness are repressed. You cannot have too many thoughts, you cannot have conflicting ideas, you cannot know about any dangers or sadness because none of those things are fun. Go speeding in your car, have walls of television, have constant media playing through earbuds, even when you sleep, escape all thoughts, escape all reflection, and just have fun. All fun, all the time should be great, shouldn’t it? We may think so, but within all this fun, within all this constant, relentless distraction, there is nothing but cold, empty, misery.

I really enjoyed this book, despite it being more on the bleak side of the reading scale.

I have always been in a position where access to books has never been a question. I have always been able to read anything that I wanted, and I recognise that this is a privilege. It is easy to take books and access to all kinds of books for granted sometimes, which is why I felt that Fahrenheit 451 was an especially important read. I would recommend this book to readers aged 14+.

I had the opportunity to discuss this book even further alongside my podcast co-host Seán, and if you are interested in the themes I mentioned up above, you can listen to episode #04 of Your Book or Mine? now on Spotify.

#JoinTheBookClub

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The dandelion’s tale: An allegory of migration by Margaret Anne Suggs.

A review by Kate O’Brien.

Sometimes it is the most simple stories that pull on our heartstrings the most.

I often find that the books that are created with young readers in mind are the books that tell the most touching, poignant stories. Maybe that is because young readers are often the most open, accepting, and curious about different ideas. I do believe that cynicism attempts to take up more space as we get older, and I make a point to try to retain that open sense of childhood wonder. I never want to scoff at a new idea, instead, I want to try to embrace it with the same inquisitiveness that I would have when I was seven or eight.

In The dandelion’s tale, through her use of beautiful watercolours, and lighthearted storytelling, Margaret Anne Suggs has created a lovely, much needed book that parents, guardians, and teachers can use when starting to have conversations with young readers about how sometimes, people must leave their homes and find somewhere else to live.

One of my favourite pages can be found near the very end of this book. Margaret Anne Suggs has taken the time to share just how important dandelions are, and how they hold a valuable place in the world. I feel that this book is not just a tool to help children learn about migration, I also feel that this book could be used to encourage people, especially young children, who have taken the journey to a new place just as the dandelions did.

I cannot speak from personal experience about migration, but it is not hard to imagine that having to leave one’s home because it is no longer safe and trying to find stability in a new place is not easy, and it must be especially hard for children who do not fully understand the extent of what is happening to them. I think having a book that represents their journey and highlights how important they are is a wonderful thing. If young readers get to see how strong and resilient the dandelions are, they can also think about how strong and resilient they have been.

I speak about the power of books very often. I always discuss how books expand horizons by allowing us to understand other people, other places, and other experiences beyond our own.

I believe it is very important to introduce bigger topics to younger readers in a way that they can manage, because I think the more we know, the more we can do, even at an early age. Children experiencing migration firsthand and children who are learning about it, deserve to be given high quality learning materials to help them understand what is going on in the world around them. The hope would be that the more they understand the different experiences that people face, the more understanding and caring they will be towards each other.

Margaret Anne Suggs has created a story that can give readers flexibility. It can be a beautiful, quite literal story about the strength, beauty, and resilience that is found in nature, and as we open ourselves up more to viewpoints, and as young readers get that little bit more advanced, the book can be appreciated further, as we introduce young readers to wider conversations about migration in a very age-appropriate way.

I want to thank Graffeg Books for sending me a copy of this book in the post, and I want to congratulate Margaret on a beautiful story. Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that I have had the pleasure of working with Margaret before, so it is wonderful to see more of her creativity come to life, however it is important to note that all opinions discussed above are my own, and this is not a paid for review, nor is it sponsored in any way.

I would recommend this book to readers aged 6+.
For more updates about what is coming up next, you can stay up-to-date on Instagram @katelovesliterature

2023: A Year of Wonder

2023: A Year of Wonder

A yearly review, by Kate O’Brien.

I can’t believe how quickly this year has passed by. I feel as though Christmas has come around so quickly this year, and I won’t complain as it is my favourite time of the year. 2023 has been filled with lots of love, lots of hard work, lots of fun, and of course lots of books!

It has been a special year for me. I feel incredibly lucky to say that it has been filled with personal and professional achievements that I am so proud of. I finished my master’s programme and now I can very proudly say that after lots of hard work, I have a master’s degree in Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Encouraging a love of reading in young children is a particular passion of mine because I truly believe that a love of literature can open so many doors for us in life. It has been wonderful to see my passions paying off. I’ve really felt that all of the work that I’ve been doing for the last few years has started to pay off and have visible results in 2023.

I’ve had some brilliant opportunities this year. I’ve had the opportunity to attend lots of literary events. I’ve gotten to meet and interview several authors with Beehive Books. I had a fantastic time at Dublin Castle when I had the opportunity to work as a CBI Book Doctor at one of the wonderful CBI Book Clinics. I’ve continued to review books for Children’s Books Ireland, and I was delighted to see my reviews featured in this year’s CBI reading guide. I’ve received some beautiful books from HarperCollins Ireland. It was an honour and a dream come true to write an article all about the lifelong benefits of being a reader for writing.ie. I’ve continued to work on my own website Katelovesliterature.com, and if you’ve followed me for a while then you’ll already know that this is my passion project, and if all of that was not amazing enough, I’ve been working behind-the-scenes on a new, upcoming project that is launching in 2024. I couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead and I can’t wait to share my news in the New Year.

To everyone who has followed along here and on Instagram/TikTok @katelovesliterature, I want to say thank you so much. Thank you for following along, for tuning in, for commenting, and for sending lovely messages. I’ve gotten to put a few faces to names this year at different book events and it has been really lovely to feel so welcomed in the Irish book community.

This will be my last piece published in 2023. I will be taking some time away from my laptop screen to enjoy the Christmas and New Year festivities.

I am planning to publish my first piece of 2024 on January 12th. My first piece of 2024 will be my review of Gods Don’t Cry by Ellen Ryan.

I will still be active on Instagram over the next few weeks, as I will have fun sharing some festive snaps. Wishing everyone who celebrates a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Sending best wishes and good health to you all.

Thank you for reading.

Until January,

Kate xo