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Leonard and Hungry Paul
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
36 posts | 21 read | 19 to read
A disarming novel that asks a simple question: Can gentle people change the world? In this charming and truly unique debut, popular Irish musician Ronan Hession tells the story of two single, thirty-something men who still live with their parents and who are . . . nice. They take care of their parents and play board games together. They like to read. They take satisfaction from their work. They are resolutely kind. And they realize that none of this is considered . . . normal. Leonard and Hungry Paul is the story of two friends struggling to protect their understanding of what's meaningful in life. It is about the uncelebrated people of this world -- the gentle, the meek, the humble. And as they struggle to persevere, the book asks a surprisingly enthralling question: Is it really them against the world, or are they on to something?
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TheEllieMo
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

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DogEaredBooks
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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This was such an epiphany moment - and a perfect description of what it feels like when I‘m picking my next book.
(The tweet is written by the author of the tagged book - which I haven‘t read but this tweet suggests good things)

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shawnmooney
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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https://youtu.be/1h4pgQqW5xo

Rónán Hession (the author of Leonard and Hungry Paul, and Panenka) is one of the most passionate readers I know, and he speaks so darned eloquently about what he reads. Here, he shares an hour‘s worth of recent reading as well as teasing the heck out of us about his forthcoming novel. Do check it out!

LeahBergen Sounds wonderful! 👏 13mo
25 likes1 comment
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RedHeadReader
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Pickpick

A humorous and enjoyable book full of good people muddling their way through life. It made me laugh out loud. A gentle, life-affirming read.

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andrew61
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Pickpick

1st week of the year, back to work, dark damp mornings , so this gentle book has added a bit of sunny sky back into my week as I fell in love with the story of two men in their 30's, somewhat at odds with the world but close friends bonding over board games, and with ancillary characters (esp Paul's parents). As changes happen to both men the relationship shifts slightly. Lots of so so reviews on litsy but already one of my bks of yr

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rachaich
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Panpan

Nope.
Just didn't do it for me.
Too much unnecessary narrative and quite saccharine sweet characters.
I finished it purely because it was my friend's choice!

Libby1 I loved it! Maybe I am a bit saccharine, though. 😊 2y
21 likes1 comment
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rachaich
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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A good friend has picked this for our book club. A few chapters in and I'm not feeling the love...

TrishB I bailed on this one. I keep meaning to go back you as it has some great reviews! 2y
15 likes1 comment
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julesG
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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rockpools Huh. I like the sound of that one 😊. Are you safely back home now? 2y
julesG @rockpools Yes, thank you. It was just Deutsche Bahn throwing a spanner. 😁 2y
jhod Oooh I have this on my shelf! Good date!! X 2y
squirrelbrain I really like the sound of this one too. 2y
72 likes1 stack add4 comments
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JoeMo
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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Panpan

I really wanted to like this; heck, I enjoyed the first half of it. It has a gentleness in both the story telling and the characters that I enjoyed for a while. I have a hard time warming up to a character like Hungry Paul. He‘s a middle-aged man who can‘t be bothered to work more than one day/week and who undeniably mooches off his parents. Yes, there‘s a lot of love in the familial relationships, but they‘re also enablers.
#bookspinbingo

Yuki_Onna May I ask why it has an Ocean Sunfish on the cover? Does it feature Mola Molas? 🤘 3y
JoeMo @Yuki_Onna Sadly no, at least not prominently…there‘s just one scene at an aquarium with them. It‘s the favorite fish of Hungry Paul‘s mother. So she refers to her son a her Sunfish. 2y
Yuki_Onna It's my favourite fish as well! 🥰 It's cute as heck in my view (others may find it ugly, but I love it...) I try to visit every aquarium that keeps them when I'm in the vicinity...🙂
I think I might have to put the book on my TBR anyway - Irish writer, musician, taking place in Ireland, gentle people and the cover... I'm intrigued. Hope I'll like it more than you did, though...😅
2y
JoeMo @Yuki_Onna I think you should definitely give it a try…most people seem to love it. I liked it for a chunk of the book, but I ended up having issues with a number of the characters and I didn‘t love how the plot wrapped up. Who knows, maybe I was in a bad mood or something! 🤗 2y
32 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Chavelafab
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book. It‘s full of humour and kindness towards his characters. It was a great comfort read during lockdown. I recognised much of myself in the elder sister which made me reflect on my tendency to “organise” other peoples‘ lives.

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Lesliereads
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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“Hungry Paul then dropped to the floor and started a push-up on his knuckles. There was a cracking sound, followed by some oaths, and then he started again, looking like a break dancer doing the caterpillar.” 😂

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Lindy
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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Pickpick

I feel so much love for this funny, understated novel about gentle people. People who are quiet, kind, and almost invisible to their work colleagues. Gentle people who are not in the least bit ordinary. People who give me hope that perhaps the world will be okay, after all, because there are people like this in it.

slategreyskies I‘ve got this on my kindle. It looks like it‘s going to be really good. The world needs more people like this in it. 💕 3y
Lindy @slategreyskies True! 😊 3y
LeahBergen I‘ve been saving this one for when it‘s my “pick” in our IRL book club. 😊 3y
Lindy @LeahBergen Excellent choice! 3y
Cathythoughts Lovely review ❤️ 3y
45 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Lindy
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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Solitude and peace lose their specialness when they no longer stand in contrast to anything. In a busy—or at least busier—life, quiet reflection provides resonance to experience. But to deprive life of experiences deliberately and to hide from its realities was not special. It was just another form of fear that led to a life-limiting loneliness […].

Cathythoughts Great sky 💫 3y
43 likes1 comment
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Lindy
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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“I used to have parents coming to the school telling me that their kids wouldn‘t read and my advice was always the same: if the parents read, the children will follow.”

(Note: Quote from tagged novel. Ashleigh Corrin is the illustrator of the Get Caught Reading poster above)

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Lindy
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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“How do you make sure you get enough protein?” asked Leonard.
“Ah, protein. I know how you meat eaters stay awake at night worrying about how much protein vegetarians get. Margaret, who works with me, lives on a diet of cigarettes, popcorn and Diet Coke, and the other week she starts giving me the whole protein speech. I just told her not to worry, that silverback gorillas are vegetarian and they get by okay.

Ruthiella I used to live off a diet of black coffee, cigarettes, popcorn and Diet Pepsi. Good times! 😀 (edited) 3y
37 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Lindy
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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There was a section at the back of the shop full of books about history and other deadly serious subjects. It seemed to be some sort of crèche for older men who had been left there while their wives had gone off shopping elsewhere.
(Internet photo)

Penny_LiteraryHoarders Loved this story! 3y
Lindy @Penny_LiteraryHoarders Me too. Sweet without being saccharine. 😊 3y
Cathythoughts Great quote 😁... I must read this one 3y
Lindy @Cathythoughts yes, a lovely Irish gem 😊 3y
44 likes4 comments
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Lindy
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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She met Peter after he had stopped one day to give her directions to an art exhibition and then invited himself along. They fell in love effortlessly. Their initial chemistry broadened into physics and then biology, until they were blessed with Hungry Paul‘s older sister Grace as their first child.

32 likes1 stack add
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jhod
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Bluemoose Books appealed on Twitter for people to buy books direct from them. So I did (and what a great publisher name)

squirrelbrain They both sound intriguing.... 3y
73 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Well-ReadNeck
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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Mehso-so

This sweet meandering novel was very reminiscent of Forest Gump. Cute, but the lack of any strong plot made it drag a bit for me #ARC #Netgalley

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Well-ReadNeck
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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Awesome first line! I think I‘m going to like this one. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Patchshank Wow. That does sound interesting. 4y
charl08 Oh, I've stalled on this one. Look forward to hear what you think, hope it will get me to pick it up again. 4y
Well-ReadNeck @charl08 25% in and I see what u mean. I guess I‘ll have to see if it picks up. 4y
62 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Graciouswarriorprincess
Leonard and Hungry Paul | Ronan Hession
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What a surprise to open your email and find that you have won this ebook!

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Penny_LiteraryHoarders
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Pickpick

Such a charming and delightful read!

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Penny_LiteraryHoarders
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Just started and so far so good!

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Aimeesue
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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After a rough week, here‘s hoping this is the gentle, hopefully at-least-slightly-uplifting book I‘m looking for. Humans can be so awful to each other. *sigh*

catiewithac Sunfish!! 5y
mabell I hope next week is better! ❤️ 5y
Aimeesue @mabell Thanks! I live just outside D.C., and I think I spent too much time listening to the news this week. Add in work deadlines, and it's as if I'm surrounded by a l'âge shallow puddle of muck that I keep stepping into unexpectedly. Nothing major, just wet, cold, mucky feet. ? 5y
mabell @Aimeesue That sounds extremely unpleasant 😆 5y
35 likes4 comments
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LeePeckover
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Happy Independent Bookshop Week! #indie #booksaremybag #bookshop #independentbookshopweek

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shawnmooney
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Lindy Ha! 5y
Suet624 Connect 4! 5y
43 likes2 comments
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shawnmooney
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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shawnmooney
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Bibliogeekery Great quotation! 5y
CouronneDhiver Yahtzee is cool like that 😉 5y
40 likes2 comments
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shawnmooney
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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This opening paragraph of this new Irish debut novel so utterly beguiled me that I immediately bought the e-book. Two chapters in, I‘m feeling just as enthusiastic!

saresmoore I love it! 5y
shawnmooney @saresmoore Thought you might! 😍 5y
LeahBergen What a great opening! 5y
rubyslippersreads Best opening line ever! 5y
Suet624 Beautiful. Although in VT we can‘t have bird feeders from spring to fall because of bears. 😂 5y
42 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Oryx
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Pickpick

Lovely book. I completely recommend this, especially if you want to just spend some time with interesting characters. Not much happens, but that's a good thing. There's no twist, no bad guys, just people living their lives, trying to make the best of them. It was refreshing.

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Oryx
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Doing my bit for local bookshops, one (two) books at a time. The tagged one is also from a local publisher, so thought I'd give it a go. Seems to have some good reviews already. #dogsoflitsy

Oryx Have you been to the Book case in Hebden Bridge Helen @squirrelbrain ? Lovely selection 😍 5y
squirrelbrain I‘ve never even been to Hebden Bridge! 😳 I shall add it to my list.... 😁 5y
ladym30 What a sweet face! 5y
Oryx @squirrelbrain it's such a nice little town. Loads of independent shops. 5y
Oryx @ladym30 Sweet face but muddy paws 🐩 5y
82 likes5 comments
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LeePeckover
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Pickpick

Beautiful, sweet, and wholesome beyond words. Hession has delicately crafted a subtle little masterpiece.

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LeePeckover
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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Feet up, fire lit. It's freezing out!

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LeePeckover
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL. | RONAN. HESSION
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This will be the first book of 2019 for me. And I'm already so excited for it. Heard so many positive things about this pre-release! 🙌 #arc #newbooks #advancereadingcopy

3 likes1 stack add