Fiction
Our London Lives by Christine Dwyer Hickey
For the lover of literary fiction
The 10th novel from the author of Tatty and The Narrow Land is a sprawling tale of complicated love between two Irish outsiders in London. Spanning more than 40 years from 1979 onwards, it follows Milly, a teenage runaway, and Pip, a promising boxer who is plagued by anger and alcohol issues. Read our full review here. (Atlantic, €14.99)
Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson
For the Girls’ Girl
Readers who were raised on Wilson’s Girls – her 1990s series for young readers – will be eager to get their hands on this, her first novel for adults. Ellie, now a single mother living in a pokey London flat, is about to celebrate her 40th birthday. She’s in a bit of a funk but little does she know, change is afoot. (Bantam, €16.99)
Charlotte by Martina Devlin
For the literary historian
Lovers of Charlotte Brontë will be fascinated by this perspective on a singular period in the author’s life: her short-lived marriage to Irishman Arthur Bell. The pair honeymooned in Ireland, but Brontë died just nine months into their marriage. Told from the perspective of Mary Nicholls, Bell’s cousin, whom he married a decade after Brontë’s death, Devlin gives a window into three intertwined lives. Read our full review here. (Lilliput, €16.95)
The Drowned by John Banville
For the amateur sleuth
The Stafford and Quirke series continues, following the successful Snow (2020), April in Spain (2021), and The Lock Up (2023). In 1950s rural Ireland, a husband claims his wife may have thrown herself in the sea. But where is the body? Detective Inspector Stafford is summoned from Dublin to investigate and soon calls on his old ally, the flawed but brilliant pathologist Quirke. Read more here. (Faber, €14.99)
The Outsider by Jane Casey
For the thrill seeker
Those who have already devoured the 11 books in Casey’s Maeve Kerrigan series will likely enjoy this stand-alone novel, featuring the familiar Rob Langton. As an undercover police officer, Langton faces his most dangerous assignment yet: to infiltrate the notorious Carter family. When the intentions of family patriarch, Geraint, become clear, Langton realises the consequences could be explosive. Read more here. (Hemlock, €14.50)
Non-fiction
Blood and Thunder: Rugby and Irish Life: A History by Liam O’Callaghan
For the rugger bugger
How did Ireland become one of the leading nations in men’s rugby, despite our small population and the fact that rugby is only the fourth most popular team game on the island? How did a game associated with the Anglo Protestant elite come to be embraced by Ireland’s private Catholic secondary schools and played by an all-island team? Historian and Limerick native O’Callaghan traces the rise of Irish rugby, along with its many controversies and crises. Read our full review here. (Sandycove, €22.99)
States of Play: How sportswashing took over football by Miguel Delaney
For the footie fan
The issue of sportswashing and financial misconduct in football has become a hot topic of late, following the controversial 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the purchasing of some of the Europe’s biggest clubs by state-backed corporations. In this wide-ranging exposé, journalist Miguel Delaney journeys from Abu Dhabi to Newcastle, to London, Paris, Moscow and New York, to examine how football is being leveraged as a tool for the world’s elite. Read our full review here. (Seven Dials, €15.99)
The Hike Life: 50 more to explore by Rozanna Purcell
For the armchair traveller
Purcell’s The Hike Life won Lifestyle Book of the Year at the 2023 Irish Book Awards. In this new instalment, she showcases 50 more Irish trails – from the eminently popular to the lesser known, to the dog friendly. The book features trail details, route overviews, best photo locations, places to eat and spots to go for a dip. (Black & White Publishing, €18.99)
A History of Ireland in Ten Body Parts by Dr Ian Miller
For the curious inquirer
Dr Ian Miller, senior lecturer in medical history at Ulster University, presents a history of Ireland through the lens of body parts. From bog bodies to ancient stolen skulls once believed to be those of giants, to the hands that transcribed our ancient texts, to bodysnatching in 19th century medicine, this unique perspective lends an interesting bent to the discovery of Irish history and folklore. Read our full review here. (Gill, €24.99)
The Brutish Empire by Des Ekin
For the history buff
The shadow cast for centuries by the British Empire across the entire world is the subject of this new book by the author of The Stolen Village (2008). From the Opium Wars in China to the infection of Native Americans with smallpox, to the Irish Famine, Ekin lays bare the atrocities of the empire and examines the ways in which abuse, exploitation, and slaughter were rationalised in the name of colonisation. (O’Brien, €19.99)
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