The bestseller

The Keeper, by Tana French.Published by Viking, Penguin, €18

This is a book you have to read, for a number of reasons. First of all, it is very good, it will keep you glued to the pages, and you will find lots to talk about when out with friends, as half the world will have enjoyed it. This is a more subtle form of a crime fiction book, and focuses on the community in Ardnakelty, and how it is ripped apart by the discovery of the body of Rachel Holohan in the river, just as she was about to become engaged.

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A wonderful memoir

Home Economics, by Caitríona Lally. Published by New Island Books, €16.95

Caitríona Lally is one of Ireland’s great young writing talents, with two major literary prizes to her name. Yet, she can earn more from her work as a cleaner in Trinity College Dublin than from writing – a sad state of affairs. A graduate of the same university, where as a student she held a cleaning job she enjoyed, Lally has penned an honest, witty portrait of her life. She will win the hearts of women – and men – everywhere with this delightful and well-written book.

A soulful read

A Sheepdog Named Oscar, by Dara Waldron. Published by Simon & Schuster, €17.99

No finer judge than Donal Ryan says, “this book will do great good, and bring light to many lives”. He is not wrong. Film scholar Dara Waldron’s father, Dr John, died following a car crash exactly a decade ago, plunging his son into grief. Dara rescues an abandoned border collie, Oscar, and while believing that he is providing succour for the dog, it is clear that it is Oscar who rescues Dara. This is a joyous tale of a shared journey of understanding between man and dog.

A moody read

Dark is the Morning, by Rupert Thomson. Published by Head of Zeus, €24

Any writings by Rupert Thomson are worth reading, and this applies in buckets to his latest novel, Dark is the Morning. It is intense, moody and sad, and is a tale of self-destruction. For all that, it is infused with beauty and the narrative is powerful. We get to the heart of life in a small town in Italy, situated in a mountainous province where the hills, beaches, food and wine provide a delicious backdrop to a tale of pathological jealousy.

Light entertainment

A Plot to Die For, by Ardal O’Hanlon. Published by Simon & Schuster, €24

The author needs no introduction, being one of Ireland’s funniest men, both as a stand-up comedian and an actor. Multi-talented, he is an accomplished author too, and it seems every four years he will fit in a new book. The 2026 one is the first of a planned series, and we are introduced to the celebrity gardener Finn O’Leary – broken-hearted after marriage failure and now an amateur sleuth. O’Hanlon has penned a light-hearted, occasionally cheesy, but ultimately perfect summer read.

Coffee table book

The Book of Birds, by Jackie Morris and Robert MacFarlane. Published by Hamish Hamilton, €40

This is not a volume that you will be bringing to the beach, but you will want to have it near at hand. With some 300 paintings, and an easy to access, for all ages text, its nearly 400-page story of 49 different birds is at once playful, but it also has a serious message, as about half of the world’s bird species are in decline. This book shows how to identify birds, and how to identify with them.

Best of Ireland

Blasket Bound, by Lesley Bond. Published by Gill Books, €17.99

Lesley Bond and her partner Gordon were the first couple to undertake the six-month caretaker residency on the Great Blasket Island where they had no electricity, hot water or modern conveniences we take for granted. “I arrived as an outsider, but the island does not allow one to remain separate for long. It leaves a mark you cannot shake”. Bond mixes history with her own personal reflection in a book that will leave its own pleasant mark on the reader. Be grateful for what we have.

Young adult romance

French Kisses, by Jenny Ireland. Published by Penguin Books/Puffin, €12.50

Want to keep your teenager off their mobile while on your family break? Here is the latest work from Jenny Ireland, and it is romance about an unexpected love-triangle involving wild-child Margot. She is forced to travel to the south of France with her parents, and there meets mild-mannered bistro waiter Félix and arrogant surf instructor Antoine. Both have a thing for Margot, but all is not as it seems, and there is a real shock.