In The Irish Times tomorrow, there is a Q&A with Seán Farrell, author of the debut novel Frogs for Watchdogs. And there is an extract from Aer Dogs: How a Small Group of Irish Entrepreneurs Brought Low-fare Air Travel Around the World by Tom Lyons.
Reviews are Denis Staunton on The New Nuclear Age by Ankit Panda; Justin Willis on The African Revolution: A History of the Long Nineteenth Century by Richard Reid; Neil Hegarty on Beartooth by Callan Wink; Elizabeth Mannion and Brian Cliff on the best new crime fiction; Oliver Farry on Looking at Women Looking at War by Victoria Amelina; Helen Cullen on Wild West Village be Lola Kirke; Karl Whitney on Joe Tucker’s The Secret Painter; John Boyne on The Boyhood of Cain by Michael Amherst; Charleen Hurtubise on Rejection by Tony Tilathimutte; Shane Darcy on Prosecuting the Powerful by Steve Crawshaw; Paul Clements on local history; and Michael Sanfey on The Hidden Globe: How Wealth Hacks the World by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian.
This weekend’s Irish Times Eason offer is Night Swimmers by Roisin Maguire, just €5.99, a €6 saving.
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry, set in late 19th-century Montana, and Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, set in ancient Sicily, have been longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction.
Chair of judges, Katie Grant, said: “It has been exciting to read the diverse crop of novels on the WSP 2025 Longlist. We’ve discovered little-known aspects of our collective pasts, experienced excesses of human behaviour, and been placed so authentically in the middle of the action that we’ve felt part of the action. We’re delighted to celebrate debut and emerging writers published by small presses, as well as more established authors and publishers. With two new judges on board, including one of the first winners of the Young Walter Scott Prize, we look forward to testing these novels against the Prize criteria of originality, innovation, longevity and quality, and then debating the merits of all twelve books and choosing our Shortlist later this spring.”
Also longlisted are: The Catchers by Xan Brooks; Mother Naked by Glen James Brown; Clear by Carys Davies; The Mare by Angharad Hampshire; The Book of Days by Francesca Kay; The First Friend by Malcolm Knox; A Sign of her Time by Sarah Marsh; The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller; Munichs by David Peace; and The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden.
The judging panel comprises Grant, winner of the inaugural Young Walter Scott Prize Rosi Byard-Jones, bookshop owner Rosamund de la Hey, historian and gallery director James Holloway, children’s writer Elizabeth Laird, broadcaster and writer James Naughtie, and author and film-maker Saira Shah.
The winner receives £25,000, and each shortlisted author is awarded £1,500. A shortlist will be released on April 15th, and the winner announcement and prizegiving event will take place at the Borders Book Festival on June 12th-13th.
Previous winners are: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (2010); The Long Song by Andrea Levy (2011); On Canaan’s Side by Sebastian Barry (2012); The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (2013); An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris (2014); The Ten Thousand Things by John Spurling (2015); Tightrope by Simon Mawer (2016); Days Without End by Sebastian Barry (2017); The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers (2018); The Long Take by Robin Robertson (2019); The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey (2020); The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel (2021); News of the Dead by James Robertson (2022), These Days by Lucy Caldwell (2023) and Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein (2024).
Books Upstairs, Dublin’s oldest independent bookshop, this month marks 10 years at its D’Olier Street, city-centre home – in the same month its manager, Louisa Earls, has picked up the O’Brien Bookseller of the Year Award for 2025.
Earls, whose father Maurice founded the business in 1978, was named Bookseller of the Year at the annual Irish Book Trade Conference, run by Bookselling Ireland and Publishing Ireland. The prize, sponsored by the O’Brien Press, was awarded for “leading her dedicated staff by example”, “run[ning] an important shop with modesty and warmth”, and “go[ing] the extra mile every day to keep the shop exciting, surprising, and new”.
Founded in 1978, Books Upstairs has remained an independent, family-run business across each of its city-centre locations: South King St, George’s St Arcade, College Green and now 17–18 D’Olier St.
Louisa Earls joined the business in time for the move to its current home, a well-preserved Georgian building with a striking Victorian Oriel window. In this location the father – daughter team added a literary cafe as well as children’s and second-hand sections, and began hosting book launches, talks, and other events. Authors who have performed there in recent years include Claire Keegan, Sebastian Barry, Paul Murray, Paul Muldoon, Elaine Feeney, Louise Kennedy and Paul Lynch. It is the location of the new Writehawks series hosted by broadcaster Rick O’Shea.
“It is such an honour to receive the O’Brien Bookseller of the Year for Books Upstairs, in our tenth year on D’Olier St,” Earls said. “In this space we have been able to realise so many dreams for the shop, as well as things we could never have dreamed of. I am very lucky to have absolutely amazing colleagues and I want to give a big shout-out to everyone who has worked so hard to develop Books Upstairs over the years. We love dealing with wonderful Irish publishers, authors, and above all customers, who have helped us try new things, hone old things, and generally just seem to get the sort of shop we’re trying to be: a truly inclusive and welcoming space that makes a contribution to the cultural life of our city.”
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The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award has announced its shortlist of four authors, described by chief literary critic of The Times and Sunday Times and chair of the jury, Johanna Thomas Corr, as “unforgettable new voices” that promise “new angles on the world”.
Harriet Baker, for her eloquent and absorbing first book, Rural Hours, which tells the story of three visionary writers – Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner and Rosamund Lehmann – each of whom are invigorated and forever transformed by moving to the country.
Moses McKenzie, whose sophomore novel Fast by the Horns is a sharp and lyrical exploration of Black immigrant life and Rastafari community in 1980s England
Debut author Scott Preston for his bold, cinematic novel The Borrowed Hills, a thrilling adventure steeped in folklore that reimagines the American Western for the fells of northern England
Poet and writer Ralf Webb for Strange Relations, his incisive investigation into the crisis of mid-century masculinity through the prism of four bisexual writers – James Baldwin, John Cheever, Tennessee Williams and Carson McCullers
The winner of the £10,000 prize will be revealed on March 18th.
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HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins, beat four rivals to win the rights for Louise O’Neill’s first nonfiction book, A Bigger Life, in a six-figure deal. It is to be published in September next year.
A Bigger Life is described as “a bold, witty and deeply moving exploration of reinvention and self-discovery”. The book follows O’Neill’s journey after her long-term relationship ends. She “embarks on an audacious dating experiment across cities such as Paris, London and New York, blending humour, heartache and sexual liberation. Along the way, she challenges the societal expectations surrounding love, marriage and happiness, inviting readers to question what a ‘good life’ truly means.”
HQ called it “more than a memoir”, a “rallying cry for anyone – particularly women over 35 – who has felt constrained by traditional life markers”.
O’Neill said: “This book is a celebration of joy, freedom and the transformative power of reclaiming your life on your own terms. It’s about breaking free from the lies women are told about their value, centring our own pleasure, and finding fun and adventure in the process.”
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The First Wednesday Series, in partnership with Poetry Ireland, has Prof Eoin Devereux as the featured reader for its March 5th, 2025 event at The White House Bar, Limerick.
Devereux’s work has appeared in leading publications including The Irish Times, Janus Literary Magazine, The Stony Thursday Book, and Southwords. His most recently published poem ‘Pravda’ was shortlisted for the 2024 An Post Irish Book Awards New Poetry Category. Seen by many as being a political poet, Devereux’s work has predominantly focused on working-class experiences. Wexford and Limerick strongly feature in his poetry.
The event will feature an open-mic session, continuing the series’ tradition of discovering and nurturing new voices in poetry.
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Marita Conlon-McKenna’s renowned trilogy of children’s books, Under the Hawthorn Tree, Wildflower Girl and Fields of Home will be published this May in a single volume for the very first time. The edition is exclusive to Kennys Bookshop, is signed by the author and includes a foreword by McKenna reflecting on the journey of the trilogy. Under the Hawthorn Tree is Ireland’s bestselling children’s book and turns 35 this year.
You can pre-order The Children of the Famine Trilogy on kennys.ie
