20 books for all tastes to add to your reading list this summer
There's plenty of summer reading here to keep you turning the page
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Michael Lewis is one of the great non-fiction writers. He has a knack of turning complex, dry subject matter (like the workings of bond markets) into page-turning thrillers, usually through the lens of lifeâs foot soldiers. In his latest book, he turns his gaze on the US governmentâs cack-handed handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Irish psychiatrist Veronica OâKeaneâs investigation into psychosis draws on case studies of her patients. Itâs sprinkled with literary references (the bookâs title, of course, is borrowed from a line from a W.B. Yeats poem) and is full of insight into the mysteries of the brain and in particular about how memories are formed.
Always provocative, always readable, Malcolm Gladwellâs latest book is based on a chilling question: whatâs the best way to kill hundreds of thousands of people? Using the theatre of aerial warfare during the Second World War, he comes up with interesting answers as well as insight into the psychopaths (and those following orders) who got dragged into a grisly business.
SinĂ©ad OâConnorâs memoir is already a contender for Irish book of the year. It delves into her difficult childhood (her mother seems to have been an extraordinary specimen), bizarre encounters with Prince and other celebrities as well as her brilliance at being a rock ânâ roll rebel.
The Hitmen is an extraordinary story. The Wilson family business was assassination, as two brothers, a cousin and a nephew carried out murders for Irelandâs gangs, including those in Dublin and Cork. They never asked any questions about their targets, only about the fee involved.
Hailed on Ryan Tubridyâs morning radio show, Julian Sanctonâs story about a Belgian-led expedition to the Antarctic in 1897 is a cracking yarn, full of hucksters and adventurers, mutinies, deaths that keep piling up, as well as some natural beauty.
Midway through a century of living, the actor Matthew McConaughey casts his eye back over his life, using his journals from the last 35 years as source material. The picture that emerges is of a fascinating man who grew up in a strange, violent house (his parents married each other three times) and one who has always marched to the beat of his own drum.
Gill Books have reprinted in paperback the former RTĂ producer Julian Vignolesâ biography of Rory Gallagher, one of the worldâs greatest blues guitarists and by all accounts one of the greatest live performers. Based on extensive interviews, it unravels some telling details about an unassuming and at times eccentric man.
The comedian Dermot Whelan â who is possibly best known as one half of the Dermot & Dave radio act on Today FM â has written a comic memoir and self-help book about his experiences of meditation. An enjoyable way to better understand the pursuit of mindfulness.
ManchĂĄn Magan is one of Irelandâs great intellectuals as well as being a travel writer and broadcaster. In his latest book, he dwells on the origins and meanings of words from our strange and wonderful Irish language, words which have been around for 3,000 years and are in danger of disappearing.
As Carol Ann Duffy says: âMayflies is one of those novels to press into the hands of friends.â Set in two periods, 1986 and 2017, itâs the story about the friendship of two Scottish guys on the cusp of adulthood, drunk on music and dreams, and later brought down by lifeâs heart-breaking realities. A masterpiece and especially poignant because itâs autobiographical fiction.
Billy OâCallaghan is one of the most exciting literary talents to emerge in the last decade. His second novel is a family saga set over three generations. It follows a 16-year-old survivor of the Great Famine from Cape Clear island, as she carves out a life in Cork City, right up to her granddaughterâs life on a council house estate in the 1980s.
A new publication from the master storyteller Haruki Murakami is always noteworthy. His 22nd book is a short story collection: eight stories narrated by an elderly writer about familiar Murakami themes: music, nostalgia, baseball and youthful love.
Conor OâCallaghan writes in short sentences, the words carefully chipped off the block like the poet he is. His second novel â a dark, wry story about a middle-aged manâs road trip from England to France and reflections about his madcap personal and family lives â is another acclaimed work.
Set largely in a Catalan summer resort, Kathleen MacMahonâs third novel is based on a fascinating premise: how much do you really know about your partner? After the death of his wife, David discovers some secrets that draws into question a seemingly perfect 20-year marriage.
Louise Nealonâs debut novel has been trumpeted by Roddy Doyle and Marian Keyes. It tells the story of how an 18-year-old girl, Debbie â who grew up on a dairy farm with her eccentric mother and troubled alcoholic uncle, Billy â navigates between her offbeat home life and university.
The Rules of Revelation is the final instalment of Lisa McInerneyâs firecracker trilogy of Cork novels about the misadventures of the Irish-Italian Ryan Cusack, as he floats through a decrepit world of gangsters and sex workers and the redemptive power of rock ânâ roll.
Kevin Powerâs debut novel Bad Day in Blackrock â which was made into a movie by Lenny Abrahamson â is one of the great Irish novels of modern times. Powerâs follow-up about the feckless son of a disgraced Dublin banker on a dodgy business caper in the Balkans is a satirical meditation about empty souls and the decadence of wealth.
Eimear Ryanâs debut novel is a heady mix: a young protagonist embarking on university life, labouring under the shadow of a thwarted competitive swimming career; the ghost of her eminent grandfather, a poet who committed suicide; and her own torrid affair with a married man.
Matt Haigâs latest, intriguing global bestseller is about lifeâs âsliding doorâ moments, as he drops a magical library onto the pages of his novel, one stacked with shelves of books offering the reader the chance to live a different life and undo regrets.
