Best Irish Books of the Past Twenty Years

The Irish Book Awards have announced the Best Irish books of the past 20 years to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Awards. A list of sixty titles was voted on by readers across Ireland to determine the final 20. Here is what the people of Ireland chose as their favourites:

• A Ghost in the Throat by Dorieann Ni Ghriofa
• Asking for It by Louise O'Neill
• Atlas of the Irish Revolution by John Crowley, Donal O Drisceoil, Mike Murphy and John Borgonovo
• Country Girl by Edna O'Brien
• Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Eilish Fisher
• Girls Who Slay Monsters by Ellen Ryan
• Holding by Graham Norton
• Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun) by Manchan Magan
• Normal People by Sally Rooney
• Poor by Katriona O'Sullivan
• Room by Emma Donoghue
• Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
• The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
• The Boy in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
• The Importance of Being Aisling by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen
• The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
• The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan
• Trespasses by Louise Kennedy 
• Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent
• We Don't Know Ourselves by Fintan O'Toole 

I have only read a handful of these titles so plenty to explore here. My favourite Irish writer, Anne Enright, was on the longlist for The Gathering, but didn't make the top twenty. 

Preserved in Peat

Detective Cormac Reilly returns in Dervla McTiernan's The Unquiet Grave (2025). Reilly and his partner, Constable Peter Fisher, receive a call to say a body has been found in a peat bog outside Galway. Bogs preserve bodies, so initially it is unclear if this is a recent death or an ancient burial. Perhaps it could be the body of Thaddeus Grey, a teacher at a local school who disappeared two years prior and whereabouts remain unknown.

As Reilly and Fisher investigate the crime, they are each holding secrets from the other. Peter is planning to resign and move overseas with his girlfriend, while Cormac has been offered a job managing internal affairs in Dublin. While Reilly would be great at this role, investigating police corruption is a friendless job and he is not sure he wants it. In a further complication, Reilly's ex-girlfriend Emma approaches him for help. Her new husband has gone missing overseas and she is having difficulty getting French police to take it seriously. Reilly has to wrestle with complex feelings as he realises that Emma has moved on and is now living the life he had once expected them to share. Meanwhile, there is another crime underway as a creepy computer programmer has plans to cheat the national lottery. When more bog bodies are found, the Garda have to race to figure out whether they are dealing with a serial killer or a copycat.

Reilly is such a good character. He is a committed detective with a strong ethical core and an unwavering gut instinct. He is thoughtful and diligent and has a big heart. I loved the way McTiernan portrayed Reilly and Fisher's relationship and their inability to say what is on their minds.

McTiernan smoothly weaves the various plot threads together. She is expert at pacing, knowing when to trickle out information to keep readers guessing. It is a brilliant police procedural, with moments of thrilling action. Plus, there is the atmospheric Galway weather which adds to the storytelling.

This is the fourth book in McTiernan's Cormac Reilly series, and I suspect it will not be her last. While new readers can safely read The Unquiet Grave without prior knowledge, it is such a great series that I highly recommend starting at the beginning. My reviews of other Dervla McTiernan novels in this series are available on this blog:

• Cormac Reilly #1 - The Ruin (2018)
• Cormac Reilly #2 - The Scholar (2019)
• Cormac Reilly #3 - The Good Turn (2020)

I will be seeing Dervla McTiernan next month at the Sydney Writers' Festival where she will be speaking about her forthcoming standalone thriller, Three Reasons for Revenge (2026). I have pre-ordered that novel and am looking forward to it.

Beyond Okay

Last year, David Szalay won the Booker Prize for his novel Flesh (2025).  I read the synopsis and wasn't sure whether I would enjoy this book, but I bought a copy anyway and it has been on my shelf for a long time. With the Sydney Writers' Festival a month away, and Szalay one of the international authors I will be seeing, I thought I should give it a go. I am so glad I did as Flesh is a remarkable novel, unlike anything I have read before.

Flesh begins in Hungary with fifteen-year-old Istvan living with his mother in an apartment complex. They recently moved to this town and Istvan has few friends. A shy boy, he is quite isolated and says little. His mother volunteers him to assist a neighbour with her shopping, accompanying her to the store and carrying her groceries up the stairs to the apartment. The woman, who is about the same age as his mother, feeds Istvan after their expeditions and becomes his only companion. Slowly, she begins grooming him for a clandestine affair, and Istvan is soon caught up in this relationship which is destined to end badly. 

Istvan's first job is in the army, stationed in Iraq, where he witnessed tragedy on a daily basis. Following that he moves to London and gets a job in security, eventually employed as a driver by a wealthy family. Here he is exposed to the lives of the rich, but remains on its periphery until he forms a relationship with a woman which allows him to join the inner circle.  

István is a fascinating character, and I was intrigued that Szalay did not describe his appearance, leaving the reader to imagine what he looks like. Istvan doesn't give much away, speaking in short sentences (he mostly says 'okay'), and he appears almost detached, as if life happens to him and he is a passive participant. We know little of his inner life. It is the women around Istvan who compel the action - his mother, the neighbour, Helen - challenging Istvan to express himself more fully. When tragedy strikes, we can see the impact of trauma and grief on Istvan, even if he cannot see it himself. 

Szalay is sparse in his writing, requiring readers to fill in the blanks. There is a lot of dialogue, but that too is scant as Istvan speaks in staccato sentences. I admired this minimalism and restraint, it was incredibly effective. I found myself sucked into this story and was genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed Flesh.  I read the book along with the audiobook wonderfully performed by actor David Weyman which greatly enhanced my reading experience. 

Women's Prize for Fiction Shortlist 2026

The Shortlist for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction has been announced. From a longlist of sixteen, the judges have selected six titles as a shortlist. 

The 2026 shortlist is as follows:

• Susan Choi - Flashlight
• Addie E Citchens - Dominion
• Virginia Evans - The Correspondent
• Marcia Hutchinson - The Mercy Step
• Rozie Kelly - Kingfisher
• Lily King - Heart the Lover

 
The chair of the judges, former Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard said of this shortlist:

"We are delighted to present a shortlist that doesn’t shy away from examining life’s challenges, but also brings many moments of joy. As judges, we are first and foremost readers, and these novels intrigued and profoundly moved us. The plot lines kept us turning pages to find out what happens next, the characters found a place in our hearts and the stories stayed with us long after the last sentence. The incredible strength of the longlist challenged and delighted us, as we whittled down 16 books to this exceptional shortlist. We are proud to support the Women’s Prize Trust’s mission of championing women’s creativity, established and new. With over half of the shortlist represented by debut novelists and independent publishers, we are spotlighting talented emerging writers as well as showcasing the best of known and much loved authors."

My thoughts on the Shortlist

When I wrote my previous post on the longlist, I guessed that the following books would be shortlisted.

Flashlight, Audition, The Correspondent, and A Guardian and a Thief, to be among those listed.  Well, I got two of them right! I am really happy that Heart the Lover and The Correspondent made the list, but a bit disappointed that Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore didn't make the cut.

Next month I will be seeing Susan Choi and Lily King at the Sydney Writers' Festival. 

The winner will be revealed on 11 June 2026. Happy reading!

Want more Shortlist fun? Here are the judges announcing the shortlist.

Carol Shields Prize for Fiction Shortlist 2026

The 2026 shortlist for the Carol Shields Prize for excellence in fiction by women and non-binary writers in Canada and the United States.'  The longlist of fifteen titles, has been reduced to five:

• 
  Hellions by Julia Elliott 
• The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes 
• Cannon by Lee Lai 
• A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
• Lion by Sonya Walger

I reckon that Megha Mujumdar has a good chance of taking this prize. All will be revealed when the winner is announced on 2 June 2026 at a ceremony in Toronto. The winner received $150,000 USD while the four shortlisted finalist receive $12,500 each. If the winner is translated, the author receives $100,000 USD and the translator $50,000. 

Lessons in Leadership

When Jacinda Ardern became Prime Minister of New Zealand in 2017 she became the youngest female head of government. She was only 37 years old and pregnant, giving birth to her daughter Neve during her first year of office. 

As a political science nerd, I watched Ardern's career with interest. I was inspired by her approach to governing, which was a sharp contrast to what we had across the ditch in Australia under the Coalition. She always seemed down-to-earth, likeable, empathetic and authentic. These qualities were put to the test during her five years in office when she had to deal with an horrific terrorist attack at a Christchurch mosque, a devastating volcanic eruption, and the pandemic. Along the way her government brought in landmark reforms like banning semiautomatic weapons, programs to reduce child poverty, net zero climate targets, decriminalising abortion, establishing a Te Ao Maori public holiday, improving housing and launching a 'wellbeing budget' to measure the nation's success beyond GDP.

In her memoir, A Different Kind of Power (2025), Ardern writes about her life in office and the difference she sought to make. Unlike most political memoirs which either gloss over the negatives, overstate the positives or settle political scores, Ardern has written a different kind of memoir.

Ardern goes back to her childhood, where she and her sister grew up in a rural community. Her father was a police officer and her mother was a devout Mormon. She talks about growing up in the church and her decision to leave it in adulthood. We learn about her first job in a fish-and-chip shop, her days as a young debater, and her interest in politics. She hones her skills working in government before standing for office. When she joins Parliament, she holds true to her values and remains determined to deliver for her constituents. She also still shops at Kmart.

When she becomes Prime Minister, and then as a working mum, Ardern often feels like she is failing. Her job is demanding and unpredictable. She has to travel a lot, juggle complex policy and meet a wide range of expectations. She longs to be present with her young daughter, but often the weight of her office causes her mind to drift. Fortunately, her partner Clark and her extended family are supportive and step up to help. 

The chapters on COVID were difficult to read, causing flashbacks to the challenges faced by leaders during that period of uncertainty and fear. When Ardern eventually decides it is time to walk away,  it is completely understandable. Despite her desire to do something different with her life, she worries that her daughter will see this as quitting.  

Ardern makes the case for a different kind of leadership. This is an uplifting memoir about someone who thought she was too soft for politics. She is a case study in turning vulnerabilities into strengths. It is refreshing to read a memoir by a politician not interested in running a commentary on those she disagreed with. The book is well-written and utterly fascinating. 

I read the book alongside listening to Ardern's audiobook narration. I highly recommend the audiobook, so you can hear her tell her own story.  I look forward to seeing Ardern speak about her memoir at the Sydney Town Hall as part of the Sydney Writers' Festival next month. 

A Holiday to Remember

The April selection for the Read Christie 2026 Challenge, 'Beloved in your Collection', is a novel I had never heard of - A Caribbean Mystery (1964), the ninth novel featuring elderly amateur sleuth Miss Marple.

 

Jane Marple has taken a holiday. At the urging of her nephew, the elderly detective has left England for the West Indies. At the Golden Palm Hotel, on the island of St Honore, she meets an array of interesting characters: married hotel owners; a retired Major who talks too much; an American and his glamorous second wife; a couple from the UK; a South American woman travelling solo; a Canon and his sister; a disabled elderly man and his caregivers; and, a local doctor. Soon after she arrives, Major Palgrave meets his demise, seen by most as a death from natural causes. But Miss Marple has a niggle about his death, something seems off. She replays the few conversations she had with him and decides to investigate. She plonks herself down with her knitting and observes how other hotel patrons interact and starts drawing together various threads. Before long there is another death, and Marple has to enlist help to work through her theories and prevent a third murder.

I approached A Caribbean Mystery without any preconceptions. It is a light tale, lacking much intrigue, but with plenty of Christie tropes to keep readers engaged. But I found myself less interested in the mystery element, and more invested in nutting out Christie's secret of success.

Christie has a way of describing characters that make you immediately know who they are. For example, on Major Palgrave she writes: 'He had been rather a garrulous elderly man of the club-bore type, always telling you personal reminiscences that you had no particular desire to hear' (ch5).  She injects a lot of humour in this novel and I routinely found myself laughing aloud. One of my favourite lines was 'The fruit on the island, thought Miss Marple, was rather disappointing. It seemed always to be pawpaw.' (ch3).

This is my second Miss Marple mystery, having recently read The Body in the Library, and I have really warmed to the delightful Miss Marple. As a largely invisible old woman she is able to gain access to people in a disarming manner. She is underestimated, as Mr Rafiel found out when he exclaimed 'I must say, though, that nobody would think you had any brains in your head to hear your unusual line of talk. actually, you've got a logical mind. Very few women have' (ch16).  She is definitely not 'the gentle fluffy old lady' (ch17) she is mistaken for. 

I have really been enjoying participating in the Christie Challenge this year. Her novels are like comfort food, a warm blanket and a cup of tea. Perhaps that is the secret to her success. I look forward to continuing to explore extensive bibliography.

My reviews of other Christie novels are available on this blog: 

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)

Murder on the Links (1923)

Murder on the Orient Express (1934)

The Body in the Library (1942)

Mrs McGinty's Dead (1952)

The Unforgettable Mrs Roy

Indian educator and women's rights activist Mary Roy was an indomitable powerhouse who successfully fought for a change in inheritance law which saw female Syrian Christians entitled to an equal share of familial property. She fought her brother, G Isaac, all the way to the Supreme Court of India, in the landmark case Mary Roy v State of Kerala and Others. 

Mrs Roy's daughter, Booker Prize winning author Arundhati Roy, had a complex relationship with her mother which she explores in her memoir Mother Mary Comes To Me (2025). Mrs Roy, as she is called throughout, was a larger-than-life presence. Roy says of her mother that 'she was complete without me and I was incomplete without her', describing her as 'my shelter and my storm'.

Arundhati's alcoholic father Mickey left when she was two years old, and Mrs Roy returned to Kerala and built a life for herself, establishing a well-regarded school and becoming a beloved teacher and local celebrity. Arundhati and her brother had very different relationships with their mother, and Arundhati could not wait to get away. She enrolled in the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi, determined to become an architect. Here she met an architect and had a brief marriage, before turning to work in television and film with her new husband, filmmaker Pradip Krishen. 

Arundhati shares her mother's activism and used her skills as a writer to draw attention to issues that concerned her - including anti-globalisation, colonialism, environmentalism and other social causes. In 1992 she turns to writing fiction and spends several years writing the semi-autobiographical novel The God of Small Things (1996) which went on to win the Booker Prize and become an international bestseller. Her second novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017) came two decades later. The fame and wealth that came from her work never sat well with her, and she continues to donate her royalties to human rights causes. 

There were long periods when Arundhati and her mother were estranged, but Mrs Roy's presence looms over everything. Indeed Mrs Roy is the inspiration for the character Ammu in The God of Small Things. Mrs Roy was proud of her daughter's success, to the extent that it was a demonstration the quality of education received at her school. As the two women get older, their relationship evolves, though never entirely heals. When Mrs Roy eventually succumbs to old age, Arundhati has lost her mother and her muse.

Mother Mary Comes to Me is an extraordinary memoir of Arundhati Roy's life and career. The book has received great acclaim, winning the National Book Critics Circle Award for biography and was recently shortlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction. The memoir is full of heart, humour and history - a wonderful story of mothers and daughters, and of artistic passion.

Having finished the book, I now want to go back and read The God of Small Things again in a completely different light, with a greater depth of meaning than when I read it almost thirty years ago.

I highly recommend the audiobook version of Mother Mary Comes to Me, read with passion and heart by the author herself. 

Dublin Literary Award Shortlist 2026

The Dublin Literary Award shortlist has been announced. From the 69 titles nominated in November 2025, to the longlist of 20 titles released in February 2026, the shortlist of six books has been derived. The shortlist is:  

Laurent Binet - Perspective(s)
French author Binet is best known for his debut novel HHhH. Perspectives is a murder mystery set in Renaissance Florence. Jacopo da Pontormo has been stabbed in a church. Guards searching his quarters find obscene artworks and a link to the Medici family.

Magdalena Blazevic - In Late Summer
Written from the perspective of a 14 year old girl killed in a Bosnian massacre in August 1993. In an idyllic village childhood friends Ivana and Dunja are enjoying their summer when war begins. A poetic novel of the trauma of war.

Eric Chacour - What I Know About You
Set in Cairo in the 1960s, Tarek has always had his life carved out for him. He is a doctor, expected to marry and have children like his father. But when he meets Ali, Tarek's life trajectory changes. Decades later Tarek is working in Montreal, but someone is writing about him. This novel was shortlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize. 

Brigitte Giraud - Live Fast

An autobiographical novel of loss follows a woman trying to make sense of her partner's death in a motorcycle accident. The widow reflects on their twenty years together and wonders if there was a way to avoid this tragedy.

Ali Smith - Gliff
From multi-award winning Scottish author, best known for her Seasonal Quartet and Women's Prize winning How to Be Both, Gliff is a dystopian novel set in a world of high surveillance and environmental degradation. Two siblings flee an authoritarian state, escaping on a stolen horse named Gliff. 

Ocean Vyong - The Emperor of Gladness
A nineteen year old stands on a bridge preparing to jump. An elderly widow stops him and he finds meaning in becoming her caretaker. Vyong's novel explores how this unlikely pair develop a relationship which cures the loneliness of people on the fringe of society. 

The shortlist culled a lot of interesting titles, including works by Sally Rooney, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Alan Hollinghurst, Karen Russell and Elif Shafak. Of this shortlist, I have no idea which way the judges will go. 

The winner of the 100,000 Euro prize will be announced in May 2026. 

Stella Prize Shortlist 2026

The 2026 Stella Prize Shortlist has been announced! The twelve nominees on the longlist have been whittled down to six finalists in the running for this important literary award.

The 2026 shortlist is as follows: 

• Evelyn Araluen - The Rot
• Geraldine Brooks - Memorial Days
• Miranda Darling - Fairweather
• Lee Lai - Cannon
• Marika Sosnowski - 58 Facets
• Tasma Walton - I am Nannertgarrook

Fiona Sweet, CEO and Creative Director of the Stella Prize, said of the shortlist:

"The books contained in this year's Stella Prize shortlist remind us that women and non-binary writers contain multitudes. These six books contain big stories and little stories. Big stories that challenge and delight readers, and introduce ideas that dismantle the very structures we take as fact. There are also little stories, small, tender, sensitive and beautiful moments that reflect on personhood, gender, relationships, trauma and loss. These little stories intimately stay with us long after finishing reading a book. There are many forms of stories in this list, from a graphic novel, poetry and prose, to memoir and non-fiction, which showcase the incredible calibre within these genres. I hope you enjoy these big and small worlds that these books generously welcome us into just as much as I did."

If I had to guess a winner, I reckon Brooks is in with a shot for her memoir of grief at the loss of her husband. Araluen is a previous winner, so I am not sure she would be awarded twice in a short period. The other title I am interested in is the book by Walton, about novel recreating stories of the Boonwurrung. I will be seeing Walton at the Sydney Writers' Festival in May.

The winner will be announced on 13 May 2026.  

Fast Falls the Eventide

Set in New England in the 1950s, Abide with Me (2006), is Elizabeth Strout's second novel. 

Tyler Caskey is the pastor in the sleepy hamlet of West Arnett, New England. He moved to the town a few years ago with his wife Lauren, and quickly earned respect of congregants with his memorable sermons, often inspired by the writings of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Tyler prides himself on being able to memorise, not read, his sermons. He becomes entrenched in his community, although Lauren does not seem to be entirely suited for the quiet life as a pastor's wife.

Things begin to fall apart for Tyler when his wife dies, leaving him as a single parent to two young girls. Jeannie, the baby, lives with his overbearing mother, but he keeps the eldest, Catherine, at home with him. A year after her mother's death, Catherine, now five, is deeply troubled, with her trauma manifesting as situational mutism and strange behaviours at school. His housekeeper Connie wants to care for the girl, but has her own worries to deal with.

Soon the town begins gossiping, spreading rumours about Tyler and his daughter. He is frustrated at the petty politics he needs to deal with, a paltry budget, a campaign for a new organ, pressure to find a new wife. But what he really needs to do is grieve. 

Strout has deep empathy for her characters and has crafted such a loving portrayal of Tyler and the people in his orbit. She writes plainly, which belies the complexity of the tale. While there is sadness and loss, this is a heartwarming, hopeful story of faith and redemption. Her depiction of the small-town community is spot on, and as this novel is set in the 1950s, Strout includes Khrushchev and a fear of Communism and nuclear war in the background.

I am a latecomer to the Strout universe, beginning my exploration of her works in early 2025. But I am definitely a convert, committed to reading all her works.

My reviews of other novels by Elizabeth Strout are available on this blog:

• Amy and Isabelle (1998)
• Olive Kitteridge (2008)
• Tell Me Everything (2024)

Forgetments and Remembrances

In 2012 Australian author ML Stedman published her remarkable debut novel, The Light Between Oceans, which became a bestseller and was adapted into film. Set on a remote island off the coast of Western Australia, the isolated lighthouse keeper and his wife make a decision which will haunt them forever.  Fourteen years later, Stedman has written her hotly anticipated second novel, A Far-Flung Life (2026). 

Set in Western Australia, A Far-Flung Life, follows generations of the pastoralist MacBride family who reside on Meredith Downs, a million acre ranch in the remote Pilbara region. In 1958 Phil MacBride swerves his car on a dusty road to avoid a kangaroo. The car overturns killing himself and his eldest son, and forever changing his younger boy Matt. This tragedy sparks off a chain of events which will leave the remaining MacBrides concealing secrets, searching for answers, hiding shame, and longing for love. While memories can be difficult, the MacBrides will also learn that 'forgetments' - things you cannot or choose not to remember - can be rewritten and recast in a different light.

Stedman makes the most of this isolated location, depicting the landscape - its flora, fauna and geology - with great care. She layers the novel with how this environment shifts with drought and storms, changing agricultural approaches and the quest for mining beneath the surface. The history of WA's mining boom, the tragedy of blue asbestos, and the advances in technology are subtly woven into the tale. 

I really enjoyed this novel as it continually surprised me. There is a lot of sadness that befalls the family, and those around them, but Stedman is careful not to turn this into a melodrama and infuses the story with great heart, laughter and hope. More than the MacBrides themselves, I came to love the characters that came into the family's orbit: geologist Bonnie Edquist, roo shooter Pete Peachey, old mate Humpty, Englishman Miles Beaumont. Even the gossip-mongering post mistress had an interesting backstory. 

This is a heartfelt novel which would be a great read for fans of historical fiction, book clubs, and anyone who wants to immerse themselves in an epic tale. 

In the end, I reckon the message of A Far-Flung Life is that we should live in the present and not get bogged down in regret and shame. Leave the past where it is, and create your own forgetments. As Rose MacBride would say.... "Yawa, yawa, yawa."

International Booker Prize Shortlist 2026

The International Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist has been announced with six titles of fiction translated into English, from a longlist of thirteen. 

The shortlist is as follows:

• 
  The Nights are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar (translated by Ruth Martin)
  
• She Who Remains by Rene Karabash (translated by Izidora Angel)
• The Director by Daniel Kehlmann (translated by Ross Benjamin)
• On Earth as it is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia (translated by Padma Viswanathan)
• The Witch by Maria NDiaye (translated by Jordan Slump)
• Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi (translated by Lin King)

Natasha Brown, Chair of the judges writes of this shortlist:

"With narratives that capture moments from across the past century, these books reverberate with history. While there's heartbreak, brutality, and isolation among these stories, their lasting effect is energising. Rereading each book, we judges found hope, insight and burning humanity – along with unforgettable characters to whom I'm sure readers will return again and again."

The prize awards £25,000 to the author and £25,000 to the translator, in recognition of the essential work of translators in bringing fiction to a wider audience. I am keen to read more translated fiction, and some of the titles on this shortlist sound interesting if I can track them down, although many are not yet available in Australia.

The winner will be announced on 19 May 2026.