Summer reading hitlist: New novels, classics and nonfiction books recommended by writers

Gripping thrillers, sport memoirs and the best recent fiction to pack in your holiday suitcase

Claire Coughlan: ‘Creating something and showing it to the world can feel inordinately scary’

The author discusses a creative writing course, a beautiful Croatian island, Roald Dahl and more

An Asylum for My Affections. Sketches of Maeve Brennan: A thoughtful and authoritative anthology

Essays by Belinda McKeon, Niamh Campbell, Roddy Doyle and many others examine the life and work of the great Irish author

‘I loved every day I worked with Seán and will miss him’: tributes paid to beloved RTÉ presenter Seán Rocks

Donal Ryan, Elaine Feeney, Sinéad Gleeson and more pay tribute to the Arena broadcaster and presenter

New Laureate for fiction Éilís Ní Dhuibhne: ‘I was part of a movement of women writers of Ireland’

The new Laureate for Irish Fiction on language, grief and how reading a book as Gaeilge isn’t as hard as you think

Éilís Ní Dhuibhne is new Laureate for Irish Fiction

The writer takes over the laureateship from author Colm Tóibín

The best books for summer 2025: our critics’ top picks

Sarah Moss, Joseph O’Connor, Wendy Erskine, John Banville, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne and other authors and reviewers choose their top reads for the holidays

Best Friends by Andrew Meehan: Engaging, witty and charming septuagenarian love story

Refreshingly, the author presents the protagonists as proper human beings, not tattered cliches on sticks

Let Me Go Mad In My Own Way by Elaine Feeney: An ambitious, thoughtful, nicely layered book

A novel written in transparent, unshowy prose, enabling the narrative to maintain its focus on the protagonist

In Love – A Memoir of Love and Loss: An important and timely read

Amy Bloom’s frank account of a marriage opens the way for a discussion about the right to die

One for the archives – An Irishwoman’s Diary on literary records

Love Notes from a German Building Site: A captivating debut

Adrian Duncan’s quietly reflective novel brings to life an engineer’s work in Berlin

The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton is this Saturday’s Irish Times Eason offer

A sneak preview of Saturday’s books pages

Dublin Literary Award: Two Irish authors shortlisted for world’s most valuable books prize

Sally Rooney and Bernard MacLaverty shortlisted for the €100,000 prize