Get inspired by these Irish bookworms top book recommendations
Reading remains one of the biggest hobbies worldwide, providing us with a space to deeply immerse ourselves in another life, world and even universe with the opening of a page. Proven to reduce stress and increase personal growth, the activity is hugely beneficial for both the mind and body.
Whether you’re in a reading slump or just looking to expand your TBR pile, these Irish bookworms share some of their favourite books of all time.
Professor Aoife McLysaght, Irish geneticist and a professor in the Molecular Evolution Laboratory of the Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin
This is a VERY hard question, and the answer seems to change over time. I remember reading Black Beauty and Alice in Wonderland as a child and loving those so much that I asked my grandparents to get me more of the same. They had beautiful hardback covers with gold embossed decoration, and I decided that I needed more books that looked like that, presuming I would enjoy them just as much. They found books with matching covers but they were the significantly more advanced books Jane Eyre and Little Women – these were quite a bit of a step up for me at the time, but then Jane Eyre became my favourite book.
Mary Conway, Librarian and Head of Culture of Waterford City and County Council Library
I can’t pick one all-time favourite, but books that come to mind are: Milkman by Anna Burns, Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, So Late In The Day by Claire Keegan, Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan. I also love a good crime novel and anything by John Connolly, Liz Nugent, Ian Rankin, William McIllvanny, Catherine Kirwan, Jane Casey, Andrea Carter and Andrea Mara will always find favour.
Simone Langemann, Former Festival Officer of Listowel Writers’ Week, Ireland’s oldest literature festival in Co Kerry
No, I have a few which I love for all sorts of different reasons. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell and How to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee are two books I read when I was a teenager, and I spent some time in the Deep South and studied Antebellum History. I loved reading the Harry Potter books, they embody the build up to Christmas for me. I hope to start the first one with my son this year.
Sara Phelan, manager of the renowned Chapters Bookstore
I’m not sure I could choose just one favourite. When I’m reading a book I love, I get completely absorbed in it and feel like I’m living in the world the author has created. A few books that stand out are The Dutch House by Ann Patchett and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. But if I had to pick one that really left an impression on me, it would be Trespasses by Louise Kennedy.
Nuala McGovern, Irish journalist and Woman’s Hour presenter
What springs to mind are The Shipping News, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, and Love in the Time of Cholera. I think many of my favourites have often been in the magical realism genre, like The House of the Spirits. I’ve read most of Isabel Allende and Gabriel García Márquez. As much as I love magical realism, I’m not a fan of fantasy books…yet.
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