I’ve read 13 books so far in 2026, and eight of them were penned by Irish authors — here is how they ranked
I’ve managed to get through 13 books this year, which feels like a decent tally given I’m juggling life with a baby and a toddler. Eight of those titles came from Irish writers.
To be honest, I could have written three entirely different versions of this article, as the top three were neck and neck.
The eight books in contention were May All Your Skies Be Blue by Fíonna Scarlett, Everything that is Beautiful (Louise Nealon), Show Me Where It Hurts (Claire Gleeson), Thirst Trap (Gráinne O’Hare), Heart, Be At Peace (Donal Ryan), The Nowhere Girls (Carmel Harrington), So Late in the Day (Claire Keegan) and Foster (also Claire Keegan).
As is often the case with literary fiction from Irish writers, every single one of these books delivered. Glancing back through my reading diary, I notice they all earned a minimum of seven out of 10.
So have a look below to discover which one claimed the top spot.
8. Foster
You simply can’t go wrong with a Claire Keegan book and the only reason why this is at number eight is because I enjoyed So Late in the Day more.
But Foster, about a little girl who spends a summer in Kinsellas’ home, is beautifully told, and you would have to have a cold heart if the final few pages did not have an impact on you emotionally.
This is a short read, with just 88 pages, so if you were wanting something quick and powerful to get you back into reading, this is a great option.
7. The Nowhere Girls
This was the first time I had the pleasure of reading a Carmel Harrington book — and it won’t be the last.
The Nowhere GIrls hooked me in from the moment I read the blurb in Easons which started with: “On a cold afternoon in December 1995, two young girls are found abandoned on a platform at Pearse Station in Dublin.”
It then explains that the main character, Vega, is an investigative journalist who wants to find out what happened to the ‘Nowhere Girls’.
The short prologue immediately grabs your attention and from there the clever book stays consistent throughout with snappy short chapters that make you want to keep reading until the end.
6. Heart, Be At Peace
Donal Ryan is an exceptional talent and you know he is gifted when John Boyne refers to him as the “greatest current Irish writer”.
This perhaps deserves to be higher on the list, especially given that it was the winner of the Irish Book of the Year by An Post in 2024.
The book gives a stark insight into dark troubles plaguing a town in rural Ireland — and it is told from the perspectives of many different characters living there.
If you wanted a glimpse into what modern Ireland looks like, this is a sharp portrait of the good, bad and the ugly.
5. So Late in the Day
Claire Keegan’s So Late in the Day is perfect for anyone experiencing a reading slump.
As many will know, Claire is the master of short stories, and this tale is about Cathal, a thoroughly unremarkable and misogynistic man who is travelling home from his Dublin office after work, will have a devastating impact on you, despite being just 47 pages long.
If you fancy reading a book in one sitting, which will leave you questioning how so much can be said in so few words, add this to your list.
And a side note, if you had time afterwards, Dua Lipa’s recent interview with Claire on her Service95 platform, where the talented pair discuss the themes of the book, is well worth a listen.
4. Thirst Trap
I wanted to mention Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’Hara as high up as possible because the characters (Harley in particular) were just so so good.
It tells the story of three women housesharing in Belfast who are still grieving the death of their friend.
Although it is heartbreaking at times, the humour in it was unrivalled, and it was a binge-worthy and chaotic read that I could easily envisage being told in an absorbing TV adaptation one day.
3. Show Me Where It Hurts
On another day, this would have been number one, and I actually scored it 10/10 in my diary, so it is perhaps unfair that it wasn’t.
I found it by chance, and it was a spontaneous purchase, because I had just bought another book minutes before, again in Dublin Airport, this time on a separate work trip.
I read the back of the book in WH Smith, and instantly knew I had to buy it, and it was absolutely incredible.
For those intrigued, the blurb reads: “Rachel lives with her husband Tom and their two children: it’s the ordinary family life she always thought she’d have. All of that changes in an instant — when Tom runs the family car off the road, seeking to end his own life, and take his wife and children with him.
“Suddenly Rachel is left poring over the wreckage to try and understand what happened — to find a way to go on living afterwards.”
If you are in the mood for something to pull at your heartstrings, this one is certainly for you.
2. Everything that is Beautiful
This easily could have been number one — and it was another story that genuinely stayed with me.
Lousie Nealon, along with perhaps John Boyne, could well be my favourite Irish author at the moment, and her debut novel Snowflake was up there with one of the best I’ve read, similar to how I felt reading Close to Home by Michael Magee.
My expectations for her second novel, published this year, could not have been higher — and I remember exactly where I was when I got to the end of chapter one.
I was in Dublin Airport waiting for a flight, and having excitedly purchased Louise’s book earlier that morning, I knew I was in for another rollercoaster journey, after an early twist that felt like a punch to the gut.
This book, which tells the story of Niamh Ryan and her relationship with the Foley family, was masterful.
As you can tell by now, I don’t like giving too much detail away, but this is a rare book that I will eventually read again, and likely one I will recommend to my children too when they are older.
1. May All Your Skies Be Blue
I was impressed by Fíonna Scarlett’s debut book (Boys Don’t Cry) so I was eager to buy May All Your Skies Be Blue, which was the first book I read in 2026.
The emotive story, which has split chapters from a period in the summer of 1991 to present day, explores the beautiful and heartbreaking friendship between Shauna and Dean across 30 years.
It is set in a working-class area of Dublin, which the author calls The Green, and like Fíonna’s previous novel, the characters are enthralling and utterly believable, while the dialogue is full of brilliant and bold Irish humour.
As I hinted at earlier, I struggled to separate this book from my two other favourites, which were Everything that is Beautiful and Show Me Where It Hurts.
However, the one deciding factor was how I felt after reading the final page of May All Your Skies Be Blue. At the time, I remember getting chills, and immediately felt a desire to recommend the book to others.
Having read the final page once again just now, the chills came back, and this was the book that stayed with me long after I finished.
We know the Irish enjoy punching above their weight, whether that’s Katie Taylor in the ring, or Jessie Buckley at the Oscars, but the same can be said for our authors, who have a natural knack for remarkable story-telling.
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