Books of the Month

by Asako Yuzuki

€13.99

'Tender and thrilling it's Yuzuki at her best' ELLE 'I couldn't stop reading' COSTANZA CASATI 'Unsettling, compelling, richly written' JODIE HARSH 'Dark, tender, unforgettable' JANE CASEY The unmissable new novel of friendship and dangerous obsession from Asako Yuzuki, the award-winning author of the global bestselling sensation Butter. Eriko really wouldn't mind being savaged, if it was her best friend doing the savaging … Eriko's life appears perfect - devoted parents, pristine apartment and a high-flying job in the seafood division of one of Japan's largest trading companies. Her latest project, to reintroduce the controversial Nile perch fish into the Japanese market, is characteristically ambitious. But beneath her flawless surface she is wracked by loneliness. Eriko becomes fascinated with a popular blog written by a housewife, Shoko. Shoko's posts about eating convenience-store food and her untidy home are the opposite of the typical Japanese housewife's manicured lifestyle. When Eriko tracks Shoko down at her favourite restaurant and befriends her, Shoko is at first charmed by her new companion. But soon Eriko's obsession with Shoko begins to spiral out of control, threatening her carefully laid plans. How far will she go to hold on to the best friend she's ever had? Beautifully translated by Polly Barton, Hooked is an unsettling story of the line between friendship and dangerous obsession, and a delicious exploration of food, loneliness and womanhood in contemporary Japan. A most anticipated book of 2026 in Vogue, Guardian, New York Times, Forbes, The Times, Sunday Times Style, Elle, Stylist, BBC, Grazia, Bricks Magazine, Radio Times, LitHub, Oprah Daily and Daily Express. 'The kind of book you press into your friends' hands, desperate to dissect it' ERIN KELLY, author of The House of Mirrors 'An exciting new thriller that you won't be able to put down'RADIO TIMES 'Expect to see this distinctive pink cover everywhere' GRAZIA '[A] razor-edged story about women, appetite and what we'll do to feel chosen … Safe to say, we're already hooked'OPRAH DAILY 'No one writes about the hidden depths and lurking monstrosities of womanhood quite like Asako Yuzuki' ALICE SLATER, author of Let the Bad Times Roll 'A thrilling and deliciously sharp examination of the extremes of female friendship. Achingly tender and wickedly funny' EDEL COFFEY, author of In Glass Houses 'Dark, spiny and slippery, this haunting tale of loneliness and longing in the modern age will leave you gasping' TOBI COVENTRY, author of He's the Devil Ideal for readers who... enjoy dark, psychologically charged fiction about friendship, desire and obsession like contemporary Japanese settings that explore loneliness, identity and womanhood are drawn to character studies where fascination turns controlling and dangerous love literary thrillers with sharp social observation and uneasy humour are fans of Butter and want more from Asako Yuzuki

by Colm Tóibín

€14.99

In The News from Dublin, a beautiful collection of short stories from the bestselling author of Brooklyn and Long Island, Colm Tóibìn delves into the days and nights of those living far from home: lives of great longing, at a great distance from past lives and past selves. A woman in Galway hears of the death of her son in the First World War. An Irishman seeks anonymity in Barcelona, haunted by crimes he has committed. A man goes to Dublin from Enniscorthy to implore the Minister for Health for a special favour. A young woman is pregnant during the Spanish Civil War. An undocumented worker finds himself living an illegal life and must leave San Francisco, and his child, after thirty years in America. Three sisters who have been living in Argentina decide to return to Catalonia. 'Tóibìn is the consummate cartographer of the private self, summoning with restrained acuity (and a delicious streak of sly humour) the thoughts his characters struggle to find words for' - Clare Clark, Guardian Ideal for readers who... love literary short stories rooted in longing, distance, and the ache of lives lived far from home enjoy character-driven fiction spanning Ireland and beyond, with history and private memory close to the surface prefer restrained, emotionally precise writing that captures what people cannot quite say out loud are drawn to morally complex characters, haunted pasts, and quiet turning points with lasting consequences are fans of Colm Tóibìn’s novels and want his storytelling in an intimate, short-form collection

by Florence Knapp

€9.49

A once-in-a-generation debut from a major new talent, The Names is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark. 'I've just been blown away by the best debut novel in years . . . A genius idea for a book' Sunday Times 'Wildly original and emotionally profound' Observer 'An unadulterated success: moving, evocative and utterly convincing' The Times THE PHENOMENAL SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER OVER HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD It is 1987, and in the wake of a great storm, Cora sets out with her young daughter to register the birth of her son. Her husband expects her to follow tradition and call the baby after him - but is it right for her child to inherit his name from generations of domineering men? Her choice will shape the course of their lives. Seven years later, her son is Bear, a name chosen by his sister, hoping he will grow up to be brave and big-hearted. Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, keen for him to become his own person. Or he is Gordon, named after his father and raised in his cruel image - but is there still a chance to break the mould? Powerfully moving and full of hope, this is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark. A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE SUNDAY TIMES, GUARDIAN, INDEPENDENT, IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY, COSMOPOLITAN AND MANY MORE A READ WITH JENNA AND HAPPY PLACE BOOKCLUB PICK 'The viral literary hit' Grazia 'A beautiful, heartwrenching, utterly original novel' Miranda Cowley Heller 'One of those rare books that makes you glad to be alive' Stylist 'Magnificent . . . Read it. It's very special' Chris Whitaker 'Beautifully written, and wise and tender . . . An utter original' Jojo Moyes 'Exceptional . . . will stay with me for a very long time' Anita Rani, Woman's Hour 'Heart-shattering . . . a sucker punch of a novel' Pandora Sykes 'A modern classic' Jenna Bush Hager 'Heartbreaking and yet brimful of hope . . . Exceptional' Mail on Sunday 'Brilliant . . . one of those books that will make you irritable with anyone who interrupts you, but which you'll finish wanting to press into the hands of a friend' The Times 'Astonishing, unique and incredibly moving, The Names is a beautiful novel about the courage of a mother in the moment she names her child . . . I know it will stay with me for a long time' Jeanine Cummins

by Rory Carroll

€15.99

The new book from the author of the critically acclaimed KILLING THATCHER An extraordinary story that explores a pivotal moment in Anglo-Irish history that has implications for Europe and the wider world A narrative non-fiction that reads like a novel by an author at the top of his game Uses first class research to crate a page-turning history with a vast array of characters KILLING THATCHER was hailed as ‘non-fiction that reads like a first class thriller’ by Jonathan Freedland – and Rory’s new book promises to be a similarly exciting work of propulsive historical non-fiction From the master storyteller behind 2023’s critically acclaimed KILLING THATCHER A Rebel and a Traitor is the story of a rogue imperial consul who sought to forge a new nation in the middle of a war – and the mercurial spy chief who sought to destroy him by any means. The rogue consul was Sir Roger Casement, a decorated diplomat who turned his back on the British empire and instead joined the rising Irish cause at the turn of the 20th century. At the book’s centre is the manhunt for Casement led by intelligence officer Reginald ‘Blinker’ Hall, the legendary British spy chief who pioneered codebreaking, early mass surveillance and media manipulation. As he did for the critically acclaimed Killing Thatcher, master storyteller Rory Carroll has combed diaries, letters, police reports, memoirs, court transcripts, secret service archives and declassified government files in the US, Britain, Ireland and Germany to create a page-turning history, and a story that still echoes through Anglo-Irish relations. A Rebel and a Traitor raises profound questions about honour, courage and the price of patriotism. Ideal for readers who… love narrative non-fiction that reads like a thriller, with a manhunt at its core are fascinated by Anglo-Irish history and the figures who shaped (and shattered) empires want an immersive story of espionage, surveillance, propaganda, and early intelligence warfare enjoy character-rich history built from diaries, letters, archives, and court records like books that probe big moral questions about honour, courage, loyalty, and the cost of patriotism

by Tana French

€15.99

On a cold night in a remote Irish village, a girl goes missing. Sweet, loving Rachel Holohan was about to be engaged to the son of the local big shot. Instead, she’s dead in the river. In a place like this, her death isn’t simple. It comes wrapped in generations-old grudges and power struggles, and it splits the townland in two. Retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper has friends here now and he owes them loyalty, but his fiancée Lena wants nothing to do with Ardnakelty’s tangles. As the feud becomes more vicious, their settled peace starts to crack apart. And when they uncover a scheme that casts a new light on Rachel’s death and threatens the whole village, they find themselves in the firing line . . .

by Louise Nealon

€15.99

For Niamh Ryan, the Foleys are family. Her childhood flew by on their farm, playing with her best friend Peter and his sister Kate - all the while being doted on by their mother Helen and coached by their father Liam, a legendary former hurling player. Now, following a distressing series of events, the family ties are strained. Niamh receives drunken phone calls and messages from Peter who can't understand what derailed their burgeoning relationship three years ago. Meanwhile, Helen Foley is trying her best to escape her life by checking into guesthouses under the names of women she went to school with. In her life in Belfast, Kate is attempting to hold down a job and a relationship while carrying the weight of the family's secrets, and feeling like she is the one to blame. As a family wedding looms, and the women find themselves face to face, the knotty love that still binds Niamh, Helen and Kate might just bring them back together again. Told through the perspectives of three very different women, Everything That Is Beautiful unfolds the story of one complicated family in startlingly honest prose. By turns funny and deeply moving, and with unmatched emotional intelligence, this is an unforgettable story of love and family, heartbreak and hope - and who we might become after we pick up the pieces.