26 Books by Irish Authors to Read in 2024 — The Best Irish Books
The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney
For fans of: Wild Houses by Colin Barrett and
Lisa McInerney’s 2015 novel, The Glorious Heresies, kicks off with a bang and doesn’t let up until the final page. Set in Cork, Ireland, the story begins when grandmother Maureen Phelan gets spooked by a stranger who shows up in her home. She knocks out the intruder with a Holy Stone. By “knocks out,” we actually mean she kills the intruder, and the consequences of this unplanned murder connect four misfits—Ryan, a 15-year-old drug dealer; his alcoholic father, Tony; a semi-reformed sex worker named Georgie; and Maureen’s estranged son, Jimmy, a feared gangster. Darkly funny and biting, the novel explores the idea of finding salvation in the most unexpected places.
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
For fans of: James by Percival Everett
Paul Murray’s 2010 tragicomedy begins with the aftermath: 14-year-old Skippy has been found dead on the floor of a doughnut shop. Skippy Dies introduces readers to a cast of characters—including Skippy’s friend Ruprecht Van Dore, teenage drug dealer Carl, and Skippy’s headmaster—who were all part of Skippy’s life and, possibly, his death. Despite the topic (and title), this is a moving and funny book.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more books, humor, cleaning, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.
About the experts
|
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite books for over 100 years. We’ve worked with bestselling authors including Susan Orlean, Janet Evanovich and Alex Haley, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning Roots grew out of a project funded by and originally published in the magazine. Through Fiction Favorites (formerly Select Editions and Condensed Books), Reader’s Digest has been publishing anthologies of abridged novels for decades. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in fiction, including James Patterson, Ruth Ware, Kristin Hannah and more. The Reader’s Digest Book Club, helmed by Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, introduces readers to even more of today’s best fiction by upcoming, bestselling and award-winning authors. For this piece on the best Irish authors, Farrah Penn tapped her experience as a novelist and avid reader to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Julianne Buonocore, president of the Literary Lifestyle; email interview, August 2024
- Louisa Smith, founder and editor of Epic Book Society; email interview, August 2024
- Shelby Gambrell, Booktoker and Bookstagrammer; email interview, August 2024
- Steph Opitz, director of bookstore partnerships at Bookshop.org; email interview, August 2024
