The best books to add to your beach bag …
Is there a bigger author on the planet right now than Taylor Jenkins Reid? The author of Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo returns with her latest novel, ATMOSPHERE (Hutchinson Heinemann, €23), an epic love story set during the 1980s space shuttle programme. Joan Goodwin is a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University, and also one of the few people on earth who have been selected to train for a space mission. Each member of the group, from the lighter jet pilot to the female aeronautical engineer, has their own secrets and Joan too is discovering unimagined truths about herself. This book is classic Jenkins Reid, a love story full of distinct characters set against an iconic historical moment in time.
Love is in the air and a clutch of romance novels with real heft are released this month. Marie Rutkoski’s ORDINARY LOVE (Virago, €15.99) tells the story of Emily, who has all the trappings of a perfectly conventional life – house, husband, kids – but behind the perfect exterior she is suffering psychological torture and carrying a torch for a very old flame. When she meets her old lover, Gen, now an athlete with a bad reputation, her past and present collide.
Another captivating love story comes from Dublin author Anna Carey. Carey is already an award-winning children’s author and playwright and now she has written her debut novel for adults. OUR SONG (Hachette Ireland, €15.99) tells the story of Laura and Tadgh. Tadgh is one of the biggest pop stars in the world but once he was just a teenager busking on Grafton Street. That was 20 years ago, when Laura still had big dreams for a career in music. Now Laura works in advertising and is nursing a broken heart for more reasons than one. When she gets an email out of the blue from Tadgh’s people asking her to collaborate on an old song, one that she wrote, she has to decide whether to take a chance on her forgotten dream or play it safe. This is an absolutely gorgeous, swoony novel about lifelong connections, coping with disappointment and following dreams.
Wendy Erskine is one of the best short story writers at work today. Her collections Dance Move and Sweet Home saw her nominated for the Gordon Burn Prize and the prestigious Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award. Her debut novel, THE BENEFACTORS (Sceptre, €15.99), does not disappoint. Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh have little in common apart from the fact that their teenage sons are all accused of sexually assaulting Misty, a girl with none of the privilege that their sons enjoy. While Erskine explores the injustices of privilege and class, she is also a brilliant study of character, and despite the dark subject matter, her observations are often darkly humorous. She examines the three women’s backstories and motivations, making them utterly believable and compelling.
Another exciting debut is MISINTERPRETATION (Daunt Originals, €12.99) by Albanian-American author Ledia Xhoga. Set in present-day New York, an Albanian interpreter becomes entangled with a Kosovar torture survivor. His experiences trigger her own repressed memories and set her on a reckless course. A trip home to see her mother in Albania throws her life in New York into sharp perspective. A fascinating story that looks at family, home and the legacy of trauma.
Irish author Andrew Meehan’s new novel, BEST FRIENDS (Muswell Press, €13.99) is a heartwarming story of the power of friendship, companionship and love. It tells the story of June, a lifelong outsider who cleans houses, and Ray, who looks after the public tennis courts in Dun Laoghaire. As they become unlikely friends, they slowly discover the joy that has been missing from their lives.
Speaking of heartwarming, it’s easy to see why publishers around the world have been falling over themselves to buy the rights to Virginia Evans’ debut novel, THE CORRESPONDENT (Michael Joseph, €21.74). This life-affirming novel follows 73-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp, a charmingly cantankerous divorcée and grandmother who writes letters in order to make sense of her thoughts. Now a retired lawyer, she sits down every morning to write her missives – but there is one she never sends. When she receives letters from someone from her own past, she realises she has to face one of the most painful times of her life. Pitched as a modern-day 84 Charing Cross Road, this novel is set to become a summer hit.
Irish author Vicki Notaro returns with her second novel, LONG STORY (Penguin Sandycove, €14.99), which follows two lifelong friends, Tara, an actor, and Alex, a podcaster. When rock star Sean Sweeney publishes his memoir, revealing his past relationships with the two friends, it makes for delicious transatlantic misunderstandings. A perfect poolside read.
In thrillers, two giants of the genre are back with new work. Michael Connelly has given us detective Harry Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer and now, with his latest novel NIGHTSHADE (Orion, €22), he brings us a new character. Detective Stilwell is an LA detective who has left the big city to escape workplace politics. He is looking forward to a quiet life solving petty thefts and drunken misdemeanours on the picturesque island of Catalina. But then a body turns up in the harbour and Stilwell can’t help himself. An exciting new character from one of the world’s best crime writers.
Another writer who continues to impress is Stephen King. The master of horror and suspense has lost none of his edge over a long career. His latest novel, NEVER FLINCH (Hodder & Stoughton, €25) is a gripping double-helix-style narrative. It features King’s recurring character Holly Gibney, who is hired as a bodyguard to protect a provocative feminist speaker on her lecturing tour, and Holly’s friend, detective Izzy Jaynes who is dealing with the threat of a massacre of innocent citizens.
Irish writer Gill Perdue has earned a reputation as a sharp and stylish crime writer. Her third novel, THE NIGHT I KILLED HIM (Penguin Sandycove, €14.99) is her best yet and returns to her brilliantly ordinary female detective duo, Shaw and Darmody. Set in pitch-perfect suburban Dublin, Perdue tells the story of influencer, Gemma, whose brother Max has been missing for almost two decades. It was always assumed that Max took his own life but when his body washes up on a beach, the screws begin to turn on Gemma. A white-knuckle ride.
Finally, for fans of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz, in her new novel BEFORE DOROTHY (Harper Collins, €19.59), New York Times bestseller Hazel Gaynor has written a backstory for Dorothy’s Aunt Em. When Aunt Em finds out that her beloved sister has died and her niece will be coming to live with her, she doubts her ability to be a mother. Beautifully imagined, this story takes the reader from 19th-century Ireland to 1920s Chicago to the Dust Bowl of Kansas in Depression-era America.
BONUS BOOK
THE SECRET TO SUCCESS (TAYLOR’S VERSION) Taylor Swift is obviously a pop music genius, but she might also be a business genius according to a new book by the Harvard Business Review editor, Kevin Evers. There’s Nothing Like This – The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift (Harvard Review, €20.99) explores how Swift made brilliant strategic decisions at each juncture in her career. Evers puts Swift on a par with innovators like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos. Of course, Swift has oodles of talent to begin with, but Evers argues it’s how she makes shifts – like switching genres from country to pop early on, or gaining ownership of her music – that makes her a business genius. It’s a new and interesting take on the Swift juggernaut and it’s not just for Swifties. It’s for anyone who wants to learn how to apply Swift’s smart decision-making to their own life, business, or goals of world domination.
SEE MORE: 50 Of The Best Books To Read This Summer
