Popular fiction
The Importance of Being Aisling Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen Gill Books €14.99
Aisling, the loveable young Irishwoman of quintessential rural stock continues her journey to independence and contentment in this sequel to the original debut hit. It looks as if the Irish publishing world may have the female equivalent of the mega-successful Ross O’Carroll Kelly franchise on its hands.
Roar Cecelia Ahern HarperCollins €18.20
Each of these 30 whipsmart stories features a heroine who discovers the power to change, from The Woman Who Was Swallowed Up By The Floor to The Woman Who Returned And Exchanged Her Husband.
The Survivors Kate Furnivall S&S €11.20
Germany, 1945, and in a camp for displaced people, a deadly game of cat-andmouse begins when a woman, desperate to get her daughter home to England, spots a former Nazi. Gritty and gripping.
Master Of His Fate Barbara Taylor Bradford HarperCollins €18.99
It wouldn’t be Christmas without a family saga. This is the first in a new series set in Victorian London, braiding the fates of a self-made charmer with a serious-minded heiress.
A Spark Of Light Jodi Picoult Hodder & Stoughton €18.99
More seat-edge drama from the doyenne of hot-topic lit. A siege at an abortion clinic becomes tenser still when a police hostage negotiator realises his 15-year-old daughter is inside.
Tombland C J Sansom Mantle €18.99
History buffs will devour the latest novel featuring royal legal eagle Matthew Sheldrake. It’s 1549 and with an 11-year-old on the throne, England is ripe for Robert Kett’s rebellion.
The Plus One Sophia Money-Coutts HQ €18.20
It’s a brand-new year and Polly Spencer is on a mission to find herself a plus-one for her best friend’s wedding. Cue fizzy fun and some seriously saucy shenanigans.
Heads You Win Jeffrey Archer Macmillan €18.99
Leave it to Jeffrey Archer to spin a continent-straddling, decade-spanning, fatedriven yarn that weaves its way from St Petersburg to London and New York, saving its final twist for the very last page.
Vox Christina Dalcher HQ €18.20
In a USA whose government has decreed that women may speak only 100 words a day, a mother must fight to protect her daughter. Dystopian fiction doesn’t get more disquieting.
The Witches Of St Petersburg Imogen Edwards-Jones Head of Zeus €26.59
This heady historical tale whisks readers straight to the heart of the Romanov court. Revolution is in the air, and two princesses from Montenegro are about to become embroiled in high-stakes intrigue.
The Blue Salt Road Joanne M Harris Gollancz €18.20
Love, treachery, the call of the ocean: this wintry modern fairy tale features all three. Add intricate illustrations and it’s the perfect Christmas gift for anyone who loves a good story.