All new books for the month of June—see Books Ireland First Flush
First Flush for June is chock-full of great reads to see you through the summer months, for fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children’s books lovers alike!
For any newcomers, First Flush is Books Ireland’s database full of the new titles being released in the forthcoming month. All the books featured here are Irish-written, focused or published, meaning it’s your go-to for all your new Irish reading inspiration.
The database goes back to January 2021 and each month it builds and builds, creating a useful resource and fascinating back catalogue of Irish releases month-by month. It’s fully searchable by term, title, author, month, genre and many more criteria, making it easy to navigate.
Fiction
This month’s First Flush features fiction that will have you putting your detective hats on to try figure out the mystery…before it’s too late. Catherine Kirwan’s Lessons in Malice from Hachette sees a lawyer attempting to solve a murder in order prove her own innocence in a pacy, atmospheric page turner, while Gill Perdue returns with the gripping second novel in the Shaw and Darmody series with Sandycove, and this time, Shaw and Darmody head for suburbia, where all is not as it seems.
If something a little less dark is more your kind of read, The Rachel Incident by the fabulous Caroline O’Donoghue (Virago Press) tells a tale that sparkles with humour and keeps its secrets close.
For the ultimate beach reads, Niamh Hargan’s The Break-Up Clause (HarperCollins) sets this enemies-to-lovers rom com in electric New York City and Roisin Meaney’s Life Before Us (Hachette) will give you hope for new love and new beginnings.
We’re excited to get our hands on Youth from Kevin Curran (who will be appearing on our podcast this summer) which follows four teenagers in Balbriggan, Ireland’s most diverse town, in the twenty-first century, dealing with hyper-sexuality, social media saturation, and the plague of anxiety.
Una Mannion (our next podcast guest) has a new novel, Tell Me What I Am (Faber & Faber), that slowly uncovers an insidious secret that will affect this family forever.
Non-fiction
In nonfiction, Conor Gallagher asks Is Ireland Neutral? (Gill Books), diving into a urgent and provocative topic, while All on the Line by Padraic Maher (Hachette) examines the commitment and passion needed to be at the top of your hurling game.
Timothy Murtagh’s Spectral Mansions (Four Courts Press Ltd) chronicles the decline of Dublin the 1800s into a city renowned for its deprivation and vast slums and tenements.
How did a location like Henrietta Street go from a street of mansions to one of tenements?And what was life like for those who lived within the walls of these houses? Peig MacManus’ memoir I Will Be Good: A Memoir of a Dublin Childhood and a Life Less Ordinary (Hachette Books) gives us insight into 1940s Dublin through the eyes of a young girl learning about class distinction, chastity and shame and social prejudice.
Poetry
Banshee Press has a new book of poetry out by Dylan Brennan called Let The Dead, that looks into the darkness, meditating on love, miscarriage, childbirth and the daily miracle of family life. Flirting with Tigers by Amy Abdullah Barry (Dedalus Press) sees a lighted-footed exploration of wonder and appreciation for travel and the world around us.
The Memoir of Mona Lisa: And Other Poems by Su Smallen Love (Salmon Poetry) is described as a ‘terrifying but also exhilarating’ memoir about escaping ‘fate’s tight bounds’.
Children’s books
The children’s book section is bursting with gorgeous new titles this month, with two offerings from Little Island, beloved author Eoin Colfer’s and Celia Ivey’s Little Big Sister, which is about a girl growing up with dwarfism, and The Girl who Fell to Earth from Ireland’s Laureate na nÓg, Patricia Forde.
Girls Play Too (Merrion Press) from Jacqui Hurley’s series is the perfect inspiring read for young sports stars while the highly anticipated Welcome to Dead Town Raven McKay by Eibhlis Carcione (Everything with Words) is also released this month.
Another book fans have been dying to get their hands on is the new Adiba Jaigirdar The Dos and Donuts of Love (Hodder Children’s Books), the perfect queer YA story for summer.
Finally, No Alibis Press has released the heart-warming The Book Who Wanted to Be Loved with John Bittles, which is a celebration of the magic of bookshops, stories and books.
Check out the full selection of books coming out this month in First Flush.
