First Flush is Books Ireland’s comprehensive data-base of new books each month
by Fiona Murphy
This summer has been a bumper harvest for amazing Irish books, but this August’s First Flush is definitely a stand out month for incredible reads from Irish writers and publishers.
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
Starting off with the fiction section, August is coming in hot (despite the current weather!) with titles from two major modern Irish writers, So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber) and The Wren, The Wren from Anne Enright (Jonathan Cape).
Following on from the success of Booker Prize finalist’s Small Things Like These, Keegan’s latest release, written with her signature loaded language and succinct but impactful detail, explores gender dynamics and what could have been, across three short stories. Meanwhile The Wren, The Wren puts daughterhood and motherhood under a microscope with Enright’s usual insightful and empathetic touch.
Two long-awaited releases are coming out this month, with Catherine Ryan Howard’s highly anticipated The Trap (Bantam – Transworld) out August 3rd and the final instalment in the iconic Aisling series, Aisling Ever After, by duo Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen (Gill Books) sees Aisling with a final big decision to make.
Speaking of new instalments, the latest Ross O’Carroll-Kelly is making its way onto bookshop shelves this month with Camino Royale (Sandycove) sending Ross off on a quest to walk the Camino with the lads…or die trying.
Granta is publishing Though the Bodies Fall by Noel O’Regan, a dark existential read set on a moody cliffside in County Kerry, while Christine Mangan’s equally atmospheric The Continental Affair (Bedford Square Publishers ) takes us on a twist-filled train journey to 1960s Belgrade where a dark past is waiting to catch up with the the couple trapped together in train compartment.
While there’s not many new poetry books out this month, Leontia Flynn’s fifth collection, Taking Liberties (Jonathan Cape) makes up for the lack by packing a punch with its themes of political upheaval, anxiety, violence and death, offset by dark humour, avenues of escape and finding refuge in small but significant life moments.
Non-fiction
Meanwhile in the non-fiction department, Cecily Gilligan looks to Irish healing traditions, both mystical and practical, transcribing the rich oral traditions into a what is sure to be a captivating read from Merrion Press, The Cures of Ireland: A Treasury of Irish Folk Remedies. Also from Merrion, comes The Padre, an exposing read from award-winning journalist Jennifer O’Leary, who highlights the paramilitary exploits of the notorious former Irish priest and his involvement with the IRA.
Two of our non-fiction reads dive into different aspects of Irish history, with Portmagee: the origins of an Atlantic smuggling village from Denis Casey (Four Courts Press) examining everything from Christianisation, Norman conquests and Irish–European smuggling and how history narratives are not always a black and white as they seem.
Meanwhile, Kieran McCarthy lists for readers The A-Z of Curious County Cork: Strange Stories of Mysteries, Crimes and Eccentrics with The History Press, exploring all things weird and wonderful in the rebel county. Shane O’Mara’s August release with The Bodley Head interrogates our role as social creatures in Talking Heads: The New Science of How Conversation Shapes Our Worlds and Domini Kemp and Patricia Daly open up their keto kitchens to all foodies with their release, The Ketogenic Kitchen: Low Carb. High Fat. Extraordinary Health (Gill).
Children’s books
Also from Gill, but this time from their children’s department, we have Show Me the Science: Life’s Biggest Questions and How Science Answers Them from science star, Luke O’Neill, breaking down complex questions into understandable and entertaining answers.
Another imaginative and interesting take on understanding the world around us comes from Jackie McCann and Aaron Cushley in If Our World Were 100 Days (Red Shed) and iconic Dublin characters, Molly Malone and Bram Stoker come to life to team up to solve a mystery in Double Trouble at the Dead Zoo: Molly Malone & Bram Stoker by Alan Nolan (O’Brien Press Ltd).
We’re so excited for teen read, Grapefruit Moon from Shirley-Anne McMillan and Little Island, which sees two unlikely friends taking on the social constraints that stop them from being who they truly are, while Helena Duggan’s The Light Thieves: Search for the Black Mirror (Usborne Publishing) puts kids centre-stage in saving the world from the evil light thieves – but can they find the black mirror to restore the light before time runs out?
