These are my pick of the five best books of the year.
The Green Road – Anne Enright

Tender – Belinda McKeon

Spill Simmer Falter Wither – Sara Baume

Career of Evil – Robert Galbraith

The Long Gaze Back: An Anthology of Irish Women Writers – Edited by Sinéad Gleeson

YA editor at Penguin Ireland, Claire Hennessy, shared her thoughts:
@Marese_UTV Tender (@belindamckeon) & Weightless (@sarahkeegs) are my adult-y picks for 2015.
— Claire Hennessy (@clairehennessy) December 18, 2015
Owner of Dublin’s The Gutter Bookshop, Bob Johnston, added:
@Marese_UTV My faves this yr: ‘All The Light We Cannot See’ Doerr, ‘A Little Life’ Yanigahara, ‘Beatlebone’ Barry, ‘Spill Simmer’ Baume!
— Gutter Bookshop (@gutterbookshop) December 18, 2015
Also, here are interesting bookish links to explore:
- The Guardian has done a book quiz for 2015
- Over on The Telegraph – ‘How to be a thriller writer: Lee Child’s secrets‘
- On writing.ie, Robert McKee on telling a great story – ‘Inside Story: McKee’s Masterclass‘
- The Irish Times on writer Danielle McLaughlin: “Back at her desk, she often writes upwards of 50 drafts of a story.”
- Author Jen Campbell did a vlog about writing 100 poems in 48 hours:
And if you’re a book nerd looking for a good read over the holidays, I’m currently devouring London: A Literary Anthology, published by the British Library. It features pieces from the 15th century to the modern day, including authors Rudyard Kipling, Charles Dickens, William Wordsworth, Zadie Smith and Angela Carter.

What was the book you enjoyed most in 2015? Let me know in the comments!
Featured image by Stewart Butterfield.