{"id":62667,"date":"2025-04-30T10:22:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T10:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/62667\/"},"modified":"2025-04-30T10:22:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T10:22:11","slug":"5-new-books-to-read-this-week-the-irish-news-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/62667\/","title":{"rendered":"5 new books to read this week \u2013 The Irish News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Helen Oyeyemi is back with what our reviewer reckons is her best book yet, and The Flatshare author Beth O\u2019Leary brings us another addictive romance\u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\"><b>Swept Away by Beth O\u2019Leary is published by Quercus in hardback, priced \u00a318.99 (ebook \u00a38.99). Available now<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">After The Flatshare was recently adapted for TV, starring Jessica Brown-Findlay and Anthony Welsh, Swept Away will have more eyes on it than Beth O\u2019Leary\u2019s previous five books. In her customary style that involves both sides of a burgeoning romance, this story sees Zeke and Lexi who meet and are more than up for a one-night stand. The pair go back to a houseboat but in the morning are faced with a huge issue: the houseboat has broken free of its mooring and is now bobbing along in the open sea. I was transfixed by the tale of two strangers trapped in a very small space while facing certain danger and praying for help to rescue them, all the while learning about themselves and each other. A great romance for holiday reading, as long as you\u2019re not on a boat\u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">9\/10<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishnews.com\/life\/cork-ornithologist-recording-every-irish-bird-to-help-save-nature-UQKCCPI72ZG6DISDLJ4IBBJBCY\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"Ireland&#x2019;s answer to David Attenborough recording the songs of every Irish bird - before it&#x2019;s too late\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HT2BJCWTBBEHNCXCJEPMUD4G5Y.jpg\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"\/><\/a><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishnews.com\/life\/how-to-avoid-conflicts-and-meltdowns-by-bringing-children-up-the-danish-way-V4IK4IFSNFIOBNDRX7NMCF6FFY\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"How to avoid conflicts and meltdowns by bringing children up the Danish way\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/P2QRLIWMGJKPXFBMQWO4UD6BTU.jpg\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Review by Rachel Howdle<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\"><b>A New New Me by Helen Oyeyemi published in hardback by Faber &amp; Faber, priced \u00a316.99 (\u00a311.99). Available May 6<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" alt=\"\" class=\"c-image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IOMSGKR6L5I3LGGBDYBDWJ2XGU.jpg\"  width=\"800\" height=\"1280\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Helen Oyeyemi is one of the most imaginative writers around, and her latest \u2013 A New New Me \u2013 might be her best yet. Each chapter is dedicated to a different day of the week, narrated by the different personalities of Kinga. Each is in control of their own day and recounts, diary-style, what happened to them over their 24 hours. Kinga\u2019s seven personalities each have a completely different tone of voice and energy, but all are united by the fact they live in the same body and are faced with a new challenge this week, as a strange man is found tied up in their apartment. There\u2019s an added layer of mystery as the book gathers pace, as it seems like Sunday\u2019s Kinga might be doing something a bit dodgy, which could ruin the fine equilibrium between the seven personalities. It\u2019s fast-paced, funny, a bit dark and totally unique. While the end feels a bit rushed and not quite the satisfactory conclusion you might have hoped for, it\u2019s absolutely worth the ride.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">8\/10<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Review by Prudence Wade<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\"><b>Fish Tales by Nettie Jones is published in hardback by Virago, priced \u00a316.99 (ebook \u00a316.99). Available now<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"525\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83e\udea9Read an extract of Fish Tales by Nettie Jones\ud83e\udea9<\/p>\n<p>A kaleidoscopic swirl of sex and exploitation, selfhood and self-destruction, this is a dazzling lost classic.<\/p>\n<p>Read the first chapter now: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9rypbH1jgr\">https:\/\/t.co\/9rypbH1jgr<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PLTyoa7qXX\">pic.twitter.com\/PLTyoa7qXX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Virago Press (@ViragoBooks) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ViragoBooks\/status\/1908100195063108030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">April 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">A passionately written, sexually charged and bold novel, which keeps you guessing with every page. Fish Tales follows \u201cparty girl\u201d Lewis Jones and her wild pursuit of freedom in 1970s New York and Detroit. Kept in cash by her husband Woody, and tripping about town with her friend Kitty Kat, a hustler, who can always wrangle them into places, Lewis thrusts herself into a world of sex, partying and baths topped up with champagne. Then she meets Brook, who, both alluring and cruel, upends her world. The narrative is confusing at times, but perhaps this is representative of the chaotic and self-destructive nature of Lewis\u2019 life and actions. Nettie Jones explores passion, pleasure, money and drugs, in a smart and different way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">6.5\/10<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Review by Eleanor Fleming<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\"><b>A Wilder Way: How Gardens Grow Us by Poppy Okotcha is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing, priced \u00a318.99 (ebook \u00a39.04). Available now<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">You may have spotted former model Poppy Okotcha on Gardeners\u2019 World a few years ago, tending the plants on the roof of her London canal boat. Since then, the former model-turned ecological grower has moved to Devon. A Wilder Way, her first book, is a memoir that captures her new garden, a long thin strip of land that was once part of a mediaeval \u2018burgage plot\u2019. She hooks out memories, like the rosehips she and her siblings would secretly snaffle from a neighbour\u2019s front garden, and the power of sowing broad beans while grieving, and then shares them alongside practical tips, like how to build a compost bin and plant bare root perennials. There are recipes too, for things like elderflower vinegar and lemon verbena syrup. It could all seem a bit twee, but throughout Okotcha is incredibly punchy on the problems facing growers and eaters \u2013 climate change, pesticides, monocultures, sending food waste to landfill. It\u2019s terrifying stuff, but her tone, while firm, doesn\u2019t make you feel overwhelmed by the scale of the issues, and so, gives hope that we can all change our approach to living with and supporting nature.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">8\/10<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Review by Ella Walker<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\"><b>The Doughnut Club by Kristina Rahim is published in paperback by Nosy Crow, priced \u00a37.99 (ebook \u00a37.59). Available May 8<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Thanks to the wonders of science, more and more people are able to grow their families via egg and sperm donors. But being donor-conceived can be a tricky thing to explain. Which is where The Doughnut Club comes in, written because Kristina Rahim\u2019s daughter faced just that situation, when a friend thought she had a \u2018doughnut\u2019 rather than a \u2018donor\u2019. Quinn isn\u2019t like her go get \u2018em, super active, sociable parents and brother, Olly, so when her mums reveal she and Olly have 16 half siblings \u2013 or diblings \u2013 she hopes at least one will enjoy drawing instead of surfing, like her. Then she discovers one of them is on holiday in Devon too. An incredibly easy and inclusive read that will make donor-conceived children feel seen and heard, it rattles along with plenty of family drama, secrets and holiday frenemies, as well as friendships that spark up across the generations. Quinn is a little frustrating at times, but she\u2019s a gentle reminder of how important it is to be honest, kind and make an effort with others. Relative or not.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">7\/10<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Review by Ella Walker<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">CHARTS<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING APRIL 25<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">HARDBACK (FICTION)<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">1. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">2. The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">3. Spellbound by Georgia Leighton<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">4. Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">5. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">6. Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">7. Strangers in Time by David Baldacci<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">8. Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">9. The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">10. The Expanded Earth by Mikey Please<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">(Compiled by Waterstones)<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">2. Victory \u201945: The End of the War in Eight Surrenders by James Holland and Al Murray<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">3. We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza\u2019s Youth by Ahmed Alnaouq and Pam Bailey<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">4. Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference by Rutger Bregman<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">5. HOPE: The Autobiography by Pope Francis<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">6. On Democracies and Death Cults by Douglas Murray<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">7. Easy Air Fryer by Jamie Olive<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">8. The Art and Making of Arcane by Elisabeth Vincentelli<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">9. John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">10. Spring: The uplifting memoir of springtime joy by Michael Morpurgo<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">(Compiled by Waterstones)<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NONFICTION)<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">2. Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">3. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">4. On Democracies and Death Cults by Douglas Murray<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">5. Atomic Habits by James Clear<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">6. Harry Potter and the Philosopher\u2019s Stone, Book 1 by J.K. Rowling<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">7. Conclave by Robert Harris<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">8. The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">9. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">10. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">(Compiled by Audible)<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Helen Oyeyemi is back with what our reviewer reckons is her best book yet, and The Flatshare author&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62668,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3938],"tags":[2420,6342,3444,32357,2311,77,32358,4072,13538,5905,5778,32359,22064,224,11498,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-62667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-parenting","9":"tag-book","10":"tag-books","11":"tag-childrens-literature","12":"tag-climate-change","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-family-dynamics","15":"tag-fiction","16":"tag-gardening","17":"tag-identity","18":"tag-literature","19":"tag-memoirs","20":"tag-non-fiction","21":"tag-relationships","22":"tag-romance","23":"tag-uk","24":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114426422530197589","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}