At this time of year the bestseller lists get a little confusing because they are based on sales a week in arrears, but there’s a clear number one this week, and it’s a true salve in uncertain times. We suspect that many of you will have found Always Remember:The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm by Charlie Mackesy under the tree :)
Charlie Mackesy’s first book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse became a huge bestseller in 2019 and was animated using his gorgeous illustrations. It was shortlisted for the 2020 British Book Awards Non-Fiction Lifestyle Book of the Year is the 2019 Barnes & Noble Book of the Year and won the 2019 Waterstones Book of the Year.
Always Remember:The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm revisits the much-loved characters who brought us friendship and wisdom and is also number one in the UK where in this sales week, it’s estimated that one copy has sold every fourteen seconds!
Here are the details of the top 20 bestselling books in Ireland from data supplied by Nielsen BookScan taken from the Irish Consumer Market week ending 20th December 2025 (slide across to see the unit sales)
| Rank | Title | Author | Imprint | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm | Mackesy, Charlie | Ebury Press | 4,999 |
| 2 | Guinness World Records 2026 | Guinness World Records | 4,687 | |
| 3 | Dodger, The: DJ Carey and the Great Betrayal | Bhraonáin, Eimear Ní | Merrion Press | 4,138 |
| 4 | Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun) | Magan, Manchán | Gill Books | 4,038 |
| 5 | Only Way I Know, The: The Autobiography | Farrell, Andy | Sandycove | 3,845 |
| 6 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Partypooper | Kinney, Jeff | Puffin | 3,734 |
| 7 | Ghosts of Rome, The: Rome Escape Line | O’Connor, Joseph | Vintage | 3,141 |
| 8 | Dog Man 14: Big Jim Believes | Pilkey, Dav | Scholastic | 2,846 |
| 9 | Dynasty: Scandals, Triumph, Turmoil and Succession at the Heart of Dunnes Stores | Cooper, Matt | Eriu | 2,821 |
| 10 | An Irish Word a Day: 365 Ways to Speak Irish Every Day | Ó hEochagáin, Hector | Gill Books | 2,640 |
| 11 | Heart on My Sleeve: My Story of Struggle and Strength | Porter, Andrew | Eriu | 2,604 |
| 12 | Exit Strategy: Jack Reacher | Child, Lee & Child, Andrew | Bantam Books | 2,588 |
| 13 | Deadly Evidence | Cassidy, Marie | Hachette Books Ireland | 2,519 |
| 14 | Miriam: Life, Work, Everything | O’Callaghan, Miriam | Sandycove | 2,449 |
| 15 | The Housemaid | McFadden, Freida | Little, Brown | 2,381 |
| 16 | The Impossible Fortune: The Thursday Murder Club | Osman, Richard | Viking | 2,239 |
| 17 | Midwinter: A Journey Through a Season | Harding, Michael | Hachette Books Ireland | 2,199 |
| 18 | Nesting | O’Donnell, Roisin | Scribner UK | 2,050 |
| 19 | The Widow | Grisham, John | Hodder & Stoughton | 2,048 |
| 20 | Sunday Miscellany: A Selection 2023–2025 | New Island Books | 2,047 |
And the top ten bestselling books in each category look like this:
Mass Market Fiction
| # | Title | Author | Imprint | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghosts Of Rome, The: Rome Escape Line | O’Connor, Joseph | Vintage | 3,141 |
| 2 | Housemaid, The | McFadden, Freida | Little, Brown | 2,381 |
| 3 | Nesting | O’Donnell, Roisin | Scribner UK | 2,050 |
| 4 | Hamnet | O’Farrell, Maggie | Tinder Press | 1,472 |
| 5 | My Father’s House | O’Connor, Joseph | Vintage | 948 |
| 6 | Binding 13 | Walsh, Chloe | Piatkus Books | 879 |
| 7 | All Her Fault | Mara, Andrea | Penguin (Transworld) | 711 |
| 8 | Housemaid’s Secret, The | McFadden, Freida | Little, Brown | 705 |
| 9 | Wedding People, The | Espach, Alison | Phoenix | 647 |
| 10 | Every Christmas Eve | Heatherington, Emma | Penguin (Cornerstone) | 607 |
Original Fiction
| # | Title | Author | Imprint | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exit Strategy: Jack Reacher | Child, Lee & Child, Andrew | Bantam Books | 2,588 |
| 2 | Deadly Evidence | Cassidy, Marie | Hachette Books Ireland | 2,519 |
| 3 | Impossible Fortune, The | Osman, Richard | Viking | 2,239 |
| 4 | Widow, The | Grisham, John | Hodder & Stoughton | 2,048 |
| 5 | Secret of Secrets, The | Brown, Dan | Bantam | 1,471 |
| 6 | Flesh | Szalay, David | Jonathan Cape | 1,165 |
| 7 | Nash Falls | Baldacci, David | Macmillan | 1,091 |
| 8 | Proving Ground, The | Connelly, Michael | Orion | 1,090 |
| 9 | Paper Heart | Ahern, Cecelia | HarperCollins | 1,018 |
| 10 | Long Winter, A | Tóibín, Colm | Picador | 1,006 |
Paperback Non Fiction
| # | Title | Author | Imprint | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dodger, The | Bhraonáin, Eimear Ní | Merrion Press | 4,138 |
| 2 | Sunday Miscellany: A Selection 2023–2025 | New Island Books | 2,047 | |
| 3 | Waterford Whispers News 2025 | Williamson, Colm | Gill Books | 1,460 |
| 4 | Crooks 2 | Williams, Paul | Atlantic Books | 1,422 |
| 5 | Poor | O’Sullivan, Katriona | Penguin Books Ltd | 1,098 |
| 6 | Sophie’s Swaps | Morris, Sophie | Gill Life | 1,327 |
| 7 | Eddie Jordan: Full Throttle | O’Loughlin, Keith | Quercus Publishing | 1,038 |
| 8 | Old Parish | Murphy, Ciarán | Sandycove | 1,036 |
| 9 | For and Against a United Ireland | O’Toole, Fintan & McBride, Sam | Royal Irish Academy | 811 |
| 10 | Rory Land | Gay, Timothy M. | Post Hill Press | 733 |
Hardback Non Fiction
| # | Title | Author | Imprint | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Always Remember | Mackesy, Charlie | Ebury Press | 4,999 |
| 2 | Guinness World Records 2026 | Guinness World Records | 4,687 | |
| 3 | Ninety-Nine Words for Rain | Magan, Manchán | Gill Books | 4,038 |
| 4 | The Only Way I Know | Farrell, Andy | Sandycove | 3,845 |
| 5 | Dynasty | Cooper, Matt | Eriu | 2,821 |
| 6 | Irish Word a Day | Ó hEochagáin, Hector | Gill Books | 2,640 |
| 7 | Heart on My Sleeve | Porter, Andrew | Eriu | 2,604 |
| 8 | Miriam: Life, Work, Everything | O’Callaghan, Miriam | Sandycove | 2,449 |
| 9 | Midwinter | Harding, Michael | Hachette Books Ireland | 2,199 |
| 10 | Gobshite Guidebook, The | Regan, Jarlath | Gill Books | 1,969 |
Children’s
| # | Title | Author | Imprint | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Partypooper | Kinney, Jeff | Puffin | 3,734 |
| 2 | Dog Man 14 | Pilkey, Dav | Scholastic | 2,846 |
| 3 | Santa & Son | Walliams, David | HarperCollins | 1,806 |
| 4 | Liverpool FC Official Annual 2026 | Liverpool FC | Grange Communications | 1,340 |
| 5 | Bunny vs Monkey | Smart, Jamie | DFB Phoenix | 1,316 |
| 6 | Beano Annual 2026 | D.C. Thomson & Co. | 1,308 | |
| 7 | Disaster Dad | O’Callaghan, Donncha & Owen, Karen | Eriu | 1,091 |
| 8 | Weird but True! 2026 | Collins | 994 | |
| 9 | Run Home, Little Fox | McCaughren, Tom & McGann, Erika | O’Brien Press Ltd | 917 |
| 10 | Animalopedia | Burke, John & Burke, Kathi | Gill Childrens | 911 |
Wishing you all a peaceful, productive and prosperous New Year
The Writing.ie Team
