The bookshops might be closed but many of them are trading online now, and have developed subscription services and all types of gift services to get you through lockdown. This year, more than any other, we need to keep our online business in Ireland, so please shop at home – there are lots of lists of companies who offer online services, but if you want something particular it only takes an extra minute to Google it and see if there’s an Irish supplier. Keeping our business at home will keep us all afloat!
This week our featured book is a beautiful gift book that is ideal for anyone interested in this country, and comes from an Irish publisher, pick it up at an Irish bookstore or direct from Merrion Press and it will be a win win! Old Ireland in Colour has also been shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards – if you’re stuck for ideas you can see the shortlists here – and don’t forget to read the shortlisted short stories and vote for them!
Old Ireland in Colour brings to life the rich history of Ireland and the Irish through the colour restoration of stunning images from all walks of Irish life throughout nineteenth and twentieth century. From the chaos of the Civil War to the simple beauty of the islands; from legendary revolutionaries to modest fisherfolk, every image has been exquisitely transformed and every page bursting with life. Using a combination of cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology and his own historical research, John Breslin has meticulously colourised these pictures with breath-taking attention to detail and authenticity. With over 250 photographs from all four provinces, and accompanied by fascinating captions by historian Sarah-Anne Buckley, Old Ireland in Colour breathes new life into the scenes we thought we knew, and brings our ancestors back to life before our eyes. It’s just gorgeous!
This week’s top 20 looks like this:
Data Supplied by Nielsen BookScan taken from the Irish Consumer Market week ending 24th October 2020
| Title | Author | Imprint | Sales | |
| 1 | Home Stretch:THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER & SHORTLISTED FOR AN POST IRI | Norton, Graham | Coronet Books | 4,170 |
| 2 | Champagne Football:John Delaney and the Betrayal of Irish Football: Th | Tighe, Mark & Rowan, Paul | Penguin Ireland | 2,819 |
| 3 | Old Ireland in Colour | John Breslin & Buckley, Sarah-Anne | Merrion Press | 2,769 |
| 4 | Guinness World Records 2021 | Guinness World Records | Guinness World Records | 2,598 |
| 5 | Beyond the Tape:The Life and Many Deaths of a State Pathologist | Cassidy, Marie | Hachette Books Ireland | 2,208 |
| 6 | Thursday Murder Club,The:The Record-Breaking Sunday Times Number One B | Osman, Richard | Viking | 2,019 |
| 7 | Love | Doyle, Roddy | Jonathan Cape | 1,852 |
| 8 | Snow | Banville, John | Faber & Faber | 1,782 |
| 9 | Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse,The | Mackesy, Charlie | Ebury Press | 1,725 |
| 10 | My Life in Red and White:My Autobiography | Wenger, Arsene | Weidenfeld & Nicolson | 1,629 |
| 11 | Here’s the Story:A Memoir | McAleese, Mary | Penguin Ireland | 1,513 |
| 12 | Light That Never Goes Out,A:A Memoir | Shanley, Keelin | Gill Books | 1,499 |
| 13 | Break the Mould:How to Take Your Place in the World | Burke, Sinéad | Wren & Rook | 1,413 |
| 14 | Gift,The:12 Lessons to Save Your Life | Eger, Edith | Rider & Co | 1,392 |
| 15 | Neven Maguire’s Midweek Meals:Simple recipes for easy everyday eating | Maguire, Neven | Gill Books | 1,292 |
| 16 | Where the Crawdads Sing | Owens, Delia | Corsair | 1,265 |
| 17 | Braywatch | O’Carroll-Kelly, Ross | Penguin Ireland | 1,091 |
| 18 | After the Silence | O’Neill, Louise | riverrun | 1,082 |
| 19 | Time for Mercy,A:John Grisham’s latest scintillating bestselling court | Grisham, John | Hodder & Stoughton | 1,059 |
| 20 | Monk,The:The Life and Crimes of Ireland’s Most Enigmatic Gang Boss | Williams, Paul | Allen & Unwin | 1,043 |
And the top 10 in each category are:
| Mass Market Fiction | ||||
| Title | Author | Imprint | Sales | |
| 1 | Where the Crawdads Sing | Owens, Delia | Corsair | 1,265 |
| 2 | Family Gift,The:A heartwarming comfort read for Autumn 2020 from the # | Kelly, Cathy | Orion (an Imprint of The Orion | 499 |
| 3 | Guest List,The | Foley, Lucy | HarperCollins Publishers | 470 |
| 4 | Girl, Woman, Other:WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019 | Evaristo, Bernardine | Penguin Books Ltd | 452 |
| 5 | Silent Patient,The:The Richard and Judy bookclub pick and Sunday Times | Michaelides, Alex | Orion (an Imprint of The Orion | 407 |
| 6 | Beekeeper of Aleppo,The:The Sunday Times Bestseller and Richard & Judy | Lefteri, Christy | Manilla Press | 349 |
| 7 | Little Fires Everywhere | Ng, Celeste | Little, Brown Book Group | 336 |
| 8 | Postscript | Ahern, Cecelia | HarperCollins Publishers | 307 |
| 9 | Milkman | Burns, Anna | Faber & Faber | 296 |
| 10 | Walk the Wire:Amos Decker series | Baldacci, David | Pan Books | 282 |
| Original Fiction | ||||
| Title | Author | Imprint | Sales | |
| 1 | Home Stretch:THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER & SHORTLISTED FOR AN POST IRI | Norton, Graham | Coronet Books | 4,170 |
| 2 | Thursday Murder Club,The:The Record-Breaking Sunday Times Number One B | Osman, Richard | Viking | 2,019 |
| 3 | Love | Doyle, Roddy | Jonathan Cape | 1,852 |
| 4 | Snow | Banville, John | Faber & Faber | 1,782 |
| 5 | Braywatch | O’Carroll-Kelly, Ross | Penguin Ireland | 1,091 |
| 6 | After the Silence | O’Neill, Louise | riverrun | 1,082 |
| 7 | Time for Mercy,A:John Grisham’s latest scintillating bestselling court | Grisham, John | Hodder & Stoughton | 1,059 |
| 8 | It’s That Time of Year:A heartwarming festive read from the Number One | Meaney, Roisin | Hachette Books Ireland | 915 |
| 9 | Strange Flowers:The Number One Bestseller | Ryan, Donal | Doubleday Ireland | 844 |
| 10 | Kingdom,The:The new thriller from the no.1 bestselling author of the H | Nesbo, Jo | Harvill Secker | 776 |
| Paperback Non Fiction | ||||
| Index | Title | Author | Imprint | Sales |
| 1 | Champagne Football:John Delaney and the Betrayal of Irish Football: Th | Tighe, Mark & Rowan, Paul | Penguin Ireland | 2,819 |
| 2 | Beyond the Tape:The Life and Many Deaths of a State Pathologist | Cassidy, Marie | Hachette Books Ireland | 2,208 |
| 3 | Monk,The:The Life and Crimes of Ireland’s Most Enigmatic Gang Boss | Williams, Paul | Allen & Unwin | 1,043 |
| 4 | OK, Let’s Do Your Stupid Idea | Freyne, Patrick | Penguin Ireland | 827 |
| 5 | Rory’s Story:My Unexpected Journey to Self Belief | O’Connor, Rory & Crowe, Dermot | Gill Books | 773 |
| 6 | Tell Me the Truth About Loss:A Psychologist’s Personal Story of Loss, | Fitzpatrick, Niamh | Gill Books | 725 |
| 7 | Oh My God, What a Complete Diary 2021 | McLysaght, Emer & Breen, Sarah | Gill Books | 618 |
| 8 | Guarded Life,A:My story of the dark side of An Garda Síochána | Moynihan, Majella | Hachette Books Ireland | 601 |
| 9 | Life on Our Planet,A:My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future | Attenborough, David | Ebury Press | 521 |
| 10 | Witness,The | Tallant, Nicola | Mirror Books | 516 |
| Hardback Non Fiction | ||||
| Index | Title | Author | Imprint | Sales |
| 1 | Old Ireland in Colour | John Breslin & Buckley, Sarah-Anne | Merrion Press | 2,769 |
| 2 | Guinness World Records 2021 | Guinness World Records | Guinness World Records | 2,598 |
| 3 | Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse,The | Mackesy, Charlie | Ebury Press | 1,725 |
| 4 | My Life in Red and White:My Autobiography | Wenger, Arsene | Weidenfeld & Nicolson | 1,629 |
| 5 | Here’s the Story:A Memoir | McAleese, Mary | Penguin Ireland | 1,513 |
| 6 | Light That Never Goes Out,A:A Memoir | Shanley, Keelin | Gill Books | 1,499 |
| 7 | Gift,The:12 Lessons to Save Your Life | Eger, Edith | Rider & Co | 1,392 |
| 8 | Neven Maguire’s Midweek Meals:Simple recipes for easy everyday eating | Maguire, Neven | Gill Books | 1,292 |
| 9 | No Hiding:My Autobiography | Kearney, Rob | Reach Sport | 937 |
| 10 | One for Everyone:More Poems I Love | Watkins, Kathleen | Gill Books | 929 |
| Childrens | ||||
| Index | Title | Author | Imprint | Sales |
| 1 | Break the Mould:How to Take Your Place in the World | Burke, Sinéad | Wren & Rook | 1,413 |
| 2 | Beano Annual:2021 | D.C. Thomson & Co., | 1,030 | |
| 3 | Chill Skill,The | Breslin, Niall | Gill Books | 822 |
| 4 | Dog Man 9: Grime and Punishment:Dog Man | Pilkey, Dav | Scholastic U.S. | 821 |
| 5 | Gordon’s Game: Blue Thunder | Howard, Paul & D’Arcy, Gordon | Penguin Ireland | 693 |
| 6 | Is There Anybody Out There? | O Briain, Dara | Scholastic | 654 |
| 7 | Great Irish Farm Book,The | McCullough, Darragh | Gill Books | 594 |
| 8 | Dandy Annual,The:2021 | D.C. Thomson & Co., | 583 | |
| 9 | World’s Worst Parents,The | Walliams, David | HarperCollins | 546 |
| 10 | Slime | Walliams, David | HarperCollins | 440 |
