Rick O’Shea: My favourite books of 2024 so far... and one hasn’t even hit the shelves

From a tale of a Dubliner who leaves her suburban family for a new life across the Irish Sea to a novel that explores the awkwardness of desire on a small island, readers have been spoilt for choice this year

Clockwise from top left: Sinéad Gleeson, Elisa Shua Dusapin, Cathy Sweeney, Colin Barrett, Jan Carson and Ferdia Lennon

Rick O'Shea

One of the ironies of writing a weekly column about books is that you then have less time to read books because you’re writing columns about reading books.

However, one of the genuine joys of that situation is that I get to read books ahead of everyone else and then point out the ones I love and tell you how great they are.