The Book Corner: treat yourself to a good read

Top recommendation

Attention by Anne Enright.

Published by Jonathan Cape, €25

This gem of a book is one that readers will come back to repeatedly. The Man Booker prize winner Anne Enright offers us a collection of her work spanning three decades, and covers so many themes that it would be impossible to expand on them here. Her own family history, art and cultural criticism, and the world in general provide her with rich material. As an avid reader too, she offers new perspectives on some literary greats. This is Enright at the height of her powers.

For music lovers

Wings by Paul McCartney.

Published by Allen Lane, €35

“We’re all just human beings, wanting love. And I always hoped that Wings would reflect that kind of love. I was very proud that it did.” These words from Paul McCartney sum up a band that, post-Beatles, would also have a profound effect on people. It is not too much to say that they went on to provide a soundtrack to the 1970s. Here is a band that sold 22 million albums. Mind-blowing. While Mull of Kintyre was their biggest hit, give me Band on the Run every day.

A photographic gem

Utterly Lazy and Inattentive by Martin Parr and Wendy Jones. Published by Particular Books, €30

Martin Parr is one of the world’s best-known and celebrated photographers. On 1 April 1999, his show Common Sense was shown simultaneously at 41 galleries around the world. Accompanied by words from Wendy Jones, the beautiful volume has more than 150 of Parr’s most-loved images, and covers the entire expanse of his life’s work. Jones captures the photographer’s approach to work, and reveals his particular passions. Here is a view of the world though a different lens, and a work of art.

An Irish icon

Miriam: Life, Work, Everything by Miriam O’Callaghan. Published by Sandycove, €26

Miriam O’Callaghan needs no introduction, but it is hard to believe that she has been a prominent figure in broadcasting and current affairs for more than four decades. Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of Prime Time. Through her work and relationships, she has been at the centre of many special moments, and has combined her professional life with being mother to eight children from her two marriages. From happiness, loss, and controversy, she deals with them all with honesty.

Literary legend

The Land of Sweet Forever by Harper Lee. Published by Hutchinson Heinemann, €24

Harper Lee was born almost a century ago, 1926, in Alabama and is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of one of the greatest works of literature, To Kill a Mockingbird. Incredibly, this was one of just two novels she published. Now, nine years after her death, some newly discovered short stories, along with essays and magazine pieces, are collected in one volume, and offer a new perspective on her remarkable literary mind. Friend of Truman Capote, Lee’s work is exquisite.

Gripping debut

The Lies Between Us by Jen Bray. Published by

Sandycove, €16

This is a case of getting ahead of the posse, and with some being swamped with gifts at Christmas time, why not pre-order this book for a loved one. It will be published in February – a nice time to get the gift of a book. The political editor at The Sunday Times, Jen Bray had written a thriller about three warring sisters, one of whom, a vain famous novelist, disappears. That same night a woman is violently murdered nearby, whose name is a character in the author’s latest work. Gripping.

Suspenseful thriller

Gone Before Goodbye by Reese

Witherspoon and Harlan Coben. Published by Century, €25/€17

Is there anything that Reese Witherspoon cannot turn her hand to? A best-selling author, she has paired up with one of the best storytellers, Harlan Coben, to write a thriller – with a twist. Living life on the edge as an army combat surgeon, Maggie McCabe is offered a new life, one that thrusts her into a very different world, that of power, opulence and absolute discretion. When a patient she operates on suddenly disappears, she must become a fugitive. This is a page-turner that will please.

Jack Reacher fans

Exit Strategy by Lee Child and Andrew Child. Published by Bantam, €25/€17

A final thriller, to warm those cold winter nights, is the 30th Jack Reacher novel. Fans of the fictitious character, one of the most iconic in modern fiction, will need no prompting to buy the latest novel, while anyone who has not read one will make a good start. This is certainly the best Reacher novel since Andrew joined forces with his brother Lee Child. The story starts in a Baltimore coffee shop, one of three stops Jack will make that day, but what follows is a story of surprises. This is a page-turner to enjoy by the fire.