A new month brings new stories, and we’re excited to share our latest recommendations of the books our staff members have loved this month.
Find these must-reads in our shops and online now. Happy browsing!
View all of our Dubray Recommended Books from this year here
Nobody's Empire - Stuart Murdoch
The debut novel from the Belle & Sebastian frontman is a gentle, contemplative coming-of age story about how illness can change your world. Murdoch draws on his own experiences of M.E. (also known as chronic fatigue) to bring his protagonist Stephen to life. Stephen acts as a guide through the world of chronic illness as he adapts to the compulsory slower pace of life it brings while finding comfort in music, spirituality, and the company of others with the condition.
Recommended by Aoife, Dubray Support Office
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil - V.E. Schwab
Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1532. London, 1837. Boston, 2019… Spanning centuries and continents, we follow three women who rose after being planted in the earth. Watch them grow teeth as they navigate life, adapting and evolving. Each one different than the last, but all tied together by the midnight soil. The less you know going into this sapphic vampire tale, full of hunger and yearning, the better. This is V.E Schwab at her best.
Recommended by Áine, Dubray Liffey Valley
My Friends - Fredrik Backman
As an unlikely duo embark on a cross-country journey, Ted recounts the long, hot summer, 25 years previously, that shaped him and his friends into the adults they are destined to become. With twists and turns, their story reverberates years later through a very unique painting. Like his bestseller A Man Called Ove, this tender and heartwarming novel reminds us that it's ok to be the hero of your own story and what you can become when someone believes in you.
Recommended by Una, Dubray Dundrum
Isola - Allegra Goodman
A beautiful, atmospheric novel inspired by the 16-century figure Margueritte De La Rocque De Roberval. A noblewoman born into wealth, she was left into the care of her volatile male guardian Roberval who spends all her wealth and abandons her on a deserted Island. Isola depicts her fight for hope and survival after enduring tragedy and loss. Once I started this book, I was hooked. I was transferred back in time to an age where women didn't have a voice.
Recommended by Sinéad, Dubray Waterford
The Compound - Aisling Rawle
Reality television as you’ve never seen it before. As 20 contestants arrive in an isolated compound deep in the desert, the game begins. Left with nothing but the sweltering sun beating down on them, and the eyes of millions watching their every move. Forced to perform tasks for rewards and luxuries, everything seems simple and even playful … at first. The Compound is a poignant but addicting examination of reality media that had me devouring every single page.
Recommended by Alice, Dubray Blackrock
Oddbody - Rose Keating
This short story collection delves into dark and complicated feelings of what it means to have a body. How a body can be perceived, loved, repulsed or enjoyed, shining a light on women who dare to defy societal norms. Keating weaves the quiet mundane of reality alongside the magical, obscene and horror with master skill to bring you on an emotional journey with each story. This is an exciting collection that showcases a bright new talent in the literary scene.
Recommended by Laura, Dubray Waterford
Dogdunnit - Peter Bentley, Tor Freeman (ills)
Supersized Squirrel: Attack of the Zombears - Luke Seguin-Magee
The Girl with Gills - Becca Rogers
Amelia, If Only - Becky Albertalli
A fun, light-hearted coming-of-age addition to ‘the Imogenverse’ in Albertalli’s signature style - this book has perfect summer vibes, involving a road-trip, a night out on a college campus, and a dramatic grand gesture of love. Amelia, If Only is a celebration of friendship and bisexuality in its most wholesome form.
Reading Age: Teenage / Young Adult
Recommended by Nik, Dubray Liffey Valley