The readers have spoken: Ireland votes for favourite book of 2017
We're a nation of bookworms, so it's no surprise the Irish public wasted no time having their say in an online poll held by Eason, Ireland’s leading retailer of books.
After asking the public to choose their favourite book of 2017, the results are now in, and we can reveal that Blindboy Boatclub’s The Gospel According to Blindboy was the winner!
Blindboy Boatclub, one half of Limerick comedy duo the Rubberbandits, debuted his collection of surreal and genre-defying short stories last year which explore the myths, complacencies and contradictions at the heart of modern Ireland, and it's fair to say readers were more than impressed.
Voted number one by over 4,000 Eason customers, Blindboy was closely followed by The Pursuit of Perfection by Donal McAnallen while OMG What a Complete Aisling by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen came in third.
Eason is a proud supporter of Irish talent and there is always a huge appetite among readers for Irish writing. 2017 proved just that with Irish authors securing 7 out of 10 spots in the online poll:
Take a look at these:
1. The Gospel According to Blindboy by Blindboy Boatclub
2. The Pursuit of Perfection by Donal McAnallen
3. OMG What a Complete Aisling by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen
4. Force for Justice: The Maurice McCabe Story by Michael Clifford
5. This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
6. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
7. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
8. The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
9. The Choice by Philly McMahon
10.The Street Where You Live by Roisin Meaney
Speaking about the results, Alan Johnston, Business Development Manager for Adult Books, said; “2017 has been a stand-out year for reading."
"We’ve been so fortunate to be kept entertained throughout the year with brilliant new books from both home-grown and international writers."
"The Top 10 Favourite Reads are a diverse and eclectic range of books, and the fact that seven of them have been written by Irish authors is testament to the diverse range of literary talent we have here in Ireland.”