Amanda Dunne

Thank you for the really lovely words, Trish - I’ve loved being a children’s bookseller so this is a most likely a hiatus, recommending books is a compulsion! For now it’s back to chapter 1, the thesis is stubbornly refusing to write itself!

You won’t regret it, it is wisdom and profundity wrapped in humour and humanity.

I have to jump in here and say Nation should be read by absolutely everyone. One of his best.

Children’s books always count! There’s a bit of a road trip in The Bookshop on the Quay as well.

Classics for a reason! He had a gift for writing suspense.

I remember being completely invested in the Doves making it to their Granny’s house, such an engrossing novel!

I think it possibly depends on what you consider a road trip book but I’d suggest Walter Macken’s Flight of the Doves? Boat, train, bus and a lot of tense moments!

Thy will be done. Comprehensively. 🏆

Hi Helen, lovely to ‘see’ you here!

Angela Barrett also created intricate and beautiful illustrations for The Hidden House by Martin Waddell which added hugely to the poignant and slightly melancholy tone of the book. It’s a stunning collaboration.

🎉 I can’t wait to read it (as long as I’m not alone in the house 😱) - exciting news!

I’ll pop that in my calendar - quite a few of my regulars are fans of a fictional festive homicide (as am I!) and you never fail to deliver a twisty thriller!

Excellent points! Some truly awful cover choices come to mind - one recent one which would totally put a whole segment of readers off, doing the book no justice at all.

Why thank you! It helps that yours are so easy to sell!

Great points, Sinéad! I’d just like to piggyback on the marketing point - if you don’t send reading copies to indies, we can’t read the book! We work hard for books we love and books we know our customers will love - we *will* help books find their readers.

So much! It’s my first time to encounter ‘borked’ in a novel which is so spot-on for anyone who knows nerdy kids! I also felt very seen - I have a blazer that whenever child the 1st saw me wear it, he’d nod and say ‘someone’s about to regret seeing you today!’

Correction to the above, Conn of the Dead is in fact published by Gill Books, another super Irish publisher!

I’m mortified! My apologies Little Island (and #gillbooks!) I’m getting carried away with the fabulousness of new Irish releases! I don’t have an image of The Brightest Star but I can say that it is a gorgeous new verse novel (and sequel to The Deepest Breath) from @littleislandbooks.bsky.social.

New from @theobrienpress.bsky.social by #paddydonnelly - so good it cheered up a teenager facing state exams! It’s a celebration of creativity and kindness, packed with visual jokes. You don’t have to be Irish or a badger to enjoy it!

New from @littleislandbooks.bsky.social by @daveruddenwrites.bsky.social - a bit scary, a lot funny, handy phonetic hints for pronouncing the undead evil’s name - worth the effort for the thrills! You don’t have to be Irish (or even know an Irish person although we’re EVERYWHERE!) to enjoy it!

There are a gazillion people of Irish descent in the UK, offer Irish published children’s books in the UK market? While I love selling them to visiting cousins etc, more revenue to our indigenous publishers like @theobrienpress.bsky.social, @littleislandbooks.bsky.social means more brilliant books!

A really basic thing - if you want to make children’s books more accessible, no hardbacks. There are brilliant books I would love to sell to the right reader but they can’t afford £14.99 or £16.99 (in euro prices that’s 😱). It discriminates against lower income readers who want to own a book.

What a gorgeous gesture - sharing the joy! Congratulations, Helen, such a deserving winner!

I’d like to congratulate all the shortlisted individual booksellers on their well-deserved recognition - have a wonderful evening! I was thrilled to bring home the #nibbie to our book-licking dog, Otto, last year - he hopes the 2025 trophy gets similar amounts of love! #britishbookawards

17 years is a fantastic achievement- well done Louisa and Team Raven! 🎉

I really enjoyed Nothing to See Here - I’ll join you in a bit of an old pray!

The exploration of multiple experiences is exactly why that range of representation is so important. As Louie says, it’s improved but not enough, and in an Irish context, it’s emerging but encouraging!

I’ve sold Catfish Rolling by @clarakiyoko.bsky.social to a late teen student of theoretical physics - gorgeous writing with an intriguing consideration of the nature of time in the mix. My sons swap recommendations with friends, leading to book chats (one is all about manga - comics for the win!).

That’s such a shame! My youngest is part of a readers & writers club where ‘story chains’ are hugely popular - they contribute chunks and crack each other up with where they take the story! The school is also running a student-led ‘One School, One Book’ initiative to get kids reading and talking.

I’m Irish and here, English is a compulsory subject all the way through school. Stem has the benefit of being perceived as a path to employment but my newly-fledged computer engineering son reads for the pleasure that algorithms just can’t provide!