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Andrea Cleary

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Books of the year: the critics’ choice

The task of choosing from the bulging shelves of your favourite bookshop can be daunting, but our reviewers John Walshe, Andrew Lynch and Andrea Cleary are here to help – naming the books that stood out from the crowd in 2022, along with their overall favourite in each category

Andrea Cleary: Space wars – airlines are putting the squeeze on passengers

To recline or not to recline? Yes, there are those who feel entitled to stretch out at the expense of fellow travellers – but in the battle for arm and leg room, the airlines are to blame

Mad Honey: Nuanced novel about a beekeeper and a small-town murder is one of the year’s best

A collaboration between two well-known writers, this is a seamless, beautifully written tale whose characters are the real stars

The Moderator: Immersed in a world of dark, disturbing content for €13 an hour

Chris Gray recounts his time working as a content moderator for Facebook where he says there was inadequate training for policing the internet and workers suffered depression and mental illness

Crazy Dreams: Irish music’s ‘elder statesman’ looks back on a long and fulfilling career

In an extensively detailed memoir, singer Paul Brady reveals his relationship with folk music and the processes that go into his songwriting, including The Island, a song written during the Troubles

A Pocketful of Happiness: Glitzy and emotional memoir from one of showbiz’s most likeable stars

Actor Richard E Grant’s new book combines glamorous celebrity anecdotes with diary entries he made while his wife of 35 years was dying, while his enthusiasm and down-to-earth nature make it a charming, moving read

Andrea Cleary: I can’t help feeling as if I’ve done something wrong when an acne breakout occurs

Research shows adult acne is caused by a hormone imbalance, but because the beauty industry encourages us to obsess about our bodies, our faces and our skin, sufferers are made to feel like an outbreak is somehow their fault

Frantic pacing of Cat Lady enough to send you into a tailspin

Dawn O’Porter is a naturally witty writer but her third novel is a bit clunky and jarring in some of its plot devices

Thunder and Lightning: Bateman’s humorous memoir recalls a happy Bangor childhood

Author Colin Bateman’s charming and funny memoir recalls growing up in Co Down, where daily issues such as avoiding sadistic teachers and finding cash for sweets are much more important than the backdrop of the Troubles

Carrie Soto is Back: Reid is on to a winner with tense tale of a tennis legend

Bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid’s latest novel is a fascinatingly realistic look into the world of elite sports where driven and flawed characters’ private lives are just as intriguing and controversial as they are on the court

The Tattoo Murder: Translation of famous Japanese whodunit leaves its mark

Akimitsu Takagi’s classic Japanese locked-room mystery has been translated into English and the 1940s novel is noteworthy for its extensive and nuanced portrayal of Japanese subcultures

Listen to the Land Speak: History and mythology meet in a remarkable work of research

In his latest book, Manchán Magan argues that while modern historical accounts are ‘a neat and easy way to digest reality’, they don’t tell the whole story

Andrea Cleary: Sepia-toned school memories are far removed from harsh reality

Those of us who have aged out of full-time education might be tempted to romanticise the past. Don’t do it

The Other Guinness Girl: Glamour gets reality check in latest and best of the family saga

In Emily Hourican’s third instalment of Guinness Girls, the glitz and glamour give way to much starker, thornier social issues with the rise of fascism in pre-WWII Britain and Europe

The Foghorn Echoes: Tragic love story backdropped by years of upheaval in Iraq and Syria

Two gay friends growing up in Syria have to deal with the ghosts of their past as they end up on opposite sides of the world

Andrea Cleary: The rush to accuse Harry Styles of ‘queerbaiting’ is unfair

If we have learned anything about the next generation of queer activists, it is that gender and sexuality labels are rapidly becoming redundant

This Beating Heart: Uplifting tale of forging a new path after fairytale future is shattered

In Laura Barnett’s third novel, the protagonist has to set out on her own when round after round of failed IVF treatments leads to the breakdown of her marriage

The Night Ship: Historical shipwreck uncovers a haunting, moving story

Jess Kidd has written a superbly researched narrative that brings long-ago atrocities to the modern age

I’m Glad My Mom Died: A former child star lays her sad story bare in a riveting memoir

Jennette McCurdy’s controlling and manipulative mother made her years as a Nickelodeon sitcom star a living hell, one which is explored at length in this moving but extremely bleak autobiography

The Reluctant Carer: A brave, honest account of the bleak reality of caring for parents

This anonymously-penned memoir, which began life as a regular feature in the Guardian, provides genuine insight into the trials and tribulations of unpaid care