Nadine O’Regan and Tanya Sweeney pick their favourite reads of 2019 in the categories of arts, culture and fiction

MEMOIR

Fearless second look at modern Ireland, but not as we know it

Corr values on show as a former pop star looks back

The enigmatic face of Blondie draws a veil over her personal life

How old-school journalism shone a light on years of sexual harassment

It’s almost impossible to believe that a book that charts a man’s childhood sexual abuse, depression, suicide attempts, racial bullying and eating disorders would be heartening and hilarious, and yet here we are

Espionage and romance are the twin themes of Lara Prescott’s debut novel, a story based on how the CIA smuggled copies of Doctor Zhivago into the USSR at the height of the Cold War, writes Tanya Sweeney

The reporting in Fashionopolis runs a wide gamut, from the profiles of designers and the history of style to a comprehensive history of textile manufacturing

Nothing happens in Fleishman Is In Trouble for a long time (until of course, it does, and sharply) – the first half of the book is merely setting the scene. Yet it’s a book half stuffed with astuteness and razor-sharp insight

Failure is a natural and unavoidable part of living, says writer Elizabeth Day. By speaking in a very candid and public way about her own private crises, she hopes to help others come to terms with the more painful events in their own lives

Ian McEwan is turning his considerable storytelling energies to counterfactual fiction, like Philip Roth and Robert Harris before him

Comedy screenwriter Adam Kay’s memoir of his years as a junior doctor in Britain’s NHS is a riot of oddball characters and inexplicable situations. But his old line of work comes with a dark side, writes Tanya Sweeney

Much like their film projects, the Duplasses’ memoir is brimful of charm, and thoughtfulness