Waterstones reveals Irish, Scottish and Welsh Books of the Year

Books by Manchán Magan, Sara Sheridan and Caryl Lewis have been named Waterstones Books of the Year for Ireland, Scotland and Wales respectively. 

The award specifically champions books by authors based in the country, or those with a strong affinity with the setting. 

Listen to the Land Speak: A Journey into the wisdom of what lies beneath us (Gill Books) by Magan, a presenter and documentary-maker, is the Waterstones Irish Book of the Year 2022.

Inspired by language, landscape and mythology, Magan explores the insight and hidden wisdom native Irish culture offers to the people of Ireland and the world. It traces back traditional ancestry, uncovering myths that have defined the Irish identity.

Belle Edelman, bookseller at Waterstones Belfast, said the book is an “awe-inspiring exploration of our land and its unique and inextricable link to myth”.

Magan added: “Waterstones was a wonderland of new ideas and stories for me growing up. So it’s such a thrill for Listen to the Land Speak to be chosen by them as their Irish Book of the Year. Their support is going to help spread this message about the potency and magic of the land far further than I could ever imagine.”

Taking the title for Scotland is Sheridan’s novel The Fair Botanists (Hodder), a “book to treasure and to share, and a richly deserving winner”, according to a bookseller at Waterstones Kirkcaldy.

The novel is set against the backdrop of George IV’s visit to Edinburgh in 1922 and the reopening of the Royal Botanical Garden, following the life and exploits of glamorous sex worker Belle Brodie.

“It’s an honour to have my book chosen as Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year,” said Sheridan. “To set a novel in my hometown of Edinburgh in a historical period about which I’m passionate, and receive such a wonderful response from booksellers and readers alike truly is this writer’s dream. I want to thank passionate Waterstones booksellers across the country who have made this possible. I appreciate what you’ve done for my story and want to thank you for this award.”

Waterstone’s inaugural Welsh Book of the Year is Lewis’s Drift (Doubleday), a love story set on the Welsh Coast and in Syria. 

Steven Gane, bookshop manager at Waterstones Swansea, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to launch the Waterstones Welsh Book of the Year. Our booksellers consistently champion exciting new writing by Welsh authors and books with a strong Welsh setting, and the Book of the Year award will act as an extension of this bookselling expertise. Drift is a truly stunning novel; beautiful, captivating and haunting. We cannot wait to put this incredible book into our customers’ hands!”

Lewis is from Dihewyd near Aberaeron, and is a multi-award-winning Welsh novelist, children’s writer, playwright and screenwriter. Drift is her début novel in the English language.

“I am utterly delighted to be the inaugural winner of Waterstones Welsh Book of the Year,” she said. “It is an incredible honour that Drift has been recognised in this way. Drift represents a personal milestone in my career, and I have been genuinely touched by the response of readers. I am sincerely grateful to everyone involved in its publication and wish to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the booksellers whose passion, knowledge and expertise make the reading world go round.”