Books are so much more than stories that keep us entertained on long train journeys, on our lunch breaks, and during cozy evenings at home.
They have the ability to transform your life completely, and their impact is something we should never undermine.
An Post Book Award nominee, Anna Carey, recently opened up about the books that shaped her life the most.
The author of Our Song was nominated for the Popular Fiction Book of the Year prize in the 2025 Irish Book Awards, so there's no better time to talk to the author about the books that truly impacted her.
"I’ll never forget the books that got me through tough times in my life. A while back, I had a serious health scare and had to wait a week to see the next consultant. It was one of the worst weeks of my life because I was basically convinced I was going to die. And the only thing that I could read that week was Tove Jansson’s Moomin books.
"They’re ostensibly children’s books, but they really work for readers of any age. They’re so funny and charming and fundamentally sensible, which was what I needed when I was so scared and panicky, and they comforted me through that horrible week. I was and still am fine, by the way."
Many Irish women will remember the intensity of the time, the heartache, and the exhaustion of campaigning. Turning to comforting art is something many of us did to help keep our heads up.
"I feel similarly grateful to the books that got me through the Repeal campaign in 2018. I was doing a lot of intense canvassing in the months leading up to the referendum.
Anna continued, "I was physically and mentally exhausted and constantly worried."
"I couldn’t handle reading anything serious or dark, so I read my way through a bunch of historical romances by Joan Aiken with titles like The Five Minute Marriage. When I felt overwhelmed by the whole thing, I’d sit in the garden with a cup of tea and read about adventurous Regency heroines and feel better.
"Sometimes the phrase “comfort reading” is used to dismiss books, but I can’t think of any finer compliment than to know something I wrote made someone feel better when they were in pain.
"Whenever someone tells me Our Song cheered them up during a tough time, it makes me very happy."
Buy Anna Carey's first adult novel, Our Song, here.
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