Book of the Year 2013

Congratulations to Michael Harding who has won the
Bord Gáis Energy Book of the Year 2013 for
Staring at Lakes: A Memoir of Love, Melancholy and Magical Thinking.

The Bord Gáis Energy Book of the Year 2013 was chosen by public vote from the list of category winners announced at the recent Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards. Previous winners of this award include The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan in 2012 and Solace by Belinda McKeon in 2011.

Staring at Lakes started out as a book about depression — a middle-aged man living in Ireland in the wake of the Celtic Tiger. Then it became a story about growing old, the essence of love and marriage, and sitting in cars staring at lakes. Praised by esteemed Irish writers Pat McCabe, Kevin Barry and Deirdre Purcell, Harding’s acclaimed memoir was awarded both the RTÉ Radio 1’s John Murray Show Listeners’ Choice Award and National Book Tokens Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2013.

Michael Harding, Bord Gáis Energy Book of the Year winner, said:

“I am delighted to hear that Staring at Lakes has been selected as the Bord Gáis Energy Book of the Year. I’ve always tried to write close to the bone in my other books and plays and in Staring at Lakes I took the risk of telling a deeply private and personal story, and I’m just glad now that it has turned out well.”