Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen - Songs in the Key of Life

Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen still can't quite believe their good fortune. 

 The Irish writers didn't know what to expect when they signed a deal to publish a debut novel -- a book based on their popular Facebook page about a fictional creation called Aisling, a quintessentially Irish girl -- but they definitely didn't think their book would become the Christmas No.1 novel, overtaking David Walliams in the charts and being heaped with praise on social media by bestselling author Marian Keyes. 

 Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling! is a joy to read; it's funny, engaging and -- in its closing stages -- surprisingly poignant too. Lead character Aisling may be a mixed-up girl in an increasingly complicated world, but she's easy to identify with -- and even easier to like. 

Is she an Irish Bridget Jones? Sarah doesn't mind if anyone thinks so. "We're thrilled with that comparison," Sarah said on the show. "We're both big fans of Bridget Jones. When I hear the phrase 'Irish Bridget Jones', I think, I'd like to read that book."

Both Emer and Sarah are big music fans -- so they had a long and painful process whittling down their playlist for the show, but they both agreed that Irish bands such as Bell X1 and Republic of Loose had to feature on the programme. 

"We saw Republic of Loose performing live somewhere and decided they were the greatest band in Ireland," Emer said. "I would take a bullet for Republic of Loose," Sarah added. Which seems pretty unequivocal to us. 

Emer and Sarah's Playlist:

1. Bell X1 'Alphabet Soup' 
2. Libertines 'Can't Stand Me Now' 
3. Republic of Loose 'Break' 
4. The Rags 'Monsters and I' 
5. Neil Diamond 'Forever in Blue Jeans' (Emer's choice)
6. Oasis 'Live Forever' (Sarah's choice)
7. BeWitched 'C'est La Vie' (Aisling's choice)
8. J. Lo. 'I'm Real' (Sarah's choice)
9. Kings of Leon  'Milk' 
10. Sleigh Bells 'Rill Rill' 
11. Florence and the Machine 'Shake it Out'
12. 12 REM 'Electrolite'
13. Beirut 'Postcards from Italy' (Emer's choice)
14. Mundy 'To You I Bestow' (Emer's choice)
15. Beyonce 'Hold Up (Sarah's choice)
16. Take That 'Rule the World (Aisling's choice)