What are you reading right now?
Constellations by Sinéad Gleeson.
Tell us a bit about it:
It’s a beautifully written memoir about the writer's experiences.
What is your favourite book of all time?
Notes to Self by Emilie Pine.
Tell us a bit about it:
Another memoir! Many of the experiences documented mirror my own which is reassuring. The writer is so brave! I could never have written so openly. I am in awe at the writer’s honesty and how beautifully she writes about pain and loss.
What book do you remember most from your childhood and why?
The Turfcutter’s Donkey by Patricia Lynch.
Tell us a bit about it:
I grew up in an antiquarian bookshop and this book was my favourite for the longest time. It was the first book I read that captured the rural setting that I was experiencing in the west of Ireland.
Which of your books is battered from using over and over again?
Brewer’s Dictionary of Irish Phrase and Fable by Complied by Jo O’Donoghue and Sean McMahon.
Tell us a bit about it:
I use this book for writing prompts by opening a page at random and writing about the first full entry on the page!
What is your favourite book by an international author?
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende.
Tell us a bit about it:
I read this book as an Erasmus student in Seville. It is a book of everything; a microcosm of life. I feel privileged to have read it.
What book do you feel depicts your own or another culture most vividly?
The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O’Shea.
Tell us a bit about it:
I read this book as a child and I loved how it brought Irish folklore to life. I am so proud of Irish folklore and I love how this book packs so much of what’s gone before into a contemporary setting.
Books that changed your perspective, was there a book that changed your mind about something? How?
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula le Guin.
Tell us a bit about it:
This book changed how I think about gender and political divides. The author does a phenomenal job communicating highly complex concepts in a clear and compelling way.
