Valentine's Day Readers' Day 2004

The following books were chosen by the panel as their ‘Favourite Books' at the recent Romancing the Book readers' day in Deansgrange library.

Tina Reilly
A dedicated reader and rhymester

-The Cat in The Hat by Dr Seuss
-The Silver Crown by Robert O'Brien
-Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
-One Flew Over the Cuckoos' Nest by Ken Kesey
-A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler

Clare Dowling
‘I believe in the power of laughter and it's ability to lift your mood.'

-Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
-Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes
-Brick Lane by Monica Ali

Jacinta McDevitt
‘Computers don't agree with me, books are my best friends'

-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
-Forty-Seven Roses by Peter Sheridan

Marita Conlon-McKenna
‘Books should bring you somewhere you've never been before . . .'

-Shipping News by E Annie Proulx
-Homecoming by Cynthia Voight
-Speckled People by Hugo Hamilton
-The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl
-The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields

Authors Lesley Pearse and Cathy Kelly

At the event, Lesley Pearse spoke about her life and her writing. I write about ‘ordinary people leading extraordinary lives' she said.

Her tips for writers were -

1/ Be determined - don't give up

2/ Write every day - keep at it, you can always edit it afterwards

3/ Be yourself

4/ Try writing a ‘blurb' first to get you going - the short marketing text on the back of a book's cover

Cathy Kelly also had some advice for writers -

1/ Be true to yourself

2/ Write what you enjoy

3/ Make time to write - no excuses

And authors Lesley and Cathy enjoy reading Lee Child and Deirdre Purcell.