Juliana Adelman talks all things bookish in the companion series to our popular podcast
You can find Juliana Adelman in conversation with Leeanne O’Donnell and Henrietta McKervey at The Dublin Book Festival for Hidden Histories
A book from your early days?
One of my favourite books as a child was Gertie’s Green Thumb by Catherine Dexter. Gertie wakes up to find the outside has taken over the inside of her house. I can still picture the carpets made of moss.
Dog ears or book marks?
A bit of both, if that’s allowed.
A quote you can say by heart?
‘How goes the work?’ Called the farmer. The duck answered ‘Quack!’ From Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury.
Do you lend without expecting a book returned?
All the time. Friends will often say, ‘Oh I have that book I must give it back to you’ and usually I’m hoping they’ll just pass it on because I’ve already bought two or three more to take its place…
Best book someone gave you?
My husband Martin has given me a lot of great books over the years but it’s hard to top Hark! A vagrant by Kate Beaton.
A book you return to over the years?
I’m not a big re-reader, but I have read My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell a number of times. I find it comforting.
A book that makes you laugh?
Just William by Richmal Crompton. I didn’t have these books as a kid and only discovered them through my husband and sons. And for the adult variety Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood.
You can save one non-book item: what is it?
After my husband, my cats and my children: a painting of two gorillas by Orla Whelan.
Find Juliana Adelman at The Dublin Book Festival for Hidden Histories
Taking us back to a hot Dublin summer in 1866, Juliana Adelman’s The Grateful Water (New Island) is a gripping detective story of secrets and guilt, steeped in the city’s history. Leeanne O’Donnell’s Sparks of Bright Matter (Eriu) is an equally gripping game of cat and mouse through Georgian London’s underworld, in pursuit of an enthralling thief in possession of a mysterious illustrated book. Step into the past with the authors in conversation with fellow author Henrietta McKervey. Find your tickets here.
