Books
The Skinny book guide – bringing you book reviews, features, events, reviews and author interviews. Find previews and on the ground reporting from festivals of literature and poetry in Scotland and beyond.
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Book Reviews
Before The Queen Falls Asleep by Huzama Habayeb
Expertly capturing the everyday lives of displaced Palestinians, Before the Queen Falls Asleep is a timely translation into English of Huzama Habayeb's acclaimed Arabic novel Read more »| 26 Mar 2024 -
Book Reviews
Lobster by Hollie McNish
In a blend of poetry and prose, acclaimed poet Hollie McNish tackles the (im)possibility of love in a flawed world Read more »| 11 Mar 2024 -
Book Reviews
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Kaveh Akbar’s debut novel paints grief as an indelible, oddly-shaped stain. There forever, but funnier the longer you stare Read more »| 05 Mar 2024 -
Features
K Patrick on debut poetry collection Three Births
We chat to K Patrick, named one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists last year, about their debut poetry collection Three Births and queer bodies in and of nature Read more »| 04 Mar 2024 -
Events
Scottish Books Events: March 2024
StAnza takes over St Andrews with a long weekend of all things poetry, while Lighthouse hold a climate activism evening and Glasgow Zine Library launch a new reading group Read more »| 01 Mar 2024 -
Book Reviews
Gathering, edited by Durre Shahwar & Nasia Sarwar-Skuse
The latest from indie publishers 404 Ink, Gathering is a remarkable and ground-breaking collection about women of colour moving through nature Read more »| 22 Feb 2024
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Features
The Skinny on... Anahit Behrooz
She wrote the actual book on radical intimacy and love in female friendship. As The Skinny's very own Anahit Behrooz prepares to release her second book, Mapping Middle-earth, we ask her some increasingly intrusive questions Read more »| 19 Feb 2024 -
Book Reviews
The Night Alphabet by Joelle Taylor
In the distant future, a woman walks into a tattoo parlour to tell the tale of her interconnected tattoos in this mesmerising and blistering exploration of male violence and female solidarity Read more »| 13 Feb 2024 -
Book Reviews
Wrong Norma by Anne Carson
Acclaimed poet and polymath Anne Carson returns with Wrong Norma, a series of unconnected yet beautifully coherent vignettes Read more »| 08 Feb 2024 -
Features
Agustín Fernández Mallo on his eclectic catalogue of love
We chat with Spanish author Agustín Fernández Mallo about his novel The Book of All Loves and his atypical exploration of one of literature’s most familiar themes Read more »| 07 Feb 2024 -
Book Reviews
Pity by Andrew McMillan
The legacies of a small mining community take centre stage in this remarkable, intergenerational debut novel Read more »| 07 Feb 2024 -
Book Reviews
Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti
Sheila Heti's meticulously alphabetised editing of a decade's worth of her diary entries is a cerebral, romantic exploration of the connections and questions that weave throughout her life Read more »| 06 Feb 2024 -
Events
Scottish Books Events: February 2024
Poetry readings, erotic cabarets and an artists' bookmarket featuring workshops galore – here's our guide to February's best literary events Read more »| 29 Jan 2024 -
Book Reviews
Welcome to the Club by DJ Paulette
The debut book from DJ Paulette looks back at a storied 30-year career in some of the UK's most legendary clubs Read more »| 23 Jan 2024 -
Book Reviews
The Promised Party by Jennifer Clement
Jennifer Clement follows up Widow Basquiat with another perfect time capsule Read more »| 16 Jan 2024