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.
-
FeaturesCaleb Femi on his house party poetry collection The Wickedest
We chat with Forward Prize-winning poet Caleb Femi about his sophomore poetry collection The Wickedest, which explores the intimate mechanisms of a house party in London Read more »| 09 Sep 2024 -
Book ReviewsOur London Lives by Christine Dwyer Hickey
An epic yet intimate tale of immigration, Christine Dwyer Hickey's Our London Lives is a beautiful mediation on the everyday Read more »| 05 Sep 2024 -
EventsScottish Books Events: September 2024
September's a quiet month on the book front, but there's still a fair bit to catch in Scotland's bookshops and beyond Read more »| 05 Sep 2024 -
Book ReviewsMedusa of the Roses by Navid Sinaki
In Navid Sinaki's debut novel, a tender, melodic tale of queer love in Iran is as lyrical as it is heartbreaking Read more »| 02 Sep 2024 -
Book ReviewsYr Dead by Sam Sax
Yr Dead is a lyrical, dizzying portrait of the final moments of a man's life, and the moments – both personal and intergenerational – that have taken him to this point Read more »| 12 Aug 2024 -
FeaturesNisha Ramayya on her new poetry collection Fantasia
We talk with poet and academic Nisha Ramayya about her latest poetry collection Fantasia, and the constellation of influences and touchstones that inform her practice Read more »| 08 Aug 2024
-
FeaturesAndrés N. Ordorica on debut novel How We Named the Stars
Edinburgh-based poet Andrés N. Ordorica's debut novel retells the quiet queer awakenings of two lovestruck college freshmen in one’s eulogy to the other Read more »| 08 Aug 2024 -
FeaturesN.S Nuseibeh on Palestinian essay collection Namesake
We chat with British-Palestinian author N.S. Nuseibeh about her essay collection Namesake, and connecting her life and experiences with her warrior ancestor Nusayba Bint Ka’ab Read more »| 08 Aug 2024 -
FeaturesHannah Lavery on her new collection Unwritten Woman
We chat with Edinburgh Makar Hannah Lavery about her new collection Unwritten Woman, the power of retelling, and the ongoing influence of Edinburgh in her writing Read more »| 05 Aug 2024 -
Book ReviewsThe Pairing by Casey McQuiston
Two exes challenge each other to a hookup competition in this steamy fourth novel by acclaimed queer romance writer Casey McQuiston Read more »| 05 Aug 2024 -
FeaturesIona Lee on her new poetry zine Beasties
Created out of a residency at Typewronger Books, poet Iona Lee's risoprint zine Beasties is an otherworldly examination of the dark side of scientific progress Read more »| 02 Aug 2024 -
EventsScottish Books Events: August 2024
There's two book festivals in town this month, as Edinburgh International Book Festival and Book Fringe take over Edinburgh. In Glasgow, meanwhile, the likes of Helen Charman and Emily Wilson launch books Read more »| 30 Jul 2024 -
Book ReviewsReal Boys by Thomas Stewart
In his debut poetry collection Real Boys, Thomas Stewart explores ideas of identity, masculinity and sexuality and the complications of grief and guilt Read more »| 29 Jul 2024 -
Book ReviewsThe Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem
In her second novel, Palestinian author Ibtisam Azem imagines a near future where all Palestinians suddenly disappear Read more »| 29 Jul 2024 -
Book ReviewsClinical Intimacy by Ewan Gass
Ewan Gass's debut novel is a masterclass in storytelling, exploring one man through a series of interviews with people close to him, building a portrait of his character through negative space Read more »| 22 Jul 2024