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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EventsScottish Books Events: October 2023
Edinburgh International Book Festival closes out the year's programme with two October events, while indie press Thi Wurd holds a literary evening at Glasgow University Union Read more »| 02 Oct 2023 -
Book ReviewsBrainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt
Alison Rumfitt's deliciously nauseating sophomore novel is an eviscerating exploration of queer dating and shame Read more »| 02 Oct 2023 -
FeaturesNot Your Usual: Heather Parry on writing the body
Not Your Usual is a new series from The Skinny and Glayva highlighting interesting and exciting artists from across the Scottish scene. For our third instalment we catch up with prolific author Heather Parry over a Jumping Bean glocktail Read more »| 02 Oct 2023 -
Book ReviewsSeeing for Ourselves by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan
Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan's cross-disciplinary book is a beautiful consideration of devotion to faith, family and politics Read more »| 26 Sep 2023 -
Book ReviewsDaddy Boy by Emerson Whitney
Half-memoir, half-queer theory, Emerson Whitney's Daddy Boy follows the author as they set out on an atmospheric journey of introspection Read more »| 19 Sep 2023 -
FeaturesThe Skinny on... Iona Lee
As she launches her debut poetry collection, Anamnesis, with a big event in Summerhall, Iona Lee takes on our Q&A Read more »| 19 Sep 2023
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Book ReviewsThe Old Haunts by Allan Radcliffe
Allan Radcliffe's debut novel is a beautiful exploration of individual and collective grief Read more »| 12 Sep 2023 -
Book ReviewsThe Magic Border by Arlo Parks
Singer-songwriter Arlo Parks' first book interweaves lyrics with original poetry in a gorgeous exploration of Black queerness Read more »| 12 Sep 2023 -
FeaturesEleanor Thom on new novel Connective Tissue
We chat with Eleanor Thom, author of Connective Tissue, about tracing back her Jewish heritage, intergenerational memory, and the ability of literature to uncover untold stories Read more »| 01 Sep 2023 -
EventsScottish Books Events: September 2023
The festivals may be over but the book events continue, with a plethora of gorgeous launches and poetry nights across Glasgow and Edinburgh Read more »| 29 Aug 2023 -
Book ReviewsThe Baudelaire Fractal by Lisa Robertson
Poet Lisa Robertson’s debut novel uplifts the starving artist cliché with effortless, crystalline prose Read more »| 23 Aug 2023 -
Book ReviewsBut The Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu
Jessica Zhan Mei Yu’s debut novel is a delicate investigation into intergenerational immigrant subjectivities Read more »| 09 Aug 2023 -
FeaturesDevorah Baum, Alva Gotby and Sophie K Rosa on what radical love looks like
Ahead of their event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, we ask authors Devorah Baum, Alva Gotby and Sophie K Rosa about their most utopian imagination of what love can look like Read more »| 09 Aug 2023 -
FeaturesIsabella Hammad on her Palestinian Shakespeare novel Enter Ghost
The author of Enter Ghost, Isabella Hammad sits down to talk about Shakespeare, political theatre, and narratives of identity ahead of her appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Read more »| 08 Aug 2023 -
Book ReviewsTraces of Enayat by Iman Mersal
In Iman Mersal's Traces of Enayat, the poet and scholar blends biography, memoir, and literary criticism to recover the story of forgotten Egyptian writer Enayat al-Zayyat Read more »| 03 Aug 2023