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 ReviewsSpinach Soup for the Walls by Lynn Harkes
There is no doubt this book has good intentions: beautifully written and graciously told, Spinach Soup for the Walls is a memoir of one woman’s travels... Read more »| 04 Jan 2013 -
FeaturesMaement by Various
Maement is a nifty new writing journal, named for an old scots word for 'moment'. No star rating here, because we let the Maement writers review their own bo... Read more »| 03 Jan 2013 -
FeaturesScotland Writers FC 4-2 England Writers FC: Prose In Motion
A tale to brighten your New Year – Scottish writers have banded together to form a football team. The newly formed Scotland Writers FC played their first match on 1 December, against – who else? – England Writers FC Read more »| 18 Dec 2012 -
Book Reviews
The Seven Wonders of Scotland, edited by Gerry Hassan
The Seven Wonders of Scotland brings together seven authors’ imagined Scotlands of the future – examining fantastical worlds where Rannoch Moor h... Read more »| 18 Dec 2012 -
Book ReviewsGold Digger by Francis Fyfield
An answer to the quiz question ‘crime novels with the same title as Kanye West songs,' but otherwise this is a solid but not very memorable story. Curi... Read more »| 04 Dec 2012 -
Book Reviews
Blood of Crows by Caro Ramsay
This is now the fourth of Caro Ramsay’s series following DI Colin Anderson and his colleagues, most prominently DS Costello, whose first name isn&rsquo... Read more »| 04 Dec 2012
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Book Reviews
Top Gear: The Cool 500 by Matt Master
Subtitled ‘The Coolest Cars Ever Made’, this is a large format book about cars through history, glossy photos and all. Some people love Top Gear,... Read more »| 04 Dec 2012 -
Book Reviews
Fremont by Elizabeth Reeder
Fremont is the debut book from Kohl Publishing that they’ve been publicising gradually for a while now. It was maybe a risk to do that, but this book p... Read more »| 04 Dec 2012 -
Features
A Christmas Book Guide
No clever title here – this is your basic guide to various books you can buy various people. Nice and simple. Read more »| 29 Nov 2012 -
Book Reviews
The Poetry Club: Neu Reekie @ SWG3, 22 November
Neu Reekie's reputation as one of Scotland's poremier spoken word events is well deserved and hard-earned, and after making a huge success of their Edinburgh events, they have begun carving out a niche for themselves in Glasgow Read more »| 26 Nov 2012 -
Book Reviews
The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard
Showcasing short fiction with transgender themes, The Collection differs from its predecessors through its prioritisation of the perspectives of transgender ... Read more »| 12 Nov 2012 -
Features
Wriiters' Bloc: The Real Dead Poets' Society
A seance for writers on Halloween? Could it be? Who would dare? Writers Bloc would. Texture from Writers Bloc fills us in. Read more »| 31 Oct 2012 -
News
Books: One Whole Week of Them
Book Week Scotland will take place from 26 Nov to 2 Dec, during which time hundreds (literally hundreds) of events will take place. Some even look pretty good too. Here's a brief selection of some we like the look of Read more »| 26 Oct 2012 -
Book Reviews
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue: The Best of Forty Years by Various
Books based on comedy series are often fairly cynical tie-ins, but not this one. This is the book to commemorate 40 years of Radio 4 panel game I’m Sor... Read more »| 23 Oct 2012 -
Book Reviews
Recipes From the Kitchen Drawer by Helen Ashley
Helen Ashley is a freelance illustrator who loves cooking, and this book melds those two pursuits – it was this or boiling a portfolio, presumably. Thi... Read more »| 22 Oct 2012