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 ReviewsThe Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
JK Rowling’s first post-Potter book is never less than readable, as expected, but it's somehow unadventurous. There’s some superficial excitement... Read more »| 22 Oct 2012 -
Book Reviews
The Raven by Lou Reed and Lorenzo Mattotti
Lou Reed meant this quite sincerely, but it’s really rather dreary, Starting its life a staged and musical tribute to the works of Poe – When i... Read more »| 22 Oct 2012 -
Book Reviews
Battleborn by Clare Vaye Watkins
Nevada is a curious place, a barometer of presidential elections - the state has an almost faultless record in voting for the winner. And whilst the gambling... Read more »| 04 Oct 2012 -
FeaturesRe-Releasing The Valve.
Literary journal Valve launched its debut issue in June 2011, as part of a Strathclyde University course project. It could have ended there, but the enthusiasm of the team for the project has meant that the second issue will arrive in October this year Read more »| 01 Oct 2012 -
Book ReviewsThe Stone Thrower by Adam Marek
Adam Marek’s second collection of short stories, The Stone Thrower, revolves around the profound and sometimes unexplainable relationship between paren... Read more »| 25 Sep 2012 -
Book Reviews
The Children's Hospital by Chris Adrian
Chris Adrian's second novel, The Children's Hospital, has been published for the first time in the UK some years after its debut in the states. This is presu... Read more »| 25 Sep 2012
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Book Reviews
The Heart Broke In by James Meek
Ritchie Shepherd is a middle-aged television producer, threatened by catastrophic gossip: an ill-thought out affair threatens to destroy everything he cla... Read more »| 25 Sep 2012 -
Book ReviewsAll The Little Animals by Walker Hamilton
All The Little Animals was first published in 1968, and is something of a forgotten classic. Alan Warner’s introduction to this reissue gives a summary... Read more »| 10 Sep 2012 -
Book Reviews
The Dark Knight Rises by Greg Cox
Novelisations of blockbuster movies are always going to suffer in comparison to the finished product. The Dark Knight Rises suffers especially, because it ca... Read more »| 10 Sep 2012 -
Book Reviews
Kick Ass 2 by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.
It’s highly anticipated, but Kick-Ass 2 is something of a downer. After the events of the first volume, Kick-Ass, now basically just Dave Lizewski, is ... Read more »| 10 Sep 2012 -
Book Reviews
The Fall of the Stone City by Ismail Kadare
There’s an old Albanian folk tale at the heart of The Fall of The Stone City where a dead man responds to a dinner invitation. The book’s plot re... Read more »| 10 Sep 2012 -
Festivals
Edinburgh International Book Festival: Irvine Welsh
When Doug Johnstone opened Irvine Welsh's talk he acknowledged the difficulty of introducing an author that needs no introduction. And he doesn't - whil... Read more »| 30 Aug 2012 -
Festivals
Edinburgh International Book Festival: Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman is like the teacher you didn’t want to mess with at school. His audience sat up straight and paid attention as he delivered a lesson on t... Read more »| 30 Aug 2012 -
Festivals
Edinburgh International Book Festival: Carol Ann Duffy
Amid soggy cagoules and banjaxed brollies, Carol Ann Duffy warmed up a driech morning in Auld Reekie. The event began with music from John Sampson, who perfo... Read more »| 30 Aug 2012 -
Festivals
Edinburgh International Book Festival: James Kelman with Liz Lochhead
At times, James Kelman and Liz Lochead’s contribution at the Book Festival wasn’t so much a performance as a fireside chat. Kelman read a mesmeri... Read more »| 30 Aug 2012