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 ReviewsBrutes by Dizz Tate
Dizz Tate's debut novel builds on a history of American coming-of-age fiction, from The Virgin Suicides to We Were Liars, to examine the ferocious claustrophobia of adolescence Read more »| 30 Jan 2023 -
Book ReviewsMiss Major Speaks: The Life and Legacy of a Black Trans Revolutionary
A radical memoir that cuts across the personal and the political to explore Miss Major's groundbreaking work in community organising and HIV/AIDS care Read more »| 25 Jan 2023 -
Book ReviewsThe Book of Desire by Meena Kandasamy
Meena Kandasamy's translation of the seminal Tamil text the Tirukkuṟal uncovers the decolonial and feminist possibilities in the act of translation Read more »| 10 Jan 2023 -
Book ReviewsYour Wish Is My Command by Deena Mohamed
A subtle and subversive graphic novel, Deena Mohamed's Your Wish Is My Command uses magical realism to deftly ground its core in social commentary Read more »| 10 Jan 2023 -
EventsScottish Books Events: January 2023
In January's Scottish books round-up, some excellent debut authors launch their books, while Kirsty Logan and Don Paterson head to Portobello Bookshop Read more »| 09 Jan 2023 -
FeaturesKirsty Logan on her latest novel Now She Is Witch
Kirsty Logan, the acclaimed author of The Gracekeepers and The Gloaming, tells us about her queer, witchy new novel Read more »| 04 Jan 2023
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Book ReviewsThe End of Nightwork by Aidan Cottrell-Boyce
Aidan Cottrell-Boyce's debut novel The End of Nightwork is a witty, deft examination of the body as a site of trauma and change Read more »| 04 Jan 2023 -
Book ReviewsThe Things We Do To Our Friends by Heather Darwent
A hint of dark academia by way of Edinburgh, Heather Darwent's debut The Things We Do To Our Friends is a thrilling read Read more »| 19 Dec 2022 -
Book ReviewsFather May Be an Elephant, and Mother Only a Small Basket But... by Gogu Shyamala
A team of translators take on seminal Dalit writer Gogu Shyamala's collection of lively and unflinching short stories Read more »| 15 Dec 2022 -
FeaturesThe Skinny's Books of 2022: Our Writers' Favourites
Our Books Team count down their favourite books of the year, from Gothic cinema tales to Mogwai memoirs Read more »| 15 Dec 2022 -
FeaturesThe Skinny's Books of 2022
So many books, so little time. Our writers tell us about some of their absolute favourite reads from this year – get your Christmas reading sorted here Read more »| 05 Dec 2022 -
EventsScottish Books Events: December 2022
Lots of bookish events in December, including Josie Long at The Stand's spoken word night and the launch of Scottish literary magazine Extra Teeth Read more »| 05 Dec 2022 -
Book ReviewsRaising Raffi by Keith Gessen
Novelist and translator Keith Gessen ditches the idea of universal experience for something much more personal in this memoir on fatherhood Read more »| 29 Nov 2022 -
Book ReviewsYou Must Believe in Spring by Mohamed Tonsy
Mohamed Tonsy's debut novel is a remarkable piece of political fiction that examines the thorny legacies of the Arab Spring Read more »| 25 Nov 2022 -
Book ReviewsBabel by R.F. Kuang
R.F. Kuang returns with a triumphant, harrowing fantasy examining the entanglement between academia, language and colonialism Read more »| 24 Nov 2022