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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EventsPaisley Book Festival: Radical voices, rebel stories
As the very first Paisley Book Festival gets ready to shake up Scotland’s literary scene, we ask three of its appearing writers to reflect on their experiences, challenges and hopes for the Scottish publishing industry Read more »| 18 Feb 2020 -
Book ReviewsA Tall History of Sugar by Curdella Forbes
Blending fantasy and history, A Tall History of Sugar is an epic, generation-spanning novel set in newly independent Jamaica Read more »| 06 Feb 2020 -
Book ReviewsUntold Day and Night by Bae Suah
Set in Seoul, Untold Day and Night dissolves reality's boundaries to mixed results Read more »| 04 Feb 2020 -
Book ReviewsStrange Hotel by Eimear McBride
Eimear McBride, the author of A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing, returns with a stunning new novel Read more »| 03 Feb 2020 -
News
Scottish Poetry News: February 2020
A new book festival in Paisley and spoken word night, Inky Fingers, teaming up with the Scottish BAME Writers Network are among February's poetry event highlights. Read more »| 03 Feb 2020 -
Book ReviewsThe Island Child by Molly Aitken
Molly Aitken's debut novel is an atmospheric tale of a mother and daughter on a remote Irish island Read more »| 31 Jan 2020
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FeaturesEmma Jane Unsworth on Adults, foxes and (not) coming of age
Emma Jane Unsworth writes unapologetic novels about unapologetic women. Her latest, Adults, is no different. We chat messy relationships, women's appetites and how television has become the place to be for female creators Read more »| 30 Jan 2020 -
Book ReviewsThe Wolf of Baghdad by Carol Isaacs
Carol Isaacs' graphic memoir is a journey through heritage and loss, telling the story of Baghdad's Jewish population Read more »| 30 Jan 2020 -
Book ReviewsPine by Francine Toon
Francine Toon's eerie gothic novel weaves an atmospheric tale of a bereaved young girl in the Scottish Highlands Read more »| 27 Jan 2020 -
Book ReviewsMy Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
A powerhouse of a book, My Dark Vanessa explores abuse and manipulation Read more »| 21 Jan 2020 -
Book ReviewsHotel du Jack by Dan Brotzel
Innovative narratives are not enough to save this patchy collection of short stories Read more »| 21 Jan 2020 -
Book ReviewsDark Satellites by Clemens Meyer
Clemens Meyer's latest collection of short stories explores those on the fringes of German society Read more »| 20 Jan 2020 -
Book ReviewsThe Great Pretender by Susannah Cahalan
Susannah Cahalan's new book is a dramatic real-life story told with passion that might have worked better as a true-crime podcast Read more »| 08 Jan 2020 -
EventsScottish Poetry News: January 2020
Kick off 2020 with a slam poetry championship, the Scottish Book Trust’s New Writers Awards Showcase and supporting your local, indie poetry publisher Read more »| 07 Jan 2020 -
FeaturesSPAM on making poetry cool again
SPAM Poetry are publishing some of Scotland and the UK’s best and brightest poets. Over Google doc, we have a chat about their origins, the internet and why Glasgow is the perfect home for poetry Read more »| 06 Jan 2020