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.
-
FeaturesClaire Askew on All the Hidden Truths
Claire Askew's debut novel tackles the tinderbox of masculinity, the uneasiness of our relationship with information, and our collective desire for the reasons behind horrific crimes Read more »| 30 Jul 2018 -
FestivalsWriting Destiny with Nikesh Shukla
As he brings his two new novels to the Edinburgh Book Festival, we talk fate, thrillers and diversity with Nikesh Shukla Read more »| 26 Jul 2018 -
Book ReviewsNotes to Self by Emilie Pine
Emilie Pine writes with pinpoint precision and invites readers into deeply personal parts of herself, exploring them with beautiful nuance Read more »| 26 Jul 2018 -
Book ReviewsThe Tyranny of Lost Things by Rhiannon Cosslett
The Tyranny of Lost Things is, at its best, a nostalgia-popping look at the place past countercultural lifestyles holds in contemporary consciousness, an intergenerational exploration, and a warning against romanticising the past. Read more »| 12 Jul 2018 -
Book Reviews
Testament by Kim Sherwood
Sherwood's first novel is a stunning new take on the horrors of the Holocaust Read more »| 10 Jul 2018 -
Features
The rawness of reality: Olivia Laing on Crudo
Olivia Laing introduces her first novel, Crudo, a blend of punk prose and the all-too-real events of seven turbulent summer weeks in 2017 Read more »| 05 Jul 2018
-
Book Reviews
Suicide Club by Rachel Heng
In her debut novel, Rachel Heng takes this to its wildest extreme, creating a society where health, ageing and mental wellbeing are all government mandated. Read more »| 05 Jul 2018 -
Festivals
Unbound: Andrew Rae and the Music Machines
Life's a peach when you have a moon for a head. Striking, fun, musical and creative - celebrate the mystic of Moonhead with illustrators and musicians coming together, including Aussies Electric Fields and more Read more »| 03 Jul 2018 -
Festivals
Unbound 2018: The Full Listings
A night-by-night guide to this year's Unbound programme. Events kick off at 9pm in the Book Festival gardens, although you may want to get down early to make sure you get a seat. Each and every event is, of course, free. Read more »| 03 Jul 2018 -
Festivals
Barcelona, City of Literature at Unbound
For one night in the Spiegeltent, Edinburgh hands the stage to a fellow UNESCO City of Literature Read more »| 03 Jul 2018 -
Festivals
Anthony Joseph: Lord Kitch and Calypso
Poet, musician and writer Anthony Joseph presents his unconventional biography of Trinidadian calypso legend Lord Kitchener at Unbound. Joseph talks us through the importance of Kitch to Trinidadians past and present Read more »| 03 Jul 2018 -
Festivals
Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas at Unbound
The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas brings academics and the public together to discuss everything from privacy and surveillance to health and education. We talk to Dr Sarah Anderson about the benefits (and pitfalls) of conversation Read more »| 03 Jul 2018 -
Festivals
Sabrina Mahfouz and Luke Wright on spoken word at Unbound
Unbound's spoken word strand returns this year with a showcase of the Out-Spoken imprint and poetry night; we talk to founder Anthony Anaxagorou and poet Sabrina Mahfouz about the unique night in store this August Read more »| 03 Jul 2018 -
Festivals
Dracula and Frankenstein go head-to-head at Unbound
Two of the most iconic figures in all of literature – Frankenstein's monster and Dracula – go head-to-head at Unbound; we talk all things Gothic with their respective backers, Dr. Sam George and Marcus Sedgwick Read more »| 03 Jul 2018 -
Festivals
Welcome to Unbound 2018
To get a flavour of this year's programme we pose ten questions to Unbound mastermind Roland Gulliver Read more »| 03 Jul 2018