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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FeaturesThe Write Place: Arkbound's writing workshops and crowdfunders
Breaking into the writing and publishing business can be tricky, but the Arkbound Foundation– a charity dedicated to widening access to literature – are here to help Read more »| 15 May 2025 -
Book ReviewsBabylon, Albion by Dalia Al-Dujaili
In her memoir Babylon, Albion, Dalia Al-Dujaili examines her personal and political relationship to the landscapes of her home and adopted countries Read more »| 05 May 2025 -
Book ReviewsLove Languages by James Albon
Two women fall in love across boundaries of language in James Albon's beautiful latest graphic novel Read more »| 01 May 2025 -
EventsScottish Books Events: May 2025
One for the romance fans – First Date, Edinburgh's romance festival, returns to the city this month. Elsewhere, Katie Goh launches their debut memoir and Kirsty Strang-Roy's Write Like a Grrrl course returns Read more »| 30 Apr 2025 -
Book ReviewsForeign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange by Katie Goh
In their debut memoir, Edinburgh-based writer Katie Goh traces the history of the orange alongside their own story of migration and identity Read more »| 28 Apr 2025 -
Book ReviewsGreat Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Emily Henry's latest romance novel is her most ambitious yet, featuring interwoven timelines and narratives alongside the usual sizzling chemistry Read more »| 22 Apr 2025
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Book ReviewsHappiness and Love by Zoe Dubno
The contemporary art scene of New York is skewered in this witty if somewhat surface level novel Read more »| 21 Apr 2025 -
Book ReviewsOn the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle
In Solvej Balle's beautiful mediation on love and loneliness, a woman comes unstuck in time and repeats the same day on loop Read more »| 09 Apr 2025 -
EventsScottish Books Events: April 2025
There's political book launches, poetry readings, and the return of Paisley Book Festival over in book world this month – here are our April highlights Read more »| 02 Apr 2025 -
Book ReviewsHoly Boys by Andrés N. Ordorica
Edinburgh-based poet Andrés N. Ordorica returns with his second poetry collection, an exploration of heritage told through lenses of queerness, liminality and desire Read more »| 31 Mar 2025 -
Book ReviewsDysphoria Mundi by Paul B. Preciado
Acclaimed queer theorist Paul B. Preciado draws on the pandemic in his new book to explore intersecting forms of crisis Read more »| 18 Mar 2025 -
Book ReviewsUniversality by Natasha Brown
In her follow-up to the acclaimed Assembly, Natasha Brown investigates the banal evil of modern British politics and the shaping of national discourse Read more »| 10 Mar 2025 -
Book ReviewsStag Dance by Torrey Peters
Torrey Peters returns with Stag Dance, another stunning, genre-defying exploration of the nuances and intimacies of trans identity Read more »| 10 Mar 2025 -
FeaturesXuanlin Tham on new book Revolutionary Desires
We chat with Edinburgh-based author and film curator Xuanlin Tham about their debut book, an incisive and intricate exploration of the politics of the sex scene Read more »| 03 Mar 2025 -
Book ReviewsThe Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates returns with a timely investigation into how stories – reporting, mythmaking and narrative – shape our understanding of the world Read more »| 03 Mar 2025