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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FeaturesCixin Liu: Sci-fi Beyond Borders
Chinese Sci-fi sensation Cixin Liu discusses the genre's cultural anomalies while visiting the UK to launch Death’s End, the final part of his Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, and introduce The Wandering Earth, a collection of short stories Read more »| 26 Oct 2016 -
Features
Role Reversal: Naomi Alderman on The Power
It's one simple change – the world's women develop the power to electrocute people at will. There is a reversal of gender roles, a transfer of power. Author Naomi Alderman discusses her speculative feminist sci-fi novel The Power Read more »| 24 Oct 2016 -
Book ReviewsDisappearing Glasgow by Chris Leslie
There’s something about a still image of something gone that’s truly haunting. Perhaps to do with the age we live in, where everything is fast-mo... Read more »| 24 Oct 2016 -
NewsScotland's top writers among Saltire nominees
The Saltire Society has announced the shortlists for this year's Saltire Literary Awards, with Jenni Fagan, James Kelman, Graeme Macrae Burnet and Irvine Welsh among the nominees Read more »| 20 Oct 2016 -
FeaturesC'mon, Man! The Booker's biggest controversies
The prestigious Man Booker Prize is awarded on 25 Oct, with Scottish author Graeme Macrae Burnet's His Bloody Project an unexpected but deserving bookie's tip. In preparation, we look at the most controversial wins and near misses in the prize's history Read more »| 17 Oct 2016 -
News
Irvine Welsh adapting novel Crime for TV
Irvine Welsh is set to adapt his 2009 novel Crime into a TV drama, with Scottish actor Dougray Scott lined up to star Irvine Welsh is currently adapting Cri... Read more »| 17 Oct 2016
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Book Reviews
Old Buildings in North Texas by Jen Waldo
A lot of Jen Waldo’s debut novel takes place out on the porch of Olivia’s mother’s house. Having flown from the mundanity and small-mindedn... Read more »| 13 Oct 2016 -
Book Reviews
I'll Sell You a Dog by Juan Pablo Villalobos
Humour, according to Juan Pablo Villalobos, is 'a weapon against power'. It was this principal that animated the Mexican writer's widely acclaimed first two ... Read more »| 13 Oct 2016 -
Features
Manchester Literature Festival: Stories from Korea
This year's Manchester Literature Festival hosts two writers from the Korean peninsula: Sungju Lee, whose memoir Every Falling Star relates his experiences a... Read more »| 10 Oct 2016 -
Features
Recurring Nightmare: Hans Fallada’s Lost Work
Nightmare in Berlin, the lost work of Hans Fallada – addict, womanizer, jailbird and thief – is finally published in English. Its trans... Read more »| 07 Oct 2016 -
News
Book Week Scotland announce 2016 events
Alexander McCall Smith, Liz Lochhead, Will Self and Jodi Picoult are among the big names taking part in this year’s Book Week Scotland Read more »| 05 Oct 2016 -
Features
Dundee Literary Festival 2016: Join the party
Dundee Literary Festival has sure grown in its 10 years of life and its 2016 programme offers an absolutely stellar list of talent, including James Kelman, Jenni Fagan and Alan Cumming. Come and join the party this October Read more »| 04 Oct 2016 -
Features
From pulp to corsets: lesbian literary stereotypes
Vita Sackville-West was a writer who happily shunted the boundaries of literary form, along with the imposed norms of gender and sexuality. As her granddaugh... Read more »| 30 Sep 2016 -
Features
Bard is a Four-Letter Word
With National Poetry Day fast approaching, Director of the Scottish Poetry Library Asif Khan talks over some of the challenges faced by professional poets. Also, a heads-up on this months performances and print poetry Read more »| 29 Sep 2016 -
Book Reviews
Ten Days by Gillian Slovo
To read Gillian Slovo’s latest novel Ten Days after the summer of 2016 is a strange thing. The novel, just now released in paperback, was originally pu... Read more »| 28 Sep 2016