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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EventsNorthwest Book Highlights – May 2016
This month we mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, and the Northwest plays host to a whole load of festivals, including Manchester After Hours,... Read more »| 04 May 2016 -
TechIndie Games: The Complete Introduction to Indie Gaming
Given the fledgling status of what’s considered the modern ‘indie game’, it’s perhaps little surprise that there’s hardly been ... Read more »| 12 Apr 2016 -
Book Reviews
All That Man Is by David Szalay
Or: all that man isn't. Male readers beware – Szalay is in no mood to gloss over the shortcomings of his gender as he exposes with clear-sighted precis... Read more »| 05 Apr 2016 -
Features
The Weird and Wonderful World of Fan Fiction
Have you ever wondered what would happen if Tyrion Lannister crossed over into the world of The Lord of the Rings? Don’t worry; someone has already written it for you. We take a look at the growing – and sometimes bizarre – world of fan fiction Read more »| 05 Apr 2016 -
Events
George Monbiot at Aye Write!
"It’s as if the people of the Soviet Union had never heard of communism," says George Monbiot in his Aye Write! event How Did We Get Into This Mes... Read more »| 05 Apr 2016 -
Book ReviewsThe Bricks that Built the Houses by Kate Tempest
Kate Tempest’s debut novel The Bricks that Built the Houses begins with a quote from William Blake, and the shadow of this great London poet lingers ov... Read more »| 05 Apr 2016
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Book Reviews
The Cauliflower® by Nicola Barker
Who is Sri Ramakrishna? 'Is he man or child? Leader or follower? Idiot or genius? A god, a god-man, or just too, too human?' In a world where spirituality se... Read more »| 04 Apr 2016 -
Events
Northwest Book Highlights – April 2016
Kate Tempest returns to the Northwest this month with her first novel in hand, while crime fiction, Shakespeare and uncertainty are also up for discussion Read more »| 01 Apr 2016 -
Book Reviews
The Wolf Trial by Neil Mackay
The premise is intriguing: in a small town in 16th century Germany, a serial killer is captured and tried as a werewolf. There are moments of gory, shocking ... Read more »| 31 Mar 2016 -
FeaturesPoetry News – Scotland, April 2016
We weigh up the announcement of new Makar Jackie Kay, from both the poetry world and general public – also the published works of four Faber New Poets and our picks of the live poetry events in Scotland this month. Read more »| 31 Mar 2016 -
Book Reviews
What I Learned from Johnny Bevan by Luke Wright
With its cute couplets and wry nods to Twitter and twerking, What I Learned from Johnny Bevan reads at first like a piece from a poetry night at a good ... Read more »| 30 Mar 2016 -
Book ReviewsAnd The Weak Suffer What They Must? by Yanis Varoufakis
Last January, Yanis Varoufakis was catapulted from a quiet life as an economics professor into the centre of the eurozone crisis, as finance minister in Gree... Read more »| 30 Mar 2016 -
Features
Jenni Fagan on The Sunlight Pilgrims
The Sunlight Pilgrims deals with those living on "the fringes of the fringes" – of geography, gender and society. Jenni Fagan, among Scotland's mo... Read more »| 24 Mar 2016 -
Features
Matters of Life & Death: Sara Nović on Girl at War
Sara Nović pours herself into her central character in Girl at War: the ten-year-old Ana, caught up in the atrocities of the Balkan conflict. We speak t... Read more »| 18 Mar 2016 -
Book Reviews
The Hormone Factory by Saskia Goldschmidt
This novel, newly translated from German, weaves a narrative of sibling rivalry, discovery and power. The Hormone Factory tells the story of two brothers, Mo... Read more »| 17 Mar 2016