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 – January 2015
The local book club is on the ascent – we pick a few of the best, while events include Knausgaard and Renberg in an evening celebrating Scandinavian writing Read more »| 01 Jan 2015 -
FeaturesGothenburg Book Fair: Looking for the next big thing
Can we expect a 'feelgood' future post Nordic noir? Everyone is attempting to predict literary trends at Scandinavia’s largest book fair, where gangster rap memoirs, long lost leftist tomes and feminist comics vie to be the next big hit Read more »| 31 Dec 2014 -
Book Reviews
The Alphabet of Birds by S. J. Naudé
SJ Naudé's short story collection The Alphabet of Birds tells tales of the South African diaspora, of people hurled from home and scattered across the... Read more »| 31 Dec 2014 -
Book Reviews
Wolf Winter by Cecila Ekbäck
Rather than being a translation, Cecilia Ekbäck’s debut was written in English straight off, but the rhythm can feel as if someone has Tippex... Read more »| 30 Dec 2014 -
Book Reviews
Crow Bait by Douglas Skelton
A gory and razor-sharp crime novel from the start, Douglas Skelton’s Crow Bait moves at breakneck speed like a getaway car on the dark streets of Glasg... Read more »| 08 Dec 2014 -
Book ReviewsAmnesia by Peter Carey
Peter Carey is one of the few writers you could expect to pull off a sprawling tale about hackers, global capitalism and Australian politics. He’s got ... Read more »| 04 Dec 2014
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Book Reviews
N0S 4R2 by Joe Hill
All books are page-turners by default, how else might they be read? But it’s the velocity of turning which provides some sort of measure. N0S 4R2 lives... Read more »| 03 Dec 2014 -
FeaturesStarter for 6: Indie Authors Scotland
Owned by Kim and Sinclair MacLeod, Indie Authors Scotland provides training, publishing services and community support for writers who want to self-publish their work Read more »| 03 Dec 2014 -
Features
Have Yourself a Literary Christmas
Wintertime, writing and wordsmiths: here’s our guide to the literary events on this Christmas, from Paul Muldoon to a modern take on traditional penny readings Read more »| 03 Dec 2014 -
Book Reviews
The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
Hitting Japan in 2008, The Strange Library spins a dark modern-day fairytale about a boy who finds himself drawn into the shady labyrinth beneath his local l... Read more »| 02 Dec 2014 -
Features
Bah Humbug: A Literary Gift Guide
The Skinny Books team melt celebrity ego before the open fire, looking past inane memoirs to suggest the finest literary offerings to gift the family this Christmas Read more »| 01 Dec 2014 -
EventsScotland Book Highlights – December 2014
New comics rising and first book awards mean fresh names to note as winter is ushered in by a wine washed evening with the Saltire Society Read more »| 28 Nov 2014 -
Features
Owen Jones, Russell Brand and The Establishment
Owen Jones' appearance at Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair allowed The Skinny to engage with one of the UK's most vocal Left Wing firebrands and question his current celebrity endorsement as he questions the corrupt state of the nation. Read more »| 28 Nov 2014 -
Features
"Women rulers always have a bad press" – Jung Chang on China's notorious Express Cixi
Literary superstar Jung Chang educates The Skinny on Cixi and Mao, controversial parents of modern China and subjects of her past and present biographies Read more »| 28 Nov 2014 -
News
Book News: Moniack Mhor writing centre goes independent, Colin Barrett wins Guardian award
Highland writers’ retreat Moniack Mhor has unveiled its 2015 programme of events – its first as an independent entity – featuring a host of... Read more »| 27 Nov 2014