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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FestivalsHypnagogic Hip: The Work of Haruki Murakami
As Haruki Murakami, aka Japan's greatest living author, travels west to Edinburgh International Book Festival, The Skinny takes a look at this reticent genius whose work often sits in that surreal landscape between dreams and reality Read more »| 11 Aug 2014 -
FestivalsTake a Long Hard Look at your Shelf: Rachel McCrum
Rachel McCrum of Rally & Broad, the Edinburgh cabaret of words, music and lyrical delights, will toast the finale of Jura Unbound on 25 Aug Read more »| 08 Aug 2014 -
FestivalsThe Lives in Letters: An Interview with Shaun Usher and Simon Garfield
The lost art of letter writing will brought to life at Edinburgh International Book Festival by Simon Garfield, Shaun Usher and a host of performing friends at their event, Letters Live Read more »| 06 Aug 2014 -
Book Reviews
The Table of Less Valued Knights by Marie Phillips
Everyone’s heard of the Knights of the Round Table, but tucked away in the draughtiest corner of Camelot’s hall is the rarely-mentioned Table of ... Read more »| 06 Aug 2014 -
Festivals
Shattering the Myth: Gruff Rhys on his American adventure
Gruff Rhys talks about setting the story straight on John Evans, a legendary 18th-century Welsh explorer and political radical, in his new multimedia project American Interior. He'll speak about his own adventures at Edinburgh Book Festival this month Read more »| 06 Aug 2014 -
FestivalsTake a Long Hard Look at Your Shelf: Anneliese Mackintosh
Anneliese Mackintosh, author of the wonderful début story collection Any Other Mouth, performs on 13 August with Vic Galloway & Friends at Jura Unbound. Read more »| 06 Aug 2014
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Festivals
The Moth: Drawn to the Flame
As The Moth spread their wings and head for Edinburgh, The Skinny speaks to both founder George Dawes Green and director Catherine Burns to hear of the origin, not only of their storytelling phenomenon, but of storytelling itself Read more »| 05 Aug 2014 -
Events
The Saltire Speakeasy comes to the Fringe
As the Saltire Society enters the Fringe with its Saltire Speakeasy series of events from 4-7 Aug, The Skinny takes a look at a diverse and international lineup of poetry, music and spoken word Read more »| 04 Aug 2014 -
Book Reviews
The Moth: This is a True Story edited by Catherine Burns
Taken from the US phenomenon that consists of a single person, standing on a lit stage, telling a true story from their life, these are brave and revealing m... Read more »| 04 Aug 2014 -
Book Reviews
What Ends by Andrew Ladd
In his debut novel, Andrew Ladd explores what ends when an island community disintegrates. Set on East Fior, a fictional but no less Hebridean isle, the narr... Read more »| 01 Aug 2014 -
Book Reviews
The Book of Gaza: A City in Short Fiction Edited by Atef Abu Saif
Here is the latest in Comma Press’s The Book of… series, a cycle that’s taken in cities as geographically and culturally disparate as Toky... Read more »| 01 Aug 2014 -
Festivals
Take a Long Hard Look at Your Shelf: Aidan Moffat
Musician, poet and storyteller Aidan Moffat tells us what's on his shelf ahead of his performance at the Neu! Reekie! event during Jura Unbound on 14 Aug Read more »| 31 Jul 2014 -
Features
Mark Z. Danielewski – Paper at the Cutting Edge of Fiction
Visionary writer Mark Z. Danielewski on stitching narrative threads, the joy of collaboration, why you'll never read an e-book of his work, and the loneliness of the young novelist Read more »| 10 Jul 2014 -
Festivals
Hero's Return: James Yorkston
James Yorkston is becoming something of a fixture in the Jura Unbound programme. Fife’s finest takes up residence for the Edinburgh launch of his new a... Read more »| 03 Jul 2014 -
Festivals
Unbound 2014: What's On
Unbound, at a glance Read more »| 03 Jul 2014