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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Book ReviewsDocherty by William McIllvanney
The story of Ayrshire miner Docherty covers three generations, telling the story of how Tam Docherty came to be the giant of his local community; a kind of de facto leader, and his subsequent fall from grace Read more »| 31 Jan 2014 -
Book Reviews
The Insufferable Gaucho by Roberto Bolaño
Though one of the most esteemed Latin American writers of his generation, Roberto Bolaño's reputation in the English-speaking world is sustained by tr... Read more »| 31 Jan 2014 -
Book Reviews
Winter's Tales
With most 'graphic novels,' despite the term, barely boasting the page-count of a short story or novella, it’s welcoming to immerse yourself in these t... Read more »| 31 Jan 2014 -
Book ReviewsOther People's Countries by Patrick McGuinness
A memoir from a Belgian backwater doesn't sound promising. And the contents page, listing titles like 'Boxes' and 'My Suits,' does little to counteract the a... Read more »| 30 Jan 2014 -
Book ReviewsVicious by V.E. Schwab
Eli and Victor are straight-A students and best friends until they decide to investigate the existence of EOs (ExtraOrdinaries – people with superhuman... Read more »| 27 Jan 2014 -
News
Call for entries: Dundee International Book Prize
The Dundee International Book Prize has the honour of being the biggest cash prize available for unpublished authors. Entries from aspiring novelists are now requested for this year's competition Read more »| 21 Jan 2014
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FeaturesPutting Short Fiction on the Map: Comma's Gimbal App
A new app from Comma Press takes short stories and integrates them with detailed maps, allowing readers to explore unfolding narratives in real cities. Your commute just got interesting Read more »| 20 Jan 2014 -
News
Glastonbury Festival: Call-out for poets and spoken word artists
Glastonbury Festival (25-29 June) has had a strong presence for spoken word performers, poets, live literature performers and storytellers in past years, curated on the Poetry&Words stage, and 2014's festival will be no exception. Submissions are open now Read more »| 17 Jan 2014 -
News
Winners of the 2014 New Writers Award from Scottish Book Trust announced
Each year, the Scottish Book Trust offers a £2000 grant and a tailored package of mentorship and guidance to a new group of emerging Scottish writers, under the New Writers Award scheme. This year's winners were announced today Read more »| 14 Jan 2014 -
News
Bruce Sterling & Jon Lebkowsky on the future of media and the death of poetry
Discussion about the future of the media, the publishing industries, and journalism took place yesterday over at The Well, with some fascinating commentary from SF writer Bruce Sterling, and technology expert Jon Lebkowsky Read more »| 14 Jan 2014 -
News
RIP Amiri Baraka, founder of the Black Arts Movement
A poet, novelist, activist and founding father of the Black Arts Movement, Amiri Baraka passed away yesterday at the age of 79 Read more »| 10 Jan 2014 -
Features
Emoji Dick: The Medium is the Multitude
A man has hired a team of over eight hundred people to translate Moby Dick into emojis. Finally! Read more »| 09 Jan 2014 -
News
Costa Book of the Year Award: Category winners announced
The winners of this year's categories in the Costa Book of the Year Awards have been announced, with Kate Atkinson taking home the Novel Award prize for her eighth book, Life After Life Read more »| 06 Jan 2014 -
Book Reviews
The Telling Room: A Tale of Passion, Revenge and the World’s Finest Cheese by Michael Paterniti
For anyone who thinks their attention cannot be held by a book about cheese, think again: The Telling Room is a work of literary non-fiction that is simultan... Read more »| 06 Jan 2014 -
Book Reviews
Asterix and the Picts
The first original Asterix book to be completed by an all new creative team marks a key moment in the series’ history. Will Didier Conrad and Jean-Yves... Read more »| 06 Jan 2014