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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FeaturesNicola White: Literary Prizefighter
Fending off competition from 350 other entrants, Nicola White's In the Rosary Garden is the winner of this year's Dundee International Book Prize. She discusses the road to success and the controversial themes of her novel Read more »| 28 Oct 2013 -
Book Reviews
In the Rosary Garden by Nicola White
Nicola White's debut novel begins with the shocking discovery of a dead baby in the grounds of a convent school in 1980s Ireland. From there we follow the st... Read more »| 25 Oct 2013 -
Book ReviewsPrayer by Philip Kerr
Contrasting human brutality with our ability to rationalise and understand the complexities of a life lived weaving amongst religious belief, Philip Kerr&r... Read more »| 22 Oct 2013 -
Book ReviewsBang Said the Gun
The Bang Said the Gun anthology has been described as a collection for 'people who don’t like poetry.' Indeed those unmoved by gushing sonnets, couplet... Read more »| 22 Oct 2013 -
Book ReviewsThe Vampyre Family by Andrew McConnell Stott
Halfway through the book, there's a quote from Samuel Johnson: ‘The best advice to authors would be, that they should keep out of the way of one anothe... Read more »| 22 Oct 2013 -
Book Reviews
The Eidolon by Libby McGugan
“You’re asking me to sabotage one of the greatest experiments in scientific history?” asks The Eidolon’s narrator, theoretical physic... Read more »| 22 Oct 2013
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Book Reviews
The Girl on The Ferryboat by Angus Peter Campbell
This is a novel evidently written by a poet – the descriptions of life on the Scottish islands are both vivid and beautifully crafted. The anecdotes Ca... Read more »| 22 Oct 2013 -
Book Reviews
Double Negative by Ivan Vladislavić
From a hilltop overlooking Johannesburg, Neville Lister and his photographer companion pick three rooftops at random and decide to pay the occupants a visit.... Read more »| 22 Oct 2013 -
Book Reviews
Personae by Sergio De La Pava
Postmodern to the core, Sergio De La Pava's Personae starts out telling the story of Detective Helen Tame – musical prodigy/polymathic essayist e... Read more »| 18 Oct 2013 -
Features
Hero Worship: Stephen King
Gothic Manchester festival co-organiser Dr Xavier Aldana Reyes tells The Skinny about Stephen King’s influence on his research and teaching Read more »| 09 Oct 2013 -
Book Reviews
Half the Kingdom by Lore Segal
In 1985, The New York Times declared that Lore Segal was "closer than anyone to writing the Great American Novel." Not only is this bewildering, it's harmful... Read more »| 04 Oct 2013 -
Features
Lemn Sissay: Calm Before the Storm
Tasked with writing a poem to mark the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech, Lemn Sissay reflects on his own relationship to home, history and the power of delivery Read more »| 04 Oct 2013 -
Book Reviews
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Comparisons to Margaret Atwood come as high praise and raise expectations, but it would be almost impossible to read Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites without... Read more »| 01 Oct 2013 -
Features
What's He Playing At? Michael Pedersen Explains Himself
Following the success of his first full collection, Play With Me, and the continued dominance and expansion of Neu! Reekie!, his monthly avant-garde poetry, music and film fusions, we ask Michael Pedersen where it all began Read more »| 01 Oct 2013 -
Book Reviews
Brand New Ancients by Kate Tempest
The transition from rapper and performance poet to page poet is not an easy one, but Kate Tempest has managed it with graceful ease. Brand New Ancients is th... Read more »| 30 Sep 2013