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 ReviewsGirling by Eve Esfandiari-Denney
Eve Esfandiari-Denney's poetry collection girling uses girlhood to interrogate the shifting landscape of modernity Read more »| 03 Sep 2026 -
FeaturesColin Bramwell on his debut poetry collection Fetch
We speak with Highland-born poet Colin Bramwell about his debut collection Fetch and the unexpected influence of folklore in his work Read more »| 03 Sep 2026 -
Book ReviewsBig Man by Dean Atta
Known for his YA fiction and poetry, Dean Atta makes his adult debut with a moving and intimate tale of love and identity Read more »| 03 Sep 2026 -
Book ReviewsThe Castle by Jon Ronson
An architectural oddity prompts a new mystery from Jon Ronson, taking him into America’s drifting men Read more »| 31 Aug 2026 -
Book ReviewsLife of M by Rachel Cusk
Beginning with the observations of fame, Rachel Cusk's anticipated Life of M becomes an inquiry into reality and representation Read more »| 25 Aug 2026 -
Book ReviewsThe Sleep Thief by Ibtisam Azem
In her first novel, now available in English after her International Booker Prize nomination, a young Palestinian man undergoes a dreamlike experience of interrogation Read more »| 25 Aug 2026
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FeaturesAmy Abdelnoor on her debut novel Ever Land
Ahead of her appearance at this year's Book Fringe, Amy Abdelnoor introduces her debut novel Ever Land, a haunting ghost story set in Palestine Read more »| 20 Aug 2026 -
FeaturesLucia Odoom on her novella Cosmos
We speak to Ghanaian-Danish writer Lucia Odoom about her novella Cosmos, and how the contemporary epistolary form can allow for an interrogation of belonging and intimacy Read more »| 13 Aug 2026 -
Book ReviewsShorelines by Alycia Pirmohamed
Poet Alycia Pirmohamed turns to prose in her debut nonfiction book, an exquisite memoir that resists the demands of the genre Read more »| 11 Aug 2026 -
Book ReviewsBury Your Dead by Ana Paula Maia
Ana Paula Maia's follow up to Of Cattle and Men is another taut and grotesque investigation of violence Read more »| 11 Aug 2026 -
FestivalsLoud and Proud: Celebrating ten years of 404 Ink
After a decade of publishing, the duo behind one of Scotland's most seminal indie presses, 404 Ink, look back at an impressive career and legacy Read more »| 07 Aug 2026 -
FeaturesBeth Frieden on Gaelic poetry and new pamphlet Acair san Talamh
We chat with Beth Frieden, a Glasgow-based poet and New Scottish Writers Award winner for Gaelic Poetry in 2021, about her debut pamphlet, Acair san Talamh, ahead of her appearance at Govanhill Book Festival Read more »| 05 Aug 2026 -
EventsScottish Books Events: August 2026
Edinburgh Book Festival returns this August, and it's joined by the Book Fringe and Govanhill Book Festival Read more »| 03 Aug 2026 -
Book ReviewsNo God But Us by Bobuq Sayed
A delicate two-hander following a pair of queer refugees who meet in Istanbul, Bobuq Sayed's debut novel embraces queerness in all its complexity Read more »| 27 Jul 2026 -
Book ReviewsFour Terrible Parents by Calla Henkel
Two chaotic couples move back to their hometown and attempt to raise a family in this witty and incisive exploration of modern relationships Read more »| 27 Jul 2026