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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EventsScottish International Storytelling Festival: 5 events to catch
The Scottish International Storytelling Festival returns this month – we pick out five highlights, from workshops to exhibitions, the Medieval to the modern day Read more »| 14 Oct 2026 -
ArtThe Skinny: Back from the Brink
With The Skinny almost closing last month, it got people in our community talking about the health and significance of local arts journalism. We speak to some of the organisations that had incisive things to say on the subject Read more »| 13 Oct 2026 -
Book ReviewsExit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
Emily St. John Mandel's latest novel blends sci-fi with creeping dystopia to enormous effect Read more »| 07 Oct 2026 -
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
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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 -
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