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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FeaturesBest Friends Forever?: Sarvat Hasin on new novel Strange Girls
In Sarvat Hasin's beautiful friendship break-up book Strange Girls, the intimacies, co-dependencies, and queernesses of female friendship prompt a crisis Read more »| 09 Mar 2026 -
EventsScottish Books Events: March 2026
StAnza, St Andrews' poetry festival, returns this month while elsewhere there are book launches from Isabel Waidner, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah Read more »| 03 Mar 2026 -
Book ReviewsLean Cat, Savage Cat by Lauren J. Joseph
In Lauren J. Joseph's Lean Cat, Savage Cat, a charismatic Bowie-like figure appears in a woman's life, opening up questions around ambiguity, identity and desire Read more »| 24 Feb 2026 -
Book ReviewsSuckerfish by Ashani Lewis
Ashani Lewis' highly atmospheric novel Suckerfish explores the tangled relationships between mothers and daughters Read more »| 24 Feb 2026 -
FeaturesSophie Robinson on her debut novel Prairie Oyster
Acclaimed poet Sophie Robinson chats to us about her debut novel Prairie Oyster, and why poetry wasn't enough to tell this particular story Read more »| 19 Feb 2026 -
Book ReviewsMurder Bimbo by Rebecca Novak
In this thrilling yet uneven ride, a sex worker assassinates an extremist politician Read more »| 09 Feb 2026
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Book ReviewsThe Tower by Thea Lenarduzzi
In Thea Lenarduzzi's The Tower, two complex narratives mingle and diverge in an exploration of storytelling and trauma Read more »| 09 Feb 2026 -
NewsScottish Books Events: February 2026
There's a new zine festival in town (or Fife), with the launch of Fife Queer Zine Fest. Elsewhere, there's book launches in Edinburgh and collage and zine workshops in Glasgow Read more »| 03 Feb 2026 -
Book ReviewsGlyph by Ali Smith
In her latest novel, Ali Smith looks to the past to explore how and why we never seem to learn from historic mistakes Read more »| 26 Jan 2026 -
Book ReviewsApparitions by Margo Glantz
Originally published in the 1990s in Margo Glantz' native Mexico, her novel Apparitions is a heady, erotic exploration of the entanglement between sex, religion and art Read more »| 20 Jan 2026 -
FeaturesRoxy Dunn on her new novel Wants and Needs
This year, relying on relationships to fix us is out. We talk to author Roxy Dunn about her smart and sexy new novel Wants and Needs, and how we figure out who we are outside of our desire for love Read more »| 20 Jan 2026 -
Book ReviewsThe Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers
An affair mostly happens in a bored wife's mind in this interesting yet formally uninventive novel from Erin Somers Read more »| 12 Jan 2026 -
EventsScottish Books Events: January 2026
It's a quiet month for book events but there's still some big names – Ali Smith launches her latest novel Glyph, while Madeleine Gray, Bryan Washington and Tyler Coburn all hold launches too Read more »| 07 Jan 2026 -
Book ReviewsJackson Alone by Jose Ando
Despite a compelling premise, Jose Ando's workplace mystery lacks the clarity needed to fully satisfy Read more »| 05 Jan 2026 -
Book ReviewsAll Consuming by Ruby Tandoh
Ruby Tandoh returns with All Consuming, an investigation into how taste is formed Read more »| 09 Dec 2025