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 ReviewsNymph by Sofia Montrone
An idyllic childhood is shattered in Sofia Montrone's languid, queered coming-of-age tale set in the Italian mountains Read more »| 01 Jun 2026 -
EventsScottish Books Events: June 2026
Book launches, zine making and a fantasy and sci-fi festival are here to meet all your literary needs this month Read more »| 29 May 2026 -
Book ReviewsWimmy Road Boyz by Sufiyaan Salam
Sufiyaan Salam's debut novel is an unflinching, if somewhat unfocused, exploration of modern day masculinity Read more »| 26 May 2026 -
Book ReviewsWaiting On A Friend by Natalie Adler
As 1984 New York is devastated by AIDS, one woman sees the ghosts of the dead in this moving and warm queer fable on grief and community Read more »| 20 May 2026 -
FeaturesSamar Yazbek on Your Presence Is a Danger to Your Life: Voices From Gaza
We speak to Syrian journalist Samar Yazbek about her latest book, a collection of testimonials from Gazans living under genocide Read more »| 12 May 2026 -
Book ReviewsThe Colony by Christiana Spens
A woman heads to a commune on a remote Scottish island in this skewering of the wellness industry and how we grapple with our past traumas Read more »| 07 May 2026
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Book ReviewsOffseason by Avigayl Sharp
Avigayl Sharp explores the bleakly comic millennial urge to self-diagnose in this wickedly abrasive debut novel Read more »| 04 May 2026 -
EventsScottish Books Events: May 2026
Two big book festivals hit Scotland this month, while a bunch of launches and readings happen in bookshops across the country Read more »| 01 May 2026 -
Book ReviewsInto the Wreck by Susannah Dickey
Susannah Dickey's novel Into the Wreck explores the aftermath of a man's death through his remaining family members Read more »| 07 Apr 2026 -
Book ReviewsOn the Bus Without a Phone by Babak Ganjei
Visual artist Babak Ganjei brings out an idiosyncratic novella of everyday, low-level dread Read more »| 02 Apr 2026 -
EventsScottish Books Events: April 2026
First Date, Edinburgh's romance book festival, returns at the end of the month. Elsewhere, Polly Barton launches her debut novel and there's a poetry open mic at Glasgow Zine Library Read more »| 31 Mar 2026 -
Book ReviewsOctober by Nur Turkmani
Across multiple Octobers, Lebanese poet Nur Turkmani explores ideas of memory, love and transformation Read more »| 30 Mar 2026 -
Book ReviewsMy Lover, The Rabbi by Wayne Koestenbaum
Cult gay poet and writer Wayne Koestenbaum finally gets a UK release with his latest book, My Lover, The Rabbi Read more »| 27 Mar 2026 -
Book ReviewsThe Delusions by Jenni Fagan
Jenni Fagan's intensely humanist novel explores the administrative structures of the afterlife Read more »| 13 Mar 2026 -
Book ReviewsMirrorstage by Peter Scalpello
Poet Peter Scalpello turns his hand to prose in this psychedelic exploration of queerness and addiction Read more »| 12 Mar 2026