Books
More than 100,000 people attended this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival
More than 100,000 people attended this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival, with ticket and book sales significantly up on previous years. Future Tense, the first Book Festival programme to unfold under new Director Jenny Niven, tackled topics including AI, the climate crisis, capitalism to the war in the Middle East, and migration. Legendary authors including…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Margaret McDonald: ‘Jackie Kay is my absolute idol’
Margaret McDonald on her love of The Hunger Games, her favourite books of the year so far, and falling in love with Jackie Kay. The first book I remember reading: Probably not the first books I ever read in my life, but it has to be Mates Dates by Cathy Hopkins. That entire series had me in…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Lydia Travers: ‘Agatha Christie and anyone from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction was an inspiration’
Lydia Travers on her love of historical novels, her favourite books of the year so far, and being inspired by Agatha Christie. The first book I remember reading: It would have been an Enid Blyton. She was hugely popular then. I can’t remember which was the first of hers I read, but I do…
Read MoreChildren’s book review: The Highland Cowgirl and The Great Auk’s Great Escape
Izzy Alexander takes a look at two new children’s picture books by debut author Louisa MacDougall. The Highland Cowgirl by Louisa MacDougall is a delightful and imaginative story designed for young readers (age three and above). This charming book combines the enchanting landscapes of Highland Scotland with the adventurous spirit of the Wild West,…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Daniel Aubrey: ‘I started writing crime fiction because of Harlan Coben. Damn, that man can write a plot twist’
Daniel Aubrey has been shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize with his crime fiction novel, Dark Island. The first book I remember reading: It was a book called Time Rope. I must have been about eight or nine at the time, and I was absolutely hooked. It was a trilogy, I think, but…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Heather Critchlow: ‘The moment I learnt to read still seems magical’
Heather Critchlow on learning to read as a child, reading until she falls asleep and the book she recommends to everyone. The first book I remember reading: Little Bear Stories – I still remember the first two lines (It is cold. Look at the snow.) Every morning when I was learning to read, I’d…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Helen Graham: I’ve read and loved all of Maggie O’Farrell novels, sometimes being moved to tears’
Helen Graham on being inspired by Maggie O’Farrell, her favourite books of the year, and her fascination with the world of plants and their healing properties. The first book I remember reading: I can still feel the heft of a hardback copy of Alice in Wonderland I was given when I was about six.…
Read MoreGlasgow comedian Billy Connolly to release new book this year
A new book by Billy Connolly featuring a collection of his artwork and stories will be released later this year. The Accidental Artist, published by John Murray Press, will be released on 24 October and will feature 200 of Connolly’s artworks alongside accompanying stories from the beloved comedian. Connolly’s three previous books with John Murray Press…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Allan Gaw: ‘I was forced to read Shane by Jack Schaeferto at school, to this day I still can’t abide westerns’
Allan Gaw has been shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize with his crime fiction novel, The Silent House of Sleep. The first book I remember reading: I remember it was hard backed and easy to hold, and it had come from the magical folding bookcase in our infant school classroom. There were words…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Martin Stewart: ‘Being a pre-screen child meant devouring words and language’
The former English teacher and lecturer on the comfort of reading non-fiction and his childhood love of Roald Dahl. The first book I remember reading: Spot the Dog, that feeling of Spot being famous, a recognised thing to which I was being given access. After that, reading independently came very naturally. Being a pre-screen child…
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