Books
The Good Books, Damian Barr: ‘James Baldwin’s voice is as urgent now as it ever was’
Damian Barr on reading for the Big Scottish Book Club, his love of Jackie Kay’s latest poetry and being inspired by James Baldwin. The first book I remember reading: The answer to this shifts – like so many memories. Beyond Peter and Jane…it would be a memory of being read to. At primary school,…
Read MoreTwo year waiting list to run Wigtown’s Open Book Airbnb as visitors from around the world flock to Scotland’s National Book Town
Since welcoming its first holidaymakers in August 2014, Wigtown’s charity-run Open Book Airbnb bookshop has become an international sensation. Over the years, nearly 450 guests have enjoyed the unusual experience of running their own bookshop in Scotland’s National Book Town, in the far west of rural Galloway. A map on the wall shows where Open…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Ali Millar: ‘I’ve tried and tried to get into Jane Austen, but I just can’t’
Ali Millar on her best books of the year, why she can’t get into Jane Austen and being inspired by Rachel Cusk. The first book I remember reading: I learnt to read very young, so I don’t remember reading specific books until I was about five. But I do remember my mother reading Jane…
Read MoreMore 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.…
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