Books
Life With Linwood Barclay: ‘Sir Ian Rankin took me for a drink at The Oxford Bar, it was special’
Author Linwood Barclay on being take to The Oxford Bar with Ian Rankin, the books he always recommends and his time in Scotland. I was born in Darien, Connecticut, but my parents moved north to the suburbs of Toronto, in Canada, just before I turned four years old. And when it was time to…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Heather Darwent: ‘I will never tire of Donna Tartt, she’s my favourite writer’
Heather Darwent on her favourite book of the year, the novels she always recommends and reading to her son. The first book I remember reading: The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin. I loved the whole series – I couldn’t wait to be a babysitter. This was followed quickly by Sweet Valley High… A…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Andrew Meehan: ‘I don’t think I go a day without thinking about Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout’
Andrew Meehan on the influence of Elizabeth Strout, the book he’s most looking forward to this year, and how love in later life is complicated. The first book I remember reading: I’ll swerve Enid Blyton to tell the story of the time one of my older brothers, Niall, now a designer, bought one of the…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Mairi Kidd: ‘I didn’t finish Terry Pratchett’s last book, I couldn’t bear the thought there would be no more’
Author and Director of The Saltire Society Mairi Kidd on the best book she’s read this year, her childhood memories of reading and the authors who inspired her. The first book I remember reading: I remember reading a Topsy and Tim book in church – I imagine the idea was to keep me quiet.…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Eliza Chan: ‘Fantasy can mean so much more than what’s on the surface’
Eliza Chan on the best book she has read this year, why she could never finish Ulysses and her writing inspirations. The first book I remember reading: Probably not the first books I read, but I remember getting a set of children’s classics for Christmas when I was in primary school and they were…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Andrés N. Ordorica: ‘I have held onto The Wind in the Willows since I was a child, it’s a magical reading experience’
Andrés N. Ordorica on love, poetry and how James Baldwin continues to inspire him. The first book I remember reading: I don’t quite think it was the first book I read, but definitely one that has stayed with me from a young age: The Wind in the Willows. When I was quite young, my…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Gordon J. Brown: ‘Stephen King nearly got me fired from my job as a bar man because I couldn’t put his books down’
Founder of crime writing festival Bloody Scotland, Gordon J. Brown, talks about his love of Stephen King, why he could never finish Lord of the Rings, and the latest book from Denzil Meyrick after his death. The first book I remember reading: Although I read The Famous Five and The Secret Seven when I…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Rosie Walker: ‘I’m absolutely in awe of Taylor Jenkins Reid, her novels are incredibly well-researched’
Rosie Walker on her love of Taylor Jenkins Reid novels, the books she is most looking forward to this year, and what she read as a child. The first book I remember reading: My parents read a lot with me as a child and I loved books from a really young age. I remember…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Elissa Soave: ‘I am very lucky I grew up surrounded by books’
Elissa Soave on the book she always recommends, what she’s reading now, and the author who has inspired her. The first book I remember reading: I was very lucky that my mum was a reader so I grew up surrounded by books. I remember being particularly struck by Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree.…
Read MoreA day at Aberdeen’s crime writing festival Granite Noir
Granite Noir, Aberdeen’s literary festival, has wrapped up after another successful year bringing crime and creativity to the Granite City. Grant Dickie spent a day at the Music Hall events to find out just what was on offer. Literature at Lunchtime with C.J. Cooke I have been a fan of C.J. Cooke’s writing for…
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