Posts Tagged ‘Bloody Scotland’
The Good Books, David Goodman: ‘It’s a shameful thing to admit for an English Literature graduate, but I couldn’t get through Ulysses’
David Goodman on not being able to get through Ulysses, how Iain Banks inspired him, and the books of his childhood. The first book I remember reading: If we’re talking children’s books, it’s probably Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, which I read dozens of times with my parents. But the first…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Claire Wilson: ‘I learned my craft reading Stephen King from an early age’
Claire Wilson on the books of her childhood and how Stephen King and Val McDermid inspired her writing. The first book I remember reading: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Maybe in primary three? My mum took me and my brothers to the library every weekend, where I then read everything he…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Marisa Haetzman: ‘Denise Mina is one of Scotland’s great writers, I’m looking forward to her next book’
Dr Marisa Haetzman is a former consultant anaesthetist and together with her husband Chris Brookmyre, she writes under the joint pen name Ambrose Parry. The pair will be appearing at Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival in Stirling 12-14 September. For tickets and further information go to www.bloodyscotland.com The first book I remember reading: I don’t…
Read MoreLife 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, 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 MoreShortlist announced for Bloody Scotland 2024 McIlvanney Prize
The shortlist for the 2024 McIlvanney Prize at Stirling’s crime writing festival has been revealed. The prestigious award, named in honour of the iconic late writer William McIlvanney, will be presented on 13 September – the opening night of Bloody Scotland. The shortlist includes Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre and Abir Mukherjee. D V Bishop and…
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, 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…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Suzy Aspley: ‘I curl up in the dark with a great book and read until I can’t keep my eyes open
Suzy Aspley has been shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize with her crime fiction novel, Crow Moon. The first book I remember reading: Three Ponies and Shannan, by Diana Pullein-Thompson. As a pony mad kid who pined for a horse of my own (which was totally out of reach growing up in a…
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