Posts Tagged ‘The Good Books’
The Good Books, Callum McSorley: ‘Louise Welsh is a great inspiration to me’
Callum McSorley on the books of his childhood, why he always recommends Neuromancer and being inspired by Louise Welsh. The first book I remember reading: I remember reading Keith Brumpton’s two Rudley Cabot books over and over – a pair of short graphic novels about an explorer rabbit. And The Headless Ghost, one of…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Denzil Meyrick: ‘They say the purpose of fiction is to remove the reader to another place’
Denzil Meyrick on his memories of being read Treasure Island by his grandmother, his favourite three books of the year so far, and being inspired by the the late Angus MacVicar. The first book I remember reading: The first book I remember was Treasure Island, read to me by my grandmother, Margaret McMillan. I…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Caroline Eden: ‘My favourite place to read is on a quiet train, going anywhere’
Caroline Eden finds comfort away from the road in her basement Edinburgh kitchen. In her latest book she cooks recipes from her travels, reflects on past adventures and contemplates the kitchen’s ability to tell human stories. The first book I remember reading: As soon as I was old enough to read on my own…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Marion Todd: ‘Wuthering Heights is entirely miserable, I just didn’t care what happened to the characters’
Marion Todd on being inspired to write crime fiction by Kate Atkinson, why she always recommends Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and her best three books of the year. The first book I remember reading: The Little Red Hen – a Ladybird book. I still have my dog-eared copy and it’s like an old friend.…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Jenni Daiches: ‘Books have been my companions from earliest memory’
Jenni Daiches on books being her eariest companions, listening to audio books during a period of near blindness, and why she loves Elizabeth Strout and Hilary Mantell. The first book I remember reading: Books have been my companions from earliest memory. I’m not sure how old I was when I read The Little Reindeer…
Read MoreThe Good Books, JD Kirk: ‘If a book hasn’t grabbed me by 100 pages, I ditch it’
Barry Hutchison, aka JD Kirk, on falling in love with Terry Pratchett’s work aged 11, being inspired by Neil Gaiman and why he ditches a book if he’s not grabbed after 100 pages. The first book I remember reading: Wagstaffe the Wind-Up Boy by Jan Needle. I had mostly read comics until that point,…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Alison Murray: ‘I keep trying to read in bed but it doesn’t work for me, I just fall asleep’
Children’s author Alison Murray on falling in love with dogs after reading A Hundred and One Dalmatians, her passion for essays and why she can’t read in bed. The first book I remember reading: A very scarily illustrated compendium of fairy stories that was read to me at bedtime and would give me nightmares.…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Mike Billett: ‘As a child I loved reading books about animals’
Whisky connoisseur, Mike Billett on reading at The National Library of Scotland, growing up on Winnie The Pooh and why Moby-Dick is a book that has ‘everything’. The first book I remember reading: As a child I loved reading books about animals, and surely the first was Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne. A chilled-out bear…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Sara Sheridan: ‘The trick is finding books that engage your brain. A good book is a brain workout’
Sara Sheridan on being inspired by Alasdair Gray, reading Wuthering Heights at just ten-years-old and why Lord Byron wasn’t a ‘romantic’. The first book I remember reading: I have little memory of my early childhood. I know I learned to read using the Janet and John books but I can’t remember the experience. However,…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Andrew O’Hagan: ‘When I was eight I discovered Peter Pan – and was thunderstruck’
The Booker Prize nominated author on becoming engrossed in the King James Bible as a child, why he always recommends The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and his perfect seafront spot in Largs for reading. Â Â The first book I remember reading: When I was very small I used to read…
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