illustration by Mitch Blunt
‘Metal up your ass’. Guess who’s catchphrase that was, Metallica or Alan McGee? Correct. Last month saw a couple of pretty interesting music tomes out, Birth School Metallica Death (Faber) by Paul Brannigan and Ian Winwood and Alan McGee’s autobiography, Creation Stories (Sidgwick & Jackson). Here’s what I thought of them.
Aye so, just about recovered from a hectic week last week. For those not in the know it was Book Week Scotland, put together by the brilliant team at the Scottish Book Trust, who organised thousands of events across the country to celebrate the culture of books in this country.
So I went from the high security Shotts Prison to a Morningside reading group of ladies-who-lunch. I’ll let you figure out which was the more intimidating of the two. I also did a handful of terrific library gigs and the whole thing was incredibly uplifting, which is not something I was expecting, if I’m honest. I’m generally not much of a joiner-in, but I did feel a sense of camaraderie and communal spirit through the week that really surprised me. Questions asked at events ranged from ‘are you rich?’ to ‘why don’t you write about football?’. Both interesting in their own ways.
It was pretty surreal seeing authors talking about books on Newsnight Scotland, as well as literature being the lead story on the Scottish news. I was delighted to see Trainspotting voted as the best book of the last fifty years. I don’t really believe in these kinds of lists and all this voting bollocks, but if any book should win that title it’s probably that one.
Elsewhere, my five-year-old daughter got a bag of books that she loves at a library visit on the Monday. She was excited to meet a real author on that trip. When I pointed out her dad was a real author, she said, “No, a real one, who writes books for children”. Fair enough.
Also, my son took part in a musical of Treasure Island at his school. Pretty sure that wasn’t part of Book Week Scotland, but it was fantastic anyway. The kids were clearly very enthused about the whole thing, and the story especially, and it was indicative of the general enthusiasm for storytelling that I felt throughout the week, both in person and online.
All that and a bunch of amazing murals were unveiled on various libraries around the country, including the one above by graffiti artist Rogue One at Buckhaven Library. So well done to the Scottish Book Trust for an amazing campaign, and to everyone who took part, helped out or came to an event.
Let’s do it again next year!
Dx
S. – a story within a story within a…
Bit behind at getting this up here, but here’s my review in the Independent on Sunday of S., conceived by JJ Abrams and written by Doug Dorst. This meta-fictional tome got a lot of press, and while it was undeniably impressive, I didn’t think it quiteadded up. Interesting, though, definitely!
Dx
Ooft. Book Week Scotland is NEXT WEEK, folks, and I’m doing a shitload of events and happenings. For a start there are three library events, namely:
Tuesday 26th November, Johnstone Library, 7.30pm
Wednesday 27th November, Dalmuir Library with Chris Brookmyre, 7.30pm
Thursday 28th November, Motherwell Library, 7pm
As well as that, I’m going to chat to a reading group in Edinburgh on Thursday and I’m doing an event in HMP Shotts, the high security prison, on Tuesday morning.
In amongst all this, maybe I’ll also manage to write some of my new novel, eh?
Hopefully see some of you out and about!
Dx
When my most recent novel, GONE AGAIN, was published in March, I know what you were thinking: ‘That trade paperback format is too big to fit in my pocket, Doug. And it’s a little too pricey, times are hard. If only there was a smaller, cheaper version of this amazing novel.’
Well now there is! GONE AGAIN is published today in mass market paperback format! It’s now about two-thirds of the size it was, and almost half the price. Oof! It also has a slightly different cover. Honest. The typeface is subtly changed, and the title is a different colour and everything.
Remember, this is the book that The Times, The Guardian and others went literally (not literally) nuts over. Megan Abbott and Ian Rankin said very kind things about it. My mum told me it was her favourite book of mine!
Faber are celebrating this momentous day by having buskers play Metallica songs all over London! Oh no, wait, that’s for the Metallica biography, Birth School Metallica Death, that they’re also publishing today. Which is excellent, by the way! ‘Bang that head that doesn’t bang’, and all that.
Aaanyway, GONE AGAIN is about a missing wife, and the relationship between the father and son left behind. ‘For fans of No Time for Goodbye, The Vanishing, and Tell No One,’ Faber say. If that sounds like your kind of thing, do please buy a copy from yer awesome local bookshop. Or from Faber here. Or if you’re so inclined, from Amazon here. The perfect Christmas gift for someone who likes harrowing domestic thrillers!
End of sales message.
Love y’all! Dx
illustration by Mitch Blunt
Here is my latest double-header book review in The Big Issue magazine, What Should We Tell Our Daughters? by Melissa Benn and Fighting On The Home Front by Kate Adie, both dealing with feminism, kind of, but coming at it from very different angles. Enjoy!
Dx
Oof, here’s a late contender for my favourite book of the year. I reviewed it over at the Independent on Sunday and it totally blew me away. I read it in one sitting on a plane and couldn’t believe how much Sallis managed to pack into just over 150 pages. You all should buy this book, seriously. Check out the review for more effusive praise.
illustration by Mitch Blunt
Here are my Big Issue reviews of David Vann’s Goat Mountain and Douglas Coupland’s Worst Person Ever, both published by William Heinemann. One I loved, the other not so much. Find out which was which by clicking.
Linlithgow Palace. Note: this may not be the actual venue
I’m well chuffed to be appearing at the Linlithgow Book Festival this weekend as part of their Night in the Gutter event, in conjunction with Gutter magazine. Details of all events at the festival are here, and this event is on Saturday evening at 7.30pm, alongside Kona Macphee, Patricia Ace and Andrew Philip. Not sure what I’m gonna do yet, mibbes a short story or two, mibbes a bit of a novel. Why not come along and find out?
Dx
illustration by Mitch Blunt
Here is my latest piece of blether in The Big Issue’s books section, this time reviewing the rather excellent Songs in the Key of Fife (Polygon) by Vic Galloway and The KLF (Phoenix) by John Higgs. A couple of cracking music books from out of leftfield for yer perusal.
Doug Johnstone 