Edinburgh is go!

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Doug Johnstone

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The totally excellent Edinburgh International Book Festival just launched its thirtieth programme this morning. I couldn’t go to the launch, had to go to my daughter’s primary one induction. That’s me all over – writer? Dad? Juggle, juggle. La-dee-da.

Aaaanyway, great programme as always. Check it all out here. I’m thrilled to be appearing on Thursday 15th August with none other than Laura Lippman – wowzer!

One thing I noticed from the programme is that they’re working Ian Rankin hard, aren’t they? As well as two of his own events he’s interviewing Peter Hook, Tim Burgess, Margaret Atwood and Maj Sjowall, as well as taking part in a celebration of Iain Banks’s life and work. Which I’m gutted I’m going to miss, cos I’m going to be in Australia (more of which in another blog).

Anyhoo, hopefully see y’all in Charlotte Square!

Dx

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My review of The Quarry by Iain Banks

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Doug Johnstone

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For folks who might’ve missed it over the weekend, here’s my review in The Independent on Sunday of The Quarry, the latest (and last) novel by Iain Banks. As you’ll see from the review, I didn’t bother pretending to be objective. Iain has been a role model for me for a long time and he’ll be sorely missed.

Dx

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Faber & Faber, how come you are so good?*

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Doug Johnstone

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This is going to sound like total brown-nosing (ass-kissing to my American friends), but most of my favourite books of this year so far have been published by Faber & Faber. My publisher.

Seriously, here’s a list of fantastic novels:

Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway by Sara Gran
Tampa by Alissa Nutting
Graveland by Alan Glynn
Strange Bodies by Marcel Theroux
And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman
The Cry by Helen FitzGerald

You should definitely check them out. They are all FUCKING AMAZING.

And I have a pile of other Faber titles that I’m dying to get into as well. For the sake of balance, I should point out I’ve loved a few non-Faber books too, notably Ruth Ozeki and William McIlvanney (both Canongate) and the new John Niven, Straight White Male, published by William Heinemann. But generally, Faber are the dog’s bollocks.

That brown-nosy enough for you?

Dx
*Bonus point to anyone who spots the obscure Scottish football reference in the headline.

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A FREE Event at Clydebank Library on Wednesday

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Doug Johnstone

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Hey folks, been a wee while since I’ve gigged but I’m thrilled to say I have a FREE event at Clydebank Library on Wednesday 22nd May, kicking off at 7.30pm. It’s part of West Dunbartonshire Libraries’ Booked! Festival, and there are a few tickets left. Check out more details here. I’ll be reading from Gone Again and chatting and playing a few tunes if folk will let me.

Worth checking out the whole festival, cos the likes of Kerry Hudson, William McIlvanney and Tom Devine are all still to appear. Great stuff.

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William McIlvanney is a class act

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Doug Johnstone

I had the honour recently of hosting an event with the legendary William McIlvanney for his new publisher Canongate. Here’s an edited film of the evening. If you don’t know the great man or his work, check it out – you won’t be disappointed.

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I have been slack…

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Doug Johnstone

I have been slack about posting up the book reviews I’ve written in newspapers and magazines here, so here’s a wee round up of ones I’ve missed of late. I’ve written a lot more Big Issue reviews, but they’re slow at appearing online, so I’ve just linked to what’s there for now.

First up is The Serpent’s Promise by Steve Jones, which I reviewed for the Independent on Sunday. This was ‘the bible retold as science’, which I thought was a pretty stupid idea and made for an annoying book. Sorry.

Next is Frans de Waal’s The Bonobo and the Atheist, again in Indy on Sun, which was a fascinating look at the evolutionary roots of morality. I cockily began the review ‘As an atheist…’, as if anyone gives a fuck. Good book, though.

Fobbit by David Abrams next – an Iraq war satire, but one I didn’t really think worked – too broad, too kindly, not cutting enough. But what the hell do I know?

I really wanted to love Frank Bill’s Donnybrook, as I thought his debut story collection was amazing. I’m afraid I didn’t think the novel worked so well, as I felt it went over the top into cartoonishness. Ach.

Over at The Big Issue, I loved Emma Brockes’ She Left Me the Gun and Pippa Goldschmidt’s The Falling Sky – one a great memoir with the feel of a thriller, the other a thoughtful novel about love, loss and astronomy.

And finally, at The Herald, I really enjoyed Neil Shubin’s The Universe Within, a good piece of pop-science writing rounding up, you know, how we’re all made of stardust and that, man.

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Rise Up, People of Falkirk!

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Doug Johnstone

…and go to your local library on Hope Street, tomorrow, that’s Saturday 20th April, at 7pm! Myself and DENISE MINA are reading and chatting and in my case playing a song or two, and there’s refreshments and a book swap stall and a quiz and all sorts of other shenanigans, in a pre-World Book Night kind of way.

Sounds great, basically. Details are here. Look forward to seeing y’all there!

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Loads more reviews for GONE AGAIN

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Doug Johnstone

With one thing and another, I haven’t posted all these reviews of late. So here’s a very quick round-up. In summary, folk are still loving it!

Here’s John O’Connell in The Guardian declaring that the book has ‘elegant clarity’, of all things.

Here’s Rebecca Armstrong in the Independent on Sunday saying that I’m the anti-Lee Child – I hope she doesn’t just mean in terms of sales, eh?

Over at Loitering With Intent, Eva Dolan has a cheeky wee rave about the book, and comes to the conclusion that this book’s change of pace from previous outings is ‘hugely successful’. Thanks, missus!

At Manic Pop Thrills, I’m described as ‘the literary equivalent to Big Black’, which I fucking LOVE, by the way.

At Northwords, Paul Cockburn comes up with the lovely idea of a literary event horizon, inescapable for readers. I like that a lot, Paul.

Geekzine sees Roanna Branigan declaring the book an ‘out-of-control thriller’ – like a motherfucking runaway train, Roanna!

Over at Subtle Melodrama, Bethany decides that the book has ‘big themes, big heart’. Awww, I’m all about the heart, Bethany, cheers!

At Prosecco Bubble, Dawn Goodwin says Gone Again is just the kind of book she loves, and she highly recommends it – thanks Dawn, have a glass of bubbly on me!

And lastly, not a review as such, but the Independent included the book in its 50 Best Spring Reads. Good for them.

There were also, apparently, reviews in The Sunday Times and The Daily Mail, but I can’t find em online. Probably slagged it anyway, eh?

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Culture I consumed in March, a bit late

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Doug Johnstone

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Ach, bit late with this, sorry. Been a busy little motherfucker, though, you know, writing books, looking after the kids, going on holiday to a warm country, shit like that.

Soooo, anyway, below is a list of what I consumed in March. Didn’t read a single screenplay, which is shocking, but there you go. Was on deadlines, lots to review, holiday to plan and go on. Still no excuse.

Some of the books I read that weren’t for review were picked up from our hotel bookshelf and were fucking dreadful. I won’t say which.

The best things I read were Sara Gran’s Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway, which is out in July, and Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being. Both brilliant in very different ways.

For some unknown reason, all the movies I watched this month are ones I’d seen before.

Oh, I’ve also been watching Broadchurch on ITV which is fantastic. Best British crime drama I’ve seen in ages.

Crack on!

Books read for review
Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being
Paul Murdin, Are We Being Watched?
Aleksandar Hemon, The Book of My Lives
Frank Bill, Donnybrook
Emma Brockes, She Left Me the Gun
Pippa Goldschmidt, The Falling Sky

Books read not for review
Sara Gran, Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway
Laura Lippman, And When She was Good
Harlan Coben, The Final Detail
Stephen King, Gerald’s Game
Peter James, Perfect People
Michael Connolly, The Reversal

Films watched
The Happening
The Virgin Suicides
Thelma and Louise
Fight Club
Apocalypto
Sunshine

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The next book is GO!

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Doug Johnstone

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I’m delighted to announce that my next novel, THE DEAD BEAT, is to be published by Faber & Faber in the summer of 2014. I won’t give much away here, but it’s about a trainee obituary writer who gets involved in a lot of nastiness. The picture above is a clue. There’s a lot of death and grunge, not necessarily in that order.

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