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Feb 6, 20194 min read
*Beyond Good And Evil: A Review Of David Keenan’s For The Good Times…
*A version of this review first appeared on the Books From Scotland website. Head there & sign up to their newsletter to never miss an...


Feb 1, 20192 min read
Talking Books & Telling Stories: The Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Talks To David Keenan…
For the latest podcast Ali spoke to writer David Keenan about his latest novel For The Good Times. After the success of his previous book...


Jan 13, 20193 min read
Hearts & Minds: A Review Of Beerjacket’s Silver Cords…
It was an interesting development in Scottish writing that two of the most talked about books from the end of 2018 were published by...


Jan 3, 20191 min read
Telling Stories & Singing Songs : The Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Talks To Beerjacket…
Picture Credit: Robert Perry For the first podcast of 2019, Ali caught up with Peter Kelly, better known as singer/songwriter Beerjacket,...


Dec 31, 20183 min read
Scots Whay Hae!’s Alternative Hogmanay Night In, 2018…
Once again Montgomery Scott raises a glass to see out the old year and ring in the new and that means it’s time for Scots Whay Hae!’s...


Dec 20, 20183 min read
Not Waving But Drowning: A Review Of Christina Neuwirth’s Amphibian…
The workplace has long been a rich source of material for writers. A publishing house in Muriel Spark’s A Far Cry From Kensington, the...


Dec 17, 20182 min read
That Was The Year That Was: It’s The Best Of 2018 Podcasts – Part 1 (Books)…
For our Review of the year in Scottish writing and all things bookish Ali was once again joined by Booky Vikki herself, Publishing...


Dec 6, 20185 min read
The Good Word: Scots Whay Hae!’s 10 Best Books Of 2018 (+1)…
These are the publications which stood out against the stiffest competition in 2018, consisting of four new novels, three short fiction...


Nov 26, 20183 min read
Three Is The Magic Number: A Review Of Stuart Cosgrove’s Harlem ’69: The Future Of Soul&
Anyone who has read the previous books will know what to expect in terms of form. Cosgrove takes us through the year of 1969...


Nov 21, 20183 min read
Tales Of The Unexpected: A Review Of Andrew Crumey’s The Great Chain of Unbeing…
When is a book of short stories not a book of short stories? When it is written by Andrew Crumey. As those who have read his previous...


Nov 8, 20183 min read
Stranger Hings: A Review Of Chris McQueer’s HWFG…
As Harper Lee, The Stone Roses, or Sam Raimi will tell you (and that’s a dinner-party I’d like to attend), it’s not easy following up a...


Nov 5, 20182 min read
Man Of Letters: The Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Talks To Chris McQueer…
For SWH! podcast 101 Ali speaks to the writer Chris McQueer about his latest collection of short stories, HWFG. If you haven’t heard of...


Oct 31, 20183 min read
Heart of Darkness: A Review Of Liam McIlvanney’s The Quaker…
The city of Glasgow has a complex relationship with real crime, one which probably explains the popularity of crime fiction not only in...


Oct 23, 20183 min read
Begin Again: A Review Of Douglas Skelton’s The Janus Run…
As regulars to SWH! will know, crime-writer Douglas Skelton is one of our favourite novelists. He has been a guest on our podcast, and...


Oct 15, 20183 min read
Growing Pains: A Review Of Daniel Shand’s Crocodile…
There are few more difficult aspects for an adult writer to get right than the voice of a child. Often they are given speech patterns...


Sep 26, 20184 min read
Old Morality: A Review Of Charles E. McGarry’s The Shadow Of The Black Earl…
One of the most welcome literary surprises of last year was Charles E. McGarry’s novel The Ghost Of Helen Addison. It introduced the...


Sep 19, 20183 min read
Holiday From Hell: A Review Of Jonathan Whitelaw’s Hellcorp…
If it’s true that the Devil has all the best tunes, He (and it’s almost always a He) tends to get all the best films, plays and books as...


Sep 14, 20184 min read
An Indelible Event: A Review Of Donald S. Murray’s As The Women Lay Dreaming…
It’s a well-worn argument, but the lack of Scottish history taught in schools has undoubtedly had a negative affect on the Scottish...


Aug 27, 20184 min read
Take Two: A Review Of Kirstin Innes’ Fishnet…
If ever a novel deserved a long life it is Kirstin Innes‘ Fishnet. A winner of The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize, and one of The...


Aug 20, 20183 min read
Paint It Black: A Review Of Helen Taylor’s The Backstreets Of Purgatory…
I recently attended the Glasgow launch of Helen Taylor’s debut novel The Backstreets Of Purgatory. It was a fascinating and refreshingly...
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