Books, Kelly Apter

The Great Gatsby enjoys a resurgence on stage and screen

F Scott Fitzgerald's novel is being adapted by both Baz Luhrmann and Northern Ballet

Not for nothing is F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel deemed one of the greatest books of all time. With descriptive text that often borders on the poetic, The Great Gatsby is a story to savour, not devour. At just over 160 pages, however, it’s as much…

Gemma Elwin Harris (ed) - Big Questions from Little People

A fun, factual compilation where kids' questions are answered by experts such as David Attenborough

As anyone who has ever read an academic textbook knows, finding the simplest, most straightforward explanation isn’t always at the top of the writer’s agenda. Yet who amongst us doesn’t appreciate an easily digestible answer to a complicated…

Hot 100 2012: 10-2

John Tiffany, Andy Murray and Luke Fowler among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 29-20

Chvrches, Cora Bissett and Grant Morrison among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 79-70

Dominic Hill, Ewan Morrison and LuckyMe among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Lemony Snicket - Who Could That Be at This Hour?

The author of A Series of Unfortunate Events launches his new series

It may be unwise to judge a book by its cover, but in this case at least, the title is a good indicator. The intrigue generated by those seven little words continues into the first chapter and pretty much every page onwards, until we reach the…

Howard Jacobson - Zoo Time

A black comedy themed around the death of publishing

There isn’t a single character in Howard Jacobson’s new novel that you would want to spend time with. None of them, from protagonist to bit-part player, has enough good qualities to render friendship an appealing prospect. Yet Zoo Time hooks you from…

Julia Donaldson, James Robertson (trans) - The Gruffalo in Scots

James Robertson's translation breathes fresh life into Julia Donaldson's story

Can there be a children’s bookshelf in the land that doesn’t hold a copy of The Gruffalo? Julia Donaldson’s picture book has been a perennial hit with pre-schoolers since it was first published in 1999, with new toddlers discovering it all the…

Sally Magnusson - Horace and the Haggis Hunter

The BBC newsreader teams up with husband Norman Stone to create illustrated children's story

Better known for reading the news on the BBC, Sally Magnusson has now turned her hand to writing children’s books – enlisting the help of husband Norman Stone for the illustrations. Resolutely Scottish, Horace and the Haggis Hunter brings to life our…

Martin Amis: Lionel Asbo

Controversial page-turner from the master novelist is a satire with heart

(Jonathan Cape) Lionel Asbo has produced considerable hot and botherment, due to Amis’ privately-educated finger-poking fun at the British working classes. In this case, it’s the kind for whom money is plentiful, but none of it obtained (to quote…

John Irving - In One Person

A fascinating and engaging novel set against the backdrop of gay culture in America

Write about what you know, we’re told, and John Irving is certainly a big subscriber to that particular maxim. For his 13th novel, Irving once again inhabits the worlds of New Hampshire (his birthplace) and wrestling (his preferred sport). Our…

Jo Nesbø - Phantom

A new, hard-hitting instalment of the Norwegian author's Harry Hole series

(Harvill Secker) Like all great fictional detectives, Harry Hole is always one step ahead. Not only of us, the reader, but those around him. Which, when you’re trying to solve a crime, is a definite bonus. Less so when it comes to affairs of the…

Johanna Skibsrud - This Will be Difficult to Explain and other stories

Short story collection fails to meet the medium's strict demands

(Heinemann) Time is not on the short story’s side. There are no leisurely chapters in which to manufacture a slow build to a devastating denouement; no space to take us on a character’s full-length journey. To succeed, therefore, a short story has to…

Edmund White - Jack Holmes and His Friend

A beautifully written tale of sex and male friendship

(Bloomsbury) Edmund White has never shied away from putting himself on the page, scribing autobiographical fiction and memoirs for over 30 years. Jack Holmes and His Friend is no exception. White attended boarding school in the American Midwest…

The Hot 100 2011: 100-50

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

100: Gordon Ferris. Kilmarnock crime author makes good. The already packed Scottish crime writing field has finally found a bit of elbow room for another burgeoning talent. Joining the likes of Rankin, Brookmyre, McDermid and co is this Ayrshire-born…

Hot 100 2011 - No. 49 to 1

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

The Hot 100 is the definitive list of Scottish creative talent. From fashion designers to performance artists, everyone who has made a sizeable splash in 2011 has a place in this countdown. It’s for people who’ve created a buzz, but it’s also about…

Michel Schneider - Marilyn’s Last Sessions: A Novel

Poorly structured fictional history of star's final sessions on the couch

(Canongate) By including the words ‘a novel’ in his title, Schneider has bought himself a rather enormous caveat. Namely that some aspects of this semi-biographical account of Marilyn Monroe and her psychoanalyst Ralph Greenson are true – others not.

Axel Scheffler (illus.) - The Gloomster

Julia Donaldson's favoured illustrator fails to justify the asking price of this slim poetry adap

(Faber) Any parents out there picking up this book would be forgiven for thinking it was some kind of Gruffalo sequel. Only this time, the central character is seeking therapy rather than a mouse. Translated by children’s author Julia Donaldson, and…

EIBF 2011: Christopher Brookmyre adopts subtle pseudonym for latest work - interview

Chris, not Christopher, for Where the Bodies are Buried

When Christopher Brookmyre has three syllables thrown at him, he knows he’s done something wrong. Despite his full first-name appearing on every book jacket since his debut novel in 1997, those around Brookmyre have called him Chris for years. ‘I tend…

Jo Nesbø

Crafty Oslo crime scribe brings us his fiendish ’tec

There are many ways to cause a fatality, and crime writers are renowned for finding the most imaginative route to the grave possible. But Norwegian author Jo Nesbø has really outdone himself in his latest novel The Leopard. His serial killer’s…

Christopher Brookmyre set for Edinburgh Book Festival appearance

Name-shifting Scottish scribe retains his trademarks

When Christopher Brookmyre has three syllables thrown at him, he knows he’s done something wrong. Despite his full first-name appearing on every book jacket since his debut novel in 1997, those around Brookmyre have called him Chris for years. ‘I tend…

But what books do children actually like?

Never mind publishers and literary critics, what are the readers' favourites?

Of course, stuffy literary critics shouldn't always have the final say. Kelly Apter finds out which authors actual children (including List critics' own) are getting excited about

Yrsa Sigurdardottir - The Day is Dark

Yet another new Stieg Larsson-eque, nordic crime novel

(Hodder & Stoughton) Just as Norwegian Jo Nesbø is busy being ‘the next Stieg Larsson’, Yrsa Sigurdardottir is apparently ‘Iceland’s answer to Stieg Larsson’. The late Swedish author could scarcely have predicted how posthumously helpful he would…

Christopher Brookmyre - Where the Bodies are Buried

Author introduces a new cast of characters for latest novel

Crime fiction thrives on familiarity. The same detectives dashing through the same shady streets to track down the latest stick in their craw. Christopher Brookmyre has given us a few charismatic serial characters over the years – the maverick…

Des Dillon's 'An Experiment in Compassion' is a painful and poignat look at alcoholism

(Luath) It takes one to know one, we’re told, and Des Dillon’s painfully honest account of living with alcoholism certainly seems to bear that out. It’s 20 years since the Coatbridge-born author stopped looking for solace in the bottom of a bottle…