Wednesday 9 December 2009

"It Took Them A While Because They Ran Out Of Breath"

Shocking figures as one in five Scottish children leave primary school with literacy problems. And is it any wonder, when you have Scottish politicians who think like this.

The Independent reviews Catriona McPherson's DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS.

The List, with its best of a decade in Scottish culture and best of a decade in books. And The Times, with its crime fiction Christmas books.

The Telegraph in conversation with Alexander McCall Smith. And he's appearing at the Essex Book Festival next year.

Iain Banks at Edinburgh Central Library on December 16th.

An interview with Campbell Armstrong.

And finally, for those (hiya Mum!) who poo-poo the idea that two septuagenarian ex-hookers could mastermind a heist (the premise of OLD DOGS), here's proof that it may not be such an outlandish idea.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the link to the Campbell Armstrong interview. I hadn't thought about him in ages, even though I tore through his Frank Pagan novels years ago. I'd still rank JIG as one of the best thrillers of the 1980s.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the comment - that's high praise Vince. He does fly somewhat under the radar.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's because your parents don't want you to immediately point the police in their direction when it's done. Give them some credit!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am getting rather concerned - first my dad knows all about poison, then he answers a question about gus for me (I know, I know - what am I doing asking my dad about guns in the first place?) and now this...

    ReplyDelete