Bob’s Top 10 Picks
As Aye Write! gets under way, programmer Bob McDevitt looks ahead to some of the highlights for Aye Write! 2017
1.Helen Fields - Perfect Remains
Appearing with Daniel Cole (Chris Brookmyre introduces…) – Thursday 9th March at 6pm
I’ve just finished this absolute corker of a debut crime novel. It introduces us to Luc Callanach – a handsome, half French, half Scottish detective re-located from Interpol to Police Scotland. His first case begins with the grisly discovery of a burned body on a remote site in the Cairngorms. What follows is a brilliantly plotted start to what I hope will be a long series.
2. Tim Burgess – Tim Book Two
Friday 17 March at 19:45pm
I was a big fan of Tim’s band The Charlatans throughout the 1990s and 2000s and always found him to be an intelligent and charismatic frontman. This second book from Tim seems to me to be very well timed with the resurgence in popularity of vinyl and consequent renaissance in independent record shops (Monorail Records in Glasgow is one of Tim’s favourites).
3. Andrew Hankinson - You Could Do Something Amazing with Your Life [You Are Raoul Moat]
Appearing with Minoo Dinshaw on Saturday 11 March at 16:45pm
I’m reading this absolutely extraordinary biography (although that’s not quite the right term) of Raoul Moat. The book uses Moat’s own words to give you an unprecedented glimpse into a mind that although on the edge of doing terrible things, is still full of humanity. It’s a real eye-opener of a book.
4. AL Kennedy – Serious Sweet
Sunday 12 March at 20:15pm
One of my favourite Scottish novelists and always tremendously good value at festival events, this latest novel from AL Kennedy saw her on the Booker longlist (a prize that will surely come her way one day) and riding high in the best-seller lists.
5. Sir Vince Cable – After the Storm
Sunday 12 March at 6:30pm
I saw Vince Cable talk about this book at last year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival and I was struck not only by how sensible his analysis of the 2008 crash and the consequences of it that we are still living with is, but also how courageous he is in being unafraid to say unpopular things.
6. Mark Stevenson – We Do Things Differently
Saturday 11 March at 13:15pm
One of the things I look forward to at Aye Write most are the science writers. Mark’s book is a brilliant look at people around the world who are attempting to solve the planet’s most pressing problems (energy, healthcare, education) by innovative means. It’s a VERY much needed shot of optimism in these troubling times.
7. Miranda Sawyer – Out of Time
Sunday 12 March at 20:15pm
I remember Miranda Sawyer from her time writing for the swingorilliant Smash Hits! And so it’s rather depressing to see that she’s coming to the festival with a book about middle age. It comes to us all though, and it’s great to have as frank and funny a voice as Miranda’s to guide us through it.
8. John Byrne – The Books That Made Me
Friday 10 March at 6pm
In my first year at University I joined the drama society and the first play we put on was Cuttin’ a Rug by John Byrne (currently being revived at the Citizens Theatre). He’s been a hero of mine ever since and I’m so looking forward to meeting the great man and getting to hear about the books that have shaped him.
9. Rory Gleeson – Rockadoon Shore
Appearing with EM Reapy (Peggy Hughes introduces) - Thursday 10 March at 6pm
Rory’s father is the much loved Irish actor Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges and Calvary), his brother is Domhall Gleeson, also an actor (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Revenant) and his mum was an English teacher so it should be no surprise that his debut novel is strong on character, humour and place (the west coast of Ireland).
10. The Great Scottish Books Quiz
Sunday 19 March at 20:15pm
We’ll be closing the festival with a new session this year – a Great Scottish Books Quiz. I’m looking forward to what I hope will be an entertaining battle of wits chaired by the BBC’s Theresa Tallbot and featuring two teams made up of novelists, journalists, historians, crime writers and children’s writers including Sue Lawrence, Matt Bendoris, Chris Dolan and Chitra Ramaswamy.
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