CommonSpace book reviewer Chiara Bullen talks to Scottish fiction writer Ross Sayers about his new book Sonny and Me, and why he thinks “the more we see Scots in books the better”

WITH a glorious, rainbow slushie on the cover of Ross Sayers’ latest book Sonny and Me, this smasher is sure to brighten up the typical dreary Scottish summer. Picking up the Scottish Book Trust’s ‘Book of the Month’ in June, Sonny and Me is a Young Adult (YA) tale about two boys who discover a murder mystery at their Stirling high school – and it’s absolutely class. 

Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from 10-26 August

Chiara Bullen’s February edition of BookSpace reviews some of the latest Scottish literary productions

SPRING is in the air, the days are getting longer, and with the sense of new beginnings comes the desire for plenty of new books (at least for me, anyway). This month sees the publishing world come out of a January slumber; it’s the perfect time to try something new and read out of your comfort zone, which I hope you’ll find in the selection below.

Stroke: 5% chance of survival, Ricky Monahan-Brown

Chiara Bullen’s January edition of BookSpace reviews some of the latest Scottish literary productions

WITH the new year came a flurry of tidying, clear-outs and an evaluation of what sparks joy in our homes thanks to Marie Kondo’s ‘Tidying Up’. However, the book-world demonstrated a backlash against Kondo’s mere suggestion that one should only keep thirty books on the shelves to reduce clutter. Whether or not the books featured in this month’s column spark joy, they’ll definitely spark something upon reading that’s guaranteed to keep the January Blues at bay.