To celebrate the start of Book Week, we ask Scotland’s big names for their best reads…
FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon last week revealed her favourite book of the year – The Heart’s Invisible Furies, by Irish author John Boyne.
She said the novel, about an adopted boy growing up in 1940s Ireland, was more than just the story of one man.
“The novel begins in 1945, and ends just as Ireland votes to legalise gay marriage – a country making peace with its past,” she said.
“It is a beautifully written epic and will make you laugh and cry in equal measure.”
Over the past decade we’ve seen Kindle devices compete with the old-fashioned physical book.
But it’s not the only way our reading habits have changed, according to Waterstones.
Angie Crawford is the Scottish buying manager for the giant book retailer.
“Over the last decade, we’ve seen different trends – ten years ago misery memoirs were all the rage, we loved a good celeb biography and football memoir,” she explained.
“Now these may take more of a back seat as we curl up with crime fiction.
“In the Scottish market we have seen the growth of detective fiction with big names such as Ian Rankin, Peter May and Val McDermid.”
And although electronic devices were widely predicted to be the death knell for paper books, Angie reckons physical copies will continue to sell.
“Electronic reading has its place and can be a convenience for readers packing for their summer holidays but our infatuation with e-reading has plateaued,” said Angie. “Nothing can beat getting your physical book signed by the author. Our experience is that readers use a combination of both but the physical book wins!”
Tomorrow is the start of Book Week Scotland and to mark it we asked writers and celebrities to tell us their favourite novels.
