Nothing Ever Happens by Nouele P. St John book review

Nothing Ever Happens by Nouele P. St John, reviewed by local councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes Nothing Ever Happens by Nouele P. St John is the most recent novel published in Renfrewshire’s growing noir scene, and it’s a cracker. Jenny Winters spends her days working in the Glasgow Airport Security Vetting Team, a job she likes,... Read More

Muckle Flugga by Michael Pedersen book review

Muckle Flugga by Michael Pedersen reviewed by local councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes Muckle Flugga, the first novel from award-winning Scottish poet Michael Pedersen, draws you in from its first line. Named for the second most northerly island in Scotland, it captures the life of its sole inhabitants, the recently widowed lighthouse keeper known as The... Read More

How To Kill a Witch by Dr Claire Mitchell QC and Dr Zoe Ventidozzi

How to Kill a Witch: A Guide for the Patriarchy by Claire Mitchell and Zoe Ventidozzi, reviewed by Lisa-Marie Hughes How To Kill a Witch is the debut book by Witches of Scotland’s Dr Claire Mitchell QC and Dr Zoe Ventidozzi, whose campaign lead to the then First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, offering a public... Read More

The Christopher Priest Collection at Abbey Books Paisley

Every book collection tells a story, and none more so than that of Christopher Priest, as Brian Hannan of Abbey Books has discovered It’s taken us the best part of a year to open all the 50 boxes containing about 2,000 books that were donated by the widow of novelist Christopher Priest who lived... Read More

Lads: Alan Bissett’s guide to respect and consent

Acclaimed Lochwinnoch-based writer Alan Bissett takes us inside the creation and conception of Lads: A Guide to Respect and Consent for Teenage Boys and outlines the “man-to-man conversations” that are soon to hit Renfrewshire’s high schools In 2022, I was one of the writers who worked on a script for a Police Scotland video... Read More

Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan book review

Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan, reviewed by local councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes Caledonian Road, penned by three times Booker Prize-nominated Andrew O’Hagan, is a literary giant destined to become a classic.  Campbell Flynn is a middle-aged celebrity commentator and art historian. Coming from humble beginnings in Glasgow, he rises to the upper echelons of the... Read More

Abbey Books celebrates 40 years in Paisley

The beloved Abbey Books is still going strong four decades into its existence, we find out more from shop manager Brian Hannan The phrase hidden gem is bandied about a lot in popular culture. It can be applicable to anything from a deep cut on a record to a little eatery that’s flown under... Read More

Mill Memories edited by Evelyn Hood book review

Brian Hannan, local author and manager of Abbey Books in Paisley, reviews Mill Memories by Evelyn Hood After two decades out of print, the acclaimed book by recently-deceased Paisley bestselling author Evelyn Hood has been re-published (and at exactly the same price of £9.99 as before and in an identical format). In anticipation of... Read More

The Wager by David Grann book review

Brian Hannan, local author and manager of Abbey Books in Paisley, reviews The Wager by David Grann Just out in paperback The Wager is the latest book by the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, recently filmed by Martin Scorsese with Leonardo DiCaprio. That pair is reputedly circling this one and no wonder... Read More

The Space Between Us by Doug Johnstone book review

The Space Between Us by Doug Johnstone, reviewed by local councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes The Space Between Us is a masterful step into sci-fi from Scottish Crime writer Doug Johnstone. In Edinburgh, dozens of people experience strokes at the same time after seeing strange lights in the sky. Three of these people find themselves in... Read More