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

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. Gill book review

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. Gill, reviewed by local councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes Our Hideous Progeny is part re-telling, part sequel to Mary Shelley’s gothic horror classic, Frankenstein. 1853, Victorian London. Our protagonist Mary Saville is the great niece of Victor Frankenstein, who has been missing for some years in murky circumstances.  Mary and her... Read More

Inquiry into the Sinking of the Titanic

Brian Hannan from Abbey Books in Paisley takes a look at the Inquiry into the Sinking of the Titanic which came into the shop recently Every now and then something turns up at the bookshop that simply takes your breath away. The John Byrne notebook was one such item. This is another. It dates... Read More

SS Adriatic White Star Line memorabilia at Abbey Books in Paisley

Brian Hannan of Abbey Books talks about a rare piece of memorabilia from the White Star Line’s SS Adriatic Every now and then something fascinating falls out of a book or is lodged at the bottom of a box that finds its way into our secondhand bookshop. This time round it’s a brochure for... Read More

Abbey Books Readers Club launches in Paisley

Brian Hannan talks us through what could be the start of a book revolution, introducing the Abbey Books Readers Club… Coming up with something quite new at a second-hand bookshop sounds like a contradiction in terms. But we may just have stumbled on something that could revolutionise the world of books. As you might imagine... Read More