SYP Scotland – What We’re Reading (and Loving!)

Posted on February 4, 2019 in Scotland

Rather than fretting over what to wear whilst staring into a wardrobe full of clothes, I find myself struggling to pick a new book to read despite having a TBR pile that is literally taking over my flat. With so many great books out there, I find it hard to pick what to read next. Book-indecisiveness is real, but don’t worry, SYP Scotland are here to help! I called upon my fellow committee members for advice on what I should read next and I thought I would share their suggestions. I asked them about their favourite book of 2018 and what they’re most looking forward to in 2019 and here’s what they said…

Rebecca (Communications Officer)

In 2018 I really enjoyed Notes to Self by Emilie Pine (Tramp Press). A bold collection of essays in which Pine tackles themes including love, addiction, sexism, and menstruation. Both beautiful and heart-breaking, Notes to Self is told with refreshing honesty and wit.

In 2019 I can’t wait to read The Five by Hallie Rubenhold (Doubleday). Too often the names of male killer’s ring through the centuries while the female victims are left in the shadows. The Five explores the lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper and the poverty, homelessness and misogyny that contributed towards their deaths.

Mika (Co-Chair)

In 2018 I loved The German Room by Carla Maliandi (Charco Press, translated from Spanish by Frances Riddle). The German Room is a bleak, yet in many ways familiar, story on what it means to be displaced, and whether it is ever possible to escape your own life. It is beautifully written and translated, and above all perceptive. It explores human relationships, their breakdown, and what it really means to find ‘home’.

In 2019 I am particularly excited to read Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi (Pan Macmillan). According to the publisher, “Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the breathtaking second title in Tomi Adeyemi’s YA fantasy trilogy, Legacy of Orïsha, following her ground-breaking, West African-inspired debut Children of Blood and Bone.” Considering how incredible Children of Blood and Bone was, and how much I love a compelling, have-to-read-on fantasy series, I’m pretty much counting down the days for this one.

Alice (Events Coordinator)

In 2018 I read (devoured) and adored the Vernon Subutex trilogy by Virginie Despentes (MacLehose Press, translated from French by Frank Wynne). I won’t attempt to summarise the trilogy in a few sentences, but the story begins when Vernon Subutex, a former record shop owner in his fifties, is forced out on the streets. Thus begins a thrilling odyssey as Subutex hops from one old friend’s sofa to another, becoming the nexus of a cast composed of a former porn star, a frustrated screenwriter and a merciless investigative journalist. Despentes has a formidable aptitude to enter her characters’ skin, dive into their thoughts and render them on the page in a way that feels incredibly real and never caricatural. The Paris she depicts is not the one of postcards, but a capital city that is divided, messy, facing engrained societal issues and deeply affected by consecutive attacks. A masterful dissection of French contemporary society, Vernon Subutex is bleak, luminous and intense.

On the 28th of March 2019 and the following days, when things fall apart and panic abounds, I’ll be reading Spring by Ali Smith (Penguin), the third instalment of her seasonal quartet. I suspect it will be so reliably good it’ll create an imaginary safety bubble around me, perfectly allowing me to ignore the chaos. Ali Smith is a genius; she’s acutely perceptive and writes wonderfully about the personal and the political, about things that are mundane and meaningful, timely and timeless. I have been looking forward to the publication of Spring for so long.

Jamie (Co-Chair)

In a move that’ll surprise no-one, my book of 2018 was Normal People by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber). I read it during the first day of a week-long holiday in a remote cottage, which was a terrible decision because I couldn’t bear to pick up a new book for the next two days – Rooney’s writing is so fresh and precise that everything else fell by the wayside! I also hugely enjoyed the final (?) addition to the legendarium, The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien (HarperCollins). I’ve been a fan of the world since I was about nine, and the fall of the city is a suitably epic story to end on.

In 2019 I’m excited about a few books – the first is Muscle by Alan Trotter (Faber & Faber) – a smart and fresh noir tale in a city of schemers and crooks. I’ve just started it and am loving it so far. At Canongate, we’ve just announced George Aligiah’s debut novel, which I’m VERY EXCITED about, and after seeing the cover reveal for Animals Eat Each Other by Elle Nash from 404 Ink I’m very intrigued. Speaking of 404 Ink, the poetry collection I’m most looking forward to is the powerful debut from Nadine Aisha Jassat, Let Me Tell You This. I’ve also just learned that Ocean Vuong has a debut novel out – and proofs are looking mint.

Kirsten (Student Liaison Officer)

I was a bit behind the 2018 hype (as I tend to be, due to a mountainous TBR) on this one, but I loved All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (4^th Estate) and I can now say that the hype was warranted, the rumours are true; you should absolutely read this book. I’ve never seen time and space handled so eloquently. Doerr weaves together the lives of a girl and boy swept up in opposing sides of WWII, exploring fate, immortality, and confounding bravery. This was the most intricate and affecting book I read last year, and I can’t recommend it enough.

My most anticipated book of 2019 is We Were Always Here: A Queer Words Anthology (404 Ink). According to their website, We Were Always Here is a “showcase of queer talent”, and I can’t wait. 404 Ink have more than proven their mettle in picking out diverse, captivating voices. I have no doubt that their latest offering will do the LGBTI+ community justice, and continue the conversation surrounding inclusivity in the queer community.