APRIL HIGHLIGHTS-

7PM MONDAY I7TH APRIL

ANDREW OREIG

will be launching the paperback of his novel .

WHEN THEY LAY BARE

7PM THURSDAY 20TH APRIL

KAZUO ISHIOURO

will be in conversation with Alan Taylor to celebrate the publication of

WHEN WE WERE ORPHANS

7PM TUESDAY 25TH APRIL

KEVIN

MONTGOMERY

this Nashville-raised songwriter will be performing in the cafe

8PM SAT 29TH APRIL

ROBERT ~ KNOX

will be introducing

CABARET IN THE CAFE

the best new stand-up, performance poetry, music and spoken word in the city.

COMING SOON

THURSDAY I ITH MAY MICHAEL ONDAATJE TUESDAY IoTH MAY. MATT DICKINSON MONDAY 22ND MAY LESLEY WATERS WEDNESDAY 24TH MAY MARTIN AMIS TUESDAY 30TH MAY JAMIE OLIVER

BORDERS"

98 Buchanan Street, Glasgow GI 38A Born to 10pm, Monday to Wednesday, 80m to I Ipm Thursday to Saturday, IOam to 9pm Sunday

108 THE lIST 13—27 Apr 2000

BOOKS REVIEWS continued

CRIME THRILLER Joolz Denby

Stone Baby (HarperCollins £9.99) a 1k it

You’ve got to be suspiCious of a novel by a noted anarcho-Pagan performance poet and New Model Army acolyte who thanks ’the Goddess' in her introduction. However, rein in y0ur anti-crusty prejudice right now.

Joolz Denby’s writing, like her stage work, combines a healthy measure of spot-on social observation With a degree of warmth and empathy uncommon in crime fiction. Her characters are Iovmgly drawn and she captures her counter-culture setting skilfully.

Stone Baby isn’t perfect; too much is revealed too soon, reducmg suspense, and certain characters and events ring false due to over-writing and an excess of melodrama. One Wishes, finally, that Denby hadn’t restricted herself to so strict a genre as the serial killer thriller; her strength lies in the portrayal of unique yet utterly familiar friendships and the minor triumphs and tragedies thereof. The Violent denouernent pales next to the good humour and light satire of the opening scenes. (HM)

BLACK COMEDY Ferdia Mac Anna

Cartoon City (Review £9.99)

t fir * *

Ferdia Mac Anna purportedly suffers from a rare medical condition known as ’somatomegalic epipyseal dyquion syndrome', whereby an adult suddenly begins to grow again. When you glean that the disease is credited in medical literature to Adiref Anna Cam, it becomes clear that one of Ireland’s most popular humOur writers is taking the mickey.

With the fine line between fact and fiction already blurred beyond recognition, this master of the tall story tells his darkly comic tale of a man who shares this disease, an already too-tall tabIOid reporter, Myles Sheridan. Ironically, his emotional and profeSSional lives are at a standstill, and when he meets mysterious redhead Mia, he foolisth pretends to be a Dublin gangster.

Unfortunately, she then hires him to kill her money-laundering father and the ridiculous descends into the realms of the surreal in this highly comic caper that finds Myles plotting the perfect crime and getting much more than he bargained for. (CB)

REVIEWERS THIS ISSUE: Catherine Bromley, Brian Donaldson,

Miles Fielder, Ally Hardy, IVIOira Jeffrey, Hannah McGiII, Allan Radcliffe, Mark Robertson

STAR RATINGS

tr it * * 1* Unmissable

tr * tr * Very good

t r it Worth a shot

a t Below average

tr You've been warned

books

EVENTS

THURSDAY 13 Edinburgh

Maggie O'Farrell “titer-stone‘s. (ieorge Street. 225 3-130 7pm. Free. ()‘I'arrell is a promising new writer who will be reading from her first iioyel After You 't/ (imic (Headline 9; I 2.99). See first writes. Leslie Benzie Scottish Poetry Library. 5 (‘richton's Close. (‘anongate 557 2870. 7.30pm. Free. The launch of Scottish poet Leslie Ben/.ie's first collection of poetry published by Wisdom Teeth.

FRIDAY 14

Glasgow

Don McKay 8: Jan Swicky (ilttsgow Botanic (iardens. 730 (ireat Western Road. 33-1 2422. Ipm. I-‘ree. ('anadiaii poets Don McKay and Jan Swicky read from their work.

Hot Air Club I3th .\'ote Club. 200 ('Iyde Street. 243 2I77. 8.30pm. Free. Music by- Micronesia with readings by Bernard Mac Layerty'. .\Iagi Gibson and (ierry Siiigh in an eyeniiig that fosters new and established talent.

SATURDAY 15

Glasgow

Scottish Fiction Discussion Group Borders Books. 283 Buchanan Street. 222 7700. 12.30pm. Free. The group discusses IIimir'n Tit/king Dirty by Isla Dewar.

Glasgow

Andrew Greig Borders Books. 283 Buchanan Street. 222 7700. 7pm. I‘ree. (‘ireig reads from his third ttoy'el When They [.uy' Bare (I‘aber £6.99) which draw s together two narratives". that of the y iolent story behind the Border ballad The I‘m: (’m'hics and the equally yiolent past of the three nari'ators.

Edinburgh

Jonathan Muirhead \y'aiei-sione's. I28 Princes Street. 226 Door). 6pm. I‘ree. Jonathan Muirhead reads from his poetry. Dr Julian Barbour \Vatei‘stoiie‘s. (ieorge Street. 225 3436. 7pm. I-‘ree. 'I‘heoretical physicist discusses the ideas in his book The l:‘m1()/”Iinir'.‘ TIIt' Nut! Rr'i‘ulirrion In Our (ride/shuttling ()f'l'lic ('riii‘t'rsr’ (Orion £7.99). l’ur! or'I'.’rli'Iil)iu(e/I litrr'murimml Science I-i's'rii'ul.

The Maths Gene I)a\'id Hume Tower. (ieorge Square. (150-1400. S —9pm. £4 (£2.50). Professor Keith I)e\ Iin e\amines the disparity in numerical ability in society and argues that it is caused by evolutionary changes in the brain. l’ur! (it lit/inbtu'g/i liirt'niulimml Science l't'slii'til.

TUESDAY 18

Glasgow

New Writing 9 \Vaiei'sioiie‘s. I53 157 Sauchiehall Street. 332 9105. 7pm. I‘ree. A. 1.. Kennedy introduces an ey‘ening of readings from Iidwin Morgan. Don Paterson and John Burnside among others. to launch the millennium edition of this annual anthology. Iistablishcd names in poetry. fiction and non-fiction haye contributed to the collection which is a showcase for the best in modern literature

spoket t‘isge Beaitia. 332 240 Woodlands Road. 56-1 I590. Spin. E] (or free with a copy of the (‘I)). The launch of the first edition of a new w ay e of performance literature. xpokc/ is a compilation ('1) of music. poetry and storytelling. lior further information contact Sam on (ll-ll 334 S090.

Edinburgh

Andrew Greig \Vaiersioiie‘s. I3 14 Princes Street. 556 3034. o..ii)pm. I‘ree. See Mott I7.

Time Does Not Exist Royal Museum. 2 (‘hambers Street. 247 42 I9. S 9pm. [-1 (£2.50). I)r .Itiliaii Barbour talks about