www.1ist.co.uk/books

Events

Events are listed by date, then city. submit listings at least ten days baton publication to suaanne.blaclt01ist.co.uit. Listings are compiled by Suzanne Black.

Thursday 22

Glasgow

FIE! J David Simona Waterstone‘s. 153—157 Sauchiehall Street. 332 9105. 6.30—8pm. A signing with music this time for Simons‘ 'I'lie ( 'rerlit Draper. about the Jewish community in Glasgow in the early 2011] century.

Edinburgh look Onoup Waterstone‘s. l3- l4 Princes Street. 556 3034. 5.30pm. £10. Have your analysis scrutinised by the author himself at this discussion of Ian Rankin's The Falls. All proceeds to charity.

Anne Donovan Waterstone‘s.

128 Princes Street. 226 2666. 6pm. £2 redeemable against purchase. Book signing of Being liniin by the author of Buddha Du. ran Self-Help for the 21st Century National Library of Scotland. George IV Bridge. 225 4326. 7pm. Find out what modern thinkers have to say on the subject of the attainment of happiness at the launch of .S‘elflllelpfm' the 21st Century. Please RSVP to Angela Audretsch. An Evening of Poetry About Paintings Royal Scottish Academy. The Mound. 225 6671. 7.30pm. £10. Stewart ('onn. I)ilys Rose and Alan Riach wax poetical about all things artistic over a glass of wine.

Saturday 24

Glasgow

Leabhar‘s Craic (‘(.‘A. 350 Sauchiehall Street. 352 4900. 1pm. £12.50. The (iaelic club night. ("eol ‘s Craic. expands into a whole festival celebrating (iaelic literature. poetry. novelists and short story writers.

Edinburgh

ran look Group Waterstone's. Cameron Toll Shopping Centre. 6 Lady Road. 666 1866. 5pm. A regular book group meeting on the last Sunday of every month. To join in with the discussion of Blrlr‘k (iirl/li'lzile Girl by Joyce ("arol ()ates please contact the branch for more information.

Shore Poets Mai Thai. The Tun. Jackson's lintry. I I l I'Iolyrood Road. 313 2797. 7.45pm. £3 (£2). This month the special guests are Stephanie Green and Ken (‘ockburn with a cappella singing from Jtist Voices.

Monday 26

Edinburgh

FIE! Reading Group: Round Table Scottish Poetry Library. 5 (‘richton‘s Close. ('anongate. 557 2876. 6—8pm. 'I'icketed. An informal poetry reading group that encourages lively debate and offers members the chance to choose the poems.

Wednesday 28

Edinburgh

FIE! David Donaldson National Library of Scotland. George I\' Bridge. 623 4675. 7pm. Managing editor of I)(‘ Thomson and writer of The Broom and Our Wulli'e tells some colourful tales.

Glasgow

FIE! Robert Douglas Borders Books, 98 Buchanan Street. 222 7700. 7pm. Ticketed. The (ilaswegian author pops in to sign copies of his novels.

3. THE LIST 22 May -f> J1." 211}:

.N'iglilsrmg oft/1e lust Tram. Somewhere In [11)“ My Hear! and At Her .llujesrv 's Pleasure.

Edinburgh Poetry from New Zealand Scottish Poetry Library. 5 (‘richton‘s (‘lose. ('anongate. 557 2876. 7.30pm. £5 (£3). Andrew Johnston and (ierrie I’ellows bring the land of New Zealand alive. Booking required.

Edinburgh

FREE The Leith Festival Storytelling Club (‘arriers Quarters. 42 Bernard Street. 555 4104. 1'ntil 7 Jun (not Sun), 7.30 9.30pm. Leith centric tales held in the oldest pub in the area. Trainspotting Tour l’ort ()‘Lcith. 58 (‘onstitution Street. 555 4104. 7.30~9.30pm. £5 (£4). Tim Bell leads a behind the story tour of Irvine Welsh’s seminal novel.

Edinburgh Readers Day Scottish Book Trust. Sandeman House. Trunks ('lose. 55 Iligh Street. 556 9579. 2 6pm. £8 (£5). An afternoon of workshops. advice and bikikswapping with an appearance from Anne Donovan. Booking advised. FREE Leith Festival Children’s Writing Competition 2008 Prize- giving Leith (‘ommunity iiducation Centre. New Kii‘kgate. 555 4104. 3- 4.30pm. In spring the budding literary talents of Primary I-‘ive pupils in Leith put pen to paper under the tutelage of author Lari I)on. Listen to the winning story and watch some possible future writers take their first literary steps.

Edinburgh

Border Crossings The Raj Restaurant (l'pstairs). 87 91a Henderson Street. 555 4104. 7 8.30pm. £4 (£3). Iixtracts from the Border Crossings" Cl). produced by Scottish PIiN. by Dilys Rose and Aonghas Macneacail. in conversation with Jenni (‘aldeiz

FREE Between Weathers: Travels in 21st Century Shetland National Library of Scotland. (ieorge IV Bridge. 623 4675. 7pm. Ron McMillan launches the first original Shetland travelogue since 1869. Booking essential.

Wednesday 4

Edinburgh

FREE David Stewart Valentine Leith Library. 28 30 l"ei't'y’ Road. 555 4104. 2 44pm. (‘hat and signing by the local author of Leith Lives and editor of l’nriliu/e maga/ine.

Chris Rannan The Raj Restaurant (I'pstairs). 87 91a Henderson Street. 555 4104. 7 8pm. £4 (£3). Scottish novelist (‘hris llannan introduces possible future bestseller .Wi.\.v_\' to the crime fiction reading public. Trainspotting Tour I’ort ()‘I.eith. 58 (‘onstitution Street. 555 4104.

7.30 9.30pm. £5 (£4). See Fri 30.

Thursday 5

Glasgow

FREE Rodge Glass Waterstone‘s, 153-»157 Sauchiehall Street. 332 9105. 6.30pm. The author of .N'n I'ireii'm'ks launches his new novel. Hope/m- .\'r'ii'/7r)nl.\‘. See review. page .55.

Edinburgh

FIE! The Bridge Readings: Janet Paisley National Library of Scotland. (‘ieorge l\’ Bridge. 623 4675. 7pm. Insights into the life. mind and work of Paisley. author of White Rose Rebel. Trainspotting Tour Port ()‘I.eith. 58 (‘onstitution Street. 555 4104. 7.30-9.30pm. £5 (£4). See Fri 30.

Comics

TRAGEDY NOIR JASON LUTES

Jar of Fools (Faber) eeee

First sorialisod in Seattle's alternative nowspapor Tho Stranger back in 1993. and anthologisod in tho US in 2003. Lutos' romarkablo graphic novel is long ovorduo a docont Europoan roloaso. Jar of Fools tolls tho story of tormented magiCian Ernie Woiss. his ostrangod girlfriend Esthor and Woiss' domontia-plaguod mentor AI Flosso. Whon con man Nathan Londor and his young daughter ontor thoir already fracturod lives a sorios of ovonts aro put in placo from which thero can bo no return.

‘JAR'DF_ I or 0; o r 9 1:»

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.JAStllNlL‘tll‘ES

Lutos' bag is historical fiction. tho charactors horo aro amalgams of tho |ong doad, most notably oscapologist Harry Houdini uroal namo Enrich Woissi, Brooklyn lltétg'Ciéi'l Ai F’osso and famous Amorican confidonco man Josoph 'Yollow Kid' Woil. To thoso iconic 'pronipts' Lutos attachos the kind of slow and acning moditation of loss. grief. magic and momory that would not bo out of placo :n tho novels of Faulkner. Hemingway or Joo David Brown. Beautifully and sparsely drawn. Jar of Fools is an all too raro work of hypothetical and transcondont omotion. (Paul Daloi

COMEDY

MATT GROENING 8. VARIOUS

Big Brilliant Book of Bart Simpson

(Titan Books) ee

Tho boast that Tho Simpsons is now tho longost "tirinii‘g £1!‘»".‘:{1°.(}(l T\/ sorios of all trnio 's a bit of a doublo-odgod sword. For as it rolls out opisodo aftor opisodo. oft; tho 'iiiatiploxos and

beyond. the permutations for now plot lines become all the more tonuOus

This collection may technically be for kids but it's scraping tho barrol. Bart and Millhouso's troohOuso gots rot. Bart goos to the Comic Con working for Comic Book Guy and Bart wins a trip to a Krusty advonturo park. Tho iokos aro tirod. tho characters aro out of sorts or jUSl flat and tho narrativos aro so perfunctory that ovon tho littlost of roadors will strugglo to stay interested. Tho Si/npsons comics woro onco ablo to stand proudly noxt to their TV counterparts but now they palo in comparison. ilvlark Bobortsoni

SUPESRHEBO VARIOUS

The Definitive Iron Man ilvlarvoi UK) eeee

N1 ~\m H 1’1..»\1|~\_:l,5;\1

With Iron Man proving to bo tho first gonuino blockbustor of tho summor soason iand a fantastic adaptation of the sourco matoriaii Marvol UK prosonts tho ultimato introduction to of Shollhoad. Tho colloction offors slicos of Iron Man action from through tho yoars. with at loast ono story from each docado sinco his :ncoption back in 1968. This voritablo ‘bost of' l"(: udos tno horo's t’irs‘. ovor appoaranco: a throo issuo tusslo Willi tho Hulk: tho classic Tony Stark vs aicolio::sm ontiy Dornoi‘ 1/7 a Bottle:

a time travelling Doctor Doom encomter and more. There's also an intro from Stan ‘The Man' Lee. schematics of his armour. a written fictiOnal histOry and back-stow on his creation.

The only downs‘ide is that it could do with moro rocont material (a single instalmont from 2000 is tho most rocont issue included) but this is an oxcollont. exhaustive history of the Golden Avenger. lHonry NOrthmoro)

ANTHOLOGY ALAN GRANT JAMIE GRANT & VARIOUS Wasted No.1

(Bad Prossi eeee

Dovlsod by somotime 2000/40 writor Aiéil‘ Grant. and tho artists at Glasgow's Hopo Stroot Studios iwhich includos tho All-Star Superman loam of Jamie Grant no rolation to Alan and covor artist Frank Ou'tolyl. l'./.'istod is tho follow-up to defunct Scots dopo humour mag Northern Light/. At its loast inspiring. it's a fabulous furry hangovor to that publication a vory one-track fiosta of ‘doobs and inexplicable nudity'.

Yot thoi'o aro moro good strips than bad in this si/oablo first issiio. including Alan Grant and Jon Haward's impudont ‘Talos of tho Buddha'. and tho moro satirical ‘War On DrugS' by tho samo writor and G=bson Quartor. Snort. part-page strips by Stophon Donnolly. Craig Collins and Paul McCann aro also woll worth looking out for, whilo Frasor Campboll. la:n Laurio and Dorok Dow's “Black Capo' is a bloak triumph. That a Brzt sh audit humour conic whch doos"'t vant to bo l/i/ oXists at all is a groat and wolcomo thing: hopofully l'./.'is.fod can kick on front l‘OI'O. (David Po iock