I love a good story and this past year there have been several yarns (long or rambling stories, especially those that are implausible) told. Some that are worth investing in are those told at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Here are some you might enjoy.
Edinburgh International Book Festival - Year of Stories 2022
Yvette Fielding: Who You Gonna Call? Ghostbusters!
You may know Yvette as one of the youngest Blue Peter presenters or more recently from the t.v series Most Haunted.
This was one of my most awaited events at Edinburgh International Book Festival and it did not disappoint!
Yvette has just finished her latest book - The Ripper of Whitechapel: Ghost Hunter Chronicles 2. Which is available for pre-order online from the Edinburgh Book Festival Shop.
We (the audience) were all on the edge of our seats, as Yvette read a bit from the book. The gripping tales of how Jack The Ripper's ghost is captured but the scientific equipment can't hold him. The box starts to crack open.....
Yvette goes on to tell us about the most terrifying experiences she and her team have encountered. Wow! If you have ever thought something has gone boo in the dark, it probably has.
Alexander McColl Smith: A Writer For Good
Alexander McCall Smith is amazing, witty, and has a great sense of humour. Past written books have included antidotes of real famous people. At this year's Edinburgh International Book Festival, he tells the audience of endeavors where a book was already written and he decided to bring it to life.
These tales come to life in his latest books including the deliciously quirky Tiny Tales, the latest Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novel, and a slightly twisted collection of stories, Best Served Cold: Tales of Revenge.
Frankie Boyle: Post-Referendum Thrills
Frankie Boyle is one of Scotland’s most outspoken comedians, inciting shock and adoration in almost equal measure for his cutting cynicism. In his debut thriller drug dealers, artificial intelligence and Scottish politics come together under the microscope. Meantime follows a man trying to find justice for his murdered friend while navigating post-referendum Glasgow, his own vices and the city’s colonial past.
Alan Cumming: Unpacking a Life at the Book Festival
Alan Cumming is unapologetically real. One of the finest Scots you could ever meet.
Currently touring with the theatre production Burn. He tells us how he prepares for roles both on stage and in film. It was breathtakingly honest.
His most recent book, Baggage, takes us through his acting career, from the stages of Aberfeldy to the screens of Hollywood.
Steve Brusatte & Thomas Halliday: The Paleo-Adventurers
I love discovering more about the Jurassic past and this event was filled with interesting facts, discoveries, and theories. Steve Brusatte was the consultant paleontologist for the on-screen Jurassic film series!
Has our obsession with dinosaurs overshadowed other discoveries about our planet’s history? Palaeontologist Steve Brusatte lays out a fascinating alternative history in The Rise and Reign of the Mammals. Thomas Halliday is a Scottish paleontologist and evolutionary biologist whose book, Otherlands, looks back into Earth’s distant past to explore the extraordinary features of our seemingly permanent ecosystem. This is science writing at its finest.
I still have a few to catch up on including Kevin Bridges, Armando Iannucci, and this Monday (finale of the Edinburgh International Book Festival) Brian Cox with Nicola Sturgeon: The Lion of Dundee. Catch up with more amazing International Book Festival events in person until 29th August at the fabulous new location - Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, and on-demand events until the 30th of September. What will you tune in to see?