Bernard Beckett talks about the cult, underground book that changed his life

When Bernard Beckett visited the Scottish Book Trust one sunny afternoon during the Edinburgh Book Festival, we asked him which book changed his life. We're nosy like that.
I must admit I wasn't expecting to be enticed into reading something I had never heard of before (and was never likely to have heard of otherwise), but Bernard managed it in under 3 minutes.

Watch him speaking and find out what I mean...



The book Bernard chose is called 'Sydney Bridge Upside Down.' by David Ballantyne and information about the book is elusive to say the least! The only listings online seem to be from large Australian libraries.

I'm all the most intrigued for that! I want to read it! Bernard, will you lend me your copy?

Watch authors talk about The Book That Changed Their Life!

Watch authors answering the question, Which Book Changed Your Life? This week author Sara Sheridan is on The Book That Changed My Life page talking about her life-altering read. Sara's latest book, 'The Secret Mandarin' is out on the 17th September.
There are videos of more authors telling their stories on the Scottish Book Trust Youtube channel.

There is an emerging trend in stories for The Book That Changed My Life - Asterix!

This week we have received two stories about how Asterix books have changed reader's lives. Read children's author Thomas Docherty's inspiring story about how 'Asterix in Britain' sparked a love of books here

Jane Ryan has written her story about how the small mustaochioed Gaul and his wine-sloshing friend had her hooked from the outset - read it here

Read more about Asterix the Gaul at his official website.

Has a Graphic novel changed your life? Or are you yet to discover the pleasures of Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and Kazuo Koike?

Tell us about a book that changed your life. We want to know!

Nick Cave- touring to launch 'The Death of Bunny Munro'

'The Death of Bunny Munro' is the latest offering by multi-talented enigma Nick Cave.
This autumn's most hotly tipped publication has only been made more exciting by the tantalising release online of chapters being read by Nick Cave - accompanied by a 3d spacial soundtrack - composed and recorded by Cave for the audiobook. If the cool credentials mean nothing to you - no matter; the book is a darkly funny, postmodern triumph.

UK tour dates for Nick Cave's book tour have just been released!
http://www.thedeathofbunnymunro.com/events.html

Here is Nick reading from chapter 10.

'The Wasp Factory' is "a dangerous, unpredictable friend."

Author of the hilarious Mr Gum books Andy Stanton has revealed how he was introduced to the dark side of books through Iain Banks' twisted novel 'The Wasp Factory' and found it to be "a dangerous, unpredictable friend."

Many young Scots are introduced to the dark delights of 'The Wasp Factory' through high school English lessons - that is certainly where I discovered it- I went on to read everything by Iain Banks that I could get my hands on, followed by the science fiction novels he writes as Iain M. Banks. Although by that age like most teenagers I had seen quite a few gory horror films and become inured to violence by endlessly playing Grand Theft Auto, there was nothing that quite compared to the chilling menace of Banks' descriptions. A horror film would have to get up pretty early in the morning to beat that calibre of writing.

Here is a link to a Guardian Book Club podcast of Iain Banks discussing 'The Wasp Factory'. Interesting stuff!

Andy Stanton's story about his first encounter with 'The Wasp Factory' can be read here

What I want to know is - was this what laid the foundations for the nastiest piece of work in children's fiction, the meanest of scheming so'n'so's, the baddest of baddies, that BAD Mr Gum...?

Snigger...

Nothing against a bit of chick lit- but this is not far off the formula.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/aug/04/digested-read-john-crace

Jack Kerouac's 'On The Road' Changes Lives

Jack Kerouac's 'On The Road' has been a seminal book in many lives, at the time of it's publication it was a narrative for the disenfranchised beat era of America and broke taboos; left, right and centre.

The story of how Kerouac came to write 'On The Road' is an interesting tale in itself - read it here.

Here is an excerpt of Kerouac's work read by celebrity fan Johnny Depp. I certainly think his writing is enhanced by being read aloud.