 | The Republic of Ted by Eddie Gibbons
Buy new: £6.29 / Used from: £2.29 Witty and profound. This book used by professionals to help grief counselling. Also writes about football. Search his name on Amazon!
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 | Naked and Bare by Fiddlers Bid
Buy new: £10.98 I interviewed Catriona for a magazine I used to run in Aberdeen. Chris recently crashed on my Edinburgh settee! Wonderful stuff.
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 | Saving the World and Being Happy: The Computer Ager by R. Eric Swanepoel
Buy new: £17.58 / Used from: £4.50 Fascinating, disturbing, funny. (OK, I wrote this!)
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 | 40,000 Things by Steve Brookstein
Buy used from: £11.41 A friend of mine, met through his super-talented wife, Eileen Hunter. Now he's broken free from X-Factor packaging he can fly! Listen with an open mind and be impressed!
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 | The Holy Woman by Qaisra Shahraz
Buy new: £8.99 / Used from: £4.06 Moving, enthralling. I taught English alongside Qaisra in Hulme, Manchester.
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 | Fire & Grace by Alasdair Fraser
Buy new: £9.98 / Used from: £11.87 A spell-binding mix of Scottish traditional music, virtuosity and traditional, jazz and classical sensibility!
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 | Where are You? by Kevin Boniface
Buy new: £10.00 / Used from: £7.00 This is an utterly wonderful and extremely entertaining book by three wonderful and highly talented people: Kevin Boniface and Joanna and Christoph Shaw. Buy it now!
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 | The Machine Doctor by Peter Burnett
Buy new: £8.99 / Used from: £0.01 Unlike anything else I've read! I met Peter many years ago in Aberdeen. He's a multi-faceted and entertaining character, rather like his books!
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 | Steady Diet of Decline by No Hope in New Jersey
Buy new: £9.98 / Used from: £0.06 Andy Garratt was my downstairs neighbour in West Didsbury and is now a friend. Such a pity this band split up. I think Andy might well re-emerge one day as he is amazingly talented and hard-working.
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 | Who Sleeps with Katz by Todd McEwen
Buy used from: £0.01 New York's Ulysses? I met Todd many years ago when he ran the Lemon Tree Writers in Aberdeen.
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| Beginning to Read Music for Traditional Musicians by Sarah Northcott
Buy new: £4.99 / Used from: £0.48 Sarh taught me fiddle at Edinburgh's Scots Music Group. A wonderful talent.
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 | Over the Sky to See by Amy Geddes and Sandy Wright
Buy new: £11.69 Amy is my current teacher. Like Sarah a great and inspiring teacher as well as an exceptional musician.
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 | The Good Doctor by Damon Galgut
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.01 I met Damon in 1981 when we were both in our final years at school in South Africa. This disturbing book conjures up the feelings of some white people in post-apartheid SA.
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 | Pet Hates: The Shocking Truth About Pets and Vets by Josh Artmeier
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £4.00 A very funny yet shocking book by a veterinary colleague. Will put you off becoming a vet, that's for sure!
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 | No Logo: No Space. No Choice. No Jobs by Naomi Klein
Buy new: £5.17 / Used from: £0.01 I spoke to Naomi at the Edinburgh International Book Festival some years ago. She offered to review "Saving the World and Being Happy" but her secretary fobbed me off a couple of years later! Grrr!
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 | Sweet Desserts by Lucy Ellman
Buy used from: £0.01 A genius. I met Lucy through her husband, Todd McEwen.
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 | Lanark: Life in Four Books: A Life in 4 Books (Canongate Classics) by Alasdair Gray
Buy used from: £1.74 I met Alasdair at the Thirsty Lunch events as part of the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I read Lanark when much younger and absolutely loved it!
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 | Born Up a Close: Memoirs of a Brigton Boy by Hugh Savage
Buy new: £9.89 / Used from: £3.94 I met James Kelman as above, and am currently reading this book for which he wrote the introduction.
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 | Hamish McHaggis: And the Edinburgh Adventure by Linda Strachan
Buy new: £3.56 / Used from: £0.31 I met Linda through the Society of Authors and have ordered a couple of her books for some young relatives!
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 | From the Life and Other Stories by Sian Preece
Buy used from: £0.01 Wonderfully observed, warm and well-written. I met Sian through Aberdeen's Lemon Tree Writers many years ago.
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 | Minaret by Leila Aboulela
Buy new: £6.69 / Used from: £0.01 I met Leila the same way I met Sian. She is a truly great writer and it's a privilege to have met her.
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 | Parecon: Life After Capitalism by Michael Albert
Buy new: £6.48 / Used from: £6.28 I met Michael at the Radical Book Fair organised by Word Power books. He has great ideas!
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 | Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning by George Monbiot
Buy used from: £3.70 I chatted to George after his talk at the above event. I have long admired his writings for the Guardian.
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 | Magnificent Seven by Blazin' Fiddles
Buy new: £13.28 Great people and terrific music! I've been to Blazin' in Beauly and hope to go again.
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 | Drugs and the Party Line ("Rebel Inc") by Kevin Williamson
Buy used from: £0.25 I read this long before I met Kevin. If you're at all interested in the issue of illegal drugs (approx. 1/5 of world trade) then this highly readable book is a must!
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Listmania!
