Top 9 Scottish Books with Douglas Stuart, Author of Shuggie Bain

Douglas Stuart, the author of the Man Booker Shortlisted Shuggie Bain, gives us a peek at some of his favourite Scottish books.
BUY Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart: amzn.to/33qAJaE
BUY Young Adam by Alexander Trocchi: amzn.to/31oWFQT
BUY Morvern Callar by Alan Warner: amzn.to/2Xvnguy
BUY Gentlemen of the West by Agnes Owens: amzn.to/3kiLkKW
BUY The Trick is to Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway: amzn.to/3i8jXRJ
BUY Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh: amzn.to/3i5rFvK
BUY The Glasgow Trilogy George Friel: amzn.to/2XuyLlS
BUY How Late it Was, How Late by James Kelman: amzn.to/3fvpnob
BUY His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet: amzn.to/30tcGpt
BUY The Young Team by Graeme Armstrong: amzn.to/33xQkVR
MORE about the book:
'We were bowled-over by Shuggie Bain, which creates an amazingly intimate, compassionate, gripping portrait of addiction, courage and love. The book gives a vivid glimpse of a marginalised, impoverished community in a bygone era of British history. It's a desperately sad, almost-hopeful examination of family and the destructive powers of desire.' - The judges of the Booker Prize
An Observer 'Best Debut Novelist of 2020'
It is 1981. Glasgow is dying and good families must grift to survive. Agnes Bain has always expected more from life. She dreams of greater things: a house with its own front door and a life bought and paid for outright (like her perfect, but false, teeth). But Agnes is abandoned by her philandering husband, and soon she and her three children find themselves trapped in a decimated mining town. As she descends deeper into drink, the children try their best to save her, yet one by one they must abandon her to save themselves. It is her son Shuggie who holds out hope the longest.
Shuggie is different. Fastidious and fussy, he shares his mother’s sense of snobbish propriety. The miners' children pick on him and adults condemn him as no’ right. But Shuggie believes that if he tries his hardest, he can be normal like the other boys and help his mother escape this hopeless place.
Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain lays bare the ruthlessness of poverty, the limits of love, and the hollowness of pride. A counterpart to the privileged Thatcher-era London of Alan Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty, it also recalls the work of Édouard Louis, Frank McCourt, and Hanya Yanagihara, a blistering debut by a brilliant writer with a powerful and important story to tell.
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[@andymclearie6882]

Agnes Owens is my granny amazing that she's on here alostair gray describes her as the most underrated Scottish writer

[@OctoJuice]

Agnes Owens is my great granny! I have a copy of Bad Attitudes/Jen’s Party signed off to my gran and grandpa

[@radiantchristina]

These are all great recommendations but this author seems like such a lovely person I now need to read his book ! ...ordered ! :)

[@Panmacmillan]

Isn't he so lovely? Thank you so much for ordering, hope you enjoy! 😊

[@michaelmcclafferty3346]

Hello Christina, I have just finished reading it and it’s just brilliant. It’s completely immersive.

[@esselyew2186]

Still not over Shuggie Bain. Douglas Stuart is such a talented writer and seems to be a lovely person!! Can’t wait to get started with these books

[@inkypooh4793]

Just read Shuggy Bain - the best book I've read in a long, long time.. Also enjoyed this talk and will definitely read those books which I've ignored, and those I haven't even heard of. Thanks.

[@dezfoley]

Some great recommendations there; I love Alan Warner, and I have His Bloody Project on my TRB list Still!! I've just finished reading Shuggie Bain, which my online bookclub read for October; it's a terrific novel, and best of luck to Douglas with the Booker Prize Nomination!!

[@ciaranobrien6414]

Douglas thanks for taking the time to discuss your favourite Scottish fiction books. Just finishing Shuggie Bain and well done. Chapter 13 has some of the finest prose I've read in many years and its wonderful Stuart to see you win the Booker Prize 2020. Pithead reminds me of when traipsed around Glasgow suburbs after reading Lanark by Alisdair Gray 20 years ago while studying architecture. Your writing is really captivating and the suburban scenes and characters all very likeable. Why can't Philip Henscher like his own people in his books. I'll check out Agnes Owens and Alan Warner too. Happy New year

[@mariadelrosario3608]

Beautiful coverage that is! Amazing

[@Panmacmillan]

Glad you enjoyed the video! 😊

[@cjprince1]

Thank you! Forwarding this to my Scottish Book Club!

[@Panmacmillan]

Oh how fabulous! I hope it helps inspire some discussion 😊

[@Ynnsie]

Fantastic! a reading list by an author who's impressing me - I'm halfway through Shuggie Bain at the moment and deciding to read more slowly to make it last. Write more, Douglas Stuart.

[@carloscedric9827]

you all prolly dont care but does anyone know of a trick to log back into an instagram account? I was dumb lost my login password. I would appreciate any tips you can offer me!

[@nicolaseugene3746]

@Carlos Cedric instablaster :)

[@carloscedric9827]

@Nicolas Eugene thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site on google and Im trying it out now. Seems to take a while so I will reply here later with my results.

[@KevTheImpaler]

Sounds liked an interesting selection. A bit on the hard and gritty side. I've read Trainspotting and watched the film Young Adam, which is a bit art house. I read a Scottish book this year I thought was great - Waverley.

[@imposs-up1hg]

Nice to see George Friel get a mention.

[@ameliareads589]

I didn't know that Alan Warner is a Scottish author. I have Morvern Cellar on my shelf and really have to get to it now. I also always wanted to read The Trick Is To Keep Breathing, now I really have to buy me a copy.

[@leighmegan13]

The Young Team is an incredible book, highly recommend to anyone who grew up in the west of Scotland.

[@BerndSchnabl]

Just finished Shuggie Bain yesterday and I am still depressed

[@Gagging4Lit]

He has a lovely accent. Was hoping to see some Muriel Spark on here, but oh well. :D

[@AndalusianIrish]

Interesting list but surprised he didn't pick Alastair Gray or Muriel Spark.

[@santhoshkumar.t.akumar.t.a9277]

Sir we are eager to read your book shuggie brain . Is it available in Kerala.

[@andymclearie6882]

Also my granny lost her son through murder

[@engelberthumperdinck7366]

Read next THE INCREDIBLE RISE OF A GORBALS GANGSTER BRILLIANT AMAZON BOOKS colin macfarlane

[@Sabhail_ar_Alba]

For someone who is said to come from a tough working class accent he seems to have very quickly ditched it in favour of a soft, sooth sider one.

[@joliebunny88]

So?

[@annemcnealis4858]

@@joliebunny88 Just because you are brought up in a poor working class area, doesn't mean you don't learn to speak nice.

[@panibukietowa]

If you learn his biography you will know why.

[@wonderwoman5528]

@@panibukietowa why? :)

[@scarba]

He’s been living in New York for donkeys years. Only Glaswegians understand Glaswegians so he had no choice but to smooth it out