Live Literature brings reading and writing to the heart of communities by funding author events for schools across Scotland.

British Vogue: The Biography of an Icon by Julie Summers My rating: 4 of 5 stars A well-written, purposeful biography of a century at British Vogue (or "Brogue" as one character refers to it), this is a real pleasure to read. We trace the beginnings of the magazine at the turn of the century, throughout the wild-horrors of two world wars, and then into the tempestuous rises and falls of more recent decades, and throughout all of this Summers maintains a firm respect for her subject and what it does. I welcomed this a lot; the book does not minimise the achievements of a popular magazine and its relevance towards its readership - each copy often being read by dozens, if not more, of people - and how it sought to speak both for and to the women of Britain.

Jean of Storms by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars I have been thinking about Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's approach to romance, for she was never the most romantic of authors to begin with. She could write romance and beautifully too; that subtle, underplayed need for each other, that quiet recognition that you are not whole without somebody else at your side, but also - she could not. She could be as subtle as a brick, as delicate as mud, and she could write the sort of engagement that might want you to throw your book across the room and though I shall not name the moment, you all know the one I mean.

ALT: elmo from sesame street is making a funny face while sitting on a table .