Books
The most ship-shape cookbook of all time
I always pictured food served aboard our mariners and matelots to be a school canteen situation with wrinkled sausages and dry mash. I’m thankful to be proven wrong by this toothsome cookbook. Chefs at sea may not have access to all the ingredients, but those at home can support a good cause, benefit from the…
Read MoreThe real-life adventures of presenter Simon Reeve
In Journeys to Impossible Places, best-selling author and presenter Simon Reeve reveals the inside story of his most astonishing adventures and experiences, around the planet and close to home. It continues the story Simon started in his bestseller Step by Step, which traced the first decades of his life from depressed and unemployed teenager through to…
Read MoreThe amazing story of the man who took on tigers
Duff Hart-Davis has skilfully recounted Indian railway worker and British Indian Army colonel Jim Corbett’s extraordinary tale. This brave individual faced off against man-eating leopards and tigers preying on small Indian villages. A slow starter but worth a read for passages that are layered with empathy for the cunning and almost supernaturally lucky beasts whose…
Read MoreFrom Sheffield with love to Scotland’s islands
Despite living in Sheffield, author Richard Clubley’s love for the Scottish islands brings him north several times a year. And in this book, he gives a passionate account of what makes these places so special and worth visiting. He meets locals and learns a few realities of island life. He almost perished on Ailsa Craig,…
Read MoreAddressing the impact of personality disorders
This is a fascinating story spanning five centuries of history seen through the eyes of schizophrenic John McPake. Helped by the voices inside his head, McPake goes in a search of his brother in Edinburgh. In another thread of the plot, three 16th century weavers from Bruegel’s painting, Three Hunters in the Snow, search for…
Read MoreThe consequences of a lost engagement ring
An inebriated woman’s generosity on her hen do changes the trajectory of a rough sleeper’s life when she inadvertently leaves behind her engagement ring. Campbell does what many fail to do when writing homeless protagonists by giving agency to a flawed individual dealing with trauma and alcoholism and humanises even the so-called antagonists. Both a…
Read MoreScotland the Best – our stunning islands pictured
‘Through the lenses of inspired photographers, meticulous in their craft and immersed in their subjects, we may see the Scottish islands afresh: their rare beauty, atmosphere and essence.’ If there is one guide you can count on to inspire you to get out and discover (or rediscover) all that Scotland has to offer, it is…
Read MoreCelebrating the best spots for wild swimming
Swimmers of all backgrounds share their experiences and recommendations amongst the seas, burns, rivers and over 30,000 lochs in Scotland. A guide that not only shows you the best spots to sink into but also the tips, safety, etiquette and responsibility that should come hand-in-hand with wild swimming. A great gift for those bobble-hat-wearing swimmers…
Read MoreRoyal Scots Club announce first guests of 2022
The Royal Scots Club have announced the first of their Literary Lunches in 2022 will feature Louise Welsh discussing her latest book The Second Cut. Welsh’s thrilling and atmospheric book marks the return of Glasgow-based Auctioneer Rilke, which Val McDermid said: ‘I doubt I’ll read a better book this year.’ Scottish Field’s review of the…
Read MoreA modern gothic thriller set in Glasgow
A novel that manages to be colourful, gritty, modern, and gothic all within its 368 pages. Twenty years after the events of Welsh’s The Cutting Room, Glasgow is a vastly different scene for the LGBTQ+ community as improvements in human rights, technology, dating (see: hook-up) apps, and even Covid regulations have changed the landscape. When…
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