Books
McCall Smith’s latest novel brings joy and light
There really is no stopping Alexander McCall Smith, with the release of his latest novel, The Joy and Light Bus Company. This is the 22nd installment in the internationally beloved No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series is equally as brilliant as the previous editions. Mma Ramotswe is wary of her husband’s potential business venture and is…
Read MoreA handy guide to some perfect walking days out
Scotland is the ideal country for lovers of the great outdoors, with so many incredible locations to explore and walk. Whether looking for a gentle amble or to scale one of the 21 Munros in the area, this book provides walks for all, from low-level well-trodden trails to strenuous outings in the high mountains. The…
Read MoreA fascinating look at the time of Mary, Queen of Scots
The Survival of the Crown is hefty tome that is definitely one for the history scholar, rather than the casual reader. This is volume two, and the concluding part of Stedall’s heavily researched history of Mary, Queen of Scots, offering a detailed contribution to our understanding of this most significant period in the history of…
Read MoreThe fascinating rise of a Scots statesman
The eventful life and career of Sir John Malcolm, a distinguished combatant, statesman and man of letters who spent most of his life in India, has been a story little told in his native Scotland. An ambitious and bold man who left his impoverished beginnings as one of 17 children of a tenant farmer in…
Read MoreA fascinating look at the world in 100 moments
You are not alone in wondering how one goes about filtering through a million years to form an articulate narrative. Yet Neil Oliver achieves this incredibly succinctly and with rare wit. Travelling through space and time on a whistlestop tour of the world, Oliver offers a tangible array of moments which give an invaluable and…
Read MoreHayley Mills to speak at the latest literary lunch
The Royal Scots Club are delighted to announce their next Literary Lunch featuring Hayley Mills. The daughter of Sir John Mills will be discussing her new book Forever Young, a memoir of the first 21 years of her fascinating life. Hayley, who won an Oscar for her role in Pollyanna, went on to make such…
Read MoreScottish history brought to life by Denise Mina
A tale of Scottish Tudor history told through a modern perspective, the multi-award-winning author captures our imaginations once more. Reviving the rule of Mary, Queen of Scots and her husband’s plot to murder her private secretary David Rizzio while she watches, this is a masterful reflection on one of Scottish history’s darkest periods. Quick paced…
Read MoreA family’s history captured on film since 1840
The Lindsays of Balcarres spans a century of photographs from an ancient Scottish family. The book began with the rediscovery of some old dusty photograph albums one wet afternoon at the home of the author’s late father in Fife. The photographs, which begin at the birth of photography in the 1840s, unravel a family narrative…
Read MoreA perfect travel guide companion for the Highlands
Travelling the length and breadth of the ‘classic’ Scottish Highlands, from the Trossachs and central Highlands through the Great Glen and onto the Cairngorms, Paul Murton regales his audience with tales that exude charm and character. Far from the basic travel information that could be found with a quick internet search, Murton’s book is incredibly…
Read MoreA fascinating look at deer – in real life, myths and art
The Celts called them ‘fairy cattle’ and the Greeks associated them with the hunter goddess Artemis, but for most people today, deer are seen as cute, like Bambi, or noble, like the Monarch of the Glen. Deer appear in religion and mythology, on coats of arms, in fine art, and in literature ranging from The…
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