Books
A celebration of the boutique Fife Arms Hotel
Located in the quaint village of Braemar, The Fife Arms is a boutique hotel like no other. This book provides a visual tour of the historic hotel after its stunning renovation beginning in 2015, detailing the craftmanship and hard work that went into its rejuvenation. The interior has been meticulously considered – each room tells…
Read MoreHilary Mantel wins Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction
Hilary Mantel has won the 2021 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for The Mirror and the Light. This is the final novel in her Thomas Cromwell trilogy, eleven years after the first of the trilogy, Wolf Hall, won the inaugural Walter Scott Prize in 2010. She receives £25,000, and will take part in a…
Read MorePutting Scotland on the road to being transformed
I was a bit apprehensive about Old Ways New Roads: Travel in Scotland 1720-1832 first landed on my desk but my feelings were greatly misplaced. It details the 1725 military road and bridge-building programme implemented by the British military leader General Wade that went on to transform 18th-century Scotland. However, this description alone does not…
Read MoreA fascinating study of an important Scots figure
Mary Queen of Scots’ Secretary: William Maitland is a long overdue account of a man left out of the history books. William Maitland was a politician who played a crucial role in defending Mary, Queen of Scots’ throne and was behind the Scottish Reformation, altering the future of the country drastically and permanently. Stedall explores…
Read MoreThe Highland Battles chronicles Scottish wars
Chris Peers is an expert at bringing medieval warfare to life and The Highland Battles is no exception. He delves into the rarely studied wars fought in the Highlands between the ninth and fourteenth centuries. Most notably the battles of Skitton Moor, Renfrew and Clairdon are explored. Peers breaks down each battle by date, who…
Read MoreA fascinating focus on the fantastic funghi
Who’d have thought mushrooms could be poetic? Fungi-obsessed Whiteley takes us on a lyrical, fascinating exploration of this weird organism which she says has a ‘surreal and alien beauty’. I never realised how diverse fungi is: it can be found in our floorboards, fingernails, and even our thoughts. I found this humble book really rather…
Read MoreWeaving fact and fiction for St Andrews Castle siege
For his debut novel, The Castilians, author V E H Masters cleverly weaves fact with fiction in a detailed story of the siege of St Andrews Castle in 1546. Written in compelling prose, and packed full of gripping drama and a smattering of romance, the 16th-century streets of the Auld Grey Toon are brought to…
Read MoreDoric Books all ready to launch its next releases
An Aberdeenshire illustrator and storyteller have joined forces to create a publishing house that will print stories for all ages in Doric. North East artist Aaron Gale and storyteller Jackie Ross are launching Doric Books this month to develop and preserve the culture and heritage of the North East. The process began after Aaron was…
Read MoreA celebration of Scotland at the Olympics
Not only does this marvellous book, Scotland’s Track and Field Olympians tell us stories of the lives, successes and significance of Scots athletes, but it places them in the wider context of the Games. From the very beginning, it is plain to see that Keddie is Olympics mad: he delves into the history of Scotland’s…
Read MoreA fascinating read – whether you like a dram or not
Don’t worry – The Language of Whisky is not a book which takes an oaky sip of Scotland’s finest and turns it into a seven-verse poem. No, this is about the extraordinary journey of whisky: from the Scottish Highlands to New York and Tasmania. This surprising book also takes us to the origins of our…
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