Reviews
A third celebration of powerful Scottish women
Mairi Kidd dedicates a third of her book to powerful Scottish women (the remainder to Irish and Welsh equivalents) whose tales have been overlooked or banished to the footnotes of historic literature. It is hard to look beyond the underlying politics of the narrative – with a strong focus on the fight for gender equality…
Read MoreCasting a spell to protect the world from the Fae
Seeking to protect the world from the Fae, Scottish sigil agent Aloysius MacBharrais is eccentric, and as a sexagenarian he is a welcome change from the tormented teenage protagonists that dominate fantasy genres. However, Hearne admits in the author’s note that he struggled with Glaswegians’ accent in real life. The characters’ Scottish accents feel laboured…
Read MoreA study of the natural world’s fragility in photos
Colin Prior’s works are unfathomably beautiful, and while his fascination for landscape photography has earned him his stripes, his love for the resident wildlife has also intensified throughout a career which spans almost four decades. Having witnessed myriad species of bird suffer in the wake of human activity, Prior documents the natural world’s fragile equilibrium in…
Read MoreNo.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series is still on form
It is a rarity to find each book in a long series as enjoyable as the last, and yet McCall Smith’s 21st instalment of his much adored No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency has captured the imagination once more. Grabbing the attention from the get-go in a stifling Gaborone setting, McCall Smith’s intelligent yarn is woven with…
Read MoreThrills in a 1970s-set piece of tartan noir
Follow detective Harry McCoy as his hunches lead him across a Glasgow landscape rife with drugs and violence, in search of answers. As any good piece of tartan noir should, it introduces you to a slew of questionable characters who definitely muddy the waters between good and evil, although in 1970s Glasgow maybe this was…
Read MoreThe fascinating story of a woman taken to St Kilda
Based on a true story, The Unreliable Death of Lady Grange is a rollickingly good piece of historical fiction. Lady Grange is presumed dead, but in reality is whisked away from her family by the man she loves to live out her life in seclusion. The story of a stormy relationship ending in the worst…
Read MoreA look around some of the most stunning gardens
Aspiring to promote interaction with the natural world, photos are divided into categories that encourage the appreciation of the planet’s diversity. Particularly for nature enthusiasts, the staggering range of nature’s beauty is astonishingly captured from a multitude of perspectives and locations. It could benefit from more narrative, but definitely one for the coffee table. International…
Read MoreThe Solway and its fascinating history
Ann Lingard takes the opportunity to offer an in-depth examination of the Solway Firth’s history, geology and the huge range of life that exists within and alongside its ever-changing margins. From mudshrimps, basking sharks and pinkfooted geese to quarriers, trawlermen, peat-cutters and haaf netters, there are many stories to tell. Lingard writes vividly about this…
Read MoreA pocket guide to the Declaration of Arbroath
This book does exactly what it says on the tin. It details the hugely significant piece of history that is the Declaration of Arbroath – a plea to the Pope to recognise Scotland’s independence in 1320. For those without a vested interest in the topic, this will be heavy going. It is pocket book-sized, but…
Read MoreExtensive look at the history of Scots clans
The Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia is an expansive and detailed look at the history of Scottish clanship. This is a hefty hardback reference book which features an impressive selection of respected contributors. For those interested in Scottish history this tome is an excellent chronicle of one of its most important facets, the clans. However,…
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