Reviews
Past and present collide in a thriller for teens
Sci-fi meets pre-history in Silver Skin, an epic adventure of a time-traveller, Rab, from the far future, who accidentally ends up in Skara Brae, Orkney during the Neolithic period. Throughout this story aimed at teenagers, Lennon paints a vivd picture of the pre-historic landscape and allows the readers to travel back in time. There is…
Read MoreThe genesis of St Andrew’s Scots Memorial Church
This is a hefty book which gives an account of the beginnings of St Andrew’s Scots Memorial Church until 1967. This is the story of one man’s dream, a vision. It is the story of an enterprise unparalleled in the history of The Church of Scotland. Walter T Dunlop captures the reader’s attention with his…
Read MoreThe scandalous life of Henry VIII’s niece
The Other Tudor Princess is an excellent book which brings to life the story of Margaret Douglas, Henry VIII’s beloved niece, a rebellious and intriguing character during the Tudor period. With scandalous love affairs and the bitter power struggle during the reign of Henry VII, it is a captivating historical piece by Mary McGrigor. This…
Read MorePreserving the past and recording folk tales
The Wilson Tales Project aims to breathe new life into old tales with the help of local people from the Borders . They have come together to retell and add their own updates to traditional stories that form part of the region’s oral history. The first edition focuses on two tales, that are based on…
Read MoreCelebrating Scotland through some hearty eats
I like this book, despite its deeply dodgy design and layout and despite the fact that much of the photography looks dated. I can look past this because it is a book filled with the wonderful celebrations which take place around Scotland and some great recipes to see you through a year of feasting and…
Read MoreA cracking psychological thriller
In this psychological thriller, Breakers, 17-year-old Tyler is the glue that is holding his family together – just. Living in a deprived Edinburgh tower block, with drug addict mum and little sister, Tyler is coerced into a life of crime by his older half-brother, Barry. In a botched-up job, Barry stabs the wife of a…
Read MoreMacCrimmon pipes up for a fun children’s book
Young MacCrimmon and the Silver Chanter is a comical children’s story tells the story of a piping school and the struggle of a young pupil, Donald MacCrimmon, to master the instrument. When a Fairy Queen steps into help, she does so with a warning, presenting Donald with a life changing dilemma. Based on the tales…
Read MoreRestaurant on Calton Hill worth a Lookout
I have a list of 30 go-to Edinburgh restaurants of all hues for when friends come to visit the city. I’ll go through phases when a particular establishment pushes my buttons (current favourites: The Little Chart Room on Leith Walk, and The White Horse on the Canongate), but for many months now my consistent –…
Read MoreA passionate affair in The Sound of the Hours
Occupation during the Second World War in Barga, Tuscany, turns plans for the future of 17-year-old Vita on their head, in The Sound of the Hours by Karen Campbell. The arrival of Frank Chapel, a young black US soldier, finds the Scottish-Italian heroine falling deeply in love. The vividly portrayed characters embark on a passionate…
Read MoreThe Exorcist can still provide its share of shocks
On its original cinematic release, The Exorcist became one of the most shocking films of the 1970s. Whilst it’s hard to replicate 1973 sensibilities in 2019, The Excorcist stage production, currently at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, still manages to pull of a few moments that make it uncomfortable viewing. But let’s rewind a little.…
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