Reviews
So much to see in these 20 recommended walks
Raasay, with its rocky coastlines, dense forests and beautiful lochs, is a paradise for walkers. The twenty routes in this illustrated guide, Exploring Raasay, explore the spectacular scenery of this special island. Following tracks through forests, along coastlines and up to the summits of Dun Caan, walkers can enjoy some of the best views available…
Read MoreBuses in the highlands take centre stage
O’er Highland Highways covers the operation of the highly valued bus and coach services of David MacBrayne from 1906 to 1972. It also includes the histories of the twenty operators acquired during this time. The story is accompanied by many historical pictures, giving the reader a fascinating insight into MacBrayne’s buses and his company in…
Read MoreFictional murder at the 1927 St Andrews Open
We travel back in time almost 100 years ago for this murder mystery on a Scottish golf course. When Sheriff Hector Drummond’s gardener’s son is murdered, it’s personal. Is one of the world’s top golfers a child-killer? Favourite to win the Open crown, Bobby Jones arrives in St Andrews, but can he win the hearts…
Read MoreStepping back in time in a historical murder novel
A brutal triple murder in a remote crofting community in 1869, when three people were slayed in Culduie, leads to the arrest of Roderick Macrae in His Bloody Project. With only the powers of his advocate standing between Macrae and the gallows, it falls to the country’s fi nest legal and psychiatric minds to uncover…
Read MoreChildren’s book shows money isn’t everything
The Lavender Blue Dress is the first children’s book from acclaimed musician and songwriter Aidan Moffat, with beautiful illustrations by Emmeline Pidgen. This is the heart-warming story of Mabel. With the school Christmas ball coming up, everyone is getting a new outfit, except Mabel, who knows her parents can’t afford to splash out. But with…
Read MoreThis whisky celebration is a labour of love
The Scotch Whisky Treasures is a beautifully produced history of whisky distillation. Written by Scotsman Tom Bruce-Gardyn, who considers it a blessing to have grown up with Scotch whisky, he guides you through our most celebrated whisky regions, from Speyside to the Highlands and Western Isles. Award-winning drinks journalist and author Bruce-Gardyne’s passion for the…
Read MoreDetective all at sea on the Golden Voyage of Mendick
The third book in the Mendick series, The Golden Voyage, follows Scotland Yard Detective James Mendick. He is trapped aboard a mysterious stolen ship in the South Atlantic with an unsavoury crew and a captain obsessed with Greek Mythology. It’s a new departure for the detective – his usual hunting ground is the city of…
Read MoreA tour of Scotland and exploring Broken Britain
Kellan MacInnes’ first novel, The Making of Mickey Bell, employs an unusual style of writing that launches a refreshing new literary talent into the Scottish fiction firmament. Jumping from the voice of the narrator to Mickey’s inner monologue, MacInnes leads us away from the rough Glasgow streets to a different kind of rough in the…
Read MoreTurning Japanese at Umi in Edinburgh
Hidden away beneath one of Edinburgh’s longest established Chinese restaurants, I was hoping to find buried treasure at Umi on Deanhaugh Street in Stockbridge, Edinburgh. This newbie is the sister project of Kenji Sushi and Bentoya and it seems that word has spread quickly about the quality of the authentic Japanese food on the menu…
Read MoreTravelling across Scotland is the wheel deal
Alan Brown’s love of biking leads him on a solo adventure from one side of the Scottish Highlands to another in Overlander: Bikepacking Coast to Coast across the Heart of the Highlands. That makes this the perfect read for cycling and adventure lovers. Focusing on the benefits of cycling to his physical and mental health,…
Read More