Outlander author Diana Gabaldon in Inverness tomorrow

EDEN Court Theatre in Inverness will host Outlander creator Diana Gabaldon tomorrow for a special event organised by her fans. Hundreds of fans have traveled to the Highland capital from throughout the world for tomorrow’s even, which was set up by local fan group Inverness Outlanders. Gabaldon’s books and subsequent television series have boosted visitor…

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REVIEW: Native, Glasgow

Peter Ranscombe ‘goes native’ as he reviews an apartment-hotel in Glasgow city centre. MENTION the phrase “ocean liners” and a series of names trips off the tongue – The Titanic, The Queen Mary, The QE2. But how about The Caledonia, The Cameronia, and The United Kingdom? Glasgow’s often forgotten role as the home of the…

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Wigtown Book Festival welcomes fiddlers

MUSICIANS from throughout Dumfries & Galloway joined members of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra (SFO) for a concert yesterday lunchtime at Wigtown Book Festival. Beth Porter of The Bookshop Band was among the fiddlers taking part, along with her baby, Emmy Please. The SFO was co-founded by the late John Mason, who spent much of his…

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REVIEW: “The Book of Mormon”

Grant Dickie reviews The Book of Mormon at the Edinburgh Playhouse theatre. THERE’S  just something about a night at the theatre. The grand surroundings, the buzz of the crowd as they filter in, and the anticipation of the show to come. And, on the opening night of The Book of Mormon at the Playhouse in…

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Winners revealed at Bloody Scotland book festival

TWO crime writers carried off the top prizes last night as the Bloody Scotland book festival got underway in Stirling. Alan Parks won the McIlvanney Prize for May God Forgive, while Tariq Ashkanani took the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize with Welcome to Cooper. Ayo Onatade, chair of the McIlvanney Prize judges, described May God Forgive…

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Host named for Outlander author Diana Gabaldon event

THE host has been named for an event in Inverness with Outlander author Diana Gabaldon. Local historian and author Sarah Fraser will interview the writer on stage at Eden Court theatre on 15 October. Fraser appeared in the Men in Kilts television series alongside Outlander stars Sam Heughan and Graham MacTavish “I am very excited…

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Doric scriever starts residency

DORIC writer Shane Strachan has been named as the next Scots scriever by the National Library of Scotland. The role involves promoting the Scots language by carrying out research at the library and producing original work. Strachan said: “I’m fair trickit tae be this year’s Scots scriever, especially gettin tae promote the Doric o my…

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Voxblock plays audiobooks without a screen

AN EDINBURGH couple has today launched Voxblock, a device for playing audiobooks without a screen. Rebecca Lundgren and Tom Williams were inspired to create the machine after watching their daughter play Lundgren’s childhood audiobooks on an old cassette player. ‘‘Watching our own daughter listen to and love my old storybook cassettes was a revelation and…

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WHISKY NEWS ROUND-UP: Finn Thomson, Ardbeg, and more

Peter Ranscombe takes a light-hearted look through the latest whisky news. THE Thomson family is marking its 300-year connection with the whisky industry by launching one of Scotland’s rarest private cask collections. Finn Thomson Whisky has signed up a slate of independent bottle shops to sell the whiskies in the UK, along with distributors in…

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Bloody Scotland shines spotlight on new authors

THE Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival has chosen 22 new writers for its “Crime in the Spotlight” feature. Each author will appear alongside more famous writers, either on stage or online. The idea was inspired by the support acts at music festivals. More than 100 new writers have been supported by the project in…

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