Scottish Opera returns to theatres with new productions

A new Scottish Opera production of Gilberts and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers will open at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal before traveling to cities around the country. This co-production with D’Oyly Carte Opera and State Opera South Australia will tour Edinburgh, Inverness, and London for a total of 24 performances, and will include the Scottish Opera premiere of…

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Book chronicles Dundee’s changing fortunes

For years, whenever we as Scots thought of Dundee, collectively the old cliche of jute, jam and comics were the obvious answers. But, with the passage of time, and in particular the arrival of the V&A on the banks of the Tay, that image has been completely eroded and modernised, as Dundee’s economy has diversified…

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A meticulous account of the battle for equality

Struggle and Suffrage in Glasgow comes with the subtitle of ‘women’s lives and the fight for equality’, and that’s exactly what this book is. It chronicles events that took place as the women of Glasgow battled for the right to vote: marching on the streets, daring escapes from under the noses of police officers, and…

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Tickets still available for Royal Scots Club Literary Lunches

Scots crime writers Ian Rankin, Lin Anderson and Lesley Kelly are the special guests of the Royal Scots Club, at their new series of themed Literary Lunches. The first event  is themed Scottish Crime, and will take place later this month, on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 September. Ian Rankin is best known as the…

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A crime thriller in a turbulent period of history

Scottish crime fiction is a wonderfully rich and diverse area, as authors all over the land create their own characters and scenarios, with murders to solve. Unlike many others, Douglas Watt has taken a slight twist on the genre, by turning back the clock, as investigative advocate John MacKenzie cracks crimes in the 17th century…

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A moving novel with a forgotten Scottish shame

In 1950s Scotland, thousands of children were removed from their families for a ‘better life’ in the rural idyll of the Scottish Highlands as ‘boarded-out’ children. In Mick, by Willie Orr, he has crafted the moving story of Mick Crossan, removed by social services from his widowed mother and slum home in the Gorbals and…

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Finding what it means to be Scottish post-Brexit

What does it mean to be Scottish? According to the film Trainspotting (and I’ll paraphrase by removing the expletives)… It’s not great being Scottish. We’re the lowest of the low! The scum of the Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash, that was released into civilisation! For others, it means having an enduring sense…

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The mystery of the missing Roman legion

The disappearance of Lego IX Hispana has long been a mystery, sparking debate and theories for decades. In this fascinating book, Missing Legion, Simon Elliott sets out in great detail the evidence for some of these theories. Elliott’s writing style makes the book easy to follow and understand even if you are not familiar with…

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A fascinating tale based on true-life events

In a Veil of Mist is based on the true life but little-known event of Operation Cauldron. In 1952, during the Cold War, germ warfare experiments were taking place on a ship off the coast of the Isle of Lewis. The book delves into the lives of two locals who begin to suspect something is…

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A touch of luxury with Moda Living in Edinburgh

Renting accommodation in a big city can be testing at the best of times. Unreliable landlords, impossible deposit schemes, and flats the size of Harry Potter’s cupboard under the stairs are among some of the greatest – and sadly, most common – frustrations. For those willing to pay for a touch of luxury, however, these…

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