Mental health – from both sides of the table

Finding True North is an important book highlighting a topic that should be more widely discussed – mental health in adults. Author Linda Gask, who trained in medicine in Edinburgh, spent her career working as a consultant psychiatrist while also battling with her own mental health struggles. Gask’s wisdom and experience result in an insightful…

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Regenerating a beautiful Scottish estate

Mar Lodge Estate is nestled in Royal Deeside and provides the backdrop of this beautiful book. In 1995 the National Trust for Scotland took over the estate in a bid to improve and conserve its landscape. Painting, the assistant ecologist at Mar Lodge Estate, details the work that has occurred over the last 25 years…

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A baker’s challenge to make bread for a whole year

When asking himself whether he was capable of baking enough bread to feed his family for a year, Robert Penn could never have predicted the adventure he was about to undertake. This book details his journey around the world as he learns how to grow and produce his family’s own bread. He ventured to Fertile…

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Coming to terms with a family past of slavery

Blood Legacy: Reckoning With A Family’s Story Of Slavery is a highly reflective book about how, by coming to terms with one’s past, we can advocate for a better future. Author Alex Renton explains how, rather than disinterested bystanders, the Scots were enthusiastic participants who were up to their oxters in slavery. Through tracking his…

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Glenmorangie cocktails toast Edinburgh Zoo giraffes

Glenmorangie has created cocktails to mark its sponsorship of the new giraffes at Edinburgh Zoo, writes Peter Ranscombe. EACH distillery has its very own claim to fame. Edradour is the smallest – or at least was until micro-distilleries came along. Glenturret is the oldest – or at least the oldest working distillery. And Glenmorangie has…

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A musical replacement for the Braemar Gathering

An alternative event has been lined up as a replacement for this year’s cancelled Braemar Gathering. St Margaret’s Braemar will host a packed weekend of music, piping and highland dancing from 3-5 September as ‘Nae Games Weekend’ takes place in lieu of the world-famous Braemar Gathering. In normal years over 10,000 spectators, including Her Majesty…

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A light-hearted tale set in the Scottish Highlands

The Peacock is light-hearted read set in a dilapidated castle in the Highlands. Following a group of investment bankers who rent out a space for a weekend of team building, they find themselves at Lord and Lady McIntosh’s stately home. Slapstick humour reigns supreme as most of their plans go awry and new stumbling blocks…

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In Search of Sir Walter Scott in new TV documentary

To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott, author Damian Barr goes in search of the legacy and lasting influence of one of Scotland’s great historical figures, novelists and poets. His travels for a new BBC Scotland show range from the huge Scott monument on Prince’s Street Edinburgh, to Smailholm Tower…

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The Royal Scots Club announces its Literary Lunches

Leading Scottish writers are to be the guests of the Royal Scots Club, who have announced their new series of themed Literary Lunches. The first event Scottish Crime featuring three novelists, including Ian Rankin, the creator of Rebus, who lives in Edinburgh. Also attending is Lin Anderson, the novelist and screenwriter best known for her…

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Book festival to welcome audiences back to Wigtown

Wigtown Book Festival is to welcome audiences and authors back to Scotland’s National Book Town this autumn, following last year’s digital-only event.  Taking as its theme, Hello Stranger, the 2021 festival (22 September to 4 October) will be two days longer than in previous years, with more than 140 events for adults and young people,…

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