Crime writing festival returns on the 24th

Granite Noir, Aberdeen’s Crime Writing Festival, returns next week. Starting on Thursday, February 24, there will be more than 40 live, in person talks, workshops, performances, readings, escape rooms and films across four days. The event will feature some of the UK’s finest crime fiction writers including Louise Welsh, Ruth Ware and Ann Cleeves, creator…

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Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction finalists unveiled

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, which celebrates outstanding historical novels published in the UK, Ireland and the Commonwealth, has announced its 2022 longlist. Thirteen novels are in contention for the £25,000 prize, with settings spanning from the 8th century BC up to the 1960s, and from all four nations of the United Kingdom…

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Scots playwright Rona Munro adapts her TV script

One of Scotland’s most acclaimed playwrights has been brought to book. The multiple award-winning Rona Munro has written numerous productions for stage, including Dirt Under The Carpet, Bold Girls, and Frankenstein. Some of her most famous stage work is the history cycle The James Plays, James I, James II, and James III, which were first…

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SPECTRA’s world premiere of Six Frames by Illuminos

SPECTRA, Scotland’s festival of light, will present the world premiere of a brand-new installation from Illuminos: Six Frames next month. Drawing inspiration from six repeating stanzas of Sheena Blackhall’s poem Twa Brigs Bussie, the installation brings audiences along for the journey, recreating the very same route described in the poem, from Brig o Dee to…

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Letter featuring Mary Queen of Scots’ handwriting for sale

A letter written more than four centuries ago, featuring the handwriting of Mary Queen of Scots, is to be sold live and online by fine art auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull next Wednesday, February 2. It is thought that the letter could fetch between £14,000 and £18,000, when it goes on sale in Edinburgh. The epistle…

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A gripping read that thrills to the very end

Master of crime Denzil Meyrick transports his readers to the urban gangland of the Scottish town of Paisley and the dark underworld of London. Packed with brutal crime, dysfunctional families and dark humour, follow gangland boss Zander Finn on his quest to right his wrongs, only to learn some life decisions can’t be undone. This…

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The Bookish Banksy’s artwork goes to auction

A collection of rare book sculptures, especially created for Scottish Book Trust by an anonymous artist dubbed the Bookish Banksy, are to be auctioned online from tomorrow, Tuesday, 25 January, until Tuesday, 1 February. Book lovers will be invited to place their bids with fine art auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull, which is selling the five…

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Get ready for the light fantastic to return

SPECTRA, Scotland’s festival of light, returns to Aberdeen with a star-studded line-up in Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022. Featuring a brand-new commission, multidisciplinary collaborations, and multiple premieres, this year’s SPECTRA will not only light up the dark winter nights, it will bring Scotland and it’s stories to life. Taking place from February 10-13 across Aberdeen…

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Rare signed Harry Potter book in Glasgow auction

A rare first edition Harry Potter book is going under the hammer next month. McTear’s in Glasgow is holding a Toys, Models and Pop Culture sale on February 3, and lot number 971 is sure to attract interest from around the world. A sought-after signed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire first edition has…

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Have you lost a kitten, Daniel Craig or Yoda on a staycation?

Where would you find an Indian wedding necklace made of £50 notes, a tartan wedding dress, a golf buggy, a 5ft wedding cake piñata, two tickets to Houston, Texas, a British shorthair blue kitten called Rocky and a life-size Yoda doll? Where else but Scotland Travelodge Lost & Found offices?! Today, the UK’s first budget…

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