Posts Tagged ‘review’
The last man to die for the Jacobite cause
Had Doctor Archibald Cameron had his way, there would probably have been no last Jacobite Rising in 1745. His life is one of nobility and high adventure featuring buried treasure, treachery and clan feuds. It is thrilling and tragic. This is wonderfully detailed social history of Dr Cameron, the last man to die for the…
Read MoreScotland’s major conflicts in one book
For somebody taking a stroll on the barren fields of the Highlands to enjoy the immense peace and tranquility of the place today, it can be hard to imagine that the very same lands were once loud with the battle cries of brave and determined soldiers. They ended up being soaked with the blood of…
Read MoreDaunderlust – a book sharing the untold Scots stories
Daunderlust is a beautifully eclectic and eccentric collection of stories about a side of Scotland that is rarely seen by the average visitor (or by many who have lived in the country all their lives). And they certainly has never been mentioned in VisitScotland’s ongoing campaign to promote Scottish culture and encourage tourism. But, like…
Read MoreA well-researched look at who the Picts were
The first time I heard about the Picts, the ancient people of the North of Scotland, I was hooked. My dad told me all about them during a trip to visit family in Aberdeen, and my imagination went into overtime, imagining who they were, and where they lived compared to where I was visiting. The…
Read MoreScotland’s capital shown literally in a different light
When people visit Scotland, something they always notice is the weather. You can never quite guarantee that it will be the same two days in a row – look at the past week, for example – heavy rain and wind on Saturday, and Sunday was like a cool summer’s day. This inclement weather has been…
Read MoreA mystery with a hint of some Gothic romance
Author Gillian Galbraith is one of the gems of Tartan Noir. As a writer, her Alice Rice mystery series has been crtically acclaimed, and, during the first lockdown in 2020, her library eBook borrowings outstripped Hilary Mantel, Michelle Obama and Sally Rooney – in the top ten, the first novel in the series Blood in…
Read MoreA trip doon the watter that may float your boat
The west of Scotland sense of humour is a creature in its own right. And if you’re a fan of the likes of Tony Roper and Dorothy Paul, the Kerryoans up the Clyde! is definitely the book for you. This book, illustrated by Bob Dewar, recounts the adventures of a vessel full of character with…
Read MoreScots fish and chip shops faced with closure
A Scots restaurateur is backing a UK-wide campaign to help save Scottish fish and chip shops under threat of closure due to rapidly escalating costs. Carlo Crolla, 47, owner of East Coast Fish and Chips and East Coast Restaurant on North High Street in Musselburgh has teamed up with the National Federation of Fish Friers…
Read MoreA gripping read will chill you to the bones
Just five pages in, writer Helen Grant’s prose sets the heart racing. She depicts a claustrophobic’s worst nightmare, fromwhich point the reader is constantly on edge. Protagonist Fen Munro has moved to erthshire with her fiancé to escape London’s rat-race, only to find they are being watched by a figure dressed in lavender. Barr Dubh,…
Read MoreA book that’s a pure and simple joy to read
Wordsmiths rejoice, Fifty Words For Snow is as simple and as brilliant as you might hope. Nancy Campbell, a poet, writer and Arctic traveller from the Borders, teaches us of snow in its many forms across the globe. Many of these words and phrases shall now be used at every given opportunity: ‘hagelslag’, meaning ‘hail…
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