Posts Tagged ‘review’
A fascinating read – whether you like a dram or not
Don’t worry – The Language of Whisky is not a book which takes an oaky sip of Scotland’s finest and turns it into a seven-verse poem. No, this is about the extraordinary journey of whisky: from the Scottish Highlands to New York and Tasmania. This surprising book also takes us to the origins of our…
Read MoreThe fascinating secrets we all carry in our bones
Think medical chat is dry? Never want to be seated next to a doctor at a dinner party? Swap those name places back and think again. From the renowned forensic anthropologist Sue Black comes a remarkable culmination of stories told by our bones. Skeletons may mark the absence of life, but Black turns this on…
Read MoreMaps are the forgotten weapons of war
The basis of A History of the Second World War In 100 Maps is that maps are ‘indispensable instruments of war’. If anyone can convince us of this it is world-leading military and cartographic historian Jeremy Black, who has studied a huge range of maps from the Second World War in minute detail. In this…
Read MoreDiscover life in the Granite City in wartime
A comprehensive historical treasure chest is what awaits in Craig Armstrong’s Aberdeen at War 1939-45. Black and white photographs are interspersed with detailed explanations of life in Aberdeen during World War Two. This is an interesting read for anyone from the north east. Armstrong successfully transports readers back in time in this poignant ode to…
Read MoreBlasted Things is more than a historical novel
The 16th novel from award-winning Edinburgh author Lesley Glaister, Blasted Things deserves to be read by all. Set just after World War One, not only are we expertly transported to a different era, but the characters we meet along the way are both alluring and peculiar, as is her genre. Blasted Things straddles the categories…
Read MoreA strange tale which will have you gripped
From an author whose favourite TV shows include Twin Peaks, it is no surprise that Happiness is Wasted on Me is a strange book. But, it is an undoubted page turner at same time. Spanning a decade of 11-year-old Walter Wedgeworth’s life around Cumbernauld in the 1990s, the setting harks back to a time long…
Read MoreLegal challenge to Govt’s beaver killing policy
A legal challenge by Trees for Life to the Scottish Government’s beaver killing policy will be heard by the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Thursday 3 June and Friday 4 June. Trees for Life says the Government’s nature agency NatureScot is breaking the law by failing to make the killing of the protected species…
Read MoreWine to Dine – July 2021 – Salt Café
Scottish Field wine columnist Peter Ranscombe picks five bottles to rub shoulder to shoulder with the recipes from Salt Café. SUPPORTING local businesses is more important than ever as Scotland emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. That’s why it was heartwarming to see the recipes from Salt Café in Edinburgh’s Morningside starring in the food feature…
Read MoreThe fascinating tales of boarding school sports
An old Etonian? A recent Wykehamist? Remember the good old days at Edinburgh Academy? If you have fond memories of boarding school or are a sports historian then you will find this book fascinating. Malcolm Tozer has collated the pre-rugby early codes of football from an array of public schools in the 19th century, including…
Read MoreBrookmyre’s latest thriller is a Cut above the rest
Dark humour and jittering suspense underlines the twisting narrative of Chris Brookmyre’s latest thriller. Expertly crafted, our unconventional characters Millicent and Jerry narrate us through their turbulent lives. Scarred by and scared of the world around her, we are introduced to Millicent, who has spent 25 years in jail for murder, but who is now…
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