Posts Tagged ‘reviews’
Celebrating love and friendship in poetic verse
Alexander McCall devoted a recent column in Scottish Field to to the joys of poetry (especially Auden, who he reveres). This collection, which examines the themes of friendship and love, is a joyous affirmation of his infatuation with the form. Delivered in his trademark genial, conversational style, this accessible and highly enjoyable collection is divided…
Read MoreA third celebration of powerful Scottish women
Mairi Kidd dedicates a third of her book to powerful Scottish women (the remainder to Irish and Welsh equivalents) whose tales have been overlooked or banished to the footnotes of historic literature. It is hard to look beyond the underlying politics of the narrative – with a strong focus on the fight for gender equality…
Read MoreA celebration and history of Scottish art and artists
Have you ever wondered about the backstory of James Guthrie’s ‘To Pastures New’ painting? Or indeed the tale of Henry Raeburn? Here to fill the art history void in our lives is Lachlan Goudie with this wonderful snapshot of Scottish art through the centuries – a comprehensive account of the nation’s creative history that caters…
Read More7 of the best rosés for your bank holiday weekend
If you’re looking for rosés ahead of the May Day bank holiday then Peter Ranscombe has you covered. IS IT really a year since our #stayathome review of rosés? While I’m not counting my sunshine-flapping chickens just yet – especially not for the bank holiday itself – there’s definitely more optimism in the air as…
Read MoreThrills in a 1970s-set piece of tartan noir
Follow detective Harry McCoy as his hunches lead him across a Glasgow landscape rife with drugs and violence, in search of answers. As any good piece of tartan noir should, it introduces you to a slew of questionable characters who definitely muddy the waters between good and evil, although in 1970s Glasgow maybe this was…
Read MoreA look around some of the most stunning gardens
Aspiring to promote interaction with the natural world, photos are divided into categories that encourage the appreciation of the planet’s diversity. Particularly for nature enthusiasts, the staggering range of nature’s beauty is astonishingly captured from a multitude of perspectives and locations. It could benefit from more narrative, but definitely one for the coffee table. International…
Read MoreThese Tiny Tales are packed full of character and charm
This book of Tiny Tales is easy to read, charismatic and charming. It convincingly demonstrates that length is by no means essential for a captivating read. The abundance of tales are collated into sections; from ‘kindness’ to ‘meeting in lifts’, and this is topped off with an ‘Amuse-Bouche’ which humorously compliments each collection. The same…
Read MoreLin Anderson’s epic crime series returns in style
The Glasgow-based epic crime series, now fifteen instalments long, sees the return of Dr Rhona MacLeod and DS Michael McNab. Forensic scientist MacLeod, is called upon when eleven-year-old Mary McIntyre’s body is discovered after vanishing 45 years previously. Karen Marshall, Mary’s best friend, is still troubled by memories surrounding her disappearance and struggles to make…
Read MoreA Tomb with a View offers a fascinating insight
While the more superstitious among us avoid graveyards or simply hold our breath while passing them, Peter Ross finds them curiously comforting. He whiled away the hours in the Old Town cemetery in Stirling as a boy. The Glasgow-based writer, one of Scotland’s finest essayists, admits that deciphering old gravestones was one of the ways…
Read MoreA study of nature writing and the Scottish ecology
Kathleen Jamie introduces Antlers of Water, a collection of modern Scottish nature writing with a huge focus on our pressing ecological crisis. This is apparent in most of the 23 commissioned writings by various Scottish authors, the diversity between each of their chapters refl ective of Scotland’s unique environment. There’s an intriguing mix of prose,…
Read More