Books
Voxblock plays audiobooks without a screen
AN EDINBURGH couple has today launched Voxblock, a device for playing audiobooks without a screen. Rebecca Lundgren and Tom Williams were inspired to create the machine after watching their daughter play Lundgren’s childhood audiobooks on an old cassette player. ‘‘Watching our own daughter listen to and love my old storybook cassettes was a revelation and…
Read MoreBloody Scotland shines spotlight on new authors
THE Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival has chosen 22 new writers for its “Crime in the Spotlight” feature. Each author will appear alongside more famous writers, either on stage or online. The idea was inspired by the support acts at music festivals. More than 100 new writers have been supported by the project in…
Read MoreDonna Ashworth shares exclusive poem
Poet Donna Ashworth shares her new work, Home, written for Scottish Field. HAILING from Tillicoultry, Donna Ashworth rose to fame on social media, with her poetry winning a legion of celebrity fans, including Cat Deeley, Lisa Faulkner, and Lisa Snowden. A new collection of her poems, I Wish I Knew, has been released by Black…
Read MoreAlexander McCall Smith features on new album
AUTHOR Alexander McCall Smith is one of the narrators featured on the forthcoming album from string duo Sequoia. Isola, which is due to be released on 16 September, features the Scotland Street author, along with Hamish Henderson. The author features on the title track, which he helped to compose. The idea for the album came from…
Read MoreAbbotsford prepares for tomorrow’s ScottFest
SIR Walter Scott’s home at Abbotsford near Tweedbank is making the final preparations for its “ScottFest”. The three-day festival celebrating the life of Scotland’s most famous author begins tomorrow. Events include jousting, terrier racing, and birds of prey displays. The festival marks Scott’s birthday, which this year coincides with the 200th anniversary of the author’s…
Read MoreFree Harry Potter samples used to promote literacy
THE opening chapter of the first Harry Potter children’s book is being made available for free online this summer to promote literacy. The first pages of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone are being released through the Wizarding World website. Amazon is also streaming the first book for free via its Audible audio book shop…
Read MoreFun Lovin’ Crime Writers at the Fringe
THE Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers – a band made up of tartan noir authors – is preparing to play four shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The super group – which consists of Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Doug Johnstone, Val McDermid, Stuart Neville, and Luca Veste – play “songs about murder and death”. Its covers…
Read MoreMoat Brae brings children’s stories to life
MOAT Brae, Scotland’s national centre for children’s literature and storytelling, in Dumfries has reopened for the summer with an exhibition showcasing classic stories. Studio MinaLima, the graphic design firm behind the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, has breathed fresh life into tales including Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi,…
Read MoreDundee becomes ‘Beanotown’
DUNDEE has been transformed into “Beanotown” for a week, with a Hollywood-style sign on the Law. The sign is part of the Dundee Summer (Bash) Streets Festival, which runs until Sunday. At six metres high by 38 metres long – or 20 feet by 125 feet, in old money – the sign can be seen…
Read MoreVal McDermid and Ian Rankin at Largo Arts Week
AUTHORS Val McDermid and soon-to-be-Sir Ian Rankin are topping the bill at Largo Arts Week, which begins on Saturday. The writers will take part in “An audience with…” events in the Fife village’s Crusoe Hotel. Lower Largo is famous as the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, the man who inspired the story of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson…
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