Books
Book festival appoints school writer in residence
The Edinburgh International Book Festival has appointed its new schools writer in residence. Leyla Josephine takes the post for Citizen, as part of the next phase of its year-round programme taking the Book Festival On The Road. Citizen is a long-term creative programme working in partnership with organisations in and around Edinburgh, listening to people’s…
Read MoreDiscover the Jacobites from outside of Scotland
When contemplating the subject of the Jacobites, thoughts turn to Bonnie Prince Charlie, Culloden and more recently, the hunky but fictional Jamie Fraser from Outlander. What many people – historians included – have often failed to consider is that not all Jacobites were Scottish. In this book Desmond Seward attempts to reveal a much more…
Read MoreA Scottish golfing guide that’s well up to par
For anyone looking to tick a few world famous golf courses off their bucket list, The Golf Lover’s Guide to Scotland provides all the details you might need to make the planning as seamless as possible. Information includes slope rating, whether you need to show a handicap certificate, caddie hire options and dress code so…
Read MoreHow Scotland fared during the Cold War
A detailed examination of Scotland’s role during the period of the Cold War and the probable outcomes facing our nation had WWIII broken out. Trevor Royle’s use of recently declassified official information and interviews with many of the key players at the time, make this a fascinating while occasionally unsettling journey into history. Between the…
Read MoreBook festival’s associate director set to depart
The Edinburgh International Book Festival’s associate director to leave his role after a highly successful 13-year tenure. Roland Gulliver departs in spring 2020 having a made an enormous contribution to the development of the Book Festival’s programme helping maintain its position as the world’s premier literature festival which in 2019 welcomed authors from over 60…
Read MoreA history of money in Scotland’s capital
In truth, I’ve never previously considered the history behind money; my main focus tends to be on how to make more of the stuff. With this in mind I was surprised by how quickly I was drawn into the story of Edinburgh’s journey of wealth. Bookended by the two biggest financial catastrophes of our time…
Read MoreShe had to endure the neighbour from hell
When Cat Thomas moves from Florida to Edinburgh, her dreams of living in her idyllic wee flat in the Dean Village are soon shattered by her disrespectful and inconsiderate neighbour. At her wits’ end she’ll do anything to restore the peace. O’Neill creates a real sense of Edinburgh through his descriptions of its architecture. A…
Read MoreScottish recipes adapted for a vegan palate
With many of Scotland’s traditional recipes being laden with meat, butter and lots of other animal based ingredients, you’d be forgiven for assuming a Scottish vegan cookbook was impossible. Packed with nutritional side notes and lovely food photography, Jones offers vegan alternatives for breakfast staples like black pudding and lorne sausage. I’m yet to be…
Read MoreA joint win for Emerging Publisher of the Year
An Oban-based publisher was celebrating at the weekend after winning a top literary award. Alan Windram of Little Door Books was named joint winner of the Emerging Publisher of the Year award, together with Kay Farrell of Sandstone Press. The Saltire Litarary Awards were presented at a ceremony in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh,…
Read MoreScottish folk tales from the best storytellers
Just looking at the cover of this book makes me want to curl up with a mug of something hot and dive into all the tales it has to tell. Put together by Scotland’s Storytellers and The History Press, this collection includes legends from all over the country, with each chapter signalling a change of…
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